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somberjoon · 1 month

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SYZYGY [1]

✩ pairing: alpha namjoon x chubby fem!omega reader

✩ genre: wonderous , soulmates , strangers to "friends" to lovers , fluff , romance🔞 , life lessons , slice-of-life , brief angsty situations , happy ending

✩ word count: 6.4k

✩ chapter warnings: cussing , cover art does not depict fmc features, drinking / mention of bar hopping , Namjoon is drunk upon meeting FMC but there is nothing that happens! , lots of inside feelies and thought processes

✩ summary: Namjoon would say that he truly lives the normal life. As an alpha, he works the job he wants, he goes out when he has time, and he has never received a single late-fee on payments. He's living the mundane life- until an unknown omega literally drops into his life. Where did she come from? Why him?

✩ cover: me

ch.1 , ch.2 ...

“It is your time, precious one.”

“What if- what if I’m scared?”

“You have no reason to be fearful.”

“I was born to do this- he is just a man, an alpha that I know nothing of- what if we are not compatible like you say we will be?”

“Do you find me inconsistent in the success of my pairings, precious one?”

“No, I am just afraid I will not live up to your expectations now that I am to be on my own.”

“Oh, my dear, that is the reason you were matched.”

“What?”

“Please, trust me once more and trust yourself always from now on.”

“Of course.”

“It is she that loves all thy flaws.”

Namjoon

It’s another small bar that plays shitty remixes. The only good things about these places are the owners with their intimate service and the perfectly made drinks.

“What song is this?” Namjoon just about screams into Jimin’s ear. Another remix plays, probably by a newer pop star that he has yet to familiarize himself with.

“I don’t know or care! It’s your turn!” Jimin points at the messy stack of cards in the middle of the small table. Namjoon gives a lazy eye roll and intently looks at the cards in his hands once again.

“Do you have a five?” He turns to Seokjin to scream into his ear.

“Hah! Go fish, bitch.” Namjoon begrudgingly pulled another card from the only neat stack on the table.

“Can we pick something else?” Namjoon yells between the two, hoping to God that they heard him and will take pity on him.

This is the one night in a whole month that he has had time to go out and forget about his job. The first shitty bar was just what he needed. Drinks were made with alcohol that was poured with a heavy hand and the music was chosen perfectly. You always have to start with the loud, dance club settings when you bar hop. Then, by the end of the night, you’re sitting at a chill bar that provides board games for its patrons and puts the correct amount of alcohol into drinks. Plus, if you have the right vibes, you can score some free samples. By now, the owners have given them a few too many and all three of them should definitely leave soon.

“I have a better idea!” Jimin yells. Instead of the others responding, they just wait for Jimin to say what’s next on the agenda. He’s basically been running the whole night, deciding where they go next and what the feel is after each one. He’s the pro.

“Let’s go home.”

“Thank god.” Namjoon mumbles to himself. Immediately starting to put their cards away in a mess of backwards and upside down stacks. It was Seokjin’s turn to pay for the tab, so he’s up and heading for the main bartender in a hurry. Apparently they’ve all had enough for the night. By now it’s not just fun noiseless thinking and laughing about ‘the good old days’, it’s tired mumbling and sighing at the hit of cool air that greets them outside of the bar.

“Ugh, Joon, you should just let us crash at your place. I really can’t imagine the price of a cab right now.”

“I don’t care, I just wan' be horizontal as soon as possible.” Namjoon mumbles at them, already leading the way to his studio apartment.

"You're such a fuckin' nerd." Seokjin giggles to himself, making Jimin join in."

"Because I use 'horizontal'? Ya'll can fight over the fuckin' couch cuz' you're not sleepin' withme in my big, sof' bed."

That just eggs them on more, leaving Namjoon to lead the way as they stumble along behind him.

“Uh…Namjoon?”

Seokjin’s unsure voice asks behind Namjoon as he clicks his apartment door’s locks into place. His limbs seem to lag as he tries to peel his shoes and jacket off.

“What?”

“I thought you said you didn’t go out last night.”

“Bro, I didn’t.” Namjoon adds a whiny ending in his answer. Both Seokjin and Jimin have been asking if he went out without them- the whole night he’s had to convince them he stayed in on a Friday night to work.

“Then, why is there an omega in your living room?”

“There’s not an ‘mega in my liv-” Namjoon finally pries his shoes off and turns to find a female standing just next to his couch. Her scent hits him like a bag of bricks- it’s fucking everywhere, like she scented ever piece of fabric in the house and pushed out some more just for extra measure.

“Alpha!” Her bright eyes land on his still adjusting eyes. He’s trying his best to piece together why the fuck this is happening. He must be really fucking drunk. They must all be. There wouldn’t be a random omega in his home. He hasn’t touched another person in months thanks to the workload he has.

“Namjoon? She’s talking to you.” Jimin pipes up, trying to cover his nose with his jacket sleeve. He can’t think the smell is bad can he? Namjoon thinks her scent is nice, really good, perfect even- but as his eyes turn to Jimin and Seokjin he can see their discomfort.

“You’re talking to me?” Namjoon asks stupidly. He can’t, for the life of him, get ahold of a single thought. There’s no reason for her to be here talking to him.

“Yes. I’ve been waiting for you.” She says surely. “She sent me to you.” She ends with a giddy smile.

“Namjoon if you’ve got some weird roleplay going on please let us leave.” Seokjin says finally, pushing Namjoon into his apartment more to dispel the situation and- apparently- leave the stunned, drunk alpha alone with this unknown omega.

“Who are you?” He asks, studying her to try and figure out if this was an omega he forgot he had a thing with before. Namjoon can’t imagine her as anyone he’s been with before- he’d surely remember a face like her’s, a scent so perfect.

“Y/N. I’m your gift!” She says with certainty, never letting her smile leave as she waits for him to react to her. Instead, he just feels extremely light headed. With a few slowed-blinks, Namjoon collapses to the ground with a few thuds.

"Please don't die. Please, please don't have drunk too much and die before I could do anything."

Namjoon wakes to a pounding in his head that seems to be speaking to him as well. A foreign voice worries around him. It isn't until a touch to his forehead that has him bolting up from a lying position to come face to face with a woman that he definitely thought he dreamt up.

"Oh, thank The Goddess! I thought you drank too much." Namjoon tries to push himself away from the woman, going as far back to his headboard as he can get.

"I definitely drank too much, 'cuz who the fuck are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you'd remember." He watches confused as she seems to straighten the hoodie she has on- a hoodie he realizes is definitely his- and prepares herself for an introduction.

"I'm Y/N, your personal omega match." She gives him a grinning greeting that shows her confidence and content in a situation he sure as hell isn't familiar with.

"What- what does that mean?" Namjoon tries to rub the hangover from his eyes, an ache being soothed only when a constant pressure is held to his temples. He listens to her as he continues his ministrations.

"The Goddess raises us, teaches us how to be perfect for our matches. No matter the combination, no matter the gender identity- there's always a match for someone. But, the chosen match only goes through if the one we are matched to deserves it. Our safety is her number one priority."

He takes in this headache of an explanation, trying his best to piece together why the hell he was chosen. He's trying to figure out if this is really happening to him- if this is real, despite him knowing of those that had been 'gifted' an alpha, beta, or omega.

"I can help you with the pain, I was taught how to alleviate hangover symptoms."

"No, no it's fine, don't touch me." Her face falls at what he says upon opening his eyes. The look of devastation on her face worries him, itching to figure out why what he said had made her so unsettled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Why?"

"I have been touching you. I brought you to the bed and made sure you didn't sleep with your jeans on. And I've been switching out the cool rags all night to check if you were still sweating. I definitely should have asked."

The scent he was so used to he forgot about it, is now mixed with a burnt equivalent.

“It’s alright. I was- yeah I don’t remember much. So, thank you for helping me.”

“Of course! I love helping, I could make you soup if you’d like. I- I don’t know what you like yet but if you let me know what you need right now I can figure it out.”

Namjoon gives pause at the sheer want that’s on her face, the softness in her scent now. He’s never had another person in his home making him things and wanting to take care of him besides Seokjin and Jimin. Those two will try to help him out whenever he even voices a discomfort, but this stranger is sat kneeling on his bed, tending to him as if he means something to her. He doesn’t know how this works exactly, where she comes from and why she’s so comfortable with him without knowing anything about him. He can’t just take advantage of her either. He’ll learn.

Even as Namjoon prepares a soup he would most definitely not have put the effort into making any other time he was drunk, Y/N is looking over his shoulder and watching what he does every step of the way. Just as his dog at his parents house used to do, she’s right on his heels, trying to memorize the steps. Even worse, her scent is giddy-ingly releasing as if she’s not in control of it. Luckily, he finishes it without spilling or burning himself, setting the bowls on his only place to properly eat in his apartment- a small peninsula in his kitchen that extends to fit four people. He sits to find one Y/N having already gotten him water and found acetaminophen to set next to his bowl.

“So, you were busy while you were waiting for me, huh?” Namjoon quips more than anything. He gestures to the air around them, the scent. His dry humor doesn’t seem to hit the spot, though.

“I’m sorry about that as well. I was so excited to see a home, your home, and your space. And- I know it’s important to not interfere but it just- came out.” She cringes at herself, her eyes finally leaving him to focus on her bowl of food. Namjoon finds himself hiding his smile in his bite of food, savoring the flavor that he hasn’t had in a while. His amusement doesn’t last long with his overthinking. The first bite of her soup is at her lips before he asks.

“Did it smell bad? Is my scent not- ya’ know? Not good?”

“No! Not at all. Your scent is- well- really good to put it simply. At first I was just so excited my own scent was pushing out, but then- I smelled you. It was addicting, and I found I was just curious about what our scents are like together. I’m sorry I disturbed your space.”

“It’s okay-”

“You don’t have to lie to me to make me feel better.” She states.

“I’m not. You’ll come to learn I’m very verbal about my wants and disinterests- so I’m telling the truth when I say that your scent is ‘really good’ as well.” Namjoon makes a point to jab at her earlier description, finally bringing another smile to her face.

“Okay, I’ll remember that. And I’m glad you like it.” She shyly admits.

“Now that we know that, though, let’s just try not to push it out as much until we get to know each other better- just so we don’t act on instincts too haphazardly.” Namjoon politely suggests. He’d never put someone’s scent over consent and their verbal wants and needs- but if they are truly matched by The Goddess, then he knows that an interest will develop and then scents cloud instincts and will make them both do things they may regret.

Looking at Y/N now, he can imagine it. He can imagine her being the omega he’d do anything for. Right now, his imagination is only based on what The Goddess has given him, though. That’s the problem. He needs to know her inside and out, not just her sweet, warm scent. The softness of her hair- long, warm brown curls that cascade down to her hips- needs to be a feeling that he could recall into his fingers at any moment. He would need to be able to lick his lips and taste her on them. She’d need to be ingrained into him, just as much as he makes sure he’s the same for her. They are the only two that will know each other as intimately as he wishes. Until then, he will care for her as he’s supposed to, and they will get to know each other- as friends.

“Okay, I can do that.”

“And I’m guessing you had no clothes?”

“I didn’t know they’d drop me here naked, I just grabbed the first things I found comfortable.” Again, she seems to be more embarrassed of herself in that realization, but she pushes on. “I can get a job. The Goddess taught me how to have good communication and hard work.”

He didn’t think of that. Should she work? Does she want to work?

“For now, let’s just see how things workout, and if you wish to work, I’ll help you with the process. If you enjoy being here without one, or find out you hate it, then no big deal- I earn enough. Let’s get you some clothes today, though, some things that are better suited for your skin, yeah?” Her eyes light up immediately, her eyes never leaving Namjoon in the dark about how she feels. He likes that already.

“I can go outside today?”

“Y/N, you can go outside whenever you want-” He catches her ready to interrupt but he can already guess what she’ll ask. “We’ll talk about scenting another time. But, I am not going to tell you what you can and can’t do. I’m assuming you want to stay here-” A few satisfied nods from her is the answer. “Then we’ll have some basic rules. We tell each other where we’re going, or if we want to go out and do something- just so we know and just so we’re both as safe as possible. We don’t invade each other’s privacy ever- when doors are shut we always knock and when we’re curious about something we ask. We tell each other how we feel if we are having issues or when one wishes to communicate a change in the rules. We are two separate people who have our own needs, and we both need to respect that. I think those are most important, but- do you want to add or change anything?”

“I appreciate how thorough you are, but where do I sleep?”

"How about this? It's soft and similar to the one you're wearing."

"Hmmm, I don't know if this is what I want to wear daily, though."

"How about we just get some basics you immediately like and then we'll get more later on when you figure out what you like in broader areas."

The main issue with shopping for a once-celestial-being is that clothing was never a unique-based choice for them. Everything was uniform and based only on what that person chose to cover.

"I like simple things, but I just want some more color."

Namjoon scans the racks of the clothing, but only the sections with more colors. Even then, all of the clothing in the women's section is different. Cuts and flares are different or nonexistent. He finally just looks up to ask a question, but finds Y/N with two arms full of choices.

"There's just so much and I've never tried them before…can I just try stuff on?"

Namjoon waits an odd amount of time to see the first outfit that Y/N shows him. It's not a crowded store, nor are the stores around them busy. But, when she walks out with a tight forest green crop top that obviously shows she has no bra on he immediately feels like every eye is on them. He's not one that cares about it, he's definitely a 'free the nipple' kinda' guy. But the very brief sight has him standing up immediately from the waiting chairs and blocking her from the small entrance that people could see through.

"This one is so soft and I love this color. The skirt is a little weird, though. Does it look okay?"

Namjoon pulls his glued gaze from her face to travel down her body. A body that he is now seeing in a new light. The clothes fit as if they were made for her- even a small pudge of her stomach sticks out between the top and the skirt to pull his gaze in. The skirt isn't weird, it's a creme colored, long cargo skirt that is probably a new style he's a little unaware of. If anything, it's perfect and is as lovely as she sounds. It matches her, unlike his hoodies and matching sweats- though he has to stop himself from wishing she’d just wear his clothing all the time. He gets to her feet, his oversized socks and the smaller pair of slippers that Jimin usually wears in his apartment are on her feet. It's so cute and so soft that he has to completely ignore it to give her an honest sounding answer.

"It looks really good." He says it with a heady voice, already obsessed with how everything looks on her. "Is it comfortable?" He changes the topic to not have to say more than he needs to.

"Yes! I tried on some jeans but the baggier stuff and skirts are more comfortable right now. I can try those later on. I like the sweats and softer stuff, this one was just one I wanted your opinion on."

"Okay, grab whatever you'd like and then we can get shoes and bedding." Namjoon turns before she answers, hoping he isn't stinking up the damn shop.

Now that they’ve left the clothing shop, Namjoon feels like he can breathe. Despite Y/N having already chosen what she’d found comfortable, she wanted his opinion on a few more options just so she didn’t get ‘too much’. He really didn’t mind buying everything she liked, but she was insistent on living with only necessities- just as she did before she was ‘dropped’. That’s how she describes it, so he will as well. All her clothing is plain and is like her clothing before, as she described. Tight, simple bands and flowy fabrics that were different shades of and between white and black. Now, she just wants to add color and, apparently, his opinion.

“Why do I need extra bedding? Is there an omega version of most personal items? It was always pretty equal before- everything was perfect.”

“I think that’s the point of being directly raised by The Goddess, it’s all catered to you. You don’t think that a blanket could be two different things to one person there? Like, perfectly soft and fuzzy to you but silky and cool for another.”

“Oh, I never thought about it that way. We just got necessities there and, to be honest, there wasn’t a need to share.”

“It’s just easier for those here to have their own stores or versions of preferred necessities because of your skin. Clothing and bedding is softer in certain stores, products can be found in a large variety based on needs and wants as well, and depending on your second gender there are just other needs you have- you know that though.” Namjoon really hopes that this won’t be a conversation he has to have when they barely know each other. He couldn’t imagine The Goddess making things as important as heats and ruts to be something unnecessary in Her ‘magical land above’.

“Yes, I know. I’m already recognizing that face you make. Please don’t be shy with me- I kind of lied about sharing things back then- we shared heats and ruts with each other if we wished. It wasn’t sacred there like it is here- it was just a means for survival and The Goddess knew it was something that was our choice. Here, though, it’s far more special and we are taught that- I’m only yours, and if you'd like, you’ll be mine.”

She says these things with such confidence and assurance. He can’t just let her be this open without him giving that energy back, but he’s more so just not ready. This time to get to know her is crucial and keeping their personal information separate if wanted is important to him. He also can’t blame her, she just told him that their bodies were shared if wanted based on survival, and they were watched over all the time and provided for without having much of a say. It’s all just another thing to learn- he’ll learn to get used to her nonchalance.

“When it comes up we’ll talk about that then and figure it out together.” Namjoon assures her, hoping he sounds as reassuring as possible.

“Okay. Ooh, these are nice!” Y/N points at a specific type of blanket in one section. She touches the samples of comforters that line the wall under each different type on the shelf. He likes these comforters as well, the airy, padded blankets provide warmth but don’t make you sweat in the hotter months.

“These ones are good during the hotter seasons as well- I think they’d be good.”

“Can I get two? For nesting.”

This part doesn’t take long at all. Namjoon suggests some things and lets her pick out whatever her heart desires as this is all stuff he’ll be less helpful in. By the end, Namjoon is carrying the two clothing bags, and two regular pillows while Y/N’s usual giddy face doesn’t struggle at all to carry the two comforters and two plushies she thought ‘looked like him’. He tried denying the panda, but the koala wasn’t an awful comparison. (He folded immediately).

“What’s next?” She asks with excitement on her face.

“We plan dinner and then go to bed.”

“Oh..okay!” The excitement leaves her, but only for a second.

She never thinks long about what it is she’s taking in. She’d definitely not one to take things lightly, as she said she’d been memorizing his fucking expressions, so it’s probably just content. She’s content to be here and do whatever he suggests because that’s all she knows.

“How about we go out to dinner? Is there anything you like?” He watches her think for another slow couple of seconds, and then she’s excited again to talk to him.

“Whatever is your favorite. I’d like to just try something new.”

“You’re going to be sorely disappointed.” Namjoon gives her a mischievous smile that’s more fond-looking when it’s directed at her.

It’s a seedy pizza spot that is honestly not actually all seedy. Namjoon was never one to judge a place or person on how they look- so, when he stumbled upon this place that seemed to be the only thing open after a late-night recording session, he gave it a shot. It’s shitty on the outside with a dirty, worn down awning that could just be black on purpose and a sign that you can barely read. The inside is far better, luckily. It’s as clean as you could probably get the place without gutting it, and the owner is the one making the pizzas. It’s not very seedy because of that and the fact that the owner won’t share his real name. He named it ‘Mario’s’ only because he likes the games and wanted people to think he knew what the fuck he was doing. So, Namjoon isn’t sure- but the pizza’s fucking amazing.

Y/N doesn’t look like she should be walking into the establishment. She’s bright-eyed and wanting to take in the world as it is her first time seeing it, technically. He doesn’t know how exactly she lived or what she has seen, but it really seems as if she’s appreciative of even the dust lining the crevices of the flooring.

“Hey, music man. The usual?”

“Yeah, but double it, please.”

“Ooh, pretty lady here.” Despite Namjoon never having a jealous moment in his life before this, he immediately tenses up at the attention he gives her.

“Hi! I’m Y/N.”

“Very sweet, well I’ve seen you in here by yourself too many times- so, I’ll charge you for one order today, ey? Nice date, nice price.”

“Thanks, man.” Namjoon tries to get the conversation over with, looking over to Y/N to see that she doesn’t mind one bit.

“Is this a date?” She suddenly asks, bouncing off the idea that the owner obviously put into her head.

“Just dinner as friends right now. I’d let you know if it was a date, I’m really possessive.” Namjoon says it a little louder than necessary as he leads her to a booth seat that conceals her from the counter’s view. “Let me pay, I’ll be right back.”

Namjoon misses the giddy smile that Y/N has at the new information she now holds in getting to know her alpha. They aren’t each other’s yet, but he’s all she knows right now and he’s treating her so well. It seems bound to happen that he’ll become closer to her- her's, in all senses that she finds meaningful. It’ll mean she’s doing well, and that she won’t disappoint The Goddess or Namjoon.

The wait isn’t long, Namjoon’s favorite part besides the perfect slices of pizza.

“One pepperoni slice and one cheese. I’m a simple man.”

“I like simple.” Is all she tells him with a shrug before she greedily eats the cheese slice. She talks as she eats, not caring for the food in her mouth. “Wow, there was nothing like this! We didn’t need to eat, but there were cravings in our time of heat. I usually craved something sweet, and with only the necessities being our priority it was usually fruit. We learned to cook basic things as well- breads, soups, and different kinds of rice.”

Namjoon feels comfortable talking with a half-full mouth now as well, becoming more and more comfortable with a stranger that he just acquainted himself with this morning.

“You’re in luck, besides music, I’m a professional take-out order-er.”

“Mmm,” it seems she takes that information and is already imagining the good food that she doesn’t know exists yet. “I didn’t know you made music- that’s your job?”

“Yeah, I produce music but I’m mostly at home doing it. Sometimes I’ll go in to help with a recording, but that’s not often. I just get paid to make the beats or change lyrics whenever they need help with that.”

“That’s really cool. Could I hear something sometime?” She looks so interested, so enthralled by him that he almost chokes up at the attention she’s giving him. He doesn’t feel worthy as an alpha to be someone she’s interested in. He’s never had someone look at him like he has all the answers and can provide for her without a second thought. He knows this is a learning process for them both, but he’s thinking that she’s already set on whatever it is she was made for- while he’s just a man that is still figuring out everything himself. A stable job and a home that he can provide isn’t enough. He isn’t enough yet.

“You’ll probably hear it all the time when I’m working during the week.”

“Yay.” She gives him that same smile, now with her lips sealed because of the food in her mouth. Grease stains her lips and he has to push down the want to wipe it from her. Her lips, now that he’s looking, are plump and the pink of them is hiding under a layer of orange grease. Despite that, they’re still kissable, memorable, probably soft and pliant in times of need-

“Here’s a napkin.”

“Thank you!” She takes it and immediately uses it.

He has to stop doing that.

It’s only once they’re home and have hauled everything up to the apartment that Namjoon realizes it was a horrible idea to share the bed. He wants to be a gentleman and he doesn’t want to just push her away. She’s here for an obvious reason, they were matched- supposedly perfect for each other- and he only feels like a dick pushing her away to sleep on his uncomfortable couch.

He shows her how to use the washing machine, and as they wait it’s far more awkward than he means for it to be.

“Have you tried the TV yet?” Namjoon asks as she goes through her bag of clothes to show Namjoon the contents. He mentally smacks himself, he really didn’t have to ask, he could just turn it on and put a random show on to end the night.

“No, I didn’t want to touch anything I wasn’t familiar with.” She’s nonchalant about it, why can’t he be nonchalant about it?

“Okay, I got these to sleep in, they didn’t have that many options so I hope I can borrow a shirt to sleep in if that’s okay?” She holds up a pair of sleep shorts that has far too little fabric. It’s her choice to wear them- he’s not a fucking teenager, he’ll be fine.

“And I know it’s most decent, so I did find these to wear…” she has to find the tag and read them. “Sports bras.” She holds up the three-pack proudly to show him. Despite her being the one to show him, he feels invasive, immediately turning away after a quick smiling nod to turn on the TV.

“And then this skirt as well as this smaller one, and a more flowy one. The fabrics are nice- I like how different they are here.”

“Very pretty.” He says, hoping it was normal enough.

“Thank you! And then just a few more of those shirts like the green one and a couple hoodies and sweats like yours. We’ll match! Plus these shoes and socks will go with everything I got.” She excitedly looks over her things again and again. She’s so happy with just those, so happy with the simple things and the shitty restaurant that he’d never even think about taking a woman to unless they were much more comfortable together.

In his thinking, he doesn’t notice Y/N standing in front of him until she’s holding up that pair of sleep shorts for him. He takes them without thinking, looking up from the couch to give her a questioning look.

“You said we could talk about scenting later. Is scenting my clothes off-limits?” She looks down at him with worry in her eyes and a peak of worry slips through to make him weak in the- everything, really.

“No, uh, no that’s okay.” It’s a possessive thing he feels when he scents the shorts, looking up at her as he gives them a good rub against his neck and even going the extra measure to make sure his scent is thick and potent.

“There.” He hands them back, the soft fabric going straight to her nose to take in a whiff. He wants so badly to know how much she enjoys it, if she enjoys it as much as he enjoys her’s. She takes her time, then points to the pile of clothes.

“Can you do the rest once those are clean?”

“Yeah.” It’s a breathy response, hanging onto the hope that he’ll be able to scent her at some point. Having his scent on her things, on her body, it truly finalizes the fact that she’s here for him. She was made to bless someone- all pretty omega, inside and out, and soft features with a soft body. She was made to bless him, he realizes. Though he doesn’t know if it was meant to be him from the beginning, she was still curated in a way that led them together. He doesn’t deserve it. Not when he’s clunky and unconfident in his abilities to be her alpha. His instincts are kicking in without the confidence to even put them to use.

“Let’s get the bed ready, however you like it we can change it, yeah?” He’s suddenly antsy in his need to make his room presentable and safe. He’s grabbing both blankets and pillows and is in the bedroom before Y/N even makes it there, still becoming more and more tired after her adventures today.

“Are you tired?” He asks, noticing her tired eyes and the shorts still lifted to her nose. He gets a nodding answer. Perfectly, maybe by fate even, the dryer chimes its finish, indicating that now both of her new blankets are clean and warm.

While he is just about freaking out over never having made a nest before, Y/N is at his side and pulling one thing at a time from his arms. She places the blankets haphazardly in his eyes, just making a small dip for her to cuddle into. Even in her fog of scent and growing tiredness, she is able to do what she needs for her comfortable nest. He even lingers on the fact that she’s making it on the correct side, probably having already noticed where his scent lingers the most.

“Okay, we sleep.” she almost gets into the bed before Namjoon is tugging at her (his) hoodie, pulling her back.

“No outside clothes. You need to be comfortable and clean.” She immediately obeys, pulling her (his) sweats down as he looks up at the ceiling to admire the texture. He remembers she needs one of his shirts so he uses that as an actual excuse, plucking a random one from the hangers to hand to her. He completely turns around for that part, waiting only until he hears her settle into the bed before he turns back to her. He catches her arm sticking out, patting the large space next to her, before disappearing again.

She’s going to be the death of him, really. A pretty omega nesting in his bed.

He’s a rod next to her. Stiff and trying to take up as little room as possible. He has work tomorrow and a new responsibility he has to navigate- he can’t just stay up all night and be useless in both ways.

“Namjoon.” Despite how tired she was, she whispers to him with a lucid voice.

“Yeah?”

“I’m just- I don’t know- tense? Could I…sleep with your hand?”

This is more intimate than he thought it’d be. To have her in his bed, wanting his wrist to scent freely and maybe even scent herself. He’s not one to take scenting lightly. To him, it’s special, and should be sacred to the one he is to be with for the rest of his life. He was fine with the clothes, he maybe even thought about it a few times since their shopping trip- but is this too much too fast?

“Nevermind, I’m sorry, I know we didn’t talk about that yet.” She whispers again.

“Y/N.” It’s silent for a few long seconds.

“Yeah?”

“I’m not sure if I want to scent right now, but could I- could we just try this once and I can let you know how I feel?”

“Are you sure? I know I just came to you so abruptly, I don’t want my presence to change your previous boundaries. I’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

He really thinks about it, about how he’s felt before with others he’s been interested in. Even with Seokjin and Jimin, he’s never thought about scenting them or even needing to push out his own scent in situations that needed his ‘dominance’ for assistance. It was never something he prioritized, or had a reason for. So, the fact that it’s now wanted and needed, it feels intimate. But, maybe wanting to give this to her is what’s right. If not, and he’s reading this wrong, he’ll let her know. His own rule was to be open and to voice their concerns.

“It’s okay, here.” He sticks out his arm before he can overthink it more. She takes his hand as if it were a precious jewel, her skin is just as soft as he imagined. Maybe it was even better- but he can’t explain it. All he knows is that his own skin seems to call out for her, yearning for a touch he has just met. A touch that he only knew of a second ago. He grasps onto her hand, rubbing his thumb into the back of it as she directs him to her nose. The brush of her nose is like static, a shock to his system that he’s never felt before. His sensitive scent gland there is immediately releasing his scent in wafts that she only snuggles closer to.

“It’s so good. Is this okay?” She mumbles, clearly trying to keep a clear head as well.

“Yeah, yeah.” He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself, but really he’s just trying to keep cool. “Do you feel better?”

“Yes, it’s safe and warm. Thank you, Namjoon.”

With her nose and upper lip pressed to his wrist- with a mumble of his name whispered into his own skin- he lets out a ragged breath, and he himself tries his best to drift to sleep. It isn’t long before he’s actually tiring down, her sweet, warm scenting pushing out to meet him. She could probably scent the nerves. He doesn’t mind how it happens, nor how they’ll wake up at this point. Now, he can rest, knowing a sweet omega is safe in his home.

#bts au #bts fic #namjoon au #bts x fem!reader #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts x you #namjoon x reader #bts abo #bts omegaverse au #alpha namjoon

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creelteeth · 2 years

Note

YOU GIVE YOUR FIRST KISS TO STEVE AND HIS KNEES ARE THE ONES THAT BUCKLE !!!

i mean, sure, he’s got his reputation as king steve but no one’s ever kissed him just because they wanted to, y’know?

at least not until he met you. you’re one of the first people who look at him, and see him. see him for all that he is. you see every weird, awkward, painfully unfunny in the most charming way possible parts of him. more than that, you adore it.

he’s hesitant about you at first, stuck in that rutt of not being able to find anyone he’s seemingly compatible with— so when you stumble into his life, he’s enthralled by you, just as much as you are him. he almost doesn’t even understand why someone would be so interested in him, when he’s just steve. he’s not king steve anymore. he’s not in college, he has nothing to give you other than himself— but that’s all you need. you reassure him time and time again.

so.. when he finds out the world of intimacy is something very new to you, steve is determined to take it slow. agonizingly. slow. becomes obsessed with the idea every first having to be perfect.

finally, it comes to a point where you have to ask him to move forward, tell him that there is never gonna be a perfect moment. they’re all perfect in their own way, you just need him to kiss you. now. right here, in the parking lot of the seven eleven.

he doesn’t put up much of a fight about it— especially not when you’re up on your toes, arms wrapped around his shoulders looking up at him with those big puppy dog eyes of yours. so he does it. warm hands come down around your waist, bringing you in even closer, lifting you up on your toes even more. a few stray strands of his brown hair falls down in front of his forehead, you feel it tickling against yours. his lips meet you softly at first, though the idea of being genteel is soon clouded by you. you consume him. his lips to yours, the lingering taste of a cherry slushee on your lips— they’re still a bit cold from the drink but they warm up when his pillowy soft lips move against yours. he’s never had a kiss like this. one that shuts the entire world down around him. every bit of gravity that he had keeping him on the ground was now obsolete. all he could think about, the only thing recognized in each of his senses was you. you engulfed him entirely.

“fuck.” he exhaled, parting from you for only a moment.

he couldn’t put into words how he felt, he didn’t even want to try. with his arms still wrapped around your waist, he walked you backwards until you were leant up against the hood of his car. that cherry slushee you left on the curb getting kicked over in the process, he didn’t care, he’ll buy you another one. right now this is all he needs. you. he needs you. needs more of this. so he takes it.

his kiss swollen lips crash down against yours again— this time a bit hungrier, a bit less tender. working and moving against yours, breathing you in, breathing him out. he’s practically a puddle in your hands.

it was perfect.

#cries #i love him #fleurfairie #casey writes #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff

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mischiefmaker615 · 10 months

Text

Portal Play

Summary: Loki finds a compatible way to make your.. sizes work. whether you like it or not.

Note: It's recommended to read my previous one shot Polly Pocket first, this is kinda(?) a part 2

Rating: R

Requested by: @RoyaWitch (wattpad)

You stumble backward, the material of the mattress not being steady enough to regain your footing so you landed on your ass with a bounce. ‘’I don’t know what has you all excited about this time trickster but the least you could do when you’re not forcing yourself upon me is to be gentle’’ you hiss as you glare up at him.

‘’my apologies love, I’ve just been looking forward to seeing you all day- I have news’’ Loki said quickly before you could assume his only reason being here was to fuck you.

Your fingers gripped the sheet below you, not exactly finding it stable enough as you bounced lightly up and down while he got onto the bed before you, looking down at you as he sat on his heels. Whether it be sitting or standing, his height never seemed to make you feel better ever since you had been shrunk. You didn’t bother running today either, jumping off the bed would surely kill you.. though that option wasn’t completely off the table as he rested his palms on either side of you, leaning down to gaze down at you like a cat cornering a mouse.

‘’is it the news of turning me back to normal?’’ you say dryly, knowing getting on his bad side isn’t exactly hiring your chances of that, but by his growing erection it didn’t seem like it was going to be today anyway. Regardless, your answer made him laugh.

‘’no my dear, I’ve told you I enjoy you just as you are now,’’ he said between laughs before regaining himself with a smile, looking back down at you lovingly as he shifted a bit to help accommodate his enlarged member now from how he sat. ‘’perhaps its best if I show you my little discovery instead,’’ he spoke, his expression turning to a mix of seriousness and excitement as you hesitate any movement your body was screaming at you with.

Loki sat back on his heels, raising a hand as his eyes flashed a bright green before he flicked his wrist. After a second, nothing happened and you glanced back up at him in question before you jumped a little, a bright green hole appeared out of no where before his lap, almost looking like a portal of some sorts like how you’ve seen in the movies.

‘’wha..’’ you trail off, seeing how it was large enough for you to fit through yet you couldn’t see through, it holding the color his magic always gave off. ‘’what is it?’’ you asked, pure confusion on what it was and why he was showing you it, causing you to raise a hand at it.

‘’ah ah ah I wouldn’t do that if I were you, at least not today,’’ Loki interrupted your movements and you withdrew your hand back as if the ‘portal’ were a bite at any second. Casting a questionable look up at Loki, he merely chuckled and raised his pointing finger.

If the portal wasn’t there than he would have directly pointed at his crouch but instead his finger was slowly inserted into the portal, Loki showing no signs of discomfort or concern. Raising a brow at what you were suppose to wait for, a sudden feeling could be felt entering your cunt and it made you jump, making you fall back again on the mattress as you looked down at yourself with concern and confusion.

The feeling was as if something was inserting in you, nothing that stretched you, but definitely made you aware something was there. In fact, you could have sworn you could feel something curl as it went in and withdrew repeatedly to the point where your pussy was getting slick. Your eyes blinked and searched yourself before you look up at Loki in mild panic, only to feel your heart jump upon seeing his wide grin.

‘’wha- what are you-‘’

‘’magic my dear, and one I carefully had to experiment for awhile to get it just right, I couldn’t bare to hurt you after all.’’ Loki explained and you saw how his hand was moving his finger slowly in and out of the portal repeatedly before he removed his hand all together, the feeling being removed slowly from your cunt as you caught your breath. Loki held his finger up as if to bestow proof and it was indeed wet, making your eyes widen at the fact of his discovery.

‘’you see darling, I have been aching to fuck you properly for awhile now- and although I could always return you to regular size for the moment, I don’t exactly wish to risk getting bunched from several years worth of anger. So it’s better to keep you this way, and with a simple.. portal spell, if you will- I have found a way where I could have my way with you properly and you still stay exactly the way you are.’’ he said proudly, as if you wished to stay this way.

By now, your legs were shaking and your trembling was making it way throughout your entire body as you looked up at him with disbelief. This was suppose to be good news?.. you supposed it was, for him. now that you thought of it, the size of the portal was just about the size of his cock, if not the exact size.

‘’y-you wont be able to fit-‘’

‘’rest assured darling, I am fully prepared on prepping you.’’ Loki cooed, as if it were to make you feel better as he began making himself comfortable by laying on his stomach, resting his chin on his wrist before he carefully inserted his middle and ring finger inside the portal before you could properly utter a sentence.

A gasp left your lips as you could practically feel his fingers slide slowly inside you, your legs closing and your hands covering yourself but nothing could keep him out as his fingers slowly pumped and curled in your cunt. Your eyes desperately looked at the portal and then up at his eyes, who gazed back at your own with an amusing and loving expression in them.

You could feel the butterflies form in your stomach and groin as he began to quicken his movement, his thumb being added to do a figure eight on your clit. Your body turned around, trying to move away from him but your limbs were weak and useless as your orgasm began to build closer. Its not like you could run away, with the portal now a thing, it wouldn’t matter how far away you were from him. Loki seemed to understand and he merely laughed, his laugh shaking the bed slightly, making you bounce with it as you gave up on your back.

‘’oh this is better than I hoped, even in the middle of a meeting I could fuck you from beneath the table and no one would know it’’ he laughed blissfully as his fingers quickened once more before he felt your cunt squeeze onto his fingers.

Against your will, a moan left your lips as your fingers gripped the sheets, back arching as you came on his fingers which didn’t stop pumping until he made sure he helped you ride out your high before his hand left the portal. He raised his fingers to examine them and grinned, all the while you lay panting with your eyes jumping being able to watch as he licked them clean.

‘’simply splendid love, you did so well for me,’’ he cooed and closed his eyes, a happy sigh left his lips while his body relaxed. Sitting up now, his eyes reopened to reveal glassy orbs, his grin turning to a smirk as he sat on his heels once more and looked down at you directly. ‘’gods you make me so happy Y/N, you have no idea how long I’ve waited for this..’’ he practically whispered and you look up at him in tired hatred.

‘’how long do you plan on keeping this up.. you can’t keep me like this forever-‘’ you snap, your eyes saying all the forms of cuss words you could make up as you sit up on your elbows and your legs still shook from your previous orgasm.

Loki shook his head as he freed his cock, the size always making you shiver as you kept your eyes on his and didn’t dare look anywhere else as he smiled. ‘’how a very long time darling. For a very, long, time. Especially since I’ve found all the more ways to make you mine in any way I please,’’ he began and got on his knees, leaning forward as if he were on top of you if you would have been regular size but instead each hand pinned each of your arms spread eagle style. ‘’how about a deal? If you don’t orgasm once while I fuck you, I will return you back to normal size and release you.’’

By now you were trying to get your arms free from under his fingers, struggling while you glare up at him until his words made you pause. Freedom.. out of this hell hole.. not one orgasm through it all,.. sounds easy enough. Knowing Loki, you knew he might think of a way to cheat so you hesitantly looked up at him and took a deep breath. ‘’.. no tricks?’’

He shook his head with a promise in his eyes. ‘’no tricks.’’

Starring up at him as if searching for the trick itself, the portal caught your eye and you looked down to see how it was ready before him; all he had to do was thrust forward into it and you would be impaled. But just once, just one more time and you would be free, all you had to do was not have an orgasm. Nodding your head, you look up at him and bit your lip. ‘’deal.’’

‘’alright darling, and for your experience, I’ll go slow.’’ He said gently, his eyes holding nothing but love in his eyes as he moved his hips forward into the portal.

Although you hated him with all your might for the state he had put you in, you found yourself grateful he had been nothing but gentle through it all, and even now he was taking his time with you. You squeezed your eyes shut as you felt his tip poke at your entrance. At least his previous work would help him get in easier but even then it would be quite a.. stretch.

You look up at him with slight fear in his eyes as he’s taking deep breaths, showing you how much he was holding himself back and you look away from him for that. It another world, perhaps you could have loved him, at one point perhaps you had, but there was no going back now was there.. not now.

Your eyes snap back at him before your back arched, feeling him slowly, slowly push into you, and he didn’t stop until he buried himself all the way, making your mouth open to an inaudible sound of pain you couldn’t bring yourself from making. At least, you couldn’t hear yourself while Loki let you a groan of pleasure as he closed his own eyes.

‘’gods you are just what I imagined and more my love.. your perfect..’’ he breathed and he had to lighten his weight on your arms as he felt you shaking, instead pinning them with a finger for each while your legs squeeze shut, almost as if it would keep him out but it didn’t.

He slowly slid himself to the tip, letting you catch your breath for only a moment before he thrust back in, his hips snapping forward while his cock fucked the portal, his thrusts slow but fast going in. with each thrust, a gasp would leave your lips as he seemed to be hitting your g spot each time while he slowly stretched you, the pain and pleasure making an impossible yet pleasurable experience, dare you admit it. once your cunt wet itself enough, his thrusts became smoother, faster, keeping the same pace while he breathed out moans and fluttered his eyes shut at how good you felt around you.

What scared you was that you were beginning to enjoy it, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to convince yourself otherwise and ignore the butterfly feeling that started to return again. You couldn’t orgasm, you couldn’t! not that you were so close to freedom!

‘’your doing so well my darling, the way you squeeze my cock, you’re so deliciously tight-‘’ Loki moaned, a thrust almost for each word that left his mouth as you shook your head, trying to tune everything out.

What made your eyes snap open was feeling the tip of his nose lightly pressing into your tummy while he dipped his head down to lick a stripe against your cunt. ‘’what are you- ah!’’ a moan left your lips as your back arched, trying to free your arms as his tongue ran up and down your cunt while his hips snapped forward.

‘’y-you said no t-tricks-‘’ you stutter as you feel your orgasm knocking on your door while he moans in your cunt before he lifts his head for only a moment.

‘’sex is sex darling, all types of it. me cheating would be if my magic was making you orgasm, but it’s not and never had. Your pleasure is because you want it darling,’’ he almost said smugly before dipping is head down again, this time pointing his tongue so he could focus more specifically at your clit where he circled it tightly as he could while his hips seemed to scoop upward to rub more into your g spot.

It was not fair, it was like nothing you had ever felt before; oral and vaginal simultaneously with a guaranteed orgasm knocking on your door. Before you knew it, your vision danced and like it or not, your orgasm hit you tenfold with a scream leaving your lips, turning into a moan while he thrust faster to meet his own. His thrusts became sloppier before he threw his head back and moaned, spurting his seed into you where he made sure to pump every dot into your cunt before he stilled to catch his breath.

You pant as you weakly look up at him, his eyes boring into your as he rests his weight on his forearms, catching his breath. ‘’f-fuck you..’’ you cuss quietly, knowing you had lost.

A tired chuckle left his lips as he looked down at you. ‘’we most certainly found a way to do just that darling.’’ He whispered before he pulled out slowly and the portal vanished finally. Once it had, you felt wetness dripping out of your cunt and you shamefully closed your legs, looking away while Loki rolled onto his back, not concerned on where you’d go because you both knew you’d be too cowardly to jump off the bed.

‘’oh my precious little pocket pussy, I think things just got a lot more fun..’’ Loki smirked.

#Thor and Loki #loki odinson #Loki Laufeyson #loki #loki smut #loki x reader smut #loki god of mischief #loki of asgard #loki is not a villain #loki imagine #loki fluff

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mangoshorthand · 1 year

Text

Flesh and Blood- [Five Hargreeves x F Reader]. Ch7 (Hard Feelings Part 3)

SUMMARY: As Christmas approaches, everything between you and Five is perfect...until a destructive temporal anomaly gets in the way. Five is convinced another permutation of himself is to blame. Nothing's simple when you're in a relationship Five Hargreeves: could your loyalties be tested in a way unique to him? Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven - Chapter Twelve - Chapter Thirteen

The results of inducing birth in an isolated New Hampshire Cabin.

Blood, death, suicidality. Proceed at your own risk.

Chapter Seven: The Life that Was

He did everything by the book. He made everything sterile, he administered the drugs with precision. He was gentle, diligent and so, so careful.

But it didn't help.

He knelt in the pool of her blood between her legs and pulled time backwards repeatedly. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop it. She suffered a postpartum hemorrhage every single time. He saw the blood drain from her face and out of her body dozens of times, her head loll and eyes roll up into her head. They didn’t share the same blood type so even if he could have macgyvered some equipment, there was no compatible blood on hand.

Eventually, he escalated to a seven-minute jump, but even that was too late to save her. It left him with blood leaking from his tear-duct. He was too late to save either of them. Every single time, no matter what he did, the baby didn’t take a breath. Even with all their planning, they had not foreseen this.

They were dead, and he watched it happen again and again.

He stood, shakily, and left the cabin. As the cold air whipped his face, the ground seemed to heave and he was forced to bend, hands on his thighs. He vomited profusely onto the snowy ground. The force of it eventually drove him to his knees, feeling clothes soaked with her blood cooling rapidly and stickily against his skin. When he finally rose to his feet, the snow was stained muddy red in streaks with the prints of his hands and knees.

When the sickness subsided, he grabbed a spade and pickaxe from the outbuilding. Stood without protection from the cold, he began to dig at the base of a huge ash at the edge of the woods.

He scraped away the snow and hacked at the frozen ground. He relished the manual work, the pain from rapidly developing blisters on his palms welcome beside the alternative that threatened to overwhelm him at any point. He didn't know why he chose this particular tree but, the more he worked, the more its age, strength and thick bark seemed right: a protective stalwart. Not pretty, but solid and dependable. It would shelter them and, in return, they would nourish its roots. He dug with energy bordering on neurosis. By the time the sweat was dripping off his nose, he didn’t feel the cold anymore.

He sunk deeper into the hole he was forming, not noticing himself shivering. When he finished, it was dark.

He was still in pain and grateful for it. His cold, mottled fingers and bleeding hands were nothing. Every shriek of protest from his pulled muscles was in tribute to her and so much less pain than he deserved. Eventually, he climbed out of the grave and stumbled back into the cabin. He could smell the coppery, butcher’s shop smell of the congealing blood, air-drying clots and afterbirth.

He cleaned her. Cleaned them both. Refilling and emptying the sink each time the water became too bloody. By the end of this work, she looked almost normal. The baby didn’t.

She was at least clean: wrinkled, blue and skin waxy with a creamy white substance the texture of Vaseline. Her face was hard to look at: it let him know in a primal way that she was his. Theirs. He touched each one of her tiny fingers; her mother's in miniature. Then, he'd wrapped her in a blanket and laid her on her mother’s chest.

For the rest of the night, he lay beside them, looking at his family and on her pale face for almost the last time. After kissing her lips, he finally let himself weep. He cried and pulled at himself- his clothes, his hair, his skin.

To have all his power and yet to be so powerless.

If he slept, he was not aware. When cold winter sunlight invaded the room, he knew it was time. There was this little bit to do now... but once she was buried, that was it; nothing to distract himself with, nothing he could do for her anymore.

He placed her in the grave gently, kissing her cold head one last time. The baby he also kissed and tucked under her arm. Part of him wanted to crawl beside them and let the weather do its work, but he owed them a burial. And more.

Once more, he climbed out and stood at the foot of the rough hole he'd dug. He wanted to say something, perhaps sing her that Ray Charles song, but nothing came out; only tears that fell into the snow. When covering them, he cried more. Seeing the dirt cover her face made his chest ache in a way that felt like a cardiac event. Part of him, (maybe even most of him), wished it had been. At last, the job was done and he had nothing to do but live.

He used the fire-escape to enter their bedroom, not wanting to speak to any of his siblings. There, he sat on their bed with a bottle in one hand and her favorite sweater in the other. These he drew to his face alternately; one mouthful of booze for one inhale.

His grief was like walking barefoot on tiles strewn with shattered glass; no matter how carefully he moved, the jagged despair would come anyway, shocking him with its intensity each time. Being drunk dulled his pain to a low, consistent ache.

Lila heard the thump from the top floor and went to investigate, vigilant lest more Commission agents had infiltrated the house. Instead, she found Five unconscious on the bedroom floor, one of his fiancee's sweaters clutched in one hand and an empty, 60 oz bottle of Vodka rolling slightly beside him.

He awoke to her fingers down his throat, forcing him to vomit into the little trash can under his desk.

“Let it out, shithead.”

He groaned as he threw up again, feeling like his entire stomach wanted out through his mouth.

“What happened? Where is she?”

He just groaned and sobbed, coughing bile onto her hand.

“Oh shit, you’ve pissed yourself too.”

He cried, not grateful to have woken up, but for the solid feeling of Lila’s arms: firm and unyielding.

“Pull yourself together, arsehole. What’s happening here?”

At last, when he could control his breathing enough to speak, he choked out the words:

“She’s…she’s dead.”

“What?”

“I killed her. Both of them. M-my fault.”

Disregarding his vomit, piss-covered clothes and their hitherto less-than-affectionate relationship, Lila hugged him then.

He didn't leave his room the next day, not even to dispose of his vomit festering in the trash can. He sat on the bed again, still in the numb daze. He was thankful for the hangover from his near alcohol poisoning of the previous evening. At least with a headache that felt like nails behind his eyes, he had a different sort of pain to focus on.

From outside the door, a quiet voice:

“Five?”

Viktor.

“Can I come in?”

The doorknob rattled but Five had locked the door.

“Are you in there Five? Please answer me.”

He didn’t, staring into space instead.

“Lila told us what happened. I-I’m so sorry...please Five. Just let me know you’re there. That you haven’t…”

Viktor left his sentence dangling but Five knew the ending: haven’t done anything stupid. His brother’s tone cracked through his near catatonia.

“I’m here.”

Five's voice didn’t sound anything like the brother Viktor knew. It was weak and brittle.

“Can I come in?” he repeated.

“No,” Five let his body crumple into a near fetal position as the smell of her blood recurred.

“I’ll leave this outside for you. And I’m going to check on you every hour or so.”

Over the next several hours, Viktor observed the peanut butter-marshmallow sandwich getting more and more stale as it sat, uneaten on the floor outside his door.

Eventually, he moved out of the Academy. He found it too hard to sleep in their bed and to see all her possessions- evidence that she was- all around. As he packed the few possessions he had chosen to take with him, he’d found the antique book she’d got him for Christmas, hidden in the back of the closet.

One look at the gilded title and broke down, holding it to his chest like it was the baby he'd lost. He bawled until his breathing became agonal, until dying from asphyxiation felt probable.

Luther, hearing his sobs echo down the attic stairwell, found him this way, crying too hard and too helplessly to have any self consciousness. As the sobs turned to haunting, breathless howls of despair, Luther lay on the bed next to him and braced Five's back against his body, arms crossed over and around his chest in an effort to anchor and restrain him.

Once recovered, this confirmed Five’s decision to leave. He preferred to scream out his agony alone than have his siblings see him like this. He couldn't even make eye contact with Luther after that. The one-room 'apartment' with a shared bathroom was all he needed.

Though they all visited him over the following months, Lila and Diego brought Santi less and less as Five’s antisocial tendencies intensified.

Gradually, he at least spoke to them: his characteristic, acerbic tone returned but it was missing much of the softness upon which it used to be a thin veneer. His already heavy drinking veered into alcoholism. He knew he wasn’t any fun to be around, yet his family’s visits were the only thing keeping him going.

So, after a year of increasingly volatile behavior, his brother and sisters-in-law arrived together to visit him one afternoon. As all six of them filed into his tiny apartment and stood before him in a line, he eyed them suspiciously from his armchair.

“What is this?” he said, eyes narrowing as he took in their determined attitudes and grim faces.

“We’re here to talk to you, Five.” said Luther, purposefully, “we’ve been worried about you.

Five laughed scornfully.

“What is this? An intervention?”

“Classic intervention, Five.” Klaus replied, “we got all the ingredients right here. So you could hurry this along if you just say it: ‘My name’s Five and I’m an alcoholic’. Try it: you’ll feel better. It’s cathartic.

Five rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

“You need help, Five.” said Sloane, softly, “With the grief.”

“I’m coping,” he said, shortly, not looking at her.

“You call this coping?” snorted Diego.

Five ignored him.

For a few moments, nobody spoke. A few of them shuffled their feet restlessly. They looked ridiculous, Five thought, lined up like that. They may as well be standing at parade rest on the Academy’s steps while Dad marched up and down, addressing the assembled crowd.

As suddenly as if he’d spoken this observation, they simultaneously broke out of the line and drifted away into more natural positions around the room.

For his part, Luther sighed and headed for the kitchen. As always in stressful situations, he sought comfort by way of food. He opened the fridge and grimaced as what he found inside: an almost empty jar of pickles and half an inch of expiring milk in the bottom of a carton.

“There’s chips in the cupboard. Top shelf,” murmured Five.

“Thanks,” he said, awkwardly.

Viktor shoved Five’s feet off the battered ottoman and sat down on it.

“We love you. You gotta know that seeing you like this is hurting us.”

Five scoffed a little, looking down at his knees.

“You don’t have to be here.”

“Yes we do.” said Luther, taking the opportunity to clean the filthy counter, sink, coffee maker and microwave that served as Five’s kitchen,“You never gave up on us so we’re not giving up on you that easy.”

Viktor leaned forward, putting his face deliberately into Five’s eyeline,

“You need to get help. You need to work on yourself. We can get you into rehab, therapy, anything you need.”

“I know the best ones, bro.” Klaus said, gently.

He rejected this roundly, as they expected. It was hard to convince him to work on himself when, deep down, he didn’t think he was worthy of the work.

“I don’t give a shit whether you rot away in your own filth”, said Lila, leaning against a damp wall, “As long as you never speak to my kid like that again. Got it?”

He nodded, shamefaced. Lila and Diego had reached their final straw after a visit in which Five berated Santi to the point of tears when he accidentally spilled his milkshake all over her sweater, slung over the arm of Five's armchair.

“Tell him I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. He’s the only -”

Five screwed up his face, willing tears away. Viktor leaned forward to touch him but Five instinctively held up a protective arm to deflect him.

Automatically, he reached down beside his chair to the bottle of cheap whisky on the floor, grabbing it by the neck. And then, feeling all their eyes on him, he put it down again.

“I’ll make us coffee,” murmured Sloane, joining her husband in the kitchen.

They sat in silence while Five tried not to think. It was so much easier when drunk. He fingered a chain around his neck; its presence wasn’t comforting but it was, at least, solid.

“She'd hate to see you like this,” Diego ventured.

“It's lucky she's dead then.”

Diego tossed his head in frustration and seemed to give up.

“Isn’t living a good life the only way to honor hers?” Luther said, wringing out a wet rag to scrub at the counter with.

Five snorted his response to this.

“I keep trying to summon her,” said Klaus, “but nothing’s happening. I swear she wasn't this stubborn when she was alive.”

He smiled sadly.

“God, I miss her.”

"Yeah.” Five said. And then, after a moment of sullen thought: “I can’t say I blame her. I'd hate me too if I were her,” then he laughed bitterly. “She doesn’t hate you, man. It’s more likely that she’s just…moved on and can’t be summoned. I can never find her in the void either."

"Look out for a socialist utopia heaven where everyone has Louboutin shoes," he said, something like a fond smile appearing momentarily on his face.

"Complete with a harem of ephebic grandpas." Klaus joked, putting a hand on Five's shoulder.

He allowed the touch.

"Ephebic grandpa? That's a new one."

Five looked up at Klaus and their eyes met. He realized at that moment how stupid he’d been: Klaus and Lila represented a trove of memories: time spent with her that he hadn’t shared. There could be hours of conversation with them in which he learned things about her he never knew. Every reported word of hers would be a treasure beyond almost anything.

As Sloane handed round coffees and Five took a grateful sip, Viktor returned to the attack:

“You can’t just sit on your ass for the rest of your life.”

“Why not?” said Five, raising his coffee mug in an ironic toast, “Call it retirement.”

“Some retirement,” Diego cut in, “crying into a bottle of scotch.”

“Plenty of people do it.”

“You need to find something that matters to you,” Viktor continued, “you need a project. You’re never happy unless you have something. So go find it.”

Long after they were gone, he still sat in the same chair.

She ran through his mind like vivid silk thread through dark sackcloth; painful bright spots. As much as each needlepoint stung, she formed his seams:

The morning after their first date, eating her breakfast in his single bed.

Hair falling over her eyes as she read a book.

His birthday, kissing each of his knuckles as she held his hand.

Smiling at him over a glass of wine.

Looking up at him as he moved through her, warm and tight around him.

His stomach ached with the memory of her touch. His hand again went to the chain around his neck. He didn’t notice tears any more, although one ran down each cheek. He rose stiffly out of the chair, thinking he’d take himself off to his local watering hole and prop up the bar for a few hours, but then his eyes were drawn to a notebook left behind by Klaus. His brothers had made notes on what to say to him during their ‘intervention’ today and took turns reading from it for the first half hour of the visit.

Idly, he flipped through a few pages, stopping abruptly as he came across handwriting that made his already beleaguered heart skip.

It was a list of people to pump for information about JUICED’s illegal activities:

Harvey Klein - mentions Holbrook

Daniel Smith - ex product innovation

Celine Gregory- super pissed off

Alex Firth - ketamine habit?

Tommy Davis - worked at labs.

Beneath the list was a crudely drawn penis with a scowling face. An arrow pointing to it labeled it as Five. He laughed disbelievingly, tears blurring the depiction of himself as an angry dick. He knew that’s what he was being when she drew this. He touched the words with the pad of his finger.Her hand once skimmed across this page; her thoughts projected onto it, these letters formed by her pen and her fingers.

With a flurry of activity unlike any he’d experienced this past year, he flipped to an empty page, sat back down in his chair and fished a pencil out from a drawer. It hovered in his hand above the paper. He didn't know what he was going to write until he finally set the tip down.

Over the next few weeks, things got better. Though still eschewing traditional channels of self-improvement, he’d nevertheless cleaned himself up and got his drinking under a degree of control. He began to shower more regularly and kept on top of shaving, removing the scraggly beard that had been developing under his neglect. And then, one day, he put on a suit rather than sweatpants.

Tag list: (please comment to be added or removed.) @dilfjohhny , @sunsunhe, @w4stedtr4sh, @nevbrooke-555, @theredvelvetbitch, @td-miley01, @five-hxrgreeves, @rorygi1more, @jamiebower88

Masterpost

Alternatively, join me on A03. Here is a link to the whole series

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galaload · 6 months

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So I have been playing fallout 3 recently when I found an old disc of it that was backwards compatible with the Xbox 1. I have a question, why is the combat knife with the tunnel snakes jacket op? Because I helped the brother hood of steel kill a large number of super mutants with a combat knife, and when the enclave invaded I think the Washington monument I killed two of their soldier who were wearing power armor with a combat knife. It makes no sense that a knife wielding vault dweller wearing a leather jacket could stab through power armor to kill military trained soldier. If this is possible then what’s stopping a large group of raiders destroying the enclave with nothing but combat knives?

TLDR enclave can be stabbed to death easily and that doesn’t make sense

I love this game

#fallout 3 #knifeplay #what the fuck #why can an entire army be beaten by a group of Englishmen #tunnel snakes rule #tunnel snakes #the enclave #the enclave who probably fight death claws on the average can be stabbed to death by some rando with a knife #fucking love it #best games

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brutish-impulse · 4 months

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Sega Genesis Game Pads and the Mode Button

I had a Sega Mega Drive (aka Genesis) as a kid, and also a 6-button game pad. Actually still have, but I haven't used them in forever.

The 6-button controller has shoulder-button labeled "MODE" and I only learned what it's for recently. When you hold it down while starting the console, it will disable the extra buttons and act like an old 3-button controller. Ok, that's pretty boring. The interesting part is why I didn't need to know that.

3-Button Controller

Basically, the 6-button pad Just Works because the 3-button pad already had one button too many. The controller uses a connector with 9 pins. One pin each for power and ground leaves you with 7, but it has 8 inputs: UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, A, B, C, START.

To solve this, the controller contains a multiplexer. By setting the voltage on one of the pins, the console can select which inputs it wants the controller to report.

When voltage on the select pin is LOW, the controller indicates that it is present (so you can distinguish "no controller connected" from "no buttons pressed") and reports the state of the inputs UP, DOWN, A, START.

When voltage on the select pin is HIGH, the controller reports UP, DOWN (again), LEFT, RIGHT, B, C.

This makes it backwards-compatible with Sega's earlier console Master System, with B and C corresponding to buttons 1 and 2 on the MS controller, and A and START doing nothing.

The way a 3-button game normally interacts with the controller is that for each frame, the game briefly sets the select pin LOW, records the inputs, then sets it back to HIGH and records the rest. These are then the inputs for that frame. This is also called a pulse.

6-Button Controller

Instead of a multiplexer, the 6-button controller has a microcontroller that counts the number of pulses received. For the first two pulses, it behaves like a 3-button controller. Also, the counter resets after not receiving a pulse for 1.5 ms. That way, a 3-button game running at 60 fps that reads the controller once per frame will only see the behavior that it expects. Unfortunately, a small number of 3-button games don't behave this way (Ms Pacman for example), so that's why the MODE button is needed.

A 6-button-aware game interacts with the controller by rapidly pulsing it three times every frame. When the select pin is set LOW for the third time, a 6-button controller will indicate that it is in fact a 6-button controller. If a game isn't 6-button-aware and somehow gets the controller in this state, this looks as if you're pressing UP and DOWN simultaneously, so that's where the problems start.

When the pin is set to HIGH again, the controller reports the X, Y, Z and MODE inputs. So you can also use the MODE button as a normal game button. Only a handful of games do this though, and some of them only for cheat codes. (I actually happen to own one of them: Vectorman)

I just thought this is very hacky and also really cool! I wonder if I could manage to read out my old controllers with an Arduino or something!

Sources

"Sega Six Button Controller Hardware Info" by Charles Rosenberg

"How To Read Sega Controllers" by Jon Thyssel

Sega Retro page

#sega #sega mega drive #sega genesis #retro gaming #game consoles

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soraka-in-warhammer40k · 2 years

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The Inverted Chaos Gods and their potential champions

Aright, let's start this off with an easy question: if there are four Dark Gods, and if we ignore Malice throwing a tantrum in the background because once more he was ignored and in this case even deliberatly, why does the official Chaos Symbol look like this?

That's a bit more than four going on, twice that number to be exact. So as canon lore hints at, its that the Chaos Gods themselves are not exactly stable entities. They might appear so to the perspective of a mortal human being, but they are suspectible to change even if they themselves might not exactly like it. If the cultures and species in an entire galaxy shift and change over the milenia, so will the gods who are shaped by those in said galaxy.

There is this bit of lore that Khorne was formed due to the terran middle ages, which at first sounds like a joke: how was one backwater savage planet with not even a billion hailress monkeys able to spawn a literal god? The answer to that is as simple as it is anticilmatic: they did not create Khorne. They, however, did make up a VERSION of Khorne that eventually would become a smiliar version to the one we all know today. At the same time, there was probably not just a single version of Khorne - while the humans had their version, a few systems over there was still murder and bloodshed going on by some other backward planet. They shared absolutely nothing with humans in terms of origin or culture, but the fundamental concept of violence and the institutions of civilication to control it were the same and fed the same warp-entity that was also existing on terra.

There's just one issue: the warp and reality are not exactly compatible. In reality one has to adhere to the laws of time and space, and if there is a thing that exists in two different places at the same time, they are, by definition of the universe, different things. While deep down "alien Khorne" and "human Khorne" might be the same thing, when interacting with reality they might even be considered almost entirey seperate entities with possibly no knowledge of the other. As this is basic mechanics of the divine in the setting, one could assume that this works the same for all of the Big Four.

Also, we all know that the Chaos Gods are not evil in their entirety, but that they also include their "non-evil" counterpart. Khorne for example is violence, but also the mechanisms to control said violence, like honor or "rules of battle" that forbid stuff like targetting medics on the battlefield or murdering civillians. This is where the eight-pointed-star comes from, as it is not 4 Gods, but actually 8, each of them also containing in their own mirror-image.

So if we assume that the chaos gods could have aspects of them running around that even they themselves are only aware of on a subconscious level and we know the nature of said gods as changing over insane amounts of time, wouldn't it be too weird to assume there are "variants" of them running around that are "not evil"? Possibly from before the Warp got all messed up, or maybe it just spawns occasionally before it gets absorbed by the currently stronger concepts.

Assuming those variants run around, they must be SIGNIFICANTLY weaker than their bigger evil counterparts - and the weaker a warp entity is, the less power it can use when affecting reality. It therefore requires someone to act in its stead, a "Chosen" or a "Champion" if you will.

A faction surrounding such a Champion would certainly be in a weird spot: the more they help their variant of a chaos god, since in the end it is the same entity, the stronger the "bigger version" gets too. So the end goal would ultimatively to "reform" the image of the whole thing so "their" variant becomes the dominant one. A risky play, mostly because in the end it could all be for nothing, the "good variant" gets absorbed, and in the end you got an evil god twice as strong as before.

But you know what's the best about this theory? We already might have one of these Champions running around on the tabletop!

Let's see, Khrone's favourite color is red, he likes melee combat, can't do anything psykery, his favourite number is eight, and the "good" aspects of him can be distilled to honor and chivalry.

How curious then we got this honorable red lad with no psykic powers leading his combat group called "The Eight" being the only one in his entire culture to swap a railgun for a melee weapon. The T'au are a culture that abhors melee combat as barbaric, and yet here we are getting the guy who gets up every morning and chooses melee violence as his choice of combat. Oh, and his break with the T'au Empire happened over matters of honor (they lied to him) right after encountering Khrone demons.

That's a bit too many coincidences piling up, don't ya think?

But that's just Khrone, now where are the others? We still got three gods left after all. There's two options here: either they all come from the T'au, and this is somehow an milenia spanning plan to reform the Warp, OR these Champions will appear randomly in all the factions save for maybe the Tyrannids.

When trying to make predictions on who goes where, maybe Farsight's case could be an indicator: regular old Khorne has little to zero interest in the T'au. His initial presence with them is fairly low, so if there is a variant of going around, it would fly under the radar for quite some time. With that in mind, let's assing the Champions of the Inverted Gods to the various potential factions!

Slaanesh: Being a non-evil mirror to Slaanesh is probably weird, as excessive emotion, sensation, and pleasure are not exactly evil as long as you are not catholic. But if there is a faction that is naturally immune and also irrelevant to Slaanesh just as the T'au are to Khrone, it is the Necrons. There must at least be some Overlord who wishes he could feel the wind on his skin or smell the flowers once more - and to use that to free his warriors/servants from their mindless existence. Their goal would not to have an excess of emotion and sensation, but any at all really. It would be a Necron faction that cares about art, about aesthetics, and maybe also about genuine emotional connections. You could call it the "Romanticist Necron" faction if you will, and other Necrons would probably not get along with them.

Nurgle: Nurgle has always been about nature, the cycle of life and death, and all that stuff. The thing is, with him being both life and death, he steadly keeps everything stagnating with nothing ever truly dieing and making way for whatever new thing could rise from the ashes. Now, who could qualify as a very stagnant faction that at the same time holds little interest to the big guy? The Aeldari - they do not die natural deaths, and when they die either their Soulstones or Slaanesh gets them. They might even be actively on the way to do that with this whole Ynnead project, but given the setting it might as well brutally backfire. You don't just bring a god of death into 40k and expect it to work for you, no?

Tzeentch: Being a god of magic, grand plans, and schemes, Tzeentch hates probably nothing more than the Orks, dumb brutes bashing in their heads for millions of years without anything ever coming from it - despite them actually having a lot of psykic potential with their Weirdboys and their Meks showing some insane innate understanding of warp-infused technology. But just imagine the concept of an Orc-Psyker able to rival Ahriman, while not exactly caring about Gork&Mork. Imagine, if you will, the impossible: a smart, calculating, and scheming Ork. Not in a Bloodaxes sort of way, but in how a regular Tzeench Champion would operate. A small subsection of Orks becoming actually smarter, knowing when to hold back and how to use diplomacy and politics, might be something that should give half the galaxy plenty to worry about...

#warhammer 40k #wh40k #40k theory #chaos #chaos gods #khorne #tzeentch #nurgle #slaanesh

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bellysoupset · 8 months

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Hey. Just saw your last post answering an ask about what make Leo and Bella so compatible.

On a related note, what are all of your OCs' love languages?

Oh this is a fun one!

Here's what I think:

Wendy - Acts of service and gift giving. Both giving and receiving, but especially on the gift giving, that's how she communicates her love. Acts of service is more how she perceives it, an action really means a thousand words when it comes to Wen.

Jonah - Acts of service and physical touch - King of not talking with you and then going out of his way to do something he knows its important. He understands touch as something v intimate, hence why he's always slapping Luke's hands away from him. That's for Leo and Wendy only <3

Leo - Physical touch and words of affirmation - He comes undone for hair pets, back rubs, tummy rubs, all of it. Leo is a cuddly person who needs to be hugged often and it doesn't hurt to call this man all petnames on earth, please and thank you.

Vince - acts of service and physical touch - SUPER tactile and all over people, but also he bends over backwards to do things for those he loves. Vin also has high standards, thanks mum and dad, so he expects to be loved in equal measure. Self love babe.

Lucas - physical touch and quality time - It's less about being cuddly, more about Luke being unable to see physical boundaries. He's all over people, constantly. He also needs people, he hates being alone, that's when the demons creep in.

Bella - Quality time and physical touch - mostly quality time. In Bell's case physical touch is sexual, unlike the others. We're talking kissing and sex, not hugs and hand holding. Beyond that, she just likes spending time together! Even if they're doing nothing, just being in the same room with different tasks, like cats.

#myocs #wendy and I are on the same wave length here #i looove giving gifts #love languages

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cryophagecritiques · 9 months

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Sclash Review - "There's elements here that could become something really special" - (XBX/XB1/PS5/PS4/Switch/PC)

Whenever games feature swords or other types of blades, developers typically do not portray them realistically. Designers usually do this with good intentions, as many games would not feel enjoyable or engaging if players could defeat strong foes with a single strike of a blade. However, this does not mean realistic sword-based combat cannot become compatible with video game mechanics, as the only requirement to make an idea fun and engaging is careful, creative design. The developers of the recently released Sclash attempt to capture the realistic elements of swordplay in a 2-D format and achieves it with pleasantly surprising results, even if the other aspects of its design suffer from varying flaws that drag the experience down.

Sclash’s fighting game mechanics take advantage of the restrictions realistic sword-based gameplay presents by turning them into the core of the game mechanics. All combat in Sclash revolves around every opponent’s limited pool of health. One expertly timed blow will defeat even the most skilled opponent. The gameplay builds upon this feature, as all the actions one can utilize allows them to counter the moves their opponent has. Charged attacks can be interrupted by punches, but punches leave one vulnerable to a quick slice, which could get parried unless one tries to counter a charged attack. Every action taken could drastically shift the outcome of the duel, making fights exhilarating!

While Sclash unfortunately does not boast an online mode to take advantage of its riveting gameplay as of writing this review (08/07/23), it does let the player fight against AI opponents with questionable intelligence. Most difficulty options in the Duel mode will deliver a decent challenge- especially when set to Hard- but the AI in the game’s Story Mode tends to automatically stand a precise distance away from the player until they attempt to attack. This odd design choice can cause the flow of combat to waver wildly since the player lacks any input over the current situation in these instances, and dodging an evasive foe’s slices only involves taking a step or two backward. This behavior also makes defeating any non-parrying and dodgy foe tedious since their vain attempt to attack the player can be effortlessly countered with a dodge and a basic attack.

Sclash’s game design suffers from more weird flaws than only the infrequent odd behavior of the AI, unfortunately. Each fighter’s customization options feature askew capitalization in their names, attempting to dodge a sword strike can lead to one dying on the edge of a janky hitbox instead of the edge of a sword, and the achievement system suffers from horrendous bugs as achievements unlock when either the player or their opponent meets the prerequisites. The achievements especially showcase this lack of polish, as some achievements unlock without fulfilling the requirements to receive them, and a few seem missing from the game entirely, like the achievement for beating the third chapter of the story mode.

Additionally, broken achievements do not exist as the only problem plaguing the game’s story mode. Throughout a playthrough, the player either moves slowly to the right side of the screen or fights enemies, which makes one question why the game could not go from fight to fight, similar to a typical fighting game’s arcade mode. Additionally, events happen extraordinarily quickly as the plot never takes the time to slow down and let one digest the story, preferring to rush from scene to scene with dialogue that reads like someone trying to hastily summarize the events of a different tale. The rushed nature of the story gets bad enough that an entire chapter of the game’s plot lasts about two minutes and involves nothing more than a brisk jog to the right side of the screen.

However, where the story mode fails in its presentation, it shines with its unique gameplay challenges! Throughout a playthrough of Sclash’s plot, the game presents tough encounters like 4v1 matches and bosses with multiple hit points. This design helps circumvent the issue brought up by the AI’s cowardliness by evening the odds in the enemy’s favor and requiring the player to focus. The boss fights feel especially enjoyable as they demand engagement with the game’s mechanics since one hit can spell failure.

Sclash bolsters the gameplay of its story mode by including additional means of spicing up the gameplay in new and exciting ways. Whether one wants to play through the story mode with a strict timer or with a single life, the additional content takes story mode’s biggest weakness- its ludicrously short length- and turns it into a strength by creating a fighting-game style arcade mode of sorts, since one could play through it in a single sitting. These challenges can undergo further modification with a series of unlockable options to boost replayability and engagement!

Furthering strengthening- and yet simultaneously harming- the player’s engagement is the double-edged sword of its graphical quality. On one hand, the hand-painted visuals and stylistic low frame rate of the backgrounds, environments, and characters allow Sclash to make an identity for itself with unique and gorgeous visuals! On the other hand, some backgrounds look terrible due to their minimalistic qualities and lack of depth. Additionally, the low frame rate would feel more endearing if they did not clash heavily with other smoothly animated elements like one character’s scarf.

Duel mode does feature an assortment of customization options that assuage the harm done by the pitiful graphics, albeit with an odd caveat. As one plays Sclash, they will unlock new weapons and outfit pieces for the few characters they can play as. One can choose which character, stage, weapon, and outfit they bring into a match, but none of these seem to alter the gameplay in any non-cosmetic way. Sclash wants the mechanics of its combat to be the centerpiece of its game, even if the game loses out on variability.

This leads to the biggest issue with Sclash: the lack of options. Any game could have perfect mechanics, and one could still quickly become bored with their purchase due to the lack of variety, as one can only play essentially the same fight so much before losing interest. Thankfully, the developers can effortlessly add engagement to the combat in numerous ways, such as giving characters unique abilities and maneuvers, adding different types of weapons with various quirks and ranges, and including levels with interactive elements.

All in all, I give Sclash a 6/10 for now, and I’m curious to see what it becomes in the future!

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basslinegrave · 10 months

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my eyes have been opened i forgot fat ps3s are backwards compatible and can run ps2 and ps1 discs i could just get a new ps3 instead of the one i got which isnt compatible but i dont think anyone would buy it cuz the sale price rn is like 70 max (think i got i for 100 or 120 i wish i got a fat but at that time it was absolutely impossible to get one. like i went to other countries to check second hand ps3s and found nothing except this shitty super slim one) and idk why some ppl are selling the fat one for 350 and others 60 like whats the actual worth

then again i can just emulate. but. yeah its not the same

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girl4music · 2 years

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Thinking about switching to Apple Mac… what do I need to know as a lifetime Microsoft Windows user?

So my fully spec’d out Dell XPS 15 9500 packed it in recently after almost 2 years of use (horrific, right? 😲) due to a Windows 11 BIOS update wiping my service tag and making my OS nearly non-functional. It will not let me reprogram the service tag through the BIOS settings so my £2, 500 laptop is now virtually useless since I cannot access the features of the OS within manufacturing mode. Instead of calling up Dell Support (warranty has expired - go figure 🙄) and getting it fixed or even getting it replaced, I’ve been considering switching to an Apple Mac. There’s a couple of reasons why I want to make the switch:

1. Quite frankly, the main reason is I just don’t want to deal with Microsoft Windows anymore. It’s just gotten so bad lately with the constant updates and “upgrades” to Windows 11 that I feel like any Windows PC/laptop I buy no matter how high-end it might be… Windows 11 will just ruin it. And downgrading the OS is going backwards. I don’t want to do that. I like the latest and should-be greatest. But there’s nothing great about Windows 11. Navigating around the OS itself is buggy and laggy as fuck because there’s so many problems that come with “upgrading” to Windows 11. And I know if I buy another Windows PC/laptop, the operating system will either be installed with Windows 11 out-of-the-box or Windows 10 will eventually force me to upgrade to Windows 11. I don’t want to deal. Yes, there will be things I’ll miss about using the Windows OS which are in my comfort zone… but at this point I’ll take the kicks for the ticks because there’s just too many restrictions/limitations as it is so it makes even the familiar and enjoyable parts of Windows frustrating and many of the Windows-only compatible programs/applications I love to use like Microsoft Word and Windows Media Player are bound to these restrictions/limitations. In a nut-shell: Windows is not user-friendly for me anymore. So making a switch is necessary for me.

2. Another reason is I own an iPhone 13 Pro Max so going into the Apple ecosystem should be a seamless transition as far as it’s compatibility with another Apple device goes (please let me know if this is not the case as I don’t know) and that will save me so much time and energy because working an iPhone with Windows is a hassle. It is not easy transferring back and forth from an Apple iPhone to Windows PC/laptop with Microsoft and Apple being rival companies since forever. Suffice to say, I did a system restore on my laptop about a month ago to try and fix some of the bugs Windows 11 has given it, so I’ve lost all my programs/applications and settings. Specifically my 200+ iTunes library playlists which would be massively time-consuming to recreate every single one over again when I could just plug in my iPhone to my laptop and easily transfer them to it. I do have my music, video, photo and document files backed-up to a Seagate external hard-drive, which is compatible with both Windows and Mac, so it’s not an issue for me that I cannot access my files on the laptop anymore due to it constantly being in manufacturing mode because I can still access them on my smart phone and my smart TV. All I would need the laptop for is to download, sync and upload those files to those other devices and to the internet. Plus I also own an external CD/DVD drive which is also compatible with both Windows and Mac just in case I want to do some more TV show ripping. I still have the 3 final seasons of Charmed to store on my external hard-drive and to eventually sync to my iPhone along with Xena and Buffy. Yes, I am that kind of person that likes my favourite TV shows on every device at once because I can’t stand streaming and projecting. It’s slow and a pain in my pocket. I’d rather just have all the video files on all my devices to watch and edit whenever and wherever. That is convenient for me.

3. I’ve been researching about Final Cut Pro because I’ve wanted to get back into video editing my favourite TV shows again and making gifs for them to upload to Tumblr. The way that Final Cut Pro functions so simplistically seems to be right up my alley because I’ve always found it a struggle learning the complicated process of working Adobe Premiere and Photoshop beyond the basics. So I feel like Final Cut Pro would be much more suitable to my needs as a video editor and gif maker and the improvements in speed and efficiency (Adobe programs are crash beasts) will certainly be a great deal more worth it than Premiere and Photoshop ever were to me. Plus - you buy Final Cut Pro once and you have it for always VS monthly payouts to Adobe to keep Premiere/Photoshop and you can do both video editing and gif making on Final Cut Pro so no need for 2 separate programs to do 2 different essentially similar things.

4. Mac’s are quick and quiet simultaneously. They use just as much processing power as a Windows PC/laptop does but the machine is practically silent no matter what you do with or on it. I can’t count how many times I’ve opened up my Dell XPS and just messed around in the OS without opening any programs/applications and the fans on it revved like they were in a monster truck rally. Then I would open internet tabs on websites that automatically played videos and gifs like Tumblr and it would start crashing and self-closing on the application or sometimes even shutting down the machine itself. It was getting beyond aggravating to keep using it when it’s power functionality just wasn’t up to what I paid for it. With a Mac, not only will the compatibility with my iPhone be unrestricted and unlimited straight away… but it will also be extremely quick and quiet straight away.

5. Safari VS Windows Explorer/Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox or any other Windows-based internet browser is night and day difference. Using Safari on my iPhone is a breeze like the fucking wind. It is so fast and efficient and useful and attractive… it absolutely floors any other kind of internet browser I have ever used on it. Which makes me really excited for how it’s going to work on a Mac laptop. If it’s this great to use on an iPhone with an 8th the processing power of a Windows PC/laptop - then I’m sure it’s out of this world to use it on a Mac. Having a really great internet browser matters to me because I am on the internet for all sorts of reasons. Yes, I primarily use the official social media apps for interacting with social media but there are times when I want to use the browser-based version. The actual website. And trying to do that with Chrome or Firefox, or at the very least, Explorer… is horrendous. It is so slow, the tabs and bookmarks are messy, and things just don’t work the way I want them to work. Then I use Safari to do all of that on my iPhone and it’s fantastic. It keeps up with all the browsing I do on the internet no matter how many tabs or bookmarks I have open on it. It’s significantly better than Chrome which is my default browser on my laptop. That’s always been the speediest and most efficient internet browser to use on a Windows PC/laptop but it still doesn’t compare to the ease-of-use Safari gives me on my iPhone. Moving to Mac from Windows will give me Safari immediately. No need to download it. No need to do any updates (I’m guessing - please tell me if I’m wrong) and I really would love to use it on my laptop.

So given these are the reasons why I would want to make the switch from Microsoft to Apple and Windows to Mac… what do I need to know having only ever used the former before aside from with my iPhone? What will I miss? What won’t have a Mac OS replacement? Do the programs/applications and settings function so differently that I won’t get used to them at all? Please let me know what I need to consider before I buy and get rid of the trash I have.

#windows to mac #microsoft to apple #windows pc #laptop #windows 11 #macintosh #safari #final cut pro #apple ecosystem #iphone 13 pro max #microsoft ecosystem #Dell XPS #power functionality #what do I need to consider?#before I buy #making the switch

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