#especially in modern aus that feature some sort of schooling

[trans-yllz]

perhaps my hottest take yet but there's this very interesting phenomenon within fanworks, especially modern aus, where people make lan wangji like. The Crazy Smart Bookish Nerd, when in canon his Thing, his character archetype, isn't even that he's smart or clever. that's wei wuxians thing. HE'S the genius. and lan wangji obviously isn't an idiot, wangxians whole dynamic is that they're equally matched, but the narrative puts weight on wei wuxians intelligence where it does not with lan wangjis. lan wangjis thing Is being noble, and it Is valuing tradition, and it Is being talented, and, in the beginning, it Is following the rules. he's a good student as a child and an incredibly skilled cultivator, but the role his character plays in terms of trope is not one that focuses on his intellect, even when the story makes it clear that hes very smart. and the thing is that him being a rule follower in the cloud recesses arc Does make him a good student, and the story successfully communicates that he Is smart, but the focus is on him being a competent cultivator who is "good at school", the point is the way that working within the systems rules leads to success, Not that he's smart

but wei wuxians role in a strictly narrative context Does hinge on him being incredibly clever and intelligent, it's a key part of his character archetype, and there is a point being made about the fact that, even when he's a troublemaker in class and labeled as a bad student, he's very intelligent. it's one of the many things that frustrates but draws lan wangji to him in the first place. but somehow more often than not fanon depicts wei wuxian as a fumbling idiot. and I just think it's very interesting that rule following and "good behavior" gets associated with intelligence, where rebellion and disregard for social expectations is associated with being foolish or ignorant, when the narrative of the source material is communicating almost the opposite idea

[moonselune]

Modern fantasy au my beloved. Sometimes it's just what you need to calm down. Especially thinking of school golden boy Wyll crushing on quiet, loner nerd Tav. People find her intimidating, she's rather tall and large after all. But Wyll is HOPELESSLY in love with her, pratically swooning whenever he smells her. Maybe he's admiring her in class during a project, and his friends (let's say Karlach and Astarion) are teasing him.

Honestly I love this so much, I can so imagine Wyll just being like that wholesome popular guy that everyone loves and he does charity work at the weekend, makes everyone swoon

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Wyll x Reader (High School AU) | Crushing

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The classroom buzzed with the usual hum of chatter, the clatter of pencils, and the occasional scrape of a chair against the floor. It was a group project day, the sort of thing that most students either loved or hated—depending on who they ended up working with. Wyll sat at his desk, surrounded by his usual friends and now project-mates, Karlach and Astarion, as they sorted through their materials.

He should’ve been paying attention, he really should have. But his eyes kept drifting, drawn to the far side of the room where you sat.

You, the tall, intimidating figure who towered above most of the class, with your quiet and stoic demeanor. Some found you scary, others distant, but Wyll? Wyll found you captivating.

There you were, head bent over your notebook, jotting down something in neat, precise handwriting. The light from the window hit your face just right, making your features stand out even more—sharp, strong, beautiful. Wyll’s eyes lingered on you, drinking in the sight of the way you absentmindedly pushed a lock of hair behind your ear or tapped your pen against your lips in thought. His heart practically skipped a beat when he caught the faint scent of your perfume from across the room, a soft, floral fragrance that made his pulse quicken every time.

Hopelessly, utterly, head-over-heels in love. That was Wyll.

He sighed dreamily, leaning back in his chair, eyes glued to you like a moth to a flame. His friends had long since picked up on his obvious infatuation, and today was no different.

“Look at him,” Astarion smirked from his seat beside Wyll, leaning back with an air of casual amusement. He elbowed Karlach, who was busy doodling in the margins of her notes, her massive frame hunched over the desk. “He’s gone again.”

Karlach glanced up, following Astarion’s gaze until her eyes landed on you sitting quietly at your table. A grin spread across her face, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Oh no,” she said in mock seriousness, “looks like Wyll’s love-struck again.”

Wyll’s ears turned a shade of pink, and he quickly tried to sit up straighter, clearing his throat. “I’m not—It’s not like that. I’m just… uh, observing.”

“Observing?” Astarion repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what we’re calling it now?” He leaned in, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve been staring at her for a solid five minutes, Wyll. Practically drooling.”

“I am not drooling,” Wyll shot back, but his protest was weak at best. His gaze wandered again, back to you, as if pulled by an invisible force.

Karlach snorted, shaking her head. “Admit it, Wyll. You’ve got it bad. And honestly, I don’t blame you.” She gave you an appraising glance, clearly impressed.

“She’s…” Wyll began, struggling to find the right words. “She’s just… amazing.”

Astarion rolled his eyes. “You’ve mentioned.”

Wyll sighed again, softer this time, as if the mere thought of you was enough to make his heart flutter. “She’s so smart, and… have you ever noticed how calm she is? Nothing ever seems to rattle her.”

Karlach chuckled, her voice teasing but kind. “Except maybe you, huh?”

Wyll flushed deeper, his usual golden-boy composure slipping. He ran a hand over his face, trying to will himself to stop being so obvious. But it was impossible. Every time you were near, he couldn’t help but feel like a lovesick fool.

You were strong, tall, and seemed untouchable to everyone else, but to Wyll, you were everything he admired. The way you carried yourself with quiet confidence, how you never seemed to care what anyone thought—it made him want to get closer, to know you in a way no one else did.

It didn’t help that most people found you intimidating, largely because of your height and your quiet demeanor. You weren’t the type to blend in, and it had earned you more than a few wary glances from your peers.

But Wyll didn’t see the cold exterior everyone else did. He saw past it—the way you focused on your work, the tiny smiles you gave when you thought no one was looking, the gentle care you put into everything you did.

“And that perfume,” Wyll added, almost to himself. “She always smells so—”

“Oh for gods’ sake,” Astarion interrupted, feigning a gagging motion. “Please spare us the details.”

Karlach burst out laughing, but even she couldn’t hide the fond smile on her face. “Wyll, just go talk to her already. It’s painful watching you pine like this.”

“I can’t just… go over there,” Wyll mumbled, glancing at you again, his heart doing a little flip when your hand brushed against your notebook, pushing some of the hair away from your face.

“And why not?” Astarion leaned forward, giving Wyll a pointed look. “You’re the school’s golden boy, aren’t you? Everyone loves you, and swoons over you, and you were practically mobbed by half the school when homecoming dates were announced. I'm sure she’ll be no different.”

Wyll frowned, glancing at you from across the room again. You weren’t like everyone else. He knew that much. You were quiet, reserved, and had an air of mystery about you. Approaching you wasn’t like approaching someone at a pep rally or a school event. You were… well, you.

“What if she’s not interested?” Wyll asked, his voice dropping a little. “I mean, she’s probably used to people like me being…”

“Annoying?” Astarion supplied helpfully.

“Intimidated,” Wyll corrected. “She’s so strong, and… I don’t want her to think I’m just another guy who doesn’t see past that.”

Karlach tilted her head, giving Wyll a considering look. “Honestly, Wyll? I think you’re overthinking it. Just be yourself.”

“Exactly,” Astarion chimed in, his smirk widening. “Go on, be the charming hero you always are. Maybe offer to help her with something. You know, swoop in and save the day.”

Wyll bit his lip, his heart thudding in his chest as he looked at you again. You were scribbling something in your notebook, completely absorbed in whatever you were working on, unaware of the chaos you were causing in his head.

Maybe they were right. Maybe he just needed to take a chance. But for now, all he could do was watch you from a distance, his heart full and hopelessly caught in the gravitational pull that was you.

And when you finally looked up, locking eyes with him for the briefest moment, Wyll swore his heart nearly exploded in his chest.

Gods, he thought, I’m in so much trouble.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Awww little Wyll with his heart all a flutter bless. Hope you guys enjoyed this! - Seluney xox

If you want to support me in other ways | Help keep this moonmaiden caffeinated x

[varpusvaras]

A Modern AU thought from last night:

So, Fox is an architect. He had some scholarships when he went to school, but he still needed to work in order to keep studying. The only job he could take with his schedule was a security job with primarily evening and night shifts, and he got into a lot of rough jobs (and was also very sleep deprived because, it's Fox. Of course he is). He manages to still graduate with very good grades and portfolios and recommendations and all that because that's just who he is. He got pretty good jobs after graduation! Still a workaholic, because that's just who he is. And he wants to help his brothers and pay whatever student loans he has left and make rent and also maybe put something into his savings and-

Anyway, that's how his early twenties go. He really starts to get like, good jobs after that, and one of them lands him into making renovations to one of the Embassy buildings in the city. His main job is to redesign part of the foyer and especially the stairs. Especially the stairs. They are horrific in looks and in just being stairs. Fox is honestly suprised no one has yet fallen down and broken their necks because of them. He wants to rip the whole thing off, but the owners of the building have told him that he cannot make "too many changes" because apparently some big name guy designed the original ones. Fox has never heard of the guy, and he asks what else he has done. Oh. Nothing much after the stairs. He fell down and broke his neck. Figures.

So he gets to work. He's in the middle of taking pictures and measurements when the alarms go off. There's an armed person inside the building, and that armed person is now running across the foyer. Old habits die hard, so Fox grabs the guy and throws them onto the floor without thinking much. The actual security comes soon after, and one of the Diplomats working in the building comes to ask Fox if he's alright and tells him that it was...quite a throw.

The whole thing has really messed up Fox's schedule. He needed to have the measurements done this afternoon so he could go back to his office and start drawing. He hates the stairs. He hates them so much. He has so many good ideas but he cannot just do them because some architect (Derogatory) made them stupid enough that they are considered some sort of unique feature that needs to be preserved. So Fox tells the guy that no, he is not okay, because the stairs could've made the throw for him. Has he seen the stairs? Yes good he has! Now if Fox could do what he really wanted to do, he would rip them off and then put these kind of in place like this-

After five minutes of ranting the Diplomat asks if Fox wants to continue telling about his much better plans for the stairs over dinner. His wife could also come and listen. She would love to hear more about the stairs.

Fox looks at the guy. He's really tall. And honestly really handsome. Dressed in nice clothes. Listened to the whole rant and is still smiling. Okay, Fox thinks. Why not.

(From the point of view of Bail Organa, his rather boring day in the office was interrupted by a gorgeous man in a dress shirt holding a clipboard throwing another man onto the floor. Then the said gorgeous man, still holding the clipboard, proceeded to share Bail's hate for the stupid stairs he dreads every single morning he leaves for work. But also the gorgeous man knows about arts. Breha would love to hear about the stairs from someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Bail just knows how to complain, after all. It was love at the first sight, really)

(Modern AU co-parented with @t3mpest98!)

[asteria7fics]

Oh, hey! How’d you get here?!

Welcome to my little corner of the internet!

⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

I’m Asteria, but my friends call me Teri and my pronouns are she/her!

Asks and DM's are always welcome! However...

I’m a grown adult, so please if you’re a minor that wants to interact with me, keep it to my ask box only! Take it from someone who was privately talking to grown people online much too young, it’s never worth it! Protect your peace so I can protect mine. ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

I write South Park fics and shit! Here’s what you can currently read on my ao3!

The Song of Broflovski (TSOB)

A parody/retelling of the Trojan War through the exploits of some small town fourth graders. Crass and silly and meant to closely mimic the feel of the show. Great for people who don’t like smut, but DO like toilet humor and kids that cuss!

Exactly Where I Left You (EWILY)

My take on a high school au with a little twist, complete with overly-dramatic teenaged angst, love triangles and sexual awakenings. This fic takes place within the same universe as TSOB, though that isn’t required reading to enjoy this story! Be warned though, this one does contain mild smut.

Remplir Sa Bouche (RSB)

A smut-heavy one-shot I cooked up one day, where Stan works as a private chef for Kyle and his wealthy family. This fic exists well outside of my typical universe, and outside of any concept of decency. If you dare take a bite, then I hope you’ll enjoy your meal. Bon appetite!

La Petite Mort (LPM)

The much anticipated (and equally smutty) sequel to RSB. The story of LPM was originally meant to be included in RSB, but was cut for the sake of keeping that story short. Please enjoy RSB as the appetizer, and LPM as the main course.

Momento Mori (MM)

A one-shot exploration of Kenny working as a mortician, working through regrets from his youth as he prepares the body of Butters’ father. No smut, but lots of gory details on the embalming process, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Other content:

EWILY Extras: Short stories that add to the story/context of EWILY! If you’d like to read them in chronological order, please check them out here!

You can listen to music I associate with the EWILY boys and their arcs on my Spotify!

The EWILY boys also got Pinterest boards! Featuring a WIP board for RSB/LPM (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Current WIPs:

And many more ideas currently waiting for their turn in the oven!

FartGate

(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Since you’re still here, I’ll share some other things about me!

I’m a double Scorpio, Aries rising and INFP!

I primarily ship Style (or Stanky if you prefer) and Bunny, but I also dabble in Bendy and Yentlman. And Creek, of course. Canon kings.

Though South Park is my primary focus, I also like a lot of other cartoons! I’m also a big fan of Bojack Horseman, Moral Orel, Clone High (the first season rip), Futurama, Smiling Friends, ATLA, Castlevania, the list does kinda go on. Feel free to chat with me about other shows!

I am also an anime enjoyer, though I don’t keep up with a lot of the modern popular shows. Hands down my favorite shows have been Ouran High School Host Club, Black Butler (the manga is better hehe), Madoka Magica, Panty & Stocking, Spy Family, Aggretsuko and Clannad!

Very casual video game enjoyer. Some of my favorite games include TFBW (obviously!! A masterpiece!!), The OG Spyro trilogy, Bayonetta, Assassin’s Creed (especially Odyssey, you KNOW I’m a Classical Greece girly), and The Sims.

I listen to just about any kind of music, but I’m especially partial to pop-punk and k-pop. My absolutely faves of all time are BTS, Twice and FOB.

I’m not afraid to block people, or tags for that matter. Won’t yuck your yum (too much) but if I don’t wanna see it, I won’t be seeing it.

Thank you for reading this long-ass post! I hope you have fun here!!

[313i]

> fmab band au babbles!

a few notes before i get started:

this is TERRIBLY MESSY!! i apologize in advanced as this is a long ramble meant for me to help organize my thoughts :p

modern highschool setting

very much centered around ling. i like him and think he deserves more content.

features edling (ed x ling), a broken up edwin, royai, and al x mei. mainly edling

i’m not very good at aus. sorry

i made a(n) [iffy] playlist where i slapped a bunch of songs onto for this au. here is the link if you’d like:

enjoy my ramblings below the cut! vvv

ling has always been an outgoing and friendly person, but has struggled to keep relationships due to his own insecurities. lan fan was one of his first official friends because she’s helped him snap out of his negativity and has pushed him to be the confident person he should be

> ( she looked at him and went. “damn bitch. u really live like this.” and decided to help him like he was a stray dog left out in the rain )

the insecurities in question were of him wondering if he was really worth anyone’s time as a lot of people seemed to get annoyed of him (people thought him to be cocky or too much of a “pick-me” personality)

he was also battling with his own identity as he realizes he likes Men (and women!) + wants to experiment more with his fashion (he wants to try on black nailpolish)

> ( think ling would also resonate with prom queen by beach bunny )

her encouragement led to ling being able to pursue his passion in music and arts, ending up in him creating music

the two of them were able to find their own respective talents regarding instruments and basically created a two-man band ( ft. fu funding their creative projects )

ling broke into the band room after hearing someone going ham on the drums (someone being ed) and recruited him and all his friends to join

he was really enthusiastic about this and did not even bother to ask for their names or if they could play an instrument

al is the first person to agree because he’s just as excited as ling is. he really wants to show off his years of piano skills to someone other than his tired old brother and an equally tired winry

winry joins shortly thereafter thinking she could get someone to coach her on how to play the guitar better (she picked it up recently because she wanted to accompany ed and al on their musical journeys)

ed is the last to reluctantly agree because he thinks ling is a bit strange at first. he ends up caving in because two people in the room keep staring at him with big puppy eyes in attempt to convince him

> ( this random kid he considered popular just invited him to join a makeshift band. what. )

as months fly by, everyone’s grown to be good friends

ling can proudly say hes got a good group of friends who’ll gladly make music with him. he’s perfectly happy and content with his life :p

until he realizes he Might have a little crush for the drummer boy

the little crush is not so little he actually has a huge fat crush on ed lmfao

the two have especially been spending a lot of time with one another during and out of school—they seem to have eachother in a lot more classes than they thought!

this makes things a little messy as ling starts writing more romantic songs (not very typical for him) and his band mates question his weird actions

basically this backfires right in ling’s face. he asks al about his brother’s relationships and he tells ling that ed and winry have some sort of relation going on

> ( little does he know: ed is currently going through the same exact thing he’s going through as he questions his sexuality )

ling ends up heartbroken because he assumes that ed is straight (He has piercings, ripped jeans, and black nail polish.That boy is homo!) and starts to fall back into his old habits

like a harsh wound, his insecurities reopen once more to make ling question if all the time they spent together was a lie

> ( was it all really one-sided??? ling could’ve sworn he saw ed look at him with love in his eyes. or maybe that was just his imagination??? )

ling grows distant from ed and refuses to communicate with him out of fear that 1. his worries are true 2. he’s homophobic 3. he himself is admitting to not being straight (like everyone thought he was)

though he notices, ed is stuck on two different worlds and can’t make a decision. he likes both winry and ling too much and doesn’t want to hurt either of them. but in order to make a choice, he must

al is practically the only one happy at this point because he meets mei somewhere along the way and they’re going great :) i don’t want to cause alphonse any pain

lan fan is stressing out over losing her friends and the band that she knows ling worked hard to put together

fu doesn’t have any idea what’s going on

that’s what i have so far x

in short everyone is in pain (besides al and fu) and it’s a confusing teenage love story about kids figuring out who they are and what they want (and don’t want) in life

this concludes my tedtalk. thank you for coming to my show (bows)

[genshinology]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓. zhongli

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ pairing : zhongli x gn!reader ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ genre : modern au, high school au (can be a college au if you want to), friends to maybe lovers au and fluff. ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ word count : 3.2k (reblogs are appreciated ^^) ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ summary : when you had a crush on a certain student council; the president at that. ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ content : reader is a simp for zhongli, mentions of various liyue characters, one kissing on the cheek and the usage of the word ‘asses’ once. ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ notes : idk what is this lmaoo it’s in my drafts for months and i actually planned to write “multiple” genshin men as the students’ representative council and already have diluc’s part drafted before deleting it, but the will to continue just disappeared into thin air HAH. even the format of this is so messy AJKDWHSKWDJ

☆ — a students’ representative council (SRC), also known as a students' administrative council, represents student interests in the government of a university, school or other educational institution.

it wasn't an underrated statement, to say that, zhongli from the front class was literally the most—if not, intelligent—famous guy throughout the entire year.

some said he was a prodigy of some sort, while others often looked up at him as their own role model. the way he often ranked one in any tasks or exams in the semester, there was no way he was never not the talk of the school.

with his strikingly slender and tall figure, plus his sharp features littered everywhere on his effortlessly charming face, always in a neat three-piece suit whenever he walked down the hallway, it was safe to say that almost everyone was head over heels for him, you included.

something about him reeked of wisdom, maturity and kindness. he was everything you wanted in a man. a perfect human if you had ever seen one.

the glances you stole during his weekly assembly speeches, the way you never really focused in class but only at him, you really needed to do something about this, because what started as a simple crush turned much more worse, especially when it was your last semester to land yourself on an excellent gpa.

he was everything that you weren't. this fact alone made you scrambled to talk properly at him, especially during that one time when you were somehow magically—or, your chemistry teacher randomly—paired up with him as his lab partner. it was a memory you wouldn't want to go back, because the way you were nothing next to him made you dumber and more often you were left speechless at the confidence and intelligence he exuded.

that time, you exactly knew why he was the most voted person to win the student election. the capability of a leader; to lead, to teach, to advise, to grow, to win, he did all of them to you, and you cursed mentally at your stupid heart for melting at his amazing aura.

though one thing you were forever grateful was, you scored a solid A+ in chemistry, all thanks to zhongli who unknowingly keeping up with your antics to not mess up the project and promised you that everything would go well if you understood the concept.

somehow, your feelings at him worsened after that, but matters of heart were never in one's full control anyway.. right?

"zhongli was really helpful, i am so glad that he was my partner."

"if i said that zhongli was a sweet person, you guys wouldn't believe me. the way his intimidating aura overshadowed that caring side of him.. he really helped me a lot on my understanding for that hellish carbon compound chapter."

"oh god, hu tao, have you seen zhongli today? wait, we're classmates, but whatever, he looks good as always."

"his speech yesterday was so inspiring. how come a man has so many advanced vocabularies in his head?"

hu tao eyed you with a something akin to a disgusted look and your face, "y/n, don't you really think that you, somehow, should get this feeling off your chest?"

"i know," you sighed, leaning against the chair and silently enjoying the breeze coming from the window beside you. for a fleeting moment, it was calming, and your mind seemed to relax, but hu tao and xiangling seemed to not wanting you get away from the current topic.

"for god's sake, you have been talking about him for the past thirty minutes," xiangling smiled cheekily at the way your face went in embarrassment, she gave you a wink whilst clapping unamusingly, "yes, we know he's perfect. yes, he's cool and all, but are you really going to live your life with regrets, and that 'oh i wish i confessed to him sooner' because we are almost done with high school and we both know perfectly that you actually love him," this time, she was the one sighing, clearly disappointed that you didn't take any step further to do something, anything, with your feelings.

"before you guys went mad at me or something," you puckered your lips, "zhongli is like a celebrity, have you guys even seen how busy he is? walking back and forth towards the school's office to settle our needs, blah blah blah. he's always not in class when we don't have classes. how should i even start to approach him?" the more you thought of it, it was a ridiculous idea.

maybe living in denial was better than embarrassing yourself for getting 'friendzoned'. but, hu tao and xiangling were right. you needed to do something about your crush towards zhongli, because it started to affect you as a whole.

"we've been classmates for more than a semester, are you telling me that he wouldn't look at you? at least we're friends, not some juniors who are delusional, thinking that they can sit beside him during lunch or something," hu tao interrupted your deep thoughts, same as xiangling, she could only give you a heavy sigh.

as someone who knew zhongli because of their part-time together outside of school, she once laughed hysterically when you told her the not-so-secret about you crushing on her co-worker.

"make the first move, y/n. you'll never know what's in store."

for most part, you often questioned yourself for being an actual idiot to do what they said. why did you even accept their challenge to confess at him before your final exam, you truly didn't know the real reason behind it. maybe you really had set yourself to really get it out. once again, what would it be for? simple. you just wanted to move on with your phase of having this stupid crush on everyone's sweetheart. there was so many people that wanted him, maybe more than you did, so the thought of him considering your feeling was never coming across your mind.

however, talking about it was way easier than verbally made actions for it.

the way your heart was beating so fast when he brushed your shoulder slightly and greeted you with a nod at the school's gate made you instantly knew that you would be heartbroken if he shrugged you off.

the way your stomach dropped when he once came back from the principal's office to settle down some paperwork about senior field day with another student council, asked you if your table was still vacant since he was rushing to eat lunch before heading out to meet the vice principals. he said something about your table was the closest to reach, and thanked you after stuffed himself with a mere egg sandwich. all in all, you were baffled and almost choked yourself on the soup xiangling brought. you finally gasped in realisation when the situation registered itself inside you; you had lunch with zhongli, although it was like under ten minutes, but still.

the whole cafeteria must've witnessed such scene, and for a second, you almost giggled at the way you felt like you had won against other zhongli's fans.

the way your fingers trembled when he helped you balanced yourself during one of the p.e. sessions inside the indoor court where you were tasked to do gymnastics. zhongli volunteered to help the teacher—you, and many, once again were ultimate whipped at his altruism—to look out for any minor errors while you guys were, at least, trying.

it was a miracle that zhongli decided to help you in the first place, the way his warmth seeped under your skin when he held you close for you not to fall while balancing on the beam, it was really hard to not getting swayed. safety comes first, you reminded yourself, you were a no gymnast too. but the way his cheek was almost pressed against your side to catch you when you slipped, his hold tightening, you swore you were in shambles.

it was the worst when you needed his approval of organising your club to help and visit an orphanage at the countryside, mainly for some extra marks for your club activities and this made you regretted why you were the club secretary in the first place. you didn't understand why you needed to seek zhongli's signature on your paperwork, but considering that the principal himself did say that he would approve whatever the president approved during one of the assemblies, it was way better, technically, than to wait and fidgeting with your fingers at the principal's office for hours, debating with him on why the school's fee should be lent for your club for travels and food and stuff.

"zhongli," your voice sounded small, and you mentally freaked out at how weak you sounded, totally not the you who casually once blurted out a curse word at hu tao at the science laboratory because she messed up with an experiment about insoluble salts, yet your group was doomed when the salts turned out soluble. something about hu tao accidentally used sodium instead of other options.

"oh, y/n," zhongli's eyes lightened up, he was only sitting at his desk, the blazer on him was never with a crease in sight, it just made him stood out even more, "what brings you here?"

you actually thanked the god that his desk wasn't crowded with people, or gifts, since it was still way before the first period.

for more than six months, you knew zhongli was the first one to enter the class, so you did what you had to do to meet him, came earlier than him, for the sake of the paperwork. your advisor said that the deadline would be by the end of this week, but you figured that the sooner this could be done, the sooner your heart would feel at ease.

only because of the charming man in front of you.

you were pathetic, you admitted that.

"uh, so, you see, my c-club, ah yes! my club, is going to help this one orphanage, b-but mr. tian said that i-it would be.. uh, easier, yes, for me to get your approval before anyone else.. or the principal. hm, yes," god, your social skills were never this bad, even the way zhongli was looking at you intently before shifting his eyes to the papers on your hand made your heart skipped a beat, "i.. i did the paperwork with ningguang, so the format must've been r-right. the details should be in there," it was indeed a miracle that you managed to voice out the lines you had been practicing since yesterday.

you vividly remembered that you were almost in the verge of breaking when you realised that you did the paperwork in the wrong way, and you didn't want to restart it again after spending hours and hours brainstorming on the ideas you should pour onto it. luckily, ningguang, the deputy president—bitter on your tongue to say this, but she was zhongli's partner in the council—helped you a lot when you decided to not be a coward and asked her for her advice. she did help you, and you knew that at least you wouldn't embarrass yourself in front of zhongli.

you handed the paperwork at him, sighed in relief when zhongli finally skimmed through it with a comforting smile.

"whose idea is this? it's a great initiative to obtain co-curricular marks with helping the orphans," he didn't look up at you, even when he sounded genuine and really went thoroughly the papers, "is it yours?"

"i, uhm, yes," you answered almost breathlessly, swallowing down the invisible lump in your throat when his eyes directly made in contact with yours, it was insane how much he affected you.

"is it so? that's endearing," zhongli chuckled lightly when he took a notice of the light red shades on your cheeks.

you weren't going to survive breathing the same air near him, the more you observed how attractive he was, the more your mind went blank, and all you could say was a small, "thank you."

though you didn't really know why you were thanking him for. maybe the slight hint of a compliment lacing under his last words made you felt like you were in cloud nine.

"you're welcome," zhongli didn't seem to mind the way you were flustered at his words and your response, as he delicately signed the paper with the black pen in his hand.

"may i.. go too?"

"what?!" you honestly should stop freaking out over simple things he said, please relax and stay calm for your own sanity. this was definitely getting out of hand.

"hm," he hummed, the silken, deep, sexy guttural tone underneath made you blinked at him multiple times for being stupidly gorgeous over little things such as this, and the way you responded to them questioningly, "i want to meet the children too," he stopped, reading your somewhat horrified face before continued on, "if it's alright with you, put my name in the list. once in a while, the children should believe in humanity, and us."

your mind went blank. did this mean zhongli would be going with you? like, literally...?

"y/n?" his tone changed, concerned look all over his face when you didn't budge to take back the papers on his desk but staring blankly at him.

"i, oh, yes—" you fixed your uniform, still didn't quite get it why you did so, presumably wanting to look presentable after all those stupid things you accidentally did in front of your own crush, "sure. i'll add you."

zhongli smiled at your words, before you bowed down at him, blabbering something about, "thank you for your approval," before you almost tripped yourself as you unknowingly kicked a chair in the way, bracing yourself to not fall down as your hands secured themselves on someone else's desk, mouthing, "i am fine," when zhongli's eyes almost widened at your clumsiness.

so when you finally reached your place, sitting down and pretending to be busy while shuffling through your things in your bag, zhongli's voice cut through the silence, "let's meet early again tomorrow, before everyone else is here. i would love to discuss the plan in details."

you didn't realise when, or how, but zhongli did turn himself fully to face you from a distant from his desk, while you, on the other hand, almost choked on thin air when you knew too well that you wouldn't be going to survive another day like this again.

but fate would always brought surprises in one's life, wouldn't it?

because the usual meetings an hour before class turned into a habit, and in some weird way, you found yourself more motivated to go to school early. even your mother was in shocked at how you woke up with a smile on your face, already in your uniform before heading out way too early when usually, around this time, you would groan at your mother that you needed five more minutes of sleep.

the activity at the orphanage went pretty smooth too, and you would consider that you were now friends with him—not like you didn't consider yourself as a friend to him initially, but all this time, you were, after all, only his classmate—because once again, your club advisor paired up you with him to distribute unwanted clothes and books to the kids. the smiles they gave back at you made your heart contented.

the habit of coming to school early made you realised that zhongli unknowingly brought the best version of you, and you were proud at how productive you had became.

it went on and on, until prom night was nearing.

it wasn't a thing before, but now, that you knew how to act properly in front of him, the only thing that was weighing inside you was should you ask him, or not?

sure, you weren't a special someone in his life, but xiangling's words haunted you more often than you liked. you didn't want to regret seeing zhongli with someone else in his arms, you wanted it to be with you. god, you sounded so selfish, when there was a long line in your year to be his prom date.

you would never stand a chance. maybe living in a blissful ignorance would be way better, although you were itching to not thinking of zhongli with someone else.

"this might seem out of context, or, generally speaking, this would, mayhaps, surprise you," zhongli started when both of you finally walked up outside of the stuffy class, decided that it was the best to get a fresh air early in the morning when no one was around. your mind would think this as a secret date, but of course, it wasn't.

"do you have a partner? for the prom night?"

you couldn't count how many times this man took your breath away with his unexpectedness, but it was bizarre that he found this thing intriguing in the first place, and to ask you that bizarre question.

because all things with zhongli were strictly business. that was what hu tao once said to you. he was a serious man, who took care of everything for the students, and didn't ponder over things such as.. this.

"n-no," you were caught off guard, but there was no way you would make a fool out of yourself again, he already seen worst, "why?" you couldn't help but to indulge in your own curiosity.

"nothing. i mean, i am just.. curious," zhongli blatantly lied and you cocked your head to the side slightly. spending your time with him made you realised that the perfect zhongli tended to avoid eye contacts when he tried to avoid something.

"really?"

"okay, no. i actually would like to spend the magical night, and wouldn't want to miss the chance to dance, with you," he was rather straightforward, not even his usual serious expression faltered when he just dropped the bomb out of nowhere and said that he wanted you to become his partner for the night.

"zhongli, i—" you took a deep breath, slightly pinching your face and yes, you weren't dreaming, zhongli was still there in front of you, waiting for your response, and right then and there, you ultimately decided to confess at him on that night, the outcome didn't matter, at least you could be with him for a night, "—yes, yes. of course, i would love to."

you didn't realise that you were almost in front of the school's beautiful courtyard, as zhongli smiled, sincerely smiled at you. he seemed loving, and the way his eyes told you a million stories behind them already told you much, that maybe, just maybe, zhongli did have a thing for you. there was no way his eyes would lie.

zhongli then mouthed a, "beautiful," before he planted a kiss at the corner of your lips. it was only for a moment, and if you weren't paying enough attention, you might not acknowledge him doing so. it was too short-lived. you were taken aback, and for the first time living in ignorance, you smiled at the little gesture.

you spotted hu tao and xiangling along the way, might need to kick their asses later when you saw hu tao handed over some cash at xiangling, before they giggled at your direction and ran away.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

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[st6rly]

bury my heart out of a sight (where you don't see me).

synopsis: they planted their heart in the ground, hoping feelings would subside. but they found it sprouting into the world once more (the moment they knew they were in deep but didn't speak their truth) | wc — 2.8k

[ !! ] — masterlist.

characters: albedo, itto, scaramouche, xiao x gn!reader

category: fluff + angst if you squint, modern/high school au, scenarios

warnings: mentions of bruises/injuries in xiao's part, fighting with scaramouche (not too physical)

notes: repost form old blog | REBLOGS >>> LIKES

ALBEDO.

it was a study of character and emotions in his eyes. a study of character as in he wanted to know why your hands would lace together so nicely with his and why you’d bring a fluttering feeling to his chest when you’d smile. pages upon pages of notes were spread out on the desk, notes with his own observations and some that he’s seen on the internet before. to other’s it must’ve been a surprise to see the usually level-headed blonde so caught up in something that wasn’t a lab experiment. though when said out loud, he just smiled to himself on the inside, for he’s finally experiencing life as it is and not some sort of ship in a bottle.

“albedo?” a small hum leaves his lips, turning in his chair to greet you with a soft smile.

“you’re finally here.” he says, motioning a hand to an empty chair. you take a seat, watching as he sifts through sheets to uncover his sketchbook from beneath the mess and grabbing the pencil from behind his ear “this shouldn’t take too long and sorry again for taking up your time after school.”

“don’t worry about it. i’m in no rush to leave today.” you grin. albedo nods, suppressing the heat that started to creep up his neck. he starts with a few basic outlines on a blank page before letting himself wander and for a while, the soft dance of lead against the paper was the only thing filling the serene silence in the workspace.

“(y/n)?” you blink, tilting your head slightly as light-blue eyes scan your form. a cold hand reaches out, thumb on your chin and the others beneath as he positions your head, making sure the setting sun is hitting you just right. though he doesn’t let go, letting himself bask a little more and to take notice of your features he’s grown to adore.

albedo loves your eyes. that isn’t to say that he doesn’t love all of you, but there was something about the way you gazed at him in the hallways that made him melt. he’s noticed the adoration that pooled within your irises when he’d meet your eyes and the lingering feeling of your touch left him wanting — no — needing more. he wanted to know so badly how a simple glance could have such a great impact. though perhaps coming up to you and asking if he could draw you in the art room wasn’t the greatest way to ease his way into things.

your laugh brings him back to the present; hands gently cupping your face and noses so close they could touch if one of you decided to move.

“albedo?” his eyes trail across your face, from the structure of your brows to the crease of your eyes, before coming to a stop at your lips. temptation rang through him as your curious gaze slowly morphed into a slow understanding. he clears his throat, retracting his hands and stepping back.

“sorry about that.” his heart was beating out of his chest, and it didn’t seem to want to slow down anytime soon, especially when you laugh and give him such a big smile. the words lingered on the tip of his tongue, a simple string of sentences that ended with asking you to be his ready to be released. but instead, he holds them back, shoving them down and only letting out a weak chuckle. there’d be a time for what he wants to say, one that would be perfect and out of a dream but today was not it. he picks up his sketchbook again, rubbing the back of his neck before grabbing his pencil again.

“ah so, where were we again?”

ITTO.

“hey! wait up!” you look back to see itto running towards you, the button up underneath his sweater vest all crumpled and collar undone. it always surprises you how the teachers never seem to scold him for having his uniform all messy. though maybe they just gave up on doing so. he slings an arm around your shoulder, pressing his weight onto you as he hides under your umbrella.

“whew! glad i caught up to you in time before you left.” he grins, bag over one shoulder as his damp hair tickles your neck.

“forget your jacket again, itto?” you chuckle, adjusting the umbrella so it would cover the both of you better “if i’d known that sooner, i would’ve left faster.”

“what? me forgetting my jacket? psh noooooooo as if!” he crosses his arms “it's dangerous to walk home alone y’know so i thought i’d tag along. yeah, to be your bodyguard!

“you know i can handle myself just fine, itto.” you nudge him with your elbow playfully, a smirk on your face.

“oh c’mon!” he groaned “we live close by to each other and i don’t want to go home soaking wet! besides,” he turns his head to face you, a mischievous glint in his eye, before swiping the umbrella out of your hands and starting to jog off “i can always return this to you tomorrow!”

“wait get back here! what happened to wanting to protect me hah?!” his laugh can be heard through the pounding rain as the splash of your footsteps in the puddles only made him run faster. did he feel bad? sort of. itto knew he’d have to make it up to you somehow if you ended up getting sick because of him. apologies wouldn’t mean too much so maybe buying you your favourite snack would work instead. too lost in thought, he failed to notice how your steps have caught up to him.

“hey!” he lets out a grunt as you slap him on the back, making him trip over his own feet. sitting up and rubbing his head, he looks up at your frowning face that didn’t seem to be all too genuine.

“are you hurt?” you ask, picking up the discarded umbrella and scanning him over for any injuries. he patted himself down and gave a thumbs up.

“just my pride and ego but that’s nothing a little kiss wouldn’t fix.” you snort and hold out a hand to him. he takes your hand, fawning on the inside about how perfectly they fit together, before yanking you down to the ground with him, making you drop the one bit of covering you hand in the middle of the street once again.

“bet you weren’t expecting a surprise attack, were ya!” he grins at the sound of your laugh and responds with his own when you wrestle him into a headlock, messing his wet hair around.

“fine you win! but you owe me!” he looks up at you the best he can with his hair in his face and your arm wrapped around his head.

you’d taken off rather quickly after that, using your already soaked through bag as a makeshift umbrella, leaving him with lingering feelings. everything about this felt so right yet so wrong to where he couldn’t help but chuckle. he could only imagine what would’ve happened if he’d accidentally said anything about this. he can’t lose one of his closest friends, not just yet.

“in love with my best buddy, huh?” itto’s grip tightens on your umbrella as he slicks back his hair away from his face “i better not screw this up.”

SCARAMOUCHE.

a string of curses were muttered under his breath as he stormed down the hallway, entering the classroom and shutting the door with a bang. the teacher on duty for the day only gave a half-hearted glare at the cause of the noise as he tossed his bag by a desk. slipping into the desk not too far from yours, scaramouche groans and ruffles his hair, scowling as he sees you resting your head on the desk, arms acting as a pillow. from what he can see, you showed no care that you were stuck in detention and if anything, you appeared more relaxed.

the teacher up at the front closed their book, giving the two of you a pointed look and firm instructions to stay in your seats while they went to go take care of something. the door closed and a beat of silence passed before scaramouche stood abruptly, the chair screeching against the classroom floor. he slams his hands down on your desk, watching you slowly raise your head from your arms to face him and wearing that signature smirk that always sends a rush to his head.

“what now, scara? was the little fight we had in the hallways not enough for you?”

“why did you do it?” his frustrations only grow as you blink, giving no response back. with an angered grunt, he grabs the collar of your shirt and leans over the desk more, pressing you into the back of the seat “answer me!”

“whoa whoa! as far as i’m concerned, i don’t even know what i did besides tossing a few words around.” raising your hands in mock surrender, the smile never leaving your face “want to explain what this is all about?”

“you-” he huffs, a red tone coming to his face as he shuts his eyes “you idiot! you’re insufferable to work with!” he released his hold and threw his hands up in frustration, glaring at you.

“ouch. guess i hit a nerve there.” you rubbed the back of your head with a chuckle “but if you want me to remember then you’re going to have to say it.” he clenched a fist at your words. usually, he’d be able to take on conversations like this one with ease, able to keep a calm face while making the other crumble beneath his words. yet you somehow made him lose all cool. he groaned, cursing under his breath as he regained some of his bearings.

“you- you kissed me in the middle of an argument.” he rubbed his temples “and i want to know why.” you think for a moment, tapping your finger against your lip.

“well, the easy answer is that i just wanted to shut you up.” you give him a closed eye grin “besides from my observations you didn’t object to the action. in fact, you even kissed me back.” scaramouche’s face goes red and this time, he can’t tell if it’s from embarrassment or pure anger. he walks back up to you, leaning on the desk again.

“now you listen here-“ you take his chin in your hand and press you finger to your lips in a shushing motion.

“the teacher’s coming back soon. don’t want to get in trouble for being out of your seat now, do you?” scowling, he yanks himself out of your grasp and flips you off before plopping back in his chair, mouthing to you that this isn’t over and turning his head to the door.

just as you had said, the teacher walked back in, scanning their eyes over the room to make sure nothing was out of place and nodding before sitting back at their desk and opening their book again. crossing his arms, scaramouche lets out a small tsk and looks away from how you’ve gone back to resting your head in your arms. there’s something about you that infuriates him so badly in the way that you question his every word with a teasing smile on your face. just thinking about it makes his cheeks go red (with anger of course). but even he can’t deny that the interactions light up a small bout of joy that makes his usual face start to crack at the sides. he barely registers the teacher saying it’s alright to leave now and runs a hand through his hair, disrupted from thought when you drop a note on the desk before making your way out of the room. hesitantly, he picks it up and unfolds it, grip tightening as he scans the contents.

“thanks for keeping me entertained on our little detention date, scara. you never fail to amuse me with your antics ;)

(y/n) <3

p.s. if you wanted to be alone with me you should’ve just said so. there’s no need to start a fight in order to do so, darling”

with a sigh, he shoves it in his pocket and resists the urge to slam a hand down on the table. So, you want to play the game this way, huh? fine. he’ll indulge in your actions. even if they feel like a nuisance to him.

“i’ve become stupid with this madness, haven’t i?” he mutters, pushing in the chair and walking into the empty hallway “may the best one win.”

XIAO.

he lets out a small grunt as the cloth wet with rubbing alcohol was lightly dabbed against his lower lip. the slow tick of the off-time clock cuts through the weight in the air as he stares at the concentrated look on your face. features gently twisted into a frown with your brows furrowed and the frustrated, yet understanding, look in your eyes. your hand takes his chin and turns his head, inspecting the bruise that started to form on his cheek.

“xiao-” he lightly swats your hand away, not bothering to look at you and using his hand to cover the bruise.

“leave it. i’m fine.” an uncomfortable silence rests over the two of you again. he flexes his hand absentmindedly, wincing slightly at the stiffness in his knuckles and how the reddened skin was starting to bruise as well. his eyes darted around the room, from the stool you were sitting on to the cabinets where you’d gotten the rubbing alcohol from and finally resting on the clock where it read that it was nearing 4:30. slowly moving his gaze back to you, he watched silently as you shifted in your spot, unsure of how to approach him. clenching his fist again with a quiet sigh, he reached his hand out to you, hesitating slightly as you looked at him with quizzical and unsure eyes.

“just... be quick with it.” he closed his eyes, wondering to himself why your hands that held his with so much care made him glow inside, basking in the warmth that you generated in his chest. the rest of it was done in mostly silence, the exception being the small soothing hums that would bubble in your throat whenever you felt his flinch from your grasp.

opening his eyes, xiao turned his head more to face you, watching as you wrapped his knuckles and cleaned off the remaining dirt from his fingertips. pulling his hand back once you were done, he noticed how you eyed the bruise on his face. sighing, he flicked your forehead, lips twitching at the corners as you whined and rubbed the spot. though the lightened moment was quickly snuffed out.

“why did you fight them?” the question made him freeze. “because it was natural” is what he wanted to say since it was. keeping the ones you like closely protected is something that shouldn’t have to be explained. but the way those people made his blood boil with their taunts and words felt different. he felt the way rage bubbled and spilled over into his words and how his vision slowly went red. all that because those words were directed at you. he huffed, crossing his arms.

“they ticked me off. that’s all.” you give a small smile, knowing how he wasn’t telling the full truth. standing from your seat, you placed everything back carefully, closing the cabinets and looking back at him.

“just- please be more careful next time. i worry about you, xiao.” he scoffed, trying to ignore the way his heart picked up and the red hues snaking their way up his neck.

“i’m capable of handling myself. there’s no use for your worry.” you pick up your bag, resting a hand on his shoulder lightly. xiao hated to admit it in his mind but he couldn’t help but slowly sink into your touch.

“even so, i’m always there for you, ok?” he struggles to keep in the whine that threatens to leave his throat when your hand pulls away. reaching for his own bag, he paused for a moment as he registered you saying bye for the weekend and in almost an instant, his body reacted before he could think.

“(y/n). wait” xiao grabbed your hand, stopping your movements as you faced him again with a perplexed look. he could spill everything in this one moment: finally ridding himself of this feeling in his chest for the time being. the words caught in his throat, leaving him open-mouthed with a red face. xiao shudders, everything he wants to say is right there but he just can’t.

“hmph.” he hastily let’s go and averts his eyes away from your quizzical gaze “n-never mind. sorry for keeping you so late and thanks for your help. not that i needed it.”

[miekasa]

bad romance

+ pairing: levi ackerman x reader

+ genres and warnings: friends with benefits au, friends to lovers au (well i guess that’s open for interpretation lmao), modern au—college au?, explicit smut, mentioned/implied virginity

+ summary: friends with benefits with your best friend since middle school is probably a bad idea. friends with benefits with your best friend since middle school who you’ve also been in love with for the past seven years—all for the purpose of her gaining ‘experience’ so she’s not nervous to do it with some other guy she has a crush on—is probably a really bad idea. levi ackerman is not known to make great decisions.

+ word count: 3.5k

+ notes: truth be told, i don’t even know if i like this; i took this from an outline/draft of a series i’d planned but know i’ll never complete. it’s kind of unedited too heh, also if you’re a minor pls do not interact 

Levi doesn’t think anything of it when he finds you on his doorstep on a rainy Saturday evening. It’s very much like you to show up unannounced and attempt to drag him into whatever activity you want to do that day. He’s fairly certain that Hange picked that up from you. Someone should tell her that it doesn’t work so well unless it’s you tugging on his arm sleeve and interrupting his otherwise peaceful evening. 

So, for a while, everything is normal. You make fun of him for his use of, admittedly overpriced, organic butter when he toasts you a bagel; he makes jabs at you shuffling around his apartment like a semi-wet chihuahua, and all is right with the world.

Until it’s not. Because half-way into whatever stand-up comedy Netflix special you’d persuaded him into watching with you, Levi’s had enough of your nervous ticking. He doesn’t know if you think that he wouldn’t notice, but he does. And he knows it’s not the result of you still being wet or cold from the rain, seeing as you’ve long since dried off and warmed up. 

You’re focused on the show (ironically, focused to a point of distraction), you’ve been twiddling your fingers since it started, and you’ve been fidgety since you stepped foot into his house. Quite frankly, he finds it insulting that you think he wouldn’t know something’s up by now.

So, he bends his knee, turns his body towards yours, lifts his elbow to rest atop the edge of the soft, and presses his cheek into his palm: “Alright, spit it out.”

“Huh?—What do you mean?” You look at him with wide, startled eyes. He looks back at you with unamused, expecting ones.

You crack a nervous smile, attempting to laugh off his command as incredulous, but instead, your voice comes out in what sounds like a pathetic attempt to cover up a lie—probably because it is, “What? Can’t I spend sometime with my favorite, surly psychology student?”

Levi scoffs at your batting eyelashes. The look he throws you seems to do the trick as you drop your facade with a sigh and shift yourself to face him on the couch too, your bent knees almost touching.

“Alright, fine, you got me,” you sigh, hands resting in your lap, “You, um... you know how you said you’d help me with, like, uh... sex and stuff?”

Levi raises an eyebrow. Of course he does. He watches as your eyes dart around the room waiting for his response. It’s cute as heck, and if the topic of conversation at hand weren’t about to get so compromising, he’d have probably teased you about it.

“Yeah, why?”

“Well… okay, so, you remember Jean, right? The guy I told you about?”

Levi hums. Yeah, he remembers Jean, but only because you can’t seem to shutup about him, not because he’s particularly memorable otherwise. He seems to be kind of a prick and a huge idiot, if you asked Levi; but, that’s kind of his default impression of most people. 

“Jean and I hung out yesterday, and it was normal, you know? We just talked and ordered food and watched a movie,” you rub your palms along the fabric of your yoga pants—another nervous tick he’s been observing, “I don’t know if it was a date or not, because he didn’t say it was, and I don’t want to assume, but Marco keeps saying it was, and that Jean wants to actually ask me out.”

Levi blinks. “And?”

“And if he does ask me out—or even if he just… I don’t know, wants to try something the next time we hang out, I don’t want to look like a complete idiot!”

He refrains from letting a noticeable grimace take over his features; and washes away the unsettling feeling in his stomach with a nonchalant comment, “I doubt he’ll try anything on your first date.”

“But what if it’s not a date! People hang out just to hook up all the time.”

“I thought you wanted to date him?” Levi questions, but his it comes out as more of a deadpan statement.

“I do,” you answer, your response a little delayed and drawn out, “But, I wouldn’t mind just sleeping with him, either.”

“Bold statement from someone who’s never slept with anyone before.”

“Have I told you today that you’re an asshole?” you roll your eyes at him, “Come on, Levi, you know what it’s like to just want someone, but not want them, don’t you? You’ve had one night stands before.”

That’s true, Levi knows it, but it’s different. He wasn’t actively seeking advice from his friends about how to pursue and potentially please his one night stands because none of that mattered—well, the pleasing part, probably, but not the pursuit, or the feelings that came with it. Besides, Levi hasn’t felt the desire for any of that in a long time.

“That’s not the same,” he responds, trying to dismiss the muddy feelings crawling up his throat, “Look, if your Jean guy gets horny when you’re hanging out, just make out with him—make him jizz his pants or something.”

“That’s terrible advice,” you frown, “Plus, he’s probably done that with a million other girls.”

“Probably. Sex tends to repeat a few basic actions here and there.”

“For a psychology student, you sure are a terrible makeshift therapist, do you know that?”

“That’s not even the kind of psychology I study, never mind that I never asked to be your therapist.”

Levi takes great amusement in your huffing and the frustrated pout settling into your features, though he does his best to not let his own smile shine through. It’s probably futile; you can probably see through his facade, anyways.

“I just don’t want to bore him, Levi.”

Any trace of his smile vanishes as those words leave your mouth. Levi doesn’t retain much about this Jean guy you keep going on about, and he doesn’t care to in all honesty—but maybe if he did, he could understand why you’re so hellbent on pleasing the kid.

Levi doesn’t like it, not one single bit. His own feelings for you aside, he doesn’t like how Jean has managed to worm his way into your head and make you think that he’s deserving of any kind of affection from you, whether it be platonic, romantic, or sexual. Because he isn’t; Levi might not know him, but he knows that much. 

Still, he sympathizes with you. He understands the pressure of navigating dating and hookup culture, especially in a university setting; never mind the additional expectations set on you as a girl. It’s shitty, all of it; the stupid feelings, the sense of uncertainty, the dumb-ass college pricks. You shouldn’t have to deal with any of that. 

“You won’t,” is Levi’s simpler response, “Just don’t crush his dick in the process.”

“I wouldn’t do that, fuck you.”

“I’m just saying, you’ve never been the most coordinated person in the world,” he taunts, “If that’s what you came here today to ask me to help you with, it’s fine.”

“Really?—I mean, okay, I know we said that’s okay, and stuff, but I didn’t know if—well I don’t know what’s on the table or not? I do want to do that with you, but I also wanted to know if we could do… more? But I didn’t want to ask for too much and make you uncomfortable! Do we need a lesson-plan of sorts, because I can make—”

“You’re doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“Stalling,” Levi tells you, “You know, how when you get all nervous and ramble, then run out of breath or things to say, then get super quiet, and let the conversation die and be awkward again.”

You throw daggers his way with your eyes, and Levi has the audacity to smirk. “Forgive me, it’s not every day I ask my best friend if I can suck his dick for practice.”

“You can,” Levi replies, a little too nonchalant for the situation at hand, “If you want. I don’t mind. As for a lesson plan, that’s weird as shit, so don’t do that.”

“Really? I can?” you question again, an ironic child-like glimmer of joy in your eyes.

Levi chuckles lowly at your enthusiasm—your appreciation is so genuine, he finds it nothing short of adorable. And oddly enough, he’s a little turned on by it, too.

“Yeah,” he nods his head shallowly, “You can.”

You still have that gleam in your eyes, but Levi can feel the hesitation creeping up on you, and offers his guidance before he loses you to a shell of yourself. He shifts over to you just a bit, loosely holding your right wrist in his grip; holding eye-contact, he carefully pulls you up to stand in front of him.

“You can start,” he says, slowly tugging on your wrist, “By getting on your knees and taking off my pants.”

By the time he’s finished speaking, you’re already kneeling in front of him, and the sight is already enough to have Levi semi-hard in his pants; an almost embarrassed flush washing over his body as he comes to terms with the fact that he’s thought about this visual more times than he cares to ever admit.

You fumble with the zipper of his jeans, pulling them, along with his boxers to pool around his ankles. Your actions are careful and calculated, but you seem comfortable—maybe not with your skills, but with Levi.

His eyes stay glued on you, when you finally hold his length with a single hand, the other resting hot on his thigh. He leans over again, this time to rest a comforting hand on the back of your neck, eager to wash away any remains of your nervous resolve.

“Start slow,” he instructs, feeling your thumb swipe along the head, “Just move your hand up and down a bit, like—ah, yeah, like that.”

You seem follow his words carefully, focusing on the way his dick jerks in your hand. Levi observes you carefully and mentally notes that while he’d have liked it, not making out with you before this was probably the right call—he’d probably have creamed his jeans before this could have begun.

“You can grip it harder,” he tells you. You listen, applying slightly more pressure to your grasp; and it makes Levi groan, short, but strangled, above you.

“Okay?” you question, the genuine concern in your voice enough to make Levi’s gaze soften.

“Yeah, that’s—you’re doing good,” he says, rubbing his thumb against the nape of your neck habitually, “Twist your hand a little when you go up, you can—fuck, okay, yeah, that, like that.”

You snap your head up to look at him when he lets a moan slip through; nothing but pure enthusiasm and satisfaction dancing in your eyes. Levi grits his teeth when you do it again, your thumb sliding over the tip when you reach the top of his dick, and, Christ, you’ve got to stop looking at him like that.

You work your way into a steady rhythm, letting Levi’s moans guide your movements. You feel him harden to full length under your touch; and when he does, you move your hand faster, twisting your wrist around the length and squeezing just a pinch harder at the tip, without instruction.

He watches through lidded eyes, using his thumb to press lightly into the back of your neck. You move your free hand from his thighs, eager to add it to the mix, but Levi freezes.

“Nuh uh,” he shakes his head.

It prompts you to stop your actions, tilt your head and look up at him, and Levi doesn’t think he’s ever seen something so sinful. Your complete focus on him, neck craned obediently, eyes twinkling under your lashes; your position makes him want to kiss you or choke you or something in between.

“What—did I do something wrong?” you ask with wide and innocent eyes that make Levi feel bad for worrying you, yet send an erotic pulse throughout his body.

“Not at all,” he reassures you, fingers treading into the hair at your nape.

He’s setting himself up for failure, and he knows it, too—because, really, who agrees to teach a friend how to suck dick? Having you on your knees in front him, crane into his touch, and keen to all his desires, does nothing to mask the painful fire in the pit of his stomach.

It’s stupid to be this hungry, this possessive over you when he knows you come to him in hopes to learning how to please another man. But one, precious thought is enough to cloud over all of that, enough to put that sadistic smirk back on his face.

“You said you wanted to give me a blowjob, right?” he questions, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth at the shallow nod of your head, “Okay. Open your mouth for me, yeah?”

He barely pushes the tip past your lips when your head dips forward, tongue peeking out to lick the very top. Levi sucks in sharp air between his teeth, relaxing into the couch when your head bobs further, enclosing the tip of his dick in your mouth.

“Fuck,” he groans, voice hoarse when his hardened cock rests against the velvet wet of your tongue, “That’s it—just keep going, like that.”

He watches intensely as your head bobs onto him. It’s hot and wet and so much more than he’d imagined it would be; and he’s not too shy to admit he’s imagined this with you. He moves his hand to brush away the flyaways of your hair, smoothing them back and tangling his fingers at the back of your head. He carefully guides your movements.

It’s slow and steady, and normally, it’d take him a while to cum like this, but with the visual of having you on your knees for him, Levi can feel a faint warmth of his orgasm already beginning to bubble inside of him.

“This is okay, right?” you pull back, a thin line of spit trailing from your mouth.

“Yes, yes,” he answers immediately, unaware of his tightening grasp on your hair.

With a shy smile, you continue, taking more of him this time and carefully gauging his reactions. You move your head further down, testing your own limits, until you feel like you’re choking. You pull back again, with an embarrassed cough.

“Don’t push yourself,” he says softly, rubbing soothing circles into your neck with his fingers, “Guys can’t actually tell the difference between a regular blowjob and being deep throated, no need to choke yourself.”

“Wait, really?” you ask, resting you bum against your heels.

“You seem so surprised.”

“That’s just so… disappointing,” you crinkle your nose, “Men and porn make deep-throating seem like the end all be all of giving head.”

Levi chuckles in genuine amusement, “Well, it’s not, trust me. If any guy insists on being deep-throated just to cum, he’s a fucking liar. He’s getting off on the submission, not the actual feeling.”

“The submission?”

“Getting someone to be willing to listen to them, telling them what to do, how to please them,” he shrugs, “Makes you feel like you’re in control.”

“And that… that works?”

“Yeah,” Levi says, “But, judging by the tone of your voice, and how willing you were to suck my dick three seconds ago, I’d say the idea of being dominant doesn’t really appeal to you.”

You scrunch your nose again, “Does it appeal to you?”

Levi pauses, thinking over his answer, before giving you a simple, “Yeah. Most of the time.”

“Oh,” you hum, “I… I don’t think I’d like that.  I think I’d rather be told what to do, seeing as I don’t really know what I’m doing, anyways.”

“Ironic, considering you’ve never once listened anything I tell you do.”

“I was listening when you told me how to suck your dick,” you correct him, “You seemed to enjoy that.”

Levi pauses with a raised eyebrow. You don’t seem to back down, that matter-of-fact smirk on your face still mocking him. He leans over slowly, using his right hand to guide your head closer to him, and uses his left hand to grab your jaw between his fingers.

“You can be such a fucking brat, you know that,” he all but whispers, pursing your lips together in his hold, “Since you like listening to me so much, then shut up, and we can finish what you started.”

You blink, staring at him with a wide-eyed expression. He’s right that under any other circumstance you’d probably run your mouth off about him telling you what to do. But something about the way he knows what he wants and tells how he wants it makes you listen without an argument.

You nod, slowly wrapping your lips around the tip again, and bobbing along his length. Levi’s breath hitches when you hollow your cheeks slightly, a rough hand pressing down on the back of your neck.

“You’re really—god, okay, you’re good at this, you know,” Levi praises you, letting his right hand resume its position at the back of your neck.

If you had any doubts before about being submissive, the look on Levi’s face seemed to have wiped them away. Watching him throw his head back, his fingers gripping at your nape, his cock in your mouth—pleasing him seemed to be enough to please you, too.

“I wanna make you cum, Levi,” you voice your thoughts, letting a hand lazily jerk him off in the mean time, “Tell me what I have to do to make you cum.”

“If you keep going, I’ll cum,” he answers too quickly, a groan slipping through his words, “Trust me.”

“Come on, Levi,” you push, rolling your thumb over the slit of his dick. It makes him inhale sharply; you’re getting a little too good at that; at all of this. “Can—I mean, do you wanna cum in my mouth?”

“Shit, shit. Don’t say shit like that,” he curses, blunt nails raking and scraping at your scalp, “You don’t have to—I can just—”

“I want you to,” you tell him earnestly, “Please?”

Fuck, he was pretty fucking certain he’d told you to stop saying shit like that. Levi bites the inside of his cheek, paces himself; uses both of his hands to hold your head gently, while you use yours to wrap around his cock.

He grunts with a shake, and rolls his hips up, pushing himself further into your mouth, but not so much as to hurt you. It’s soon after that hot strophes of cum wet your tongue, and Levi lets you lazily jerk him off until you’ve milked his orgasm.

The room is silent save for his low moans and the squeaking of his thighs against the leather couch. When he’s finished, he slouches back, looking at you through hooded eyes, sweaty and panting, when you close your mouth and swallow.

You use your fingers to collect any remaining cum from his softening cock, and hum contented as you put your fingers in your mouth. Levi locks eyes with you again, cheeks flushed as you pull your digits out of your mouth, and he has to grip at his own thigh to gain the self-control to not get hard again.

You’re going to be the fucking death of him some day.

He shakes his head when you move backwards with a cute smile and pulls his boxers up, then his pants as best his can, not bothering to zip them up. When he’s done, you stand to your feet then straddle him on the couch, laughing lowly at his post-orgasm haze.

He doesn’t think twice about the way your hands clasp at the back of his neck, or the way his find their way to rest on your hips. You grab ahold of his jaw with both hands, holding his face in place. He thinks you’re going to lean in, but you don’t; just stay like that, your eyes roaming his glassy eyes.

“Are you gonna kiss me or just stare at me all day?” he questions, lips pulled into a knowing grin.

“Can I?” your question makes him frown in confusion, “Dunno, I heard some guys don’t like that after getting head.”

“Bunch a fuckin pussies,” he grumbles, leaning forward to close the gap between your mouths. He can feel you smile into it, and mimics your grin when you begin to press short, repeated kisses against his lips.

“You’re the best, you know that?”

He laughs when you continue to press quick kisses on his lips. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

You kiss him on the cheek, wet and dramatic. “Love you, Levi.”

Your face is right in front of his, but he averts his gaze, a different kind go warmth spreading throughout his chest when you flash a smile at him. He lets you kiss him again, longer this time, but still slow and sweet. He likes the feeling of you resting against him, affection lingering on your tongue when you kiss him.

It’s dangerous, but he likes the way you spark a fire in him. Sweet or sinful, it makes him feel boneless, wanted, loved.

Levi leans forward, rubbing his hands up your sides, and captures your lips in another languid kiss before pulling away to peck the corner of your mouth. “Love you, too.”

And he means it of course, but if Levi thought he had it bad before, he’s in deep shit now.

[maxismatchccworld]

Patch Notes

Update 07/20/2021

PC: 1.77.131.1030 / Mac: 1.77.131.1230

Console: Version 1.44

Hello Simmers!

Hope you are well wherever you are in the world and that you are all having a fantastic Summer of Sims! We are excited to share today’s update with you. There is a lot of info, so make sure you have your tea/coffee/beverage of choice ready to read on. You all know I have my coffee ready for this!

As we continue to get ready to explore the countryside charm of Henford-on-Bagley and cannot absolutely wait to play with the adorable animals in Cottage Living, we also have updates and fixes that should improve and complement your Sims’ everyday life. We have something for everyone and we hope that you all enjoy them. Thank you for all your feedback and support.

Cheers!

-SimGuruRusskii ft. SimGuruRomeo and SimGuruJoAnna

What’s New?

Let’s start with some items that we shared in our last Sims 411! For this update, we partnered with two talented artists from the LGBTQ+ community, Ashley Lukashepsky, and Mohammed Iman Fayaz, and they have brought their inspiring and beautiful artwork into the game. We have also included the modernized version of the large afro hairstyle that we showed you. But more than tell you about it in text, let me actually attach a screenshot of everything put together:

I love everything about this scene, not only it shows you how the artwork looks in a real game setting, but the whole scene with the two Sims and their surroundings is quite magical. Also, look at that hair! The way the light highlights it, perfection! You may also notice the hair of the Sim on the right, which was also added with this update for everyone. I want to personally thank all Simmers for their feedback and recommendations, as we are continuously working on adding more diverse hairstyles and textures to not only packs, but also to our base game.

Now that we are talking about artwork, the last patch notes I forgot to add the artwork made by the wonderful Jupiter Stevens-Hill. I apologize for that, I totally blanked out. However, I’m happy to see that a lot of you are enjoying it and placing it in your Lots! That makes a very happy Russkii =)

To find Jupiter, Ashley, and Mohammed’s paintings in Build Mode, make sure you take a look at the Paintings and Posters sort and filter by Base Game items. These artists are amazing and we hope you enjoy their creations.

Now, without further ado, let’s get to some new features and improvements that are part of this update!

A little bit of Gallery

When you download a lot made with the bb.moveobjects cheat, the game now notifies you about this so you know to activate the cheat before placing the lot. Builders, this means you won't need to mention it in the lot’s description anymore!

A little for Sims

Trying to find the Sims in the current neighborhood? Select their portraits in the Relationship Panel.

"Focus the Camera" moves the camera to the Sim.

"Lock the Camera" moves the camera to the Sim and keeps following them.

Where did the Notebook go?

Found it! The Notebook has moved out of the Phone and into its own button for quicker access.

The "Center on Current Lot" button that used to be there has moved to the top right, adjacent to the Camera Controls.

Water Tool

You now can make natural, organic bodies of water! Just head into Build Mode, make a hole with the Terrain Manipulation tool, and fill it with water. It is that easy! The Terrain Manipulation and Paint Tools also have more brush sizes to enable finer detail.

In adding the Water Tool, we also took the chance to overhaul the related tools and object categories. Why not? Enjoy!

Pond Effects

All sorts of critters are available to complete the look of your pond ranging from ducks and swans to pesky mosquitoes. There is even an alligator!

New Pond Objects

Outdoor Water Décor now has an assortment of new Pond Objects to decorate the perfect pond. Some of these objects such as the Bog Log and Colorful Lily Pads have interactions on them in Live Mode to activate Turtle and Frog effects. The new Fishing Allowed Sign enables you to stock your pond with any fish your Sims have previously caught. Try it out!

New Water Styles

Go beyond the original crystal blue and dreamy magenta water. Additional options range from “Mossy Water” to “Pond Scum” to complete that au natural look.

The Shrubs category includes new plants to complement the water styles: "Green Fern", "Leaning Not-Grass Grass", "Not-Grass Grass Sans Inflorescence."

Gardening with Children

Children now can help out in the garden by planting, watering, and weeding. They build their Mental skill as they garden. The process of purchasing and planting seeds is streamlined as well to make gardening more enjoyable for everyone.

Group Cooking

Cooking no longer is a solo affair. Sims now can cook in groups of up to five Sims including children. Start cooking together by selecting a fridge, stove, or any empty countertop.

Zoomers Food Delivery Service

Are your Sims getting tired of the same old pizza delivery every night? Well, gone are the days of redundant pizza nights. Maybe you are in the mood for pasta primavera or even a fancy steak dinner. All this and more are available courtesy of Zoomer Food Delivery. Order delivery through the phone or the refrigerator and the food will arrive in a jif.

Calendar

The calendar, previously available only with Seasons, now is available with Base Game to see upcoming events such as birthdays, school and work schedules, festivals, and fairs. You even can use it to book events, so it’s time to get to party planning!

Bug Fixes

Consoles

In Snowy Escape, skiing, sledding, and snowboarding on Bunny Slopes now contribute to the Extreme Sports Enthusiast Aspiration.

Also in Snowy Escape, Sims with high enough Skiing and Snowboarding skills now can enjoy the more advanced slopes. Sims also use the Lift to go to the top of the slopes and not go “the hard way.”

Simmers can now rotate Sims downloaded from the Gallery in Create a Sim. Spin them ‘round, ‘round, Simmers ‘round, ‘round -  like a record ‘round, ‘round, ‘round, ‘round.

The Sims 4

We made some improvements that should help our Simulation lag, particularly on the usage of some computer interactions like playing BlicBlock, along with fishing interactions, which should make the game perform a bit better. Note that this doesn’t entirely fix simulation lag but it should help and it is a step in a good direction.

Fixed an issue in which placing Mirrors directly opposite Doors would create a visual glitch in which walls and borders would disappear around them and well it was quite spooky to be honest, glad we solved that one!

Ever wish your food didn’t expire? I know I do, especially when it comes to traveling and coming back to see a fridge in pristine condition, that is a dream… but alas, it is not meant to be in life or in Sims. Fixed an issue in which traveling didn’t let food expire.

Sims stuck sleeping and couldn’t cancel that interaction? Not a product of a sci-fi film as I thought, but I can say that we have fixed this issue, well I hope.

You want to know how to not make my day, have my coffee brew endlessly but without giving me the coffee! Luckily the issue in-game about the Brew Coffee interaction being stuck has been fixed. Wasn’t it odd? Wait… Sleep and Brew Coffee were stuck in a mysterious loop? SUS.

If your Child Sims suddenly interrupted their computer sessions to draw on the activity table when Inspired, worry not, this should not happen after this update.

Fixed an issue that caused the “Items Removed” pop-up to appear when no items were removed from the game.

Fixed an issue in which setting Lots on Slipshod Mesquite would sometimes generate a crash of the game for some Simmers. The Lot couldn’t handle that much flavor.

Some blush and lipstick opacity sliders are back as they were greyed out.

Step-Parent/Child relationships are no longer missing in the Genealogy Panel. Similarly, other cases of broken families in the Genealogy Panel have been fixed as well. It is all about reconnecting or connecting with what is important.

Platforms will no longer raise in height automatically when creating new walls to intersect part of them.

We also fixed an issue in which if you placed platforms in basement levels and a staircase from the floor to the platforms, it would create this gap or hole in front of the stairs and Sims were not able to route correctly. You know, I have played many platformers in my lifetime, but do you imagine Sims trying to jump those gaps? I mean, I am called JumpFail for a reason… glad we fixed this one!

World view Lots that had some off-centered border have been adjusted.

Toddlers will no longer gain negative Sentiments against their parents randomly, especially the Festering Grudge Sentiment. I should not be laughing at this issue as I type it, I should not…<giggles>

We got word that the camera was malfunctioning and bouncing uncontrollably in some Lots across multiple Worlds. We fixed an issue that caused this, but let us know if there are new instances.

Sometimes Ghosts can be part of our Households if we choose to, however, it is really hard to live with Ghosts that constantly break things, it makes it a bit… unlivable. So our expert team of Simghostologists has communicated with these Ghosts in the non-physical realm and they have agreed to not break everything all the time.

Fixed an issue related to flooring glitches while placing the dance floor or crystal clear flooring.

Went through all the trouble in hiring a Nanny only to have your Toddler get sent to Daycare? More than a schedule conflict I imagine having the Nanny show up and there is no Toddler so what does the Nanny do in this case? Do they leave? Do they stay and wait? I must know… However, This should no longer be an issue.

Fixed an issue where using ‘{}’ (curly brackets)  in renaming objects would make these invisible in lists or UI in general.

Fixed an issue in the Likes and Dislikes section in Create a Sim that had some categories displayed incorrectly (either cut off, or words broken apart in new lines incorrectly) for some languages.

There was a clipping issue with the eye preset ymAsian13_Eyes that occurred when Sims were in extreme emotion, like Angry, and blinked. We adjusted this preset so this should not occur.

Toddlers can be picky eaters, but Toddlers not eating any fish recipe? That is suspicious, so we had a chat with the little angels and we have found a way to help them enjoy the complex flavors of our fish recipes.

Our UI team has fixed an issue in which a scrollbar appeared in the Sentiment section in the Relationship Panel when there were no sentiments. The mysterious scrollbar was mysterious. Similarly, they have also fixed an issue in which if multiple Sims gained sentiments together their thought bubbles look quite not right with the incorrect colors, so now they should look proper.

The Likes and Dislikes icon in Create a Sim will no longer overlap its text. It looked weird, honestly.

Droids (if you own Journey to Batuu) and Drones (if you own Get Famous) clipping into all kinds of objects in Build Mode? We saw that too, so there should be a fix for that in this game update. I mean this went beyond just crashing into things…

The option “Join After School Activity” will no longer be available if Simmers don’t have Seasons or Get Famous packs installed.

Sims in deviant paths now can properly reach the Level 4 of the Criminal Career.

Now, this is one that made my day, Cowplants are now able to dance again when Sims play music in front of them. Dance Cowplant, Dance!

Fixed an issue in which relationship points gained by friendly introductions were more than usual if Simmers didn’t have Snowy Escape installed.

We adjusted the color swatches for the S. Cargeaux Counter Island so that when it gets dirty, the counter doesn’t completely change colors. Dirty Counter - who dis?

Fixed an issue where the Scared Emotion UI was displaying a broken pose for Toddlers. The pose was kinda more scary than what the Toddler had been scared of, so glad that is done.

Outfits worn while Purchased and Worn in Festivals/Kiosks/Stalls should no longer remove accessories that were in place for the Sim.

Error code 134:571e5862 that occurred to some Simmers should be fixed now.

We fixed a few hairstyles (yfHair_EP05WavyBob, yfHair_EP01PartedFlat, yfHair_EP05UnderCutDreads, yfHair_EP01ShortSwept, and yfHair_DreamyCrew) that when used with the recently added color options would create splotches in the eyes, change the color of teeth, and/or change the eyelashes color.

As always the Localization team and this author have fixed and improved text across all packs and updates.

Get to Work

Aliens can now enjoy their custom Blush options in Create a Sim. Lewks out of this world!

Retail employees will now appropriately change into their assigned outfits. Listen, I grew up wearing uniforms for school, I get it, sometimes they are not the prettiest… but you have to wear them if you have to go to that establishment. I know the pain too well… but my sense of style grew from that… I think.

We made a fix to some of the swatches from the Barely Better Digital Camera that were missing a description for the item, so now all the swatches will display the text in all its glory.

Get Together

Some of these Sims are not like the others, some of these Sims just don’t belong. Can you tell which are not like the others by the time I finish writing these notes?

Fixed an issue in which some of the rooftops in Winderburg were not displaying Snow (if you own Seasons) correctly.

Fixed an issue where Sims didn’t sometimes change into their Club outfits when a Club Gathering was being held.

City Living

The Scattered Panes window in Build Mode now displays appropriate shadows in all options.

Sims enrolled in the Social Media career will now gain influence at the end of their stream instead of every few Sim-minutes.

Two hairstyles (ymHair_EP03BunHighPins and ymHair_EP03BraidedFlateBun) have been updated to reflect the correct look when choosing the Neutral Black color option.

Your Sims want to shoot some Basketball Close Shots, but they are trying to eat first? Well, now your Sims can finish eating before trying those hoops. Nutrition is important!

Cats and Dogs

We fixed an issue in which whiskers were not being seen applied to Cats. A Cat without whiskers is like Peanut butter without Jelly… or something like that! Just wrong!

Robot Vacuums should all now return to their docks accordingly. I hope this issue was not a sign that they were becoming sentient.

Sims will no longer get a Moodlet referring to the death of their Pet when witnessing the death of another Sim. The loss of a Sim is heartbreaking, but also getting a Moodlet for the death of their Pet when the Pet has not died, that is cold Grimmy, very cold.

Speaking of Robot Vacuums becoming sentient a few lines above, we fixed an issue that made the game crash when Cats would sit on the Robot Vacuum. CatonRobot.exe is now working.

We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced a crash with their last played Household loading into Brindleton Bay.

Seasons

Sims were changing into their cold-weather gear… while not in cold weather? We had some conversations with Sims and even though they love their winter outfits, dressing up in full winter gear in the summer was probably not the wisest choice. So the issue in which Sims randomly would change into their winter outfits while not in winter is solved.

Egg Hunts are adorable and fun! But not being able to have the furniture reset after looking for Eggs in them, can be quite the rain on Sims’ parade. But this should no longer occur.

Island Living

Mermaids will no longer keep the “Dried Scales” Moodlet when they are hydrated. Mermaids’ skincare regimen pays off! Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Fixed an issue in which Lots that are placed in the sand looked quite odd displaying all edges of the Lot when it rained.

Sims that have the Collector Aspiration Trait are now able to catch Frogs in Sulani as part of their adventures exploring the island waterfall. Good Luck!

We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced game crashes when loading into certain lots in Mua Pe’lam. Happy Exploring!

Discover University

Sims having a hard time in Uni? No matter what they do they keep failing classes? Worry not, Sims will no longer fail classes when meeting all the criteria for course completion. Work hard, pass your classes hard!

Having Roommates can be hard. Have your Sims had Roommates complain constantly and leave even when their needs are met? Yeah, we made it so that Roommates don’t do this any longer.

Fixed an issue in which beds were counted incorrectly when placing an ad for Roommates. I mean, as much as Pets and even Toddlers can live with Roommates, the ad should be truthful to how many beds there are actually in the Lot, not count Toddlers and Pets as needing adult-sized beds.

We fixed Servo animations so that they don’t look like they are walking on one leg when hovering to their destination. Now they will hover properly.

We fixed an issue in which in some instances Professors could not go to work when a Professor NPC is added into that same Household.

Fixed an issue in which removing and adding back Household members as Roommates would create some… inappropriate moments, ahem.

Eco Lifestyle

Evergreen Harbor’s peace has been restored: roads and parts of neighborhoods no longer disappear or turn blue when businesses open in Port Promise while the Modern Development N.A.P is active.

yfBody_EP09DressShirt no longer has a weird texture in some of the footwear from various packs, especially platform shoes and chunky sneakers.

Had you moved to Cypress Terrace in Willow Creek and found you couldn’t really do anything there? We fixed the routing failures and interaction failures on the Mitey-Mitey Home - Insect Farm.

Snowy Escape

Mountain Climbing can be challenging, even for those experienced. But having indecisive moments before a climbing route like getting off and on your bike constantly seems that a lot of doubt is passing your mind… However, we did speak to these Sims that were experiencing this behavior and calmed their fears and doubts, so this should no longer be an issue.

The hairstyle yfHair_EP10BobBluntOmbre now covers all of the Sim’s ears.

For Simmers who own Seasons together with Snowy Escape, rain options no longer affect snow.

Sims no longer have the option to give a respectful or military introduction during activities such as Dancing or Bike Riding. I mean, I’m not sure about you, but I can’t dance and respectfully introduce myself at the same time. So many falls… so many falls.

We made some corrections to the Slippers that came with this pack and they should no longer display a greenish texture on Sims’ toes when selected in Create a Sim. Yikes.

Fixed an issue in which for some Simmers playing with the Yoshida Hall Household would generate a game crash when loading into Mt. Komorebi.

We took a look at our Ramen menu and have updated our cooking menu to label Miso and Egg Ramen as Vegetarian safe options. Buen Provecho!

Want to run a Restaurant in Yukimatsu but also want to enjoy the slopes? Now your Sims can enjoy the slopes and dine in style. However, this action is only directed, and will not be autonomous. In the same vein, Restaurant employees will not be tempted to leave work to enjoy the slopes.

Journey to Batuu

Batuu is an awesome destination for those who want to enjoy something fun and different, but if you bought a Droid from the Droid Depot and never saw it in your inventory, I know how frustrating it can be. Never fear, the Droids you were looking for will appear now in Inventories when purchased.

In Journey to Batuu, the First Order ID no longer disappears from inventory so Sims now can Access First Order Plans for the Top Notch Trickery Mission.

Fixed an issue with the Leveling the Playing Field Mission in which the Scoundrel Informant would not appear on the scene after Sims stole the Prototype Blaster and went to Oga’s Cantina to wait for the informant.

Dine Out

Eggs and Toast sound super basic and easy right? They will continue to be that way for our unassuming Chefs on the Chef Station since we fixed an issue that made them… challenging. Sims can also use the second burner for other recipes without fail or routing out.

StrangerVille

The Decorations and Kid's categories in Build Mode should no longer have a "New" highlight when there's nothing actually new.

Dream Home Decorator

Lighting can change the ambiance of a room, and your mood in a flash. Luckily we have fixed an issue that lighting was not even on sectional sofas to continue to set the right mood for our Sims.

Our stylists fixed the Sleep ‘N’ Study Styled Room to remove the P.R.I.M.A Computer from it as this is not an item that is accessible for everyone, pardon our dust.

Laundry Day

Fixed an issue where an animation clipped when Sims were loading their laundry machines. Because having your clothes go through you is awkward, are Sims made of fabric? I don’t think so.

Bust the Dust

Don’t need Simoleons, don’t need Fame. Don’t need dinner to have this date. It’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes but it might just end your night… the power of Dust, that’s the power of Dust.

Our cleaning agents have determined that Sims won’t get romantic negative Moodlets related to filthy levels of dust in public places like parks.

[loreculus]

« study sessions with them »

featuring: albedo, bennet (separately) x gn!reader

notes: modern + university  au

warnings: none 

albedo: albedo is an exemplary honors student that cannot afford to get a grade less than an a; therefore, he takes his study sessions with you very seriously, although you both still have a nice time together.

you're studying at the university library, seated at a small two-seater table tucked away in a remote part of the library, a window and lamp being your only means of light as you both choose to keep the main ceiling's lights off. 

he's seated on one side with you on the other, your school issued laptops are opened and your papers litter the table's oak surface. 

you two often stop at a little cafe before heading to the library, needing a little extra something to help you get through the afternoon session after a full day of classes. you both are always so sleep deprived (uni student things); however, despite his usual order being a coffee, your go-to order is a tea of some sort -- you say caffeine makes you feel weird.

"you're getting ginger tea? you don't want a drink with caffeine? i just want you to be sure, afterall, we do have two hours of study time ahead of us, love." 

albedo is a biochemistry major and today he's reviewing content for his analytical and physical methods lab. his laptop is open to a presentation his professor made and his hands are furiously scribbling notes accordingly.

you're a math major. as such, your papers are blanketed in complicated equations and uncommon formulas. you have a test on abstract vector spaces tomorrow, and you're unfortunately struggling to grasp some of the concepts. you've never encountered axioms before taking this class and viewing math in this way hurts your head.

"babe, you're rubbing your temple again." 

because it's not a common feeling for you to have, albedo can sense your frustration. he puts down his pencil and shifts his attention from his work to you. 

"we've been at this for a while, how about we take a five minute break?" 

at his suggestion, you close your laptop and give your full attention to the man in front of you. quiet mummers fill the room -- the conversation is light , but it is exactly what you needed to relieve your brain of it's information overload. 

after a short while, you two go back to work, the sound of pencil against paper and fingers dancing on keyboards keeping the small space from being completely silent. 

eventually, you both decide to bring the study session to an end -- the weight of sleepiness being very heavy on both your eyelids. you both pack up your things and head out through one of the building's side doors. always the gentleman, albedo walks you to your dorm room before heading back to his own. 

once you put your things down and are safely inside, he gives you a quick goodnight kiss on the cheek before leaving your doorway saying, "don't forget to lock the door, my love." 

bennet: bennet is an energetic economics major. considering his luck in the past had never been too fortunate, he wanted to study risk assessment and similar concepts in an attempt to better his luck in the future. him and you met chaotically one afternoon at a school sponsored event, and the rest is history. 

you study in either your dorm room or his, preferring your personal spaces to public ones as they allow you to act as ridiculous as you both pleased. your laughter is literally so loud you would get kicked out of any library or cafe you went to.

you guys believe in the “food is fuel” philosophy and always have bags of snacks at your disposal, especially popcorn—specifically those cheap, jumbo bags of butter popcorn from walmart.

“stop hogging the bag! i bought them, you gremlin.” 

you guys are dressed in sweats to maximize comfort as you get to work. bennet is working on a presentation about keynesian economics and you are trying to help him make it look “aesthetic.” 

“babe, i don’t care what the information is, if it doesn't look good, it isn’t good.”

you’re an graphic design major, so your focus on appearances doesn’t surprise bennet at this point. 

although you are both generally good students, neither of you have particularly heavy coursework, so you both can afford to get sidetracked from time to time. 

“so, like, i know we’re supposed to be studying for midterms, but do you wanna go raid the seven-eleven?”

you always give him and his ideas an incredulous look, but you always end up joining him—and you always end up having fun. 

today you didn’t just raid the gas station—you two traversed through the park, danced to street music, and ended up getting dinner from a hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

but because you end up playing before working, you guys have to stay up studying late. when you both finally get back to the dorms and resume your study session, it’s around nine at night.

bennet genuinely feels bad for being an irresponsible influence, but you always tell him you don't mind.

“y/n, i'm sorry for making you procrastinate again.”

“i’ve told you already, i have fun with you! don't apologize for helping me enjoy myself.” 

[inspiteallthedanger]

what kind of more ‘mundane’ job do you think each bug would have ended up doing if they didn’t become musicians?

Ohhhhh. Good one. Let's review:

Paul: I do think he'd have gone into teaching, probably. This makes sense because it's got the social cache that he would have been after and there's a very logical route into it, that he could have worked towards. It's respectable, but it's also sort of creative and people-focused. Also, he could shag all the single mums and teaching assistants he wanted. It's possible that we'd see him running some sort of club night? I think Paul's natural inclination to entertain, or to make people happy, would need an outlet. So, he might run the am-dram society or perhaps some sort of club night at his local. Which mostly featured himself.

John: The idea of John doing any labour is very funny to me. I suspect we'd have two options: 1) Grifter that is always on the brink of great success with his next scheme. 2) He convinces some older person to take him in as an 'artist' and he lives off them. I can genuinely see this as an option, especially if he'd carried on in art school and not gone into music. If we give ourselves a modern AU John, communications is actually not a bad bet, in that it's creative and he really did have a knack for boiling things down into its bear elements. It also allows him to use his interpersonal skills more than actual work (yes I have first-hand experience of this).

Ringo: I reckon he'd end up in something very social, so like running a pub or a cafe. He's just naturally so good with people and he thrives on being around them. His lack of education is difficult, so not to be boring, but given he was already an apprentice, he'd most likely have just finished that off.

George: I'm really, really struggling with this. He's too pretty to have to work. But, I do think it would be something that allows good team working but that's not too rigid. He was in the midst of getting a fairly good education, when it all went off the rails. So, I guess, he might have ended up doing something like managing a shop? A bit like Brian was doing, but obviously more junior.

What do others think? I'm struggling with the issue of their time, location and education to come up with interesting answers, to be honest!

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: New Game Patch (July 20th, 2021)

There’s a new Sims 4 update available for PC/Mac and Consoles. If you have auto updates enabled in Origin’s “Application Settings”, the game will auto-update once you open Origin. If you have auto-updates disabled, you will need to manually update by clicking the game in your library.

Your game should now read: PC: 1.77.131.1030 / Mac: 1.77.131.1230 / Console: Version 1.44

Remove all MODS and Custom Content before updating your game

Hello Simmers!

Hope you are well wherever you are in the world and that you are all having a fantastic Summer of Sims! We are excited to share today’s update with you. There is a lot of info, so make sure you have your tea/coffee/beverage of choice ready to read on. You all know I have my coffee ready for this!

As we continue to get ready to explore the countryside charm of Henford-on-Bagley and cannot absolutely wait to play with the adorable animals in Cottage Living, we also have updates and fixes that should improve and complement your Sims’ everyday life. We have something for everyone and we hope that you all enjoy them. Thank you for all your feedback and support.

Cheers!

-SimGuruRusskii ft. SimGuruRomeo and SimGuruJoAnna

What’s New?

Let’s start with some items that we shared in our last Sims 411!

For this update, we partnered with two talented artists from the LGBTQ+ community, Ashley Lukashepsky, and Mohammed Iman Fayaz, and they have brought their inspiring and beautiful artwork into the game. We have also included the modernized version of the large afro hairstyle that we showed you. But more than tell you about it in text, let me actually attach a screenshot of everything put together:

I love everything about this scene, not only it shows you how the artwork looks in a real game setting, but the whole scene with the two Sims and their surroundings is quite magical. Also, look at that hair! The way the light highlights it, perfection! You may also notice the hair of the Sim on the right, which was also added with this update for everyone. I want to personally thank all Simmers for their feedback and recommendations, as we are continuously working on adding more diverse hairstyles and textures to not only packs, but also to our base game.

Now that we are talking about artwork, the last patch notes I forgot to add the artwork made by the wonderful Jupiter Stevens-Hill. I apologize for that, I totally blanked out. However, I’m happy to see that a lot of you are enjoying it and placing it in your Lots! That makes a very happy Russkii =)

To find Jupiter, Ashley, and Mohammed’s paintings in Build Mode, make sure you take a look at the Paintings and Posters sort and filter by Base Game items. These artists are amazing and we hope you enjoy their creations.

Now, without further ado, let’s get to some new features and improvements that are part of this update!

A little bit of Gallery

When you download a lot made with the bb.moveobjects cheat, the game now notifies you about this so you know to activate the cheat before placing the lot. Builders, this means you won’t need to mention it in the lot’s description anymore!

A little for Sims

Trying to find the Sims in the current neighborhood? Select their portraits in the Relationship Panel.

“Focus the Camera” moves the camera to the Sim.

“Lock the Camera” moves the camera to the Sim and keeps following them.

Where did the Notebook go?

Found it! The Notebook has moved out of the Phone and into its own button for quicker access.

The “Center on Current Lot” button that used to be there has moved to the top right, adjacent to the Camera Controls.

Water Tool

You now can make natural, organic bodies of water! Just head into Build Mode, make a hole with the Terrain Manipulation tool, and fill it with water. It is that easy! The Terrain Manipulation and Paint Tools also have more brush sizes to enable finer detail.

In adding the Water Tool, we also took the chance to overhaul the related tools and object categories. Why not? Enjoy!

Pond Effects

All sorts of critters are available to complete the look of your pond ranging from ducks and swans to pesky mosquitoes. There is even an alligator!

New Pond Objects

Outdoor Water Décor now has an assortment of new Pond Objects to decorate the perfect pond. Some of these objects such as the Bog Log and Colorful Lily Pads have interactions on them in Live Mode to activate Turtle and Frog effects. The new Fishing Allowed Sign enables you to stock your pond with any fish your Sims have previously caught. Try it out!

New Water Styles

Go beyond the original crystal blue and dreamy magenta water. Additional options range from “Mossy Water” to “Pond Scum” to complete that au natural look.

The Shrubs category includes new plants to complement the water styles: “Green Fern”, “Leaning Not-Grass Grass”, “Not-Grass Grass Sans Inflorescence.”

Gardening with Children

Children now can help out in the garden by planting, watering, and weeding. They build their Mental skill as they garden. The process of purchasing and planting seeds is streamlined as well to make gardening more enjoyable for everyone.

Group Cooking

Cooking no longer is a solo affair. Sims now can cook in groups of up to five Sims including children. Start cooking together by selecting a fridge, stove, or any empty countertop.

Zoomers Food Delivery Service

Are your Sims getting tired of the same old pizza delivery every night? Well, gone are the days of redundant pizza nights. Maybe you are in the mood for pasta primavera or even a fancy steak dinner. All this and more are available courtesy of Zoomer Food Delivery. Order delivery through the phone or the refrigerator and the food will arrive in a jif.

Calendar

The calendar, previously available only with Seasons, now is available with Base Game to see upcoming events such as birthdays, school and work schedules, festivals, and fairs. You even can use it to book events, so it’s time to get to party planning!

Bug FixesConsoles

In Snowy Escape, skiing, sledding, and snowboarding on Bunny Slopes now contribute to the Extreme Sports Enthusiast Aspiration.

Also in Snowy Escape, Sims with high enough Skiing and Snowboarding skills now can enjoy the more advanced slopes. Sims also use the Lift to go to the top of the slopes and not go “the hard way.”

Simmers can now rotate Sims downloaded from the Gallery in Create a Sim. Spin them ‘round, ‘round, Simmers ‘round, ‘round –  like a record ‘round, ‘round, ‘round, ‘round.

The Sims 4

We made some improvements that should help our Simulation lag, particularly on the usage of some computer interactions like playing BlicBlock, along with fishing interactions, which should make the game perform a bit better. Note that this doesn’t entirely fix simulation lag but it should help and it is a step in a good direction.

Fixed an issue in which placing Mirrors directly opposite Doors would create a visual glitch in which walls and borders would disappear around them and well it was quite spooky to be honest, glad we solved that one!

Ever wish your food didn’t expire? I know I do, especially when it comes to traveling and coming back to see a fridge in pristine condition, that is a dream… but alas, it is not meant to be in life or in Sims. Fixed an issue in which traveling didn’t let food expire.

Sims stuck sleeping and couldn’t cancel that interaction? Not a product of a sci-fi film as I thought, but I can say that we have fixed this issue, well I hope.

You want to know how to not make my day, have my coffee brew endlessly but without giving me the coffee! Luckily the issue in-game about the Brew Coffee interaction being stuck has been fixed. Wasn’t it odd? Wait… Sleep and Brew Coffee were stuck in a mysterious loop? SUS.

If your Child Sims suddenly interrupted their computer sessions to draw on the activity table when Inspired, worry not, this should not happen after this update.

Fixed an issue that caused the “Items Removed” pop-up to appear when no items were removed from the game.

Fixed an issue in which setting Lots on Slipshod Mesquite would sometimes generate a crash of the game for some Simmers. The Lot couldn’t handle that much flavor.

Some blush and lipstick opacity sliders are back as they were greyed out.

Step-Parent/Child relationships are no longer missing in the Genealogy Panel. Similarly, other cases of broken families in the Genealogy Panel have been fixed as well. It is all about reconnecting or connecting with what is important.

Platforms will no longer raise in height automatically when creating new walls to intersect part of them.

We also fixed an issue in which if you placed platforms in basement levels and a staircase from the floor to the platforms, it would create this gap or hole in front of the stairs and Sims were not able to route correctly. You know, I have played many platformers in my lifetime, but do you imagine Sims trying to jump those gaps? I mean, I am called JumpFail for a reason… glad we fixed this one!

World view Lots that had some off-centered border have been adjusted.

Toddlers will no longer gain negative Sentiments against their parents randomly, especially the Festering Grudge Sentiment. I should not be laughing at this issue as I type it, I should not…<giggles>

We got word that the camera was malfunctioning and bouncing uncontrollably in some Lots across multiple Worlds. We fixed an issue that caused this, but let us know if there are new instances.

Sometimes Ghosts can be part of our Households if we choose to, however, it is really hard to live with Ghosts that constantly break things, it makes it a bit… unlivable. So our expert team of Simghostologists has communicated with these Ghosts in the non-physical realm and they have agreed to not break everything all the time.

Fixed an issue related to flooring glitches while placing the dance floor or crystal clear flooring.

Went through all the trouble in hiring a Nanny only to have your Toddler get sent to Daycare? More than a schedule conflict I imagine having the Nanny show up and there is no Toddler so what does the Nanny do in this case? Do they leave? Do they stay and wait? I must know… However, This should no longer be an issue.

Fixed an issue where using ‘{}’ (curly brackets)  in renaming objects would make these invisible in lists or UI in general.

Fixed an issue in the Likes and Dislikes section in Create a Sim that had some categories displayed incorrectly (either cut off, or words broken apart in new lines incorrectly) for some languages.

There was a clipping issue with the eye preset ymAsian13_Eyes that occurred when Sims were in extreme emotion, like Angry, and blinked. We adjusted this preset so this should not occur.

Toddlers can be picky eaters, but Toddlers not eating any fish recipe? That is suspicious, so we had a chat with the little angels and we have found a way to help them enjoy the complex flavors of our fish recipes.

Our UI team has fixed an issue in which a scrollbar appeared in the Sentiment section in the Relationship Panel when there were no sentiments. The mysterious scrollbar was mysterious. Similarly, they have also fixed an issue in which if multiple Sims gained sentiments together their thought bubbles look quite not right with the incorrect colors, so now they should look proper.

The Likes and Dislikes icon in Create a Sim will no longer overlap its text. It looked weird, honestly.

Droids (if you own Journey to Batuu) and Drones (if you own Get Famous) clipping into all kinds of objects in Build Mode? We saw that too, so there should be a fix for that in this game update. I mean this went beyond just crashing into things…

The option “Join After School Activity” will no longer be available if Simmers don’t have Seasons or Get Famous packs installed.

Sims in deviant paths now can properly reach the Level 4 of the Criminal Career.

Now, this is one that made my day, Cowplants are now able to dance again when Sims play music in front of them. Dance Cowplant, Dance!

Fixed an issue in which relationship points gained by friendly introductions were more than usual if Simmers didn’t have Snowy Escape installed.

We adjusted the color swatches for the S. Cargeaux Counter Island so that when it gets dirty, the counter doesn’t completely change colors. Dirty Counter – who dis?

Fixed an issue where the Scared Emotion UI was displaying a broken pose for Toddlers. The pose was kinda more scary than what the Toddler had been scared of, so glad that is done.

Outfits worn while Purchased and Worn in Festivals/Kiosks/Stalls should no longer remove accessories that were in place for the Sim.

Error code 134:571e5862 that occurred to some Simmers should be fixed now.

We fixed a few hairstyles (yfHair_EP05WavyBob, yfHair_EP01PartedFlat, yfHair_EP05UnderCutDreads, yfHair_EP01ShortSwept, and yfHair_DreamyCrew) that when used with the recently added color options would create splotches in the eyes, change the color of teeth, and/or change the eyelashes color.

As always the Localization team and this author have fixed and improved text across all packs and updates.

Get to Work

Aliens can now enjoy their custom Blush options in Create a Sim. Lewks out of this world!

Retail employees will now appropriately change into their assigned outfits. Listen, I grew up wearing uniforms for school, I get it, sometimes they are not the prettiest… but you have to wear them if you have to go to that establishment. I know the pain too well… but my sense of style grew from that… I think.

We made a fix to some of the swatches from the Barely Better Digital Camera that were missing a description for the item, so now all the swatches will display the text in all its glory.

Get Together

Some of these Sims are not like the others, some of these Sims just don’t belong. Can you tell which are not like the others by the time I finish writing these notes?

Fixed an issue in which some of the rooftops in Winderburg were not displaying Snow (if you own Seasons) correctly.

Fixed an issue where Sims didn’t sometimes change into their Club outfits when a Club Gathering was being held.

City Living

The Scattered Panes window in Build Mode now displays appropriate shadows in all options.

Sims enrolled in the Social Media career will now gain influence at the end of their stream instead of every few Sim-minutes.

Two hairstyles (ymHair_EP03BunHighPins and ymHair_EP03BraidedFlateBun) have been updated to reflect the correct look when choosing the Neutral Black color option.

Your Sims want to shoot some Basketball Close Shots, but they are trying to eat first? Well, now your Sims can finish eating before trying those hoops. Nutrition is important!

Cats and Dogs

We fixed an issue in which whiskers were not being seen applied to Cats. A Cat without whiskers is like Peanut butter without Jelly… or something like that! Just wrong!

Robot Vacuums should all now return to their docks accordingly. I hope this issue was not a sign that they were becoming sentient.

Sims will no longer get a Moodlet referring to the death of their Pet when witnessing the death of another Sim. The loss of a Sim is heartbreaking, but also getting a Moodlet for the death of their Pet when the Pet has not died, that is cold Grimmy, very cold.

Speaking of Robot Vacuums becoming sentient a few lines above, we fixed an issue that made the game crash when Cats would sit on the Robot Vacuum. CatonRobot.exe is now working.

We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced a crash with their last played Household loading into Brindleton Bay.

Seasons

Sims were changing into their cold-weather gear… while not in cold weather? We had some conversations with Sims and even though they love their winter outfits, dressing up in full winter gear in the summer was probably not the wisest choice. So the issue in which Sims randomly would change into their winter outfits while not in winter is solved.

Egg Hunts are adorable and fun! But not being able to have the furniture reset after looking for Eggs in them, can be quite the rain on Sims’ parade. But this should no longer occur.

Island Living

Mermaids will no longer keep the “Dried Scales” Moodlet when they are hydrated. Mermaids’ skincare regimen pays off! Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!

Fixed an issue in which Lots that are placed in the sand looked quite odd displaying all edges of the Lot when it rained.

Sims that have the Collector Aspiration Trait are now able to catch Frogs in Sulani as part of their adventures exploring the island waterfall. Good Luck!

We fixed an issue in which some Simmers experienced game crashes when loading into certain lots in Mua Pe’lam. Happy Exploring!

Discover University

Sims having a hard time in Uni? No matter what they do they keep failing classes? Worry not, Sims will no longer fail classes when meeting all the criteria for course completion. Work hard, pass your classes hard!

Having Roommates can be hard. Have your Sims had Roommates complain constantly and leave even when their needs are met? Yeah, we made it so that Roommates don’t do this any longer.

Fixed an issue in which beds were counted incorrectly when placing an ad for Roommates. I mean, as much as Pets and even Toddlers can live with Roommates, the ad should be truthful to how many beds there are actually in the Lot, not count Toddlers and Pets as needing adult-sized beds.

We fixed Servo animations so that they don’t look like they are walking on one leg when hovering to their destination. Now they will hover properly.

We fixed an issue in which in some instances Professors could not go to work when a Professor NPC is added into that same Household.

Fixed an issue in which removing and adding back Household members as Roommates would create some… inappropriate moments, ahem.

Eco Lifestyle

Evergreen Harbor’s peace has been restored: roads and parts of neighborhoods no longer disappear or turn blue when businesses open in Port Promise while the Modern Development N.A.P is active.

yfBody_EP09DressShirt no longer has a weird texture in some of the footwear from various packs, especially platform shoes and chunky sneakers.

Had you moved to Cypress Terrace in Willow Creek and found you couldn’t really do anything there? We fixed the routing failures and interaction failures on the Mitey-Mitey Home – Insect Farm.

Snowy Escape

Mountain Climbing can be challenging, even for those experienced. But having indecisive moments before a climbing route like getting off and on your bike constantly seems that a lot of doubt is passing your mind… However, we did speak to these Sims that were experiencing this behavior and calmed their fears and doubts, so this should no longer be an issue.

The hairstyle yfHair_EP10BobBluntOmbre now covers all of the Sim’s ears.

For Simmers who own Seasons together with Snowy Escape, rain options no longer affect snow.

Sims no longer have the option to give a respectful or military introduction during activities such as Dancing or Bike Riding. I mean, I’m not sure about you, but I can’t dance and respectfully introduce myself at the same time. So many falls… so many falls.

We made some corrections to the Slippers that came with this pack and they should no longer display a greenish texture on Sims’ toes when selected in Create a Sim. Yikes.

Fixed an issue in which for some Simmers playing with the Yoshida Hall Household would generate a game crash when loading into Mt. Komorebi.

We took a look at our Ramen menu and have updated our cooking menu to label Miso and Egg Ramen as Vegetarian safe options. Buen Provecho!

Want to run a Restaurant in Yukimatsu but also want to enjoy the slopes? Now your Sims can enjoy the slopes and dine in style. However, this action is only directed, and will not be autonomous. In the same vein, Restaurant employees will not be tempted to leave work to enjoy the slopes.

Journey to Batuu

Batuu is an awesome destination for those who want to enjoy something fun and different, but if you bought a Droid from the Droid Depot and never saw it in your inventory, I know how frustrating it can be. Never fear, the Droids you were looking for will appear now in Inventories when purchased.

In Journey to Batuu, the First Order ID no longer disappears from inventory so Sims now can Access First Order Plans for the Top Notch Trickery Mission.

Fixed an issue with the Leveling the Playing Field Mission in which the Scoundrel Informant would not appear on the scene after Sims stole the Prototype Blaster and went to Oga’s Cantina to wait for the informant.

Dine Out

Eggs and Toast sound super basic and easy right? They will continue to be that way for our unassuming Chefs on the Chef Station since we fixed an issue that made them… challenging. Sims can also use the second burner for other recipes without fail or routing out.

StrangerVille

The Decorations and Kid’s categories in Build Mode should no longer have a “New” highlight when there’s nothing actually new.

Dream Home Decorator

Lighting can change the ambiance of a room, and your mood in a flash. Luckily we have fixed an issue that lighting was not even on sectional sofas to continue to set the right mood for our Sims.

Our stylists fixed the Sleep ‘N’ Study Styled Room to remove the P.R.I.M.A Computer from it as this is not an item that is accessible for everyone, pardon our dust.

Laundry Day

Fixed an issue where an animation clipped when Sims were loading their laundry machines. Because having your clothes go through you is awkward, are Sims made of fabric? I don’t think so.

Bust the Dust

Don’t need Simoleons, don’t need Fame. Don’t need dinner to have this date. It’s strong and it’s sudden and it’s cruel sometimes but it might just end your night… the power of Dust, that’s the power of Dust.

Our cleaning agents have determined that Sims won’t get romantic negative Moodlets related to filthy levels of dust in public places like parks.

[bffsoobin]

Windflower

01| 02|03|04|05|06

↳ after a heartbreak you find yourself in a small town looking for purpose. you find employment with Choi Soobin and his impressive ancestral home. when you start to fall in love again, there’s no way for you to predict what you find in the depths of the home and Soobin’s mind.

➤ hanahaki au, fluff, angst

Word Count: 2,438

Warnings: Light swearing, Soobin being a cutie pie, me not proofreading. I think that’s it??

A/N: This does include the writing that was part of the preview post I made, but it is the first official chapter of Windflower! Please know that genre and warnings will change with every chapter I post! I also don’t quite have an upload schedule, sorry about that!! Hope you all enjoy nonetheless! 

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:••:•.•

Your car groaned in protest as you turned into the parking lot of the quaint diner. Giving the dashboard two loving yet harsh hits with the palm of your hand seemed to do the trick. Now silent, the beat up blue car seemed to quietly thank you as you settled between the white painted lines of a parking space and shut off the engine. It was a gray, overcast day but humidity hung in the air wherever you went, making your hair puffy and the back of your legs stick to the cracking leather of your driver’s seat. Heaving a sigh at the uncomfortable stickiness, you pulled down the mirror from the roof of your car to survey the reflection staring back at you. 

It’s a startling thing, to look at yourself in a mirror and barely recognize your face. Your skin was dull and starting to break out, the bags under your eyes had seemingly never been more prominent than they were in this moment. Your fingers danced over the darkened skin, wondering at what point of your trip you began to look so worn down. Was it the moment you left your apartment? The twelve hours of mindless driving with no destination in mind? Or had this degeneration begun the moment you found yourself completely alone in life? 

You snapped the mirror back up against the roof and rubbed your hands over your face. Mindlessly, you pushed through the items littering your passenger seat until you clasped the familiar quilted fabric of your wallet. As soon as you stood up outside of your car, a wave of dizziness sent you grasping at the top of your car for support. You needed food more than you had originally estimated. Your legs were still a bit shaky from disuse as you walked toward the small white building. Portions of the paint had peeled off in jagged strips to expose the tightly stacked brown bricks waiting underneath. The simple clear door displayed a sun-faded open sign with handwritten hours of operation. As soon as you pushed the door open, the smell of grease and fresh apple pie invaded your senses and your face involuntarily shrunk up in disgust. Another thick paper sign attached on a tarnished metal stand boasted a cheerful cursive that read “Please Seat Yourself!” You could hear a radio playing faintly from somewhere in the building.

Almost every booth in the rectangular dining area was vacant, save for one elderly couple sharing a plate of fries. The floor was sticky under your feet as you made your way to a booth, and whether the texture was a result of the humidity or a lack of cleaning, you couldn’t tell. Sliding into the booth was familiar, almost comforting as you thought back to all of the times you had slid into booths with your friends at dinner, or slid yourself into a booth at the coffee shop near your apartment to work on a paper. Well. Your old apartment. The thought of adjusting to past tense created a scowl on your face as an unsuspecting waitress approached your side. She cleared her throat and caught your attention. To your surprise, she was fairly young, maybe in her late 30s; and she stood in her bright blue blouse and skirt uniform with a cock to her hip and a serving tray tucked under her arm. 

“Hi, hun. My name is Melissa, what can I get ya?” the woman’s tone was deceivingly cheerful, given the slow restaurant and heavy air. You heaved a sigh and looked down at the thin paper menu. It wilted in your hand as you picked it up and you soon abandoned the idea of even trying to read through it. 

“Hi. A vanilla milkshake and fries, please.” The order was so simple that Melissa didn’t even write it down, just nodded and turned to head into the kitchen to relay your order. A dull buzz warned you of the beginning of a headache but you expertly pushed the feeling aside and decided to ask for a glass of water when she came with your order. Mindlessly, you began searching your phone for places to stay in the tiny town you had stumbled upon. This hadn’t been the kind of place you expected to end up for the summer, but you were never one to plan anything. Enthralled in your scrolling through motel listings, Melissa scared you as she set your order down in front of you. She caught a look at your phone and your face flushed in embarrassment. How much of an obvious tourist could you be? You asked for a glass of water in an attempt to shoo her away, but when she came back with a glass covered in condensation she didn’t leave. 

“Not from around here?” it was a rhetorical question, but you gave her props for trying to ease you into the conversation. You shook your head, not really caring to elaborate on where you came from as you shoved a few fries into your mouth. 

“I don’t usually talk to customers like this, but; well, we’re dead today and I saw you looking at places to stay on your phone. I don’t recommend any of them. Especially not to a young pretty girl like you. Most of them are way too pricey for their rooms. And the Moonlight motel is literally run by a druglord. He’d gobble you up,” she shivered at her own words. 

“Well, where should I stay, then? Unless I missed a Best Western on the way in, I don’t have many other choices,” you deadpanned, hoping to hide the nervousness that was rising in your stomach. If you didn’t stay here, where would you go? But then again, why do you want to stay here so bad in the first place? You took a slurp of your milkshake as you contemplated. 

“Look, it’s sort of a town secret, but you remind me of my niece, so I’ll just tell you now. There’s this estate- gated, two story house, old timey stuff, gorgeous garden” Melissa waved her hands around as she spoke, chipped red fingernails putting on a show of their own. “It’s called the Flower House, actually. It’s been passed from generation to generation, since the town was founded. The boy who owns it now is just about your age, but he’s been living there alone since his cousin moved away for college years ago. He’s a lovely boy, we love when he comes into town, it just isn’t often.” you raised your eyebrows at her, trying to figure out how this mysterious boy and his ancestral house had anything to do with your housing predicament. “Long story short, he came around a few weeks ago looking for anyone who would be willing to help him keep the house and yard clean. No pay, but it’s free living in a beautiful home. And he’s not bad looking either.” she winked suggestively. “If you want, I can give you the address and you can go talk to him?”

You looked into her eyes, sparkling with hope of giving you a helping hand. “Okay, yeah. Sure, what have I got to lose?” Melissa hurried away to get writing materials as you continued eating with renewed vigor. 

As Melissa cleared your minimal dishes away, she set a ripped piece of paper in front of you that simply read;

“Choi Soobin, 476 Gardenia Dr.”

After paying and being sure to leave your helpful waitress a generous tip, you hopped back in your car and began your journey to discover the mysterious Flower House.

The drive through town was oddly peaceful, even with the grumbling of your car to accompany you alongside the pop songs on the radio. Air whipped into your windows as you drove by houses, small restaurants and one single chain grocery store where everyone seemed to be shopping. Stopping at an intersection with a single blinking stoplight, your phone instructed you to turn left. You passed the town’s schools, elementary and highschool; all huddled onto one campus with a large parking lot separating the two. The electric sign posted reminders of the last day of school for the students as you sped by. The farther you got away from the school, the older the houses became. Some were rotting apart, others covered in creeping vines. The street gradually slanted upwards as you continued to drive towards your destination. At the end of Gardenia Drive stood a towering home with a multitude of windows circling the entire building. A large chimney stood out on the top, one of the only signs of the home’s age; as the outside was wonderfully kept. The most impressive feature was of course the garden, for which the house gained its nickname. Your mouth hung open as you tried to fathom the sheer amount of flowers that were in full bloom on the front lawn. Blues, pinks, purples, reds and whites all stitched together in a beautiful quilt of florals. Some ivy was growing up the old wrought iron gates and the trunks of a few towering trees. While the growth made other houses look dated and worn down, the ivy here only added to the elegance that took your breath away. With your car parked on the road right outside, you exited your car to approach the gates. 

Fumbling with your hands, you navigated over the brick path leading up to the intimidating 10 foot tall gates. Despite the obvious history of the metal, a modern doorbell buzzer and camera system was installed just to the left of the entrance. It was harder than you’d like to admit to raise the courage for pressing the button. Your mind blanked as you performed the action, not knowing what to expect. A voice crackled through the speakers and made you jump. 

“Who’s there?” a smooth voice inquired. Suddenly you were unsure of what to say.

“I, uh. I’m Y/N. A waitress at Russ’ Diner told me to come talk to you about an um.” your mouth was suddenly going dry. “A living arrangement?” A small exclamation of understanding was music to your ears. 

“Okay! Hold on, I’ll be right over to the gate!” The static disappeared with the voice. You looked down at your phone out of habit and realized you had no reception. Figures, as you were sort of in the middle of nowhere. It didn’t matter right now anyway. You put the device in the back pocket of your shorts just as the gate began creaking open and welcoming you onto the property. You could faintly make out the shape of a body making its way toward you through the dense trees. 

When he stepped into your line of sight, sunshine managed to peek through the thick blanket of clouds that had been permeating your entire visit and bask him in a wash of gold. He was tall, with long legs covered in the material of light wash skinny jeans. The knees were a bit dirty, and you recognized the stains as a mix of grass and dirt. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt that clung perfectly to his wide shoulders and showed off his defined waist. 

Not only was he dressed in a way you definitely didn’t expect, but his looks threw you even farther into surprise. His face was evenly tanned, and not a single blemish could be found. Suddenly, you became all too aware of the dismal state of your own complexion and fought the urge to bring a hand up to cover your face from him. Dark, hooded eyes examined your form as you stood awkwardly on the path and waited for his next words. He seemed amused by your lack of introduction, and chuckled a little as he asked, “Y/N?” 

Hearing your name broke the spell that his beauty had put you under and you nodded. His face lit into a smile as he beckoned you further onto the land with a waving hand. You followed him closely and caught his words as they floated in the wind back to you. “I’m Soobin. This house belonged to my great-great-great uncle and his wife. Well, wives.” He chuckled to himself as he led you into a gazebo. Soobin settled into one of the wooden chairs situated around a matching table and gestured for you to sit in the one across from him. A pit of nervousness built in your stomach at the close proximity between the two of you. The table was only three feet wide, and Soobin’s long leg stretched in front of him and decreased your distance even more. Up close, you could see the permanent upturn of the corners of his mouth, and the sparkle in his brown eyes.

His honey brown hair ruffled in the breeze that passed you by and he closed his eyes at the feeling for a moment. “So,” he began suddenly, “you were at Russ’? Who sent you my way for the job?” He clasped his hands together and rested his chin on the new structure. He blinked owlishly as you took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, I just came into town for the summer. Melissa served me and she told me that all of the motels here are pretty shit,” Soobin laughed and nodded at that, and your heart skipped a beat. “So she gave me your info. Said you might be able to give me a better place to stay if I helped you out.” 

“Ah, I see. Melissa is right, though. Those motels are awful. I definitely wouldn’t want to see you staying there.” He appraised your face for a second while he paused. “If you want the job, it’s yours.” He stated as if it were the most casual thing in the world. You sputtered. 

“Wait, what? That quick? You don’t even know anything about me! I could be a murderer!” He laughed openly at you now, and the sound stirred an emotion in your stomach you hadn’t felt in months. 

“Well, are you? A murderer?” 

“No! Of course not.” Soobin nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“So, can you clean? Cook a decent meal? Drive to the city for groceries? Water some plants?” You nodded at every question he raised and watched as his smile upticked more with every bob of your head. 

“Then you’re perfect. Welcome to the Flower House.” He stood, frame towering over your still sitting being and offered you a strong looking hand. Ticking his head toward the massive home behind him, he grinned. “Tour?”

[chubbyreaderchan]

Technically No | Jacob Black x witch!Reader | Twilight/Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover| 1

jacob is over 18+ in this as well as reader! It's also a slight modern au because technology makes life easier man. And no I don't know what timeline this is. It's after Jacob phases and before Buffy dies again. So you might see Glory in this. Also it’s under a cut because this introduction/beginning is super long.

"Did you make it okay?" Buffy asked over the phone.

"Yes, Buff. I'm in my new house. I am going to my new job Monday" (Y/n) said with a soft sigh as she leaned against her new counter, having just moved from one small town to the other.

Sunnydale to Forks.

"Good. I'm glad you are safe." (Y/n) smiled a small yet sort of sad smile at the prospect of leaving the scoobs but there was a job offer in Forks that was just to good for her to not take and she was damn lucky to find a house for rent. She wondered if it was haunted. Not that was a big deal for someone who went to high school on top of a literal hellmouth.

"How's Dawny?" (Y/n) also knew that Dawn's first day back to high school was coming up as well as Buffy's first day of college for the year. "And did you get your course schedule yet?" She stated sitting in the empty living room floor eating her favorite fast food meal. Her moving truck wouldn't be there with her stuff for at least another day or two.

It wasn't exactly a house full of stuff yet, of course. She had just gone from living with her parents to on her own within a flash it seemed. It was as if the universe was pulling and placing her right in the middle of now where Washington.

"Yeah but I didn't get some of the courses I wanted. Have to try next semester." She sighed over the phone. Was it normal to talk to someone you had just left the day before as if you hadn't seen them in months? Maybe not but a lot was happening as the end of summer was coming to fruition. "Dawn is excited to go back to school"

"Interesting... She wasn't yesterday." Buffy sighed over the phone as her friend teased her. "Oh! So I'm going to try to get some essentials tomorrow!" She said suddenly remembering what she called Buffy about in the first place. "What color do you think I should decorate my kitchen in? Green? Red?" Buffy almost laughed again at one of her closest friends.

"You'll know when you actually go to the store. It's not like I can see the house." "Not yet! But you all are going to come visit me some day!" She laughed a bit. Her phone buzzed at her to charge. "Hey... Buffy. I gotta go. Phones is dying. Tell Willow and everyone I miss them."

"Will do." With that, the phone was hung up and placed on its charger.

(Y/n) sighed picking up her trash and began the work to make the floor as comfortable as possible until she could actually buy a decent bed.

--

The next morning, (Y/n) woke up at a fair hour for a Saturday and took a shower. It was nice to wash out some of the travel and sleep stink off before she slipped on her clothes for the day. Then she went to grab her phone as well as keys and her wallet. There was no way she could sleep on the floor for one more day and eating fast food everyday wasn't exactly a healthy option even if she did just arrive in town.

Sure she was still tired from the plane ride but she would stay tired. She need to find at least an air mattress. The car ride was short, it was nice. Familiar. It wasn't a huge change from one small town to another... Minus the demons and vampires. She hoped. It was simple enough to find the small plaza that had a few small shops and even a diner within walking distance of each other.

It was not even remotely difficult to find the things she oh so desperately needed. It was wonderful. (Y/n) was even able to add to her growing collection of magical artifacts when she stumbled into an antique shop. She thanked the gods that her family had loaned her a bit of cash to help her get by until she was fully working again.

Her day was going great... That was until she was hit with pangs of hunger. 'Did I even eat breakfast?' she asked herself before glancing at the time and gasping. She had been out a lot longer than she had realized.

Didn't she see a diner? She walked to her rental car and started a vague drive. Ah-ha! There was a diner.

She pulled in and was seated quite quickly. It wasn't long before her meal was ordered and her attention was drawn to her phone as she waited. There was a text message from Anya complaining about an argument she and Xander were having. (Y/n) laughed softly before responding with her opinion.

While she was distracted she didn't notice the small group enter. Especially a young man who had a slight staring problem. His eyes were locked on (Y/n) as she fiddled around with her phone. The young man was known by most as Jacob Black. A good kid who was madly in love with Bella Swan, his childhood friend.

"Jake... You okay?" Bella another member of the small group asked with concern on her face. An older man in a wheelchair who was previously chatting with the other older man in the group looked at the one named Jacob. A small knowing smile flashed over his features as he looked at his son.

'It's about damn time' Billy the man in the wheelchair thought. "Jake!" Bella's voice called him again, finally snapping the dark haired young man from his thoughts.

(Y/n) who was finally served food sat her phone down finally not even noticing the set of eyes on the back of her head.

"Is she-?" Bella whispered to Jacob just low enough for her father to not hear. "I... Think so... I think..."

"Son..." It was Billy who joined the conversation. "If you don't go talk to her... I will." Jacob's eyes went wide. How embarrassing would that be? His dad talking to his imprint before he could.

Jacob looked at the girl happily eating her dinner and playing around with her technology. Then she giggled. Oh God.

How could it be that just the day before he was trying to convince Bella not to turn into a vampire? That he was so madly and so deeply in love with the vampire girl that he defied Sam his pack leader for turn into dust and be replaced instantly by a young woman he hadn't even spoken to?

Jacob was so distracted by his thoughts he barely caught his father moving to go introduce himself. "No, wait. Dad. I'll go." He quickly stood up and wandered over to the table nervously. What was he going to say? What if she didn't like him? What if he said something dumb?

"Hey I'm Jacob." He said awkwardly, causing her to jump from what she was doing. Her face scrunched up in confusion before she finally looked up. Their eyes locked and it felt like everything stopped. Her heart beat hard against her ribcage at the very tall and dark haired man before her. "You looked lonely. Uhm. I know we just got here. But..." What was he doing? Inviting her to sit with his dad and his dad's best friend for dinner? That's weird isn't it? Especially since he was going to have dinner with a girl he was in love with.

"I'd love to join you." Why did she just agree to crash someone else's dinner? It looked like a family affair of sorts. "I'm (Y/n)!" She suddenly remembered her name. It felt like her face was on fire. He shifted from slightly nervous to having a large smile on his face. How sweet.

He even helped by carrying her stuff to the table. "This is my dad Billy. His friend Charlie and his daughter Bella." Jacob introduced allowing her to sit down. Something in the back of her mind told her that this was weird.

Something was off.

It felt... Magical. She knew magical.

But then Charlie began to talk about how he was a sheriff and the weirdness seemed to disappear. "So...where are you from?" Charlie asked trying to judge if this new girl was going to cause him trouble later. "Oh. Sunnydale," she paused. "California. Also graduated from Sunnydale high." She explained with a small smile.

Maybe it wasn't so bad joining their little dinner. It was nice having people to talk to, especially when one was so new. "What do you like to do Jake?" She said looking over at him before taking a bite of food.

"Oh, uh. I buy and flip cars right now. It's more of a side hustle really." He smiled at her. "Really?" She said with a smile on her lips. "Because the car I'm in is just a rental... If you find anything good will you think of me? I can't pay the rate they are wanting forever." She joked, gently and playfully touching his arm.

It was like fire. Both literally and figuratively. If it weren't for the people she could almost throw herself at him. But then his skin was so hot that it almost burned. "Absolutely." Jacob smiled. "What's your phone number?" He looked almost like a puppy who was just given a treat. She took his phone and put her number in and he sent her a text. A wolf emoji.

Her eyes looked him over again. Then the phone in her hand began ringing. She answered it quickly, it was the moving company.

Jacob watched as she excused herself to talk to whoever. Her once happy self was instantly deflated. Jacob did not like that at all. He felt it. He actually felt the sadness in her. Is this what it was like to have an imprint? Actually feeling their pain? She walked back in and sighed. 

“Are you okay?” Jacob asked with what (Y/n) could only describe as genuine concern. 

“My moving truck is going to be late. On Monday while I’m at work instead of on Sunday.” She shouldn’t be so easy to talk to someone she had only known for 20 minutes. Jacob didn’t like the look on her face one of distress. 

Jacob looked her over again, hardly getting tired of looking at her face. “I have some friends on the Res. Maybe we can meet them. Help you out..” Jacob offered without a second thought. 

“Really?” she looked at him unsure at first. 

Jacob nodded, a bright smile on his face. 

“O-okay” She agreed. 

a/n: Stopping this one here and writing part 2 next. If I didn’t this would be 3000 words. Don’t worry I’m literally going from posting this part to writing the next bit because I already know what I’m going to do. Then I’m going to write a Paul version of this. 

[booksarelife-stuff]

The Story of Us- Chapter 2

Jily (James Potter/ Lily Evans), minor wolfstar

Word Count: 

Modern Muggle AU. When Lily Evans meets the man across the hall due to a fire alarm, she has no idea that a new chapter of her life has begun. Featuring a librarian Lily and sports journalist James.

Masterlist     Read on AO3  Chapter 3

Chapter 2- and the sparks fly...

Lily had found her love of libraries in secondary school. She remembers one day, specifically that started it all. 

Petunia, Lily’s tight-lipped older sister, had gotten all her friends to make fun of her in front of everyone. Lily didn’t remember what it was that day that the gaggle of girls had decided to torment Lily on. It could have been just a simple “freak” thrown her way in the hallway. 

What Lily does remember though, is finding solace in the library. She remembers running in there, looking for a private place to cry. She had sat in the back, near the reference section that was barely touched since the age of the internet. She started doing her homework there and more importantly started realizing that escaping into books was easier when she was surrounded by them. 

The library Lily now called home was an old building, untouched by the modern buildings surrounding it. It was made of stone and when you walked in, you were greeted by the musky scent of old books. 

This library had also brought more than a safe place in her adult life, but friends as well. Remus Lupin was the overseer of the adult non-fiction and reference section. Lily was convinced that man was Google. She could ask him anything about anything he’d probably have an answer. Then there was the children’s librarian from downstairs, Marlene McKinnon. Marlene was vibrant and offered great critiques of all the new teen show adaptations of young adult novels. 

Lily had finally found a home for herself. 

Lily was sitting at the circulation desk, waiting for patrons. Remus was running a workshop for homeless members of the community to get jobs and they had had a nice turn out. Lily had spent all night packing lunches for them and was yawning every five seconds. 

She was tired and she didn’t notice the man who stepped up to the desk. 

“Hey Lily,” a deep voice said. Lily’s throat filled with bile. 

She looked up to see Severus Snape, a barista from across the street at the Starbucks. Also, her sort-of-ex. 

Lily looked up and gave her customer service a smile. 

“Hello Severus,” she said. “Did you find everything you needed?” 

“Yes, I did,” he drawled. 

“Great,” she said. She reached out for his book and library card. She tried not to make a face at the book he was checking out, something about government conspiracies, and scanned his card. Lily should have been surprised that he was even here at all, especially since Lily had to deal with a lot of talks that revolved around the internet making libraries useless from him. But he showed up, like clockwork. 

“You have a late fee,” she said. “It’s only a pound.” 

Lily checked out his book while he pulled out his wallet. She marked the fee as paid as he slid the pound over the desk. Lily handed him his card and book back. 

“Due in two weeks. Have a great day,” she said, smiling. 

“I was wondering if we could talk for a second,” he asked. Lily looked up into his deep brown eyes. She really didn’t want to, but she couldn’t think of an excuse, as there weren't any other patrons. 

“About what, Severus?” she asked. 

“Have you changed your mind yet?” he asked. 

Lily mentally counted down from five in her head, trying to bite back the anger that flared inside of her. That was the thing with Severus. To him, he never did anything wrong and it was Lily that was holding the relationship back.

“No, afraid not,” she said, her tone coming out sharp. Severus’s nostrils flared a bit. 

“That’s unfortunate,” he said. 

“Is it?” she quipped. 

His eyes flashed but the door swung open, stopping whatever he was about to say. Lily’s flickered to the new patron but did a double-take. 

Standing there was James, Lily’s neighbor. He was wearing a white button up with a red tie and black slacks. The sleeves were rolled up, showing his arms again and the tie hung loosely from his neck. He had a black messenger bag hanging from his shoulder. 

He gave Lily a small and a wave. He stood behind Severus, waiting in line. Severus looked pissed off as Lily’s eyes turned back to him. 

“Is that all you need, sir?” Lily asked. 

“Yes,” Severus spat. He grabbed his book and turned sharply. He walked out of the door. 

Lily smiled widely as James stepped up to the counter. 

“Hey neighbor,” James said, running a hand through his already messy hair. 

“Hey. What brings you to the library?” she asked.

“I heard that books contain knowledge and I need a specific kind,” he said. “And a library card.”

“Let’s get you a card first,” she said. 

She learned James’s full name was James Fleamont Potter. She tried not to make a face at his middle name but James responded with a quick “yeah I know.” She learned his birthday was March 27 and that she was older than him by a few months. 

She handed him his card and a little flyer that had instructions about their app that would let him browse their online collection and place holds on books they had on the shelves. 

“So, what specific knowledge would you be needing today?” she asked. 

“Ah well, remember the professional bowling team I mentioned?” 

“The Cannons?”

“That would be it,” he said. “I need books on bowling. I know most of the rules of football and rugby, but I seem to be lacking some expertise on the intricacies of bowling.”

Lily laughed and started typing in their system. 

“And you couldn’t Google that?” 

James did a dramatic gasp that made Lily look up at him. 

“Did a librarian just say I should Google something? That’s a sort of sacrilege,” James said, his hazel eyes wide with fake horror. 

Lily laughed and turned back to her computer screen. She told him the number of the Dewey he could use to find books on bowling and he blinked at her. 

“Let me guess,” she said. “Unfamiliar with the system?”

“Yeah. And this library,” he said. 

Lily motioned for him to follow her. If Remus was available, he’d be able to go directly to the space on the shelf that contained books about bowling. It took Lily a minute to find them. She left James to browse and went back to the desk to find Marlene sitting at Lily’s portion of the desk.

“Hey Lil,” she said, stopping her spinning in her chair. 

“Hey Marls,” she said. 

“I’m on break,” she said, tossing her thick blonde hair over her shoulder. “I also have a story.”

“Do tell,” Lily said, taking her seat at the computer. 

“A girl came in with her mother looking for a book,” she began, her blues eyes turning animated. “And I would have guess she was looking for the latest John Green or something, but this girl walks up to the desk and asks point-blank ‘Do you have Gone Girl?’”

Marlene took a dramatic inhale while Lily started smiling. 

“She had to be no older than thirteen! And she wanted ‘Gone Girl!’” she exclaimed. 

“Please tell me you didn’t let her check out ‘Gone Girl’?” Lily asked. 

“Well, we aren’t in the business of judging are we?” Marlene said. “Our physical copy is checked out but I showed her how she could read it through our app.”

Lily laughed. 

“Isn’t that book the one where the wife fakes her death?” James asked. Lily spun around to see James leaning against the counter, two books sitting in front of him. 

“It is,” Marlene answered. She got up and stood next to Lily at the circulation desk. “Have you read it?”

Lily rolled her eyes as she scanned James’s card. Marlene would flirt with anything that moved, even though she had a lovely girlfriend waiting at home for her. 

“I haven’t but my brother made me watch the movie,” James replied. “I really enjoyed it.”

Marlene hummed as Lily checked out the books to James. He had gotten two books, one about the theory of bowling, which Lily didn’t think was a thing, and one of different techniques and rules. 

“Here you are,” Lily said, sliding the books back. “Please take a bookmark or two!”

“Yes please,” Marlene said. “Please don’t dog ear the pages.”

“Will do,” James said, picking up a colorful bookmark. “See you around, Lily.”

He gave her a small before turning away and walking out the door. Once he was gone, Marlene lightly hit Lily’s arm. 

“He was totally flirting with you!”

“He was not,” Lily said, though she hadn’t really thought about it to determine if he was or not. 

“‘See you around, Lily,’” Marlene quoted, her eyebrows high on her forehead. 

“He’s my neighbor.”

Marlene widened her eyes even more. 

“Since when did you get a hot neighbor? What about the old man?”

“James moved in a few weeks ago,” Lily replied. “He was the guy who brought his cat out during the fire alarm.”

Marlene started laughing. Lily had mentioned him when she saw Remus and Marlene the next day, but just focused on the cat. She didn’t tell them about their conversation. 

“Well,” Marlene said. “I need to go back. But we aren’t dropping this James conversation.”

“There really isn’t much to be said,” Lily said as Marlene started towards the stairs. She turned before she headed down giving Lily a look. 

“Then there needs to be,” she said. “He is ten steps up from Severus and I think you need to jump on that quickly.”

~~~

Lily waved at the security officer at the desk as she passed. Moody was scary looking fellow, but once Lily brought him sweets, he softened up to her. He always guarded her packages. 

She quickly got her mail and got in the elevator with a nice old woman from the third floor. The ride was silent and once Lily made it to her apartment she collapsed on her couch, throwing her bag on the floor and the mail on her coffee table. The afternoon had gotten busy for her, as the after work crowd had come in around five. Not that she was going to complain that so many people were still using the library. 

She debated ordering take-out, not feeling up to cooking but she couldn’t decide on what sounded best. She sat up and picked up her mail. It was mostly junk but she found a handwritten letter. She looked quickly at the name and realized it wasn’t hers, but was addressed to James from a Euphemia Potter. 

Lily sighed and slipped her flats back on. She didn’t know if James was home yet, but she figured she’d at least try before she forgot. She left her door open as she made her strides to his apartment door and knocked three times. 

“One sec!” she heard James call. She waited as she heard the thump of his footsteps get closer to the door. 

He opened it, smiling. He had already changed out of his work clothes and was wearing a shirt that was old and faded and his sweatpants. 

“Lily,” he said. “What do I owe the pleasure?”

Lily held out the piece of mail, returning his smile.

“This was in my box,” she said. He looked down at the letter as he took it from her, his glasses low on his nose. 

“Oh bugger,” he said. “Sorry about that. My mum seems to have put the wrong number. I’ll call and let her know she doesn’t do it again.”

“It’s not a problem,” she said. “I figured you would want a handwritten letter sooner rather than later.”

“Yeah. Mum’s a bit old fashioned,” James said, smiling. He leaned against the doorframe, his hazel eyes looking directly at Lily.

“Well, I’ll see you around,” Lily said, turning away. 

“Wait!” James said, causing Lily to turn back. “I was just about to start Outlander.”

“Wait, really?” she asked. She couldn’t believe that he was going to sit down and watch the show because she mentioned it to him. 

“Yeah,’ James said, running a hand through his hair. “I was just about to order some curry, too. Wanna join?”

Lily blinked and James' face quickly fell. He started babbling. 

“Not like a date or anything!” he started. “You’re just the first person I’ve really talked to since moving here and I think you’d be a, a great friend—”

“I’d love to, James,” she said, talking over his babbling. James smiled brightly. 

She told him the best curry place that delivered in town and her order. She wanted to change into something more comfortable before they started so she ran back to her apartment. 

Normally, Lily would be reserved about these kind of things, but James didn’t seem to be a threat. He had been nice enough and Marlene had always said she needed to put herself out there more. If that included eating curry while watching Outlander, she was more than happy to oblige. 

She put on some leggings and an oversized jumper. She quickly put her hair up. She grabbed her phone and keys. She was almost out the door when she remembered a tub of ice cream she had in the freezer. She ran back and grabbed it, hoping James was a fan of brownie batter. 

When she knocked, James let her in. 

“Oh, ice cream?” he asked. 

“Yep. Like brownie batter?” she asked. His eyes lit up. 

“Yes! My favorite,” he said. “Besides mint chocolate chip.”

Lily made a face. 

“Mint chocolate chip taste like bad tooth paste,” she said. 

James let out an offended noise as he took the ice cream from her and walked towards the fridge. 

“It does not!”

Lily smiled and looked around James' apartment. He had a decent sized television and a large gray sectional that looked soft. Buttercream was napping on the top of the couch, his tail flicking back and forth. 

It wasn’t really decorated, Lily noted. He had a few pictures up but the walls were bare. Lily noticed some books on his entertainment center and went and looked at them. They were mostly about sports, rules and techniques, and whatnot. Lily also noticed the books he checked out earlier on his coffee table, one of them with a bookmark already in it. 

“So,” James began entering the living room. “How much do you think I’m going to like the show?”

Lily hummed for a second. 

“I think you’ll either get really into it or you’ll be indifferent,” she said. “I don’t know you well enough to give a better judgement. I don’t think you’ll hate it though.”

“Fair enough,” he said, petting Buttercream. “I looked it up and it sounds quite interesting.”

“Are you a big fan of period pieces?” Lily asked. James glanced up at her with a smile. 

“Don’t tell my brother this,” he started. “If you ever meet him. But yes, I am.”

Lily smiled. 

“What’s your favorite?” she asked. She watched as he ran a hand through his hair. 

“My mum made me watch Pride and Prejudice so many times, I can recite the movie line by line,” he said. 

Lily felt unbridled glee. That was her favorite movie, hands down. She knew it wasn’t accurate to the book but the tension between the characters in the movie drew Lily in more than anything. 

“The 2005 movie?” she asked, her excitement showing. 

“Yep. We did watch the BBC version quite a few times though,” James said. “I love Colin Firth, but there’s just something about the movie.”

They talked excitedly about the movie, comparing the two adaptations when their food arrived. Once they had settled on the couch, take-out containers and plastic forks in hand, James went to Netflix and started Outlander. 

[ruzek-halstead]

Hey Marcia 💛 2. for challenge accepted and 10. for relight that spark?

2) which scene was your favourite to write in challenge accepted?

tehe, so i just sort of answered this BUT i very much enjoyed writing that end scene in the epilogue where julie runs onto the field after luke and his team win the championship game and they talk about their relationship and what it means now that they’re moving onto post-secondary, and it was all so adorable and bittersweet bc it was the end and i was very sad it was ending. i also really enjoyed writing the juke date chapter bc alex and reggie freaking luke out before his date? priceless. then julie and luke flirting the entire night??? it’s what i live for. 

10) what are some facts readers may not know about relight that spark?

well, after everything i’ve answered today, i think nothing is hidden anymore lmaooo. most obviously, i was going to keep the ending basically scene for scene with the movie, mostly bc i really loved sam’s iconic locker room speech, but then i decided luke deserves better, and so does julie, so i scrapped it all. 

also, i have one chapter dedicated solely to their text messages over the months. originally, i wanted to do alternating chapters between the story and just text messages, but that came to be a lot, especially bc just that one chapter solely texts took a lot out of me to create haha. i found it easier to just keep inbedding them into the story itself.

i debated a lot over the cafeteria scene where carrie reveals julie’s identity. i hated using carrie to do it, bc i really love her, and i love writing stories where she’s actually one of the good guys. but for the purpose of this story, i had to do it. at one point, i wanted to make the reveal over social media, to make it fit with the modern day technology aspect, but then it just didn’t really work out. i think i rewrote that cafeteria scene like three times because i didn’t want to make carrie too cruel, but enough to make the point, and then just luke’s reaction alone, i had to rework a few times too. IT NEEDED TO BE PERFECT. 

thanks for the ask snow!! hope this was enough!!

if you want to read a story following the modern day depiction of the classic movie ‘a cinderella story’ featuring luke and julie, click here 

if you want to read a high school rivals au, where julie falls for the one boy she probably shouldn’t, but it’s okay because nick and luke promise to play nice (solely for julie’s sake), click here

ask me anything and everything about my fics for trivia tuesday of jatp fanworks appreciation week!!