#my laptop can handle it better than my pc could so i can have it on much better graphics settings which is nice lol

[lucky-draws]

does anyone remember outlast.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Unmanageable 1

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Pete Brenner

Summary: your manager sets his eye on your (plus!reader)

Part of the Backwoods AU

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

A thump jolts you from your work. You glance over lazily, chin cupped in your hand, as the murmur of voices follow. You cluck and reach for your earbuds, popping them in your ears before you can hear the subsequent disturbance.

Your job isn't glorious. Nothing really is in Hammer Ford. You're the line IT tech at the local bank working on ancient PCs which can't handle the national system's updates. Most of your time is spent trying to make a simple process work.

Work is work. You could do much worse than sitting forgotten behind a desk as the bank manager gets his jollies off with the clerk. This decrepit town can't offer much better, in terms of both male counterparts and career prospects.

The wired buds don't really block out the ruckus. You lean on an elbow and clack away at your keyboard. It never lasts very long.

You pluck away as the clock above your door ticks on. You yawn with your eyes open, dropping lower and lower as your eyes glaze over. A knock has your spine straight.

You clear your throat and call out, "yes?"

The door opens. Pete, the manager, fixes his tie as he enters, one tail of his shirt untucked, "hey, uh, I was having some issues with my laptop. I know it's not a work device but... I don't wanna drive all the way to the city."

"Hmm, I can have a look after work," you shrug. It's usually nothing. You typically have people calling on you for support outside your office walls.

"After work..." he repeats, "the wife kinda is expecting me to take her out for dinner, so..."

You repress a sigh. He is the manager. If you fall behind, it will only be his own fault.

"Sure, you need me right now?"

His eye brow tweaks and he drags his fingers around his half-grown goatee, "need you... oh, yeah, should I bring it to you or..."

"What's easier for you, sir?"

He chuckles, "you know, you're the only person who calls me that."

You just stare at him. He's your boss and you'd like to keep it that way. You get up, "here, I'll just come look."

"Thanks, sweetie," he grins as you cross the office, "life saver."

"Mhm," you hum as you near him.

He doesn't move. He just stands, his arm across the doorway and watches you. You look past him and clear your throat.

"Right, right," he steps back and swings his arms down, "the computer."

He retreats and turns away. As he does, you see Marska giving him a flustered look. Gross.

You follow him into his office and waits by the door as you pass. You try not to think of what just happened in there. Thankfully, you're not his type.

You wince as the door clicks shut.

"Oh, you don't have to--"

"Right," he overrides your protest, "I'll just get my laptop."

He goes around his desk and pulls out a sleek macbook. You don't see many of those. He puts it facing you and opens the lid.

"I'll let you poke around," he says as he presses his fingertip to the censor to unlock it, "it's just the damn mousepad."

"Right," you step up and squint at the screen. You lean in touch the pad. It's definitely lagging.

He strides away, pacing on the other side of the desk, hands in his pockets.

"Thing's too fancy for me," he scoffs, "but I like the look of it."

"It's a good machine," you confirm as you go into his drivers, searching for updates.

You feel him watching you but shrug it off. Everyone's a little touchy when you're on their personal device. He stops and bounces on his feet.

The cursor continues to jump around as you scroll and suddenly a window pops open. Safari resumes it's last tab and you quickly hit command W as you see a pending wheel atop a very explicit video. Yikes.

You try to not show the slip up as you go back to searching the drivers, "you got antivirus?"

"Uhhh, I think," he answers as if it isn't essential.

"Hm, doesn't look like it," you mutter, "I'm updating the mouse driver but you need security software."

"Right," he comes around as you click through the system window to update. He stands behind you and watches over your shoulder, "got any recs? I'll get it set up right away."

"Bitdefender's good," you suggest.

"Mm," he leans down, against you, putting his hands on the desk on either side of the laptop, "think you could show me where to find that."

"I can send you a link," you grit out, prickling at his proximity.

"Well," you move your arm back, prodding him with your elbow, soft enough for it to seem accidental, "that should be fine once it updates."

He huffs but backs away. Your neck is stiff with tension. You face him and check your watch.

"I'll get back to it," you say.

"Yeah, thanks, sweetie," he chimes, "sure you don't want a coffee? Take a load off."

"I'm good," you insist, "got a lot to do."

You open the door before he can catch up to you. As you leave, Marska watches over her shoulder from the front desk. You ignore her and quickly hide in your office. Knowing Pete isn't too aware of security procedures, you should do a review of the serves to make sure everything's safe.

[aenslem]

do you have any advice for making gifs? i’ve become a fan of something that has barely any posts besides photos and for the first time ever a desire to make gifs came over me and honestly it’s kinda overwhelming so literally any tips would help, thank youuu

I do have a photoshop sideblog @creationsofthedark Whatever I write here is already reblogged there or posted, so you can check it out, just in case, I remember making a tutorial on how I make gifs, and tbh not really much changed since then. I know there are many ways to create gifs, however, I can speak only about the one I use.

Also suggest to check #photoshop tag on my blog, i might have answered some things about giffing process before that might be useful for you as well.

You need a device, program for screencaps and photoshop.

I use laptop, you can do the same on pc, if you have only ipad or phone then I would not be able to give any advice, I tried to create gifs on ipad, failed, so we are not gonna talk about it ever.

I use mpv for screencaps, thanks to amazing tutorial here that will help you to install mpv player and make screencaps from video.

You will also need photoshop, if you are not willing to pay for it, that's fine :D Not sure if it works, but here is a cracked version of ps you can check, or just google it, there will be lots of things you can get... for free. Yep, I am suggesting to pirate it lmao

So, once you have everything, make screencaps and here is the old tutorial to create gifs, back then i used kmplayer, but let's be honest that shit sucks recently and i am tired of it. So like for years I use mpv now.

I also was using cs5, cos my old laptop could not handle anything better, but newer versions are similar, so you will figure it out. Might as well do another tutorial, but not right now. You can also check some more photoshop blogs out there, they all have great tutorials on how to make gifs. Definitely better ones than my old one lol

And you will also find there lots of my psds, colorings that I used at some point and decided to put them there, they won't work on everything, but you might use them to learn how to color gifs yourself.

Do not be scared to experiment and do not give up if something does not turn out as good as you have it in mind, my first gifs are still out there and they suck, so yeah, you do it, you learn and you get better.

[equinista]

Just a very brief introduction post....as I felt some sort of intro was a bit needed and this little one will make do, for now! (The photos I really want to share of me riding, especially showing and jumping, are on my laptop that I don't feel like digging out and charging up right now, so these very few pics i have on this PC, my very new/few months old gaming PC that I actually built myself! more about that, and my PC's specs, another time! are the only ones I have access to at the moment) My name is Jenn. I am an ancient human specimen (lol, I am 35 but we can all agree I am ancient lmfao) who just happens to look more like someone either in their late teens or early 20's, dependent on the time of day and how bad my Fibromyalgia/chronic pain is flaring up...and how long I have spent being "house-bound" as an agoraphobic with severe social anxiety... Also, I am stupid-short, at only 4'11" which adds to me looking much younger. I live in South east Florida, aka the depths of humid hell. Which sucks cause I get severely heat-sick and can't handle temps above, like, 80 degrees. I have been riding all my life. My mom owned and rode horses all her life, so horses have been apart of my life from the start and I am so thankful for that. I grew up riding Western only, cause that was the only way my mom rode and owned my first horse at age 11 (an ex-polo "pony", a 16 hands bay TB mare) And since her I have owned about 10 different horses thru-out my life. I used to barrel race/pole bend and compete in western Gymkhana events so much so that I became burn out on them and when I turned 18 I switched to riding English and learned how to jump and never looked back really. I do still ride western for fun, even barrel race for fun but English and Hunter/Jumper and Equitation and showing are my absolute EVERYTHING.

I currently own 1 horse. An chestnut AQHA mare (AQHA name: DOJ A Roxi Leo Lady) and barn name is Roxi. She is still VERY green and only last month was her first EVER ride under an English Saddle! And I am looking so forward to out future together. She really means the world to me and love her whole heartedly. <3 I have only owned her for a few months now (My previous horse, Hawk-who I will share photos of later, who I owned for over 2 years and loved very much was dealing with more issues than I could physically deal with. He needed to be ridden and worked with DAILY and with my chronic Illness I was just not able to give him the time he needed. He was given to me by my barn owner/trainer/best friend on a contract that i couldnt sell him but she would take him back if ever need be and we came up with a great solution-she took Hawk back and instead gave me her AQHA mare that she felt would be way better for me as she is the type of horse who you can go weeks or more between rides and she acts as if she were ridden every day-she just picks right back up where you left off without any sanity issues or impulsive outburts out of no where like Hawk would pull. It broke my heart as I loved Hawk dearly but sadly not every horse will be a perfect match-but I did try for over 2 years so i deff didn't give up easily. ) The first 4 photos are of me and Roxi. Then last 2 photos are of different horses. The one of me barrel racing is me with the last barrel horse I owned, back when i first turned 18 (AQHA mare: Goldie Dandy Doll aka Victory) and the other photo is of me riding an amazing OTTB gelding named Luxe who I actually was leading for a while about 4 years ago. That was longer than I thought I would make it but it's hard to explain one part without the others. And still there is SOOO MUCH more I left out. It's a novel really, my life.

[gamesception]

So here's the new toy that's been distracting me the last couple days. My decade+ old oversized ASUS gaming laptop finally pooped out several months ago, leaving me daily driving my Steam Deck of all things as my main home computer. And don't get me wrong, the Deck has performed remarkably well in that regard, but I've been meaning to get something a bit fancier for a while. Something that could handle 1440p gameplay at a decent framerate while streaming or recording, can manage image and video editing well, and in particular can run some VR games. I've been interested in VR gaming ever since Lobac posted about some of that a while back, especially with the Meta Quest 2 being a solid headset at a really aggressive cost. With the Zuck giving up on the metaverse, the Quest is likely never going to be cheaper than it is now.

I'd waffled for a while about building a PC, but in the end I psyched myself out and decided to go with a pre-built instead. Yes, that means willfully overpaying for the end product by a few hundred bucks to pay someone else to do the assembly and initial set up for me, but in exchange I only had to research one product instead of half a dozen separate components, plus there's a single warranty where if anything doesn't work it's somebody else's problem to fix it, and I'd only have to deal with a delay.

After watching and reading a bunch of reviews, Skytech seemed to be a decent choice for system integrator, with solid to positive reviews for various prebuilt models they offer, including Gamer's Nexus who tend to be pretty harsh on pre-builts. But it was this review from JustIN Tech that sold me on this Azure 2 model. "Performance equivalent to last gens best, but at half the price" is the exact tag line I was looking for, and after a recent price discount it was just within my $2k range.

In retrospect though, I should have done some more research on the specific components. I'm quite happy with the intel 13600 cpu, and while the included cooling setup is overkill for that chip, that just means I've got some free thermal space to overclock or upgrade in the future. Plus, it's pretty, and I'm shallow. On the other hand it turns out the nvidia 4070ti is not well thought of - generally considered badly overpriced, plus has the extra negetive association of being just a rebranding of the failed '4080 12gb' that was so roundly panned that its release had to be canned altogether. And the PNY model that came bundled in my unit isn't even as nice as the Gigabyte one in the JustIN Tech review. One of the reasons why Gamer's Nexus is the better channel for these sorts of reviews is that they do secret shopper and get the same stuff regular folks get, where as brands know what they're sending to channels like JustIN Tech and can take pains to make the best possible impression by including better components and taking extra care in assembly and packaging.

So what should I have purchased instead? I don't know. Maybe the 'blue' model of the same Azure 2 line, which is three hundred dollars cheaper to swap out the 4070ti for an intel Arc a770, which would probably have been more than enough for my intended use cases. Heck, with 4 extra gb of vram it might have even been better than the 4070ti for me in the long term, and if not then I could use the money saved towards swapping out to a better AMD card next gen. But the blue model comes in a blue version of the case, which wouldn't have made the swirly rainbow rbgs pop as much.

Anyway, while I might have made a different choice if I had done more research, that doesn't mean I'm at all unhappy with what I got! The Azure 2 arrived promptly. The build quality of the system is very nice. No damage, no loose or cross-threaded screws. Everything worked right out of the box when plugged in - including all the various external ports. Skytech certainly did a good job putting it all together. While the 4070ti might not be the most reasonably priced card for its performance level, now that it's here and paid for regardless, it seems like it should be able to do everything I want it to, at least for now. And if I end up replacing the gpu sooner then I would have liked, eh, we live and learn.

And while it doesn't matter at all compared to cost and performance, the swirly rainbow rgb lighting makes me feel like a Real Gamer (tm).

Desk is getting a bit cluttered tho.

As for performance, It's quiet and runs cool while playing my current games at top settings - though my particular game selection (mostly just Elden Ring on max settings with Ray Tracing), and my 1080p, 75hz monitor aren't exactly putting it through its paces yet. A new monitor is one of several upgrades & accessories I plan to get to go with this thing in coming months. New monitor, VR headset, an extra ssd on which to install linux - I figure I'll keep the windows install on the side, on the off chance there are games or utilities I can't get running in Linux down the line.

But anyway yeah, that's what I've been so busy with lately, delaying liveblog posts.

[submitforher]

angel ...

it's been too long, i'm so sorry. are you doing okay? i hope so. i know you've been so stressed and worried, but i'm here for you always. even if i'm not actually here, call out for me and i will always come to you when you need me. i really hope things haven't been too hard for you.

i was on a trip last week actually and now that i'm back home, i've been quite sick. so that's why i haven't been around as much as i have wanted to be. the trip was so amazingly fun, but now i feel like my body is shutting down on me. :')

looking through your recent posts has made me feel a little better though, and thinking go you of course, and all of the beautiful and scandalous things you've said to me. especially in your last post, you have such a way with words that even the filthiest things sound charming. ^^

also it's so cool to hear that you're into pc building! i've always wanted a big fancy pc, but i don't know enough about it and i wouldn't even know where to begin, so i just stick with a little laptop that handles everything i need for now! (i also think i just want a keyboard that makes a super satisfying clicky noise when i use it...)

anyway, i missed you. i'm back. i hope you're okay and haven't forgotten about me... i certainly didn't forget about you. tell me how you've been <3 maybe you can help me feel better while i don't feel so good, just talking to my angel makes all the difference!!!

i hope you have a happy weekend <3

- 🐻

it has been, baby bear. i had it saved in my drafts that i missed you but i never posted it because life has been fucking draining lately and i've been at my lowest of lows. within the past week or so, i've had some shit going in my life that's far too personal for me to talk about but i had posted about it after. i deleted it because i felt like i had no emotional support and again, too personal. i've been even more stressed out after we last talked to each other and i've been struggling with my mental health but i'm still living and if i ever feel alone like that again, i'd never have to be because i have you!! other than the personal shit that's been going on with me, i've been thinking of nothing else but you, baby bear. that's what's been getting me through this and hopefully you thinking of me has been getting you through your sickness, which, if i were there, i'd take care of you and you'd never have to be by yourself when you're under the weather. tell me more about this trip that you were on though! i haven't been on a trip in a while and i'd like to get far away from here if i could.

you have a way with words yourself, baby bear. you know how to get me utterly weak in the knees and to put it bluntly, get me so fucking needy for you.

it's kind of a daunting thing to figure out what components are what and how to put together a pc but if you're ever looking into it, it's one of those things that i take interest in so i could talk to you about it for hours. i have a 65% keyboard that's hot-swappable and i had kailh box white switches because i like that clicky sound too but i swapped those out for some oil king switches. the sound of them is unique yet soothing and has a higher-pitched sound on return.

i'd never forget about you, baby bear, even if you're not here. you've left an everlasting impression on me and your messages are what i look forward to whenever i'm here. it's the whole reason why i'm still here. i'm on cloud nine whenever i get to talk to you and you lift me from out of that dark abyss like no one else.

[willisandersen09]

Tips And Tricks For Purchasing An Excellent Desktop Computer

I seriously require a new pc, having said that i truly feel so confused! There are Dell, Asus, Acer, Hewlett-Packard, but how do you know the best idea option? How do i look for the best laptop or computer for my demands? If it sounds like you, browse the content under as well as the great assistance it gives you. Look at the drive burning up capabilities for any desktop personal computers that you are considering. Think about whether you plan just to view press or to make the own Compact disks and Dvd videos. If you intend on performing the latter, make certain confident the computer that you would like supports it. Its not all desktops have these capabilities. The best way to make a decision what capabilities you need inside a new pc is to test out the latest models of before you buy. Several retailers have got a sizeable collection of models create and it is a sensible idea to invest some time trying them out. You will see which computer keyboard is most comfortable and which display screen sizing suits your requirements. Be sure you examine the website just before spending dollars in a brick and mortar technician retailer. Frequently the costs you'll locate on the web will be a good deal less expensive than you'll see in stores. If you can wait around an added day or two for your personal personal computer, it will save you a lot of money. Get white-screen.net that is included with a solid warrantee. It can be typically for the software in case the laptop or computer begins malfunctioning. A fix or trade are usually in order if you come upon any problems. If you're preparation to apply your desktop computer as being an entertainment product, don't ignore the speaker high quality. A keep track of with small loudspeakers may offer you a terrible, tinny mp3 practical experience. You might be more well off with getting a set of additional loudspeakers instead of relying on the speakers inside your keep track of. Should you be looking for a straightforward personal computer, such as one particular for the student or someone who just doesn't do very much processor chip-large operate, seek out an all-in-one particular device. They often times residence the computer inside the monitor, significance establishing it up is effortless. In addition to that, the cost is generally very acceptable. Do not let yourself to get taken into the selling price drop game. Several customers see offers extremely carefully when looking for a brand new desktop. However they consistently hold off their selection since they constantly think that a much better price will appear in a day or two. Excellent deals dissimilarities are typically lean, so when you find a single which works for you, you need to go for it. Make sure the individual evaluations of your pc product prior to buying it. Customer reviews are available of all on the web store sites. From these testimonials, you will discover in case a distinct model you are searching for overheats, has pace concerns or another issues that you do not want to handle. Getting a reconditioned computer could save you lots of money. A reconditioned pc is sent back on the producer, where it really has been analyzed for almost any flaws. The manufacturer can't officially re-sell your computer has new, even so. The restored computer will perform just together with a new equipment, but the price will likely be much less! Set up a timeframe for if you want to acquire your personal computer as opposed to choosing 1 distinct working day you want to create the purchase. If you give yourself a windows of 3 or 4 several weeks, you possess a chance to keep an eye on display product sales, discount rates and also new remodeled listings on websites for max savings. You've considered the initial steps in the direction of acquiring the perfect personal computer by looking at this significantly. Now you need to simply venture out there and check out what's available to you. You'll very easily choose from manufacturers featuring, choosing the computer that can meet all of your specifications, and at a price you will be happy with!

[albrechtsenvillarreal30]

Minecrafter Builds a Giant Halo ring that actually Spins

Home News Survival Minecraft Minecrafter builds a giant Halo ring that actually freaking spins

By Lauren Morton published 4 January 22

You'll need to alter it however, you can download it and explore it.

A world built of cubes can't do circles. However, Minecraft players are not in any way afraid to defy logic and construct amazing round structures. One brave builder went further and broke every rule to build an elongated ring that rotates. A complete, moving Halo ring that includes beam emitters, biomes, and even a crashed Pelican. The best part is that you can download and play with the thing yourself.

The Minecraft YouTuber named Reach says that his Halo ring was initially inspired by a model shared by another creator. Although this smaller world of rings is impressive however, the comments on the post suggested that it could be even more awesome If it actually worked. Reach was up to the challenge by using WorldEdit and Create to design and create an actual ring that moves.

It was a massive undertaking. He made use of the Clockwork Bearing blocks in the Create mod to control the ring's movement. A single clockwork bearing that was attached to the ring's edge couldn't complete the task, it was discovered. "The first time I tried to move it and it didn't render because the entity created being too big for Minecraft to handle," he explains. Minecraft server list

So Reach opted to split it into four sections, each of which had a rotating bearing and an arm. However, if that did not work, he ended up with eight bearings all attached to sections of the ring as spokes. "I did think that it wouldn't work," he tells me, "but my stubbornness and wanting to make something unique for YouTube and my audience was enough for me to pull through." After all that? Holy crap, the thing is moving.

Planet Minecraft has the project that you can download if want to experience the wonder of an ethereal world-like ring. It's required to run on Minecraft version 1.16 and a few other mods such as Forge and Create, Flywheel, and some custom Halo textures if you like. Once inside, you'll manually start up the bearings to get the thing running, but once you're on the ground it will keep ticking.

It doesn't rotate in a continuous manner so you won't have to keep up with a forever moving hamster wheel. The whole ring turns in increments of about 30 seconds. All the better, because I found myself a bit disoriented and motion sick while exploring the ring in its current state. It'll take me a while to establish my space legs. Reach also had to lock each block in order to ensure that the ring rotates in the way it was intended, so you won't be able build or use mine here. It's a diorama, more than a playable world but still very cool.

You can hear some more of Reach's process in the video on YouTube below, where he discusses the challenges of engineering the ring, as well as the various decorative choices he made while building to give the entire thing a Halo feel.

God bless the Minecraft builders. They never quit.

- (opens in a new tab) --

Lauren began writing for PC Gamer in 2017 as freelancer as she chased the Dark Souls fashion police. In 2021, Lauren accepted her position as Chief Editor and Associate Editor of Minecraft Lover. Her career began in the field of game development. She is still fascinated by the speedrunning and mod scenes. She enjoys long books longer RPGs and multiplayer cryptids and can't stop playing co-op crafting games.

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[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Burnout 2: Point of Impact

Got my new Pixel 7 Pro. Wanted to see if I can play PS2 games (specifically Timesplitters Future Perfect), but after playing Riptide all week I was feeling nostalgic for some classic console racers!

Of the Burnout series--Burnout 2 isn't even the best one. I think it's basically a tie between Burnout 3 and Paradise. There's some other B3-era Burnouts I haven't played (like the 360 version), but I feel pretty confident in my appraisal.

Burnout 1 was interesting. Plenty of racing games had to offer what Burnout did, but the slight focus on crashing and building a boost-bar with dangerous actions made it feel pretty unique. I remember the original's cars being pretty bland. They were solid-colored, unexciting rip-offs of popular car types. But the slight deformation on the cars might it more exciting than the average racer--which just had solid cars collide with a flash of sparks and then you moved on.

Burnout 2 improved the game in every way: graphically, gameplay, and presentation. Watching my friend play through, I definitely felt it was more exciting and fun. I think I played a few races, but it was mostly him. I remember him holding a burnout-combo for over 1 lap. He practically burnout-boosted the entire race. That was cool!

I ended up buying Burnout 3 and it blew 1 & 2 away. The cars were much more interesting looking, the graphics were far more detailed, and the SFX made the experience far more exciting and intense! Then there was the crashing: WAY BETTER! Burnout 1 had car models that deformed slightly, Burnout 2 had a little more destruction, but Burnout 3 had cars that would fold and crumble in half--with glass, sparks, and debris flying every where! It was crazy! On top of that--wrecking other cars was a key mechanic...

Burnout 1 & 2 allowed opponents to wreck, but there's little one could do to influence it. I even tried to just now to bump and push other cars and it was like trying to redirect a train of its tracks with a leaf blower. But B3 let you disrupt an opponent's controls with a bump, or side swipe them into a wall, oncoming traffic, or other obstacle. And you were celebrated and rewarded for this! So not only were you battling the track and traffic, but you literally battled the other racers. It was fantastic.

Anyway--I'm not sure why Burnout 2 attracted me when there was a better game available. There's something about those bland-but-fun PS2 classics that tickle my nostalgia nerve. Because I've been playing Riptide Renegade on Mobile, I've been really pumped to play some classic-fun racers. And since I got a new phone, I was interested in trying out its emulation capabilities. Mostly I'm impressed.

Emulation on Pixel 7 Pro

I was a huge fan of PS1. So when PS2 promised to play PS1 games, awesome! I became a huge fan of PS2. So when PS3 promised to play PS1 & PS2 games: AWESOME! Unfortunately Sony abandoned BC. I thought they would correct that with Playstation Now for PS4--but they totally dropped the ball and haven't quite picked it back up.

When my original PS3 with BC died (after 8 long years of daily play for many hours) I wasn't sure how i was going to play PS2 games. And it's been a long struggle to figure that out. I had hoped the Pixel 4 XL could handle it--but not quite. (At least not Timesplitters: Future Perfect.) I've got a PC that can handle the emulation now, but I love the convenience of using my phone (I don't have a desk or designated PC play space. So it can get awkward setting up my laptop.)

I was able to get Timesplitters Future Perfect working with 4x resolution by switching to Vulkan backend. It's been great so far!! I tried getting Burnout 2 to work on AetherSX2--but it fails to recognize the disc. I've tried to mess around with the regional bios, but it's not getting me the results I want. So tried it out for GameCube with the Dolphin emulator (which has generally been a more pleasant emulation experience in the past).

This version worked. The game ran well at 4x until I got to the highway track. Framerate dropped to 45 fps and the audio chugged along with it. Wasn't great. I switched to Vulkan backend and everything got a little bit better. But the highway tracks still cause slowdown. Not sure how to fix it, but almost every other track runs at a smooth 58-60 fps.

How's it play?

The game requires a "training" section. You have about 6 exercises to go through explaining how to build the boost meter and do burnouts. When this game first came out and I was a high school teenager, the hand-holding that reminded me of Gran Turismo's license tests was kind of exciting. I thought, Wow--how cool that they've spent production time to teach you and pull you into the experience. Now I'm like, "Just let me race!"

Riptide Renegade, like many modern racers, teaches the core mechanics in the first race. It's a 5-10 minute experience of going through a first race. The game pauses and explains a feature, then encourages you to complete the feature. Compared to the tutorial of Burnout, it's not so invasive and is over quick. There's lots of loading in Bunrout 2, so loading each tutorial feels more laboring than it should be.

But then you start racing. The cars are just "unlocked". No purchase necessary--though you have to beat further challenges to unlock more. That's not so bad, but I miss games that give you cash even if you fail, meaning that if you fail long enough you get to buy something new. But then again, Burnout's approach makes getting new cars less grindy.

The cars control ok. Burnout 1 had really stiff cars. These feel better. But still not as nice as Burnout 3 or Paradise. The crashing is exciting enough, but not like the latter games. It's interesting, you only race 3 opponents. I'm guessing this is due to technical constraints. But the game does a good job of keeping the races intimate. While I was able to pull ahead in many races, the AI is always just behind. And if you fall behind, they don't leave you too far behind. It keeps the racing exciting and fun.

I did notice after barely holding first place with 2 laps that were about 1 minute 15 each, somehow I still came in first with an abysmal 1 minute 40. Maybe it'll get harder later.

The point of playing this was just to feel some nostalgia and test out my emulation capabilities. But I'm considering playing through. I don't know...there's plenty of Riptide left and I've got many other games on my list.

[shawdonovan]

Why Starting A Home Based Company Is The Smartest Choice You Can Ever Make

Look for books to rent for the. Honestly, renting textbooks is emerging as the popular and cheap option compared to purchasing your own book. You can, at the conclusion of the semester, resell your book, nevertheless, you run the potential risk of earning less if another edition comes out, or if perhaps there is not a or little demand for the book. https://chothuelaptop.info/cho-thue-laptop-ha-noi/ At minimum if you rent, acquire less, without having to worry about reselling. Certain that your for prices of rental books - make sure you indicate how long you require the book for in order to obtain the accurate value tag. Almost all components with the laptop are designed into the motherboard. Issues with the video training? You have to switch the whole motherboard. Downside to the stereo? You have alter the whole motherboard. Challenge with the Browse? You have which can. you get image quality. When you factor each morning cost of parts and labor repair an old laptop, you're more often than not better off buying a more modern and faster laptop which comes with another 1-3 year warranty. I exactly how tempting desires to give. I've been there, but having perpetually updating social media feeds open on your desktop can be a guaranteed strategy kill your productivity useless. Especially when most feeds alert in order to definitely new notifications as often. Before you know it, have got replied to 3 Facebook status updates, opened 5 links of shared content in new tabs from your Twitter and stalked several former colleagues through LinkedIn! One more tip may be that when you are looking for for accommodation, besides checking a price, look set at a map, besides. Try to find the neighborhood that couldn't survive too from the places you need to visit so as not to waste extra funds on transportation. Also, be particular check regardless of if the neighborhood is protected. When you arrive in the post office, simply present your passport as identification and it's possible to claim your mail. Generally post offices around society need to rent a laptop will hold mail to a maximum of two many decades. You can rent expensive hotels and the idea as a satellite headquarters for your stay typically the city. A person are take your tablet pc or laptop out the particular field following which come to finish function. The network marketing aspects could pay if you could a suite, where get a small section organize to handle visits. You other method for a short mobility campaign but allow us to take an in-depth look inside of a longer mobility campaign, as an example six months on the actual. The motor house the best investment, an immediate home and office that could haul specialty office exercise gear. You can host visits and sign deals tied to the living room and save cash for that long-term lettings. Since features still in the winter months mode, the temperature was at the low 50's, in order to us has been created literally ice. We had planned for the coldness and had our sweatshirts with us, but I really could want manage long pants so my legs ended up getting a little chilled.

[takenbyheartstrings]

Burden | corpse x reader

Summary: You and Corpse get into a nasty fight, which ends in broken hearts.

Pairing: Corpse x Fem!reader

Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Fluff

Authors Note: cried, laughed and cried again during this lmao. i just wanna give him a hug 🥺

requests are open!! <3

You groaned loudly, you and Corpse were in a heated fight, his symptoms started to flare, but he didn’t care, and neither did you.

You groaned loudly, your frustration bubbling, “Babe! I don’t care that you don’t wanna take pictures with me, I don’t fucking care that we can’t go outside, I don’t fucking care if I can’t show you off, because I love you.”

“Y/N YOU’RE NOT GETTING IT,” Corpse sighs, “Every fucking day I feel like I’m a burden to you. I feel like you can do so much better than me. BECAUSE YOU CAN. I FEEL LIKE I’M A FUCKING BURDEN.”

“I DON’T WANT BETTER THAN YOU. THERE IS NO BETTER THAN YOU AND YOU ARE NOT A BURDEN.” Pools of clear, salty water filled your eyes.

Corpse groaned, matching your frustration, “I’m just worried that I can’t give you the life you want, and I want you to have better. No, fuck that I need you to have better.”

“What does that mean for us then. I want you and you want me to have better than you.”

“I STILL WANT YOU Y/N, but I can’t fucking live with the fact that I couldn’t give you want you need. That I never can.”

You were in shock and you knew what was coming for the two of you, you just didn’t want to believe it at all and it was so fucked up and terrible and you knew you wouldn’t be able to live without this man. Your anxiety wouldn’t be able to handle that you weren’t with him anymore. Your breath became heavy, as you felt a weight on your heart. Your stomach shrunk and you felt so constricted by yourself. You shook your head at him, from the opposite side of the bed as both of you were on either side.

“We’re over, we’re done. Live a better life without me in it, y/n. As long as you’re happy, I won’t regret it.” Tears ran down the boy’s skin.

You weren’t angry anymore, you were anxious, you were in sobs, “Fine,” Corpse face fell when the word came out of your mouth.

You turned around and opened the closet that held the both of your clothes. Taking off Corpe’s sweater that you were currently wearing, throwing it at him, taking all your clothes out of the closet, opening a duffle bag shoving everything inside of it. Putting on another shirt to cover up the bra that covered your chest. You couldn’t believe he would end things with you. After all you guys have been through.

You convinced him to move out to L.A. when most of your friends had made the same exact transition. You got him to open up to you without even trying in the first two weeks of knowing him. You were the first person he showed his face before he showed the rest of your friends. He said I love you first and was okay with it when you were hesitant about saying it back, even though you said it three days later without even knowing you had. You were both sat in bed and he said “You said it back.” “Said what back?” “I love you. You said it, this morning when you hung up the phone.”.

After throwing the duffle bag over your shoulder, you looked at him once more, “I’ll be back tomorrow to get the rest of my things, my PC, my set up, all of it. You can keep the TV, you can keep everything else, I just need my set up.”

“Done. See you tomorrow.” Corpse sighed, taking a seat on what had been a shared bed, was now his. He couldn’t believe he was sleeping in the king bed the two of you had bought because you were one of the biggest bed hog’s he had ever met. You walked out and he looked down at the f/c coloured bed sheets you had convinced him to let you put on, even though he preferred the black ones, but you let him have the wall behind the two of you black and helped him painted the room. As well as painting the walls of his gaming room black too.

You got into your little Honda Civic, as you drove for around 15 minutes finally reaching Rae’s house. You told yourself you wouldn’t break down in front of her, but you knew that you would. You got out of your car, and closed the door as you walked up to Rae’s front door. Knocking on it, she didn’t answer at first but you looked down at the clock on your phone, noticing that it was 12:00am. Although she might’ve been sleeping, she could’ve been streaming.

So you knocked again, and she opened the door, her bedroom room was lit up from what you could see, and she was streaming. She noticed the duffle bag and let you in, placing a finger to her lips telling you to whisper. Running back to her stream room.

“Well guys! I’m getting tired so, I’m gonna end it here, goodnight!” She said cheerily. Before shutting off her PC and ending the stream walking back out into her living room to see you sitting on the couch. You were in sobs.

“He ended it, Rae, he ended things with me and I can’t br-breath.” You said taking a deep breath as she sat down next to you pulling you close to her. “How am I supposed to go and get my things tomorrow, I can’t even think about him without crying and picturing his smile and hearing his laugh and crying. What hurts even worse is the fact that he didn’t even want to end it, he ended it because he said I could do better. When I can’t get better than him.”

“What makes him say that?” She asks.

“He thinks he’s holding me back. He thinks because he doesn’t show his face online, he doesn’t want to leave the house, he thinks he’s holding me back and he’s not because that’s not what people do when they love eachother, when people love eachother, they walk through life together. They experience things together. We loved eachother.”

“Y/n, it’s gonna be okay, you just need to talk to him, you both clearly still want to be together, so you just need to tell him what you told me - he’s loosing his mind if he’s letting you out of all the people go. So when you go pick up your things, talk to him.”

You nodded, “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll just talk to him.”

Well, talking to him was harder than you thought. You texted him five minutes before you got there to give him a heads up. You walked upto the front door the next morning, seeing a yellow post-it note on the front door.

Pick up your things, text me when you leave.

You sighed, calling Rae, “Rae, can you come help me get my stuff, Corpse isn’t here,,, he left.”

“On my way.” She sighs.

With the two of you getting your set up, it didn’t take long before it was dismantled and in both of your cars. Your pc, mic and monitor and your now broken desk chair in your car, and your desk in Raes.

Gone <3

Was what you texted Corpse after you left. You thought the little heart was cute, but you knew it wasn’t needed and so did you. You didn’t set your stuff up at Rae’s knowing it would only be temporary. You told your fans you were visiting your parents and wouldn’t be streaming for a little bit. Though they knew something was up, you hadn’t responded to any of Corpse’s tweets or hadn’t commented on the fact that he posted another hand pic, usually a cute remark like “that’s one sexy hand ^-^” or something like that would be in the comments.

Every night that week without him, you cried yourself to sleep, every night the next week, you did the same, and the week after that, you did it again. It had been almost a month since you guys had ended things and you still cried. You would keep crying. Corpse knew you were staying with Rae, and made sure to ask her if you were okay. Short answer, Rae told him every time: No.

It was raining one night, fit the mood, as you sat in bed on your laptop watching streams of him play, missing his laugh and his voice. You frequently went back to the stream where he couldn’t do admin swipe, because that was the hardest he had laughed on camera. The hardest he had ever laughed was when you two had fallen off of the bed, when you had surprised him with a kiss. A heavy thump echoed through the house as the both of you fell into a fit of laughter, you had calmed down, but he was still going - couldn’t look at you without bursting into a laughing fit - he tried to stop the laughter, because it was making his stomach hurt like 30,000 knifes, but he couldn’t. That admin swipe didn’t even come close. But it was close enough for you as you cried watching them. You opened your camera roll to which you found lots of photos of him. You cried.

You got up out of Rae’s guest bed. She was streaming so you just shot her a text careful not to give your location away. She shot you a simple text back as you left the house in your little black honda civic, you looked at the little plastic bag he had set up for your gum wrappers and used gum.

Tears ran down your face as the rain followed. You sighed getting out of the car standing in the rain contemplating if you should go and knock on the door or not. You knew he wouldn’t be doing okay. Or maybe he was, but you just knew him too well to know he wouldn’t be hurting.

“Fuck it.” You muttered under your breath.

You walked up to the front door, knocking on it furiously as the porch light turned on. He opened the door. You looked at his face, his eyes were bloodshot red like yours, and you could hear tiny sniffles coming from his nose. You could see the couch behind him had been pulled out into the bed, but there was nobody staying over. He couldn’t sleep in the bed the two of you shared. But you knew you had to give the sappy ass speech because you were both hurting.

“When I started streaming in 2015, I didn’t think it would be like this. Y’know. I knew I’d be meeting people left and right, but I didn’t know I would meet you. Until I did. Then we started to talk outside of the group and streams and, everything else. Then you opened up to me about everything you possibly could and we knew each other for two months. But that felt like years. Then you asked me to come to San Fransisco and thank god i said yes. Then we went on two dates on your balcony and they were perfect, and thennnn you asked me to be your girlfriend and of course I said yes. One year later, I convince you to move to L.A. with me, you say yes. We move here, buy a house, everything was perfect. Two years later, I’m sitting in bed for one month, crying over you, because we both want each other, you just wanna give me better. But that’s not how it works. How it works is we go through life together and I’m fine waiting for you, because I can’t live without you. I can’t function without you and people who love eachother go through life together and we loved eachother. I still love you.” By the end of it, your words were unintelligible to anyone but him.

He just looked at you, the same tears running down his face as you, he sighs of relief, “Thank fuck. I tried to call you everyday, but I couldn’t. Not after I was a coward like that. It was so fucking shitty of me to do that to you - I just wanted you to have better. I needed you to have better.” He cried as you pulled him close, your foreheads touching.

“It’s okay,” You said hugging his head.

“Please take me back, please.” He choked.

Your foreheads touched, “Of course I’ll take you back, I need you back.”

Your soft lips pressed onto his as you both smiled against it. You could taste the salty water between your lips. Although Corpse’s eyes were now dried. He smiled down at you pulling you back into a hug. Rae texted you as you heard the familiar ding of your phone.

Pulling away from Corpse and pulling your phone out, a screenshot of both you and Corpse’s bitmoji’s showed up on Rae’s snap maps. A message sat underneath it.

this you? 🤭

You chuckled showing Corpse as he let out a laugh with you.

yeah SDFJHDKFSJDNG spending the night here :)

i knew you guys could get through this! see you tomorrow, come pick up your shit 😐

SDJFKDJF all jokes aside - thank you so much Rae, i wouldn’t have been okay without you. i hope i wasn’t a burden on you.

of course you weren’t! now remember, i’ll see you tomorrow 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

So that night, you lay in your bed with your boyfriend. Your boyfriend. God, it felt nice to say that again. It was warm and soft and you liked the way his chest fell up and down as you lay on it. His strong arms around you. Careful never to let you go again.

People don’t believe in soulmates, but you knew you had found yours, as when you thought he was asleep, he intertwined your fingers together, as you both fell asleep entangled in between each other.

[kylos]

Finding high quality film/tv rips, saving the large files, and screencapping them are half the battle for gifmakers when setting out to make a gifset. Here’s a little guide on this process, including my advice on

Where to download stuff

Where to store your movies/shows

Screencapping programs

Making gifs as HQ as possible, including tips for picking out what to download when you have multiple options (not all 1080p rips of the same movie or tv episode are the same quality and I explain why)

Why screencaps of 4k movies can look weird and washed out and how to fix that

and more

✨ You can find my gifmaking 101 tutorial here and the rest of my tutorials here.

Where can I download movies and shows?

First off, I prefer direct downloading rather than torrenting stuff because it’s faster and with torrenting, there’s more of a risk. Other people downloading the same torrent can see your IP address. This means movie studios can find out you’re downloading their content and can send you a warning letter. The download speed also varies depending on how many other people are seeding it. I would only do it if it’s your only option and you have a VPN or something.

This is THE best guide for pirating I’ve ever seen. I use it for finding sites for books, music, you name it. The part of the guide you’d want to look at is where it says Direct Downloads Link (DDL) sites. My favorite place is Snahp. These ddl sites will have links to their movie/tv rips that are typically hosted on one of these two sites: google drive or mega.nz. You can download stuff from both of those sites for free, but with mega, they have a 5GB file download limit unless you have a premium account. I personally pay the $5 a month membership for mega because it’s worth it imo. You can buy a subscription through the mega app found on the iphone app store (so you’re billed through apple and it’s less scary than giving a random site your credit card info lmao) and as for androids I think mega has an app on there too.

So basically, if you go to http://snahp.it, they’ll have rips for different movies and shows.

You click on the movie title and it’ll take you to a page where they have links for the video which they have uploaded on a variety of sites (including mega).

How do I make my gifs as HQ as possible?

It’s best to gif things that are 1080p. And usually the higher the file size, the better. A really important thing to note is that not all 1080p bluray rips are the same. The piracy groups that rip these files take uncompressed .mkv rips from discs that are anywhere from 10gb to like 50gb, and then run that through video converters to compress the file down so that they’re 2-8gb. Sometimes when that happens, the video quality goes down a LOT. The same goes for TV episodes. One rip could be 800mb, the other could be 3gb and both could claim to be “1080p” but the quality would be NOTICEABLY different. Your best bet is to always pick the rip with the highest file size.

I’ll show you an example with this scene from You’ve Got Mail.

I downloaded 2 different 1080p rip versions of the film. Both claim to be 1080p, but one is 2.41 GB and the other is 9.75 GB. After taking screencaps, it’s obvious that there’s a BIG difference in quality.

(these pictures are best viewed on desktop tumblr)

When it comes to Blu-ray rips, download remux versions of films and shows if possible. Remux means .mkv files that are uncompressed and straight from a Blu-Ray disc. Giffing remux rips cuts down on the possibility of seeing pixel-y effects a LOT in my experience. It’ll take a bit longer to download than typical 1080p rips but it’s worth it imo.

For TV episodes, if you can’t find a Blu-Ray rip, uploads with the word AMZN in it are usually the highest quality and your best bet (unless you see another upload that’s higher in file size - again: always try to pick the highest file size). 'AMZN’ means they’re from a person that ripped the episode from Amazon Prime Video.

Also, even better than 1080p is 4k (2160p). I only really recommend this though if you know you’re going to gif something up close and crop it a lot - like if it’s a big 540x540px close-up gif of a person. You’ll REALLY see the difference if it’s a 1080p vs 4k rip in that situation. I usually don’t bother with giffing 4k files unless it’s the case above because my laptop lags when taking 4k screencaps and it takes longer to load them into photoshop (4k screencaps are usually about 60mb each!)

⭐️ Another thing that’s important is making sure that when you actually make your gifs, you set them to the correct speed (.05 for movies and most shows, and .04 sometimes for reality tv and live broadcasts). Here’s my gif speed guide. Having the right gif speed is really important for making a gifset HQ. You don’t want it to look too slow or too fast.

What’s your favorite video player to take screenshots with?

MPV player, hands down. And I’ve tried a TON of programs over the years. I’ve tried KMPlayer and found that it added duplicate frames (and even missing frames) which is horrible, and I’ve tried GomPlayer which is.....I’m just gonna say it, I’m not the biggest fan of it. It’s a little overly complicated in my opinion and it has ads. If you like these programs, more power to you! Use whatever you’re comfortable using. I just like MPV the most because it doesn’t have ads, it’s simple, you can take sequential screencaps with a keyboard shortcut, and it can play 4k movies.

Screencaps I take of 4k 2160p movies look so dull and washed out, like the colors aren’t right. Why is that?

That’s because your computer can’t handle HDR 4k video files. It probably can handle SDR 4k video files, but unfortunately, 99% of 4k rips out there are HDR.

[picture source]

Now, HDR displays just fine on computers that have 4k-HDR capabilities, but most older computers don’t have this ability. Having said that, MPV - the video player I mentioned above can take a 4K-HDR video and fix the colors/lighting in real time so it displays correctly AND take screenshots of it with the fixed colors. If you have an older version of MPV, make sure you download the newest update for this. In my general gifmaking tutorial, there’s a portion on how to install this program on macs. I also just made a video tutorial on how to install it on pcs here!

High quality TV and Movie rips can take up a LOT of space on my computer. Where do you store your files?

I store them on external hard drives. External hard drives are like flash drives but they have a MUCH higher storage capacity. You just plug them into your computer via a usb cord when you need access to the files and it’s that easy. I have two of these Seagate 4TB hard drives in different colors so I can easily pick out whichever one I need. I have silver for my movies (because it makes me think of “silver screen” lmao and it’s easier for me to remember) and then I just have a blue for shows. Now, external hard drives of this size can be $$$$ but it’s worth it imo. Look out for when they’re on sale.

What’s the size limit for gifs now?

It’s 10mb! It used to be 3mb and then last year Tumblr upped it to 5mb. Some gifs initially had distortion because of Tumblr’s switch from the .gif to .gifv format, but they’ve fixed the problem AND increased the upload limit to 10mb.  Just make sure not to add any lossy to a gif.

Lossy is basically a grain you can add to a gif to lower the file size down. Gifmakers (including myself) used to use this as a trick to get the file size down under 3mb. However, since the .gifv update on Tumblr, any gifs with Lossy added will look distorted like it’s a gif made on a phone app or something.

_________________________________

That’s it for this guide! Again, feel free to check out my other tutorials on photoshop, how to center subtitles, download hq movie trailers, and more ✌️

UPDATE 6/23/20 ⚠️

I’ve gotten an ask about this problem 3 times since I’ve uploaded this tutorial, so I thought I’d add this in. If you are experiencing duplicate and/or missing frames in mpv, it is a glitch with the latest version of mpv. download an older version like 0.29.0. this happened to me on my mac and downloading an older version fixed the problem.

[fireberryarts]

So because of my current... set up I couldn’t try the clean-line animation that I wanted, but I tried to fix up issues where I could. See below under the cut for a more detailed explanation of this process (which also serves as a record for my own future reference so it isn’t really complaining. It is, but it isn’t really. Kind of).

I’ve never actually tried animating lighting and shading like this. I think it came out better than I thought it would.

Originally it was a 32-frame animation, but I fixed the pacing and it became a 49-frame animation. 

Here is the first as a comparison 

Considering.... below... I am very happy with how it came out. 

Now I die in peace xD

Also the compression for Tumblr is terrible. Here is a larger version (remove brackets and spaces bc Tumblr don’t like outgoing links apparently);

https [://] 1drv[.]ms/u/s!AiJ2rEKcRHVihDJxgCnxVeVD4S7G?e=T1o6yC

I hope you guys like it and I sincerely thank you for all the lovely comments on my work. Thank you! You guys are great!

Okay so a little bit of an annoyed rant but;

The laptop I am using has issues. I have BSoD often which really slows down progress, even if I DO save often. I also don’t trust it with my data. This problem came about during uni so I bought a new laptop - a gaming laptop so it could handle the things I want - but I ended up with a dodgy one. It got to the point where I’d struggle bringing up the task manager and it’d take up to an hour to boot up. I stopped shutting it down entirely. 

Couldn’t do anything because I was living in halls and I NEEDED a laptop for work. I couldn’t just send it off to be fixed. We (me and my brother) tried everything to diagnose the problem. It turned out to be a hardware issue. 

After uni I sent it back to be fixed, and they swapped out the hard drive and the wifi card and gave it back. It declined again proving the issue isn’t the hard drive. It was most likely the motherboard. I sent it off again, and they just formatted it and sent it back. Ofc I was upset over that so I sent it off again and explained in detail why it’s not a hard drive issue, not a virus, please check the motherboard.

They formatted and sent it back.

This was over the course of months. In the end I asked for a refund. 

With the refund I bought parts for a PC to build. Have almost everything except a mouse, keyboard and my own monitor (I salvaged one). I can’t use the PC with just the on-screen keyboard (you NEED a keyboard and mouse with TVP you have no choice) so we hooked my older laptop up to it for remote access. I installed TV Paint, but the lag from the PC, over the internet, to my shitty laptop and into my dodgy tablet is a bit much.

I could connect the tablet directly to the PC but the cables are not long enough and I have no comfortable chair, unless I want to end up with a sore arse for the end of time, it’s not a good idea to be doing work such as this without a comfortable seat. 

We’ve ordered longer cables, a mouse, keyboard and speakers, but it’s just waiting for them to arrive now. I’m sure there will be just as much delay as the PC parts due to the current pandemic.

What I’d do normally, animating, is have the initial sketchy-sketch (that I had already posted) then build a skeleton atop of that to ensure certain things (like head size) don’t change throughout. I wasn’t able to do that because that process absolutely requires an animation software to complete. It can’t be guesswork. It has to be watched in motion. 

Atop that I clean-line from what I’ve already done. More talented animators can animate in one go, but I can’t do that so I’m stuck doing it in a few layers.

What I had to do this time? Well the keyframes were drawn in Paint Tool SAI, transferred to TV Paint where I did my best with in-betweens. Fixing animation isn’t going to be a thing I can do in TVP so I tried it in SAI. Tried. 

After every few frames I’d export and transfer them to the PC and import them into TVP to watch them in motion. More often than now I’d fuck up somewhere and have to go back and fix the new issue. 

Shading and highlighting was done in SAI also. I had to do the base colour, export as a PNG as to lose the layers, then import them back so I can clip shading and highlighting layers ontop of the flattened image. 

It was... a process.

After all was said and done (including a background and foreground shading / highlighting layers), I imported them into TVP to watch the motion

I do NOT recommend animating this way. 

Just don’t. 

Don’t.

I’m just desperate to animate something after a literal year of being unable to do anything at all lmfao

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #425

“evolution repressed by our backwards contest  /  breeding our torrential demise as we come to this edge”

Serious question, peanut butter or nutella? I think Nutella is a godsend, but I use peanut butter waaaaay more often. We don't even really buy Nutella because I will destroy the jar. Do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes? Baked. What is your oldest sibling’s middle name? Kathryn. I think. Do you like breadsticks? I just like bread, man. What are your favorite things to spend money on? Tattoos, uuuuugggghhhhh <3 Which would you rather have a new puppy or kitten? Neither, really. Most puppies drive me insane (even though they're cute as everliving fuck), and I don't want another cat. Mom actually talked about getting another, but I really just want my one boy. Roman would get SO jealous, anyway. I enjoy just having my baby. How old will you be on your next birthday? 26. Yikes. Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people? As "the fat one," I can be sometimes. I would say though that more often than not, it's sort of whatever to me because I'm a human that has to eat. When you opened your eyes this morning, what were your first thoughts? I thought I slept way later than I actually did. What is one thing in the room you’re in that reminds you of somebody? My stuffed meerkat Rebel. Jason got it for me for my first birthday that we were together. Could you ever be friends with somebody who was homophobic? Never again. I was once able to think "agree to disagree," but sometimes by doing so, you're siding with evil by not enforcing what is more than just a belief. It should come with being a human. Also given my own sexuality, it would be a slap in the face to me. Would you ever want to be a supermodel, or date one? Hell no. I'd date one though, if they were modest about their position. Honestly, have you ever made fun of somebody so bad they cried? Wow, no. Honestly, would you rather be complimented on your looks or intelligence? Quite frankly, nowadays, my appearance. I need it. My self-confidence is so far below "shit." Have you ever purchased a pregnancy test, for yourself or otherwise? Nope. You can get one thing, anything, for free right now. What do you pick? Why? Hm. I know I talk about it a lot, but it would still probably be a 40 gallon terrarium for Venus. She needs - and deserves - it. Honestly, have you ever danced naked? NOOOOOOOO. What was the first illegal thing that you did? Did you get caught? Downloaded music. My mom eventually found out, but didn't care much. What is the home page on the computer you’re on? Google. Do you like to write poetry? I do, but I haven't done it in a while. :/ Are your ears pierced? Yes. If so, were they pierced with a piercing gun, or with a sterile needle? Piercing gun. Which, by the way, do not do. There are many more risks with a piercing gun versus a needle by a professional. Do you wear makeup regularly? I never do. Did you eat cereal for breakfast today? No. I've been on a bagel kick lately. When was the last time you tripped over something? Last night, actually. The rug in the living room was slightly turned up, and I tripped in the dark. I didn't actually fall, thankfully. Any obsessive-compulsive tendencies? I'm diagnosed with OCD. I experience more ruminations and intrusive thoughts more than obsessive behaviors, though. Who was the last person you yelled at? Probably Mom. Why did you yell at them? I don't remember. Favorite type of apple? I like pink lady apples. I really enjoy any, so long as they're crisp. Ever seen live horse racing? No. To be totally honest, I don't really like the concept of it. Motivating a horse to run by hurting it doesn't exactly seem moral... How about live greyhound racing? No. What’s one thing, besides the obvious, that you couldn’t live without? The Internet, haha. Have you ever touched a giraffe? No. What does your mom call you? Britt. What stresses you out the most in life? I really don't think I could pick a top one. There are so many. Do you play any PC games? What is your favorite? Yeah. Y'all probably know WoW is my favorite. If you were pregnant, how would you tell the father? Well, that would depend on the circumstances. Did we want a baby? Was it a bad surprise, a happy surprise? I can't answer this with just one idea. What’s the hardest level you can play on Guitar Hero? I used to be able to slam out Expert easily with only very few songs I had to play on Hard, but now it's been YEARS. I've played less than once in a blue moon, and my skill's definitely faded some. It really depends on the song. What ever happened with you and your first boyfriend? He couldn't handle my depression anymore. What’s your favorite country song? "When The Stars Go Blue" by Tim McGraw, probably. What is the worst thing a former boyfriend/girlfriend has done to you? Fail to communicate what he was feeling with me and then make a dashing break for it very, very abruptly after three and a half years. It put me past a state of shock, but trauma with how no less than obsessed I was with him. What were you for Halloween last year? I didn't dress up. :/ I wish I had the money and motivation alike to. Are you feeling guilty for something? I always will. Are you usually quiet or loud? Quiet. How many hours do you spend on the computer a day? Like... uh... all of them, oof. What is the show that you watched when you were little, and you still do? Meerkat Manor. Do your siblings text you? Not really. Do you want a small or big wedding? Small. Have you ever searched for your own house on Google Earth? Not the house I currently live in, but I have before. Who is your ex dating/talking to? I don't know. Ever kissed someone who smokes? No. Does it take a lot for someone to annoy you? Frankly, no. Do you own your own computer? This laptop, anyway. Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings? Yes, with my younger sister as a kid and pre-teen. What noises in the room you’re in, do you hear at the moment? I hear the video I'm watching, as well as my fan. Have you ever dated someone with longer hair than yours? Yes. What’s the biggest upcoming event for you? Nothing. Not like that's a surprise. What do you typically order from Wendy’s? Son of the Baconator. @_@ Have you ever been given a lapdance by an actual stripper? No. Those are so awkward to me. What do you love most about yourself? I don't know these days. Have you ever received a hickey from the last person you kissed? No. What are you doing right now? This survey and re-watching John Wolfe play Outlast 2. What’s bothering you right now? I'm immensely nervous about tomorrow. I have my first (and I pray the fuck to God not only) session with my new personal trainer then, and I'm terrified by how my body and my mental fortitude is going to react. Y'all have no fucking idea JUST how out of shape I am, and the muscles in my legs seem basically non-existent by now. I have to do something about my health, though, and I'm determined to make this shit work. More than determined. I know the first day is going to be hard, but I need to do this more than I can explain. What was the last thing you drank? ... What great fucking timing, I have a can of Mountain Dew, lol... That's another thing that needs to change. I've gotta stop the emotional and boredom-eating and chill the fuck out with soda. Be honest, do you like people in general? Quite frankly, no. There are plenty of people I love and think are amazing, of course, but I think I lean towards humanity being too shitty to like "in general." Do you want your tongue pierced? I miss my snake eyes. :/ That was suuuuch a cute piercing. I just had to take it out for the safety of my teeth. I kept accidentally clamping down on one of the balls when eating, and it would cause tiny fractures. Do you change your phone background a lot? No. Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something? No. Have you ever been strip searched? No. Do you have a funny last name? Does anyone make fun of it? It's not funny-sounding, no, I just think it's too manly for me to enjoy as part of my name. Ever have a drug overdose? What did you OD on exactly? Yes. Oddly enough, I don't remember what I OD'd on now... You'd think I would, given how extreme the situation was. It was some cold medicine. Do you get sick of people who call themselves bipolar all the time? I absolutely do. It's extremely insensitive to people like myself who legitimately suffer - and I do mean "suffer" - from the disorder. Describe your day so far in three words: Dull. Lazy. Anxious. What was the most stressful project you had so far/while in school? Probably my senior project and the presentation I had to do for it. I taught about the fallacies and misconceptions of snakes, and I made a PowerPoint and some drawings to color and crosswords for the special ed children. I was so, so very nervous, but I got through it fine and the kids seemed to enjoy it. I actually still have the recording. Choose one- Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers: MILKY WAY. FUCK I love those. Have you ever stepped in dog poop? UGH yes. What was the last thing you spent money on? My niece's birthday present. Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed? Yeah. Is there a guy that knows a lot about you? I almost said "yes," but then I realized he doesn't know me at all anymore. I've changed so much, hopefully mostly for the better. He hasn't "known" me in many years. Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without? It's terrifying to imagine my life without Mom; Sara, too. Do you prefer Starbucks coffee or small cafe coffee? I prefer no coffee. Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum? Nah. Do you enjoy being outdoors? If it's cool outside and I have somewhere to sit that's not the ground, yes. Do people tell you that you have an accent? Sometimes. Do you enjoy watching fireworks on the 4th of July? They're pretty, but I don't support their usage by this point in my life. They're a fire hazard, triggering to some vets with PTSD, and beyond terrifying for animals. What’re some unspeakable subjects for you? I get most heated about child molestation. You do not fucking touch a child like that. I don't even write any of my bajillion evil guys committing it in RP because I just can't stomach it. Even when my little sister (a children's social worker) is telling Mom about some stuff she sees at work, I have to not be present, 'cuz that shit isn't rare. It's nauseating. Is there anyone you would take a bullet for? A good number of people, honestly. Do you enjoy tanning? Hell no, I avoid the sun and heat at like all costs. Are you a virgin? This is going to sound weird, but I actually don't know, but I lean towards no. Who’s your celebrity crush? mARK EDWARD FISCHFUCK Did or do you get good grades in English class? I was always excellent in English. What part of your body are you self-conscious about? My stomach. But I'm self-conscious about everything else, too. Are you expected to help fix Thanksgiving dinner? No. Everyone knows I can't cook worth a damn. Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer? Truly close, no. Unless you include pets, actually. Then a few. :/ Do you personally know anyone who is transgender? Yep. When was the last time you got a shot? Earlier this year for Covid. Get your fucking vaccine, btw. :^)

[13dead-ends]

Chapter Four - Worries

Henry Cavill x Named OC

Chapter Four of Blood Bound

Summary: Nina’s figuring out she cares a lot more about Henry than she first realized and maybe, just maybe, Henry likes her too.

Word Count: 6k

Warnings: mentions of blood, blood drinking, wrist biting/wounds, SMUT, female masturbation, swearing.

A/N: I got this chapter done so fast yay! don’t expect that to become normal though. And as always thank you to @hellcaster901​ for always reading my workt before I post it. Enjoy! :) 

I flung myself on to my bed, ready to go sleep. Staying out at the party so late last night and getting up early today to talk to Irene had caught up to me. Well, it caught up to me when I took a three-hour nap at noon, but now I was ready to sleep for the night. I got under my covers and plugged my phone in. I set it down in my bedside table only to pick up again as it began ringing. I almost rolled my eyes until I saw Henry’s name on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Nina, hi.” His voice was low and sweet in my ear. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, I’m awake.” I laid on my back and my head sunk in my pillow. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to call you. You forgot to come see me before you left the party last night.

“Oh my god, I did! I’m sorry!” Kari had gotten me distracted with more dancing and shots. I spaced going to see Henry completely. I didn’t usually have someone to say goodbye to after things like that.

“It’s okay. As long as you got home okay.” He sighed. “Did you enjoy yourself? Your friends seemed to be dragging you everywhere.” I laughed.

“Yeah, I did. I only just met most of them that night, but they were very welcoming.”

“Good, I’m glad you’re making friends.” I smiled. “I’m just very thankful that you decided to move. It means the world to me.”

“I’m happy I moved. I really love it here.” I rolled over on my side. “Thanks for picking me.” I mumbled the last part, but he heard me. There was a pause and I wish I could see what his face was doing.

““What are you doing?” He finally asked.

“Laying in bed. What are you doing?”

“On the couch with Kal.” I smiled.

“Aw, I still want to meet him.” Henry chuckled.

“Yeah, you’ll have to come over sometime.” I bit my lip, I liked that idea.

“I’d love to. And if you ever need someone to dog sit, I’m here.” I laughed.

“Maybe you should get a pet. I don’t like the idea of you alone in the apartment all the time.”

“Oh I’m fine.” The idea of getting a pet sounded nice though. He huffed and I imagined him shaking his head. “When do you start filming?”

“Next week, I probably won’t be around as often.”

“Yeah I figured.” I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. Not that I didn’t want him to go film, I just wish I could see him as much I was seeing him now.

“Good thing it’s in London now though. I won’t be too far away.” I grinned into the receiver.

“Good. I wouldn’t want you to go too long without blood.” I was somewhat used to the feeding. The feelings I got were still just as intense, even though I thought they’d get easier to handle. It was almost worse now, and I think it was because my fan girl crush on Henry was becoming genuine feelings for him. He still only took from my wrist, and I couldn’t start imagining it or else I’d have to hang up on Henry completely.

“Ah don’t worry about me.” He cleared his throat. “Do you want to come to a coffee shop with me tomorrow? I usually go to play computer games or read scripts, but you’re more than welcome to join me.”

“I would love to! I just started a new book actually. I could read with you.” My cheeks hurt from grinning.

“Alright sounds like a plan.” We started talking about books, then his new game, and whatever else we wanted. I woke up with my phone pressed into my cheek and the call ended. I must’ve fell asleep while listening to Henry.

 I flipped the page in my book as Henry got us coffee. This was the first time I had seen him since the party. While I loved the suit he wore then, I loved how he looked when he wasn’t trying too hard even more. He was wearing a hat today, covering a lot of his face when we were outside. I was excited to see him for the coffee date. Well not date, even if I pretended it was sometimes. I sighed looking up at him, he faced the counter and I traced the outline of his back with my eyes. Ever since the party I had been thinking of Henry a lot more. I stared back at the page. I wanted to dance with him again.

“Got it.” He was back, sitting in his chair across from me. He handed me some hot tea. It was finally starting to get cold out and I was probably going to go get Halloween decorations after this.

“Thank you.” He smiled, opening his laptop. “What are you gonna play?” I leaned forward against the table.

“That game I was telling you about.” He was a total dork when it came to PC gaming and I loved it. “I’m still stuck on the same level though.”

“I’m sure you’re doing better than I would.” We laughed as his laptop started up.

“How’s the book?” I looked down at the third page I had read since starting it.

“Good so far.” He nodded.

“Haven’t gotten very far I see.” He was looking at me over his laptop screen. I shrugged.

“That’s what today’s for right?” He nodded and looked back down at his laptop smiling and I went to my book. When his headset was on and his full focus was on the game, I looked back up at him. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated, a slight frown on his lips. I heard the clicking of keys as he squinted at the screen. I grinned back down at my book.

“Nina,” I looked up from the book. I was a few chapters in now. “You read fast.” He chuckled. His headset was around his neck.

“How long have we been here?” I laughed, stretching from my position.

“Only an hour or so. I got you some more tea.” I looked down and two fresh cups were on the table.

“Oh, thank you, I didn’t even notice.” I shook my head. “Have I been ignoring you this whole time?”

“No, I’ve been focused on my game.” He leaned on his elbows. “How’s the book?”

“Really good.” I leaned in on the table. “I told you last night it was about a witch, right?” He nodded. “Well, she pulls out this book that has been missing for centuries, and all the other witches and creatures around her notice, but only she can take it from the library. And it’s-“ I bit my tongue. I was rambling. “I don’t even know if I’m making sense.”            “No, keep going. It’s cute. You’re just excited, that’s all.” My cheeks warmed up. “I want to hear more.”

“The book it’s basically a book of life, but for witches and daemons…” Henry let me talk for a while. He always knew when to ask questions and the best questions to ask. It kept me going for at least an hour. I only stopped when his phone rang. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Hold that thought, dear.” He picked it up and I checked my phone for a bit. Ignoring the warmth in my cheeks from the nickname. “Hello? Uh, yeah sure I can. Sure.” I eavesdropped as he spoke. “Alright, thank you.” He hung up and sighed. “So the training for this afternoon can start early, and,” I laughed, he kept his features neutral, his eyes were bright and excited.

“Go! You don’t have to stay. You’re too excited for me to make you stay.” He relaxed, smiling at me.

“Thank you.” I shook my head. “I’m getting you home at least.” He started putting away his things. We got everything together and stood.

“If you wanna go straight there, don’t let me stop you.”

“Nope, I’m taking you home.” I just chuckled and he led me out the door to his car. I wanted to stay and talk with him for hours, but he was so excited to train. He was adorable and so passionate about his work. He opened the door for me, and I got in, buckling up. He got in the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“The wrong side of the road still weirds me out.” He laughed, pulling out of the parking lot. The ride was shorter than I wanted, before I knew it I was walking down my hallway with Henry. He insisted on walking me all the way to my door.

“You’re always such a gentleman.” I held my book in both my hands in front of me.

“I try to be. I’m glad you think so.” His arm brushed mine and my door was only one apartment away. “Thanks for coming with me, and I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly.”

“Don’t be sorry and thanks for inviting me to come.” We stopped at my door and I sighed as I got my keys out. “If, um,” I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “If you ever want company while you’re gaming or whatever. You can always ask me, or come over, if you want.” I jumbled my keys, somehow not finding the right one.

“I’ll have to take you up on that.” I finally found it and pushed it in the lock. I opened up the door but stood, Henry face to face with me. “I’m not sure when I’ll see you next, filming starts in a few days.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“Just call me when you can? And don’t go too long without taking any blood.” I smiled up at him and he smiled at me. Then he gave me a quick hug, I was so surprised, I barely had a chance to hug back. It didn’t last very long.

“Thank you so much, Nina.” He kissed my cheek as he let go and walked off. “See you soon!” He called.

“Bye, Henry.” I walked into my place, cheeks on fire. His big arms made for a really nice hug, even if it didn’t last. I felt myself grinning. I don’t remember doing that. I ran a hand over my face and plopped on the couch. I hadn’t felt this giddy since the last time I went on an actual date. I laid down on the couch completely. I lifted my arm and noticed what was left of the bite marks he had left after the last time I saw him. I sat back up. He didn’t feed today. Most times we spent time together, he fed. This was the first time he hadn’t since I moved. I texted him.

You didn’t feed today.

He didn’t text back for a few minutes. I set up Netflix as I waited, I had nothing better to do.

           It’s okay, I didn’t need to. I just wanted to see you.

My heart fluttered, and I held my phone to my chest. He’s making this easier to call that a date. I flopped back down on the couch and giggled like a kid. After getting over the giggles I replied and turned on a show. I needed to calm down before I got my hopes up too much.

  I put another handful of popcorn in my mouth as The Mandalorian walked along the screen with Baby Yoda in tow. I had finally gotten around to starting this and I hadn’t stopped. It was dark outside now and I was halfway through the show already. I moved to get my feet under the blanket, then nearly jumped out of my skin when two knocks came at my door. I picked up the remote to pause it, and threw my blanket off.

           “Nina? It’s me.” I sighed, relieved to hear Henry’s voice. I turned a lamp on and squinted in the light.

           “Coming.” I muttered, getting off the couch. I walked quickly to the door and opened it. I must’ve looked like a hobo in an old t-shirt and shorts. I chewed on my lip.

           “I don’t think you got my text.” He smirked, looking good in a tank and sweats.

           “No, I haven’t even looked at my phone in-“ I counted the episodes in my head. “Three or four hours?” I shrugged.

           “Well, I asked if I could come over, I wanted some company.” I smiled, then heard a jingle of metal. “Plus I brought someone for you to meet.” I opened the door a little wider and saw Kal sitting nicely beside Henry.

           “Oh my god.” I bent over and scratched his head. “Hi buddy. It’s so nice to meet you.” I pushed the door open, letting them in. “I’ve been binging all evening, that’s why I didn’t get your text.” I ran a hand through my tangled hair. I shut the door and Henry let Kal off his leash. He circled my legs, looking for more snuggles.

           “What are you watching?” He looked over at the screen. “The Mandalorian, what episode are you on?” As I stroked Kal’s back, I looked up at Henry.

           “Have you already seen it?” He nodded.

           “Yes! You haven’t?” I laughed. “Do you mind if I join you?” I shook my head grinning.

           “As long as Kal sits next to me on the couch.”

I don’t know how we got so close. Between sharing popcorn and Kal being a bit too big for all three of us to fit properly, my body had gotten pressed to Henry’s, he didn’t notice or mind. In fact he would put his hand on my thigh whenever he reached for the remote or more popcorn. He’d never leave his hand there for very long, but the touch was imprinted in my skin now. I was very aware of his hard bicep pressed into mine. Kal’s head was on my lap and he was a heater, or at least I think that’s why I felt so warm. I snuck a glance at him as credits rolled on the last episode. He was looking down at me.

           “What did you think?” He asked.

           “I loved it. I should’ve watched it sooner.” He chuckled.

           “Kal, get down,” Henry pointed to the floor and the dog moved. “You looked smushed in between us.” I relaxed, letting my body lean the other way, but not completely. Our thighs still touched. “I should let you get to bed, but if you don’t mind I’d like to feed before I go. If you don’t mind?” I shook my head, pulling my wrist out of the blanket. “Use your words, love.” I felt my legs quiver.

           “It’s fine. It’ll probably put me to sleep faster.” I smiled, trying to focus. It was still hot, even after Kal left my lap.

           “True,” He grabbed my wrist and my skin tingled. I had my other hand still under the blanket and it gripped the hem of my t-shirt when his lips met my wrist. I sucked in a breath and as I exhaled he pierced the skin. It didn’t sting so much anymore, it went straight to the tingles, the warmth. It washed over me and I felt my pussy throb with it. I gritted my teeth. God, what is wrong with me? I took a shaky breath, trying to suppress the moan in my throat. As he stopped I felt his tongue swipe over the marks. “Are you okay?” The tingles were fading fast, but my panties felt damp and I still felt hot.

           “Yeah, I’m alright.”

           “I’ll get you a bandaid.” I tried to calm down as he got up, but I couldn’t help but rub my thighs together for the feeling. He came back and placed the thing on me.

           “Thanks,” I smiled up at him.

           “No, thank you.” He kissed my cheek. “Kal and I will get out of your hair.” I scratched the pups head as Henry clicked his leash back on. I turned the TV off and followed him to the door.

           “I’ll see you next time?”

           “I’ll call you,” I nodded. “Good night.”

           “Goodnight.” I shut the door and locked it. I walked quickly to my bedroom, trying to not make to much noise since Henry’s got super hearing. I waited until I couldn’t hear footsteps in the hall and then threw my shirt off. I climbed into bed, the sheets cool on my flushed skin. “Fuck,” I mumbled. I couldn’t wait any longer and I slid my hand into my panties. I moaned as my fingers found my clit. I shut my eyes and my toes curled. I wanted it to be his fingers, not mine. I moaned again at the thought of his hands. I slid one down my slit and whined. I let it slid inside me and I arched my back. I started pumping it in and out, my breaths becoming shorter. I felt something inside begin to coil and my legs spread. I went deeper and I cried out. “Henry, please,” I gasped, his name pushed me off the edge and I came. I stilled and it pulsed through my body like electricity. I thought of Henry watching over me as I fall apart like this and I shivered.

           I woke up the next morning, way too early and very unsatisfied. While that was better than any porn I’ve tried in a while, this morning had me wishing it was really him. I pulled the covers up over my head and groaned. I didn’t want to do anything today. Suddenly my alarm rang and I groaned. Why the hell did I have an alarm set? I picked my phone up and shut the blaring thing off. I saw a text from Abbey.

We still on for lunch?

I ran a hand down my face. I forgot I told Abbey I’d come to lunch with her and James. Before Kari had left the party she had gotten our numbers exchanged. I sighed and got up, rubbing my tired eyes. At least I’ll be hanging out with someone other than Henry for once.

Yes we are! I’m getting ready now.

I replied to Abbey and got out of bed. I took a long hot shower and got dressed. I went out to the kitchen and got the kettle on for tea and noticed something on my counter. I walked over to it. It was Henry’s water bottle. He wasn’t usually one to forget things. I shrugged and picked it up. It was empty so I washed it in the sink with the rest of my dishes. After that the kettle whistled and I made my tea. When I finished it was about time to go so I got my things and left.

“Hi, Nina!” Abbey smiled at me as I sat down at the table. We were in a cute little café, James had picked it and he wasn’t here yet.

“Hi, Abbey, how are you?”

“I’m good, just the same old thing. How are you?”

“I’m alright.” Majorly frustrated about some things, but alright was a good word. “I stayed up too late last night.” I hope my dark circles had lightened up a little. I was too lazy to wear any makeup.

“Did you?” She leaned in closer to me. “Was Henry there?” My hand flattened against the table.

“Yeah, for little while. We watched a show all night.” I pursed my lips, calm down, she’s just asking you about your night.

“Did you watch it? Or did you just watch Henry?” James sat down next to me laughing.

“Shut up James she’s shy.” Abbey swatted at his shoulder.

“What? It’s fine. You and me both have slept with clients.” He patted my shoulder. “Don’t be shy, your stuck with us now.”

“We actually watched the show, just so everyone is aware.” I laughed with them.

“I don’t know how you hold back from that man.” Abbey shook her head grabbing her menu.

“Neither do I,” I mumbled, looking at my own menu. Before they could ask anymore questions the waitress came and we ordered. James started telling us about a party a donor took him too the other night and once again I was shocked to hear how much they’ve done and seen as donors. I wanted to write it down so I’d remember.

“Yes! He definitely was there.”

“No, Prince Harry was not at that party.” Abbey stared at James.

“It totally could’ve been him.” James held his hands up. “I won’t say I know for sure it was him, but it definitely looked like it.” I shook my head taking a sip of my drink. As I set it down I heard the click of heels coming toward us. I set my glass down and saw Lila, her hair up today, looking infuriately good in just jeans and a shirt. I wish I had put a little concealer under my eyes now. She smiled at us, but it looked like more of a smirk to me.

“Hi, guys. I saw you from the window and wanted to hello.” She said. I took a deep breath. Maybe she’s not that bad. I’ve only spoken to her once. “How is everyone?”

“We’re good, Lila.” James smiled. “Probably about to eat pretty soon.” Our food was due to come out. “How are you?” Her stupid brow cocked up.

“Well I’m great, I’m on my way to the company to make some requests.”

“Switching clients again?” Abbey had her arms crossed as she looked at Lila.

“Maybe,” Lila directed her gaze at me. “How’s your client, Nina?” I looked up at her, clearing my throat.

“He’s good. Filming for a little while.” I forced a fake smile. Why the fuck does she care?

“Not taking you along?” She pushed out her lips a little and faked a pout.

“He didn’t need to, be spent the night with her last night.” Abbey blurted; my eyes widened at her. I almost kicked her under the table, but the look on Lila’s face made slight embarrassment worth it. She stood up straight, a frown dragging the corners of her lips down.

“Yeah he did. It was a nice movie night.” My smile wasn’t fake anymore as I looked at her.

“Sounds fun.” Her face went back to a smirk. “Don’t get too comfortable with that though.”

“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brows.

“With filming and all.” She flicked her hair back. “Well, I should head off and let you eat.”

“Bye bye Lila.” James waves as she walked off. “God what the hell?”

“Nina,” Abbey leaned across the table towards me. “Do you remember if Henry’s profile said he liked multiple donors?” I leaned back.

“No, I don’t think so.” I tried thinking back to his profile. I hadn’t looked at it since I was back in LA. I had a copy of it at the Positive building.

“Well, I’m pretty sure Lila’s going to send out her profile again.” I rubbed my temple.

“What does that mean?”

“That Henry could get her file sent to him directly.” I swallowed. I didn’t like the idea of sharing Henry. I got jealous thinking about her and her stupidly gorgeous face and body. “He might want a second donor.” I took a deep breath.

“I mean it’s his choice.” I looked at the vase of flowers in the center of the table. “I can’t tell him not to.”

“Well you could, if you’re not comfortable with it.” And risk Henry dropping me altogether? No thank you.

“I don’t know. It’s seems wrong, if he wanted to. We still don’t know if he does or not. Maybe he won’t even look at her profile.” I was telling myself more than them.

“He seems like a loyal guy.” James patted my arm. “I’m sure you’re right.” He grinned at me and then the food got here. The conversation shifted from Henry, but I had him in the back of my mind. We finished lunch, and James and Abbey went off to go shopping. I just wanted to go home. Feeling more tired now that I had the idea of Henry taking another donor in my head. I went straight home and sat at the island. I rested my forehead on the cool counter. Trying to force myself to stop being so anxious. I took a deep breath and got back up. I had to do something today. I knew I wouldn’t get to see Henry anytime soon, and I wanted my mind to shut up about him.

The next time I did see him was the next week. I did errands, even got to hang out with Abbey again, but the entire time Henry kept nagging at my brain. It didn’t help that his texts and calls got less frequent as he filmed. At least now I was at his studio, being jostled around in a golf cart as Penny drove. He needed to feed today.

“His trailer’s over here. The scene he’s shooting now is running behind so he won’t be in there yet, but he should be on his way soon.” Penny looked ahead as she spoke.

“Thanks Penny.” Since Henry couldn’t leave, Penny came and picked me up from my place. When we made it through the studio gates, we had to switch to a golf cart to get around. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Of course, hon.” She smiled and slowed down in front of a trailer. “Go on inside. I have some errands to run. Henry will be there soon.” I nodded and got out, walking up the steps to the trailer. “Call me if you need anything!” Penny does away in the cart, and I opened the door. I heard a big bark and I grinned.

“Kal!” I shut the door behind me so I wouldn’t get knocked out of the trailer. “Hi cutie.” I just sat down on the floor to have better access to him. He just flopped on the floor for belly rubs. “Aw, what a good boy.” I loved on him for a little bit and stood back up, setting my bag down. Henry’s trailer was basically a fancy camper. There was a small couch and tv, a little kitchen area, and a door to the bedroom. I poked around a little bit there wasn’t much in there. I gave up and sat on the couch, Kal jumping up beside me.

“I hope your dad lets you on the couch.” I scratched his ear.

“He’s fine.” I jumped as the door opened.  Henry stepped through it. “You’re always so jumpy.” He laughed, shutting the door. He was in sweats and a t-shirt, but his hair was still a little styled. It was extra curly and had been ruffled from whatever position it was supposed to be in. I smiled.

“Hi, Henry.” He smiled at me quickly then averted his eyes. I frowned but stood as he set a bag down on the kitchen table.

“Hey, Nina. How are you?” He started unloading the bag, back turned from me.

“I’m good, how are you? How’s filming?” I stood next to him, he had his laptop and a script out, but he moved it too quick for me to see.

“It’s good, thank you again for coming out here.” He finally turned to me, but his blue eyes couldn’t meet mine. He scratched the back of his neck, and I think I saw a blush on his neck. What is going on?

“Of course. I was kind of excited. To see where you’ve been for the past week.” I rocked on my feet.

“Well, I can’t bring you to set, but I’m here quite a bit.” Kal had trotted over to us, leaning on Henry’s leg.

“At least you got Kal with you.” I chewed on my lip. “How long until you go back?”

“A few hours. You don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to.” I shrugged. He turned around and went to the couch. I followed and as he sat, I remembered something. Lila was sending out her profile, she probably sent it to Henry. He could’ve seen it by now. Did he want her instead of me? I ran a hand through my hair and heard Henry take a breath.

“Oh yeah.” I went over to my bag. “You left this when you came over.” I found the bottle and handed it to him. He swallowed and took it.

“Thank you. I was wondering where I put that.” He cleared his throat. I felt my heart rate pick up a little, thinking that he could be thinking of switching right now. “Why are you so nervous?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Um,” I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Do you want more than one donor? Or have you thought about it?” I huffed at myself. This was probably ridiculous. Did I sound ridiculous?

“Where did this come from?” Henry’s demeanor changed, his shoulders relaxed a little and he looked up at me. I sighed, rolling my eyes at myself.

“It’s that girl, from the party.” His brows furrowed.

“Who?”

“Lila, the red head?” I was a little more than pleased at the fact that he didn’t immediately think of her.

“Yeah? What about her?” He grabbed my wrist pulling me over to sit next to him.

“Well she’s looking for a new client, and it’s pretty obvious she wants you.” He started rubbing my back.

“Was it? I didn’t notice.” I smiled a little. “Penny did tell me a profile was sent to me, but I didn’t even look.”

“But, if you wanted to, I wouldn’t stop you.” I looked down at my hands. Then after a moment of silence Henry chuckled. “Oh god, what?” I whined and looked at his smirking face.

“Are you jealous?” My mouth opened to respond, but I didn’t have one. Henry laughed again. “Oh, my dear,” He hugged my shoulders. “I’m not taking other donors. It’s just you and me.” Butterflies filled my stomach at the nickname. “Don’t be afraid to ask me about these things. Communication is important.” His grip loosened as he pulled us back against the couch, I was halfway on his chest and his arms were wrapped around my waist.

“She’s just so beautiful and she has this reputation. She’s damn intimidating too.” Henry sighed.

“Don’t worry about her. Anything donor/client related will always go through you first.” He smelled like evergreens and soap, and I was wrapped up in the scent.

“Thanks Henry.” I shut my eyes, relaxing finally.

“You won’t be taking any more clients, will you?” I laughed.

“Nope.” I could barely handle Henry. Especially when he squeezed me closer when I answered his question. I turned my head to him. “Do you need to feed, now?” He let me go, sliding me off his chest.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” I sat up, rolling up my sleeve. “Did you eat breakfast?” He set a hand on my knee and I tried not to stare at it.

“I did,” I held out my wrist.

“Maybe if I have enough time you could stay for lunch.” He grabbed my arm, and lifted it up to his lips, shutting his eyes. I sighed and his grip tightened on my wrist.

“I’d like that.” He drank and it made me fuzzy and tingly. I couldn’t help a little smile on my face. When he finished, I felt a little more tired than normal. I did stay up late last night. I took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” He rubbed my thigh a little.

“Yeah, I’m a little tired.” I leaned back on the couch. He sighed.

“Did I take too much?” I shook my head.

“No! I think I just stayed up too late last night.” I rubbed my eyes. “Maybe I should go home and take a nap.”

“You can nap here. I still have a few hours to kill so I’ll stay with you.” I smiled.

“If that’s okay with you?”

“Of course, it is.” I let myself lay down and kicked my shoes off. I curled up so my legs wouldn’t lay all over him and it didn’t take long for me to fall asleep. I woke up with my head on the arm rest of the couch. I stretched out in my sleep. I opened one eye and saw that my legs were now in Henry’s lap as he read over his script. He leaned back on the couch, but had a hand holding one of my legs. I shut my eyes, not believing this was real. “How was the nap?” I opened my eyes again and Henry hadn’t even looked up. He stroked my leg with his thumb.

“Good. How long did I sleep?”

“About an hour.” I sat up and he didn’t move his hand, so I kept my legs in his lap. I turned my head and saw Kal sleeping on the floor next to me.  I put my arms on my knees and looked at Henry. He was clean shaven, his curly hair more messed up than before. He was focused on the page in front of him, brows slightly furrowed. “What are you staring at?” He finally turned to look at me. His blue eyes seeing right through me.

“Nothing.” I blushed. “Sorry.” He laughed.

“It’s okay.” He squeezed my leg. “Do you still want lunch?”

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“Yeah, that would be great.” I smiled. He called Penny knowing she was out already; she could bring us something on her way back. Whole we waited Henry continued memorizing lines and I looked at my phone when I wasn’t watching him. When Penny got here with the food she had to leave just as fast.

“Do you make her do everything?” I chuckled as the door shut behind her.

“Of course not. Actually, for the most part she’s off when I’m off.” I took the bag of food from him and took it to the small kitchen table. “It’s always hectic the first week of filming, though.” I nodded, more focus on the food now. I pulled out my box and slid the other one to Henry as he sat across from me.

“So, you still eat food.”

“Yes, it’s not really necessary but sometimes human food just sounds good.” I smiled. “It does taste a bit different though.” I furrowed my brow, taking a bite of food. “It’s still good though.”

“That’s interesting.” I moved my feet and accidentally hit Henry’s leg. He looked up at me, eyebrow raised. I giggled. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He let his foot slide up my leg a little. I hid my face behind the lid of my take out box, my cheeks feeling warm. I heard a small laugh from him, then I let my other leg slide up his. I met his eyes and broke out in laughter. “What are you laughing at?” He smirked, but was holding back laughs.

“You playing footsie with me!” His mouth opened.

“You started it.” I laughed again.

“It was an accident!” He was laughing with me. “You’re something else.” I shook my head, letting my foot back down. Henry’s relaxed but stayed close enough for our feet to brush every now and then.

“Eat your food,” He smiled at me and looked back down at his food. It didn’t take long for us to finish and soon Henry would have to go back. I sighed, picking up my bag. “I promise next time I won’t drag you here.” Henry texted Penny to come get me.

“I really don’t mind.” I grinned at him.

“Still, I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“You don’t.” He looked down at me and smiled. He pulled me into a hug, this one longer than the last. I shut my eyes as I leaned into him. “Just call me when you need me?” I said as he pulled back.

“I will.” He squeezed my arms. “I can hear Penny now.” He opened the door for me just as Penny pulled up in her cart.

“Get in, Nina!” She smiled.

“Bye Henry.”

“See you soon, dear.” I got into the cart and Penny sped off.

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