#but i'll keep at it because i love looking at still shots of video game environments

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance - Traverse Town

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 33 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Getting through your second presentation feels like a battle of wits against your own body. Then after weeks of barely being able to stomach anything, you are presented with the most enticing dinner. But it's the food that's alluring, not your dinner mate, and Bradley has a few things to say about the mess you get yourself caught up in.

Warnings: Swearing, adult language, pregnancy topics, angst, fluff, phone sex, masturbation

Length: 5800 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

You slept like a lovesick log after your long drive back to the hotel from the cemetery. Exhausted from throwing up in the shrubs, you curled up in bed and watched the video you took for your son or daughter. You had recorded yourself reading both headstones and having a little conversation with your in-laws about the baby. It was just meant to be something you and Bradley could watch one day with the nugget, but it brought a smile to your face. 

You were decidedly no longer smiling when you woke up on Wednesday and had to race to the toilet. "Why is this happening again?" you asked the bath mat as you curled up in a ball. You had another, longer presentation to give. You had admirals to chat with. You had a whole lot to get done today. You didn't have time for this right now.

Even brushing your teeth was a chore. Changing into your uniform was an issue. At least your pants felt a little looser today. You honestly could not keep up with the way your body was bloated half the time and normal the rest of the time. 

You realized your makeup was pretty much the only thing holding your life together at the moment as you swiped on some mascara. Then there was a knock at your door, and it felt like you were doing the same thing all over again today, because essentially you were. You and Cat had to struggle with the bin of equipment. You had to fight to stay awake in the rental car. The nausea was turning  your life into a game of sheer determination to keep the bagel that you ate from coming back up. 

"Are you okay?" Cat asked you a few minutes before the presentation was about to start. 

"Of course," you told her in what you hoped was a reassuring tone. "Why wouldn't I be?" You shrugged and smiled serenely at her. 

"Because you're sweating bullets. And you've been pacing around the hallway."

You cleared your throat and insisted, "It's just really hot in here."

"It's not," she replied. "Please. I'm begging you. Just keep it together for another ninety minutes, okay? After that, you can do anything you want. Hell, I'll do anything you want me to do. But we need to get through this presentation." 

Her voice sounded panicked, and now you were looking around the hallway for a garbage can. But it was too late. The two of you were being called into the presentation room. Commander Patterson and Admiral Klein were sitting in the front row smiling at you. Shit, more admirals were here today. Oh fuck, all of these people wanted to hear your extended presentaion. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of your neck, past your shoulder blades and along your spine. You wanted Bradley. You wanted Bradley to hold you and let you throw up everywhere and tell you that you were still pretty and that he loved you even if you cried on the toilet and ate crackers while you lay on the floor. 

Tears burned your eyes, and Cat looked like she was going to scream. Pull it together. Ignore the sensation. Clip the microphone onto your shirt. Start talking. 

"Good afternoon. Lieutenant Coleman and I are back to expound upon our research presentation from Monday which covered communications engineering at Top Gun. You can find a copy of our slides in the information packet in front of you. Please hold your questions until we pause for a break. Let's get started."

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

Bradley really wasn't doing well without you at home. He was barely eating anything besides cereal and sandwiches, and he was going to bed hungry at night. The only fun he'd been having was slowly filling up that pink and blue notebook with his musings for the little nugget.

He was having a hard time sleeping, and he didn't like how quiet the house was. Even Tramp kept looking for you, occasionally running to the front door and whimpering. "We'll see her on Friday," he told the dog as he had potato chips and coffee for breakfast on Wednesday morning. "Two more days of this bullshit." 

When he got home from work on Tuesday, he broke down in tears as he looked at the photos you sent him from the cemetery. You even took a video where you were talking to him and the nugget and his parents. He still couldn't believe you took the time to drive there and make it so special for him. After he finished crying, he made his way back up to the attic where he took the half wall down to the studs. Then he realized that he really needed to call some contractors before you came home and saw the mess he made. 

While he drove to work in the red Bronco, he left messages, hoping to get some estimates in the next week or so. One thing that he'd been slowly coming to terms with was the fact that you didn't need him to take care of you by paying for everything. Both of your incomes were going toward the mortgage payments and all the necessities. You'd both been saving money for the future, and he figured the future had arrived since there was a baby on the way. 

When he parked in the garage on base, he noticed he had some new texts from you.

Baby Girl Bradshaw: I miss you. I'm struggling today. I think the nugget hates me. I'll call you later after my presentation and all of this other shit is over. 

He wanted to text you back, but he didn't want to be a distraction, so he tucked his phone into his pocket and ran his fingers through his hair. He had been reading every pregnancy article online that he could find, but none of the tricks he saw were helping you with the nausea. You were probably just going to have to wait it out. He would be ready to rub your shoulders and put a cool washcloth on the back of your neck when you got home.

Bradley walked the long way around to the classrooms since he was early and didn't need to stop in the locker room to change. When he passed the stairwell that would have taken him up to your office and the engineering labs, he swore he heard Bob's voice. He paused, and he definitely heard Bob's laugh. When the door to the stairs opened, he heard Bob say, "We can always find out later tonight if you want to invite me to your room again." And then there was a very familiar, feminine laugh before Bob appeared ten feet ahead of him.

He stared at Bob, and Bob stared back as the door closed, leaving the two of them alone. Bradley thought back to the way Bob and Maria were looking a little cozy at brunch last Sunday. This was interesting.

"Hey, Bob," Bradley said with a grin. "How are you enjoying your new apartment with Maria?"

His cheeks immediately flushed pink, and Bradley bit his lip to keep quiet as Bob started stuttering. Frankly, he was proud of his friend for sounding so much more self assured a few seconds ago when he was tucked inside the stairwell with Maria. "I-I d-don't know... are y-you... I d-din't think that..."

Bradley let him flounder through a few more partial sentences before he said, "If you're hooking up with Maria Wilson, then good for you, man. Well done."

Bob cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses and ran his hand along the back of his neck. "Thanks," he muttered as he stared at the floor. 

"You want me to keep this information to myself?"

Bob's blue eyes went wide as they met Bradley's. "Please." He swallowed hard. "I don't think she wants anyone else to know." His voice was just a whisper as he said, "I'm sure she'd be embarrassed if people found out."

Then he turned and left Bradley standing there alone. He'd been in that position before with you. Before you made things official. And he had been miserable. "Poor Bob," he muttered as he followed him at a distance. The best case scenario would be if Maria confided in you when you got back from Annapolis. Bradley would have to be cool about you going to brunch on Sunday even though he already wanted you and the baby all to himself again all weekend.

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

You made it. Somehow you got through the full hour and a half. You nailed your parts, and so did Cat. You and she answered questions for at least an additional thirty minutes, and now she was packing up the equipment while you sent a quick text to Bickel. 

"Your research is very compelling, Lieutenant Commander."

You looked up into the eyes of Commander Patterson, and he smiled warmly at you. Unfortunately, the only thing you could really think about was the way you'd been picturing Bradley's cock the last time you talked to him. At the moment, you were so fucking horny, you felt like rubbing yourself against the wall and crying until you got some relief.

"Thank you, sir," you managed to say while you tried to focus on his face and his words. "It has really become a passion project, trying to keep actual aviators in the air versus the drone agenda. Real people making real decisions based on their surroundings and the immediate threats they are facing will always win out against a laboratory manufactured software protocol."

"I couldn't agree more." He took a step closer and said, "And the way you presented your findings made it so clear that you're eager for others to understand how important that is as well."

"Absolutely," you told him with a smile of your own. "And the funding for communications research is so important." 

You were probably going to have to go to the cocktail hour tonight just to get your face out there since you skipped the previous one to drive to Virginia. But you were almost instantly saved from having to do that as Commander Patterson said, "I'm planning on having dinner this evening with a few of the admirals if you'd like to join us. Cocktail attire. Overpriced steaks. You know, the usual." 

His slight eye roll had you laughing and agreeing immediately. That sounded a lot better than trying to ditch champagne flutes all night. You'd still be able to chat with some superiors, and right now, you were actually hungry. "That sounds great. I'll see if Lieutenant Coleman can join as well."

With that, his smile wavered a bit, but he told you the name of the restaurant, and you promised to be there at seven o'clock. Cat had all the equipment packed up, and she was ready for you to help her carry the bin. "Hey, you want to come eat an overpriced steak later? With Commander Patterson and some others?" you asked as you tried your best to lift with your legs.

"Why didn't you tell me before? I already agreed to some stupid happy hour with a handful of admirals, but I love overpriced food when you don't have to pay for it."

You laughed and said, "That's probably better. We can divide and conquer this way. Bickel will like that."

As the two of you hoisted the bin into the rental car, Cat smiled and said, "You know what else he'll like? The fact that we nailed the presentation again today. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Don't do it again," you told her with a smirk. Of course then you promptly started falling asleep while she drove back to the hotel, and when you got to your room, you passed out in bed until it was time to get ready for dinner. 

It was only three o'clock for Bradley, and even though you wanted to call him, you decided to wait a little longer. You inhaled a pack of peanut butter crackers while your stomach growled loudly. "What is with you today?" you asked the baby. "You're finally hungry? Or are you going to make me barf again?" You got a loud rumble in response. "I know you like Daddy better, and we'll be home in two days. Relax."

As you redid your makeup, you started thinking about Bradley. And then you thought about how delicious he smelled right after he finished a workout. And then you thought about how nice and big his cock is. And then you thought about all the sounds he makes and the way me moans your name when his cock is inside you.

"Oh hell," you whined, pressing your thighs together. You needed to get some relief with your toys until you could get back home, but you didn't have time for that right now. The combination of being so hungry and so horny was almost too much to handle, and you ended up calling Bradley on the short drive to the restaurant. It was barely four there, so you were surprised when he answered. 

"Hey, Sweetheart."

Two words. He said two fucking words, and you were moaning and having a hard time focusing to drive. "Roo. Oh my god."

"What's wrong?" he snapped immediately. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," you gasped, parking the car and squeezing the steering wheel. "I'm just so horny. And Commander Patterson asked me out to dinner, and I seriously need to get fucked, Bradley. Like you have no idea how bad it is right now."

You could hear him mutter something, and then you thought you heard Jake's voice before Bradley quietly said, "Baby Girl, I'll fuck the absolute shit out of you all weekend. In fact, I can't wait to do that. I'll take care of everything you need."

"Daddy," you moaned, realizing you should have masturbated instead of taking that nap.

"But please tell me who the fuck Commander Patterson is. All I know is that you said he's that guy who asked if Top Gun aviation is the right fit for you?" Another moan escaped your lips as you thought about being a tight fit for your husband. "Yeah, you sound wrecked, Sweetheart," he crooned in that raspy voice. "I don't think you should go to dinner with some guy I don't know. I don't care what his rank is.

You sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's not just with him. Some admirals are coming too. I need to meet the admirals, Bradley. And I'm already at the restaurant." When you looked further up the block, you saw Patterson heading inside.

Bradley made a frustrated sound. "Text me when you can? And call me when you're leaving later?"

"I will," you promised as your stomach growled. You were so excited that the nugget seemed to want to eat this steak, you almost hung up before you said, "I love you."

You straightened out your black cocktail dress as you practically ran down the sidewalk in your high heels which you rarely ever wore except in your bedroom with your husband. The delicious smells from the restaurant were wafting out onto the sidewalk, and you were going to cry if there wasn't some bread or something already waiting on the table. 

"There you are, Lieutenant Commander." 

Patterson was waiting inside the entryway where at least the sound of the air conditioner blasting and the conversation around you was blocking out your growling stomach. He was smiling as his hand found the small of your back. "Our table is ready. We can go right there." 

When he applied some pressure with his hand, you lurched forward. Perhaps he was just trying to help you navigate through the crowd, but he could keep his hands to himself. He must have known you were married. You decided to make a show of pointing out some hideous artwork with your left hand, practically shoving your rings in his face. "That's a lovely painting, Commander," you told him, but he just smiled and nodded at you before pulling out a chair at a table set for four.

"Please, call me Derek," he told you as he sank down into the seat across from you, and then he started using your first name without permission. The one blessing was the fact that there was an enormous basket of bread sitting right in the middle of the table along with a variety of spreads and dips. 

You moaned softly and had to bite your lip as you reached for a soft looking roll and the chive butter. Derek was staring at you with parted lips and wide pupils. Had he never seen a woman eat before? Had you ever been this hungry before? You licked your lips as you spread some of the butter onto the roll, and then you took a bite and moaned again. 

Holy. Fucking. Shit. 

After weeks of feeling miserable, you finally knew you could stomach this meal right now. You were still so turned on, and yet your exhaustion was bone deep at this point, but the bread was like a lifeline to normalcy, and you were grabbing onto it. 

Derek cleared his throat as he watched you take those first few sumptuous bites. "I've got to know," he said smoothly, "exactly what would lure you back to Annapolis for good?"

You popped the rest of the roll between your lips and chewed it up before you said, "Nothing."

"There would have to be something. Better research facilities? Your own lab? Both of your degrees and your work are so impressive, you must know there would be endless possibilities for you here."

You were shocked. Running your own lab was your dream. The idea of being in charge of a research team made your skin prickle with desire. You hoped that could be a possibility someday, but you weren't even thirty-five yet. You figured maybe ten years from now when Bickel was getting ready to retire, you'd be able to take his place. 

"My own lab?"

Derek smiled, all white teeth and handsome expression, and then the waitress arrived. You wanted to jump out of your seat and hug her when she asked if you'd like to order any appetizers.

"Do you know when the others will be here?" you asked Derek. "Should we wait to order?"

He shook his head vaguely. "They'll be late. We can order. Get whatever you want."

You almost laughed giddily as you ordered three appetizers and then a steak dinner complete with garlic mashed potatoes and two vegetables. "We can share the appetizers," you said when he looked at you in surprise, even though you didn't want to. You placed your hand on your belly, trying to subtly thank the baby for cooperating right now. 

When the waitress finished taking his order and then departed, you asked, "Which admirals are joining us?"

"Hmm? Oh... uh, Rivera and Silverman."

You were not familiar with either of them which made you panic slightly. You should have done more research on who was attending each of the lectures. Why hadn't you done that? Oh, right... because you were too busy throwing up. The bread basket called to you, and before you knew it, you'd eaten more than half while Derek droned on about how amazing you'd be running your own lab. He didn't even know you, which made this more annoying than anything else, but your stomach was holding up spectacularly, so you could overlook it. You could have kissed the waitress when she came back with the appetizers.

"So, do you live alone?" he asked as you dipped two mozzarella sticks into some marinara sauce. You paused before shoving them into your mouth so you could chuckle. 

"No. I live with my husband and our dog." Then the fried cheese hit your tongue, and it was like you were living in a world of color after weeks in black and white. Your stomach gurgled pleasantly, finally accepting food once again. Tears of joy stung at your eyes as you took a forkful of crispy brussels sprouts and a potato skin.

Derek laughed and asked how old you were, but your mouth was full, so he said, "Let's just say, my career in Annapolis outlived my bad marriage. And that's been the case for many, many officers."

You swallowed the potato like it was a lead weight. That had definitely been the case for Cat, unfortunately. And you'd heard a lot of stories, sure, especially when you were at the Naval Academy. And perhaps that was part of the reason you fought against the mere idea of being with Bradley at first. One officer in a relationship with a civilian was bad enough, but two officers trying to make it happen together usually spelled disaster.

But you felt stronger with Bradley. The two of you worked hard to get through your struggles and end up in a better place. You and he were going to be parents, for fuck's sake. 

"Just sharing my two cents with you," Derek added, still smiling. "You're young, and you haven't lived it yet, but I can tell you that you'll go farther here than in San Diego. Especially if you're already open to the idea of having more."

You wanted to check the time on your phone; you must have been sitting here for over half an hour by now. The other two chairs were still empty. Derek was starting to get under your skin. 

"I'm open to the idea of pursuing my career at Top Gun along with my husband."

"He's an officer as well?" Derek asked with a laugh. "I'm sure he's having a great week back in San Diego without you."

You felt heat flame up your neck and into your cheeks as your steak dinners arrived. "Yes, he's an officer. He's a Top Gun aviator."

"He deploys?" Derek asked in disbelief before laughing harder. "You should make the move back to the east coast now, before he ruins your life. If he hasn't already."

He had gone from complimenting you to trying to humiliate you in a matter of minutes. You'd been blinded by the glorious meal, but the truth hit you square in the chest. As he picked up his fork and steak knife, you asked, "Why did you lie to me about two admirals coming? Do Rivera and Silverman even exist?"

Somehow his smile was still persistent as he said, "Sure, they exist. They went to the cocktail reception on base." You watched the knife sink into his steak as he added, "You're gorgeous. I wanted to get you alone. Let you know how much better things could be. Offer to set you up for a one-on-one meeting with Admiral Jennings tomorrow if you come home with me tonight. It's on the table if you want it."

In one quick movement, you snatched his plate away from him with the fork still stuck in the steak. "Okay, well fuck you, Derek," you snarled, standing up and waving for the waitress. "You're disgusting and delusional if you thought I would even consider going home with you."

"Can I get you anything?" the waitress asked cautiously, and you realized you were causing a bit of a scene now in the crowded restaurant. 

"Yes. I need boxes. Like a whole bunch of takeout boxes," you told her. "I'm taking all of this food with me."

"Right," the waitress replied, her gaze drifting to Derek who looked very unamused. 

"I'm taking his meal, too," you snapped. "Hurry up with the boxes."

She scurried away as you piled all of the food onto one plate and said, "You're so fucking stupid, Derek. I already have Admiral Jennings' phone number. I met her last year. I told her to her face that I'm staying in San Diego."

"Well then you're making a bad choice," he told you.

Then the waitress set down some takeout containers while you practically tossed the empty plate back at Derek. You scraped as much of the food into the first box as would fit before moving to the second one. "He's paying for dinner," you told the waitress. "And I'm taking one fork and one steak knife with me. He'll pay for those as well." You shoved the rest of the bread into the last box and then stacked them all up before meeting Derek's eyes. "You just ruined the first meal I've been able to stomach in weeks, asshole. And my husband is a nice man. Very sweet. Treats people with respect. But if he were here right now, you'd have a bloody face and some broken ribs." 

You picked up the boxes, grabbed the utensils, and made your way toward the exit. You went straight for your rental car and climbed inside before cranking the engine. Then you took a massive bite of garlic mashed potatoes before cutting off a piece of Derek's steak while you called your husband. 

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

Bradley was working out in the garage when your ringtone cut across the playlist you made for him. He practically dropped his barbell to the cement floor to get his phone from where it was sitting on the tool chest. "Sweetheart. I wasn't expecting to hear from you quite yet. Didn't we just get off the phone?" he asked with a smile as he ran his forearm along his sweaty face. "Not that I mind one bit." He was about to ask if you were done with dinner, but then he realized that you were crying. The sweat on his skin turned ice cold as he quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

"Roo," you wailed, and he started looking around the garage as if there was something out here that would help both of you calm down. "He ruined my fucking dinner!" you sobbed.

"What are you talking about?" he asked as he paced the length of the garage, running his fingers through his damp hair. "Who ruined it?"

"Commander Patterson."

Bradley honestly could not fathom how that guy had ruined your dinner. All he knew was that you told him you were horny as hell when you got to the restaurant, and that he didn't trust guys he didn't know around you. Most men were disgusting, and you were lovely and also pregnant with his child.

"Can you explain what happened so I can understand?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Yeah," you sniffed, and he heard a car engine start up in the background. "The nugget and I were both really enjoying the food. Like really enjoying it, Bradley. You know how I've been, and this was delectable and exactly what we both wanted. Like it was so good, if you'd been there with me looking super sexy, I would have probably had an orgasm in the middle of the damn restaurant."

Bradley swallowed hard as he stood in the garage, wondering where the hell this was going. "I understand. You haven't been able to eat much, so that must have felt amazing. Now can you tell me what's wrong?"

"He ruined it!" you replied loudly. "He lied to me! There were no admirals planning on joining us. He tricked me into meeting him there, and then he gave me fake compliments and accolades about my work. He told me that I could get ahead with a career in Annapolis if I slept with him, all because he wanted to fuck me!"

Bradley almost dropped his phone. "Did he touch you?" he growled, switching to speaker phone as he rushed through the backyard toward the house and looked for flights to Maryland at the same time. "Did he fucking touch you?!"

"No!" you practically shrieked. "No, he didn't touch me! You think I'd let him get anywhere near me after he ruined my dinner?"

"Where are you now?" he demanded. "And what's this Commander fucking Patterson's first name?" 

Bradley was seeing red as he walked inside and slammed the sliding glass door behind him, and Tramp ran whimpering into the spare room. The earliest he could get out of San Diego on an eastbound flight was a red eye that left at 9:30, and that was nearly four hours from now.

"I'm not telling you his name," you said softly with a little sniff at the end. "I'm afraid you'll strangle him."

Frankly, if Bradley got his hands on the asshole, he'd probably wish all he got was strangled to death. "Where are you now?" he asked again, trying to keep his voice calmer.

"In my rental car."

"Alone?

"Yes!"

"Good," he replied as he clenched and unclenched his fist and headed for the shower. "Go back to your hotel room, and text me the address. I'll stay on the phone with you until you get there, and then I'll be out on a red eye that lands in Annapolis at 5:55 tomorrow morning local time. And then you'll tell me his first name, and I'll beat the shit out of him for ruining your dinner and acting like my wife is his for the taking."

"Bradley," you said firmly. "I do not need you to come out here. I already feel better now that I told you about it."

"Well, I sure as fucking hell don't," he grunted, peeling off his sweaty clothes in the bathroom. "Does he know which hotel you're staying at? And where the hell is Cat?"

You groaned and said, "No, he doesn't know. And Cat went to the actual cocktail reception with the actual admirals. I seriously hate Commander Patterson. But I did steal his dinner, so that's making me feel a little bit better."

His thumb was hovering over his phone screen, ready to purchase a seat on this flight. "Wait, you stole his dinner?"

"Yes. I took it. When I tell you the food was that good, Bradley, I am not joking. I housed most of the appetizers and the bread basket, and then I took his plate before he even got a bite of his porterhouse. I dumped all of the food into takeout boxes, took some silverware, told the waitress he'd pay for everything, and then I left."

Bradley burst into laughter in spite of himself. He could actually picture it so clearly. The haughty expression on your face. Your biting wit once you figured out what was going on. The way you must have looked dumping the steaks into the containers. "You're a damn force to be reckoned with, Baby Girl. Are you driving back to the hotel with all the food?"

"Yeah. I mean I did eat a few bites when I first got back in the car, because the baby was demanding it, but I'm absolutely going to eat the rest in my room. Fuck that guy. He doesn't even deserve his overpriced steak. It's mine now."

Bradley cradled his forehead in his hand and laughed. "Do you really not need me to come out there?"

He heard you take a deep breath before you said, "I miss you a lot, but I really do not need you to come out, okay? The nugget and I are fine now, ruined dinner aside."

"Alright," he murmured. "If you change your mind, you have two hours to let me know, and I'll be knocking on your door by 7 in the morning."

You moaned and whispered, "God, that does sound good. I'm back at the hotel. Heading up to my room now. Any chance you feel like having phone sex before I eat my two steaks and roughly four pounds of potatoes?"

"Fuck," he grunted, his cock already getting hard as he looked down at himself. "Yeah. A hundred percent. Let me just get in the shower here."

"Okay, Daddy," you muttered, and Bradley was practically tripping over himself as he started up the spray of water. Once you were safely inside your room, you told him, "I'm ready when you are."

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

You got off twice to your vibrator and your husband's sexy voice. It was so easy to imagine him in the shower with the sound of the water in the background. You could picture the steam snaking around his body while he held his thick cock in his hand. You could practically taste his skin and smell the body wash he was definitely using as lube. 

"That's my sweet girl," he crooned as you started to peak for the second time. "When I get you home on Friday, my mouth is going to be all over that pussy. I miss you so much. I want my wife and my baby with me."

"Bradley," you whined, legs bent and shaking as you got closer. "I need you to fuck me. I'm so goddamn horny for you!"

He grunted right into the phone and said, "Keep it up, and I'll break your new car at the airport, too."

And then you came. Hard. Your chest was sweaty. Your back was arching off the bed. The vibrator rolled out of your grasp, and you stroked yourself with your fingers and whispered his name over and over. 

"I'm about to come," Bradley moaned. And you could hear the exact second he was probably making a white mess all over the tile wall. You imagined it on your belly instead. 

You just wanted to go home, and when your back finally settled against the bedding you said, "I need you to promise to fuck me at least twenty times between Friday night and Monday morning."

"Make it thirty, Sweetheart," he crooned as he panted. "At least. I fucking need it, too."

You turned your head to the side where a photo of him was still pulled up on your phone. "Sounds perfect. Don't forget, I'm having dinner with my mom and dad tomorrow, so please FaceTime when you're walking out of work if you can."

"For the love of all things holy, please don't talk about your parents when I'm still holding my cock."

You giggled, and then he laughed. "I won't do it again," you promised as you sat up in bed, eyeing the takeout containers on the desk. "I love you, Roo. I'm going to eat Derek Patteron's steak, take a shower, and then pass out."

"I love you too, Baby Girl. Can you put your phone down by your belly?"

"Mmhmm," you hummed, pressing your lips together to keep from squealing at how sweet this man was.

"And I love you, too, my little nugget. Be nice to Mommy."

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

BG is all over the place... Roo probably has whiplash. Derek should be punished for ruining that meal for her and the baby. Just a few chapters left, and we'll have another series for them in the books! Thanks for reading! Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 34

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@happyrebelruins

@samsgoddess

@ughthisisntright

@bellaireland1981

@sagittarius-flowerchild

@mygyn

@yuckosworld

[aurumacadicus]

65 for the ficlet pls! I’m loving what you’ve written so far!

--

Steve heard the door open and sighed, leaning forward so he could rub his hands over his face. He sucked in a breath and held it as his palms ran over his swollen black eye, forgetting for a moment that the bruise had stayed. It was a welcome change from the aches and pains he'd forgotten.

"Steve," Tony began as he walked toward him.

"I don't--" Steve cut in, then sighed when Tony circled the couch to face him, hands dropping into his lap. "I came here so I'd be left alone."

"I know!" Tony said, and it sounded as if he was carefully choosing his words. "I know. I just... you left so quickly. Once they said you could leave." He looked down at Steve with calculating eyes.

Probably cataloguing how Steve was lacking now, Steve thought bitterly. He sucked in as deep a breath as he could and let it out slowly. "You know, if you just wanted to gawk, I'm sure JARVIS got tons of video of me struggling with my fucking motorcycle, so--"

"How dare you," Tony snarled before he could finish, and Steve found himself jerking his head back to stare up at him in surprise in response. Tony's cheeks had flushed with anger, his hands had gripped into fists. He'd never seen him this angry before. "I didn't come here to--to fucking gawk, or. I came to see you because I was worried about you, you asshole." His eyes took on a particular gleam that Steve recognized as hurt. As not wanting to show he was hurt. "I thought, hell, maybe you'd want your boyfriend to comfort you while you were--but never fucking mind. Just wallow on your own, see if I care."

"Tony," Steve tried, concerned.

"I can't believe you'd think that's what I came in here to do," Tony continued, jerking his gaze away. "A wizard used magic to reverse the serum in you and you were sickly beforehand so I was coming to make sure that you were okay. I even thought, maybe you'd be happy to see me."

Shame curdled in Steve's gut. It wasn't Tony's fault that this had happened. He'd been nothing but concerned since he'd heard Clint call for medical. "I am happy to see you, Tony," he offered, but he wasn't sure how sincere it sounded when Tony shot him a wounded look.

"Sure," Tony said. He cleared his throat, looking away again. "Well. Far be it from me to bother you when you wanted to be alone. Natasha is leaning on that wizard, Thor has gone to talk to his mother, and Bruce is looking into scientific fixes. I'll be in the lab."

Tony turned to leave, and Steve couldn't stop himself from reaching out, grabbing his wrist. Tony stilled under his touch, but he didn't turn back, keeping his face turned away. Steve swallowed thickly, trying to push back his guilt at the fact that he'd been so mean when Tony had just wanted to help. This was his issue. He'd just thought he'd left it all behind him in the forties.

"I'm sorry," Steve said quietly.

"...I'm... sure this must be... difficult. For you," Tony answered haltingly. "It's fine. I overreacted."

He probably believed that, too, Steve thought, frowning. He lifted his other hand to wrap around Tony's wrist, pulling gently at his arm. "Come here."

Tony hesitated for a long moment, but eventually, after Steve pulled again, he allowed himself to be towed back around. "Steve," he sighed, sitting down beside him. "I'm sorry."

"I am too," Steve promised, hands reaching up to cup his cheeks. "Will you look at me?"

Tony looked at him from under his lashes, which was just as attractive as it had always been, but somehow more, now that Steve had to look up at him. "Weird seeing bruises on you," he finally murmured.

"Weird still feeling the bruises," Steve admitted. "Kiss it better?"

"Wish I could kiss everything better," Tony muttered, but he was gamely leaning in, and as careful as he was, Steve was still so unused to pain that he flinched a little. "Well, there's nothing wrong with your lips, huh?"

"Nope," Steve answered, tilting his head back so it wasn't such a strain on Tony's neck to lean down further and kiss him.

He felt the change almost immediately, aches and pains fading to dull pulses as his body began to work overtime trying to heal them. He was suddenly and incredibly hungry. He hadn't eaten since he'd left medical several hours ago. Tony also looked smaller, where he was staring up at him in shock, mouth dropped open speechlessly. For one hysterical moment, Steve remembered what Bucky had said after he'd rescued him from Hydra.

"Don't," Steve tried, but Tony began howling with laughter between semi-hysterical sputterings of 'true love? that asshole wizard said true love?' until he slid off of the couch and onto the floor.

[sunsetkerr]

BEFORE A GAME WITH Y/N L/N | s.kerr

summary: netball australia releases a video with you (and sam) before a game. [1k words]

pairing: netball!reader x sam kerr

notes: another netball!reader because I love her

[OPENING SHOT OF Y/N'S HOME IN ADELAIDE. A MAGPIE SITS IN A TREE, CALLING OUT]

6:28AM, Y/N L/N'S HOME

THE MORNING OF ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS VS. MELBOURNE VIXENS

[SHOT OF Y/N'S BEDROOM WINDOW, THE SUN IS BEGINNING TO RISE. Y/N’S VOICEOVER BEGINS]

Y/N L/N: So, it's around 6:30 in the morning right now. Today is game day, we're playing melbourne and I have to be at the stadium by- (Y/N LOOKS DOWN AT HER PHONE, BLINKING A FEW TIMES) -9:30 for strat.

INTERVIEWER: Are you tired?

(Y/N LAUGHS, EXHALING THROUGH HER NOSE)

Y/N L/N: So tired.

Y/N L/N: I like to let sam sleep when I have to be up early.

[CLIP OF Y/N BRUSHING SAM'S HAIR OUT OF HER FACE AS SHE SLEEPS. SHORT CLIPS OF Y/N PULLING HER KIT OUT OF THE CUPBOARD, QUIETLY AS TO NOT WAKE HER GIRLFRIEND UP]

Y/N L/N: She flew in from Brisbane last night. (Y/N PAUSES TO MAKE SURE SAM IS STILL SLEEPING) Got in around midnight. So she needs a good sleep. (SMILES AT SAM)

[Y/N'S KITCHEN; Y/N SITTING AT THE KITCHEN BENCH, STILL IN HER PYJAMAS]

Y/N L/N: Game days I eat a big-ish breakfast. Some times we do team breakfasts if it's an earlier match, but we start at 6 tonight- so I'm eating here.

[CLIPS OF Y/N MAKING BREAKFAST; CEREAL AND YOGURT, MIXED NUTS ON TOP]

Y/N L/N: My grandad, well my Pa, used to have this cereal and when I was in juniors, I would eat it before my games. So now that I'm old (LAUGHING) and live out of home, he misses the cereal with the nuts and drops it off every month.

[PICTURES OF Y/N AND HER PA, OLD AND NEW]

Y/N L/N: He doesn't really like netball, but he watches it for me.

[Y/N EATING HER BREAKFAST QUIETLY AT THE BENCH, TRYING NOT TO LAUGH WITH HER MOUTH FULL]

Y/N L/N: (SWALLOWS BEFORE SPEAKING) I feel very strange with you all watching me eat.

[B-ROLL FOOTAGE; Y/N SAT EATING, PANS TO CREW FILMING HER. LAUGHTER FROM BEHIND THE CAMERA]

(SAM WALKS INTO THE KITCHEN, PAUSES WHEN SHE SEES THE CREW. LAUGHTER EMITS FROM Y/N AND FROM THE CREW]

SAM KERR: Um.. (PAUSES) What the *BEEP* is going on?

(MORE LAUGHTER)

[CUTS TO Y/N SITTING WITH SAM ON THE BENCH, SAM LEANING HER HEAD ON Y/N'S SHOULDER]

Y/N L/N: This is my girlfriend, her name is Sam.

(SAM WAVES TIREDLY AT THE CAMERA)

Y/N L/N: She should be asleep right now.

SAM KERR: I would be, but there's ten random people in our home right now (LAUGHS)

7:33AM

[CUTS TO Y/N IN THE BATHROOM, SKINCARE PRODUCTS SET UP BEHIND HER]

Y/N L/N: Before I go to the stadium, I shower and shave. I always try to remember to shave my armpits (LAUGHS) on the morning of games, but sometimes.. I forget. I keep my hair up and try not to get it wet, because I'll wash it later tonight after the game.

[CLOSE UP OF PRODUCTS BEHIND Y/N]

Y/N L/N: I get out all my stuff to wash my face with and everything before my shower so I don't forget anything.. because.. I will.

SAM KERR: *OFFSCREEN* She will.

Y/N L/N: Let's keep the heckling to a minimum, shall we?

8:19AM

SAM KERR: Y/N takes forever in the shower, so I usually, if I'm here, will try to make sure she's got everything.

(SAM PULLS A THUNDERBIRDS DUFFLE OUT FROM THE CUPBOARD, PLACING IT ON THE BED)

SAM KERR: This is her game bag, she needs her training gear and shoes. Her dress is at the stadium ready for her, which is good- because it would be all wrinkled, like the rest of her stuff (LAUGHS).

(SAM FOLDS AND PUTS Y/N'S CLOTHES INTO HER BAG)

SAM KERR: Uhh, clothes, shoes, deodorant. What else? Body wash. This is her little bag that she brings to shower after, has all her special, fancy stuff in it. And I'll- (SAM PULLS A HOODIE FROM THE CUPBOARD) put this in here, because it'll be cold when she comes home.

[Y/N PEERS AROUND THE CORNER, HER TOWEL WRAPPED AROUND HER. SHE TRIES TO KEEP HER BODY OUT OF SHOT]

Y/N L/N: Can I come in now?

8:36AM

[Y/N'S CAR; SAM IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT, Y/N IN THE PASSENGER]

SAM KERR: I feel like we're vloggers or something

Y/N L/N: No, I know (SMILES)

SAM KERR: Hey guys! Welcome back to our channel!

(Y/N LAUGHS WITH SAM)

Y/N L/N: So now I'm on my way to Netball SA to meet the girls, Sam's driving me because she's a good girlfriend.

SAM KERR: I didn't wanna be left alone.

Y/N L/N: That too. The stadium is in the city and my place is like forty-five-ish minutes away? Thirty-five with good traffic.

SAM KERR: Your phones going off bub

Y/N L/N: It's Georgie (CHUCKLES)

SAM KERR: (BANGING THE STEERING WHEEL PLAYFULLY WITH A SMILE) Georgie Horjus!

Y/N L/N: she wants to know if you're allowed to be driving with how much sleep you've had.

(SAM LAUGHS, ADJUSTING HER SUNGLASSES)

SAM KERR: Probably not, tell her to piss off.

9:17AM

[CLIP OF Y/N KISSING SAM GOODBYE THROUGH THE OPEN CAR WINDOW. SAM PULLS AWAY, BUT HOLDS Y/N'S HEAD CLOSE]

[SUBTITLES APPEAR AS SAM TALKS INAUDIBLY]

SAM KERR: *MUMBLED* I love you

[SAM QUICKLY KISSES Y/N ONCE MORE BEFORE TIGHTENING THE RIBBON IN Y/N'S PONYTAIL FOR HER]

[CLIP OF Y/N WALKING INTO THE STADIUM]

Y/N: So we're at the stadium, heading in to talk strategy with the girls for today's game. After that we'll do drills and warm ups, probably rewatch our last game again- boring stuff really (CHUCKLES). Oh, oh-

[CAMERA PANS TO TIPPAH DWAN, GOAL SHOOTER AND GOAL ATTACK FOR THE ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS. SHE SKIPS OVER TO Y/N, SUNGLASSES OVER HER EYES]

TIPPAH DWAN: Hey!

Y/N L/N: This is Tippah, my starting attacker.

TIPPAH DWAN: Dream-team here really (SHRUGS)

Y/N L/N: Thanks for spending my morning with me.

(TIPPAH PULLS Y/N IN FOR A TIGHT HUG AS Y/N LAUGHS, WAVING TO THE CAMERA)

TIPPAH DWAN: Now get outta here!

6:03PM

[CLIP OF Y/N TAKING TO COURT, TIGHTENING HER PONYTAIL UNDER THE GOAL RING. PANS OVER TO SAM KERR, WHO SITS WITH OTHER THUNDERBIRD PLAYERS PARTNERS. SHE IS CLAPPING, AND CHEERING FOR Y/N AS THE COUNTDOWN TO THE GAME BEGINS]

[THE SCREEN TURNS BLANK AS THE WHISTLE SOUNDS]

[sirfrogsworth]

I'm still slumping 2 weeks after my last movie outing.

I've been reconsidering going to movies as my way to escape the house.

It requires about 40 minutes of driving plus 2.5 hours at the theater. It's just too much time upright for me. And I feel the consequences are only worth maybe once a month. Once a week was too much. Though I feel like I still need to get out of the house more than once a month to keep sane.

My other idea was to take little photography trips. I could find a location that might make for some cool photos. I can limit myself to 30 minutes or something. And then I head home.

It's possible I might be getting some backpay if my disability increase is approved. I'm probably going to save most of it. But I am considering getting myself something that I normally wouldn't be able to. I miss photography almost more than regularly making comedy. So maybe I'll get a nice camera and a lens.

I've always had to get mid level APS-C cameras. They were the best I could afford. Which were great and I was able to get professional results. Some people think if you get a better camera your photos will magically be better. But better cameras do not automatically give you better image quality. They make it *easier* to get better image quality, especially in challenging circumstances.

For instance, on a fancy camera with really good sensor stabilization, you can take photos in dark environments without a tripod. That is a huge convenience, especially for a disabled photographer.

Or eye-tracking autofocus can assure you get perfect focus on every shot. I used to have to take dozens of extra photos for safety because it was difficult to check focus on that tiny screen. That added a lot of time to my sessions. Now I could take fewer pictures which helps save time while photographing but also at home when I am editing.

A bigger sensor makes it easier to get background blur and you can be closer to your subject in cramped spaces. And you don't need expensive prime lenses to get the same blur as an f/2.8 or whatever. So I can have smaller, lighter, and more affordable lenses that achieve similar quality.

So a better camera doesn't make you a better photographer. It is more like changing a video game's difficulty from hard to medium.

The only bummer is that I loved working with artificial lighting. That was an art form on its own. Shaping light was so fascinating and the resulting images just looked unreal. But it requires a ton of extra time and energy. So I will probably have to become a natural light photographer. But that presents a lot of fun challenges too. There is no photography I don't love, so I'll be okay. I just miss my lights.

I may not be able to afford a new fun thing at all. So I am not getting my hopes up or anything. But if I could do photography again and improve my mental health, I think that might be a worthy investment.

[ensemble-news]

This week on Ensemble News

The newest Crazy:B event has the community busted. Several theories, notes and analyses have appeared as a consequence.

Last week's catastrophy regarding the Enstars assets Drive appears to have settled down, however, the future of the drive is still unknown.

Ensemble News, our account, is finally running! Round of applause, we hope you support us through our journey.

Want to know more? Stay with us

▶ Fandom Section

Crazy Anthem and its landmarks

The newest Crazy:B music video for their song "Crazy Anthem" has been released. Because of this, the fandom has been making speculations about the possible landmarks that the video may feature, alongside theories and other writings.

A user on Twitter ¹ has deciphered many of the possible locations in which Crazy:B appears through the video and, possible, during their event story.

The video happens in California, as the event synopsis explains, but it looks like their route starts in San Francisco and finishes in Baja California, Mexico.

Curious about the locations? Here are some of the ones the fandom was able to find;

— Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills

"Venus Beach" — Venice Beach, California

— Walk of Fame, Hollywood

— Los Cabos, Baja California, Mexico

References:

1. Lisaw (@.mafucchu) via Twitter. 28/05/2023. Link

The Enstars assets Drive and its future

The past May 18th, the Enstars wiki Twitter account made an important post ¹ spreading awareness about the current state of the assets drive held by the account @.gradualcolors. The Twitter thread written explained that the assets drive — in which all cards, art, chibis, gifs, voice packs, and etc. are hosted, was going to be taken down due to multiple DMCA violations.

A week later, @.gradualcolors mod replies:

"All I want to say is that I want to stick with my belief of "assets = fandom creativity" and I'll try my best to maintain the new drive when I put it out again. I want to keep seeing how ppl decorate their social media with those files or do fun things like reading guides!!

Tldr; drive gone, will be re-hosted because I want to, rip my wallet tho. - H.E. had precedent to nuke the drive for reposting reasons so pls be careful posting fan created edits - Lemme see the cool edits and cute carrds you guys use these files for when drive comes back" (Rai via twt) ²

We don't know how much time it'll take them to make the proper accomodations to restore the folders, but we sure hope the struggles seize sooner than later.

References:

1. Enstars wiki (@.enstarsENG) via Twitter. 18/05/2023. Link

2. Rai (@.sakasakitty) via Twitter. 21/05/2023. Link

Inauguration! Ensemble News is finally up

To conclude with this fandom section, we'd like to express our excitement for this passion project. Ensemble News is a little blog that was constructed with pure love, with the objective of informing others and bonding with the community further. We hope you give this blog a chance, we encourage you to interact with us and to enjoy your time here. ♡

▶ Game Section

Event

The first Climax event has been announced. It's time for Crazy:b and their newest event "Sugoroku* Journey! Number Eight is Our BGM" to shine. Synopsis:

"Rinne and co. are invited to appear on "Number Eight", a show that was popular once upon a time, and so they head overseas. From Crazy:B's dice result begins their road trip where everything is left up to fate--" (Iridescent via twt) ¹

This event will feature 5* Rinne Amagi, 4* HiMERU and 3* Niki Shiina and Kohaku Oukawa.

Feature Scout

Feature Scout 2: Koga, has been announced. Synopsis:

"Koga isn't quite able to figure out what casual shots should be like, causing him to struggle in his photoshoot. He wants to show a cool side of himself while still looking natural." (Iridescent via twt) ²

This scout features 5* Koga Oogami, 4* Mika Kagehira and 3* Tsumugi Aoba.

Event Scout

Scout: Biblion, has been announced. Synopsis:

"Tsukasa isn't entirely sure about joining Biblion yet, but he joins as a temporary member. He finds a book that interests him in the bestseller section, and is engrossed in the book's universe." (Iridescent via twt) ³

This scout features 5* Tsukasa Suou, 4* Kaoru Hakaze and 3* Nagisa Ran, Hajime Shino and Tsumugi Aoba.

References:

1. Iridescent (@.iridesenescence) via Twitter. 27/05/2023. Link

2. Iridescent (@.iridesenescence) via Twitter. 24/05/2023. Link

3. Iridescent (@.iridesenescence) via Twitter. 28/05/2023. Link

May 2023 Tsukisuta notes:

Main story 1.5 is currently being voiced, part 3 will come out on June 26th. Summer voicelines will be added in-game on June 1st. New stamps were added to the Ensemble Live shop. Outfits for the 8th anniversary are now in the dia shop. Element (animation) prints are out and currently being sold at 7-Eleven JP. The next round of Starry Symphony tickets will start being sold on Jun 8th.

▶ Thank you for using Ensemble News.

[silenthillmutual]

Should I play Pathologic Classic, or Pathologic 2?

That depends. How do you feel about visual novels and a little bit of jank? If that's not for you, Pathologic 2 is probably your best bet. Though if I can, I'd like to make a case for playing Classic anyway.

You might have heard a lot of things about Pathologic Classic HD. You might have heard that it's janky. You might have heard that it's ugly. You might have heard that it's nigh-impossible to play. Worst of all, you might have heard that it's not fun, and what's the point in playing a game that isn't fun?

I'm not here to argue about aesthetics or even for the value of negative experiences in gaming. If you'd like to have a philosophical debate about what it means to have fun, by all means, go ahead - plenty of us do enjoy the time we've spent playing Classic. Fun isn't, after all, an objective experience. What I am here to do, however, is tell you that the game is not impossible. Difficult? Sure. Tedious? Sometimes. A lot of walking? You have no idea! But isn't impossible.

(Even without cheating. But we'll talk more about that later.)

Both games are fantastic in their own right, but I don't believe enough people give Classic a chance, and Pathologic 2 is not a substitute for Classic. This is, in part, because Pathologic 2 is not finished. Only one route out of three [at the time of writing this] has been released. Even if it were - the metanarrative of the game is different. The characters and their relationships are different. The town is different. To me, the two aren't even the same game.

Pathologic 2 isn't exactly a sequel, nor is it exactly a remake. It's sort of a re-imagining. The kind of game Silent Hill: Shattered Memories wishes it was. And no one plays Shattered Memories and thinks, "I've basically played Silent Hill." Although as someone who has fixated on Silent Hill for over a decade, I can also confidently say that Pathologic 2 is not the insane bastardization that Shattered Memories is. Not to mention that Classic regularly goes on sale for under $2, so if you can give a two hour long YouTube video your attention, you can give Classic a shot.

I watched the Hbomb video, so I know everything I need to know about Classic, right?

Oh boy.

No, you don't. If you're looking for substitution videos, Pathologic For Those Who Will Never Play It is closer to what you need. Though as much as I love that video, I still urge to you either play the game yourself or watch a Let's Play of it. I know of three: SulMatul, Laila Dyer, and Keith Ballard; the latter two are blind LPs.

Why do I insist you play this game for yourself? Because it's a role-playing game. You wouldn't get the same experience of watching someone else's build in Disco Elysium as you would with your own, and the same is true here. Yes, it's more of a book than a lot of other RPGs you might have played, but part of the charm of the game is playing it the way you want to, and all that entails.

You might be thinking to yourself, "Well, no one can tell I've only seen the Hbomb video!" I regret to inform you that yes, we can absolutely tell.

Play the game.

Okay, fine, I'll play Pathologic Classic. Which route should I start with?

That's up to you, but I will say that people start with the Bachelor's route for a reason. He's an outsider to the Town, so you're more likely to get lore that wouldn't be available to the Haruspex. And the Town is strange, so that's information that you'll want. His route is also a little easier than the Haruspex's route, and the Changeling's won't be available to you yet.

If you do opt to start with the Haruspex's route, more power to you. Just keep in mind that his route isn't the only interpretation of events. In fact, no one route to the game is the only interpretation of events. Characters will be different from playthrough to playthrough, and it doesn't make one route more canon than another.

Any other tips?

Yes, actually! Quite a few:

Look at the controls before you start the game! The GOG release of the game comes with a manual - that'll be on your computer under Program Files -> GOG -> Games -> Pathologic. I couldn't find one on the Steam release, but you can find it here. Going through your options will let you turn off things like motion blur (which may help the game run better and make you feel less ill), but also get familiar with the key bindings. I've talked to a quite a few people who didn't realize the Bachelor had a plaguefinder or a torch.

Prioritize your daily quest. If you fail to complete your daily quest, one of your Bound will do it for you and they will get infected. This constitutes a fail state for you. You may not be able to get every side quest accomplished the first time you play the game, but as long as you make sure to complete the daily quest done you will be fine.

Make sure to check your letters! The game will make a little noise and a symbol will pop up on the bottom left hand side of the screen when you get mail. Doing this is very important - but don't let this be the only way you get information! Explore, talk to people, check on your Bound every day. Not every quest is going to come to you in form of a letter.

Buy food and supplies before you need them. That stuff is expensive, and prices fluctuate every day.

Loot everything you can! Every garbage bin you pass, every infected house you enter, every mugger you kill. Trading is important for getting things like medicine without paying for it, and selling off what you can't use can get you extra money. You will especially need empty bottles for water to trade with the town drunks. (And for trading - you'll have to click on your own inventory, then the other characters, and then hit the 'v' button.) Learn which NPCs will trade for which items, know their value so that you're never empty-handed in case you come across, say, a shmowder...

Save like hell. Constantly. If an upcoming conversation seems important, save right before you go into it. On Steam, F5 is a quicksave (you can have 2). There will be times when you'll screw yourself over on a conversation. Sometimes you learn more this way, but sometimes this means you can't continue a quest. It's a trial-and-error thing.

You are going to get infected. You should, of course, do what you can to avoid infection, but it's highly unlikely you'll make it through any route without getting infected at least once. It happens.

Daniil's plaguefinder will show you where the plague clouds are, and that can be helpful! Unfortunately, the other two don't have access to this device, so it's best to just try and remember where the plague clouds are. They don't change from route to route.

As Artemy and Clara - you cannot buy any herbs from the Odonghe that you do not have in your inventory. As any healer, you cannot buy things if you have no room in your inventory.

Looking to cheat? I won't tell anyone. Hit the ` key for console commands. 'god' will turn on godmode, 'fly on' / 'fly off' will enable flying (not the same as Pathologic 2's flycam!). 'propf 6995 disease 0' will cure you of Sand Plague (for the Haruspex and Changeling; 6986 is the Bachelor's code). Oh, and if you're going to use godmode, you should know that you cannot sleep if your health is at 0. Just apply a bandage and you'll be good to go.

Oh, yeah, and - don't eat the nuts. They do jack for your hunger. They're there for trading.

What difficulty should I play Pathologic 2 on?

Everyone has their own ideas and rules about how to play the game and on what you should or should not do on your first playthrough. A lot of people insist on playing Pathologic 2 on intended difficulty for the first runthrough, and I tend to agree with that. Even with upgraded graphics and improved controls, this game isn't intended to be easy or combat-driven. The difficulty sliders even say that the game is intended to be "almost unbearable."

That being said - your threshold for "almost unbearable" may be different from mine or someone else's. If the game is too easy for you, make it harder. If you're struggling to the point of wanting to quit, make it easier. Yes, someone will be disappointed in you. Not me though. I don't particularly care, and you shouldn't either. You are the one playing the game, not anybody else. If you're looking for someone's permission to make things easier on yourself, I'm here to give it to you. Some people just aren't good at video games, and there's no shame in that.

But keep in mind that this game is meant to be played multiple times. See how far you can get with the intended difficulty. You can always change it on your next playthrough.

General tips for this game?

Save scumming is harder for this game, and also kind of a waste of time. It doesn't undo your deaths, so you may as well just live with the consequences of your actions. As the loading screen notes, this sometimes makes things more interesting.

Your deaths will, by the way, have consequences on your gameplay. So try not to die.

There is no differentiation between Daily Quest and Side Quest. It's up to you to prioritize. Don't worry too much about completing every quest on the day it's given, either. You're not intended to.

Upgrading your inventory is incredibly important! Things will stack, but only to a certain degree. You can no longer carry 100+ bottles of water at a time. You also won't want to trade all your water away for bandages; you'll heal from sleeping. The water you'll need to make tinctures.

As always, you'll want to be frugal with your money. Unlike in Classic, however, you can barter with most NPCs for food, so your options aren't as limited. Do still buy nuts whenever you get the option to; they're worth more in trading than needles, which can also be used to pick small locks.

Since I've seen some confusion about this - prophyalxis is giving the Bound immunity boosters or tinctures. You won't just have your own list to take care of, though they'll be the most important. No, you're responsible for most of the named characters in the game. Get a feel for which medications work best, and then decide who gets the best treatment. You can't save everyone... without cheating.

Speaking of cheating - that works differently in Pathologic 2. To access the console, you'll have to hold down Control + Shift + F4. You can use flycam, but this is really only to take pictures; it does not move the character to whatever location you are flying to. What you'll probably want access to more is curing yourself of the plague, or turning on immortality. Both are located under Inspector -> PlayerUpdater -> Updatable. The two Elements you'll be most concerned about are Element 0 (the town) and Element 3 (the abattoir). For immortality, you'll expand the folder and change the aspect from False to True. For Infection, you'll expand the folder and change the element to 0 (for no infection). The wiki has a list of the commands for getting items.

And, I cannot stress this enough, buy the bull.

Why does the fandom ship the Bachelor and the Haruspex? They hate each other!

In one route of one game that you are statistically unlikely to have started (3.2% of all Steam players), let alone finished (2.3% of all Steam players). Even if the majority of their interactions were negative - which they aren't - that wouldn't stop people from shipping them. Have you seen how popular Hannibal is? That show ended five years ago and people are still making Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter content.

Though some people do like the ship from that antagonistic angle, the main reason probably stems from two places. The first is that they are narrative foils, and people love to ship narrative foils. Different enough to cause friction, similar enough to connect. The second is the first thing Daniil says to Artemy in the Haruspex route, around 5PM on Day 1:

Yes... Far be it from me to call myself a person of mystical inclinations. However, when I look at you, I get the feeling that nature is playing jokes on us. It's as if both the left and right hand have clutched the head to realize for the first time that they are two parts of a single whole.

Which reads like a reference to the myth that soulmates once shared a body and were split apart. This is how Artemy's first interaction with Daniil starts, and is immediately followed by Daniil raising his reputation entirely and allowing Artemy to sleep in his bed. There's more I could say but, honestly? Play the game and figure it out.

Why do so many people read the Bachelor as trans?

Good question! A lot of his fans happen to be trans, and that probably plays a large part in it. Some get gender envy from his design - ridiculous as a lot of people think it is, I know I'd dress like that if I could afford it. His cravat pin, which the wiki calls a snake, looks alarmingly like a uterus. He's short. His Pathologic 2 incarnation has that hideous bowl haircut that a lot of us had at some point in time in our transition. Most importantly, his goal of defeating death is implied to be a matter of bodily autonomy, for people to choose when it's their time to die, and that's very transgender of him.

It also doesn't hurt that his designer, Meethos, is trans.

If you're wondering why the reading isn't as prominent for the other two healers, I don't know. The headcanons are out there, but for some reason, the fanwork isn't. Be the change you wish to see, as they say.

Why does the Bachelor talk in random Latin?

Why are all these questions about Dankovsky? Anyway, it's not random! It's topical. It's also almost always a common saying - you can find most of them on Wikipedia. Why does he do it? To show off, probably. He's pretentious, what else is there to know?

What's with all the fanfic getting that guy pregnant?

Yeah sorry that's my fault.

What's with the interpretation of him as autistic?

Also my fault.

Why are people so insistent that the Haruspex is gay?

Finally, some diversity! I should correct you, though: I think the prevailing reading is that he's bisexual.

There's a lot of reasons to read him as bi, particularly in Pathologic 2. Don't get me wrong, there are instances in Classic that come across as not-straight; the aforementioned hands line? Artemy can reply that he feels the same. But in Pathologic 2, he gets tender moments with his (now) childhood friends Bad Grief and Stakh Rubin, where the former starts to ask him to run away together and he convinces the latter not to leave with the army. He even attempts to convince the Bachelor to stay in town in both the Nocturnal and Diurnal endings. Aglaya is the canon romance option in both games (for as much as the tragic narrative will allow), but people also read romance into Artemy's interactions with Lara. Hence, the bisexuality.

bonus links:

Daniil Dankovsky (dot com!)

Artemy Burakh (dot com!)

Respect the Kin

Steppe Language Dictionary

Spoiler-free Bachelor Route walkthrough

Spoiler-free Haruspex Route walkthrough

Spoiler-free Changeling Route walkthrough

[nanomooselet]

Episode Four: Hungry!

Full disclosure, it took me a while to warm up to Wolfwood.

I hadn't read the manga or watched the older adaptation. Didn’t know anything about him except his ridiculous gun and that he was a priest (hence the ridiculous gun, because anime). I couldn't figure out why he was present in the narrative, except... because he was in the manga and older adaption. It seemed a little indulgent; I wanted more time with Meryl. He wasn’t even a priest. Obviously Nick has plenty of homoerotic tension with Vash, but all due respect and sympathy to Vash/Wolfwood shippers, m/m pairings have always left me cold (to be fair, pairings generally do that irrespective of gender. Desire unfulfilled is more my speed).

Sad to say that I still don't ship Vash/Wolfwood, but I did definitely come to understand why people do and why they like the guy. Though am I the only one baffled that Vash gets cast as the virginal princess so often? After this look?

Whew. No wonder Wolfwood looks like he got hit with a two-by-four. Ahem.

This is a very necessary episode that feels maybe too "necessary", like they realised they needed to introduce everything it introduces and didn't leave enough time to integrate it all naturally. It's too tight, and Stampede is already a show so tight it squeaks. Still, I think blowing Wolfwood's cover before the day was out was, if not the only right decision, not a wrong one. Almost immediately this guy comes across as sketchy, half from that he's barely trying to act like he's not (which absolutely sends me; he really hates his job) and half that he's just... an awkward dude, angry and obviously hurt in a way he won’t admit to. And while we know there's more to Vash than his façade, it's hard to tell just how smart he really is, how perceptive, because this is Vash. Meryl is the type to show off her knowledge, because she's young and eager to prove herself. Vash is a creature of endless masks and insurmountable walls. He refuses to, as he sees it, burden anyone else with his thoughts.

So we do exactly what Zazie does in this episode: show Vash something wounded and vulnerable because he'd tear off his own skin if it would make things easier for someone else. Except instead Wolfwood is the one who feels a little too exposed, of course. It's so funny to me how obviously he didn't expect this? And how frustrated when he realises he'll have to drag this self-sacrificial lunatic all the way to July alive without becoming attached. I honestly think he failed in that latter part before they even got shot out of the Worm. Vash is just so loving, and so loveable.

Also, the Worm guys (as I mentally call them) might be my favourite minor characters next to Rosa and her offsiders. They're a hilarious audience to the madness. I’m glad they got so many dinners in one go.

And Zazie - what a great character, one I genuinely think is an improvement over prior incarnations rather than just being different from them. Nail game on point, entirely free of fucks given, and a sterling addition to the cast. I'll talk more about our buggy friend later, and I have more to say about Wolfwood besides that hitting him with the trailer forced me to pause the video until I stopped cackling.

Finally, the closing scene chills me in hindsight for a number of reasons, but what gets me the most is that it's a bookend. At the episode's start, Vash refused to eat. Wolfwood had to convince him to. And it's not that he can't use his Gate, it's that he's decided to keep it closed, so something will have to make him decide to lay bare his power once more.

And somehow, I can't imagine Knives asking nicely.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

i know TTT is over, but anything you have for jason would be appreciated. just saw the new pics for red hood and the outlaws and DAMN he is FINE

"When did you get a tattoo?" you ask, curling up on the sofa to heckle him when he died in his video game.

Jason didn't look away from the screen and half shrugged, "Sometime after I was done training."

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see you inspecting the work on his shoulder. Not surprising. You were nosey, you'd want to see if you could recognize it. Still. it takes him a little by surprise when you touch him. So gently he hardly feels it.

Like butterfly wings against you skin- he feels the anticipation of the touch more than he feels the touch. And it still makes heat pool low in his belly.

An unwelcome sensation if only because he doesn't want to want you like this. Even if he doesn't want anyone else. Even if, the entire time he was training. Anytime he lay awake in the dark. Alone, homesick, and furious that his death meant nothing. It was you. Always you he turned his mind to.

His beautiful little ghost. The memory of your perfume invading the smells of damp, sweat, and mildew. The way you snort when you laugh too hard. Or your eyes narrowed in concentration over a tricky bit of work. Or the curve of your neck as you bent over a battered guitar. Snap shots. Images he kept close to what was left of his heart.

"That feels weird," he groused, cursing the fabric of his sweats.

And when you pull away, flustered and chastened. The way he misses that touch is enough to make him want to plead with you to keep doing it.

In his mind, he wants you to trace his scars with those same butterfly touches. To kiss them. Kiss him. Indulge him and find out what makes him tick- to give him your love. Not just your friendship. A type of love, sure. And one he was happy to have. But one that was different from his love for you.

He half watches you, snuggling into your too big hoodie, pulling your knees to your chest under it and wrapping yourself into a bundle. A sad little bundle that screams 'Please don't see me."

But he does. And he wishes he weren't a coward. Because if he weren't, he'd have you in his lap with his-

That thought, even half that thought made his cock twitch and he felt heat flood his face. "I'll be right back," he muttered, handing you the controller. "Don't let me die."

And as he bolted from the room, like it was middle school all over again and he'd just noticed the curves you were trying to hide- he hated himself for it as he locked himself in the bathroom.

All the women he'd ever slept with and none of hem measure up to you. His most beautiful ghost. But now that he had you in the flesh- how could he ever? Even as bad as he wanted too.

[peardian]

Here is some behind-the-scenes commentary for my new animation, "Raymond's New (Cat) Groove"! I want to get out all my thoughts here before I forget anything. I'll be covering the entire video, so if you want to avoid spoilers, go watch it first!

First up is The Zoom! Ever since I started planning this animation 2+ years ago, I knew that this would be the first shot. Since zooming in on his eye would produce a mirrored view of the video, a double-zoom-out was necessary.

My original plan was to have the zoom be done purely in 3D. However, when it came time to implement it, I realized the shot did not look good when done realistically. The images distorted due to the curvature of the reflection, and Raymond's glasses got in the way due to how big and round his head is.

Also, even his iris was edited in. I made an HD version of his face texture, which you can see in how smooth the edge of his eye is, but because of the model's texture mapping (UVs), the iris was all distorted. I'm glad I edited in the new iris, though, because I got to make it even higher-resolution.

I already covered all the details on the laptop screen in a separate post, which you can find here.

The first good view of Raymond's room. For the most part, it is a recreation of his default room layout in New Horizons, with a few differences, such as his fax machine being removed. I didn't have all of the furniture models, so all the stuff that isn't shown directly (e.g. safe, water cooler, second desk) are super-low-poly recreations.

The laptop is from Splatoon 2. It is Marina's laptop, with all the stickers removed. If you look closely during the zoom out, you can see that the keys still have the Splatoon language keys.

Also, fun fact, his chair was a Froggy Chair as a placeholder until I got the office chair model. I was planning to keep it, too, if I couldn't get the office chair.

The animation's events really kick off once Raymond begins dreaming. The way his idea lightbulb lights up the room, and how the light persists afterward, is the first sign that things are not normal.

When I first started planning this, I had the New Leaf version of the office wallpaper in mind. While New Horizons has the windows completely obscured by blinds, the New Leaf version has a cityscape visible through the gaps in the blinds. I was originally planning to have the sky change, going from a fake sky to a vibrant real night sky.

Raymond reaches into his desk for the Ocarina of Time, giving the first style shift. This is another scene that I had in mind for years. Originally, I wanted this scene to be super-realistic. Instead of those cartoony leaves from the game, I wanted just a big pile of real-life dried up leaves, with labels written on them. They'd rustle and slide around when the drawer is pulled open just as you'd expect from leaves. I love the idea that, from an outsider's perspective, the villagers are just a bunch of adorably dumb animal children, gathering leaves and pretending they are furniture.

Here are all the leaf types in Raymond's desk. There are two "???" leaves, for a total of 10. Sadly, my favorite ones are completely hidden due to how the physics simulation worked out.

Speaking of physics, I meant to have Raymond pull the Ocarina out. However, every time I ran the simulation, everything freaked out the moment the Ocarina tried to move to his hand, causing the contents to fly out everywhere. Maybe later I'll render out that part for fun.

The Majora's Mask time travel scene. I had the scene ripped from when I was mapping the game, so recreating it was easy. I referenced footage from the game for the animation timing, which is why this and the Ocarina-playing scene are some of the only parts of the video that aren't overly fast-paced. If I had more time, I would have added in the light-blue sparkles that come off the items, just like in the game.

For the anime-esque sequence, the original idea was just to have the hair be flowing smoothly. At some point, I realized that drawing hair on the 3D model would look weird, so I decided to draw the whole thing. I've never really animated like this before, so it was a fun experiment. I posted the raw drawings in another post, here.

For the background, I wanted to reference the time travel scene in the cartoon Samurai Jack. However, the effect there is very intense and hard to look at, so I greatly toned down the flashing effect to the point of being unrecognizable.

Raymond crash-lands in the city from Animal Crossing for the Wii. All the trash that pop up are items from the game, of course. I chose an alleyway so that I didn't have to bother with assembling the city itself. While most of the scene is made from assets from the city, the brick texture is just one of the home wallpaper options.

Did you notice? Before Raymond puts his glasses on, the world is only in 480p, but when he puts them on (stylishly), the screen transitions to full 1080p. The Wii's resolution isn't 480p, but the original Cat Groove's is.

Also, this scene gives a clear example of one of the dream-like effects I used throughout the latter half of the animation. Take a close look at the placement of the bricks relative to the poster. Every time the camera changes, things subtly shift around! It's hard to notice because these are details you normally don't pay much attention to. My favorite use of this effect is in Yoshi's Island, where terrain details are randomized every time you enter a room.

It's not easy to make Raymond look happy when his expressions are normally so serious. Also, did you notice? The floor is entirely different in some shots. It has the same color palette and general design, so it feels the same, but the details and patterns are entirely different.

When the camera points up, you get a brief view of the highly-saturated night sky. Even though it's night, everything is brightly lit, another dream sign. By the way, there's supposed to be a chimney up there, but I guess I didn't put it close enough to the edge to be seen. I completely forgot about it until later.

Here is a closer look at one of the blimps flying in the sky. It's an edit of the Luigi blimp from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, with Rosie's face added on. This is actually an homage to an anime movie, something I rarely talk about. Specifically, the Madoka Magica movie. Rebellion.

Raymond meets a younger Dr. Shrunk at the club entrance, leading to another style shift. This is another scene I imagined for years. Those hands are actually Pikachu's from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/Ultimate, with some clothes added on. Also, again, different floor.

While the art style here looks like late-'90s/early 2000s CGI, this wasn't intentional. I didn't realize the resemblance until after I had rendered it. I guess it's just a natural result of using smooth models with super-basic lighting and solid-color materials.

One idea that I'm sad I didn't have time to implement was that the text on the checklist was going to subtly change as Shrunk's hand passed over it. Just like a dream, the text would change every time you read it.

At the bottom there is the rule against allowing OCs in, the explanation for why Raymond can't get in. It continues out of frame, but you can see more of it when he puts the clipboard away. I even included doodles of some YouTuber OCs! Just for clarification, I have nothing against OCs, it just seemed like the funniest option.

The orb appears!

I am not great at special effects, so this was my best attempt at a reality-warping entrance effect. Sure, it's not very dynamic, but I like how it came out. The sound it makes is a distorted, reversed version of one of the Animal Crossing jingles.

I originally had a different ending in mind. Rather than dashing into the door, Raymond would have climbed up on top of the building to look for another way in. There, he would have seen the orb sinking into the roof.

Raymond achieves his dream! For this scene, I originally imagined it ending with that Undertale sound that plays when going through the dramatic exit door to the ruins. You know the one.

Also, darn walk cycles! This was the fifth one I had to animate in a row, using nothing but pure IK. If I wasn't so exhausted by that point, I might have thought to have the camera zoom in or something.

Raymond sleeps soundly while Cat Spin auto-plays. The snoring you hear is a recording of a real cat snoring, which I found on a free sound effect website. The main reason I included it was so that nobody thought Raymond was dead. His tiny arms don't really lend themselves well to a good sleeping pose.

So, why is Rosie there?? Well, originally, my plan was for the camera to look over at the whiteboard, where something like "Happy Anniversary Cat Groove" would be written on it. This is why the whiteboard is at an angle instead of parallel to the wall like normal. However, when I animated the scene, I didn't have the whiteboard yet.

When I finally got the whiteboard model, I realized I had overestimated its size, and sizing it up didn't look good. So, I had to find a way to fill the empty space above the board. I considered a banner or Rosie-shaped balloons, but I eventually settled on the most ridiculous option: having Rosie herself.

The End!

For the credits music, I chose the Smash remix of Bubblegum K.K., not just because of how many people associate it with Raymond (because of those singing videos people made), but because I just really like it. Other songs I considered were K.K. Disco and the Jimmy T. stage intro from WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

You may have noticed that I used very little of the song Catgroove in the video. Back when I made the original Cat Groove video, the video got a copyright claim, blocking it from being viewed by my European friends. I don't know if the company making the claim was legitimate or not, but I appealed and they removed the block.

Fast-forward a number of years, and Cat Groove was at hundrends of thousands of views, eclipsing everything else I've ever made. I decided that, as much as I enjoy his music, I didn't want to be mooching off of Parov Stelar's work. That's part of why I made Cat Spin, using only Nintendo music, to show the direction I wanted to go. Besides, if the video gets claimed, then I can't show it to all my friends. Otherwise, I might have chosen something like Jimmy's Gang for the credits music.

~

Anyway, that's all I had to say! The end result may be a bit rough, but I'm glad I finally got to bring this idea to life and share it with the world after years of tossing it around in my mind.

A big "Thank you!" to everyone who watched the video from start to finish! I don't know if/when I'll make another big animation like this, but I hope you'll look forward to whatever I make next.

[dwarvenbash]

Something a little niche today, the Touro heavy Mech and Buckmaster light Mech from Brigador!

These neat little killing machines actually come packaged with a few weapon options, allowing you to mix and match a bit, which is very true to the original game's spirit.

Especially fell in love with the Touro even more as I was putting it together, it's a very cute little lump of pewter that is quite satisfying to hold.

If you've never heard of Brigador before and are curious, more info about that and these little guys under the cut!

For the accurate Brigador experience, it's best to keep reading while listening to this track on loop:

Now, although those are miniatures up there, Brigador is a video game rather than one of the table top variety. While that may be a distasteful prospect to some, I can assure you it is still quite fun, as evidenced by this screenshot:

There are like fifty levels and I've beaten (nearly) all of them with every loadout, evidence of me doing as such with the really hard ones have been conveniently omitted in this screenshot however.

The game uses these awesome old-school 3D prerendered sprites for everything, which really scratches my nostalgic itch for that old Diablo/Starcraft look (or any 90s RTS for that matter). Here's how the Touro and Buckmaster look in game!

They're somehow even cuter...

The excellent art direction coupled with some really solid writing made Brigador a staple game for me. Whenever I have a couple minutes to kill and I'm at my computer, I'll usually just boot up Brigador and try to clear some challenge I've been working on. It's a very relaxing habit, despite the tone of the game which is actually quite grim! (Hopefully this doesn't reflect on me badly...)

Anyway, enough about videogames, we're here to to discuss miniatures!

Now while I am still very pleased that the developers of Brigador decided to release their own pewter miniatures based on designs from the game, I must warn you, my dear reader, that these sculpts may have some pretty gnarly flash and mold line issues. I can't say anything for sure, because all the pieces on my Buckmaster were free of residue and too much flash, but both of the Touros I picked up still had enough mold release where they needed a wash, and their chassis pieces had pretty big chunks of flash. I had picked up two to convert one into a Corvid mech (I can't decide between a Sweetheart or a Fatshoe) anyway though so it isn't that big a deal. The Touros were the first models they released, so I'm sure they've worked out the kinks at this point.

All that being said, I still had a good time putting these guys together and I'm very excited to paint them up in their proper NEP livery. I think I'll put them on Battletech hex bases since theyre about the right size and could work as stand-ins for some underdog Inner Sphere mecha, perhaps.

Funnily enough, these miniatures are also technically 1:144 scale, which is exactly the same scale as a Gundam High Grade model kit! Here they are next to a 1:144 scale Pilot to give you a sense of how big they would be in real life:

Something very satisfying about being able to do this with miniatures. I wish Battletech played this nice with regards to scale...

....aaand now compared to a Mobile Suit:

Makes you realize how ridiculously huge Mobile Suits are, huh?

One shot from the Touro's Abbot could probably still blow that poor Leo up, though...

Thanks for reading this far! This one has been especially indulgent, but it's always fun to talk about something underrated in the hopes more people will check it out.

Going forward on here, I'm considering making more "short-form" posts (yes, it is possible) with more quick updates on what I'm working on. Most miniatures probably won't necessitate an entire screed to accompany them either, believe it or not. I'll still be writing up long ones like these though; I have a long, long list of opinions and diatribes and I am desperately trying to spare my loved ones from being subjected to them. Most importantly, though, it's fun to write about this stuff. :P

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Ring in the New Year

A/N: I know it's February, but I had this idea, and I wanted to run with it. I hope it's a good one. It's just a one-shot. It's kinda smutty.

18+ MINORS DNI

Summary: Steve and Eddie spend News Years Eve ringing in '87 while everyone else spends it with their families. Robin walks in on the aftermath.

"I'm so sorry, Steve!" Robin exclaimed. "You know I want you there but my uncle Erwin is coming and he already missed Christmas so of course, he can't miss Christmas. You know he feels about your father, and of course, I keep telling him that you're nothing like him, but he doesn't believe because he's heard about King Steve. I mean, it was all from me, so I am so, so sorry. You know mom and dad love you. If they could, they would totally choose you over Uncle Erwin, but Erwin is dad's brother, and if Grandma were still around, she would disapprove of dad's decision because they're brothers. Family is more important,  she would say. You're our real family, Steve. . .Are you laughing at me, Steven Edward Harrington?"

Steve was stacking video tapes on their shelves while Robin ranted on. He wanted to see how long she could go on for, to see if she could beat her record and she almost did. She was so close.

"I'm really not mad, Robin. Like always, I'll be fine," Steve said grinning.

"How long ago could you have stopped me?" Robin asked him.

"From the very beginning?" Steve replied.

"I hate you. You weren't timing me again were you? I hate it when you do that," Robin said, glaring at him.

"Your middle name is Edward?!" Eddie exclaimed, popping up from behind the shelf.

Steve and Robin jumped, screaming. The video tapes in Steve's fell as he stumbled backwards.

"Jesus, man! When did you get here?!" Steve exclaimed. "And don't do that!"

"Probably about the same time you started timing Robin," Eddie grinned. "And you didn't answer my question. Your middle name is Edward?"

"Yes, my middle name is Edward," Steve said rolling his eyes as he began to pick up the tapes.

"You've taken more years off of my life!" Robin exclaimed, hitting him, and stormed into the breakroom.

"Ah, she'll get over it," Eddie said giggling. "You know. . .Edward is my name. Has it always been your middle name?"

"What? You think I've become so obsessed with you that I changed my middle name to your first name?" Steve asked, incredulous.

"I didn't say it, you did," he replied, rocking back forth on the balls of his feet with his hands behind his back. "You are always hanging out with me."

"You're always showing up at my house!" He exclaimed as he finished stocking the shelf.

"You could have kicked me out or called the cops at any time but you didn't!" He exclaimed in a sing song voice.

"Yeah, I only did that because Dustin loves you so much and because the cops are probably tired of looking at your ugly mug," he said with a smirk.

"Wow, you're as deep as the river in Egypt with your obsession of me," he said, leaning towards him.

"What are you doing here, Munson?" Steve asked.

"I came here to talk about the fact you're practically stalking me. Showing up to my club meetings, to my house. . .it's a serious problem Stevie," Eddie said mockingly.

"Well, you have your club meetings at your house where I drop the kids off to play your game of Danger and Dragons," Steve replied. "And if anyone is stalking anyone, it's you. Afterall, you showed up at my place of work."

"Likely story, Other Eddie, and let's call it even with mutual stalking, shall we?" Eddie asked, pausing as he followed him to the counter and leaned against it, watching Steve move behind it. "So, from what I've heard is that you are going to be alone on New Years Eve too?"

"Yeah, Dustin and Claudia will still be in Ohio with Susie's family. Max went with Lucas and his family to visit his extended family. It would be weird to spend it with my ex's family and with her boyfriend's family," Steve said. "So, yeah, I will be alone."

"What about your family, Steve? What about your parents?" he asked softly, knowing the answer he was going to get.

"Oh, you know. . . Dad's busy with work and mom's. . .," Steve trailed off, waving his hand as if he wanted push away the conversation.

"Trying to stop your dad from filling a whore's hole with his special cream filled goodness?" Eddie asked.

"Dude?!" Steve exclaimed, scrunching up his face and pinching his nose. "Never say that again!"

Eddie could tell that he was struggling not to laugh and he clapped his hands in victory.

"Stevie, you should know that I will be alone for New Years Eve as well. Uncle Wayne will be working that evening. Want company?" Eddie asked.

"If I say no, are you just going to come over anyway?" Steve asked.

"You know me so well, Stevie, and you say you aren't obsessed with me?" Eddie asked with a knowing grin. "I will be there at 9:30 with bells on. Wear something pretty."

"Ugh, you're still here?" Robin asked coming out of the breakroom.

"Robbie, you know you love me," Eddie said blowing a kiss as he began to leave but then he paused. "You guys want to hear something funny? My middle name is Steven."

"Really?!" Robin and Steve exclaimed, sharing a look with each other.

"No. . .it's James, but wouldn't have that been really weird?" Eddie said laughing as he left.

"I hate that man," Robin said.

"No, you don't," Steve replied.

"Ugh, you're right, I love that silly, silly man even if he is trying to steal you away from me," Robin said.

"By the way, you don't have to worry about me being alone for the holidays, Robin, it looks like I will be spending New Years Eve with Eddie," he told her.

"WHAT?!"

On December 31st, 1986 Steve Harrington prepared for his one and only guest. He had handmade pizza in the oven, a movie for them to watch while they waited, and had dressed to impress. He wore his most tight fitting jeans, a blue sweater that was just as tight, and a string of his mother's pearls around his neck. Eddie did say to wear something pretty. He knew his mother wouldn't care but as he tugged at them he couldn't help but feeling he was doing something naughty.

Steve checked his watch, it was very close to time for Eddie to be here. He looked at himself in the hall mirror, checking over his appearance. He had grown out his hair since Spring Break, now a bit longer than it was when he worked at Scoops. He also went back to wearing lip gloss. He no longer cared about what his dad thought about what he wore. He thought it made his lips look nice.

Steve heard Eddie before he knocked, the sound of bells giving him away, and then came his knock. Was he knocking to the tune of "Master of Puppets"? Steve still couldn't believe that he recognized the song. Shit, maybe he was obsessed with Eddie. He opened the door, a confused look was sure to be on Steve’s face, and laughed when he saw the bells draped over Eddie's vest.

"I told you I would be here with bells on and I see you decided to wear something pretty. Just for me, Stevie?" Eddie winked knowingly.

"Thought it would be funny," Steve replied, blushing.

"Yes, funny. . .hum," Eddie said, looking him up and down, pausing. "Is the bell boy allowed inside the lord's stately manor?"

"Yes, jeeze, just come in," he said, pulling him into the house.

Steve smiled as he watched him move around house, bouncing as he did so. He had been looking forward to this moment since Eddie invited himself over and he wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about this man. He couldn't think straight with him around. He hadn't had a best friend like this. . .well, he never had a best friend like this. Eddie was, in every sense of the word, his best friend. One wouldn't think that this man wouldn't fit so well into his life but he did. Maybe it was possible to have more than one platonic soul mate. It was ten minutes before midnight when all that changed.

"So, is this the first time Steve Harrington won't have someone to kiss at midnight?" Eddie asked softly.

"No, I didn't have anyone last year either," Steve said.

Eddie winced, remembering that Nancy and him had broken up in October of 84 then he had spent many a dates trying to fill the void.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better I've never kissed anyone at all," Eddie said.

"Really?" Steve asked. "But you've told me about the - "

"The one quickie I had in the bathroom at the Hideout. Yeah, he didn't want to kiss me on the lips," Eddie said looking down at his lap. "It was super awkward when I tried. You want to take one for the team and plant one on me, big boy?"

Steve looked at him thoughtfully and then looked down at his lips. They were very soft looking and plump. . .very biteable. Shit, did he want to kiss him? As he thought about it he knew that, yes, he did want to kiss him.

"Sure, I would be a terrible host if I ignored the needs of my guest, wouldn't I?" Steve asked and Eddie laughed.

"You certainly would," Eddie giggled. "You'd tell me first if it turns you gay, right?"

"Nah, I thought I would wait and tell Robin before telling you first," Steve said sarcastically. "Just leave you sitting there hanging."

Eddie laughed and nudged him in the side as they turned to the screen to watch the ball drop. Eddie turned to Steve, the other man doing the same.

"I'd understand if you want to back out," Eddie said softly.

"Nah, man, I'm good," Steve replied.

5! 4 ! 3! 2! 1!

They leaned towards each other at the same time, hearts racing as their lips connected. Steve was right, Eddie's lips were soft and they felt right against his. He cupped Eddie's face and deepened the kiss, touching his tongue against Eddie's lip. Eddie opened his mouth and allowed Steve’s tongue entrance. Eddie tasted like the beer and pizza from earlier with the hint of cigarettes he had smoked before he came over.

Heat pooled into his belly, yearning for Steve to have Eddie closer to him. It was like Eddie had read his mind because a second later the metalhead was straddling his lap, his fingers curled into Steve’s hair. Eddie rocked his hips, grinding down onto Steve’s crotch. That's when Eddie decided to pull away and as he did so, Steve bit lightly at his lip. He caught it gently between his teeth and then let it go, causing Eddie's lip to make a smacking sound as it slapped softly back into place. Eddie's lip wet, red, and swollen.

"Happy New Years, Stevie," Eddie whispered, leaning his forehead against his and they both opened their eyes. "Huh, the powers out. Did we do that?"

"Yes, the kiss was so good it caused the power to go out. Did you forget about the storm going on outside?" Steve asked.

"That kiss made me forget where I was and obviously you thought that the kiss was good too. . .hellooo, big boy," Eddie grinned and then paused. "Or has it just been a while?"

"No. I mean, yes, it's been a while. . . I enjoyed the kiss. I enjoyed kissing you," Steve said, pausing. "I don't know what that means for me, if I like guys or if I just like you. I do know that I would like to kiss you again."

"We should get some light in here so I can look at your face when I kiss it all over," Eddie said softly.

"Well, it's going to get cold in here, we should start a fire," Steve said wiggling his eyebrows.

"If you're suggesting that we start a fire in our pants. . . I would say yes to that, but it wouldn't create light, sadly," Eddie said. "It would be a sight to behold your golden glowing jewels."

"No, I meant we should start a fire in my dad's old study," Steve said.

"Baby, if you wanted to burn down your dad's study you should have just said. You didn't have to seduce me or knock out the power to do it," Eddie said.

"There is a fireplace in there," he replied with a blank expression on his face.

"Well, in that case," Eddie said, jumping up and promptly tripped over the coffee table.

Steve sighed and pulled out a flashlight from the end table beside the couch. He shined it on Eddie's ass that was sticking up in the air.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," he said with a groan. "But this no way in implies what I will be doing later."

Once he helped Eddie up, they grabbed a couple of beers and headed into the study. Steve got the fire going and then went to grab a few blankets along with some pillows. They sprawled out in front of the fire with their beers, drinking and laughing. Eddie was the one to explain to him about Bowie and bisexuality, that it was okay to like both. Steve thought about it and all the times he's noticed a guy without actually thinking about what it meant. He definitely had a thing for Tom Cruise and Judd Nelson. Shit, Harrison Ford too. Eddie climbed into his lap and kissed him hard when he told him about that last one. They made out in front of the fire, beers empty and Eddie straddling Steve. They had to break apart to breathe, Steve whining at the loss of contact.

"Do you want to - I mean, we don't have to - unless you do - it's been a lot tonight and I really like you," Eddie said. "I'm willing to wait."

"Eddie," Steve paused, running a hand up his back. "I want you to fuck me."

"You've got condoms and lube?" Eddie asked.

"Upstairs in my room," he replied.

"When I get back I hope you will be wearing nothing but those pearls," Eddie said with a lewd grin.

Steve grinned as he stripped down completely and laid on the blankets, his arm underneath his head. Once again, Steve heard him before he saw him. . .the jingling of bells coming from the hallway. Eddie entered the study wearing nothing but the bells. After a heated debate, Eddie chose not to wear the bells.

"I'm only looking out for you, babe!" Steve exclaimed.

Eddie pressed his full body against his, kissing him softly. Steve’s hands shook slightly as he placed his hands on Eddie's ass. He broke the kiss and looked down at Steve with a raised eyebrow.

"We really don't have to do this," Eddie said softly.

"No, I want to. Does it make sense that I am nervous about how excited I am?" Steve asked.

"Are you that eager to take my dick, sweetheart?" He asked.

"Shut up and fuck me, Munson."

By the time morning came, the power had returned to the Harrington home. Robin had been dropped off by her mother with a load of food for Steve from last night, opening the front door with her key.

"Heyy, dingus! My mom felt super guilty about not having you over last night so she made sure that you had plenty of food, I think, to feed an army. Hopefully, Munson wasn't too bad last night. Steve? Are you still in bed? Lazy ass! Just kidding, my soul twin! You, of all people, deserve to sleep in!" Robin rambled on as she placed the food in the kitchen and climbed the stairs.

Robin frowned when she entered Steve’s room and found that he wasn't in his bedroom. Where was he? She knew he was still here, his car was in the driveway. She began checking all the rooms, calling out for Steve. Robin opened the door to the study and shrieked.

"What the fuck?!" Robin exclaimed.

Eddie laid slumbering halfway on Steve’s naked back, snoring and drooling while Steve also slept on. They were both naked except for a string of pearls around Eddie's neck. Robin could clearly see a large bite mark on Steve’s ass. She wished she hadn't noticed, she wished she couldn't see. Eddie groaned and lifted his head, glaring up at Robin, then he grinned.

"By the power of my lips and dick I have successfully made Steve gay for me!" Eddie said proudly.

"Don't lie to her, Edward," Steve groaned, sat up and pulled the blanket over the both of them. "I have discovered some things about myself last night. It being that I am bisexual. Yeah, definitely bisexual. Oh, and I am completely obsessed with Eddie!"

"I fucking knew it!" Eddie cheered.

"All this time, I thought. . .I thought you were trying to steal him away to make him your platonic soulmate," Robin said.

"Don't worry, Robin, he's just my boyfriend," Steve said and then looked at him. "You are, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Robin, you have nothing to fear, he is nothing more than my boyfriend," Eddie replied with a grin.

"Thank God," Robin sighed in relief.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Unfortunately, my brain short circuited when I was trying to write them fucking in front of the fire and I was unable to write the smut in detail.

[sapphire-weapon]

HI!

You absolutely have no need to answer this but i just LOVE how you talk about Leon and Ashley, reading all your meta analysis and just reading your replies to other people in general.

I've been in your blog reading everything for 2 days (still not done btw) and i've been having so much fun thanks to you, learning new things about RE since I am kind of new to the fandom. (I've watched RE Village through markiplier but back then I had NO IDEA who Leon was and only saw him after the RE4make dropped, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT-) ((anyways))

I just wanted to thank you for all the entertainment, please keep doing what you do. 🥺 I'll be around.

😭 you guys are so freakin nice to me, man. idk what I did to deserve this.

But I 100% believe that you had no idea who Leon was before RE4make dropped. Resident Evil went through a real depression in the 2010s and, despite continuing to sell in big numbers, did not retain the visibility it'd had in the 90s and 00s and fell away from the conversation very quickly in the video game space.

If you hadn't already been playing RE before the 2010s, or if you didn't have any friends who had been playing RE before/during the 2010s, you had no idea what the fuck Resident Evil was. Maybe you were vaguely aware of the shitty live action movies, but that was it.

And if you're too young to have been playing video games during the time of RE4's release, you had no idea who the fuck Leon Kennedy was.

Like. There was no avoiding him in the aughts. It'd be like not knowing who Sephiroth was. Because RE4 OG was that much of a big deal.

But once that depression hit? It hit, man. And a whole new generation of video game players grew into maturity without even having Resident Evil on their radars at all -- much less who any of the characters were, even Leon.

It was RE7 that started to pull RE out of that depression, but it wasn't until RE8 that RE finally started to feel mainstream again.

Like. RE2make was kind of a big deal, sure -- but only among the Old Guard. It didn't do much to bring new players into the series. RE's big shot in the arm really, really was RE8.

And now here comes RE4make to shove Leon in the faces of this new generation so that Capcom can be like "YOU WILL KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT" all over again LMAO

And, look. Here you are, as living proof of it.

[storiesbyjes2g]

@therichantsim tagged me for this

1. What’s your favorite sims death? I haven't really had many other deaths besides old age. Even if I did I don't think I could choose a favorite way for them to go. I'm gonna steal @mysimsloveaffair's answer lol. She said her favorite death is old age because it means they lived a full life.

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? Maxis Mix

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? For gameplay, not at all. But for stories I might if it makes sense for the character. For example, Kameron is a very fit character. But in real life, he doesn't workout as much as he used to so he often loses muscle mass. Lean Kam just don't look right, so I used MCCC to freeze his body frame so he doesn't gain or lose weight/muscle.

4. Do you use move objects? Absolutely

5. Favorite mod? MC Command Center closely followed by Relationships and Pregnancy Overhaul by lumpinou. These two keep me on my toes and give you guys all the drama you love lol.

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? I got the first one when it came out.

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? ALIVE!! I will die on this hill lol. Don't get me started!

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? Either Kameron or Amina Pope. I've been with Kameron the longest, and he is my dude forever. Amina was special to me even in CAS, and when I finally found the right story for her, she made it so easy. The story wrote itself!

9. Have you made a simself? I've been making simselves since TS2

10. What sim traits did you give yourself? I think she is creative, music lover, loner?

11. What is your favorite EA hair color? I use the neutral black the most, but I really love that new ashy brown. I think it's the 3rd one? It's Tori's hair dye color.

12. Favorite EA hair? Ehhhh...I tend to ignore EA hairs lol

13. Favorite life stage? Young Adult

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? Building is not my ministry lol

15. Are you a CC creator? No, but I have recolored some things before.

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? Sure do! (Hey y'all!)

17. What’s your favorite game? That's tough to say. Gameplay-wise, I think I'm still partial to Sims 2. But seeing as I'm addicted to Create-a-Sim, I'd have to say Sims 4 because the other games can't hold a candle to the current genetics and options!

18. Do you have any Sims merch? Yep. I used to have this ginormous mouse pad with that Sims mouse. I also got those notebooks from the shop that came out a few years ago. Now I want to burn them all LOL.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? Sure do! My list of videos to make keeps growing. I just need to make the time to do them...and my hair LOL.

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? I'm not sure if this question is referring to play style or CAS style so I'll do both. My play style has not changed. I've always enjoyed family play even though that's not all I do. People say I have a sim style and they know a sim is mine when they see them, but I can't see it. I just like making unique sims. Not sure if I've changed or not.

21. What’s your Origin ID? Jes2G

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? No way I can pick just one...or even 5 lol. Just to name a few... peacemaker, simstrouble, severinka, mclaynesims, jius, wisteriasims, crypticsim, pralinesims, sifix...

23. How long have you had a simblr? I technically joined in 2014 but I wasn't active. I decided to give it a real shot in 2017 and decided to go all in in 2019.

24. How do you edit your pictures? I have a set of actions I created in Photoshop that I run. I used to make different actions for all my stories to give them unique looks. Now I create ReShade presets and let it do the heavy lifting.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? GROWING TOGETHER! It's all I really wanted.

26. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? I don't want or need anything else EXCEPT for all the bugs to be fixed! I'm ready for this version of the game to be over so the modders can make the game great in peace!

Tagging @shunohoney626 @bridgeportbritt @digital-deluxe @nilonne @maladi777 @wannabecatwriter @ladytee918 @saps-sims

[lilbreck]

ST:TOS 100- The Cage

I'll be honest, when my daughter started our rewatch, I didn't realize they had remastered the unaired pilot and put it as the first episode. I also had forgotten the name of the episode. I didn't mind, but my daughter spent half the episode yelling at the TV like it had personally insulted her, her family, and her favorite video game.

I gotta admit, I'm still a sucker for space shows that open with, or have their opening credits contain, a shot of a big 'ol ship or space station. I think this show started that love for me. I get why they didn't stick with this type of opening, but I really liked the idea of panning into the bubble to see the ship's crew at work. It's like peeking into a little doll-space ship.

I did enjoy comparing different looks and props used in this episode as opposed to what was settled on in the aired episodes. For example, may I present Spock before he gets his life, emotions, and eyebrows in check. I half wonder if they put little eyebrow wigs on Nimoy. Of course, now I can’t help but imagine one of them just randomly falling off mid-take.

I also am endlessly amused that they not only used clipboards and paper (as they do in the aired episodes), but that they also print things out. Of course, I can’t remember if they do that later, or if it’s just here, but it does amuse me.

At last, behold both the asshole my daughter yelled out for most of the episode, and the reason she settled on the insult “butt-head” for the aliens.

Final notes:

Daughter: “I found the ending surprisingly moving even though I spent most of the episode yelling.” When I asked her, she said she would have not chosen to stay as Vina did. She couldn’t see knowingly living in a world of illusions, saying it would be a fate worse than death for her.

Me: I’m still not sure how I feel about the Talosians. I think I’ll have to settle on not really liking them because of how they see no wrong in capturing other living beings and keeping them in cages.

[vindicia]

your gifs are so pretty and I esp love your scenery gifs, can I ask how you get vids of scenery of some games like uncharted when your character and their big head is always in the way? I feel like I can only get it to work with first person games :( your blog is so beautiful btw <3

Hey! firstly thank you so much for the nice message! 💕

I'd be happy to explain to you what I do because you're absolutely right, nathan drake's (beloved) big head does love getting in the way, to not even mention the companion npcs who just love walking right into the shot you're trying to gif 🙃 i'll share some of my tricks under the cut!

One of the things I'd first like to show you, though, that in most of my scenery gifs, the full footage does include the playable character in the shot (in the case of third-person games). As an example, in this uncharted set i made recently, this is what the full shot of one of those gifs looks like:

I use the PS5's built in recording system to record video in 1080p, making the width 1920px which is a lot bigger than a dash-wide tumblr gif (540px); because of this, even if the character is in the shot, you can make a gif of the scenery without too much trouble. Like in this shot, i can crop out to only keep the lower right corner, and the final gif will still be big and sharp enough to work!

However, sometimes the character does indeed get in the way, and one of the tricks i use is showcased in the gif above: turning their back to whatever part of the scenery you want to gif. You get the least wide part of the character in the frame. Also, lot of games tend to use many idle animations, sometimes causing rogue arms to flail around in your desired scenery shot. this positioning usually negates all of that!

Also, some third-person games allow you to zoom in, I believe naughty dog games sometimes do by pressing the 'aim' button when you're not holding a weapon; this sometimes allows for a good wide shot without a character in it, too. but that takes a little experimenting based on the game you're playing!

One of my favorite tricks, that may or may not work based on the game you're playing and the environment your character is in, is basically backing your character up as close to a wall as possible, and then moving you camera up against the wall as well. This can make the character completely disappear, potentially leaving you with a beautiful wide scenery shot. is kind of hard to explain, i hope this video i conveniently have of me doing this in the last guardian explains it a bit (with me Struggling because this beloved game's controls are so wonky). there is a wall right behind me and i'm moving the character up against it:

hope that kind of gets across what i'm doing - of course this only works if you have something like a wall to back into.

those are pretty much my tips and tricks for gaming scenery gifs i've discovered over the years! i hope this helps, if you have other questions please let me know! 💖