#new year new story developments woohoo!!!!

[theragethatisdesire]

much ado about nothing chapter 5 - plug!eren x reader - 18+!!!

DISCLAIMER: this post contains MATURE CONTENT that is intended only for those over 18. minors and ageless blogs, please do not read below the cut.

i have successfully kicked my writer's block to the curb and am ready to pick back up on plug!eren!!!! woohoo!! this is the part of the story where it gets really plot heavy and there's a lot of moving parts, so it's been a fun exercise to write and brainstorm. if anything is confusing or u have any theories/questions PLEASE hit my inbox i'm so down bad for plug eren i could talk about him for days.

get ready to meet a new character who is......not the best lol. this is also the first chapter written in eren's pov :o things are about to get interesting!

still haven't caught up? series masterlist HERE <3

specific cws: mentions of smut but nothing outright, alcohol use, swearing, u know the drill

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“If music be the food of love, play on. / Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, / The appetite may sicken and so die.” - Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (Act I, Scene 1)

Eren is, admittedly, a romantic person, especially given his occupation. Not romantic in the cheesy, buying-flowers and kissing-in-the-rain sense, but he appreciates the little details of life. He loves autumn, when the leaves catch on fire with the changing of the season. He loves the little crook of a woman’s neck, that slope where it goes from tendon to shoulder to collarbone. He can appreciate a good bourbon; after years of raiding his dad’s stash, he developed a palate for it early on. Eren’s romantic nature leads him to believe in signs. When the universe tells him something, he listens.

The text still sat in his inbox unopened, marinating in its own bizarre, heartbreaking nature.

> heyyyy lover boy! i’m back from austria! missed u, let’s catch up ;)

Eren knows that Breeze knows him, knows him well enough to understand that his three-week radio silence isn’t a no, it’s a maybe. He hates himself for not immediately texting her back and telling her to fuck off, but after his conversation with you, he thinks it might be the universe telling him it’s safe this time, that he won’t end up a shell of himself. Maybe.

You had been firm in your assertion that you and Eren were better off as friends, and as much as he wanted to fight it, Eren respects women. As much as he can when he’s prone to wrenching their jaws open and spitting in their mouths while he’s balls deep inside them, at least. He’s disappointed, but he respects it, and if he’s honest, he likes you.

He likes your sharp humor, likes the way you tend to keep your hair up off of your neck, likes the way your eyes light up when someone gives you an excuse to talk about your studies. He hasn’t been “just friends” with a woman in a long time, but it’s refreshing, an excuse to go grab a coffee and shoot the shit like a normal person instead of lurking in the corner of a frat party handing out pills like a perverse ice cream truck.

The last three weeks of “friends” have been the best Eren’s had in a long time. You’re easy, that’s what he likes about you. He can drop the cold mask he wears so often, giggle over a stupid meme, listen intently as you prattle on about some long-dead 18th-century author that was “so ahead of her time!”, smirk when you chastise him for doodling little hearts and flowers all over your coursework.

Sure, he still steals a glance down your shirt when he can, and he’d never admit it, but he thinks about you late at night. He thinks about you when he’s in the shower, when he’s got himself in his hand, panting and swearing under his breath, but he manages to feel enough guilt over it to still consider you a friend. You’re caring and considerate and easy, wholesome fun, unlike someone that’s made a sudden reappearance into his life.

After that first night, just when he was starting to entertain the thought of promoting you from one night stand to official fuck buddy, the closest thing to commitment Eren allows himself to maintain these days, Breeze swept back into his life, and you hit the brakes on him. While it may not have been the sign he wanted to receive, Eren’s a romantic, and he listens to the universe, especially when it goes so far out of its way to tell him something.

He’s decided to let Breeze stew for a little while longer. Campus will be clearing out for Thanksgiving break soon, along with most of his business, and he’s going to wait until his hands are empty of work and you before answering her. Plus, she had flitted off to Europe after college like their entire relationship had been nothing more than a passing phase; Eren’s owed at least a little bit of pettiness, right?

> paradise ath 1130! see uthere ;)

Eren snorts at your text. Being as uptight as you are about grammar (you’re constantly hounding him about his texting style, and he’s been making them even more incorrect just to hear you berate him), he knows you’re not just texting quickly, you’re drunk.

“Yo, ‘min!” Eren calls into the kitchen, an excited flutter already rising in his chest beneath his hoodie.

“Yeah?” Armin’s head pops around the doorframe, a dab of ketchup on the corner of his mouth.

“Wanna go to Paradise later?”

“The club?” Armin’s nose wrinkles. Connie’s head appears right beside Armin, a wide grin splitting his face.

“Oh, hell yeah,” Connie answers for both of them before Armin has the chance to shoot the idea down, “who’s going?”

“Like you don’t know the answer to that,” Armin scoffs, ducking back into the kitchen with a roll of his eyes.

“I never took her for a ‘club’ type of girl,” Connie adds air-quotes to emphasize his confusion.

Eren mulls that over for a moment; he doesn’t really take you for a club type of girl either, but from the sound of it, Historia and Sasha have already done the job of getting you good and drunk and talking you into a night on the town. Eren’s always wanted to see what you’re like when you’re well and truly fucked up; every time you indulge him with a story from college, he ends up laughing so hard he’s clutching his stomach and gasping for breath.

Supposedly, when you go all out, you drop the mom-friend act and become a little less tame; is this Eren’s opportunity to get an eyeful for himself? He’s not waiting around to find out.

Eren shrugs. “Come help me make these runs and we’ll go. Armin, you’re driving.”

The drop-offs are uneventful, and as soon as Eren steps foot inside the club, his nose scrunches with distaste. Ironically, he’s never been into the partying scene, much preferring a quiet beer at Scout’s or a blunt on the couch to a club. The music’s horribly loud, bass thudding through the fabric of his hoodie and beating against his chest, and as he looks for you, he can barely see through the mass of bodies and the fog machines. You’re here? It’s difficult for Eren to imagine you, in your favorite flannel and those cute little Vans he likes, tucked against the bar throwing back your signature craft beer. As Connie urges him and Armin in the direction of the bar, calling for green tea shots, Eren nearly regrets his decision, until fingernails dig into his shoulder, spinning him on his heels.

“Hey, you.”

Eren blinks stupidly as you grin up at him through thick, black lashes. He’s never even dared to imagine you like you are now, piercing eyes gazing up at him through a heavy dusting of makeup and the shortest, tightest dress Eren’s ever seen hugging every inch of your curves. You look sinful in a way he’s never seen you before, not even when he was holding you tight to him and wrenching out orgasm after orgasm from your body. He gulps.

“Holy shit– hey,” he lets you pull him in for an overexcited hug, bites down on the inside of his cheek to distract himself from the bulge already swelling in his pants.

“I missed you!” You pinch his cheeks, much to Eren’s dismay.

“Just saw you yesterday– quit pinchin’ me. What are you even doing here? Didn’t think this was your scene.” Eren has to actively keep his eyes trained on your face; there’s a little bead of sweat traveling down the expanse of skin between your breasts that’s making his mouth water. Friends, he scoffs in his mind. Are you trying to kill him?

“Well, it’s not, but Sasha says I need to be more fun, and Stor says I need to find a boyfriend.” You gesture around like it’s obvious. Eren cocks an eyebrow, ignoring the inappropriate envy that twists in his stomach at the mention of the word ‘boyfriend’.

Boyfriends never like the guy friends, it’s practically a law of nature. If you’re dating around, it’s only a matter of time before some square in a button-down steals you away from your coffee dates and movie nights with Eren, but he can’t get too caught up in that now, not when you’re looking up at him all dizzy and sexy and bursting at the seams.

“Don’t know if this is the place for that.”

“That’s what I said!” Oh, you’re drunk drunk, all of your movements overexaggerated and shaky. It makes him want to laugh seeing you like this; his little book nerd, trashed and mere inches away from having her ass out at a club. Well, either laugh or drag you into the bathroom to bend you over the sink. He can’t be sure.

“Hey mama!” Connie shouts over at you, handing you a shot. Eren has half a mind to snatch it out of his hand after catching the slurring in your voice, but he’s too late; you throw it back without so much as a shudder, grinning all wide and wet and pretty when you swallow.

“I didn’t think you’d actually show up,” you tell him, pulling him down by his collar so you can speak into his ear. Eren has to bite back a groan at the feel of your hot lips against his ear. Friends, he reminds himself urgently, pushing you back from him but keeping his hands firm on your hips, relishing in the way your flesh gives under his grip.

“You know the rules. You call, I come.”

“That’s what she said,” you snicker, pinching his cheek again.

“Cut that out!”

“Make me.” Oh fuck, Eren’s going to die. He’s going to die if you keep looking at him like that, bottom lip tucked between your teeth and fuck-me eyes on him.

“You’re not being very friendly,” he manages to choke out, trying his hardest to give you a suspicious look through the dizzying wave of images that flash through his brain. You with your mouth full of him. You spread out on his bed, back arched and fingers twisted in his hair. The little “o” your mouth made when you rode him for the first time. Eren wants to smack himself, jump in a cold shower, something. Get a grip, dude.

“Maybe not,” you shrug, eyes darting over to the bar. “Hurry up and grab a drink, I wanna dance.”

“Not much of a dancer,” Eren admits, taking the beer that Connie hands him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do all the work.”

Eren isn’t sure if he likes or loves the sound of that, powerless against that stupid little dress you’ve got on as you drag him behind you to the mass of bodies he had so disdainfully eyed on his way in. He’s greeted by a loud round of shrieking, one more pinch to the cheek by Historia and a slap on the ass from Sasha. You make a show of teasing him for how pink his face gets, but luckily, your friends are instantly distracted by Armin and Connie’s arrival right behind him. You pull him back down, glossy lips pressed right against his ear.

“I really like this song.” You’re barely audible over the pounding music, but even if Eren hadn’t heard what you said, he’d get the gist from the way you grind against his thigh, slow and sensual. Maybe you are actually trying to kill him.

“Yeah?” He’s breathless, irreparably and embarrassingly caught in the little web you’ve woven.

“Yeah.” You’re moving harder against him now, throwing your arms around his neck and grinding your hips into his. Eren’s only thought is to let his hands fly back to your hips, let you use him like a stripper pole to show off.

He can feel eyes on him, not the eyes of friends, but of other men around him, wondering who the lucky asshole is that’s getting the royal treatment from a girl as hot as you. If he were to be truthful, it’s getting him off, how every eye is on you and, by proxy, him, holding you like a lifeline as you let the beat rock through your body.

So this, this is the party girl you claim to have living deep inside you. This seductive, electric creature moving tantalizing against his body, this is the source of the stories Historia tells him that make you blush? How you could ever be embarrassed of this is beyond him; you’re like a little devil, sent straight from hell just to torture him, and Eren’s mouth is watering.

Song after song goes by, and you don’t let up, don’t let him catch his breath for a moment, moving from facing him to pressing your ass into his crotch and then back again, arms above your head or wrapped around his neck. Eren wishes he was mentally sound enough at the moment to feel ashamed that you can absolutely feel how hard he is through his pants right now, but he’s drunk on you, letting you press into him so insistently he has to tug your dress down for you, letting you drive him so crazy that he’s grateful for the loud music now. He’d die if Connie or Armin could hear the way he’s grunting and groaning low under his breath, powerless underneath you.

Suddenly, as if you haven’t just been riling him up for the last half hour, you back away enough to face him, shaking your empty cup and him and mouthing something that Eren’s still too dizzy to make out.

“Huh?”

“Get me another drink!” you shout over the bass, laughing at him.

Eren nods stupidly, darting away from you before he can grab your jaw, pull your lips to his like he so desperately wants to. Finally out of the throng of bodies, he can feel his head clearing, some semblance of sanity crashing over him. What the fuck has gotten into him? It was just one night, and you’ve kept him at arm’s length ever since, only seeing each other under the guise of coffee, or a beer, or Eren insisting you need to continue your education in the wonders of horror films. You’re drunk, that’s the only explanation; drunk and teasing him like you aren’t going to wake up and throw him right back into the friendzone. He rests both elbows on the bar, shaking his head like he’ll be able to knock some sense into himself if he rattles his brain around a little.

Eren orders your vodka soda and a beer and a shot for himself, something to clear his head and keep his blood pressure manageable. Hopefully, at least.

When he turns around, drinks in hand, that plan flies out the door. There you are, center of the dance floor, hands above your head and hips moving like you’re intentionally trying to make him lose his fucking mind. He tilts his head in interest when a man approaches you, grazes his hands over your hips like he means to start grinding against you. Eren can feel his own hands tightening around the bottle and the plastic cup in his hand, but he holds himself back; he’s got no claim on you, and if you’re willing to entertain the man (who, if you ask Eren, is way below your standards), who is Eren to stop you?

You surprise him in the best way: when the man touches you lightly, you whip around, brows furrowed and a little glitter in your eyes so mean that even Eren nearly flinches. He can’t read your lips in the low light, but he snorts to himself anyway as the man puts his hands up and backs away from you, eyes wide. As if nothing had happened, you spin back on your heel, facing a cackling Sasha with a shrug.

Eren feels a wide, proud smile blooming on his face. As much as he feels an unwarranted protectiveness towards you, he likes watching you get your teeth out and stand up for yourself. Before he can make his way back over to tease you, a voice from his left makes his blood run cold.

“Rennie?!”

Two thin arms are tossed around his neck before Eren can even respond, the familiar scent of vanilla and coconut enveloping him.

“Breeze?” Eren chokes out, too shocked to keep his composure. She pulls away from him and grins, a little diamond glittering from her right canine tooth.

“You didn’t text me back, you tease,” she swats at his chest, snags the vodka soda he’d bought for you right out of his hand, taking a sip. Eren takes the opportunity to swallow hard around the lump in his throat, one last tentative glance towards you before he turns his gaze back to Breeze.

She’s cut her hair, something short and choppy that swings around her ears, and fuck, she’s still just as pretty as he remembers, little freckles on her button nose visible in the darkness of the club.

“Didn’t think you wanted to see me,” Eren shrugs, forcing his face to remain schooled into one of cold apathy. She had left him, like he was nothing to her. He hates her, he realizes, god, he hates her so much it burns in his veins. Breeze cocks her head, frowning.

“Why would you think that?”

“You fucking left me, Breeze, don’t be stupid,” Eren makes a move to steal the drink back from her, but she holds it close enough to her chest that he’d have to practically grope her to take it, and his fingers recoil at the realization.

“Are you double-fisting, or did you buy this for someone special?” She teases, brushing right over Eren’s bristly demeanor. When he doesn’t answer, she raises her eyebrows. “It’s for someone. Well, point her out! Is she cute?”

Breeze turns on her heel, standing on her tiptoes to glance through the crowd. Before he can stop himself, Eren’s grabbing her upper arm, spinning her back to face him with anger blazing in his eyes. When he meets her gaze, her baby blues are alight with mischief, and he knows that no matter which direction he moves, he’s losing whatever little game she has him trapped in. That was the thing about Breeze; Eren was always losing her games.

“Fuck, just…just stop it, Breeze. What are you even doing here?”

“I’m back in town, didn’t you see my text?” Breeze shrugs innocently, sipping your drink.

“Okay, well, welcome back,” Eren deadpans, leaving her question hanging in the air between them. He turns back to the bar to order another cocktail for you, having given up hope of getting the first one back from Breeze, but she’s relentless, has always been that way. She slides up to the bar beside him, smiling demurely up at him.

“I missed you, you know.”

“Wouldn’t have guessed,” Eren scoffs, rolling his eyes. Breeze flinches, but Eren knows her better than that. It’s all an act, it always is.

“I never realized how much I hurt you,” her fingers grazing over his cheek nearly burn with how cold they are in contrast to the heavy, thick air around them, “‘m sorry, Rennie.”

“It’s fine.” Eren hates the way he twitches and nearly leans into her touch when she swipes her fingers over him. How many times has he thought about this, seeing her again after all these years? Everything he’s planned out, everything he’s ever wanted to say is lodged in his throat, a jumble of letters and words so squished out of order that they no longer hold meaning. He doesn’t love her, not anymore, but his body reacts before his brain can stop it, a conditioned response.

“Can we talk about it soon? Maybe over coffee?” Blue eyes blinking up at him earnestly.

“There’s nothing to talk about, Breeze,” Eren rolls his eyes, swallowing thick around the knot in his throat.

“There is,” she insists, “I brought this amazing espresso blend back with me from Florence, and–”

“If I say yes, will you leave me alone for tonight?” Eren can feel the exasperation in his tone, can feel the weight of his mistake weighing on his shoulders. It’s fine, he tells himself, he’ll make up some excuse and get out of it. A long conversation with Breeze about their breakup is the last thing he needs.

“Maybe,” Breeze tucks her lip in between her teeth, a little smile playing at the corner of her mouth, “unless you change your mind.”

“We can talk or whatever another time, but I’m going back to my friends, okay? Go find yours.”

“You’re my friend,” Breeze purrs, one hand stroking over Eren’s bicep, “and I haven’ seen you int–”

“Don’t push it,” Eren nearly growls, scowling down at her. He knows half of the hatred buzzing through his veins is reserved for himself, but he’ll unpack that at home with a blunt, not in the middle of the club with you waiting for him on the dance floor and Breeze staring up at him hungrily.

“Always wound so tight,” Breeze hums, reaching a hand up to squish his cheeks, “but fine. I’ll see you soon.”

She miraculously leaves him there with nothing but a wink, taking your vodka soda with her; Eren’s shoulders slump in relief. Knowing Breeze, it was a wonder she hadn’t tackled him right there. When he turns around for the second time, two drinks in hand, you’re already staring at him. Shit.

You don’t look mad– and why would you be? You’re friends, Eren reminds himself. There’s no reason for you to know who Breeze is; he’s never told you about her, and he never planned on doing so. Eren knows Historia, though, well enough to believe that she told you everything from the godforsaken moment he walked into your apartment that day. 

He doesn’t like that look you’ve got, though; again, not mad, but he can see the gears turning behind your eyes. Eren has to practically force himself to walk towards you. Your head’s cocked in confusion, something watery and hesitant glimmering in your eyes through the low lighting. If he didn’t know better, he’d say you almost look hurt, but that wouldn’t be fair, would it? You didn’t want him, you had made that abundantly clear.

“Sorry it took me a while. Long line.” Eren hands you your drink, nearly wincing at how naturally the clearly false statement rolls off his tongue.

“Mhm,” you nod, downing nearly half of your drink in one long slurp. Your movements aren’t fluid and dynamic anymore; you’re stiff as a board, bouncing back and forth on the balls of your feet along to the beat of the song. “I…I actually have to pee, do you mind holding this?”

“Now?” Eren blinks, confused. “I just got your drink.”

You offer him a tight smile. “I wanted to wait ‘til you were back, so you could watch my drink. And so you didn’t think I ran off on you or something.”

“Oh, yeah, go ahead.”

He watches you slink away into the crowd, watches the dozens of eyes follow you, surely wondering what happened to the little firecracker in the middle of the dance floor. Eren knows you get like this sometimes, suddenly pensive and nostalgic, knows that per your own admission, you like to handle it yourself. He hadn’t done this to you, had he?

A firm pinch to his cheek distracts him, pulls him down a foot below his normal standing height. Could everyone just stop pinching his fucking face? “Shit, ow!”

“Was that Breeze?” Historia yells directly into his ear. Eren, six-foot-something of hell on wheels, blushes furiously.

“Dude, was that fucking Breeze, or am I too fucked up?” Connie echoes Historia’s sentiment from over her shoulder, eyes comically wide. Armin’s peering around him, eyes flitting back and forth between Eren, Connie, and Historia as he tries to understand what’s happened.

“Who cares?” Eren snaps at Connie. Historia’s grip on his face loosens, releases entirely. If Eren didn’t like the look that you had given him, he hates the look Historia’s shooting at him right now. All daggers and disappointment. She turns on her heel without another word, making a beeline for the bathroom and dragging Sasha along behind her. Eren doesn’t miss Armin’s eyes either; stripping him to the bone without saying a word.

“Quit looking at me like that,” Eren scoffs, waves a hand in Armin’s direction.

“When did Breeze get back into town?” Armin shouts over the music.

“A few weeks ago,” Eren admits, avoiding Armin’s eyes and looking for a spot at the bar where he can escape the heavy gazes of his friends, run away to drown this conversation in a shot of whiskey.

“Did you–”

“I don’t know, man, you know how she is. She just showed up.” Eren knows he’s being unnecessarily gruff, but in his defense, the last hour or so has been a whirlwind of memory and emotion and lust that he doesn’t have the capacity to deal with.

Armin nods simply, takes a sip of his beer. Eren’s known Armin since they were kids, and he knows Armin can read him like a book. If he had a little less pride, Eren would pull Armin to the side and ask if he can make any sense of what’s going through Eren’s head right now because Eren sure as hell can’t. There’s you, with your skimpy dress and your flirty eyes, grinding on him like you’re going to take him home and fuck him stupid again, like you hadn’t demanded an honest-to-god friendship that Eren happens to very much enjoy. On the other hand, there’s Breeze, flighty and just as much of a ghost as she is a real person, popping back into his life and batting her blue eyes at him like she’d never left.

You’re his friend, and Breeze is his terrible ex. There shouldn’t be a choice here– there isn’t, it’s just the way things are, but Eren feels stuck at a crossroads for some reason.

He finally gets fed up with the music and the bumping of bodies around him and storms off to the bar again, biting back the urge to snap at Connie and Armin who he knows are hot on his heels. Eren’s just looked up from the shot of whiskey burning its way down his throat, acknowledging the dizziness that’s come with his drinks for the night, when he spots you.

You don’t look angry, that’s a small mercy you unwittingly grant him, but you’re cowering. Historia, even being shorter than you, is practically pinning you to the wall outside of the bathroom, shouting at you with her finger in your face. Sasha doesn’t look all too pleased either, arms crossed and a deep scowl written into her features. Eren gets a glimpse of your phone in Historia’s other hand that she’s waving around erratically, and wonders what the hell happens in women’s bathrooms. He’s not exactly sure what prompts it, but he checks his own phone. Nothing.

“Are they fighting?” Connie asks, nose scrunched as he peeks around Eren’s arm.

“Looks like it,” Armin nods, wincing as you try to make a grab for your phone from Historia, resulting in Sasha saving you at the last second from face-planting as Historia holds it out of your reach.

“Should we, like, do something?”

“Absolutely not,” Armin and Eren echo each other, looking at Connie as if he’d just suggested they all walk into oncoming traffic.

Eren watches as Historia grabs you by the wrist and drags you out of the bar, your feeble protests doing nothing to stop her insistent steps. Sasha follows both of you, gently pushing you along by the small of your back and shooting a regretful glance at Connie, mouthing a sorry as you all make your exit. It’s hardly been five minutes before Eren’s phone buzzes.

> had to leave. do you mind paying our tab if i venmo you? it’s under reiss.

Eren bites the inside of his cheek again, not worrying in the slightest about covering the tab, but more so the reason for your abrupt exit.

> yeah i got u everything ok?

> thanks a ton! see u next time.

It’s purposefully avoidant, especially coming from Historia, who never misses a chance to make fun of you good-naturedly. If you had been sick in the bathroom or far too drunk to stay, she would have come out and said it. Eren throws his card down, going to pay the hefty tab you and your friends racked up, but not daring to pay his own. After all of the shit that’s just gone down, he owes himself at least one more drink.

Once he’s signed, he pulls out his phone again, thumb hovering over your text thread, then Breeze’s, then yours again. Mindful of Armin’s prying eye over his shoulder, Eren sighs heftily and shuts his phone off, leaning in to order another shot. The following morning’s approaching quickly, whether he wants it to or not, and he’ll save his fucked-up emotions for the daylight.

[fadedflora]

incoherent sims rant

i always find myself getting burned out anytime i start a new save bc i either didn't move fast enough or moved too fast and i have no idea how to find a healthy balance.

i also hate playing directionless gameplay, so i look to challenges to give me an idea of what to do, but then i get bored of challenges because i either accomplish the goals too quickly and am left with nothing for my sim to do for the rest of their generation OR i take forever to accomplish the goals, so by the time they start having children i'm nowhere near done with their goals and i feel overwhelmed because i'm trying to focus on raising their children but also accomplishing their goals at the same time

i also, despite owning majority of the packs, have never fully played with/experienced ANY of the packs. so anytime i think about starting a new gameplay, i think about trying to play through one of the packs, but then i want to focus on more than one at a time so i get overwhelmed again and the cycle keeps repeating

i wish it was easier to enjoy this game without having to look to challenges or my own creativity to find interest in it. i know every sims player goes through times where the last thing they wanna do is play this game, but i think a lot of us also go through this, where we WANT to play the game, but no matter how we approach it, we find ourselves bored before we get that far

i think it all just comes back to how lackluster the sims 4 (specifically) is. half of the packs (especially expansions) could have easily been made into one big pack including content from all of them, rather than multiple different $40 packs that feel unfinished and are often times bugged beyond belief

no one should have to wait months after a packs release for the bugs to be patched so they can consider purchasing (as i did with wedding stories and am still doing with for rent). no one should have to spend the equivalent of a single game's cost on an expansion pack that really doesn't expand upon the game all that much

and i think where the problem is glaringly obvious is when you look at the base game. obviously i know the game is going to be more fun and have more things to do with pack content. but even basic things like shower woohoo, the playmat for infants, bathroom stalls, are all locked behind packs.

when growing together first came out, i didn't consider buying it because i figured we'd at least have enough infant content in the base game to make it worthwhile. but i found myself purchasing growing together IMMEDIATELY after updating my game for infants because without it, infants are just a more annoying version of the base game babies. they are ONLY fun and interesting if you have this pack

and yes, i know we have gotten a LOT more stuff in the base game in the 10 years the sims 4 has been around. i've been playing the sims 4 since it released. i've seen how the base game has grown and changed. i watched how we went from the saddest excuse for "range" with the skintones to the skintone update. i was there when we didn't have POOLS or TODDLERS. i've seen them finally start to add more ethnic and diverse hairs and outfits. but is it enough?

i'm not a game developer, i'm not a cc or mod creator, i have no idea how much effort, time, or resources it takes to make content for this game. and yet, month after month, cc and mod creators manage to do more than ea and the sims team have done for the sims 4 since it released. month after month we see these creators come out with new and unique content for this game, mod creators working as hard as they can to get any broken mods updated as soon as possible. yet the sims team and ea themselves will let bugs, some even game breaking, go on for months or even years without so much as the slightest acknowledgement.

i don't really have a goal in all of this. i don't have a solution and i know i'm preaching to the choir. i know thousands of players have complained about every single thing i've mentioned in this post and nothing has changed and nothing will change. i just felt the need to get it off my chest.

i hope, somehow, before the sims team and ea move passed the sims 4 onto the sims 5 and/or other projects, that we get more for this game and that none of it is locked behind a $40 (or less) paywall. the base game has come a LONG way in these last 10 years. but it can still use a whole lot more

[softlifesims]

⋆˚🐚🫧𖦹⋆🥥The Summer I Turned Pretty Story Challenge by SoftLifeSims ⋆˚🐚🫧𖦹⋆🥥

Have you ever read a book or watched a TV show and created Sims based on their lives? Yeah, me, too.

This new fun, heart-breakingly romantic challenge is perfect for you! Inspired and based on the book and series by Jenny Han, it's your turn to live a life surrounded by beautiful sims and hopefully find love!

PSA:

Don't find yourself limited to the rules of this challenge! The point of the Sims is to play with life, so play!

There are certain packs required for certain parts of the challenge, but if you don't have them, then that's okay! Again, play with life and improvise!

Not everything in this challenge comes from the books/show; there are tweaks in the plot for sims gameplay because I don't want to spoil the show/books for others.

Money cheats are not ALLOWED, but money cheats may be used for things like free real estate and story-line purposes when necessary.

To ensure your sims don't go to school or work during the summer, you will need them to be on summer break (requires Seasons) for the entire Summer. Click here to watch a video on how to create a Summer break and other holidays in the game.

PHASE ONE: Welcome to Tartosa!

It's finally summer and you've been waiting all year long to return to your favorite beach house in Tartosa (requires Wedding Stories expansion pack; if you don't have Wedding Stories, you can use Sulani from the Island Living expansion pack) with your longtime family friends, the Fisher family!

You’ve arrived and immediately see that this summer is going to be different! All grown up now, you no longer remind Jeremiah and Conrad of the same little Belly they grew up knowing. You're a woman now!

You're a child of the ocean, slightly socially awkward, active sim who just wants to finally experience being in love, especially by the sim you've loved a long time.

You have had a crush on Conrad your entire life, but this summer, he seems different. Or maybe it's you that's different.

GOALS:

- Develop a "Romantic Interest" relationship status with a Tartosan/Sulani resident

- Develop an "It's Complicated" relationship status with Conrad

- Develop a "Lovebird" relationship status with Jeremiah

- Attend the debutante ball (requires Seasons) (click here for instructions on how to create custom holidays in-game with Seasons).

- Swim in the beach house pool for an hour every night

- Kiss your Romantic Interest after your first date at night

- Have your heartbroken by Conrad

- Kiss Jeremiah five times

- Become good friends with a Tartosan resident

- Kiss Conrad on the beach of Tartosa as the sun rises

- Rarely wear makeup/love to dress casually

PHASE TWO: All Grown Up!

After a rough summer and even tougher senior year, you managed to graduate high school and attend Foxbury University (requires University Life expansion pack). Studying biology to become a Conservationist (requires Island Living expansion pack), you run into Conrad while at the library in Britechester.

You two rekindle your awkward romance from your teenage years and finally decide to give love a try! You both finish college and Conrad asks you to be his girlfriend, officially! Of course, you say yes (because why wouldn't you)! Now that it's winter, things are a bit different.

GOALS:

- Develop an "It's Complicated" relationship status with Jeremiah

- Go on four dates with Conrad in four different worlds/lots

- Move in with Conrad in Willow Creek

- Have your first Woohoo with Conrad in front of a fireplace in the beach house in Tartosa

- Have a snowball fight with Conrad

- Have Conrad propose to your sim in Tartosa on the beach

PHASE THREE: It's Not Summer Without You

As you live your life with Conrad and begin the stressful process of planning a beach wedding, things between you and Jeremiah become extremely tense. You two fall out of friendship with each other and he won't return your calls or texts. Maybe it's time to try and find him to see what's been going on.

You search all over Tartosa, San Sequoia (requires Growing Together expansion pack), and Newcrest for Jeremiah but have no luck finding him. You tell Conrad that you want to talk to his brother to make things right. Conrad, not happy about how his brother is treating you, sets off to find his brother.

In the shady bars of Oasis Springs, Conrad finds Jeremiah and drags him to your home in Willow Creek. After he's sobered up, you and Jeremiah finally have the long awaited conversation that you hope fixes your relationship.

GOALS:

- Develop an "Good Friends" relationship status with Jeremiah

- Pick out a beach wedding dress

- Level up your wellness skill to Level 8

- Have Conrad become a doctor

- Get married to Conrad on the beach in Tartosa in front of your five closest friends + Jeremiah

- Become pregnant and name all of your children after the beach and nature; name your first-born daughter Susannah

- Live the rest of your life with Conrad in the beach house in Tartosa

⋆˚🐚🫧𖦹⋆🥥THE END ⋆˚🐚🫧𖦹⋆🥥

I hope you all enjoy this fun challenge! I'm playing through it right now and I'm having so much fun! Be sure to tag me in your gameplay screenshots!

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 8 Ep. 60: Relationship Things

The romantic night all three couples spent at the homestead following Don’s wedding was a turning point in their relationships.

Chance and Bianca began spending more and more time together at the house by The Bay. Her little trailer and troops over in Strangerville must have started to feel neglected with all the hours she spent hanging out with her new boyfriend, both in Brindleton and out and about.

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

On one of those dates, visiting the brewery and bar near The Moonwood Collective farm, Bianca broached the idea of moving in together officially. She was already spending most of her time at the homestead, she may as well move a few more things from her footlocker and call it home.

Chance thought that sounded like a great idea! He’d seen how little she stored at her trailer, and was happy to give her a lifestyle a little more domestic and a little less spartan. He felt she’d missed out on a lot of civilian comforts in her years of dedicated military service.

He still couldn’t believe how quickly he’d found someone so special after so long alone and was excited to see what the future held for them.

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

Jack and Peachy had also decided to live closer together, although Jack’s move from the guest bedroom down the hall was a lot easier than officially changing primary residence. At least he didn’t have to worry about forwarding his mail again.

The biggest modification to their lifestyle was getting to enjoy bed cuddles every night, which despite the snoring, was still the best thing ever.

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

Jack’s unexpected crush on Peachy had made him realize there was a lot he didn’t understand about his preferences.

Romance had never been very important to him, so he had always assumed he was just boringly average in that regard. A little researching showed that being generally uninterested in all kinds of sims but developing strong interest in a particular Sim after forming a close relationship had a name.

His revelation didn’t change anything, but it was nice to have a label to put on his feelings.

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

Now the Paul and Nikita had unleashed the physical aspect of their relationship, they pursued it with great gusto whenever they could.

Unfortunately, not long after, Nikita developed some rather unpleasant symptoms that really took a lot of the carefree pleasure out the activity for her. Besides the sudden interference with their favorite new pastime, the health implications worried them both, so they sought out a specialist.

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

At the clinic they learned that while neither of them were suffering from any serious injury or disease, Nikita had developed a yeast infection.

Unfortunately, all their new playtime was the exact opposite of the right treatment for that and had made things quite a bit worse. The sad pair agreed to take a break from woohoo until Nikita’s infection cleared and healed, so they could both enjoy the experience fully once again.

At least they still had each other, and the rest of their shared interests, to keep them happy in the meantime.

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

Overall, a lot of changes big and small were going on in the lives of the three couples in the old house by The Bay, but they were happy to go through them together.

Despite the difference in their ages and situations, having family on hand every day brought them all comfort and joy.

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

Want To See More? View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[ladyzerodark]

I’m in a mood.

So I’m gonna talk about Ella.

I mentioned Ella in my rant about Sans and Cinder as a couple and said she was a story for another day.  Well, today is that day.

When I come up with stories like this, sometimes I play the sims and make random households to see who gets together and who doesn’t and where their relationships go.  It should go without saying that, when I was finally able to, I made a household with Sans and Cinder.  They ended up married and I was just gonna leave it at that. Then I find them doing some woohoo and next thing I know I get the notification that Cinder is gonna have a baby.

Ella was, both in game and in story context, not planned. But in the end, I fell in love with the adorable little girl that had come from these two sims.  So, I decided to add her into Rent Free.

Let me set the scene.

Cinder and Sans are finally figuring out their relationship status and decide to try some new things as a couple.  During one night of trying these new things, Sans and Cinder end up soul bonding. Neither think this is a big deal, as in the world of Undertale, there’s no records of half monster, half human children.

So imagine their surprise when Cinder’s doctor happily congratulates her and Sans after the former goes in for some weird feelings in her chest.

Toriel and Papyrus are excited as could be, as is Emerald.  Mercurey is too, but he does comment about whether or not the baby will be a skeleton.

Even if he didn’t mean to, Mercurey’s comments do send Cinder into a spiral of panic that surfaces every now and then while she’s pregnant.  What if something’s wrong with the baby?  What if the baby doesn’t survive? What if... what if she’s not a good mother?

Sans, himself, doesn’t let Cinder know he has very similar fears.  His biggest fear is if he’d be good enough to support all three of them.

Therapy helps, but they are hesitant to talk to each other about it.

Time speeds by and Cinder gives birth to a lovely little girl, a bit on the pale side with black hair and golden and blue eyes (heterochromia).  But one of her fears did come true:  Ella was born without her arms.  Cinder feels like she should be devastated, but, looking at Ella, she found that she didn’t care.  She loved her daughter, imperfections and all.

When the two new parents are finally able to lay together, their daughter between them, Cinder confides in Sans her fears and hopes now that Ella has been born.  Sans comforts her, reminding her that she’s not alone and that they can do this together, and with their found family.

Ella, herself, is still getting developed, though she’s got her mother’s determination and her father’s laid back nature.  It takes until she’s older, but she uses her monster powers to create skeleton arms for herself.  Her parents adore her, as do the others in her family.  She loves hanging out with her uncle Papyrus and aunt Emerald.

She obviously isn’t a solution to Sans and Cinder’s issues but watching her grow up does help them understand how far they’ve come.

As I said, I’m still working on her (all this happened like 3 years ago and I’ve been taking too long in playing that save in the sims again) but I adore the concept of Ella and I hope to actually draw her.

Here’s a concept:

[otakween]

I'm Standing on a Million Lives - Volume 14

Woohoo! New character and a new arc. I like new girl's shaggy hair and her black and white outfit is cute too.

Ch. 65

A nice, strong start to this volume. Very surprised to see COVID incorporated, but I guess it's set in present day after all. Interesting that the mangaka decided to use the 2020 situation for commentary/character development.

The idea of sorcerers being unable to produce viable offspring is super interesting. It's always good to give big debuffs to OP characters (unless they're child free and don't care lol).

Malita moment with Yuusuke was nice, but I feel uncomfy seeing him so wholesome all of the sudden. He's definitely developed as a character, but he still spews stupid, self-righteous BS so it's like...has he changed though??

Hakozaki confronting Yuusuke about his weirdo misanthropy was satisfying, especially the "you're no better than those who commit genocide" bit. You tell him! His "I'm just doing what seems right from my perspective" seems like a weak excuse...

Kinda yikes for a manga character to be "on the side of COVID," but at least he says "but the innocent lives being taken thing isn't cool" lol. Edgy, but not "get the mangaka cancelled levels of edgy."

Glenda based as always with her "teenagers say dumb shit because their brains aren't fully developed" observations (paraphrased haha).

Kinda hilarious how Glenda was like "Oh, by the way feminism is a thing" to Jangani and he was like "that will never catch on." Cue it immediately catching on a panel later LOL. I was surprised to see Yuusuke say "Japan is pretty behind" when talking about gender equality in the US vs. Japan. Love that a Japanese writer acknowledged that. (Not to be all rah-rah USA though).

The goblins IRL being labelled "Chupacabra" is genius.

Ch. 66

Yuusuke helps Keita rehabilitate his dad who just got out of prison. Good to see some more 1 on 1 character time.

Yuusuke's such a smartass. It's a good thing he was taken down a peg last chapter because in this one you'd think he was smarter than everyone (although I guess the bar is low with Keita's dad and his goons)

The revelation about how dragon bishops are created was interesting. I'm a little confused about the dead fetus thing. Does that mean the younger dragon bishops were that way from birth and then just grew normally?? That would be an interesting story to follow. Are they evil as little kids or does that come about during puberty? lol

Keita's dad just conveniently doesn't notice Keita and Yuusuke using magic right in front of him. Also isn't surprised by two teenagers easily beating up 3 grown men.

I was relieved that Yuusuke acknowledged that Keita's dad isn't "healed" and that he'll most likely relapse again. We don't need anymore talk-no-jutsu insta redemption

Ch. 67

Hmmm that chapter was kinda weird. All over the place in tone. Excited to have a new character and a new arc though!

New girl is Taiwanese, I like her design and air-headedness, but like a lot of the other characters, I was kinda annoyed by how quickly she got used to the idea of being in another world. Also, I rolled my eyes when she brought up feng shui (like: "geddit?? She's from Taiwan!")

Not sure if it's clever or lazy to have the fantasy world mirror the politics of ours. I guess for me it makes things more interesting because it's more relatable and cool to hear the differing perspectives the characters have on things like dictatorships and imperialism. (We get another nod to America in this chapter). Interesting to think about Japanese people keeping up with American politics (although I guess that's only natural considering America's place in the world).

Yuusuke has an existential crisis because they've time-skipped another 85 years. I feel like a big jump like that makes things less interesting because they won't be able to do as many callbacks to older characters. Will we get a resolution to Malita's story?

I liked that Hakozaki called out the fact that the Master only reaches out to Yuusuke and no one else. I really hope they continue to develop her skeptical side. It'd be cool to see her take on Yuusuke in a fight one day.

That Chinese dragon design was so cool! I hope we get to see more of that monster.

Ch. 68

The corruption of the local government and strategies for solving this arc's goal are discussed. In other words, mainly a world building/team work heavy chapter, which I always enjoy the most.

I feel like this writer is actually pretty good at explaining politics/government in easy-to-digest ways. Could they help me understand IRL stuff too, please? lol

Interesting use of the revival mechanic here where they use Hakozaki as live bait. I like that their "immortality" has a lot of clear cut rules so they can't really abuse it too often, but it's still a nice advantage to have.

Yuka getting abruptly eaten by a sea serpent was pretty funny. Hope she's not just absent for the rest of the chapter now.

I found it weird that the refugees were like "oh that money? Worthless." but then they say "it will keep the 8 of you fed for a month." So...not worthless? That still sounds like a good chunk of change to me!

Ch. 69 (nice)

Holy shit! This chapter was so, so good. First of all, Iu finally gets some long-awaited focus and second, there was just so much intrigue jam packed into this between the revelations of how the new city's religion/culture works, the different characters reactions to that, and that cliffhanger ending with Iu being suddenly acknowledged as a messiah! Only problem is...the next volume isn't out yet so I gotta sit here in suspense ;-;

The oppressive theocracy being portrayed here is clearly supposed to mirrored after the Taliban. Pretty heavy stuff for an isekai manga, but a fair target I would say. I thought it was interesting how Iu and Keita went back and forth between "well, it's a different culture we need to respect that" and "fuck that! This is inexcusable." Obviously, when it comes to the Taliban, the "fuck this" attitude is probably the "correct" one, but sometimes other cultures/religions skirt that line and you need to judge on a person-by-person basis...if that makes sense. Like how there's a difference between women who wear head coverings because of an oppressive regime (fuck that!) and those who wear them as a personal choice (different culture, let's respect it). I feel like philosophy fans would like this manga...a lot to discuss.

Iu stepping into the leader role but being insecure about it ("what would Hakozaki do?") was interesting. I kind of thought she was more confident than that, but she has so little screen time I guess I didn't really know her after all lol

Iu being like "lol kay, ready to die now" when she gets sentenced to death but knows she'll just revive was great. Imagine facing a firing squad with that kinda swagger. Kinda badass.

I've never seen Dr. Stone, but the kind of old timey engineering Yuusuke and Kusue did in this chapter (fashioning rope out of sea serpent scales to build a rope/pulley system) reminded me of that series (based on what I've heard). Fun seeing Survivor stuff like that.

[jazzyslibrary]

warriors: super edition: firestar's quest

date started: 23/07/2022 | date finished: 31/07/2022

i like that the book starts off as pretty much a direct sequel to the darkest hour despite it being published two years after the actual sequel, “midnight”.

it has follow-ups to the battle versus bloodclan and references that sandstorm had helped mistyfoot train stormpaw and featherpaw (now stormfur and feathertail in this book) and they are said to have become good friends after that and sandstorm goes to talk with mistyfoot at the gathering. i just thought that was sweet :)

also some dustpelt sass was unexpected but appreciated. especially because he’s being sassy to firestar who is his leader, i don’t think most cats talk like that to their leaders. firestar got a random vision of skyclan leaving a gathering and he stops walking towards fourtrees and dustpelt just says (well actually he grumbles) “for starclan’s sake, do you have to stop dead like that? any cat would think you’d forgotten the way.”

hehe i just thought it was funnie xD

also i totally forgot that this is the book where longtail loses his vision. i thought he was a warrior for way longer than that. in my memory he still had his vision at least until the power of three. i guess i just forgot. poor boy :(

i was a little disappointed that bluestar was against trying to help skyclan and used the “four trees = four clans” argument again. only the last time she said it, she meant that a clan shouldn’t be driven out of the forest. i do understand a little because there isn’t room for a fifth clan and the clans all end up leaving the forest to go to the lake anyway. and i do think a clan leader leaving their clan for such a long time and potentially not making it back is a bad idea. like in the new prophecy when young warriors/apprentices are sent on a journey it’s a bit more believable.

i do like that skyclan being driven out by the twoleg developments goes right with the story of the series it precedes. even though this book was written after the new prophecy, it does make the story feel more connected somehow. i just like it!

when firestar asks sandstorm to come with him it made me realise that despite being his partner, they have barely talked to each other this book. sandstorm always seems to be the one checking in on him and he’s cheating on his wife with a dead cat kinda. plus the fact that she knows she’s his second choice is really sad. and he just randomly says hey come with me after she confronts him about that and everything is okay now? ugh, and firestar never has to change and be a better cat husband and can still go talk to his egirl on discord woohoo.

skywatcher giving firestar the prophecy about the three was unexpected.

spottedleaf’s presence in this book (and every book) is annoying and mostly doesn’t warrant itself existing. like when she comes to tell them that burdock root can treat rat bites and it causes conflict between firestar and sandstorm. she tells sandstorm that their relationship could never be and that firestar loves her. but after sandstorm can’t hear her, she tells firestar that she wishes things could have been different. like what a big fuck you to that moment and to sandstorm. firestar and spottedleaf need to stop. i’m looking forward to the new povs in the next books and won’t have to deal with firestar anymore haha. also the cats had totally figured out that they needed to take down the leader of the rats but spottedleaf found it necessary to give a dumb prophecy “not many, but one” like thanks but we knew.

i love leafdapple as a name, it’s just so pretty and totally puts an image of her in your head. it’s almost sad that she loses that name when she becomes skyclan’s leader, but i of course support her being leader.

i liked the epilogue just surprising me with firestar going to see sandstorm in the nursery with their two babies. it was a sweet scene.

i’m just looking forward to skyclan’s destiny and when i finally read the new series and skyclan joins the other clans at the lake.

[policebanana]

List best sims 3 mods

#LIST BEST SIMS 3 MODS MOD#

#LIST BEST SIMS 3 MODS MODS#

#LIST BEST SIMS 3 MODS DOWNLOAD#

It wasnt until Sims 3 when some jobs began having the choice for your sim to work on a particular lot.Īnd you are still required to do assignments yourself as they were a part of job developments.

#LIST BEST SIMS 3 MODS MOD#

Ultra-Plain Faces mod is an overlay for every face in the game that makes them look more ordinary and less cartoony, appending some much-appreciated naturalness to The Sims 3. This mod executes standard sim faces look extra genuine by advancing the faces and facial expressions that you see in the base game. Ultra-Plain Faces Starting off the former mod, we have another one that improves and changes face appearances in The Sims 3. Using this mod changes the masks that EA applies for the vanilla game and makes them look more desirable in terms of illumination and coloring.

#LIST BEST SIMS 3 MODS DOWNLOAD#

Ultra-Plain Eyes If you desire to change the eyes of your character in The Sims 3 to just look more real, then you should download this mod.

#LIST BEST SIMS 3 MODS MODS#

GROW Progressive Aging Conclusion 21 Best Sims 3 Mods of All Time 1. No-Intro Mod You can also Download EA Sports Cricket for PC, here. So without wasting much time, lets jump right into the list of some best mods you can use while playing The Sims 3. Using mod gives you access too many premium features you might not have been able to use before. Thats why today weve brought you some special mods of The Sims 3 using which you can access some features of this game for free. Though, many best features of The Sims 3 are not available for free. It was developed by the Redwood Shores Studio of Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. This video game was first launched on June 2, 2009, for OS X, Microsoft Windows, and smartphone versions. The Sims 3 offers the best story mode life simulation game, and it is loved by many people. One of the famous life simulation video games being played these days is The Sims 3. In these games, we are given tasks related to real-life stories, which we need to complete. Many Sims often feel soothing, but this mod shape that entirely different. I have Vampire mods, Ghost Mods, Social Mods, Death Mods, Pregnancy Mods, along with blogs along with Sims 3 4 house builds and MORE. You can use the reward traits above reproach and no jealousy level 2 Original Poster 4 points 1 year ago As Ive said, I cant purchase those for the other 2 sims. Can anyone recommend any good and foolproof ways to do thispolyamory mods 7 comments share save hide report 66 Upvoted This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast Sort by best level 1 3 points 1 year ago you can use nraas woohooer to set jealousy to none and theres a polyamorous woohoo jealousy option, but the other two uncontrolled sims would have to be romantically interested in each other too for that to work.

[tyrantofthefirmament]

The Gift

Ice cold spring air whipped across Starscream’s fuselage as he banked into the wind. This was the most perfect flying weather they’d had in some time - dry air, steady, low winds, and only a few thin cirrus clouds well out of the way overhead, splashing a striated iridescence across an otherwise crystal clear sky.

Below, Starscream kept a watchful optic on his own Cirrus, as the younger Seeker went through his 8 point hesitation roll practice. Weather this fine made Starscream want to fly wild and free, but it was good to take advantage of the calm winds for precision training. 

Cirrus was getting good at this. His telemetry fed live to Starscream as he practiced, and everything - his roll, his control of his ailerons on the pauses, the level of his nose - was so well regulated it was almost soothing. They would go over it later, but it would only be fine tuning at this point. Pride and contentment filled his Spark as he sent Cirrus a ping to take a break and transition back to 4 point rolls for a while.

But contentment never sat right with Starscream. He couldn’t trust it. 

As he circled wider, over the growing construction site and radar tower, worry crept in. The foundation of a new spire was underway, but he’d halted construction on the earlier ones. They would continue to build, but outwards, not upwards. Not yet. Save for the necessary radar tower, he didn’t dare build higher than the crater wall. It would draw attention. 

His thoughts turned automatically to the tally that ran always in a corner of his mind, pushing Cirrus’s telemetry to the background. Assets versus liabilities. Progress versus setbacks. Where did he stand? Where could he afford to extend himself? Was he spread too thin?

His recent overtures with Ultra Magnus stood out. That was progress. But it was also a risk. He’d offered Energon Seekers in a bid to stabilize the alliance and demonstrate that he had trained soldiers to spare, but the truth was he could barely spare them. Still, it would be worth it. And he needed the bluff. Ultra Magnus had already guessed where he was building. Vos couldn’t stay hidden much longer...

Even now, Ultra Magnus couldn’t be the only one who knew.

What would your followers think if they saw you now?

Megatron’s words came back to him, as chilling now as they had been when the warlord had him cornered. More so. Every day that passed was a day Megatron’s whim could turn from warning to action. He had to know where to strike by now.

I know you, Seeker! Are you really going to ask me how I knew?

Megatron did know him, better than anyone alive. How many times had his former master rubbed his predictability in his face? How many times had he, Starscream, so cunning and sharp, been the one outmaneuvered and taken by surprise? How many times since-

A flash of sunlight from somewhere - a ruined spire, the melted ground, or maybe a memory - hit Starscream’s optics and he was back. Back on Trypticon amid cheering Seekers in the moments before the reports began to come in and that terrible silence fell. In the clear air around him his mind supplied raining metal and flaming Seekers all thrown together and falling.

Falling!

An altimeter alert jerked Starscream back to the here and now, but he only had to correct slightly for some disorientation. The alert was from Cirrus’s feed!

He located the purple silhouette in an instant, far below, seeming in control but heading nearly straight down.

::Cirrus!:: he commed, already speeding down to intercept him. ::What’s your status?::

The reply was a burst of static but he could make out the word “landing”.

::Your approach is too steep! And you’re headed for rough ground. Level off and make another attempt!::

::I can’t! Um, I’ll try.:: Cirrus rocked dangerously as he tried to pull out of his dive, and he didn’t have much room left. To make matters worse, he reduced thrust and lost more altitude, then overcorrected with a jerk that froze Starscream’s Spark.

::Keep your speed up! Steady on your elevators. Don’t spin.:: Starscream passed him, and couldn’t see anything wrong. Something was clearly wrong though. Crunching relative velocities in his head as sped downward, he positioned his wing just below Cirrus’s nose.

::Listen - this is going to be a bad landing, but trust me. We’re low enough for this to work.:: He didn’t tell Cirrus they were so low this might be the only thing that would work. ::When I say go, you extend all flaps! Then I’m going to push you from below. As soon as you’re heading up, you transform and land. Understood?::

More static. 

::CIRRUS! I NEED YOU TO CONFIRM!:: The window Starscream had calculated was closing rapidly, but if Cirrus didn’t do his part they could both be killed.

::U-understood!::

::Get ready.:: Starscream reduced speed, dropping directly underneath Cirrus. 

::GO!:: Starscream spent the next instants doing several things. He transformed, getting enough of a glimpse of Cirrus as his plating whirled around to see him extend flaps as planned. Before his body fully rebuilt itself he transformed again, jet mode pointing upwards now, with Cirrus’s nose just passing above him. His turbines hadn’t even had time to spin down, and now he fired his full afterburner, slamming against the bottom of the other jet.

The collision shattered his cockpit and brought a cascade of system alerts, but Starscream ignored them. He stalled himself and transformed yet again, dropping heavily to the ground on one knee, already frantically searching for Cirrus along their trajectory. A moment later Cirrus landed hard, too fast to keep his footing, and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

When Starscream got to him he wasn’t moving, but he was alive and in one piece save for some missing control surfaces. His wings looked ragged as a result, and he was leaking where his knees and elbows had hit the ground. Overall he appeared to be in shock, trembling and holding his head in his hands.

“Cirrus!” Starscream checked his head and neck cables, then helped him sit up. That snapped Cirrus out of his numb panic, and he collapsed forward onto Starscream and began to cry. In that state he seemed even bigger, with all his plating bristled open to dump heat. Some of the heat was from flying, but Starscream knew the ammonia he was giving off wasn’t from damaged coolant lines. All of Cirrus’s vents were weeping as his cooling system boiled off heat from the terror that gripped him.

Adjusting his balance so he could bear Cirrus’s weight while kneeling, Starscream let his own plating open up. Once they were both cooled down, he would bridge them to the medbay. For now he just rubbed the back of Cirrus’s neck and his shoulder, and accepted the talons digging into his own wing roots, and the boiling tears against his neck cables where Cirrus’s face was buried.

“Starscream I- I’m sorry!” Cirrus choked through a burst of static. “I forgot all your lessons! I-”

“Shh.” Starscream patted his shoulder. “You recovered. You focused.” He tried to force the fear out of his own voice, without much success. Truly another second longer would have been fatal. He let Cirrus get out another bout of trembling sobs before slowly leaning back to look at him. “Tell me what happened. Did something go wrong?”

Cirrus sat up and shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Everything was fine, but then- I got really scared. It felt like... like something terrible was going to happen, and I didn’t want to be there. Like I would die if I stayed. That’s why I tried to land.” He looked at Starscream and drew his knees up, curling up and hiding his face as he began to cry again. “I didn’t mean to go too steep. I was so scared! The sky-”

Starscream wiped the look of bewildered horror off his face too late, so all he could do was shift so he was sitting beside Cirrus, and talk. “We’ll figure it out. Once you’re repaired and rested, we’ll figure it out.”

How they would do that was beyond him. He was never able to fix his own panic attacks, let alone anyone else’s. But there was more. Cirrus’s words described exactly what Starscream had felt leading up to and during his flashback. 

Just as Shockwave had predicted.

[chezzywezzy]

Yandere Jasper Hale (1/10)

Word count ; 3.9k

*Dedicated to @plumes-de-nuit. This'll definitely be the longest series yet. I... didn't realize I loved him so much.

*Also : R & Jacob & other love interests are 18. Jasper… y’all already know he ain’t a teenager.

*Edited:3

I stared out of the car window, watching as the trees passed by. Bella was beside me, and we were currently riding in dad’s police car. He’d picked us up from the airport, as we were moving here for our last few years - or, for me, a year - of high school. While Bella pitched the idea, I jumped in on it. I was eager to see the world, even if it was just Forks, after all these years. I had grown bored of Phoenix. Not just the weather, but the boys. There were no cute boys that I hadn’t already gotten or attempted to get with. 

I also really wanted - no, needed to catch a break from mom’s strict rules. She thought I was a troublemaker just because I went out a lot and occasionally got detention.

Oh, and I’d literally follow my dearest sister to the ends of the earth. But I’d never tell her that.

It was already raining. I knew that Bella hated the rain, but I loved the new scenery. 

Charlie pulled into the front lawn of a pretty standard house. It was white and green and is a two-story. I knew that it probably had a basement, though. In Phoenix, we had a flat one-story home surrounded by cactuses. I hated the weather, but I’d developed a darker tan for my s/c.

I stepped out of the back and raised my hands up the air. “Woohoo! Glad to be home.”

Charlie sent me a smile, appreciating the enthusiasm. Other people would see this scene as awkward, but that’s just how the family was. Bella was like dad, demure and introverted. And I was like mom, outgoing and extroverted.

Charlie insisted that he'd get our bags for us. I enjoyed the help, since I had a pretty hefty suitcase. Not to mention, I had a large backpack already strapped to my chest. Dad led us inside, allowing us to kick our shoes off, before showing us our rooms. 

He must’ve been going off what he knew of us when we were younger, because I knew without a doubt that Bella’s favorite color was green. However, her room was themed purple. Mine, though, was perfect. I loved pink as a kid, and I loved pink now. Was just about to get settled in when Bella hovered in the doorway.

“Hey, some people are out front. Charlie’s calling us.”

I blinked in confusion, but trailed behind her. I was already starting to get comfy, throwing my clothes all over the room. However, I knew dad was a straight-to-the-point kind of guy. As Bella commented on the plane, 'One of the best things about Charlie - he doesn’t hover.’ It was odd wording, but I knew exactly what she meant.

As we exited through the front door, I threw an arm around Bella’s shoulders. Sitting by the side of the road was a rustic red truck. I could already tell Bella was eyeing it enviously. Yet, my attention was more fixated on an older man in a wheelchair and a former childhood friend who I recognized instantly. Jacob.

We made eye contact, and I immediately sent him a smile. He smiled back. I noticed how he’d grown his hair out and he was a lot more mature than he was a few years ago. 

Charlie waved us closer. “Bella, Y/n, you two remember Billy Black.”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed, dashing forward to shake his hand. Bella seconded my statement, although in a much chill-er way. 

“Wow, you’re looking good,” Bella commented.

“Well, I’m still dancing,” Billy replied with a chuckle. “I’m glad you’re both finally here. Charlie, here, hasn’t shut up about it since you told him you were coming.”

“All right, keep exaggerating. I’ll roll you into the mud,” Charlie muttered playfully.

Charlie took a few steps away, but Billy began wheeling after him. “After I ram you in the ankles!”

“You want to go?” Charlie bickered, and as they eased around, it left Bella and I with a chance to greet Jake. 

“Jake! It’s been forever,” I cheered, pumping my fist into the air. His grin widened even further, and I opened my arms to welcome into a hug. He took it, quickly hugging, while Bella watched in amusement.

“Glad to see you’re just as energetic as ever,” Jake laughed. “How do you do it?”

“Lots and lots of coffee. And, of course, Bella’s here, too. Bella, you remember Jake, right? Or were you too tiny?”

Bella slapped my arm playfully. “You’re only a year older than me, geez. Yeah, I remember you, Jake. It’s great to see you again.”

Jake nodded to her. “Yeah, uh, we used to make mud pies when we were little.”

“Gross,” I commented. 

Bella shook her head. “You weren’t as cool as Jake and I were. Eating mud is, uh, definitely a healthy past time.”

I crossed my arms, pouting playfully.  “I just have etiquette. I am the eldest out of you two, after all.”

Jacob looked at me incredulously. “By a few months.”

Bella tilted her head over to Charlie and Billy’s antics. “Are they, uh, always like this?”

Jake bared his teeth while nodding. “It’s getting worse with old age.”

Billy and Charlie finally joined us again. Charlie patted the truck. “So, what do you think?”

“Of what?” Bella asked in confusion. I stood behind her and wrapped my arms around her shoulder, peering at Charlie with equal bafflement.

“Your homecoming present.”

Bella’s jaw dropped. “This?”

Charlie shrugged. “Just bought it off Billy here.”

“Yep!” Billy seconded.

Bella detached to me, and we both went to hug the car. “Oh, my god!” I exclaimed.

“I totally rebuilt the engine for you,” Jake spoke up.

Bella was gasping for breath, and she hopped into the truck. “Come on, seriously? This - this is so cool! Oh my gosh!”

“This so-o-o perfect —“

“Actually,” Charlie interrupted, "your mom gave me a head’s up that you’re a reckless driver. This is Bella’s homecoming gift. Your’s is still inside.”

My jaw dropped. “Wh a-a-at? You’re kidding me! I’m the best driver in the world!” I huffed leaning against the car.

Charlie shook his head, chuckling. “Your mom informed me of how you had to retake your driver’s test more than two times. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your present inside a lot more. Besides, I’m sure Bella can drive you where you need to go.”

Jacob weaved around the front, laughing at my repugnance, and hopped in beside Bella to show her the works. I was left pouting while Billy and Charlie talked. I was only a little insulted that I wasn’t trustworthy enough to sit behind the wheel, but fair enough. I’d be satisfied as long as my gift was just as cool.

“I told you they’d love it,” Billy joked. 

To be fair, though, I knew that Bella really loved cars. She’s loved them ever since we were kids. While I wanted to be a princess, she wanted to be a race car driver. Of course, both of our ambitions had changed, and now she planned on being a mechanic.

“I’m down with the kids!” Billy added, motioning ‘coolly.’

“Oh yeah, dude. You’re the bomb.” I snickered quietly at dad’s sarcasm.

I leaned into the open window when the car started up. “…Do you want a ride to school or something?” Bella inquired. I also wanted to know the answer.

“Oh, I go to school on the reservation,” Jake answered.

I pouted while Bella sighed, "Right, right. That’s too bad. It would’ve been nice to know one person.”

“You’ll be fine, Bella. I bet you’ll be friends with half the school by the end of first period,” I spoke up.

Bella laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s you you’re talking about.”

I tilted my head innocently. “Oh, is it? I must’ve forgot.”

~~~

Bella and I hopped out of our new car. Technically her’s, since dad bought me a cool gaming console, but we’re sisters so I’d undoubtedly steal it from time to time. Luckily, the school year was just starting, so we couldn’t have stood out too much. Well, except for the fact that our truck was bright red. And my clothes were equally flashy. I loved being the center of attention, although I knew Bella loathed it. Somehow I wondered how we came out of the same vagina.

Bella and I walked side by side into the school. The weather was dreary and dismal, just how I liked it. We pulled out our respective schedules. Bella had been responsible and circled her’s, while I was only vaguely aware of what classes I’d signed up for.

Suddenly, a black haired, Asian student who was well dressed saddled up beside Bella. I dropped the schedule to my side, waving eagerly. “Hello!”

Bella jumped, meeting the boy’s gaze. “You two are the Swan sisters. The new girls,” he greeted. “Hi, I’m Eric, the eyes and ears of this place. Which of you is Isabelle and Y/n?”

“Bella, actually,” Bella tittered. “This is Y/n.”

I waved again, and the guy grinned charismatically. “Nice to meet you, Eric.”

“Anything you guys need? Tour guide, lunch date, shoulder to cry on?”

I could tell Bella was petrified. She could barely release coherent words from her lips. However, she needed to learn how to be socially inept. “Uh, I’m really kind of the more suffer-in-silence type. Y/n’s the one you should be asking.”

His gaze flitted over to me, and I switched hands, wrapping an arm around Bella. “Don’t mind her. She’s shy. A lunch date sounds great. Right, Bella?”

Bella nodded anxiously. Eric continued, not noticing her discomfort. “Good new for your feature. I’m on the paper, and you’re news, babies, front page. The title can be something freaky, like ‘opposites attract in the womb.’”

Bella looked utterly mortified. She halted in her steps. “Uh, no we’re not. I’m not. You… Please don’t have any sort of…”

“Woah, woah, chillax.” Eric waved his arm dismissively. “No feature. Unless you, Y/n, want one.”

I shook my head. “Nah, I’ll pass. It would be rather difficult to write an article and not mention my other half.”

“Cool, cool. Anyways, I’ll be off. See you two at lunch!” Eric really was off. He disappeared into the flood of people immediately, leaving me to Bella. 

She exhaled anxiously and I patted her back before looking at my schedule. “P.E. What a grand start to my week.”

“Oh, thank god,” she sighed. “Me too. At least we share one class.”

I chuckled, grabbing her arm. “Let’s get going, then. I can’t wait to meet new people. Eric’s cool, but we - more so, you - need some gal pals.”

Bella sighed, allowing me to drag her off to P.E. I knew I wasn’t the best at sports, but Bella - she was god awful. I knew she’d make a few friends from just being an athletic train wreck. As much as I loved her, she was way too perfect. Athletics was certainly her downfall.

We walked into the gym and changed quickly. The uniform was cute, a quaint tank top and shorts. Bella specifically brought sweat pants from home, as I knew she had some body insecurities. I, though, was more than glad to show some leg.

We walked out, still attached to each other’s side. I immediately waved to two girls who were playing volleyball. They waved back, motioning for us to join their team. Class hadn’t started, but the students were clearly basking in the new school year energy. The pair of girls had just been playing, but we separated into teams after a brief introduction. Needless to say, it was Bella and I against Sabrina and Jules.

“Bella, get it!” I called, too far away to get the ball. I was carrying the team, pretty much two against one, while Bella lingered behind me. 

She punched the ball, sending it into the net. I sighed, going to pick it up, while Sabrina and Jules said they were going to use the bathroom. That was code for them waiting a different partner. We waved them off. I picked up the ball and started making my way to Bella. Suddenly, a volleyball came flying past me and collided with Bella’s face.

Out of instinct, I burst into laughter, dropping our ball.

“Whoa!” a boy with dirty blonde hair exclaimed, running over to us.

Bella recovered, having caught the ball after it hit her face. She sent me a glare and threw it back at me, but I caught it, sending her a coy grin.

We both turned to the boy. He was slightly taller than both of us, and from his garb, he was probably on the school’s basketball team. “I’m so sorry about that,” he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. “Basketball’s more of my forte, not volleyball.”

Bella stuttered, waving dismissively. I interrupted, "To translate, she means it’s fine. I’m Y/n, she’s Bella.”

“Yeah, hey, I’m Mike Newton.” He held out his hand for me to shake, which I accepted. I sent him a wink, mesmerizing him further. Bella clicked her tongue, coming up behind her and placing her forehead on my shoulder.

“More like Mike Haw —“ 

I was interrupted by a girl with light brown hair, hung in a pony tail. She skipped over to us, standing beside Mike. “He’s got a great spike, huh? I’m Jessica, by the way. Hey, you two are from Arizona, right?”

“Jessica, hi! You’re so pretty,” I answered, sending her a smile. “Yeah, we are.”

“Aren’t people from Arizona supposed to be, like, really tan?” She quickly corrected herself. “No offense, though, Bella.”

“None taken. Uh, yeah. Maybe that’s why they kicked me out. Y/n, uh, definitely got out more than I did.”

Both Mike and Jessica laughed, and I couldn’t help but snicker. Mike pointed while stating, "You’re good.”

“That’s so funny,” Jessica chimed in.

Bella held up her hands, waving, as she backed away. “Uh, nice to meet you. Y/n’s planning to teach my volleyball, now so…”

“Right. See you around, Arizona,” Mike directed, more so at me.

“Right back at you, Washington and Jessica!” I winked and let Bella drag me off the a more deserted area of the gym.

“They seemed nice,” I commented optimistically.

“…Sure. But boy, are people scary.”

“Girl, get used to it. I’ll indoctrinate you into my way of life whether you want to or not.”

~~~

“It’s my pleasure, madam,” Mike suavely eclair, having taken my tray for me. Bella trailed behind me, quiet and demure as always. Bell plopped down next to Jessica, while I situated myself between Mike and Eric due to unfortunate seating arrangements. Eric was previously droning on about some project, and our appearances interrupted the conversation.

“Hey, Mikey, you met my homegirl, Y/n, eh?”

I quirked a brow, while Bella waved to the girls.

“Oh, your girl, eh?” Mike hummed.

A laugh bubbled in my throat, but in that moment, a boy appeared beside me and planted a kiss on my cheek. I gasped as he declared, 'my girl,’ before dashing away. A blush rose to my cheeks, and Bella looked more than happy to not be in my situation.

Mike’s chair was pulled from under him and I covered my mouth in surprise. “Sorry I had to mess up your game, Mike!” he shouted as he disappeared amongst the other students. Mike took off after him, leaving me mentally exhausted.

“Oh-h-h my god,” Jessica gasped. “It’s like first grade all over again. You’re the shiny new toy.”

I clicked my tongue. “It’s shocking Bella isn’t getting the attention. I mean, just look at her! Absolutely stunning. Plus, she’s got brains.”

Bella laughed, waving dismissively. Suddenly, an Asian girl with glasses and her hair done up in a pony tail leaned across the table with a camera. “Smile!”

I was caught off guard, but grinned anyways and gave a peace sign. Bella shrank away instantly, making me lose focus since it made me laugh. The girl shrunk away, muttering out an apology. However, her gorgeous smile didn’t fade.

“I needed a candid for the feature,” she explained, plopping in her seat.

“The feature’s dead, Angelia,” Eric sneered, rather hardly. I quirked a brow. Eric rose to his feet and grabbed my shoulders, leaning over. “I got your back baby.”

I was glad that it was just us girls left and Eric went off to do whatever the hell he wanted. “It’s fine…? I’m starting to think all the guys at this school are crazy,” I chuckled.

Angela scoffed. “I guess we’ll just run another editorial on teen drinking.”

Bella spoke up, clearly feeling bad for causing drama. “You know, you can always go for… eating disorders. Or speedo padding on the swim team.”

“I vote the latter,” I eagerly remarked. I slid down the bench and took my rightful place beside Bella, now that the boys had disappeared.

“Yeah. Actually, that’s a good one,” Angela agreed.

“Kirk, right? That’s exactly what I thought,” Jessica gossiped. “We’re talking Olympic size.”

“There’s no way. He’s so skinny. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I mean, how big are his hands? You know what they say about big hands,” I teased.

The girls laughed, but I noticed that Bella’s attention was strewn elsewhere. I followed her gaze, seeing that a cliche of incredibly pale and insanely good-looking people walked into the cafeteria. I noticed that Bella was most focused on the latter, the one that wasn’t paired up. There was a blonde and black haired couple holding hands, an awkward guy and a hippy and slash or tomboy bickering, and the last was silent, seemingly just as fixated on Bella.

“Who are they?” Bella spoke up, nodding to them.

“The Cullens,” Angela answered.

“They’re Doctor and Missus Cullen’s foster kids,” Jessica continued in a hushed tone. “They moved down here from Alaska, like, a few years ago. They kind of keep to themselves.”

“Yeah, ‘cause they’re all together. Like, together-together.”

“The blonde girl, that’s Rosalie, and the big dark-haired guy, Emmet, they’re, like, a thing. I’m not even sure that’s legal.”

“Jess! They’re not actually related.”

“Yeah, but they live together! It’s so weird. They’re legally family. And, okay. The little dark-haired girl is Alice. She and Jasper, the guy who looks like he’s in pain, aren’t actually together. Apparently, Jasper has some anxiety problem or something.” I glanced back at them, noticing that even with how stoic Jasper looked, he was quite attractive. “Um, Doctor Cullen’s like this foster dad slash matchmaker.”

“Maybe he’ll adopt me,” Angela sighed dreamily.

However, that information wasn’t enough to satiate Bella. Her eyes were glued to the final assumed family member. “Who’s he?” Bella asked.

“That’s Edward Cullen. He’s totally gorgeous, obviously, just like Jasper, but apparently, like Jasper, nobody in this school’s good enough for him.” Jessica snickered dryly. “Like I care, you know? So… yeah. Seriously, though, Bella, Y/n. Don’t waste your time.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Bella chided.

“Well, I might. That Jasper fella’s pretty cute for a, and I quote, 'guy who looks like he’s in pain.’” Angela snorted, and I followed Bella’s gaze. I peered over my shoulder, seeing that her and Edward were making intense eye contact. 

I couldn’t help but stare, and Jasper glanced over at us. I sent a smile, holding up my hand and waving. I noticed his mouth twitch before Alice stole his attention away. I returned my attention to the table to see that Jessica and Angela were both looking at me.

“Don’t tell me you just waved at him,” Jessica gasped. “You’re seriously wasting your time. You know that, right? What, are the guys falling at your feet not good enough?”

Bella clicked her tongue, and Angela teasingly followed up, "You’re totally a player.”

“Wha-a-at? No. I’m just friendly,” I chimed. “Besides, I’m not interested in guys like that. I have no idea why I’m the ‘shiny new toy’ when Bella’s right here.”

“It’s because I don’t make a scene,” Bella noted.

“Well, Jessica, if you’re asking if I’m interested in Eric or Mike, definitely not. I’m not blind, girl. Mike’s for you, dearest girl, and Eric’s obviously into Angela.”

Angela gasped. “You really think so? But he’s never been that friendly or flirty with me.”

I shook my head. “Nonsense. He’s just trying to make you jealous.”

Jessica laughed. “And what about Tyler?”

“Who?”

“The guy who kissed you on the cheek earlier.”

I scrunched up my nose. “No-o-o way, José. I know a cute guy when I see one, and Tyler’s not it. Jasper, though… He’s definitely my type.”

“Well, good luck. They barely talk to anyone outside their clique,” Angela sighed. “Believe me, we’ve all tried to talk to them.”

“It’s because they’re all freaks.”

I frowned, but in that moment, an arm wrapped around my shoulder. I looked up, seeing that Eric and Mike decided to rejoin the group. Eric attempted to steal the seat beside me, but Mike shoved him aside, sliding beside me with ease. He threw his arm around my shoulder, shaking me excitedly.

“Not at all, actually. And give it up, guys,” Jessica groaned. “She already has her he’s on the prize. And before you chase Bella, she’s enamored by Edward Cullen.”

“We’ve returned. I’m sure you all were dying for us to bless you with our presence,” Mike announced.

“Dream on,” Eric sighed. “Ne-e-ever going to happen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them talk to anyone but each other or the teachers.”

Mike removed his arm and Eric sighed. “Damn, really? Oh, you’re breaking my heart, baby.”

“I’m not like my sister,” Bella tittered. “I just… think he’s interesting.”

Bella unsurely glanced over her shoulder. I did so as well, noticing that Alice and Jasper were chatting while looking at our table. Japer’s gaze flitted over to mine, and he raised his hand, giving me a curt wave and smile. My heart jumped in joy and I grinned.

Mike wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer. My expression immediately morphed into a displeased pout. I directed a glare him way, and he teasingly remarked, "Hey, I’m not going down without a fight.”

I shrugged off his shoulder. “Have fun with that, buddy.”

[spacecadetomoly]

Matsuno Family Diary! Part 4: Todomatsu goes to a New Year's Eve Party! Does not get Laid, has Zero Game! (Unofficial English Translation)

The following is an unofficial English translation of an official short story released online for members of the official Osomatsu-san fan club. If you want to read the original Japanese version of the story or enjoy the other things the fan club offers its members please consider joining: https://osomatsusan-fc.com/

In the room of the Matsuno family sextuplets there is a notebook hidden away behind a bookshelf. This notebook exists so that the brothers may, should they so choose, express the deep feelings and profound thoughts which weigh upon their hearts and minds so heavily that they can no longer be contained.

It seems that today someone’s hand is once again turning the pages….

January 5th, 2022, Todomatsu

5 days after New Year's Eve… Today, I would like to write about what happened to me… The day before New Years, I found this advertisement for a machikon* on the internet: ――――――――――――――――――― [Mainly meant for singles in their 20’s] (Akatsuka Ward)

“Before I knew it, I had fallen in love. I understood the word "fate" for the first time...”

New Year's Eve love-hunting machikon event! Free drinks and desserts!

Only you can carve out a new life for yourself!

Let’s start a new romance! The man of your dreams is so close by!

―――――――――――――――――――

I’ve had my brothers destroy any chance I had at love before it could even start to develop. So this new year’s eve I decided to go to this event in town in secret without any of them knowing.

But I didn’t have the courage to go alone! So I called a bunch of people trying to find someone who would come with me. I ended up going with an acquaintance who works for a major company. I thought, “Totty, you don't stand a chance, do you?” Shobon...**

I don’t think any of my virgin NEET brothers know this, but it’s so hard to be popular at these kinds of events. In fact, forget about being popular, it’s hard enough just getting girls to remember who you are! After all, there are plenty of men out there. If you call them afterwards and they say "Oh...who's this guy?” then there’s no chance of starting a relationship with them! That's why you have to be memorable to the girls.

Unfortunately, I'm a normal boy that you can find anywhere. I'm just an ordinary guy. A little bit good-looking, kind of smart, a tad witty, and overall just plain ol’ Totty. I'm not highly educated, nor do I have a high income…

But you know what? The whole night ended up being such a big victory for me! ! ! I Did it! Woohoo!

Yes, I realized I am a unique character. I have a special characteristic that once you hear it, you'll never forget it.

You see, I am…a sextuplet!

There are no other sextuplets around, I’m part of the only set in town! It’s so unusual! So that’s what I first mentioned in conversations right after I introduced myself! There was no shortage of things to talk about, such as “Can I see a picture of you guys?” or “When you get injured, do the others feel it?” Is that good? No, It’s great!!!

To be honest, I used to think of my five brothers as nothing more than stains on my shirt, but from now on I'll think of them as appliqués on my shirt! Thank you!

But you know…even though I was number one in the amount of contact information exchanged no one has replied to me yet… I guess being remembered doesn’t automatically mean you’re popular….

P.S.

I’m not to blame for the porno book thing

Translator’s Notes:

* A machikon is a type of speed dating party held in a city where you and a group of strangers (can be as small as 10 or as big as 100) meet up with the goal of potentially hooking up. You don’t get a lot of time to talk to each person so a good first impression is very important.

** Shobon means downhearted or dejected. I thought about changing it to something else, but I couldn’t think of an English word that truly captures how cutesy and punchable Totty is being as well as “Shobon” does so I ended up leaving it in. Like, the image of him sighing out “Shobon…” makes me want to both hug and slap him, and I wanted to convey that feeling as authentically as possible.

This Is probably one of my favorite Matsuno Family Diary entries. It really captures Todomatsu as a character: he wants so badly to be his own person apart from his brothers, but he also doesn’t want that and hates being alone and even when he spends a night away from his family he still ends up talking about them the entire time because despite thinking he’s better than them he still deeply lacks confidence in himself as an individual person. In conclusion, Todomatsu is a land of contrasts, bless his dry little co-dependent heart.

Up next: A Valentine's Day Existential Crisis with Choromatsu!

[obigem]

The Sims 4 High School Years: The Price Family

The Sims 4 High School Years dropped last Thursdays, and I don't have the pack and don't plan to get it or even update my game till a series of bugs I'm not comfy with gets rectified.....BUT I still wanted to do my own take on this world's townies. So I decided to make them all from scratch starting with the Price family!

Along with making them from scratch, I also expanded on and tweaked their lore to make them way more fun to play should you want to play with my version of the character.

You can watch the video where I make there here!

And you can grab the tray files for the family here :)

Now without further ado, The Price Family Bio:

Janae & Marcel

College sweethearts they were a story of opposites attract. They met and fell in love, but they had very different ambitions. Marcel was more of the romantic. He’s always had a way with words, and that certainly charmed Janae. He’s been able to live out his dream job as a writer and his life’s goal is to one day be a bestselling author. He’s made many strides toward this goal; however, a full house of kids has kept him busy and unable to pen that quintessential masterpiece.

Janae on the on the other hand, has always been more of go-getter. She loves when Marcel speaks his pretty words to her, but outside of Romance, fantasy and fiction has always been pretty froufrou to her. She wants to be her own boss and maybe even run her own company one day. In the meantime, she’s climbed the ranks pretty far as Regional Manager and can all but smell her goal.

Their differences are beginning to take its toll on their marriage, though. Janae has always seen Marcel’s career as “easy” and “lax.” In her mind, she’s the breadwinner, so it only makes sense that Marcel should take on more of the household duties and child rearing. With her nose to the ground to career climb, a lot of their romance has been lost too. She doesn’t make time for Marcel to read her poetry anymore. After all, how will that get her a promotion? It’s all work and no play, which means no dates and a dusty woohoo life! Marcel is hoping moving back to their hometown of Copperdale will help to put the spark back into their relationship and get Janae back into family activities with the kids that she unfortunately doesn’t see much of. Marcel even opened their home to a foreign exchange student as a way to give Janae a push to get more involved with the kids. However, Janae sees Copperdale as a new challenge to keep career climbing and conquer their small town of youth. Will these sweethearts be able to get back onto the same page?

Savannah

Since the day Savannah was born, she’s always been an exceptional star. The older of the two twins, she came into the world first, learned to walk and talk first, and first is normally where Savannah is used to seeing herself in all things competition. As a kid she would regularly whoop Sidney’s but in video games, and rather than grow out of that hobby, she’s developed, honed it, and made it her life. Savannah streams daily to the eyeballs of thousands. She’s a true streaming sensation! Some may say all the accolades, attention, and brand deals have gone to her head, but the only things that matter in her Savannah’s life is for her to be the very best like no one ever was, and she won’t stop till she’s a household name.

Sidney

While first is a place that Sidney’s twin Savannah has grown very comfortable claiming, Sidney quickly got comfortable being number two, or the last one anyone remembers. Being bested by Savannah his entire childhood really took a toll on his confidence and self-esteem to the point where he’d do almost anything to separate himself and be recognized as an individual. When he learned they were moving to Copperdale, he knew this was his chance to finally find his things that made him special and memorable and no longer in the larger shadow Savannah casts, and he’s hoping the cheer team will be just the thing to do it!

Jayden

The youngest of the Price children has a lot to look up to. A mom who’s kicking butt in business, and father who’s on the cusp of writing his bestseller, a big sister streaming sensation, and big brother who’s working hard to carve his own lane. He’s proud of them all, but this family space is a bit too crowded for his taste and he’d like nothing more than to get out into the world and start exploring on his own so he can really find himself outside of the shining star Price family circus. Ever since foreign exchange student Devesh came to live with them, he’s finally gotten a peek into the life of someone who’s live in a completely different place and culture and it’s got him dreaming of one day entering the exchange program himself so he can start exploring the world. When he’s not being sure to keep up on his grades so he can qualify for the program one day, he’s trailing Devesh asking him endless questions about his life as a little taste of what exploring could one day be like.

Devesh (renamed from Kevin)

Growing up, Devesh's parents' hopes and dreams for him have always been to get out into the world and make a good life for himself in one of those Western countries. So he worked hard and actually made it into a prestigious foreign exchange program, but growing his richest aren't exactly catching his fancy like finding a girlfriend. Dev flourished in the excess of western culture from the music, the movies, and all of its entertainment. It has truly romanticized his understanding of the world and he wants for himself to have that westernized romantic comedy experience in Copperdale. He might be a little shy and awkward and prone toward not always saying the right turn of phrase when he needs it, but his excitement for learning and exploring is infectious. As luck would have it, he was placed in the host home of his favorite simstube streamer who he just might have a crush on, and he's hoping his romance might just start there.

[shatteredatthealtarofwinchester]

Umm, wait. It's more a 15x20 rant than an analysis. I'll call it... a ranalysis. 😏

I just saw J*reds last online panel again, where he called the finale "magical full circle storytelling". 15x20 is his "favourite episode ever" because he "is a fan of good storytelling". Uh-huh... Okay. So the following just was built on pure rage. This makes it more of a rant than an analysis. As usual. You guys know me.

Well. There are various possibilities here, Jared. Possibility A is, you are lying, what I do not believe. To lie that obvious you have to be a talented actor, which you are not. Possibility B is, you really think that way. You believe, the finale was "magical full circle storytelling" and you actually loved it, it was indeed your favourite episode. This again brings me to the only conclusion: You have no fucking idea about good storytelling, not even decent storytelling.

Lets look at every single ending, shall we?

Dean. We all know you think Deans death was a "success story." You think that Dean "ultimately gave his life for his number one on planet." I am sitting here, laughing in pain. First of all, let me say that Dean didn't died for Sam, Jared. He didn't took a bullet for Sam or sacrificed himself or whatsoever. He died in the most ridiculous accident I've ever seen. But lets go back to the very start.

Dean’s childhood was highly abusive. Dean was 4 years old when he saw his mother burning alive and learned that monsters are real. In that age he developed PTSD and stopped talking. Dean had a childhood with a father that was an alcoholic and physically and mentally abusive, who had believed that Dean had a “killer instinct". When Dean was about 6 years old, John forced him into a nurturing role for Sam. In the same age Dean was forced into the soldiers role as well when John taught him how to shoot and hunt. Dean had to obey orders without questioning. If he acted “out of line,” (aka something John didn’t like) John chewed him out or left them alone. Dean was trained to be Daddy’s blunt instrument. Dean gave up his own life to keep Sam safe, because he had no other choice. More than a brother Dean had to be a father and a mother to Sam. He suppressed everything, every psychological pain, every emotion, he just lived to protect Sam and to obey as Johns blunt soldier. Short: Dean gave up HIMSELF for Sam and John. Not because Dean wanted to, because he was forced into it! Dean hated himself, he was suicidal. He was convinced he isn’t worthy of anything, especially not being loved. Dean never had a life for his own, never had a choice, never had a chance, never had own original thoughts, never felt safe or loved. He was used to being left. He felt like he was nothing. Worthless. He was dead inside. Broken. You get what I mean, Jared? Since you own a mental health campaign, you should. And guess what Dean did? He kept fighting. Despite everything, he kept fighting. And his mindset slowly changed. He understood that his father was an abusive bastard, he unterstood that he was forced into a life he never wanted. He understood that he is more than that, that he is not like John. He changed. He opened up. He even wanted to retire. And now it gets interesting, because something happened that REALLY is the start of magical full circle storytelling. Something in Deans mind clicked while Cas' confession. His confession was fundamental to Dean to finally accept his own goodness and the value of his life and love, of his identity. It was the moment of breaking free of the structure that had controlled and corrupted him his entire life. It was the only way out of his abusive and traumatizing cage to experience something for his own the very first time. For the first time in his life he had a chance. A choice. The start of his very own life. Free will, baby! Well, no. Because exactly in that moment he stumbled into a nail and died. Do you even realize how dumb this is? Do you even realize what you did? Wait, it gets worse. Yeah, that's possible, even if you dont believe it. In heaven he goes right back to the life he has spent his whole journey learning to free himself from: Left only with the persons he had been forced, time and time again, to sacrifice his identity, goals, and soul for. None of the family, support, or love, nothing he has built or chosen for himself remains. This is not magical full circle storytelling, Jared. This is abysmal pointless butchering. This has NOTHING, not a single percent of magical or good storytelling! YOU call that magical? YOU call that a success? Seriously, what shit are you on? If it would've been full circle storytelling, there is not one single fucking possibility that Dean would've died in the end. I don't know whats going on in your twisted brain, but Deans death never was and never will be a success. To make it magical full circle storytelling, he MUST have been the one who survives and overcomes his trauma (and raise a certain someone from perdition.)

Sam. He's actually the one who kinda got the best ending, huh? I mean, it was fucking horrific, but it was the best if you compare it to the others. When Sam was young, he wanted a normal life far away from hunting, while the truth is, Sam always was more like John than Dean ever will be. Over time his mindset clearly changed. He even said: "When Dean came to get me at school, I told myself, one last job, you know, (...) it was always one more job and then I was gonna go back to law and to my life. I guess, I really understand now that THIS is my life. And I love it." Sam couldn't imagine a normal life anymore. He had the chances for that and he declined. He loved hunting. He loved working and making progress with the BMOL, he very much enjoyed being a MOL and even took the lead often. I can clearly picture Sam as the lead of a rebuilt version of the MOL, that would've made sense. What did Sam get? Right, the ending he didn't wanted anymore, but since we yeet every single development of every single character out of the window, Sam has to be Season 1 Sam again, BUT with a fancy party wig! And there he is! And what a happy life he lives, exactly what he wanted, woohoo! So much joy, so much fun! Oh look, there is BlurryWife™, who Jared made sure is not Eileen, because “Dean wouldn’t want Sam to be with Eileen”. But wait, didn't Dean wanted Sam to be with Eileen? Didn't Dean literally said: "If it was to work, Eileen, you know... She gets it, she gets us, she gets the life. You could do worse. And she could certainly do better, like SO much better. I'm happy for you, Sammy." Yeah, NO. This was just a writing AND acting AND producing mistake and had no matter at all. *cough* So... As you can see, magical storytelling strikes again. I can feel the magic, I can feel the full circle, it's... Amazing...

Castiel. Castiels story was magical, it was mindblowing. I've never in my entire life seen such a meaningful and deep storyline and I mean this. It's fucking massive. There is this blunt angel soldier, one of the post powerful forces, who was built to blindly obey, who lived for aeons of years, who wasn't supposed to feel anything, but he fell for a broken, suicidal, abused human who never felt loved or worthy the very moment he touched him. He fell so hard he rebelled against his own race, against his own family, against everything he had without any safety. He was the ONLY one in Chuck-knows-how-many universes who GREW outside of Chucks CONTROL! His love was so fucking massive, it couldn't be controlled by the God who built every-fucking-thing. Chuck built millions(?) of parallel universes, heaven, hell, life, death, purgatory, the empty, he created every single being, the light, darkness, every single angel, demon, leviathan, monster, animal, plant, sea, blade of grass, every centimeter of mountains, the four seasons, emotions, what the fuck ever. Everything you can ever think of, Chuck created it. And he controlled it. In every single one of his fucking millions of universes. But not Castiel.This is actually not possible. You can't outrun god. You can't outrun the one who creates, writes and controlles everything. But Cas did. Out of love. And not only that, you also imply that what happened between Dean and Cas was the only thing  that was real. Everything else was corrupted, controlled, manipulated, written by Chuck. But what happened between Dean and Cas, he couldn't affect.

Seeing Cas standing there, crying, confessing his love to Dean actually even makes me think that Dean made Cas human. Dean completed Cas. Cas didn't simply said "I love you", he actually said "In all existing universes, in all millions, all aeons of years, you are my only happiness." And Cas completed Dean. He freed Dean. While Dean was used to being left, was used to feeling worthless and unlovable, Cas saw Dean exactly the way he is and chose to stay. With every obstacle, every difficulty he loved him even more and yes, freed him from the abusive structure that had controlled and corrupted him his entire life. Something that no one else could, not his parents, not Amara, not God, not even Sam. Beautiful, isn't it? Unique. Mindblowing. Pure. You enjoyed it? Let's fuck this up in 3...2...1...

Castiels story ended exactly the same way it started. A blunt angel who doesn't care about people and feelings, blindly carrying out instructions from a new God, obeying heaven. No progress. They threw away 12 years of character development and managed to give him the same stupid and senseless ending like they did with Dean. Dean died and Cas... Wasn't there?! WHAT!? There is no single fucking way Cas wouldn't save Dean or wouldn't be there when Dean enters heaven! There. Is. No. Fucking. Way! The way they represented Cas in the end doesn't only imply that Dean isn't important to Cas anymore, he even ended up exactly the same way as if Season 4-15 wouldn't have happened. The ending is exactly the same! He's with God in heaven, supporting him with instructions, not caring about anything else.

Okay, I got it. Summarizing you can say: Jareds "magical full circle storytelling" is to yeet 95% of the past 15 years. No other characters matter, the story itself doesn't matter, every single characters development doesn't matter, it even doesn't matter what the brothers really want, they don't get it anyway.

Okay. But that's not all. As if this wasn't bad enough, they didn't just butchered ... EVERYTHING, they also salted and burnt every single Mantra they ever stood for. I'll make these short, I promise!

Team Free Will. *snort* Dean couldn't escape his fate, he always believed he'll die on a hunt as Daddys blunt instrument and he did. He kept fighting to die exactly the way he felt he was "supposed to". Message? No matter how hard you keep fighting, no matter how long you'll keep it up, you can't escape your fate. Sam couldn't change his fate, he ended how he started. Cas couldn't change his fate, he ended how he started, same for Jack, he ended how he was supposed to. YEET THE FREE WILL, NONE OF THEM CAN CHANGE ANYTHING!

Family don't end with  blood. The biggest lie that has ever been told. Do I even have to explain that? No need, right? Don't make me wanna throw up again, please. We all know that 15x20 blasted "Family don't end with blood" in millions of pieces.

Always keep fighting. THE AUDACITY to praise that while Dean is dying! After everything Dean has dealt with, It makes me wanna scream. Dean kept fighting, he always kept fighting, no matter how hard it was, no matter what forced him to his knees, he stood up again, and if he wasn't able to stand up, he crawled. He kept fighting no matter what, despite everything. His mindset changed. He wanted to live, he wanted to experience things, feelings and people differently or even for the first time. He changed. He wanted to retire, toes in the sand. He knew he earned it. Thats why he kept fighting. For what? To die the very first moment he had a free will. To die the very first moment he had a choice, had a life to build for himself. Always keep fighting, but the moment you come close to what you want, what you fought for, you die. It's been more than 3 months and I am having tears in my eyes while typing this. As for Dean, no matter how hard you fight, no matter how long you fight, you don't reach what you deserve anyway. Give up. As for Sam, AKF leeds to Emptiness. Grief. Psychological Trauma. Mental illness. Absolutely nothing worth fighting for.

I wanna go cry now, bye.

[nanowrimo]

Introducing Our Director of Community Fundraising, Allison Celosia!

Today we’re proud to welcome our newest staff member, Allison Celosia, Director of Community Fundraising. Fun fact: we posted this job opportunity looking for our first-ever Development Director. We met and loved Allison’s energy and vision. Even before their first day of work, Allison set the tone for NaNoWriMo’s fundraising journey ahead with this job title change. This is a department centered in community-centric fundraising. We’re going to mobilize resources TOGETHER in support of our Wrimo community, present, past, and future generations.

Hola Wrimos, Allison here.

Don’t tell anyone (then why are you blog-telling us this, Allison!), but I’m not a novelist… yet. (Tim’s got me writing this April in Camp, woohoo.) Primarily, I've been an essayist in the public sphere. I’m an op-ed writer, hard on the facts, hard on the opinions, and stubborn to boot.

That’s why my new role with NaNoWriMo is a welcome opportunity. I regard joining the team as my much-needed return to softness, to storytelling, to world-building! While I’m here, I’m hoping to tell the story of our donor community.

So many Wrimos – more than 8,000 of you, in fact – have made a small dollar donation to NaNoWriMo in the past year. When I asked the team “why is our donor community so badass?” they pointed me to the donor responses on our 2021 End-Of-Year Survey. Here, I found more than a hundred answers simply telling us “We trust you! You’re doing good work!” or “Keep inspiring us!” to explain why they donated.

The untold story, until this very moment, is the narrative of why Wrimos didn’t donate to our organization. And that’s where my heart swelled. I read through the survey responses, and I had FEELINGS. Yes, ALL CAP feelings. As is the case with any great novel, I, the reader, began to empathize with the folks in this story.

There were two recurring characters in the non-donor story: one who experienced pain due to financial hardship during the pandemic and the other who felt outrage at our organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

I’m here to unpack those pendulum swing responses. We have a joyful narrative with those who give. With all my fundraising heart, I want to ease the emotional divide between NaNoWriMo donors and non-donors. Regardless of your capacity and privilege to donate, no one should feel disconnected from the mission and purpose of our writing community due to *whispers* money.

In any case, I’m only now starting to turn the pages on this donor community story. I hope you’ll tune in to read the next chapter. For now, feel free to spy on my LinkedIn to get to know me professionally or email me directly at NaNoWriMo HQ. My email address is allison_celosia@nanorwrimo.org.

Salamat kaayo (thank you very much in Bisaya), talk soon.

[chaoticevilbean]

Voltron Humans are Weird 4/?

"What the heck, Coran?" Lance's shout echoed through the hallways. When more, less coherent shouts continued from the Blue Paladin, probably directed at Coran, the other Paladins followed the noise curiously.

In the middle of the medbay, laying on the floor, Lance was struggling to get Coran's hands off of his leg. The Altean seemed to be trying to drag the boy into a healing pod, only stopped by the death grip the human had on a nearby table. It was definitely a good thing all the tables were magnetized to the floor to avoid movement.

"Coran, I told you, I'm fine!" Lance screamed at the alien. "I don't need a healing pod!"

"You shouted gibberish and didn't react to something shocking!" Coran countered. "For you, that's all that is needed to warrant at least a scan!"

"That was one time! We were in the middle of a battle!"

"You didn't come in afterwards!"

"REFUGEES NEED IT MORE THAN ME!"

"YOU ARE A PALADIN! YOU ARE DEFINITELY IMPORTANT ENOUGH AND YOU WERE DEFINITELY INJURED ENOUGH TO WARRANT PRIORITY!"

"GUYS!" Shiro hollered over the two of them. The duo froze, staring at the Black Paladin. Both seemed extremely hopeful that he would support their side of the argument. "What is going on? Lance first, mostly because this might be another 'humans can do weird things'."

"Coran and I were just cleaning the healing pods, and you're not supposed to keep using one of the rags if it gets to a certain level of dirty. So, I'm over here," Lance pointed to the left-most side, "Coran's over there," he pointed to the right, "and he's got the bucket we're supposed to put the rags in when they're done. And I just finished my rag, and I don't want to walk all the way over there, then all the way back, just to put it in the bucket. So I ball it up, toss it into the bucket from where I'm sitting, and shout, 'Kobe!' Coran turns right as this happens, and his eyes went all wide, then the next thing I know, he's tackling me and demanding I go into the healing pod."

"Coran, what's your side of the story?"

"Why aren't you questioning his side?" Coran asked instead.

"What d'you mean?"

"He claims to have thrown something from there to there and hit his target," the Altean gestured as he spoke, "and says he shouted some form of gibberish as he did, and you aren't challenging it."

"Well, sure, it's a bit hard to believe someone made that shot, but Lance has good aim. And 'Kobe' is what some people shout when they throw and make the shot. It isn't that strange."

"So Lance has been trained in throwing?"

"... I'm beginning to think this is something that has to do with us being humans and you being Altean."

"What is this about throwing?" Allura walked into the room, pausing to give both Coran and Lance an appraising look.

"OF COURSE!" Pidge yelled suddenly. The entire group turned to stare at her, confused. Seeing this, she launched into an explanation.

"We've already learned that humans are a lot different than most aliens, maybe all. We have high tolerances to things that are considered deadly, we adapt to new environments and temperatures with ease, we literally consider living with other predators that aren't sentient to be completely normal. It would make sense that Alteans..." Pidge paused for the drama, "...are like primates." Lance, Hunk, and Keith all let out noises of understanding, though Shiro, Allura, and Coran remained confused. Lance clicked his tongue, ignoring the weird looks he got from his alien peers, and instead started his own explanation.

"In the Garrison, we had an entire biology unit dedicated to the fact that humans are extremely unique compared to Earth animals. One of the biggest discussion topics was the one about how primates, our closest biological counterparts, can't throw things very well. But humans..." Lance stopped, jerking his leg from Coran's grasp, and stood. He grabbed a small roll of bandages, then turned sharply.

"Catch!" Hunk caught the roll, tossing it to Shiro quickly. The leader snatched it from the air on reflex, chucking it at Keith's head, who then lobbed it at Pidge. The motions quickly escalated into a game of hot potato, though there was no timer. Lance almost dropped the bandages when Hunk faked throwing it at Shiro again, before instead flinging it towards his buddy. The Cuban caught it with his foot, bouncing it up into his hands and launching it back at his bro.

The Alteans watched on, frozen in abject shock. They had been so sure that most of the Paladins had never completed their training, but here they saw that the humans could throw with extreme speed and precision. If it was something they all could do, then it was no wonder Shiro didn't question Lance's accuracy.

"When did you all learn to throw?"

"Two! Booyah!" Lance cheered as he flung the roll into the bin where it was meant to be.

"You are very skilled for having learned two decaphoebs ago. Or rather, less than two, given your strange times," Coran praised. The humans shared weird looks with each other, preparing themselves for what was about to happen.

"Um, Coran," the Blue Paladin began. "I didn't learn two decaphoebs or two years ago."

"Then what did you mean by two?" Allura inquired, curiosity piqued.

"I learned when I was two years old."

"You learned... how to throw... with speed and accuracy... at less than two decaphoebs old?"

"Yep. It's a little early, but my brothers wanted me to start practicing so I could join some sports when I grew up. Probably why I'm the sharpshooter now."

"How do you say that so casually?" Allura demanded. "It takes decaphoebs of experience to learn to throw with even a little accuracy. Alteans and Galrans can throw with some speed because of our strength, but even then, we cannot throw much more than a few meters. Coran can throw due to practicing since he began his training, but he misses a quarter of the time."

"Well, humans have the natural ability to throw with a bit of speed and accuracy, and we have a lot of activities that are based on that fact. Sports like basketball, baseball, football, ultimate frisbee, all of them require being able to throw. I learned to throw better at a younger age, but things like a simple game of catch is pretty simple. What we just did was easy because we aren't that far from each other and there are only so many directions that we'll aim for." Hunk shrugged as he finished his answer. He had been the most involved in that unit of the Garrison.

"You all can throw because of biology? Not training?"

"I mean, if we want to throw better, we still have to practice, but yeah, that's the basics of it all. Watch. Lance, go long!" Hunk tugged off his shoe, waited for his bro to reach a certain spot, then hurled it through the air. With a small jump, the Cuban caught the shoe and threw it at the ground.

"WOOHOO! I LOVE THIS DAY!"

"Lance enjoys catching and throwing things more than a lot of activities. Do it enough and he's basically a dog. I once literally played a game of fetch with him because he was having a depressed day. Perked right up and I could barely keep up for the rest of the day."

"Perhaps we should include throwing in our training, then," Coran suggested. The next moment, the Altean was receiving a hug from behind as Lance laughed ecstatically.

"¡Gracias, gracias, gracias!"

"What?"

"He's saying thank you. Lance, let go and I'll find a stick for you."

"Puedo ser humano, pero mi alma es un perro."

"Si hermano. Now let go of Coran." Lance did so, racing out of the room with Hunk trailing afterwards. Pidge and Keith followed, wanting to see if their comrade would actually play fetch with a stick, and Shiro hesitated before tagging along, not keen on an actual injury happening.

"Coran, I believe it is yet again time to update the guide."

"Indeed."

Humans have the ability to throw with amazing speed and accuracy, developed from a young age. They are born with a larger natural aptitude for throwing, and improve upon it as they mature. If the word 'Kobe' is heard, assume that a Terran has thrown an object and most likely hit their target. Some humans enjoy throwing and catching objects more than is considered usual. These humans are likely to be more proficient at throwing, and should be given many opportunities to practice their skills.

Terrans also sometimes participate in competitive games called 'sports' or simple recreational games called 'catch'. These are based off their throwing abilities, and often including passing a specific item between players via throwing. Do not get directly between two or more players, as, while humans will often change their targets, they may be attempting a pass at that moment and the speed at which they throw could cause physical harm. Do not distract a player for this same reason.

Both Alteans and Galrans would need to train for over twenty decaphoebs to be at the same skill level as many mature humans are naturally. For an example of this, a clip is included of the Paladins of Voltron, who are all Terran, playing a game of 'catch'.

[elvislover69]

The oedipus complex, really weird and stupid

*First, what is the Oedipus complex? Well it's a psychoanalytic theory created by Sigmund Freud in the year 1899 talking about the attachment of a child towards the parent of their opposite sex and the hate towards the parent of the same sex, it's based by the ancient Greek story of Oedipus, the king of thebes that killed his father and married (and had children) with his mother unknowingly*

*Content warning for death, child abuse??? Well harm directly to a new born, incest, suicide and shit, don't read if you don't like any of that stuff cuz it's bad, bro, I'm going deeper about the story of Oedipus*

The story of our dear Oedipus starts in the city (town???) Of Thebes, Thebes wasn't the best place to live, Laius, the king, believe the city was cursed and seeked help from an oracle about his soon to born son, Oedipus, the oracle tells Laius "man, he's going to kill you and marry his mother lmao it's gonna be hilarious" or something like that i wasn't there, Laius is horrified by this and takes the new born to the mountains and bounds his feet and hands so he couldn't move. Yes we're still talking about a new born, some time a servant finds the baby and takes him to a shepherd. Eventually, the homeless child came to Corinth where the king and queen didn’t have children of their own. They raised the homeless child, who became their heir.

Years after a drunk bastard tells Oedipus that he is a bastard, meaning that he is adopted, in response to that he visites an oracle and they tell him about his destiny, he thinks that's horrible and runs away from home to not harm his parents, that bites him in the ass later on.

Oedipus while traveling came across the king Laius riding his chariot and they discuss who has the right of way, Laius tries to run over Oedipus and he gets mad and kills Laius that way fulfilling part of the prophecy. Blah blah, Creon, Queen Jocasta’s brother (Oedipus uncle) made the announcement that whoever answers correctly the riddle of a Sphynx that was near the city would become the king and marry jocasta, Oedipus answers correctly and marries his mother and has several children with her not knowing he fulfilled the prophecy completely,

In different versions a Messenger informs Oedipus of his adoptive dad's passing, he puts the clues together and understands he married his mom, jocasta after hearing this hangs herself and Oedipus in horror takes his eyes out.

Why am I telling you this? Well, this is from where all the chaos starts

The oedipus complex!

Freud took this story and thought "yeah I'm going to relate this to my dreams!" And created this whole idea that every boy is madly in love with their mother and it's sexually attracted to them,

Freud started to think that it was a universal experience coming to the conclusion that every boy fights their father for the love of their mother without even noticing since it's our "instinct" envy and hate results on the child fantasizing about killing their father and taking his place, this feelings may lead to the child having a fear towards their father castrating them and living them without their pride, their dick.

In the other side girls have a different theory the

Electra complex

Woohoo more terms! But this one isn't made by Freud but it's inspired by our man, our boy, our bread and butter, our sun and moon, it's made by Carl Jung

The Electra complex starts with a girl already with the mentality that she has been castrated, that her mother took away their pride and made them be less than a man, this makes the kid hate their mom a whole lot, just as the Oedipus complex the child has a rivalry with the parent of their same sex for the parent of the opposite sex, for their love, this being sexual at some point.

What do i think about this? It's stupid, really stupid lmao

Psychologist have been investigating this for years and they still think it's stupid as fuck since it's only coming from Freud's experience and fantasies from a badly developed childhood, he may have just tried to find closeness to what we dictate it's normal and this driving him to creating this but that's all i have, penis!*