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kumkaniudaku · 5 months ago

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Pop Quiz

Summary: When Asia's in need of a few lessons regarding matters of the bedroom, her colleague and friend, Kelvin, offers his expertise.

Pairing: Kelvin Harrison Jr. x Black!OC

Warnings: Mature Content (18+)

Word Count: 6.2k

MASTERLIST

Noise complaints ran $25 a pop in Asia's building. Twenty-five dollars from her bank account and an awkward conversation with Alister when they crossed paths on Asia's way to the parking garage early the following Thursday morning.

"Please, don't take this wrong, but you and your friend are…loud. You gave our book club quite the show last weekend."

Asia could still feel the rise of bile in her throat while she listened to her usually quiet next-door neighbor explain every single sound and shout from her and Kelvin's escapades in extremely graphic detail. The taste seared into her tastebuds, following Asia into the afternoon's internal review. At the same time, Savannah, the brand lead, ran through slides outlining the wonderful world of influencer marketing to sell mid-tier poison their client called alcohol.

Desperate for a break from endless droning and word soup, Asia carefully took a screenshot of her noise complaint charge and copied it into a message for Kelvin to reawaken a thread that regularly kept them up into the wee hours of the morning.

Her mental vacation ended before it could start, forcing her back into the action. She placed her phone face down on the large conference table and tried to refocus while waiting for any sign that he'd received her attachment. She didn't have to wait for long. Asia's lips curled into a goofy grin when Kelvin broke eye contact from the presentation to glance at the message notification on his laptop screen. He maintained an impenetrable poker face to take pretended notes, exaggerating every deliberate tap against backlit black keys.

Kel You lowkey were kinda loud when we got back. It was cute. I'll pay. Zelle or ApplePay?

Asia bit back a smile at blurred flashbacks of the wall clock above her television ticking down the seconds til midnight with Kelvin's face back between her legs, pushing her past her limits for his pleasure and hers. Her fingers danced across the phone's digital keyboard.

Pretty Girl 💖💚 Don't worry about it. I had to be loud to cover for you.

Kelvin's grey bubble appeared and disappeared twice before vanishing altogether. Asia tried not to stare at the side of his head, hoping the telepathy she swore existed as a child still worked. She looked at Savannah and noted the color on her perfectly shaped nails. Then, she counted the grey hairs in the strategy director's beard, stopping at 35 before growing tired of the neverending task. Her attention shifted to the typo on the recap slide as she made a mental note to flag it in her post-meeting notes. A cough in the room made her ears perk for a second to determine if the offender was sick or dealing with a dry throat. Definitely sick. What she could make for dinner floated around with other fragmented thoughts. Potatoes, maybe? Pasta?

Unfortunately for her, nothing could hold her attention quite like the man coolly clicking-clacking on his sticker-covered laptop, seemingly unconcerned with her last text.

Kel I like the way you taste. Sue me. ApplePay: $28 Extra for the transfer

Static enveloped Asia's entire body, sending shock waves straight to the apex of her thighs until she was forced to cross her legs to stifle what she was sure would sound like a kitten's purr if she didn't put a muzzle on it quickly.

A smug smile graced Kelvin's otherwise expressionless face to add further insult to injury. In his periphery, Asia sat perfectly flustered with no outlet for all the squirming she tried to hide. Squirming that instantly reminded him of how he couldn't let her leave him on Saturday night without kissing both sets of lips one more time.

"Asia, can you update us on the timeline?"

Time lost to reliving every atom-splitting, toe-curling moment from the weekend left Asia scrambling to rearrange windows on her laptop to fulfill Savannah's perfectly reasonable yet ill-timed request. "Uh, yeah! One…one second."

She silently thanked the creator for protecting her screen from prying eyes while she tried to cosplay as a serious businesswoman. Sweat beading at her temples attempted to crack Asia's facade. Still, she recovered with a dancer's grace with nanoseconds to spare before a quick pause turned into awkward silence.

"Alright, cool. Sorry about that. Thursday is basically Friday for my brain," she apologized, earning mumbling agreement from her peers. "So, yeah, we're tracking toward Friday's round one client review. Andy, you'll take over copy duties for Kelvin since he's moving on to greener pastures at the end of the week."

Varying degrees of disappointment bubbled from the small group, forcing Kelvin to clarify Asia's intentionally vague announcement. "Greener pastures as in new business, y'all." Kelvin used a charming smile to douse burgeoning speculation sure to follow news of his departure. He shot Asia a warning look meant for her understanding alone. She shrugged to play innocent, and he chuckled at her act. "But, I'll take one of those goin' away happy hours like Ty's if y'all wanna give me one."

"Speaking of Ty's thing, are we cool with La Chila down the block? My wife says I gotta get more steps in for our family weight loss challenge. A walk to an early dinner counts, right?"

"Walking off ten calories to eat 700 in one sitting is insane, Chris."

Savannah's patented matter-of-fact quip generated enough uncontrollable laughter to distract the team from Asia's half-baked project timeline and Kelvin's air kiss in response to her middle finger emoji sent via Teams.

For all the time spent discussing boundaries and ways of working through their unconventional arrangement, remaining purely professional during their three days in the office was by far the easiest line in the sand to stay behind. They kept a careful distance, never spent time without another party present, kept electronic chats on work devices to a minimum, and never ever discussed their weekends as two parts of a whole when the topic inevitably reared its head during group lunches.

But, try as they might, rumors swirled in private pockets of office gossip until all interested parties were gathered over creamy, spicy queso and post-work margaritas.

Kelvin sat next to Asia as innocently as he knew how, ignoring the urge to rest his hand on her thigh while they whispered over which entrees they'd choose for the evening. Asia leaned into his body to share one menu despite having her own inches from her fingertips. She listened to Kelvin's recommendations with a soft smile and starry eyes, making sour cream and pinto beans seem like the most interesting inventions since the portable CD player. They were like magnets pulled together by an unseen force, unable to resist the other.

Already two shots and a celebratory sombrero dance number in, Ty used his privilege as the guest of honor to point in the duo's direction. "You two are super cute together. Aren't they super cute together, Sav?"

Always his partner in crime and cocktails, Savannah excitedly agreed as she waived an uneaten tortilla chip around in the air. "Oh my God, yes! I always thought that but, like, didn't want to be the blonde white girl shipping the two black people on the team."

"Well, I am black, and I think so too." Asia and Kelvin shot individual glares in Sidney's direction. She shrugged and smirked. "What! I can spot two hot people who need to be hot together from a mile away. I'm the one who hooked Ty up with Eric in analytics."

"And, while we despise each other now for reasons I won't share, it was fun while it lasted!"

Kelvin played it cool for both of them, calmly shifting his torso away from Asia to pluck a chip from the communal basket. "I hate to break up the love fest, but nothing is going on between us. We're work friends."

"At best," Asia added.

Ouch. Kelvin internally bristled at her unprompted callout with his cold beer bottle's amber tip pressed against his bottom lip. "At best."

If they'd tried harder, maybe they could've convinced Chris, Savannah, Sidney, Maddie, or a very tipsy Ty that what they had was a surface-level, totally uninvolved friendship. And, though they had no proof outside of speculation in a side chat, they all vowed to keep an eye on Thing 1 and Thing 2.

"Yeah. Alright," Sidney scoffed. "Friends at best. That's what we'll go with today. Everybody starts off as friends until that regular hug turns into a mouth hug. Ask my fiancé."

Chris groaned and ran both palms down his beet-red face. "Ya know, every time we have one of these, I leave knowing way too much about you, Sid. Fuckin' gross!"

_______________

Though margaritas had long been finished and Ty's desk was now just an empty surface waiting for a new tenant by Friday morning, Asia couldn't roll into her girl's night at Sabrina's without Sidney's accusation searing a hole into her memory.

Were they just friends? She'd long reckoned with the reality that physical intimacy wasn't enough to swing the pendulum in the dating direction. This was an arrangement for experience's sake, not one designed to turn weekend touching into date nights and meeting the parents.

But, she couldn't shake how Kelvin tensed at the mention of their working relationship or how acknowledging there was no room for more wilted the sprout of hope she'd been watering since the art show. He didn't correct her, and she couldn't bring it up because, well, they were playing by her rules. And you can't switch the rules in the middle of the game. That's cheating.

"Wings or pizza? Or and? Wings and pizza?"

Sabrina contemplating their options for "cheat day" yanked Asia back from a rapidly progressing mental spiral. She sipped from her glass of white wine before responding. "Depends. You getting it from the spot around the corner?"

"Duh," Sabrina scoffed while scrolling through the restaurant's online menu. "If I'm gonna cheat, I wanna enjoy it! Give me something to look forward to for next time."

"Um, are we still talking about food?"

The pair eyed each other from opposite ends of the couch, sporting grins threatening to explode into a fit of giggles. "I am if you are," Sabrina answered before slurping from her glass. Her eyes shifted to the ceiling to avoid facing Asia's judgment. "But, I'm not if you're not."

"Let's not even go there! You turned over a new leaf this week." Asia was more than privy to her friend's past transgressions. Old Sabrina was ruthless in her pursuit of happiness. New and Improved Sabrina was more settled in her relationship. Or, if nothing else, a better liar.

Before Asia could remind her host about the edibles she promised to furnish for their all-night Living Single binge, her phone buzzed beneath her thigh to steal a second of her attention.

Kel ??? My place this weekend? Pls Wanna make you a better steak than the one at the restaurant

Each short buzz in her palms made Asia giddy as she suppressed a squeal and mulled over how to reply. Her thumbs typed, deleted, typed, deleted, hovered, then typed again to craft a worthwhile response.

To: Kel Might need to actually hear you say pls. idk. sounds fake.

Sabrina watched her friend's grin outshine the LED lights bathing her in a faint blue glow from her crossed-leg position on the floor. She tried not to snoop but felt left out. She used a drawn-out sigh to pry Asia's attention away from her phone screen.

"Is that the boy? Art Hoe?"

Asia kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes. "I said that as a joke! His name is Kelvin, and yes, that was him. Just confirming some plans for tomorrow."

"So, is he like…your boyfriend? Y'all dating? Catch me up!" In their decade as sorority sisters and close friends, Sabrina knew of only one romantic interest in Asia's life: Joshua. Tall, dark, and effortlessly flirtatious, what started as innocent flirting while completing their work-study program crashed and burned into weeks of snotty crying. Mary J. Blige cranked to ungodly volumes inside their shared off-campus apartment. Six weeks of heavy-petting caused a lifetime of hurt Sabrina was sure ruined Asia for good.

Until three weeks ago, when text messages began interrupting their evenings of alone time. Sabrina would consider all the pesky interruptions water under the bridge if Asia was willing to come off of her secret lover and fill out the details of their peculiar relationship.

Asia wrestled with sharing until the buzz of Sauvignon Blanc convinced her that someone should know about the man keeping her holed up inside her place once a week—for safety purposes, of course.

Sabrina scooted closer to the edge of her floor pillow once Asia opened her mouth to speak but eeked out a girlish squeak instead. Asia calmed herself with a deep breath and then dished in one breath. "I don't know what the fuck we're doing, but damn it's good."

"Oooooh, Asia's got a boyfrieeeeend!" Sabrina teased.

"Not a boyfriend! We're just hanging out. He's…helping me with something?"

The murkiness in Asia's 'something' made Sabrina press for more. "Something like what? He hanging TVs or laying pipe?" The end of her question awakened a twinkle in Asia's eye like a code word, effectively dropping Sabrina's jaw to the floor. "Oh my God! Are you…are you having sex?"

Asia shrank back, finding herself no match for the immediate shyness sending heat to her face. "Kinda? He offered to help when we were out one night, and I said yes. We have a lesson every weekend, and he –"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Sabrina interjected as she waved her hands in front of her face. "Hold up. That man is teaching you how to fuck every weekend? That's where you been for damn near a month?" When Asia sheepishly nodded in the affirmative, Sabrina stood to dramatically throw her body on the couch. "Bitch. Spill right now, or I will kick you out of my house!"

There was no sense in hiding the truth. Sabrina would press until she was satisfied with Asia's answer, completely unraveling any suspected lie thrown her way. Asia needed to be thorough. No stone left unturned. No racey detail left untold. No story too insignificant to go unshared.

In the middle of Asia, recollecting how Kelvin had her gasping for air the previous weekend, her phone buzzed with an incoming message. 'Kel' lit up the screen. 1 Audio Message sat underneath his contact name like gold at the end of an unexpected rainbow.

Asia chewed her lip, tossing the idea of opening his gift with an additional set of ears in the immediate vicinity. "He just sent a voice note."

"You gon' play it?" Enthusiasm sent Sabrina inching closer for a better view of Asia's phone screen. "Play it!"

If not for curiosity gnawing at her mind and her friend's insistence, Asia would've left the message unplayed until she returned to the privacy of her own home. She had to know why a one-word request took three minutes and a few extra seconds. What was so important that he needed an entire song's length to get it all out?

Her finger quickly tapped the play button to pop the cork on Kelvin's response.

Rustling greeted Asia and Sabrina first. Then, a steady, deep breath filled an otherwise silent recording.

"Fuck." The audible squelch of skin on lubricated skin mingled with strangled moaning until he could speak again. "You just want me to beg? That's okay. I'll beg for you."

Sabrina's hand floated up to cover her open mouth. "Girl, is he…?"

"Shh!"

Asia couldn't pry herself away from the primal nature of each grunt and groan, no matter how much she attempted to will her body into action. Long, drawn-out moans quickly grew into choppy gasps. Curses devolved into fragmented pleas. Her name became a breathy chant until he'd worked himself into a tizzy. "Please, Asia?"

Registering coherent thoughts turned into a chore, leaving Sabrina to undertake stopping the recording before she knew more about Kelvin than she planned for one sitting.

They sat in stunned silence together, waiting for the other to break the ice. Asia slowly turned toward Sabrina to do the honors. "I need you to teach me how to suck dick. I'm talking 2014 Sabrina levels."

"Okay, first of all, that was a special time that can't be recreated," Sabrina answered before taking a long sip of wine. She'd long retired from legendary status on their college campus. Her jersey was in the proverbial rafters, making her a first-ballot Hall of Famer, able to bask in her long list of accomplishments and leave the game behind. But duty called. Asia watched her friend's lips slide into a smile before Sabrina sat back against the couch. "Second of all, Asia," she cooed as she lunged forward to wrap her friend in a hug. "You like him! Oh my goodness, this is so cute!"

Asia released a pitiful sound into her hands that eclipsed Sabrina's excited squeals. "I do. Fuuuuuck, I do!"

Realization felt like a prime Muhammad Ali punch to the face. She did like Kelvin. Try as she might, through all the so-called boundaries and walls she'd built for protection, the growing vines of feelings continued to grip her into its warm embrace. She liked him.

"Let's go. I got you!"

The couch shifting and lightening under Sabrina's retreating weight made Asia's eyes open in surprise. "That's it?" Confusion knitted her brown as she sat up straight to catch Sabrina sliding a light jacket over her arms and sliding her phone into her pocket. "Wait, where are you going?"

"We are going to the sex store. You gotta drive, though. Eric has my car." She answered while sliding her feet into slippers. When Asia didn't immediately make moves to venture into the chilly night air, Sabrina looked her up and down. "Or you could practice on the dick I got back there, but I have to boil it first. Me and Denzel had a time last night!"

Asia didn't mean to gag at the thought of putting her friend's used dildo in her mouth as she gathered her keys and phone from the coffee table, but she couldn't control the reflex. "You're nasty," she mumbled en route to the front door.

"Oh, baby, you haven't seen nasty yet. Just wait." Asia passing in front of Sabrina to exit provided the perfect opportunity for the taller woman to land a hard smack on her friend's ass and laugh, earning a sharp gasp in reaction as the sound reverberated against the hallway walls.

"Ugh, I'm about to make a mini-me! I'm so excited!"

_______________

All three minutes and a few seconds of Kelvin's begging weren't in vain.

With the sun setting beyond his floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking bustling downtown streets, Asia couldn't help but pat herself on the back. If she was going to choose any acquaintance to casually fuck and try not to fall for on her way to self-discovery, she was glad it was one with impeccable design taste and a view.

Canvas art and eccentric sculptures in every corner turned an ordinary space into something of an art gallery. Incense burning near the souped-up entertainment stand filled the room with something rugged and masculine Asia couldn't place but loved all the same. Family photos hung in the entryway gave her a glimpse of his life outside of the buddle they'd created. They looked like a jolly bunch, each with identically toothy grins and peanut butter skin tones. A look at his waffle boucle couch had her wondering what it'd be like to spend a rainy Sunday morning cuddled up with Kelvin's chest pressed to her back and his lips leaving soft kisses on her neck.

She hadn't seen much beyond his open-concept floorplan and the large kitchen with enough appliances to make Martha Stewart light up with joy. Before she arrived with dessert, she doubted Kelvin's ability to whip up anything outside of boy dinner or the occasional pancake. Never did she imagine the fragrant aroma of handcrafted cowboy butter spread across expensive cuts of steak. Creamy mashed potatoes sat steaming beside perfectly cooked broccolini, waiting for the entree to finish and for Kelvin to remove his hand from Asia's bra.

He kept her pressed against his island, one hand holding him steady against cold quartz and the other palming one breast while their tongues and lips danced a coordinated waltz to share the citrusy bite of orange-flavored sparkling water.

Asia broke their kiss first for a deep breath to treat her weak knees. "You're gonna burn the food," she warned as Kelvin drug his lips down the side of her neck.

"I'm paying attention. Got about a minute. Come here."

Their plans for a "more intense" session were doomed by Aunt Flo and her scheduled appearance. Asia insisted on calling the evening a wash and rescheduling for a better time, but Kelvin refused. More than anything, he liked spending time wrapped in her presence. Her prancing around his apartment in her helper's apron and a matching lounge set felt just domestic enough to imbue his mind with thoughts of her being around more permanently. Maybe a few more visits. Perhaps a spare key and a drawer or two for her things.

Asia returned to Kelvin's lips eagerly to sigh and keen for more against him until time slipped into an abstract concept for two minutes that felt like twenty. Rapid beeping from his microwave timer shocked them into pulling away, eliciting silly smiles and embarrassed chuckles.

Kelvin left Asia with one more peck before taking quick steps toward the stove to lower the blue flame. Asia watched his back tense and ripple beneath a crisp white T-shirt while he transferred a piping hot steak to a cutting board to rest.

"Babe, come over here and taste test for me?"

The word had already tumbled from his private thoughts into the open air too quickly for Kelvin to take back. He clamped his eyes shut to briefly pray God spared him from explaining his slip to the woman he wasn't supposed to fall for.

Asia calmly closed the distance between them, an easygoing smile showing no indication that she'd heard Kelvin's blunder. He let the moment pass without drawing attention to himself to carefully feed his dinner guest a juicy piece of medium-cooked steak.

He held a hand under Asia's chin to catch any spillage, and his eyes sparkled with intrigue as she took a small chunk into her mouth to judge his skills.

She dramatically hummed in approval and nodded. "Mmm. Okay, you were right," Asia complimented after slow chews to savor the taste. "That is the best steak I've ever had. I underestimated you. Forgive me."

"I'll forgive you after you rate the potatoes. Lowkey, I put my foot in those. Ankle deep."

"Gross, Kel."

Asia's rating for the potatoes? 10/10. For the chef? There wasn't a scale to convey how far he'd shot off the charts.

Easy conversation, full of budding inside jokes and the right amount of flirting, kept their time together lively. Quiet intimacy worked well for them. When chatter dwindled and cleaning took center stage, they fell into a wordless routine of washing and drying dishes side by side until the job was done and tired legs intertwined to rest from a long week.

Shadows dancing across Kelvin's face as he focused on some documentary he'd begged Asia to watch stole all her attention each time she looked at the other end of the couch. She tried to subdue Sabrina's voice in the back of her mind, trying to convince her to break the seal on all the knowledge she'd crammed in one night. Rushing into a skill she hadn't quite mastered sounded like a great idea when she had a front-row seat to his goosebump-inducing self-pleasure session. Seeing him innocently learn about the feeding patterns of nocturnal jungle ecosystems and considering a plan to renege on their decision to exist in non-sexual harmony felt wrong.

"But he started it." Asia thought to herself. The fondling. The kissing. The innuendos during dinner. The voice note is an invitation. He wasn't looking for sex, but he wouldn't mind it…right?

She had to make her move while she still felt confident. Otherwise, she'd allow Samira Wiley's voice to lull her to an embarrassingly deep sleep.

"Hey," she whispered to get Kelvin's attention. He didn't budge, finding too much interest in the luminescent carnivorous plant luring insects into its trap. Asia called to him again using a different method. "The potatoes weren't that good. I lied."

Kelvin scoffed. "Yeah, right. You cleaned your plate. Twice."

"My mama taught me manners, babe." She sassed, accentuating the pet name on purpose.

Kelvin kept calm with his signature charming smile while his pulse spiked internally. So she did hear me. He wasn't sure how to respond. Stopping to have a pow-wow about what exactly they were doing now that the rules of engagement felt wildly different would needlessly slow a good thing to a screeching halt.

So, he swallowed every question to redirect his nervous energy into gently tugging Asia's ankle to bring her a centimeter closer. "You should come down here with me."

Jackpot.

Asia didn't expect her plan to unfold so quickly. Swapping sides to lie face to face opened the door to more touching, kissing, shared breaths, and head highs under the twinkle of skyscraper lights.

Tensions rising brought flashes of Sabrina and her boot camp back for Asia with renewed ferocity. Now or never. Grab that dick by the horns or something along those lines.

"Can…can we try something tonight?"

Kelvin tightened his grip on her ass cheek and pulled away from her neck. "Try what?"

"I wanted to try, um, you know…fellating…you?" Asia mentally scolded herself for sounding timid as Kelvin snickered against her collarbone.

"Fellating? What is this, sex ed?" He chuckled, earning an agitated smack from Asia to the back of his head. He nuzzled closer to kiss a spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. "Seriously, you don't have to do that. I'm okay with what we're doing. No pressure."

He was right. No pressure. She knew that already. But pressure wasn't guiding her off the couch and onto her knees between his thighs. That was curiosity. And the pressure wasn't what drove Kelvin crazy as she helped him out of his sweats and briefs to carelessly toss them to the side. That? That was untamed desire flooding every bone in his body. Pressure had no dominion in his living room. Only the spirit of exploration and freedom.

And nervousness. Definitely nervousness.

Give him eye contact. Cover your teeth. Use your tongue. Relax your jaw. Suck, don't just glide. All of the sage advice from the previous night blurred into one incomprehensible ball of incessant chatter across the grooves of Asia's brain.

She chose to kiss her way into confidence, dropping slow pecks across Kelvin's thighs like he'd done to her in their last session. Delicate touches and soft lips made his muscles tense while he watched her watch him.

He draped one arm across the back of his couch and rested a hand on her cheeks to run his thumb along the spot. "That's perfect. Go as slow as you want. Stop when you want. It's your choice."

Reassurance and an encouraging smile convinced Asia to test her high school-level knowledge of anatomy. No amount of videos linked in her Girl's Talk Reddit thread or hands-on, dildo-led speed runs with Sabrina could prepare her for an up close and personal view. At least they both seemed happy to see her.

His dick stood at half-mast, waiting for Asia to make a move. More kisses took her from muscular inner thighs up the length of his shaft and to a tip already glistening as if to welcome her into an event where the host was awaiting her arrival. A spark of wonder made her swipe her tongue over the spot to taste, but the quiet curse from Kelvin kept her there for more.

Spit on it. Sabrina's voice reminded Asia as she debated what to do next. Not a gross factory worker chewing tobacco spit. Slow. Make him watch. Asia used the saliva coating her mouth in a Pavlovian response to connect with Kelvin once she pulled away to get a better look at her subject.

A slightly above-average size. It wasn't close to her practice dummy, but 11 inches was ridiculous, even by Sabrina's standards. Well-groomed. Prettier than any she'd ever seen on the other side of a screen. Heavy in her hands, but not enough to make her think twice about eventually working it down her throat. A work of art waiting for her oral appraisal.

Kelvin's head lulled back against the wall as his jaw dropped to make space for a shuttering breath. "Fuck, that's sexy." He used all the strength in his neck to look back down at Asia. "Where'd that come from?"

"I wanted to surprise you," she answered, round-doe eyes peering back at him. "So, I took a little lesson." She leaned forward to wrap her lips around his tip and suckle for a few seconds to see if Sabrina was right about the expected reaction. Kelvin's hand sliding from her jaw to her chin to hold her steady was all the confirmation she needed.

At some point, Kelvin would come off Cloud 9 to inquire about Asia's mystery teacher. Not out of jealousy or to accuse, but to find out who should receive the flowers and card he'd already mentally purchased for their service.

He'd be lying if he said Asia had reached pro status. Every tentative lick and split second of disjointed rhythm reminded him that she was a novice in the game. It didn't stop him from singing her praises while she worked double-time to get the hang of things.

She listened to instructions and turned them into action, taking every "Just like that" and "Slow up" in stride as she learned the ropes. Asia allowed Kelvin to guide her head up and down until she no longer needed his help to maintain a toe-curling one-woman show.

He swallowed the lump in his throat to provide positive reinforcement. "There you go. Wow, you look so pretty right now."

Asia felt like she had the entire world in her hands. What power. She could command his every movement with her mouth and illicit unfathomable sounds with a flick of her tongue. Older women made the act sound so degrading as if engaging with a man in this way made her more property than a fully realized woman. And maybe the men they dealt with hadn't been partners willing to treat them like equals. But Kelvin showered her with so much affection and care that it made her want to go the extra mile.

The twisting motion of her palms against slick skin made Kelvin curse to the ceiling, undoubtedly disturbing the unfortunate soul above him. The sight of him beginning to unravel sparked an idea. "Is this what you like?"

He blinked his eyes back into focus and nodded. "Hell yeah. You think you can try both?"

She'd give it a valiant attempt.

For a moment, Asia mulled over how to maintain harmony between parallel work streams. She observed her hands for the right moment to bring her mouth into action as if waiting for her cue to jump into the center of double dutch ropes.

Up and down. Twist. Suck. Go now! Shit. Kelvin observed while the wheels turned in her head, trying to split his attention between how cute she looked with her brow furrowed in thought and how that tell-tale pit in his stomach was starting to tense his abdomen.

Her leap of faith caught him by surprise, dragging out a long, throaty moan as she quickly settled into what looked like an effortless working relationship between body parts.

Arousal awakened goosebumps across his skin. His nipples ached for touch, and he satisfied them by slipping a hand under his shirt. His brain began to cloud, robbing him of words he knew he should've offered as encouragement. His head felt like a boulder on his neck as he rested against the back of his couch.

Bursts of light played behind his eyes as the inevitable greeted him with open arms. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," he chanted, desperate to get Asia's attention. He couldn't surprise her with the release approaching hard and fast. "Fuck! I'm gonna cum. I don't wanna –"

Asia didn't need the explanation. Thankfully, Sabrina had already prepared her for the endless possibilities once an eruption seemed imminent. She slowly removed her mouth and added a second hand to twist in the opposite direction. The grand finale. The moment they'd both been waiting for.

Kelvin thrust into her palms to coax out warm spurts of semen over Asia's fingers and down her knuckles. She caught herself moaning with him, unable to contain the sound as she watched the reward of her work slide between each digit until her lover was spent and heaving for more oxygen to soothe his burning lungs.

"Stop, stop." His pleading reminded Asia that she was still pumping, still milking him for all he had left. Her inner voice told her to prolong the moment and see how far she could push him until he was a babbling mess that only she could control. Kelvin saw the monster in her grin and rushed to kiss her, hoping she'd consider a different option.

Their tongues and lips returned to each other in a panting, sloppy kiss while Kelvin used the distraction to push Asia's hands away before she started something they both knew she wasn't ready to finish. He had plenty of towels and wasn't opposed to breaking a rule or two.

Sticky fingers growing increasingly uncomfortable made Asia pull away. "This is starting to feel weird in my hands," she laughed.

"Oh shit, my bad." Kelvin forced himself to forgo one more kiss as he rested his forehead against hers. "Washcloths are in the bathroom closet. Bring one for me?"

"Of course."

Asia sported a goofy, proud smile while staring into his bathroom mirror, warming a bathing towel to take back to Kelvin. She wondered if texting Sabrina immediately would be in poor taste. Should she drop an emoji in the broader group chat full of their line sisters and go ghost waiting for them to decipher her cryptic message? Or would it make more sense to try and gather as many of the images flashing through her mind as possible, like reels passing through a view master, and store them for her alone time?

She pushed all the options elsewhere in favor of returning to Kelvin with a wet rag to gingerly clean all traces of their unplanned romp from his still blazing-hot skin.

He watched her with infatuation, coloring his gaze and a grin on his lips. His girl. At least for the few hours they got to spend willinging sharing their bodies with one another each weekend. He could pretend they were two people dating in pursuit of the elusive love he'd seen up close once before but couldn't hold on to. She'd be so beautiful sitting across from him on a night out, her fingers interlaced with his while they traded sweet everything over candlelight. He'd learn her favorite colors and her deepest fears. She'd listen to him go on and on about nature docs and make him go to bed when the wee hours of the morning crept up on him and his latest project.

Asia's gaze flashed up to catch him transfixed in a daydream she needed to know about. "What's going on in that brain of yours?"

Wanting to tell her the truth and wanting to maintain their mutually beneficial relationship pulled him in opposite directions. He took a deep breath to roll the dice, hoping that once he uncorked the words, they wouldn't create a stain big and messy enough to make what they'd created unsalvagable.

"If you're up for it," he started, cautiously choosing as he spoke. "I think we should try the real thing next time."

--------

Reply if you'd liked to be tagged. DM if you’d like to be removed.

TAGS: @planetblaque @wvsspoppin @thatone-girly @avoidthings @slutsareteacherstoo @eilujion @amyhennessyhouse @yaachtynoboat711 @jenlovey @pinkpantheris @blowmymbackout @onherereading @becauseimswagman1 @thiccc-c @hrlzy @urfavblackbimbo @blackburnbook @ashanti-notthesinger @xo-goldengirl @ariiijestertheklown @blyffe @tvchi @wabi-sabi1090 @flydotty @aldrigmer444 @ash-ketchumzzz @nayaesworld @ms-mosley-ifunastyyy @writingsbytee @teddybeerz @trippyscotch @theogbadbitch @thevelvetwhispers @wowitsafemale @kindofaintrovert @sexysativa605 @jvzmine19 @turn-thy-paige @lapateeserie @simplyzeeka @supremechae @palmstreesallday @blackmoonchilee @ovohanna24 @prettypynklemonade @gwenda-fav @itsash-okay @sparklytemi @blackchickinthedesert @miyuhpapayuh @4ftwonder@alexinmotion @mel-valerio @contentfiend @killwithchanel-kisses @usoholic

#kelvin harrison jr.#kelvin harrison jr. x black oc #kelvin harrison jr. smut

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orellazalonia · 1 month ago

Text

Exactly As You Are

Summary: You slowly form a tender, deeply emotional relationship with Bucky Barnes supports you through the bad days and gently breaks down the walls you’ve built from past abandonment. Despite fears of being a burden, Bucky stays, proving with quiet strength and unwavering presence that love doesn’t need to be perfect to be real. (Bucky Barnes x reader)

Disclaimer: Reader is chronically ill. Mentions/Depictions of symptoms of said illness. Angst. Hurt/comfort.

Word Count: 2.3k+

A/N: This is sort self-indulgent but still an enjoyable read regardless. I left the type of illness ambiguous. You are responsible for the media you consume. Happy reading!

Main Masterlist

The first time Bucky saw you, he thought you were just tired.

You were sitting on a bench outside a small, independent bookstore in Brooklyn, a reusable water bottle half-empty beside you, a paperback open in your lap. It was cold out, the kind of sharp October chill that cuts through jackets and settles in bones. But you sat completely still with your shoulders slumped, hands trembling slightly, and breath shallow.

He might not have noticed if not for the way your fingers struggled to hold the book steady.

He didn’t stop. Not at first. He just glanced, like a thousand other people passing by, and kept walking. But two blocks later, something tugged at him soft and persistent, like a memory he couldn’t place. He turned around.

You hadn’t moved from your spot.

By the time he walked back and crouched in front of you, your lips were pale, and your skin had that waxy undertone he recognized from war hospitals and med units. His instincts kicked in, but not the soldier kind, rather the man who’d learned how to read distress in the quietest forms.

“You okay?” He asked, voice low but steady.

You blinked up at him slowly, as if hearing him from underwater. Then you offered a weak, breathless smile and said, “Yeah, just… my body does this sometimes.”

“Does what?”

“Stops.”

He didn’t fully understand what that meant then. But it wasn’t pity that made him sit beside you, not fear or heroism either. It was something else. Familiarity. A kind of haunted recognition.

“Can I call someone for you?” He asked. “Friend? Partner? Family?”

You shook your head. “No one close by. It’ll pass. I just need a minute.”

But your hand was still shaking as you reached for the water. He watched silently, then gently reached over and held the bottle steady so you could drink.

“Thanks,” You murmured.

He nodded. He didn’t press. He simply sat there, beside a stranger who looked like their body was betraying them one breath at a time.

After a long stretch of silence, you spoke again. “You don’t have to wait.”

“Don’t want you to pass out on a sidewalk.”

You huffed a dry laugh. “Romantic.”

He smirked. “I’ve heard worse.”

You turned to look at him then, and something in your expression shifted.

“You’ve had bad days too,” You said.

His breath caught. You weren’t asking. You knew.

He gave a slow nod. “Yeah.”

Your eyes softened. Not out of pity, but out of understanding. “Then you get it.”

He didn't reply out loud, but the way his hand hovered hesitant, then steady, offered the only answer you needed.

Eventually, you regained enough energy to stand. He offered his arm, and you took it without flinching at the metal. That surprised him. Most people still tensed.

Inside the bookstore, he bought a copy of the same book you'd been reading before slipping you his number. You noticed, and raised a brow.

“Trying to impress me?”

He shrugged. “Trying to have an excuse to see you again.”

You laughed then. Still tired, still aching, but real. “Well. It worked.”

You didn’t start dating right away. There were slow texts. A few coffee shop visits where he learned which chairs were softest for you to sit in for long periods, which days your hands couldn’t hold a cup, and how sometimes you’d go quiet mid-sentence but not from disinterest, just exhaustion.

But Bucky never minded. He’d lived too many years rushing through the world. With you, everything slowed down. And for once, that felt like healing.

On your first date, he had planned it carefully.

Not because he thought you needed to be impressed but because he wanted to show you he was paying attention. That he’d been listening, clocking every tiny detail you never made a big deal about.

So when he asked, “Dinner with me?” and you hesitated, not because you didn’t want to, but because your body was in one of its quiet warning phases, he didn’t try to convince you. He simply offered an alternative.

“I know a rooftop,” He said. “It’s a quiet and private place with a good view. I’ll bring the food.”

You smiled, that same tired-but-warm curve of the lips he was learning to read better each time. “What kind of food?”

“Soft stuff,” He smiled before teasing. “Things that won’t piss off your stomach.”

You laughed, which he counted as a win.

The night of the date, he showed up at your door with a reusable picnic bag over one shoulder and that awkward, lopsided grin of his. You were in your softest clothes, sweatpants and a knit sweater two sizes too big, and your hair wasn’t doing what you wanted it to.

But he looked at you like you were wearing a red carpet gown.

“I like this,” He said simply, and gestured to your entire self. “It’s very you.”

“Exhausted?”

“Real.”

The trip to the rooftop was just a short elevator ride and half a flight of stairs, but halfway up, your legs started to tremble.

You tried to play it off, pausing to “check the sky,” you said. But Bucky had already seen the shift in your breathing, the tremor in your hand as you gripped the railing.

Without a word, he stepped behind you and wrapped an arm gently around your waist, the cool metal of his left hand bracing your spine.

“You okay with help?” He asked, voice barely above a whisper.

You nodded once. He didn’t rush you. Just matched your pace, supporting you the whole way to the roof.

By the time you sat down on the old couch someone had dragged up there years ago, your body was already crashing. You tried to hide it like you always did. But your hands were limp in your lap, your eyes glassy, and your shoulders had that slight slump Bucky was learning to hate.

He knelt beside you.

“Tell me what you need,” He said gently. “No pressure. Just… tell me.”

You wanted to smile. To tell him he didn’t have to stay, or fuss, or worry. But the words stuck somewhere behind your ribs.

“…I don’t want to ruin this.”

His eyes softened. “You’re not.”

“It’s not fair. You finally ask me out and I’m… this.”

“You were always this,” He countered. “And I asked you anyway.”

That made you blink.

He took the blanket from the bag, yes he’d brought one, and wrapped it around your shoulders. Then he pulled out a thermos of broth and a soft rice dish you’d once mentioned in passing. No wine. Just herbal tea. No candles. Just the city lights. No pressure to be anything but what you were.

You looked at him and he didn’t flinch from the fog in your eyes or the weakness in your voice. He didn’t reach for the version of you from the good days. He reached for you.

“I don’t need the perfect night,” He told you gently, watching you carefully. “I just need you.”

You let out a slow, aching breath. “What if I never get better?”

He brushed a knuckle down your cheek. “Then I’ll learn every version of ‘bad’ until I can walk you through it with my eyes closed.”

You felt something in your chest unravel.

And when he curled up beside you, careful not to jostle your fragile form and content to just sit in silence; you knew, with absolute certainty, that this wasn’t the beginning of something fragile.

It was the beginning of something real.

There were days that weren’t as pleasant. Yet time and time again, Bucky insisted on staying. Comforting and reassuring you every step of the way.

One afternoon, the apartment was quiet but not the peaceful kind. The kind of silence that pressed against the walls, thick and tense. The kind that settled in your chest and made it hard to breathe.

You sat on the couch with your knees pulled up, a blanket draped around your shoulders even though it was midafternoon. You should’ve taken your meds earlier, should’ve eaten something by now, should’ve answered the texts piling up on your phone. But your joints ached like they were full of broken glass, your head pounded from hours of tension, and every sound, every thought, felt like it might shatter you.

You didn’t hear Bucky come in. Not at first.

He always moved quietly, even when he wasn’t trying to. It was a habit that never left him. A ghost of another life. He didn’t say anything right away, just took in the picture in front of him. The faraway look in your eyes. The way your hand gripped the edge of the blanket like it was the only thing tethering you to the room. The way your body curled in, like it was trying to disappear.

He crossed the room slowly and knelt in front of you, not touching you yet, but remaining close.

“Hey,” He greeted gently. “Rough day?”

You nodded, barely. Your throat felt too tight to speak.

Bucky waited. He was good at that, waiting. Letting you come to him on your own time with no pressure or pity. Just quiet, patient presence.

But then the words came tumbling out before you could stop them.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice cracked. “I’m sorry you have to deal with this all the time. With me.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed, not in confusion, but in a kind of slow heartbreak. Like he’d heard this before because he had, and every time it hurt more.

He reached slowly, brushing your hand with his gloved fingers before gently taking it in his.

“Don’t say that,” He spoke quietly.

You looked down, unable to meet his eyes. “But it’s true. You didn’t sign up for this. For all the canceled plans, and the bad days, and the… God, the way I feel like a burden.”

He exhaled, long and steady, and then stood, just enough to sit beside you. His arm curled around your shoulders, pulling you in with a kind of care that felt deliberate. Solid and unshakeable.

“I know what it feels like to think you’re too much,” He began slowly. “To think you’re broken, that people will get tired, or that you’ll wear them down until they leave.”

You swallowed hard.

“I spent years feeling like that,” He continued. “Even when Steve stayed. Even when Sam stuck by me. It never went away easy. But then I met you.”

His hand found yours again. Held it tighter.

“You taught me that people aren’t burdens. That pain doesn’t make someone less worthy of love. That needing help isn’t weakness.”

You shook your head, voice hoarse. “That’s different. You went through hell. You didn’t choose it.”

“And neither did you.” His voice was low but firm now. “You didn’t ask for this. You fight through more pain in a day than most people even imagine. And you still smile. You still care. You still show up.”

“But this isn’t fair,” Your voice was shaky. “You shouldn’t have to see me like this. You could… you could have anyone.”

Bucky went very still.

You turned your head away. “I don’t want you to stay because you feel obligated. I don’t want to trap you in something broken.”

His voice was low, firm as he asked. “You think I stay out of pity?”

“No. I think you’re kind. And maybe you don’t realize yet how permanent this is. How much this takes. I can’t go on missions with you, I can’t run, I can’t even cook without getting dizzy. Some days I can’t even-“

You broke off. Voice cracking.

“I can’t give you a normal life, Bucky. I’m tired all the time. And someday you’re going to wake up and realize I’m more burden than person and I can’t survive that again-“

Your breath caught. You hadn’t meant to say again. But it was out there now.

He didn’t try to shush you. He didn’t give you empty words or say you’re not broken, or you’re still beautiful, or it’s not that bad. Instead, he leaned forward and rested his forehead gently against yours. His voice was raw and honest.

“You think I want a normal life?”

You blinked at him.

“I spent years being turned into someone else’s weapon,” He whispered. “I wake up some nights not knowing what year it is. I have blood on my hands I can’t wash off, and a mind that doesn’t always feel like mine. You think I came here for normal?”

He exhaled shakily. “No, sweetheart. I came here for you. Just you.”

Your chest caved with a soft, helpless sob.

“I don’t want perfect,” He said. “I don’t want easy. I want real. And you… this pain, this fight, all of it; it’s real. You’re still here. You keep going. And if you think for one second I’m walking away because your body’s at war with you…”

His hand slid into yours, careful and steady.

“…then you don’t know me yet. I choose to be here,” He said. “Not out of obligation. Not because I feel sorry for you. But because I love you. All of you. Even on the bad days. Especially on the bad days.”

Tears welled up before you could stop them. You hated crying in front of people but with Bucky, it never felt like weakness. It just felt honest, safe.

He pulled you closer, tucking your head beneath his chin, wrapping both arms around you like a fortress. “You are not a burden,” He murmured. “You are my home.”

And in the stillness, something inside you began to loosen. Not the pain, no, that stayed. But the guilt, the weight of it all began to lift just a little as you let yourself be held.

For once, it felt okay to just exist. To be loved, even when you didn’t feel lovable.

And Bucky held you like he’d never let you forget it again.

Because he didn’t try to fix you.

He just loved you.

Exactly as you are.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #marvel fic #bucky barnes fic #bucky x you #marvel x reader #chronic illness #sick!reader

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hello-eden · 1 year ago

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Missing

Tim was missing

Tim has been missing for over 5 months now. This wouldn't be a usual concern for them if he had said he was going. After the whole going off the rails searching for Bruce when everyone thought he was dead and ending up blowing up League of assassin bases thing, Everyone decided it was best that there was a check-in. Gotham Vigilantes used the same system for the missions as the Justice League but after everything went on they decided to make their own.

They had a log on the bat computer for longer missions so people know where they're going. The check-in is usually once every 2 weeks if it's a deep cover Mission with trackers on at all times, but there has been nothing from Tim.

Everyone didn't really notice at first Tim left at a very busy time. Tim texted regularly in the first week and kept up with everything that was going on, that most of them thought he was still in Gotham.

When everyone noticed he wasn't there they thought it was just a regular mission, but when Babs needed him to double check something on a case file and realized he wasn't on the roster for no contact missions she started to get worried.

Apparently the last time anyone had seen him was when he was in the bat cave for a drug screening after a very bad scarecrow attack. His trackers were offline. All of his emergency buttons and trackers were sending a signal even if it was not trackable.

The most worrying part was the silence. usually they would hear some whisper if they'd been captured or God forbid if he was dead but there was nothing. Everyone tried to use every contact that they could think of but no one could find anything.

until now

Every single tracker on Tim lit up like a Christmas tree. It took barely a minute for everyone to start dispatching themselves to find him. Jason and Cass were the ones that were chosen to go. Tim ended up in an abandoned Laboratory. Everything they could find on the building in the paperwork was said to be abandoned just before building was finished. the second they saw the building in person you could tell that was wrong. it was definitely abandoned now but it looked like the people left in a rush. the people working there probably left a day or two ago. The dust barely just started to form.

When they looked on the trackers he looked to be in the basement level. As they walked through the building it was like every floor looked like it had been copy and pasted. Every room had white walls so it was easy to see the splatters of blood in the hallway leading to the room they were looking for. They were very concerned. The blood had specs of green that seemed to be luminescent even though the blood was dried. they feared for the worst.

Jason opened the door and looked inside with Cass not far behind. The room had white walls like the rest of the building but instead of the normal White/ yellow headlights from the rest of the rooms they were bright Blue. There was blood just like the hallway even down to the luminescing green specs. The room had two chairs on the side farthest from the door and a bed in the furthest corner. Tim was laying on the bed and looked to be staring at the ceiling. He had made no move to interact with them even as they got closer.

“Replacement” Jason whispered to Tim once he was by the bed. When Tim didn't respond he grabbed his rest to feel a pulse.

Even though it looked like he was breathing it could be his mind playing a trick on him. Jason needed to feel his pulse.

Jason felt the pulse, it was slow but it was there. Jason looked over to Cass and said ”he's alive all right”.

Relief very clearly in his tone. Cass's shoulders relaxed only a little after hearing that.

They looked him over trying to figure out why he wasn't responding. His heartbeat was slow like he was asleep but Tim was a light sleeper unless he was knocked out or drugged he usually woke up the second someone touched him.

he didn't look to be hooked up to any machinery and the place had been abandoned for at least the day before they arrived. he wasn't even wearing his vigilante outfit, he was in civilians clothes.

Once they realized they were getting nowhere with this they looked around the room as it was becoming clear they couldn't wake him up nor was he an immediate Danger. They decided to look around only the rooms near the one that Tim was contained in to make sure that there weren't other people there as that floor seemed to be a containment unit.

Jason decided to look in the other rooms while the Cass stayed in Tim's in case he woke up. As Jason left to search, he looked around the room. she ended up finding Tim's bag underneath the bed pushed to the furthest corner away from the door.

Cass sat down on the floor with her back leaning on the side of the chair. She searched through the bag. The more she looked through the more confused she got.

She couldn't find Tim's phone neither civilian nor hero. She couldn't find his laptop but she did find a tablet that she knew Tim hadn't had before. she would question if this was Tim's bag if not for the wallet and ID she found in the front pocket.

She found small things like a package of tissues, a water bottle, chapstick and some of Stephanie's hair ties. Cass could tell that they were Stephanie's due to the fact they were all purple.

She found a hidden Pocket as she was looking through the lining of the bag. It looked to be a syringe filled with glowing green liquid. The same green that seems to be in the blood from the hallway. In the same pocket there seems to be a folded file with medical scans stuffed in between. As Cass went through the bag there was one question that had been on her mind since the beginning.

Why was Tim here?

#dc x dp #danny phantom #dcxdp #dpxdc #dp x dc #dc x dp crossover #batfam #batfamily #please add on #will i finish it? who knows #do i have plot? yes #will i explain the plot? no #i what see what people think the plot is

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runforthestars · 28 days ago

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Bat-Sitting(literally)

Pairing: Slytherin boys x gn!reader

Summary: An animagus transformation gone wrong leaves you a lot furrier than you were that morning.

A/N: Have you ever seen a bumblebee bat? If not I really suggest you look them up.

Want more of my works? Masterlist

Want to request a story? Take your pick from my muses.

· · ─────── ⏾⋆.˚ ─────── · ·

The Slytherin common room was enveloped in a hushed stillness at this time of night, the clock’s hands inching ever closer to the stroke of midnight. A solitary group remained nestled within the inviting warmth from one of the grand hearths, its flickering flames casting a waltz of light that danced playfully with the pronounced shadows stretching across the cold, ancient stone walls.

A gentle murmur of conversation drifted from the cluster of boys, though most were absorbed in their own thoughts and distractions. Theodore diligently scribbled notes from the book that rested open on his knee, while Lorenzo perched beside him, carefully copying Theodore’s observations and summaries in his own words. Had anyone asked, Lorenzo would adamantly defend that it was not his fault that Theo had a knack for grasping the complexities of the texts much easier than he did.

On the couch opposite to them, Blaise sat nearest to the fire, the subtle rustling of pages turning in his book creating a soothing rhythm that gradually lulled Mattheo, who’d slumped against Blaise’s shoulder, deeper into a cozy stupor, his tenuous hold on consciousness slipping away.

Blaise didn’t mind the occasional soft snores or grumbles issuing from Mattheo, though Draco—huddled up on the same couch, deliberately maintaining a foot of space between himself and the sleeping brunette—clearly did. Even as Draco began to yield to the spell of the warm crackling fire and the plush embrace of the cushions beneath him, he would have vehemently denied any insinuation that he had chosen to remain here for the sake of company. Although, the thought of returning to the empty dorm room that awaited him if he chose to leave was decidedly unappealing.

A sudden disturbance shattered the room’s tranquility, the rapid flapping of wings standing in stark contrast to the serene ambience.

Theodore glanced up first, followed closely by Lorenzo, both of them scanning the shadows for the source of this commotion.

Nott raised an eyebrow, while Enzo’s eyes widened in astonishment as a dark figure materialized from the gloom, crashing down onto Mattheo’s tousled curls and causing him to bolt upright, confusion flooding his face.

Once his bleary vision focused, he was met with a disconcerting sight: his two friends were gaping at him as if witnessing a spectacle, and Lorenzo was slowly lifting Theodore’s book above his head, clearly cautious about startling something.

“Uhm—” Mattheo began, his voice thick with bewilderment.

“Mate, don’t. Move.” Lorenzo's urgent interruption only added to Mattheo’s confusion. The boy furrowed his brows as his eyes darted upwards to confront the pressure on his head, greeted by a pair of tiny, beady eyes staring back at him.

Realizing Lorenzo’s plan too late, Mattheo let out a startled shout, instinctively throwing his hands up in a futile attempt to shield himself as a hardback book collided with him.

A string of curses tumbled from his lips as he half-leaped to snatch the book midair before Lorenzo could strike again, resulting in a short tug-of-war that left both boys momentarily at a stalemate.

Berkshire darted his gaze around frantically, relinquishing the book without a second thought, failing to notice that Mattheo—who had been depending on the book’s resistance to stay upright—yelled as he toppled back onto the couch.

“Where’d it go?!”

“Where’d what go? Your mind? ‘Cause I’ll help you find it—” The threat had scarcely left Mattheo’s lips when something swooped past his face, invading his personal space once more. He shared a fleeting look of alarm with the small bat, which was desperately clinging to the couch just by his knee.

“What the fuck.”

In a measured motion, Lorenzo hoisted the book again—though whether his target was Mattheo or the errant creature remained a mystery.

It was Theodore who intervened this time, pointing at the bat for clarification and speaking with a hint of exasperation, “Idiota, can’t you see that thing’s your friend?”

Receiving only a puzzled look from Lorenzo—who was quiet certain he’d never befriended that thing, Theodore pushed on, “It obviously has that same, kind of cross-eyed, look that—” He barely got your name out before you suddenly found your wings and launched yourself at him with a determination that caught everyone off guard.

Seconds from diving behind Lorenzo for safety, Theodore’s precautions were interrupted as Blaise’s quick reflexes from years of Quidditch kicked in, and he deftly caught you mid-air with a hand poised like a delicate cage.

Amused, he watched as your wings wrapped around his fingers as though they were prison bars. You regarded him as the most reasonable of your options and tried to express the peculiar predicament you found yourself in.

Blaise nodded along, having the grace to at least feign understanding of the strange bat noises escaping you, and then regarded the rest of the group as he slowly unfurled his hand to allow you to crawl onto the couch.

“It seems our friend’s found themself stuck in this form.”

Lorenzo shot a glance between the two of you, eyes glinting with suspicion. “They told you that?”

Blaise’s pleasant smile shifted as his eyes narrowed. “Of course not. It’s obvious enough what happened.”

Lorenzo hummed, unamused and grumbling something too quiet for anyone to hear as he dropped back down beside Theo. He was startled to find that he’d fallen far behind the other boy’s notes.

The rest of the group began to settle in as well—Draco having not cared enough about the commotion in the first place and was still sleeping comfortably.

“I’m sure it’ll wear off soon enough. If not we can always get Mrs McGonagall in the morning,” Blaise offered, a voice of reason that helped calm your worries.

As he returned to his book, you settled yourself into the snug space between his knee and Mattheo’s, the latter watching you with some interest. You fidgeted, trying out several positions before finally finding what you hoped was a dignified pose: your wings folded elegantly to prop you up on either side, aiding your posture as you sat up straight. After a brief adjustment, two tiny, clawed feet emerged from beneath you, sticking out evenly.

The sight was too much for Mattheo, who let out an abrupt laugh that caught in his throat, almost choking him. He quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, but it did little to stifle the sound, which spilled forth in a series of uncontrollable giggles.

“You comfortable there?” he managed between fits of laughter, finally regaining a semblance of composure, though a wide grin still danced across his face. You shot him a look, narrowing your eyes in silent reproach.

Feeling slightly offended, you shuffled away from his knee, creating a respectable distance of a few centimeters between you, and lifted your head defiantly, deliberately turning your gaze in the opposite direction.

“Aw, wait—I didn’t mean it, Batty!” he called out, his laughter barely contained. His hand reached over, and with the utmost gentleness, he tapped the top of your head with one finger, trying to appease you.

In a burst of indignation, you latched onto his finger with your fangs, sinking them in just enough to elicit a yelp from him. He quickly jerked back, which caused him to bump into Draco and startle the boy, the sudden movement rekindling the fire of chaos that had just begun to settle.

· · ─────── ⏾⋆.˚ ─────── · ·

#slytherin boys #theodore nott #runforthestars #lorenzo berkshire #blaise zabini #draco malfoy #slytherin boys x you #slytherin boys x reader #gn reader #x gender neutral reader #drabble #slytherin #harry potter #mattheo riddle x you #mattheo riddle

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meowingcookie · 3 months ago

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Installing Scriptorium for Legacy Users

So you're a Sims 2 Legacy player who wanted to install some modular stairs? Maybe a lighting mod? You installed Scriptorium and you enter your game and suddenly your foundation is missing or crashes your game whenever you try to place it. Or maybe your pools and rooves have fences in them?

(images sourced from Lazy Duchess Discord server)

WTF did I do?

You've broken your script files!

Currently they look like this:

When they should look like this:

What do the script files do?

They give the game instructions and settings for certain build items that are generated by the game engine such as walls, foundations, pools, modular stairs, fireplaces, rooves, awnings and more. Lighting also uses scripts for some things. Some of these items require the scripts to display in catalog or at all.

How did this happen??

So i've seen two different ways, firstly, the auto installer installs in the wrong location. So what does the player do? They moves the files into the correct location.

The issue with this is the script files that Scriptorium creates when it can't find your game files are missing ALL of the original script lines. Then when you replace your existing script files with these, you basically are replacing your script files with a blank one (minus the Scriptorium lines).

Second way, when manually installing, the player deletes the contents of the original script files and replaces it with the Scriptorium lines.

This results in the same outcome shown in the example script.

Why does this affect only Legacy players?

Legacy uses different file paths. Scriptorium was last updated after M&G came out. The auto installer was made to work with the discs in both their original and compilation file paths. For example, Double Deluxe\Base or Sims 2, or Fun with Pets\SP9 etc. All other versions up until this point have used these paths so they never experienced this issue. EA decided to do something different this time and go by EP/SP numbers. So the installer gets confused and places them in the wrong place.

How do I fix this??

A few options, reinstall or repair your game, or replace the broken script files with the ones below. Place them in your C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Base\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts folder. You may need to delete the files first that you are replacing and cut and paste the new ones in.

Download Original Scripts

But I still want to use Scriptorium?

Once you have replaced your broken scripts, follow these manual instructions that I have modified from the original Scriptorium post for Legacy users.

Go to C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Base\TSData\Res\Catalog\Scripts

And open the fireplaces.txt and copy and paste the line below at the bottom of this file without deleting the existing text.

wildInclude "Scriptorium_Fireplaces*.*"

Then save.

If you have issues with saving due to permissions, cut and paste the files to desktop while you are editing them and move them back after

Next open modularstairs.txt and add the text below

wildInclude "Scriptorium_ModularStairs*.*"

Then open walls.txt and add the text below

wildInclude "Scriptorium_Walls-Fences-Arches*.*"

While remaining in your Scripts folder, Create 3 new folders and call them

Scriptorium_Fireplaces Scriptorium_ModularStairs Scriptorium_Walls-Fences-Arches

Select these 3 folders and right click and choose copy.

Now go to Documents\EA Games\Sims 2 Legacy\Downloads (if you do not have a Downloads folder, create one)

Then right click and press paste shortcut

If you want to use custom lights as well, follow these steps

If your lighting.txt is also empty, this is a copy of the original version

Download Lighting Script

Go to C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy\Base\TSData\Res\Lights

Open lighting.txt and add

wildInclude "Scriptorium_CustomLights*.nlo"

While still in the Lights folder Create a folder called Scriptorium_CustomLights If you already have a folder called CEP3_CustomLights, rename it to Scriptorium_CustomLights

Right click on this folder and copy it

Then go to Documents\EA Games\Sims 2 Legacy\Downloads and paste shortcut

And you are all done :D

If you have any issues, feel free to leave a comment or send a message!

#the sims 2 #ts2 #sims 2 #sims 2 legacy #ts2 legacy

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widowmaxff · 2 years ago

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you don't know what you got until it's gone (PART ONE)

pairings: natasha romanoff × fem!reader

warnings: angst, sad ending (in this one)

-> part two!

When you arrived at your shared apartment that night - after your long shift at work - you had a bright hope in your eyes that maybe your girlfriend was there, waiting for you to come home, you always did that for her. But of course she wasn't there again like she had been for the past few months. Natasha is a superhero, obviously she was doing what they do, but she's your girlfriend too, isn't she? So why doesn't she act like it? - you thought.

In the first year of your relationship, Natasha was the most caring person you could ask for. You'd wake up next to her everyday, she would kiss your entire face telling how much she loved you, she would take days off to be next to you all day. And when she had to go to missions, she would apologize a thousand times saying that she doesn't want to be far from you. Now, she just leave a text to you. 'Went on a mission. Don't know how long it will take.' — she typed the same words everytime, you guess she probably just has the message copied already. There wasn't 'I love you' or 'I miss you' in the message, nothing that would show a little affection for you, was she tired of you?

You were standing in the middle of the living room, looking at the picture in the white wall of you and Natasha at a park near your apartment. That was the last time you and her hang out together. The last time she said she loved you, the last time you remember looking at her beautiful eyes and think 'how did I get so lucky?'. In that time, you wouldn't think your relationship would need a heal to get in just days after that photo.

Now, you just sit in the bed in the dark of your bedroom wondering if it's time. You didn't want to have the talk with her, because you knew she wouldn't know what to say to you. And if she did, maybe you weren't ready to hear what she has to say to you. Natasha could be mean if she wanted too, so mean.

Then, you heard the key on the door, your girlfriend was finally home. You took a glance on the digital clock next to your bed - 1:15AM. Natasha was earlier than the other days this week, was she finally going back to your 'normal girlfriend'? The heavy steps of her boots made all your thoughts go away. You took a long breath before she entered the dark room.

"Oh, did I wake you up?" She whispered with frowned eyebrows, seeing your form curled up in your own arms wanting it to be hers, not yours.

You signed before taking your eyes of the floor and look at her. She was still wearing her black suit, you'd always make compliments of it in the past when she'd go to work before you. You remember her face going as red as her hair when you'd say that things to her. "We need to talk."

You didn't miss how her body flinch when you said that words. She knew what you were talking about. "Right now? It's a little late, you know." Natasha almost run over to the closet, open the drawers looking for her some clothes.

"I know. But you always get home later than this all the other days, it won't bother you being awake a little more." You say dryly. She stops before looking at her feet, thinking about the next thing she would say to you, what she needs to say to you?

Natasha turns around. "Okay. What do you want to talk about...?" She tries to stay normal, walking towards you. You still had a cold look on your face, she had never seen you like this.

"Do you still love me?" That caught her of guard. She still loves you. Of course she does, doesn't she? Natasha opens her mouth, being amazed by your question. "Yeah... yes, I do love you, Y/n. I've never stoped loving you."

You bite the inside of your cheek, that was the first time in months that she had said that she loved you, but you are hating the moment. "So why don't you show it?"

"...What do you mean? I don't understand." She shakes her head taking a step closer to you. Natasha cross her arms underneath her breasts, waiting for you to continue what's in your head.

"I know you don't." You obviously knew it. She wasn't around. She wasn't the one who could stay with you on your most heartbreaking days, the one who reassure how important you are, the one who could say that everything was going to be okay. She didn't know it. "You are never around to know if I feel loved by you or not."

"What? Of course I'm around! I still live in here, I lay next to you everyday, Y/n." She has an annoyed face now, like you were taking her precious time and saying stupid things in to her eyes.

"Oh, really? So when was the last time you hugged me? Kissed me? Held my hand? Said you loved me?" You started lift your fingers for every word tha came out of your mouth. "You are never around me, Natasha! You are always working until it's late enough for me to be awake so you can come home! And I know it because Wanda told me that you all are dismissed much more earlier than this." You take a breath waiting for her to continue with the words. You weren't even thinking at that moment, just saying what's in your head.

"Just because I work harder and more than everyone else it doesn't mean that I don't love or care for you!" Her voice starts to be louder by now. "You have to understand that the world doesn't envolves around you, Y/n. That I will stop working because you need me by your side everytime!"

"Well, guess what, Natasha? I actually got used to not have you by my side for the last few months, because you don't try hard to make this relationship works!" You got up at now. She takes a step back making room for you, so you could scream at her annoyed face. "I wait for you everyday! You know you are all I have and the only thing that matters to me. So it would be really nice of you if you do the same for me."

She stays quiet. Looking at your dark eyes by now, seeing how you are really trying to not cry over the argument. Natasha sighs, her hand going to her hair massaging it, trying to think what she could say to you. "Say something, Natasha. Do something!"

"What do you want me to say? That I'm going to quit my job, stop being a super hero just because you want me twenty-four hours per day with you?!" Her hands form fists going to the side of her body, controlling her anger towards you.

"Maybe some days off won't kill you! Risk being by my side, Natasha." You shout at her, her eyes closed hard while her head going low. "Choose something!"

"You are being unbelievable right now."

"Me? Just because I want my girlfriend to spend time with me after months of not caring about our relationship?" Natasha's hands go to her face, massaging her temples trying to be calm, almost being impossible at this point.

She grows before walking past you and heading towards the bedroom door. You only start following her when she is already going down the stairs. Your heart was racing, was she really leaving you? Was her job more important than you? Of course it was. She was years working in there before meeting you. She loved everyone on the team and mostly being a super hero. You weren't the one who could make her risk her job for someone.

Natasha takes her keys before turning around and going to the main door. She still doesn't turned around to see if you were following her, because she knew you were doing it. Your girlfriend opens the door slightly, taking a deep breath. Her head turns to the side with closed eyes, maybe regretting all of it. The argument, not being around you, not being a caring person for you. "Don't stay up waiting for me." And then, she left. You don't know how much time you spend looking at the door, would she come back to you? You didn't know. But you knew you had lost the love of your life, because Natasha was selfish enough to not change for others, even if it means she would lose someone.

#marvel imagine #avengers imagine #mcu imagine #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha marvel #natasha mcu #marvel cinematic universe #natasha romanov #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff angst #scarlett johansson #scarlett johansson imagine #natasha x you #black widow x reader #black widow

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jackoshadows · 7 months ago

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Wait what?! There's a theory that Sansa said 'you know nothing Jon Snow' in their childhood? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

This is an example of how these shippers just don't care about the context of that phrase and it's narrative importance to Jon Snow as a character and his arc of leadership. There's an actual reason for why Ygritte says that to Jon Snow! Why would Sansa say that to Jon?! What is happening?

It's like when they see quotes like 'You should look behind you, Lord Snow. The moon has kissed you and etched your shadow upon the ice twenty feet tall." or 'The white wolf raced through a black wood, beneath a pale cliff as tall as the sky. The moon ran with him' and it connects to the Moon symbology for both Dany and Arya and they want something similar for Sansa and they do this:

Like they just cut the sentence and took the first word of that sentence and attach it to the preceding sentence 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Also sun and son?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Like no need for meaning and sentence structure and all that - we will just take this word from here and put it together with that word from there and voila! Jonsa happens.

It's the same with 'You know Nothing'.

Let us read this paragraph both ways.

First, assuming this is the way it's meant to be read:

The Night's Watch takes no part. He closed his fist and opened it again. What you propose is nothing less than treason. He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon's breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady's coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird's nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … "I think we had best change the plan," Jon Snow said. - Jon, ADwD

He nearly committed treason by running away to help for Robb, came back and decided that his place was at the Wall as a brother of the NW. Hence the first phrase.

Kill the boy and let the man be born - a man puts his duties above family and time and again Jon has chosen the Watch over his family - Bran, Rickon and Sansa.

You know nothing Jon Snow - If this phrase connects to any Stark it's Arya because Jon actually compares Ygritte to Arya several times, right from their tangled messy hair.

Secondly the phrase could play into his conflict of love or duty. It's a hard decision and one he cannot make easily. Is it right? Is it wrong? He doesn't know! What about his oaths and the threat from beyond the Wall? But then what about Arya being hunted by the likes of Ramsay Bolton? - 'You know nothing Jon Snow'

It's also the rule of three as he goes down the list - Jon chose NW over Robb, Jon chose the NW over family and now the third option - he chose Arya over the NW.

And Jonsa shippers know it makes no sense for their Jonsa nonsense when the whole paragraph is read hence why they selectively copy and paste only this sentence. Notice how it always starts at the end of Jon grouping Bran, Rickon and Sansa together:

Of Sansa, brushing out Lady's coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow.

And taken out of context it makes no sense - 'Of Sansa' - what does it mean 'Of Sansa'? Because there is preceding text there that they just omit because it doesn't go with their 'theories'.

If you are going to attach 'You know nothing Jon Snow' to Sansa, then you have to do it for Bran and Rickon as well. Like so:

He closed his fist and opened it again. What you propose is nothing less than treason. He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon's breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady's coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird's nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … "I think we had best change the plan," Jon Snow said. - Jon, ADwD

So even reading it this way - 'You know nothing Jon Snow' is about family, about Bran, Rickon and Sansa.

In which case:

'kill the boy and let the man be born' - when he abandoned Robb.

'You know nothing Jon Snow' when he abandoned Ygritte and equating this to how he has always put the NW above family.

'I want my bride back...I want my bride back...I want my bride back' - the reference to Arya as Ramsay's bride, he snaps at this point and we get the amazing 'We had the best change the plan' line from Jon Snow.

Again rule of three: NW vs love - Jon chose NW, NW vs love - Jon chose NW, and finally NW vs love, Jon chose love. Because yes, he does decide differently between Ygritte and Arya.

So any which way one reads that paragraph, 'You know nothing' is either connected to Arya or it's connected to Bran, Rickon and Sansa. So no, it's not a 'Jonsa related quote' lol.

'You know nothing Jon Snow' is not some phrase just connected to Ygritte for shipping reasons. It has meaning and weight behind it, it's about Jon's decisions as a leader and it increasingly comes into play in ADwD because leadership is hard and Jon is always having to make choices, of making the unpopular but right decisions and is increasingly confronted by the knowledge that yes, he does have a lot to learn and needs the advice of wiser folks like Maester Aemon, Donal Noye, Qhorin Halfhand and Samwell Tarly.

#Jon Snow #Ygritte #Arya Stark #Sansa Stark #Robb Stark #Rickon Stark #anti Jonsa

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murfeelee · 3 months ago

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inZOI Beta Release - Thoughts/Rants (Pt1: Build/Buy Mode)

This post will be my positives & negatives about Build/Buy, with a quick bit about the Zoi Creator at the end. Pt2 will cover Live Mode.

Buy/Build Creator

Ok, so I admit that I didn't watch the tutorial video, and I really should've. Cuz the controls drove me effing crazy. I wish there was a keybinding option, so we can change the WASD controls and just let the game feel less clunky to control. I feel like there's way too many button clicks to do things EA managed far easier in TS3 and ESPECIALLY in TS4.

After playing around in BB for 2 days straight I think I've gotten used to the controls & category layout. All in all I've had a great time building my first inZOI lot! ❤️

BUT! I deducted 3 points, cuz of what I effing HATE the most:

VERY limited Copy/Pasting materials/textures/patterns

VERY limited MoveObjects On (the ALT button ain't enough, Krafton!)

Not enough unique options in different BB categories

1: Materials/Textures/Patterns

It's hard AF to use their super-limited Eye-Dropper/Copy-Paste ability. We can't use the same pattern on whatever we want. Instead, it's only for "identical pieces of furniture" [read: the EXACT SAME furniture], which is THE dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life, esp. when there's variables like Gloss/Specular/Vertical/Scale/etc that I really hate having to do over & over & over & over. Whatchu mean I can't copy the texture from a right curtain to a left curtain!? Whatchu mean the rugs can't match the drapes!?

I like that there's a slider and manual text box, but I would also like a +/- button that I could click, for when I want to change the values with a click. Esp, since I'm playing in Windows Mode, and it's hard to finagle the slider with the huge cursor in the way.

It's just REALLY annoying having to manually line up all of these wallpapers so they have the same tiling & vertical values & gloss/specular values & colors; it's driving me up a literal wall.

It's easier when the walls are all connected, cuz then you can use the Paint Room feature so all the connected walls in a room are edited together. But that only works on individual floors, and is MUCH harder to finagle cuz of the way the wall meshes are split into portions based on if there's an interconnecting wall attached to it. It turns 1 wall mesh into 2+ separate meshes if there's an intersecting wall or not.

It's hard to explain, but like--I was only able to make that blue Feature-Wall segment on the wall by literally building two walls on either side of the section I wanted to be blue, and then sledgehammering the intersecting walls when I was done. You can't just color wall tiles individually--let alone copy/paste from one wall to another in a totally different room--which was a problem for me cuz my lot has several Feature-Walls.

Yes, you can select a wall or fence or something, and click the Copy button to copy that wall wholesale, but I really just want an eyedropper/save/click-drag-drop ability to just duplicate a favorite texture on a wall to use on a rug or a car or a shirt, etc. I don't want to have to demolish a whole wall mesh, just to Copy/Paste a wall's texture.

What's amazing is that it really will copy/paste EVERYTHING that's on that wall--including the decor, doors, windows, etc; AND how long the wall mesh is.

It's really cool, but jfc, I just wanna copy/paste the wallpapers. 😭

I also really really LOVE the ability to add Gloss/Specular and import our own textures to everything, it might be my fave Build/Buy feature (that and the search box ofc); but I almost feel like it's somewhere between TS2/TS4's retexture mods and TSRW's Pattern tool, just much smoother & more innovative cuz it's in-game. I've been abusing it like crazy, but Sims 3 CASt is still FAR superior.

Having the ability to at least manually add sims pizazz to the textures is delicious; the Import ability really is the best alternative to TS3's Create a Style feature. Krafton occasionally includes some nice premade pattern/texture variations, but nowhere near enough. Esp. when you have situations like THIS:

That is the ONLY workbench in the game, and not only is it non-recolorable, but it also only had ONE (1) color variation. 🤦DO NOT effing do this, Krafton. Decor's one thing, but functional items should have as much variation as possible, so we can use it more!

(Also, PLEASE more Maximalist/Bohemian/cultural content--I need Persian rugs & runners and lace doilies & tablecloths & faux fur like NOW. 🙏)

2: MoveObjectsOn

And Krafton, whatchu mean there's no Move Objects On cheat, just some [ALT] button that doesn't even work half the time?!

Doors & stairs are OBVS the worst offenders, but there's plenty of other instances I noticed, too. This game is WAY too finicky--ALT sometimes works fine, but I've been holding my breath in suspense the whole time, not knowing when it'll work or not.

BTW, spiral stairs and elevators need to happen ASAP. This is an ultra-modern world; ain't no way we shouldn't have elevators, when they're in the freaking trailer.

It KILLS me that we can't put curtains over a door; not even the shimmery Silver Part Curtain. You're killing my hippie-beaded + sheer curtain dreams, Krafton, istg.

And why can't we put chairs on either side of a dining table? (Why are there no long 3-tile dining tables?) And why can't I rotate cushions on my sofas?

Why can't I put a 3x3 rug on top of a 3x3 wood panel deck?

Scratch that--you can't put ANY rugs on the panel decks.

Why do I have to FIGHT this game to place everything?! 😩

I also dislike how the push/pull effect on walls actually DUPLICATES an extra wall, rather than just MOVING the wall to the new location. Making you have to sledgehammer the old wall, which again, just makes us have to use extra clicks for no reason.

It's also hard to see WHERE the new wall will be, with the light blue hologram/x-ray-like wall effect they use. I liked how EA had the bright neon green, cuz it just stands out better, rather than blending into the already light-blueish surroundings.

Ofc I'll get used to it the more I use it, but I just don't like it; it feels like guesswork/trial & error; and it wastes time I REALLY don't have.

I LOVE this push/pull effect though:

Apparently it only works for stairs though--it's not available for doors/arches, platforms, chairs, tables, etc, which sucks, cuz Paralives can do it on darn near everything, and I'm so jealous.

GOD I can't wait for Paralives. I still think it'll be the improvement to TS4's Build/Buy mode that I really want. This ain't it, chief. I was far too frustrated tryna make the home I wanted--which is a big no-no for me as a builder.

3: Object Variety/Variations

Krafton. Why in the HELL is there a JAIL CELL door? 🤨

There are ONLY 4 double doors available ffs (and only ONE 1-tile arch what is going on), and in your infinite wisdom, your devs were like aaahhhhh yes, in this really cutesy game full of kitty cats and glitter-butterflies, the one thing they'll need is CARCERAL architecture~! Genius. 🤦

I have no idea why they put trees in Outdoors (Buy Mode) and not in Exterior (Build Mode). I assumed we just didn't have trees yet. Thank god for the Search box, cuz this was Where's Waldo for sure. And we have GROWING Plants that grow over time too!?

Trust and believe I immediately selected the Bonsai plant, LOL.

But there are nowhere near enough tall potted plants--I hate that the tallest plant barely reaches door-height, and it's sparse AF, when I just want lush bursts of greenery in those lonely corners:

And FAR more potted plants for surfaces--why can't I put these tiny AF plants on a table surface? Why would I ever want a bouquet of roses on the floor? 🤨 Again, MOO > ALT every time.

Also, we DEFINITELY need a Collection file ability, or a Favorites ability, or something to tag items we want to save and remember to use. And the Household Items storage feature TS3 has, where we can store away objects we own, but don't want to place on our lot. Right now I'm just cramming the extra objects on an empty floor. (Speaking of--basements & attics: we need that ASAP.)

I am NOT a fan of the modern minimalist style of the Build/Buy objects. Esp. esp. when there's so few options.

And then Krafton SWIFTLY told me to STFU & hold their beer.

The Craft/Create Custom Furniture tool is cool! It's pretty limited though--I really wanted wall lights but it seems you can only make floor/table ones; and they REALLY need more options for the beds cuz there really isn't anything there. But I made a handful of pretty custom objects that look amazing, this feature is just wow, modular furniture taken to a whole new level, EA could never.

Functional vacuums & brooms & mops in the basegame without wasting money on broken Bust the Dust Kits, EA would NEVER!

There's also other cute things, like rail guards on windows.

You can actually draw curtains open & closed, which is incredible...but I'd like to be able to SEE the curtains, and color them and stuff, not just see the frikkin curtain rod.

4: Random AF Extra Bits

I like that we can actually toggle the Night/Day setting for Build/Buy, to see exactly what our lots will look like at different times of the day.

I also love that with lighting/lamps, changing the lightbulb color is what changes the color of the light itself; which is much easier than in TS3's pie menu. The only issue is that it's harder to tell that the lightbulb does anything unless you toggle the Night setting, to see the colors better; I gasped out loud when I changed the time and realized that lightbulb colors actually MATTER at night.

Apparently there's no terrain tools in the Beta--no ponds, pools, etc--but we DO see the icons for them, so obvs it must be a feature coming eventually.

I wish it was possible to change the Setting Options in Build Mode. I didn't realize that the "Background Noise" sound setting was actually the in-game music, like wtf? So I was stuck playing the game with inZOI's music looping in my ear for HOURS before I just Googled how to shut it off. Annoying, but small enough to be super irritating.

TL;DR: Build Buy 7/10

So yeah, this is just all of my initial impressions just mucking around in Build/Buy Mode; I haven't even PLAYED the frikkin game yet or tested anything in Live Mode. 🤦That'll be Part 2.

But so far I'm...satisfied. 7/10!

I managed to recreate Magnus Bane's Penthouse pretty darn close to how I got it in TS3 (with all the EPs & Store Content, and an effton of 3rd Party CC & mods). So inZOI's base game Beta being able to get me most of the way there all on its own is actually REALLY commendable, they definitely impressed me. 👏👍

But there's just far too much Krafton really skimmed on, that irritates the absolute mess out of me.

But I also have a gut feeling that Live Mode is gonna be CRAZY--I can't wait to play with the functional items.

Zoi Creator

The Zoi creator is pretty much the same from the Demo (x x), which is actually frustrating. Where are the improvements? 🤔 There are obvs more options, and I like the clothes categories (School, Party, etc), but I already said that I wasn't a fan of the super modern aesthetic for the clothes, and it just feels like more of the same. The shoes are still my least favorite, hella boring. And we still can't layer accessories & makeup, or have tattoos (the limited face/neck options are hidden away why?). Why can zois only wear 1 ring on 1 hand? This is 2025, and you're still making the same mistakes TS3 made 16 years ago, when TS4 at least lets you wear accs on both hands. I want my zois BLINGED UP. 😩

(Yes, my graphics settings are all on Low; I can't afford anther new pc if inZOI makes this one internally combust, stfu.)

#inzoi #simblr #video games #rant alert #ea you suck

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kissalopa · 3 months ago

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I haven't played Sims 3 since I last filled my queue 🙈 I did play a bit to be honest, but it was just a tiny bit, and those screens will only make about 3 or 4 posts, enough for only a day with my queue of 3 posts per day.

I don't really remember why I stopped playing. I played through Blast from the past event in Sims 4 at that time and then I just didn't play both Sims 4 and Sims 3 🤷‍♀️

Since I got a copy of Sims 2 Legacy Collection I am obsessed with Sims 2 🙈 I know I can keep my obsession to myself, but I just can't. I want to share my gameplay with you. It's the most fun for me when I can share. And I love doing it on Tumblr. I know some people prefer to share on Bluesky or Discord and it will be faster and more engaging, but it's not for me. Tumblr is the best and the only fitting option for me ☺️

But now that I already post Sims 4 and Sims 3 on this blog, would be ok to also share my Sims 2 gameplay here? Or will it be too much? Too chaotic? I myself follow all kind of blogs, from Sims 1 to Sims 4. But I know that not everyone likes that. I know that some people prefer to only follow one game. I have mutuals who post several games on one blog and mutuals who have sideblogs for different gameplays of the same game.

I know that it's my blog and I can do whatever I want, but I have doubts. I remember I had similar thoughts when I started posting Sims 3 and then I decided to post everything here on this blog. And I don't regret it, but now that it will be three games I feel like it's a bit too much. But at the same time why would I have Sims 4 and Sims 3 on one blog and Sims 2 on another, makes sense to make a sideblog for Sims 3 too then. But I don't know how will I go about it with a lot of Sims 3 posts already posted, plus some of them have Read More, so I can't just reblog them to a sideblog and delete from here 🤔

Also what if my obsession with Sims 2 (and Sims 3 too) won't last long, those sideblogs would be dead silent. But at the same time everything will be at one place. I don't know 😕

Tbh I am leaning towards the option to keep everything here on this blog. Because right now I am not paying Sims 4, but my blog isn't dead because I post Sims 3. If it was a separate blog this one would be silent. I know that some of you will follow all my sideblogs (I love you, friends 💜 🥰), what's the point in different blogs then 🤷‍♀️

I'm sorry about a wall of text, but I only talk about sims here and I wanted to say what's on my mind. I wanted to add a poll about what's better way to post different sims games, but I think I'll make another post with just a poll, because this post is huge and nobody will read it 😅

#kissa rambles

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typingquirkchive · 29 days ago

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quick masterlist of typing quirk related stuff

general:

pluralpedia article

typing quirk pride flag and template

website that lists symbols and explains the origin/meaning of them

masterlist of symbols that are actually from languages and shouldn't be used as an aesthetic

knowyourmeme article on l33t speak

notes on puns

huge list of fish puns, cat/cow/horse pun list

emojipedia - index of emojis with some information on any slang meanings

tool to create and save quirks and generate text

random typing quirk generator - it's titled "for special snowflakes" so it's either written by an asshole or someone making a joke at themself, but i don't think using the link benefits them at all, so i'll include it

textfast - firefox extension which allows you to set a list of word replacements, i have not tested it

fluenttyper - extension with the same features and also autocomplete and spell checker

keystroke saver - alternate

neatemoji - extension allowing you to type emojis anywhere with colons instead of copying and pasting them

special characters - extension that gives you a quick list of special characters for copypasting

lingojam - website for user-made text-to-thing translators

quirkifier - desktop app to replace your text with quirks

homestuck-specific:*

homestuck wiki's page on quirks (contains flashing images)

homestuck typing quirk generator (type in anything and it will post it with the quirks)

alternate homestuck typing quirk generator

character hex codes

roxy lalonde typo guide

vriska serket quirk guide

kankri vantas quirk translator

cronus ampora quirk translator

*some things in the first list were made in a homestuck context, but whatever can be used in a non-homestuck way i decided not to put in the "homestuck specific" list

deltarune:

spamton g. spamton dialog/text guide

the obvious:

translate your typing quirks when asked. i will not debate that this needs to be done

accessibility tips/tools:

xkit rewritten has options to remove user-set colors and fonts in posts

typing quirk to regular text translator ("makes those numbers look like actual words ✌️ • all numbers into their vowel equivalent • $ to S • makes words ending with z end with an s • turns accents into plain letters • and too many other things to mention👍 of course not every typing quirk works but it should help you get a rough idea, apologies for the giant text wall"

greasyfork script for tampermonkey that removes the quirk on homestuck.com (i'm not sure what license this is under, but maybe someone could fork it to work elsewhere too?)

unquirk - chrome extension to translate certain quirks on mspa.com, cannot verify how well it works or if it can be used elsewhere because i hate chrome

a discord tool to translate wingdings and other quirks

other:

@free-willowmates (asked to be tagged) will suggest typing quirks that are minimal and intended to be easier to read

word replacer "is a simple browser extension that automatically replaces specified words on webpages and in form fields." (have not tested this myself but it at least seems to be updated recently. it doesn't affect your typing, but how your browser shows you the words.)

word replacer max - same function as above but seems to have more features

ponify - replaces words with my little pony related ones, has the option to set up specific new replacements too

please note that i haven't personally tested all of these extensions, but i did check their reviews and only added ones which have positive reviews within the past couple of years.

i don't tag things on this archive due to laziness/depression but if you send me an ask looking for help finding something specific related to typing quirks i can probably help

#typing quirk #typing quirks #homestuck kin #homestuck #scene revival #rawr xd

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malk1ns · 5 months ago

Note

Tbh I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear exactly what the Pens were promising Geno. Maybe even bringing Mario in to assure, reassure, and re-reassure Geno's people that Sidney is 100% an untouched virgin.

Anything to get Geno's breeding rights of course

of course!!!

Zhenya sighs as he drags his cursor over the screen, copying the email text and pasting it into the translation software he sprung for a few years ago.

He can speak English just fine. Has to, after all the people he's dealt with. Reading and writing, though, is an entirely different beast, and one he's not all that interested in dedicating much time to.

He just wishes the Penguins would bother to translate their little notes before sending them along.

Technically, they're not supposed to be sending him communications on the side at all. Zhenya's agent was very clear about that up front, when the Penguins front office first reached out—if Zhenya were to consider uprooting his entire life all for one omega, even one as exceptional as Sidney Crosby, everything was to be negotiated above-board and by the book. That means running everything through layers and layers of legal channels before anything gets decided.

Zhenya doesn't have much patience for that. He has hockey to play and other appointments to keep, and this whole hypothetical could drag out for years.

It appears that Mario Lemieux feels the same. He'd started emailing Zhenya on the side as soon as Zhenya's agent indicated he was interested in exploring the opportunity, straight from his personal email account. Sometimes he'll loop in other high-ups within the Penguins organization, but frequently it's just him, sharing footage of Crosby and tantalizing little details that are obviously couched to pique Zhenya's interest.

It bothers him that it works. Crosby is beautiful, of course, with big eyes and a plush red mouth and the ability to put together places on the ice that seems almost otherworldly, but Zhenya likes to think of himself as a professional, not one to have his head turned by an omega more than a decade his junior.

Mario, as an alpha himself, would know exactly how to push Zhenya's buttons. Zhenya would resent the consistent reminders that in the end we're all no more than our instincts, but he has to admire the persistence.

Today's letter, it appears, is about Crosby's experience. Zhenya had responded to Mario's last email with a crude sex joke, one that was frankly below him, but he'd been on his way to an appointment with a particularly well-paying omega, so he'd been bricked up and horny for days in preparation.

Sidney is no virgin, he'll be the first to tell you that, Mario's response starts. He's perhaps less proper than some of the European omegas you're accustomed to; you must understand that he's been through a lot in his career, ever since he was a little boy, and he's used to standing up for himself. He's enjoyed a robust social life since he's been in Pittsburgh— Zhenya snorts —and he's not ashamed of it. Nor should he be. If that's a deal-breaker, you should let your agent know now, because we have no intention of hiding that from you.

Zhenya raises an eyebrow. It might just be the translation software, but this is a slightly more defensive tone than he'd expect Mario Lemieux to take over a team asset. Then again, there was a rumor that Crosby spent time living with Mario's family when he first entered the league—perhaps there's some fondness there beyond what a team owner feels for a high-performing player.

One thing I can promise, though, is that Sidney has never been with an alpha. This has been something that was worked into his contract since his days in junior, and he's always been diligent. He avoids being around alphas when he's cycling, including me—and he's a son to me, there's no risk there. He takes that element of his chastity very seriously. I can assure you that when it comes to alphas, Sidney is entirely unspoiled. He would be yours first, and potentially for longer if things work out.

Both of Zhenya's eyebrows go up at that. It's true that omegas in Russia are generally expected to behave in the traditional fashion—demure, modest, chaste. Zhenya grew up believing that too. But he's a grown man now, he's traveled the continent and been to all sorts of cosmopolitan places and met all sorts of sophisticated people; it didn't take long for him to realize that an omega's worth doesn't necessarily lie in how virginal they've kept themselves.

Sidney Crosby is special, though. Zhenya's watched enough of his footage to know that. Any get of theirs would be extraordinary. And the idea of being the first to have Crosby that way, the first to awaken his instincts like only an alpha can in an omega...it's more tempting than it should be, considering how long Zhenya's been doing this.

He doesn't bother reading the rest of Mario's email. Instead, he sends a note to his agent requesting an update on the negotiations with Pittsburgh, as well as a copy of his current contract with Metallurg. He wants to take a look at the termination clause, so he's ready when the time comes.

He wants to go to Pittsburgh.

#stud geno #my writing

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okerum · 11 months ago

Text

throughout the short duration of my maze runner hyperfix i would write down random thoughts/headcanons i had about them so i'll just copy-paste all of them here

- newt is crazy ticklish but he gets so irritated when someone tickles him. minho does not care

- newt cant sleep in the same room as thomas because thomas snores crazy loud and newt is a v light sleeper

- thomas has a really bad habit of chewing on his fingernails

- once newt got over them kidnapping thomas, he got along really well with group b. and they loved him too (ik him and sonya r siblings but him and harriet would be such good friends. see the vision)

- newt loves reading. i think classics would be his faves

- also good omens

- also he likes mythology

- he probably needs glasses though

- thomas and minho would probably play roblox together and like. bully kids. sometimes brenda will tag along too (shes the meanest but she also thinks roblox is dumb so she goes on it less)

- minho is a total sweat when it comes to gaming

- old grandma newt

- minho and newt would be roomates

- ocd newt maybe

- thomas has SEVERE depersonalization problems

- i can picture newt dancing as a sort of outlet. not sure what kind but just in general

- minho has AT LEAST one skirt

- newt braids his hair ‼️‼️

- thomas and newt and teresa and sonya are all autistic

- also all trans

- plus brenda

- who is also a butch lesbian

- newt is lefthanded

- thomas is the kid with the peanut allergy

- NEWT NONBINARY! THEY/HE!!!!

- do i eveb have to say t4t newtmas...

- teresa is a big swiftie

- newt would like shoujo animes

- minho would like shounen animes

- none of the main 3 can dress themselves and they look like shit usually

- newt doesnt get flustered like at all but THOMAS .... he goes red at any compliment from his crushes

- minho and thomas wrestling lmfaooo

- theyve probably broken several fhings in the process. including walls

- minho badly mocks newt's accent and he HATES it

- newt probably lets minho get away with a lot of things that he doesnt let anyone else get away with though because hes just used to it atp

- thomas is jealous because newt gives him a good scolding (affectionate) whenever he pisses him off. if hes particularly upset, newt will just ignore him for a few hours which is so hard for thomas

- newt has a lot of self-soothing behaviors but he rocks (like, rocking back and forth) a lot

- hes mega autistic look hes either minimum eye contact or intense uninterrupted eye contact and he hates being touched unless hes warned

- also the whole routines/order/rules thing he has going on especially in the glade

- AUTISTIC

- newt's prolly one of those film nerds

- never watched it but he'd be the type to love brokeback mountain

- thomas is a chronic flannel wearer

- oh also forgot its not a given but newt has chronic pain and a mobility aid

- puerto rican thomas...

- hes also demiromantic and demisexual

- thomas is also ticklish

- tickle fights perhaps....

- thomas fell asleep first once at a sleepover and minho drew all over him/fucked with him in his sleep and he never fell asleep before minho ever again

- the gladers probably smelled like shit

- 40 some adolescent-teen boys all alone no supervision doing physical labor all day every day.... 💀

- the older boys do it more but the younger ones need reminding

- runners probably bathe more often too

- esp in the movies when the box only comes up monthly + no visible building for showers??

- teresa came up and GAGGED

- spiderman newt + batman thomas

- newt probavly is prone to sunburns and he was SUFFERINGGG in the scorch. sonya too but she had it a lot easier w group b's circumstances

- half filipino teresa

- also hispanic brenda is that obvious or not

- newt is unexpectedly demanding in relationships he wants kisses all the time

- newt is a bland ass texter

- thomas just doesnt text. he'll facetime you any time u text him bc he doesnt wanna text

- sonya knows basically NO celebrities you'll go "you know chris pratt??" and she'll be like "who tf 💀" (the ones she does know are just the women she has a crush on)

- gally has probably called newt the f slur before but only because he didnt know the extent of how bad it was and (after a good punch and superduper miffed) newt tells him yhe history of it and he never did it again. he felt rlly bad too

- teresa 100% has a full fursona set up in her head

- she also probably silently assigns everyone else fursonas

- newt is a reptile owner

- minho likes dogs but hes also a terrible pet owner so he just goes over to thomas' place to play with his dog

- sonya watches video essays. shes one of those people that'll turn one on every time she sits and eats

- harriet and newt r besties btw

- sometimes newt gets a little nosy about what sonya wont tell him

- thomas has a rbf and intimidates everyone at first (though its usually not long before he makes a fool of himself and everyone realizes hes just a Guy)

- sonya is like newt's reality checker

- ouuugghhh flower shop/tattoo parlor sonya/harriet

- minho tiktok user x newt youtube shorts user x thomas instagram reels user

- gally has NO social media

- newt has a lowkey freakishly good memory

- sonya has a small collection of stuffed animals. she probably liked squishmallows when they were a thing, she collected them a little

- she has pet mice and she pampers them

- newt and sonya have hamster trauma

- the ENTIRE gang went to see barbie together and they all dressed up

- gally probably showed up not dressed up but sonya and newt planned it so they brought him an outfit and peer pressured him into changing into it at the theater

- it was probably a barbie fit (as punishment) while the rest of the guys were kens

- have i said newt and minho would be roomies or no

- minho and frypan have TOTAL brainrot humor and they bounce off each other (sometimes thomas participates. newt watches silently but judgementally)

- newt with eds on top of his chronic pain from his knee im sorry bro

- very musically inclined thomas versus musically incompetent newt

- minho calls newt hot nonchalantly / newt attempted b4 /ref

- feel like its also a given but newt and alby had a fling

- thomas infodumps on social media and minho just talks about himself

- newt is probably entirely caught up in some niche drama situation someone's posting about

- minho's tiktok fyp is convinced hes a gay man

- newt's is probably convinced hes a lesbian

- thomas just has like weird obscure humor that nobody (including him) understands

- sonya is chappel roan's #1 fan

- truth or dare with minho goes CRAZY

- harriet has a pet tarantula.... freaky little lesbian.....

- newt smoking to get relief from his chronic pain and anxiety and depression and trauma and

- minho probably discovered a long time ago that while newt will NEVER ask for it, he sleeps better with physical contact. so he holds his hand silently and without acknowledging it

- passenger princess thomas lmfaoaoooofofotitu

- ivy trio plays horror games like phasmophobia and lethal company. thomas always dies first and newt is the only one actually playing the game

- rip newt you wouldve loved being inside while it rains and reading a good book

- he'd also be really good at romanticizing the midwest

-END-

okay thats all. a few edits were made so its coherent/fits my current views of the characters more but its 98% raw from my notes app. just a peek into my twisted mind 😈😈😈

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