#with some adjustments of course :') these are just a few examples!

[johnbrand]

Catch! (βΓΦ)

Have you ever taken a moment to consider how fraternities are still alive these days? We have seen them featured in movies, television, and more recently across social media, but what do they even stand for? Originally, they were built around the concept of brotherhood among younger men entering adulthood, inspiring “fraternal” bonds that could remain strong throughout their lifetimes. Now however, they seem to be constantly embroiled in controversy. Whether it pertains issues of hazing, rapid partying, or the classic sexual harassment, fraternities should be on their way out.

But somehow, they are still sticking around. And worse yet, they appear to be stronger than ever. Young men from around the country are flocking to these institutions–and with no common reason either. Everyone wants to find parties, but you can do that anywhere on a college campus. Everyone wants to make new adult friends, so why not join an extracurricular? Or hit up a peer in your class? There seems to be no valid excuse for all these students to be flocking towards an organized brotherhood. So that raises the question again, how are fraternities still around?

One may guess it is in the marketing. The rampant partying, the buff shirtless men, the fraternal bonds; all of these are enticing to the viewer. And to be granted all three in a package together is even more appealing. But it is much simpler than that. Thanks to modern technology–and fraternities' centuries-old bank accounts–brothers are able to recruit faster and easier than ever. Even if the public is hankering down on initiation rites, fraternities have grown past the point of lengthy periods. Their new members can join in under a minute.

Let us draw out an example. A few of fraternities sponsor a trip out to a private beach. They provide drinks, snacks, and entertainment. It is a common event, showcasing to new students some of the best aspects of being a brother. One of the fraternal brothers, Clay, is holding a football and searching for his next recipient.

A member of Beta Gamma Phi (βΓΦ), Clay is tall, buff, and hairy, a perfect image of masculinity. From his chiseled jaw and strong stance, one can tell he has it all (like every fraternal brother does). Eventually, he spots his target: a junior specializing in mathematics.

“Catch!”

It is a simple command, and quickly the football is flying through the air. The pigskin itself appears rather ordinary, but as was mentioned before, technological and hefty financial advancements have made it anything but. Once activated by a brother’s touch, the leather absorbs the genetic print, the internal system downloading an almost identical copy. Of course, that copy cannot be completely accurate, otherwise fraternities would be running around with a bunch of clones (although some argue they already do). The imprint is just a base code, enough to replace the recipient’s genetic mainframe. The fine details are then adjusted accordingly by utilizing and recycling the remaining DNA.

Anyway, returning back to the scene, the enhanced initiation object flies toward the lonely junior. Christopher had only come here because his friend had begged him too, stating there was no reason not to partake in the festivities. A smaller-than-average lad lacking a strong will, he could often be a pushover, both in physical and social regards. So when he heard the strapping brother’s command, he did not think twice about turning around. And to his own shock, Christopher was able to catch the football, surprising himself as the leather made contact with his skin.

Once the contact is made, the fate is sealed: Beta Gamma Phi has secured its next brother. Clay’s genetic code is then rapidly installed into Christopher’s mainframe, his biological firewalls useless against the technology. Over the span of seconds, Clay is able to watch as his program is rescripted for Christopher’s body. The junior’s height soars up, easily passing the pseudo-mandatory "six feet and over" rule that all brothers silently abide by. Once that is secure, the muscles begin to inflate.

Firm pectorals, sculpted abdominals, arms that appeared engraved into stone. Christopher’s hands bloat around the football as his bare feet bloat out into the sand. Thick calves, beefy thighs, a plumper pouch and plumper rear. As Clay gets closer, he can visibly examine the flurries of hair that arise across Christopher’s previously-naked skin. Wider neck to support a deeper register, wider jaw to support a more masculine facial structure. Even Christopher’s hair, although a blonder brown compared to Clay’s almost-black, gels up into Clay’s signature hairstyle (although it was often hidden beneath a backwards baseball cap, as it was currently).

By the time Clay approaches βΓΦ’s newest brother, his genetic print had successfully completed installation. Christopher, or Chris as he would now insist to go by, held a near-identical copy of Clay’s mainframe. He displayed Clay’s musculature and masculinity, just in his own genetic font. And his mindset, values, and goals now mimicked the fraternal brother’s too. Chris would find his new purpose relishing in sports, sex, bonding with his brothers, and continuing this pattern through a career in exercise sciences. 

With a broad, pearly white smile and the football still in his right hand, Chris would then accept Clay’s invitation to join Beta Gamma Phi. Thanks to the technology, Chris would never know that he had had not once dreamed of becoming a fraternal brother, that his whole life had not been dedicated to upholding traditional masculinity. And eventually, it would be Chris and his fellow brothers’ turn to keep the fraternities alive by financing any options that would help them gain new members.

[virtues-end]

Finally finished porting over the character customisation options. 😭

[peppertoastuniverse]

pep reads: geto suguru – long fics

But dang, i didnt realise we were all so thirsty for geto the brainrot is so real

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ

☆ as we walk by cerialilith [AO3] [status: unknown ◦ 29/? chapters] [singledad!geto] [slow burn] [eventual smut!] [nocurses!AU] #sweet, softest sugu

He only loves two things in life: the scent of coffee and his daughter. But perhaps he can make a few adjustments.

— In which the single mother across the hall manages to catch Geto’s eye without him realizing it.

☆Temptations by @peachsayshi [AO3/tumblr] [status: ongoing ◦ 5/6 chapters] [ smut!] [nocurses!AU] #sugu treats you RIGHT #pep MELTED Suguru Geto is a playboy. A man who's had more lovers than he can even count. You've never been in a relationship, not even experiencing a real kiss when you first meet Suguru. But the two of you fall for each other, and you know that he's the one you want to experience all your firsts with.

☆ Breathe Me In by lovelied [AO3] [status: completed ◦ 5/5 chapters] [smut!] #pep love this characterization of Suguru Desperate for distraction, a troubled Suguru Geto began inviting you over each night. It began as a casual arrangement, but over time, you found yourself yearning for him in ways you couldn’t quite explain.

☆The good morrow by @temozarela [AO3/tumblr] [status: ongoing? ◦ 2/? Collection of fics] [smut!] #pep’s comfort fic

You narrowed your eyebrows as you felt your body being jolted, large hands gripping your face, and then your shoulders. Groaning softly, you turned in your sleep, trying to make sense of the voice fading in and out of your brain. It didn’t sound like it was from your dream… It was hushed… low… soft…

It sounded like your name.

aka.

geto finds you after his defection to say goodbye

☆ Mascara by softsellars [AO3] [status: unknown ◦ 5/7 chapters] [smut!] [tw!cheating] [nocurses!AU] [artist!suguru] #complex reader, patient sugu

You've never been a particularly good person, you're self-aware enough to know it. It's your only flaw, and recently you've actually been working to better yourself.

For example: paying for a 30-dollar Uber so you can take your friend home only for her to ditch you for some guy when it comes down to it. Although you’re pissed, you decide to try and make the best of it instead of get into a screaming match with her.

It's an easy thing to do when Getou Suguru is offering you everything to do just that. Everything a party entails: liquor, weed, and sex with a perfect stranger.

And Getou knows perfectly well you have a boyfriend, so it's not like he'll want anything serious.

***Porn with a little plot

☆ Whisper of the Petals by @nanamis-baker [tumblr!] [status: on going ◦ 2/? chapters] [slow burn] [College!AU] #SO SO SWEET #sugu with dumb feelings

A mystery blooms on your doorstep. A breathtaking bouquet of white flowers, a silent whisper of apology... but it's not for you. Delivered under the name of a man so handsome he takes your breath away, the mix-up sets your heart racing.

Fate seems determined to keep throwing you together, and soon you're caught in a whirlwind of chance encounters and undeniable chemistry. It was almost as if it was trying to bring you together. ☆ AFFECTION'S EDGE by @rush-the-stars [AO3/tumblr] [status: completed ◦ 3/3 chapters] [omega!verse] #THE INTENSITY?!

“You’ve got it all wrong,” he murmurs, “but what am I to expect from a stray like you? You’ve lived off scraps and abuse your whole life; of course you don’t know what to do now that I’ve given you food and shelter.” Suguru’s fingers ease up towards your neck as he continues, “a warm bed to lie in. Toys to play with. A collar—so you’ll never be lost again. No one’s ever given you this before, hm?”

*** Suguru tries to tame you.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ

bonus!

☆ Musubi by Penrose_Quinn [AO3] [status: unknown ◦ 2/? chapters] #LOVE THE CHEMISTRY

Then there was a quiet shrewdness in the way he carried himself. You would call it cocky, but this one proved to be more poised and collected on how things would unfold for him. Framed with the anchor of his composure, legs stretched out in front of him but not overly laid-back, and his mind – whatever unfathomable brilliance that dwelt underneath – was unperturbed, self-assured. You wouldn’t claim to have known him entirely though like this, Suguru looked more like himself. “But you won’t disappear,” he concluded. “Not yet anyway.” You gave in to a hum. “You’re really making it tempting for me to leave you hanging on nothing.” Suguru listened, waiting. His pursuit was a game of patience and you chased after the gamble.

Or: the string of each encounter was an entanglement to what brought you closer to him, twisted in each other’s darkness, torn and tied back together throughout the years.

[cy-cyborg]

Tips for wring amputees: its ok if your amputee can't repair their own prosthetics

There's a trope in fiction for amputees to always be these mechanical geniuses who can make and repair their own prosthetics, endlessly tinkering away and improving them. This isn't a particularly trope, and i dont think its harmful or anything, but in reality, prosthetics are REALLY, REALLY complicated, and a lot of amputees cant do their own repairs. And thats ok. Like, prosthetic creation and repair is way, way harder than I think people expect. Well outside the skillset of your standard mechanic, handy man or craftsperson.

People who make and repair prosthetics are called prosthetists. To become a prosthetist, most countries around the world today require you to have completed a bachelor's degree in specifically in prosthetics and orthotics, which covers not only how to make a prosthetics (and orthodics) but a great deal of medical knowledge, physics, how different forces impact "non-standard" bodies, the additional biological wear-and-tear that comes with being an amputee and so much more. This will qualify you to do the job of fitting/making the prosthetic socket (the part that attaches to your body) and putting premade components together to make a functioning device. On top of this, many prosthetists are also expected to have artistic skills, sewing skills, good physical strength and dexterity, IT skills, and more recently, knowledge of 3D modelling and printing.

You want to make all the high-tech components the prosthetists put together to make the full prosthetic? The requirements for that vary country to country, but most will require at least some level study in the field of engineering and/or medicine, on top of what was already required for the prosthetics course.

The reason for all this is because even "basic" prosthetics are extremely finicky, and messing up one thing will have a domino effect on the rest of the body, especially in more complicated prosthetics. It can also result in people getting severally injured if anything is even slightly off. many leg amputees for example end up with spinal issues due to extremely minor issues with their prosthetic that weren't caught until years later, and by then the damage had been done.

Some amputees do learn to do basic repairs. This is most common in places like the US, where a visit to the prosthetist can cost hundred to thousands of dollars (depending on your insurance), but it's also quite common in rural parts of countries like Australia, where cost isn't an issue but access is due to vast distances between major cities. I was personally in this category; as a kid, my nearest prosthetist was 6 hours away. My prosthetist was able to teach my dad, who later taught me, how to do some of the simple repairs, but we still needed to go in every few weeks for the more complex stuff (Kids prosthetic need more adjusting than adults because they're still growing. Also I was rough on my prosthetics and broke them a lot lol).

But even after being taught how to do repairs and having my prosthetics for 20+ years, I only ever did these sorts of repairs to my below-knee prosthetic. I will not do any repairs of any kind to my above knee leg, which is much more technologically complex. Every time I tried, I made it worse to the point where the leg was unusable. I just leave those repairs to the guy who went to university to learn how to do it, and sometimes even he needs to send it off to someone with even more specialist knowledge when it's really badly messed up lol. Last time that happened Australia post lost the package. Not really relevant to this post, I just find the idea of it being sent to the wrong place by accident hilarious, it was one of my more realistic legs too so someone probably had a heart attack when they opened that package lmao.

Anyway, back on track lol.

This isn't even touching on the fact that on some more advanced prosthetics, many features are actually locked behind a security barrier only prosthetists can access. My prosthetic knee has an app on my phone I can pair it to, that allows me to change certain settings and swap between certain modes for different activities that tell the leg to change its behaviour depending on what I'm doing (e.g. a mode for running, a mode for cycling etc). but most of the more in-depth settings I can't access, only my prosthetist can, and he can only gain access to those settings with a security key given to him by the manufacturing company that requires him to provide proof of his credentials to receive it. I don't really agree with this btw, something about being locked out of my own leg's settings makes me feel a bit of an ick, but it's set up like this because people used to be able to access these settings and they would mess with things to the point their leg was virtually unusable. Because altering one setting had a domino effect on all the others, and a lot of folks weren't really paying attention to what they were messing with, all their prosthetists could do was factory reset the whole leg, which causes some issues too. Prosthetic arms are often similarly complex, as I understand it and have similar security barriers in place for more advanced arms. I don't know for sure though, so take that with a grain of salt.

All this to say these are incredibly delicate, finicky and complex pieces of equipment. There's nothing wrong with having a techy amputee character who can do their own repairs, but in reality, that is pretty rare, and its ok to have your character need to see a prosthetist or someone more knowledgeable than them. It's a part of the amputee experience I don't see reflected very often in media. In fact, the only examples I can think of in fiction (meaning not stories based on real people) where this is reflected are Full metal alchemist.

technically I think Subnautica Below Zero also mentions prosthetists are a thing in that world, but its a very "blink and you'll miss it" kind of thing...in fact I did miss it until my last playthrough lol.

[redroomreflections]

How Not To Become A Tiktok Star

Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Summary: Reader has a tiktok account and she decides to do the "I think you're bad in bed" prank on Natasha.

note: I really don't know what this is. I saw it on tiktok and decided to write it. if i cringed you also have to experience it.

this can be any universe really.

w/c: 1k

You and Natasha are about to head out for a drive, and you had a fun idea to capture a bit of the day for your TikTok account. You'd set up the camera before she slid into the driver's seat. You placed the phone on the dashboard, using a small, inconspicuous car mount that you’ve cleverly tucked away. The mount is just the right height to capture both of you without being too obvious. You adjust the angle, making sure the camera is aimed perfectly to catch the both of you.

"Are you recording us?"

You nod silently. "Just for memories." You inform her. You sit back into the passenger's seat and watch the scenery go by.

"So…I was thinking of going to Target later and getting us a few things for the house," Natasha tried. "I think I can get in and out without being recognized."

"Sounds good." You nodded. "If we need more detergent, I'll add that to the list."

"Ok, and maybe some new sheets. Those are getting pretty old."

"They are pretty old, aren't they?" You continue. The car ride is silent for the next few minutes and you glance at the camera to make sure it's still recording.

"You're awfully quiet today," Natasha mentions. She's so used to you talking up a storm whenever you get the chance.

"I'm just tired." You shrug. "It's been a long week."

"I feel that." Natasha nods. "Anything on your mind?"

You pause dramatically, picking at your nails before you look at her. "I need to tell you something and I kind of don't know how to say it." Your heart beats in your chest. How could you explain this? It's a prank so of course she will be clueless but you are unsure of how to go about it.

"You can tell me anything," Natasha said.

"Ok, so the truth is," You begin. "Lately, I've been feeling like you've gotten a little lazier in bed." You say.

Natasha looks over at you with a blank expression. "What?"

"Like you've been kind of boring in the bedroom." You repeat.

Natasha shakes her head in confusion. "What do you mean by that? Boring?"

"Well, last night, for example. It was your turn to go down on me and it wasn't really your best work."

"Really?" Natasha asks, surprised. "You didn't seem to have a problem."

"I was too embarrassed to tell you."

Natasha's face falls. "Wow. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's been like that for a while and I didn't want to hurt your feelings," You reach across the console to grab her free hand. "I just want us to have fun together."

"That's what I want too." Natasha agreed.

"We used to have fun."

"Yeah." Natasha agrees.

"So much fun." You nod. "I just think maybe you can practice a bit more? Try some new techniques or something."

"Oh...well," Natasha's face turns a bit pink and she glances between the road and you. "New techniques? Where do you suggest i practice this?"

"I don't know." You shrug, keeping the smirk off your face. "Maybe start with me?"

Natasha stares straight ahead. "Oh, well, I can try. But I'm not really sure where to start. Can you give me a specific?"

"Hmm, yeah. I'll just go into more detail." You decide.

"Go ahead."

"I guess when you have sex with a woman, you just have to remember the pearl is the center of the universe," You censor yourself for Tiktok of course. "I don't know if you've forgotten where it is or..."

"No, no," Natasha shook her head. "I'm very familiar with where it is. Yours especially."

"Ok, because I'm not sure if you're aware, but when you go down on me, you don't pay enough attention to it," You tell her. "It's almost like you don't like the taste."

Natasha makes a face. "What? That's ridiculous. I love your taste."

"But you're not doing enough."

"Ok."

"You need to be better. Not even just licking around my pearl, but actually sucking it. Really, just doing all that. All the things that are important."

"You know, I'm very confused about where this is coming from," Natasha turned on her indicator to turn into the parking lot. "Like I said last night you were very happy with my performance. Unless you were faking it."

"Of course, I wasn't faking it," You shake your head. "I've been wanting to tell you for a while but I didn't know how. But it's not only that, there are other things too."

"What other things?" Natasha asked.

"I feel like you're not very experimental. Like, I want to have sex in more than just the bed." You say.

Natasha nods. "I guess Tony's lab wasn't experimental enough."

"Babe," You gasp. You turn to the camera and sigh. "I'm going to have to edit that out."

Natasha parks the car. "Why are you saying all this? Is something going on? Are you recording still?"

"Yes, I'm still recording," You admit. "This is for my Tiktok. It's a joke."

"A joke? I knew it had to be," Natasha shakes her head. "Are you going to upload that?"

"Probably."

"Oh, wow." Natasha finally gets a good look at you. "I know this wasn't one hundred percent the truth. You're always so exhausted after we finish. Also, the things you say there's no way you're not getting what you want."

"What does that mean?" You play dumb.

"Oh, baby, fuck me," Natasha pitches her voice higher. "Don't stop. Don't stop." She fake moans and pretends to be you in the moments of passion and pleasure.

"Oh, shut up." You playfully swat her. "I don't sound like that."

"Yes, you do," Natasha chuckles. "Some days I can barely get you to go multiple rounds. You practically fall asleep with me still inside of you."

"Shut up!" You laugh.

Natasha shakes her head at the absurdity of it all. "I can't believe you got me so good. I really thought we were having problems."

"You're cocky," You scoff.

"And you're the queen of the universe, baby." Natasha grins, leaning over to kiss you. "Let's get this over with so we can get home and you can show me how much I don't suck in bed."

"I can't upload this to Tiktok," You sigh.

"Well put it with the other videos that we can't upload."

"Good idea," You reached for the camera and shut it off. So much for being a tiktok star.

[ssahotchnerr]

just saw this (https://www.tumblr.com/ssahotchnerr/732194441050374144/the-person-talking-about-their-dream-scenario) and it inspired something in me KATIE listen imagine during a pinning era with aaron and you ask him to hold a small mirror that you carry everywhere in case you need to fix your make up/ redo your lipstick!! while applying your lipstick your lips went 😗 and aaron trying so damn hard to keep it together he's just blushing due to the close proximity between the two of you i want need to kiss him so bad

unreservedly

no i need to kiss him cw; bau!reader, gn! but reader wears makeup, small suggestiveness, mutual pining and fluff <3

"hey," you picked up speed in your pace, weaving past some officers and allowing you to catch up with aaron a bit more quickly. "do me a favor?"

"well, it depends on the favor."

you shot him a playful, exasperated expression. "ha ha. if you don't mind," you held up a small compact mirror in one hand, your usual lip liner and lipstick combination in the other. "someone's in the bathroom, so i gotta go with plan b. and it's an emergency."

your sentence finished in a near whine - by now, aaron understood your sense of humor, and frequently bounced it right back at you - in case he needed any convincing (he didn't).

"sure, of course." with a gentle chuckle, aaron retrieved the mirror from you, opening such and holding it aloft, steady with his index finger and thumb.

"my hero," you teased and released a dramatized breath of relief, a delighted glint in your eyes.

first, you adjusted his hand a smidge - the brief skin to skin contact causing your heart to skip - alternating the position of the mirror as he was much taller than you. once you could perfectly see your small reflection peering back at you, did you uncap the lip liner and fall into immediate, firm concentration, lining the top edge of your lip.

as aaron stood there patiently, a nervousness trickled into him. he internally questioned whether or not you wanted him to, or were expecting, him to look away. would his unwanted attention possibly break your engrossment? or was it just, awkward? you applying your makeup, with him silently standing there. though, it didn't feel awkward - it felt rather comfortable, actually - but he could almost laugh at himself. this felt similarly like high school, running his mind and second guessing his actions.

but regardless of your preference, he couldn't pull his gaze away from you even if he tried.

the close proximity allowed him to admire you, and all your features, to his heart's content unreservedly, with zero holdback. for example, he never noticed the faintest of freckles scattered across the bridge of your nose, completely unknown to the plain eye. it filled him with a silly giddiness, something he would be embarrassed to admit aloud; noticing yet a new part of you, one others probably didn't have the knowledge of.

you secured the cap onto the lip liner, and aaron immediately offered his continued assistance, obtaining it with his free hand. you flashed him a bashful smile, before puckering your lips and beginning to apply your nude-pink lipstick slowly.

your lips, dangerous territory. as his eyes dropped, heat immediately pooled in his face, his ears flushing as well. aaron bit down onto his bottom lip, hard, silently urging himself to snap out of it and pull it together.

but it didn't help he could feel your light breath occasionally fan onto his skin, reminding him of the proximity. it would be way too easy to lean in just a bit closer, to foremost and finally kiss you, just like he's been dreaming of.

aaron let out a not-so-silent exhale at the thought, and before his mind could wander, as if it hadn't already - your lipstick lightly tinting his lips, his neck, or scattered along numerous parts of his body. the sound gained your focus, and drew your attention to his profusely blushing face.

your eyebrows crinkled as you pulled the lipstick a few centimeters away from your lips. "are you alright?"

it took aaron a second to find his voice, speaking after a nervous swallow, small strain present and accompanied with a brisk, stiff nod. "fine."

"you don't seem 'fine'." you shrugged, resuming your task. only this time, your lips were parted lightly, forming a small 'o'.

fuck.

"jus' a bit... hot." aaron managed softly, blushing even more if it were possible and finding it difficult to hold the mirror perfectly still. his eyes involuntarily shot back to your lips, but he indulged himself - letting his gaze linger.

[b0tster]

As a "not contract bound" dev who works on a project that you are (I assume) completely in control of, how do you choose the release date and why'd you choose one before finishing the project? Asked not in a "why'd you do that to yourself" way but in a "I wanna understand what's the logical process behind it, maybe it is smart to do it and I wanna know why".

I thought that it'd be logical to first have a finished thing and then say that it'll be released at "date_name_wgenever", instead of setting a certain date and then crunching yourself to fit it. But maybe it helps you somehow to not overwork yourself on the project thinking that if you have all the time in the world, why not add a thing or two, which results in project taking forever to be marked complete, or maybe you just have a pet birthday at that date and wanna make it symbolical lol, idk.

let me be clear here

i am not crunching on bbkart, or any of my projects for that matter

---

now, with that out of the way, time to talk about time frames and productivity. our labor doesnt operate on a linear scale. spending a decade on a game compared to a year will not mean that that game will be 10 times bigger. humans just dont work like that.

something ive picked up over the years is that productivity is like a gas: it will expand to fit the box its put in.

if u give urself infinite time, the gas will just dissipate. but of course if u squeeze it into a release thats too tight, u get an explosion (crunch).

now, im more of a 'find the fun' kinda developer. i make my tools and mechanics based on a loose concept and then decide what the game will be after once i have everything in front of me. in that initial period i do not set a release date, its impossible to predict how a games dev cycle will play out, so i dont bother and just focus on finding whats fun.

once the final game actually starts to take shape, i am capable of making an informed decision on how much labor is needed to finish, and i set an internal date that i do not make public. once im a few months out from that date, i will make an adjustment if neccesary (both bbpsx and kart had their internal date pushed back by a month) and then announce it. that sets it in stone and I have a runway to release.

mark darrah (bioware) talks about something he calls the 'hockey stick', which is the idea that once u get to a certain point, completion urgency kicks in and u get the drive to make the decisions neccesary to finish the game. cut this, reroute focus to that, crunch on this (dont do that last one, ever, but its important to bring up where crunch manifests. some advice: you either cut or you crunch. choose cut).

darrah talks about how to trigger completion urgency (one example is making a demo, be it publically released or exclusive to an event) and the fact of the matter is that a deadline will do it. of course, if completion urgency kicks in too close to the deadline, you get crunch, but if it kicks in earlier u will get things done in a way that doesnt leave permanent damage on your body and mind.

i know this is a very long winded answer, but i hope i was thorough enough to explain the benefits of setting a deadline and how that doesnt always have to end in crunch, like the question implied.

[kimbappykidding]

Imagine Joshua overhearing you like him and deciding to mess with you

You were born in China but moved to America when you were 6. You auditioned to become an idol and made it. You struggled adjusting at first but soon made friends who were in similar positions as you. You became good friends with Vernon and bonded over your similar experiences. You were very close and so when you’d had a particularly tough few months and needed a holiday, he invited you to come with him on Seventeen’s villa break. All the members were going to a nice house with a pool and a lake right next to it. Vernon assured you, you could be as social or as quiet as you wanted and so you went along, very excited for a stress-free weekend...that is not what you got.  

You all went up on the Friday evening and had a pretty easy first night by Seventeen standards, which meant everyone drank but nobody got drunk. You and Vernon retired early a bit socially exhausted and retreated to his room. Vernon was a little tipsy and so he began asking you some very odd questions. “Y/n if you had to pick one of my members to date who would it be?”. You immediately went bright red “what? Why?”. Vernon laughed “just for fun! Like for example, I’d pick Wonwoo but i’m curious who you’d pick. I mean there are 12 guys here, one of them must appeal to you". You hesitated and Vernon grinned "There is! Who is it?". You blushed "I...you won't tell him right?". Vernon nodded "promise" and you frowned "I don't know if I can trust you". Vernon sighed "aww come on! Fine I'll list them and you stop me if it's him. Let's start with the obvious ones. "Mingyu?". Silence. "Okay Wonwoo?". You didn't react. "Maybe Jun? Or Scoups?". You shook your head and Vernon narrowed his eyes. "Jeonghan? The8? Hoshi?". You shook your head and Vernon frowned "hmmm running out of members, Dk?". "Nope". "Dino?". "No". Vernon laughed "man I’m crap at this! Joshua?". You blushed and looked down making Vernon grin "Joshua? He's the one you like?". You blushed even more "I thought the whole point of this was I wouldn't have to say it!". Vernon laughed "okay okay...well it makes sense he's the only one besides me you can actually talk to!". "Hey!" you cried hitting his arm "my Korean has gotten tons better and you remember i'm Chinese right? I can speak just fine with Jun and The8". "Yes but you didn't pick Jun or The8 did you?" Vernon asked smirking "you like Joshua". You blushed "yes...so? He's a great guy!". "Hey I never denied it! But can I ask, out of all the guys, why him?". You sighed and Vernon smirked "that was such an in-love sigh!". You hit him "I'm not in love with him! I just think he's pretty great. I love when guys are soft and respectful but then he can change and be sexy in seconds! Not to mention I think his eyes are so beautiful and the way his voice for all soft when he speaks English...". Vernon laughed at your expression "wow you are really into him!". You nodded "yeah I guess...but you still can't say anything to him!". Vernon smiled "aww come on I could do some matchmaking?". "No Vernon you promised me you wouldn't tell him!" you cried getting scared and Vernon grabbed your hand "y/n it was a joke, I promise not to tell Joshua. I'd never betray your trust like that". You relaxed again "thanks Vernon, you're a great friend" and he smiled "so are you".

The only problem? Joshua had heard everything. He'd been walking past when he heard Vernon listing members and curious as to what was going on, he paused. He was going to keep going when he heard his name and Vernon's reaction meant he had to stay. When he heard your reason he was...surprised. He had no idea you liked him. You were like Vernon, laid back, chill and good at hiding your emotions so he never would've guessed...but he liked it. When he heard you listing all the things you liked about him he got flustered and felt himself growing warmer. He of course found you attractive too and had checked you out numerous times but given your friendship with Vernon he didn't want to try anything. However now he knew you liked him back...what was there to lose? But Joshua did have mischievous streak so he decided to have a little fun with you first. Joshua came down to breakfast the next morning and saw you sat next to Vernon at the table. He grabbed some food and took a seat on your other side purposefully leaning towards you. "Morning Vernon, Morning y/n" he said staring at you and you jumped before nodding "Morning Joshua". "You guys ready for the water sports?" Joshua asked. Vernon shrugged "I might be in the afternoon" and Joshua frowned "don't tell me you're sitting them out too y/n?". You paused and Joshua shook his head "no come on you have to join in! The obstacle course looks so much fun and I'll pay you 500 won if you can beat me". You shrugged "make it $500 and we've got a deal". Joshua shrugged "okay! see you down there" and he moved away. As he walked away Vernon chuckled "man you've got it bad". "Shut up!" you cried and Vernon laughed "sure Joshua! I'll do the obstacle course with you Joshua! It's totally not to see you in a wet suit Joshua!" he teased mimicking your voice and you hit him again "stopppp! He suggested it, not me". "So you're not excited to see his chest in a clingy shirt?" Vernon asked. You paused and he laughed "knew it! Don't worry, you won't be disappointed". Vernon stayed inside in the morning but you did want to play in the water so you ventured outside. You were sometimes more shy without Vernon around but luckily his friends were very kind to you, plus The8 and Jun had a soft spot for you so you had a nice afternoon. Joshua had been off doing some of the water sports stuff and you didn't want to come on too strong so you largely ignored him. Around midday however, you were messing around with Jun and Dino on the inflatable course when Joshua appeared. "Y/n you ready for our bet?" he called. Jun and Dino shot you a look and you stayed calm. "You got the money ready?" you asked "because you're gonna need it". Jun and Dino quickly got excited and without trying you now had an audience. Joshua smiled at you "at the count of three we both go, whoever gets the furthest without falling in or gets to the end first wins. Okay?". You nodded "got it". Joshua smiled “okay, one...two...three!”. You might be quiet but you were still competitive so you raced forwards and beat Joshua to the fastest route. Joshua tried to follow but he slipped on the soaked course and fell down giving you a good head start. 

You made sure to be more careful with your footing and rushed through the inflatable shapes as fast as you safely could. Joshua was still pretty close behind and you could feel the course shaking as he followed you getting closer. You reached the wall and scrambled up the ladder to feel Joshua grabbing for your legs. He was laughing, calling your name but you couldn’t look back. You’d see him and it’d make you lose focus.

You reached the top and were shocked to see Joshua had managed to jump halfway up without even using the ladder. Cursing his height advantage you quickly slid down the other end but Joshua threw himself down the slide after you. He purposefully aimed for you and came down the slide to crash into you taking your feet from under you. You fell down right on top of him and he laughed loudly. "Finally caught up to you" he smiled his face close to yours. You blushed but still wanted to win so you pushed him away and stood back up. The last part was the most difficult, there were 5 round podiums which you had to jump across. Joshua appeared behind you and lightly grabbed your waist. "What do you think the key is? Speed or skill?" he whispered into your ear. You were blushing vividly and tried to think. "Skill" you told him and he nodded "sure, you wanna demonstrate that?". You smirked "why me, you finally caught up so you go first". Joshua smiled "but I wanna see you do it". "Please?" you asked him and Joshua smirked "well I'm sure nobody can say no to those eyes" and he ran at the course. He fell in on the second circle with a loud splash making Dino and Jun dissolve into laughter. He resurfaced laughing and swam to the other side “okay Y/n your turn” he smirked and you paused. You took a small run and hopped onto the first circle. You then did the same for the second one and the third but you fell to your knees, only just managing not to fall in. Joshua, Jun and Dino all made noises and you laughed “it’s so slippery!”. “Yeah but you’re already doing better than Joshua” Dino pointed out and you nodded. 

You jumped to the fourth circle and realised the distance was getting bigger with each one and the fifth one looked so far away. “You know, you’ve already won the bet so you could just give up if you wanted to” Joshua called teasing you. You shook your head and he laughed “but the water’s really nice Y/n”. You carried on ignoring him preparing to jump but Joshua wouldn’t stop. He kept lightly flirting with you and finally he sighed “then again I’m very much enjoying the show you’re putting on. Especially from this angle”. 

He timed it perfectly and he said those words just as you were pushing off. They of course startled you and as a result you didn’t get good lift-off and fell right into the water. Jun and Dino winced at how close to the end you’d come and called out congratulations but you were just focused on Joshua who was grinning at you with a smug smile. He knew exactly what his words had done to you and he was thrilled.  

Everyone continued playing by the pier until it got a bit later and you all headed up to the house. Some people went inside to rest or shower but you stayed outside. Dk, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Joshua and Jun were playing the game where you hid hoops in the water and they had to try and find them. You'd dried off and didn't want to get in the water again so you were the hider. You’d just hidden another batch and were sat with your legs dangling in the water watching the chaos unfold. 

When three out of the four of them had been found, it was just Dk, Hoshi and Joshua left and the latter turned his attention to you. While Dk and Hoshi were bickering Joshua swam over to where you were sitting and tried a different approach. "Y/n" he whispered "where did you hide the last one?". You smiled "are you trying to cheat?". "No..." Joshua said gently leaning on your legs. You paused as he brushed his hands up and down them while he smiled up at you "I just thought you might want to help me out?". You shrugged "I think I'm good". Joshua paused "you know you look far too warm up there, I think you need to cool down". You tensed "Joshua..." but it was too late as he quickly reached up and tugged you into the pool. You fell in with a yell and were covered once more. "Joshua! I'd just got my hair dry" you cried and he smiled sweetly at you, your faces now inches apart. "Aww I'm sorry" he said "here let me help" and he turned around and bobbed down. The next thing you knew he had ahold of your knees and was giving you a piggyback. You grabbed onto him as he started moving and he turned to look back at you "now is it ringing any bells where you hid it?". You shook your head "if I tell you will you let me go?". Joshua shrugged "well there's only one way to find out". You rolled your eyes but leant in "it's at the top of the pool near the stairs". Joshua grinned and rushed over "going down Y/n" he called and you protested as Joshua ducked under the water taking you with him. You managed to get free and popped back up above the surface seconds before Joshua. He appeared right in front of you smiling as he held the plastic thing "I won!" he called "thanks to y/n" and he looked right at you with those flirty eyes. Your heart was racing, partly because of the distance but also because he was slightly holding onto your waist once more and every time he did that you felt dazed. "If you forced me does it count?" you asked and Joshua shrugged "I'm counting it. When a pretty girl helps you, you don't question it". You went bright red when a thought occurred to you "wait don't you only win if you get out of the pool with it?". "Charge!" Dk yelled and you rushed to get out of the way as Hoshi and Dk dove on Joshua. You managed to climb out and watched from a safe distance as Dk finally emerged victorious nearly drowning Joshua in the process. Joshua stood in the middle of the pool looking utterly defeated and you couldn't stop laughing. Joshua noticed and shook his head at you.

After that you decided it would be a good time to prepare for the night and headed inside to shower and change for dinner. You reappeared an hour later and everyone gathered around to decide what to cook. "Y/n do you have the katsu sauce?" Scoups asked and you nodded "yep it's in my room I'll go cook it". You stood up and rushed away. Vernon stood up "I'll go help her" but Joshua leant in "don't worry I've got it" and he hurried after you. You were organising everything, getting ready to cook when there was a knock at the door. "Hey need some help?" Joshua called and you paused. He looked really good tonight and you immediately thought of when he called you pretty earlier. "Erm sure" you finally replied and Joshua smiled looking around your room "why am I not surprised your room smells the nicest and is the tidiest?". You laughed "hey you haven't seen Mingyu's". "I have and you have definitely beat him" Joshua says coming to stand right behind you "so how can I help?". You blushed at how close he was to you and sidestepped away "how about you grill the chicken?". Joshua nodded “I can totally do that” but he paused. “Is something wrong?” you asked and he frowned “I just don’t want the smell to get on my t-shirt...I know” he smiled and swiftly took his shirt off. “There we go” he said happily and took his place beside you pretending like you weren’t gawking.

Meanwhile outside the others were cooking and Jeonghan had run out of chicken. Scoups mentioned you might have someone so he headed over to your room. Jeonghan walked in to see Joshua shirtless, stood over you and he swore. "Really guys? Atleast close the door!" and he quickly retreated closing it as he went. The members all heard him yell and looked up when he returned.  "You okay?" Wonwoo called and he swore "yeah but really didn't have to walk in on that". Scoups paused "on what?". "Joshua and Y/n" Jeonghan replied and everyone stopped and rushed around. "Wait wait wait what?" Vernon asked. "What did you see?" Seungkwan asked. "Were they having sex?" Dk asked bluntly. Jeonghan nodded "or they were about to, Joshua was already shirtless and they were practically wrapped around one another". "Maybe it was a misunderstanding?" The8 asked. "But they haven't come outside" Woozi pointed out and they all looked to the closed door. "Well I guess Joshua finally got his act together" Scoups shrugged "leave them be and let's get back on with it". They all agreed and The8 and Jun came over to Vernon "hey is this okay? Are Y/n and Joshua a thing?". Vernon didn't want to tell your secret so he just nodded "it's fine don't worry". The two members nodded and felt reassured.

Back in the room you froze when Jeonghan walked in and rushed to follow him but Joshua grabbed your arm "wait where are you going?". "To get Jeonghan! He thinks we were...". Joshua chuckled as you couldn't even say it "well what if they think we are?". You went red "what?". Joshua laughed "think about it. We cook and eat this in here and then miss all the clean-up outside. We head back out after and tell them all it was a joke to get out of chores. Nothing major". You paused "hmm okay". Joshua smiled "great I'll get the plates".

Once the food was cooked you dished it up and ate on the floor. Thankfully Joshua then put his shirt back on so you could look at him again. You had a nice meal and just talked and joked. It was casual but still felt very nice and more special with nobody else around. When you finished you paused at the door, hesitating to go back outside. "Want me to go first?" Joshua asked and you nodded. Joshua opened the door and led you outside. The minute the members saw you they began making noises and you struggled not to blush. Joshua smiled despite himself and told them all to shush. The two of you took the last two seats at the end of the table together and Joshua looked at you "should we tell them?". You nodded and he smiled "we didn't do anything we just made you think that so we could eat all of the curry!". Joshua explained it more and everyone began laughing finding it funny "Then why is Y/n so red?" Hoshi asked and Vernon shushed him but you knew Joshua heard. Joshua looked at you out of the corner of his eye and smiled seeing you blush.

The evening then descended into party games and karaoke. Halfway through Seungkwan's song Joshua leant over to you "why were you so red?". You blushed again but acted as normal as possible. "I have no idea what you're talking about". Joshua smirked "was it the idea of us sleeping together". You turned even redder and Joshua chuckled "you can admit it, the idea makes me feel something too". You paused "how?". "Nope, you first" Joshua smiled still just inches away from you. You paused "well you're attractive so obviously the idea of sleeping with you...makes me flustered". "Because you like it?" Joshua asked "no pressure. Just say whatever you want". You nodded "yeah I like it". Joshua smiled and you paused "what about you? Now it's your turn". Joshua turned to face you properly "I feel the same way" he told you and then rapidly jumped up to join the karaoke. You were left utterly flabbergasted and went to get some water. Vernon followed "so what on earth happened?" he asked. "I think I just confessed to Joshua that I like him". Vernon"s eyes went wide "you did! How?". You explained what Joshua had said before running off, making Vernon nod. "Typical Joshua acting all cool and calm. He's totally got it bad for you don't let him have all the power y/n. He's just teasing you". You paused “really?”. Vernon nodded “totally! Come on, let’s go have some fun and I promise Joshua will be the one doing all the work”. You smiled and followed your friend. 

Sitting with Vernon made you more confident and so you participated in the drinking games and even sang a song with Jun and Hoshi. Hoshi was pretty drunk and so he was very excitable and loud. You found it funny and started interacting with him more and more. You could feel the way Joshua was watching you and it made you smile. So you just ignored him and turned back to Hoshi.

Hoshi could get more affectionate when he was drunk and that was happening. He went from holding your hand to placing an arm around you, to now laying his head on your shoulder with his arms wrapped around you. Scoups was always great at controlling the other members so he quickly appeared "hey Hoshi I don't know if Y/n wants you to be on top of her". "I'm not on top of her I'm just hugging her" Hoshi explained "she's my friend and likes tigers too". Scoups mouthed sorry to you and recruited Jeonghan to get him to bed. They got Hoshi off you leaving you with Vernon, Jun and The8. Joshua was still here and was sat down at the opposite end with Dk and Mingyu. There was tension in the air and you felt good.  "So you've had a fun night" Jun asked and you chuckled "yeah. I've drank way more than you've ever seen me drink". The8 nodded "it's fun to see...Y/n can I ask, what is going on with Joshua?". You blushed "why?". "Why? He's been staring at you all night!" The8 cried and you all laughed. "He likes you" Jun added and Vernon smiled, not saying anything just watching it all. You sighed "I...we've been flirting and I think he might like me". "He definitely does" Vernon agreed. "Yeah so what are you doing here?" Jun asked. You paused "wow thanks junnie". He smirked "I just mean you obviously like him too right? On the obstacle course your eyes practically popped out of their socket when he got wet". You blushed as The8 and Vernon erupted into laughter catching the attention of the other members. 

"Hey what's so funny?" Dk asked and they came over. Jun shook his head "ow nothing Y/n was just telling us she appreciated how some of the bodysuits looked today". Dk and Mingyu laughed as you hit Jun while Joshua just smirked. "Really?" Mingyu asked. You paused "I didn't say that but I don't disagree". Dk laughed "so that's why you were hanging out by the pier all day". "Y/n you little pervert" Vernon teased as you gaped. "Hey come on she deserves it" Mingyu said and you smiled "thank you Mingyu". He nodded smiling back "plus it's nice to see her like this, we all enjoy looking at her so why shouldn't she get to do the same?". "Mingyu!" Vernon cried and you blushed. "No all I meant is...we haven't seen her like this before and it's very nice...and hot". You laughed really pink and obviously a little tipsy because that comment didn't make you uncomfortable. "Well coming from Mr six-foot greek god over here I'll take that" you smiled and Mingyu smiled at your nickname. "I think it's best we all go to bed" Vernon said still laughing and you nodded "yep probably!". Everyone stood up and headed off to their cabins. 

Vernon walked with you still laughing "Joshua, then Hoshi and now Mingyu. You had a good night Y/n". You chuckled "yeah..." and Vernon laughed seeing you so giddy "night Y/n". "Night Vernon, thanks for inviting me here!" and he laughed "no problem now take a glass of water to bed". You did as he said and got ready for bed. You’d gotten in your pyjamas, brushed your teeth, washed your face and were just getting into bed when the door went and Joshua appeared. "I forgot my shoes" he said pointing to them on the floor from earlier. You suspected he'd left them there on purpose and just nodded "yeah you did". "So you had a good time tonight?" Joshua asked. You nodded "yeah it was super fun". Joshua nodded "seems like you have your pick of guys around here...Hoshi, Mingyu...". He trailed off and you nodded "anyone else?". Joshua hesitated "what?". "Is there anyone I can have my pick of, you made it sound like the list was incomplete". Joshua smiled "why is there someone else you want?" coming closer. You shrugged "maybe and he's been flirting a lot with me, saying these really vague comments and then staring at me when I flirt with other guys but he's never actually done anything about it so..." you went to turn away nonchalantly when Joshua tugged you back around and kissed you. The kiss was passionate and heated, fuelled by the days flirting and the alcohol you'd both drank. "Is this obvious enough?" Joshua asked pausing. You nodded "yes" and Joshua smiled "but I think I can do better" and he swiftly picked you up and carried you over to the bed. He put you down and you immediately pulled him back in. You were both soon enjoying yourself a lot but Joshua couldn't help some teasing. "Sure you wouldn't prefer if it was Hoshi?". "No" you managed and he smiled "or Mingyu? Because he's so hot right? Especially in that wet suit". "You know it was only you that I was checking out all day so get back here". Joshua smirked at your tone "I quite like when you're bossy" and he did as you said. ******** You woke up the next day actually feeling pretty okay for the amount of alcohol you’d drank. You couldn't instantly remember the previous night but you remembered having lots of fun, doing shots and karaoke and then...Joshua! You shot awake and looked around your room but he wasn't there. You frowned a little upset he'd skipped out. Was he that eager to leave after? You went to the bathroom, cleaned your teeth and freshened up when you heard the door go. You came back out to find Joshua standing there looking confused with a plate of food. "There you are" he smiled spotting you "I got us some breakfast in bed but if you don't want to get back into bed...". You shook your head "no I'd love to...I just thought you'd skipped out". Joshua shook his head "Of course not" and got back into bed "trust me it was a struggle getting out even to make this". You blushed and got back in beside him.

You sat together and ate breakfast in a playful happy mood but there were a few unanswered questions hanging over you. "So last night" you said and Joshua nodded. He moved all the plates to the table and turned to you "I like you" he said simply "I was teasing you yesterday for some fun but I want to be honest and tell you I like you and want to date you". You paused "I...wait how did you know to tease me?". Joshua paused "I heard you telling Vernon you liked me". You gaped "how much did you hear?". "Everything" he grinned "I found it so hot hearing you say all those things and so I decided to gave some fun, I hope you're not mad". You shook your head "not at all, it was really fun seeing you like that. You're very attractive when you tease". Joshua smiled "I'll definitely keep it up then...so about that dating thing?". You smiled and kissed him softly "I'd love to". Joshua grinned pulling away after a while “perfect, do you want to spend the day together? I heard there’s a nice beach nearby”. You smiled “I’d love to” and set off together hand in hand. 

[valenishere]

Sagau Idea

I'm not that good with writing YouPoV's so there may be some odd usage of they's and thems then switching to "you"'s. this'll be stock full of typos so be warned

Mentions of injury, implied murder, blood, and implied cult

It's been a long while since I've gotten into Self-aware genshin aus, reading the fluffiest scenes to straight up gore. And theres this concept I saw about where the creator (basically, you) can make any oc come to life and help them out. (this one read it s really good. They also expanded on it go read it too its a really neat build-up on it. this one)

And as a DnD enjoyer as well... there's this idea thats been brewing in my head whenever i think back to it.

What if in Imposter!au where they're being constantly being hunted... after getting cornered in one of the nations (in the Chasm for example) they get desperate and try out an idea they don't think would work.

While resting after being in the brink of death(again) in a place Teyvat has helped you conceal, your thoughts wander. You think, why is there even a Creator? There isn't supposed to be one. That kinda concept just disrupts everything they know about the game. It's a ridiculous concept. In your delirious state, you think, "I wish that just disappears... Then i wouldn't be..."

Then you remebered the curious ability you've recently unlocked in your "adventures". The ability to create characters, with some limitations. It took you quite a bit to adjust to your newfound ability and its caveats, resulting in a few heartbreaking loss on the way.

But as a DnD player, overcoming the death of your beloved characters quickly is a mental fortitude you've developed. And it's handy that you've already made a few characters for your past sessions before landing in Teyvat. It saved you from being one-shotted right from the start.

Although now... You're down to only one left.

"... I'm so tired..."

The mental stress of being in a constant state of danger, paranoia, hunger, pain, and exhaustion have worn you down to a point where you can't even think up of more characters to make up for the one's that have recently passed. You slipped up so bad because of sleeplessness that your last capable party of characters died and a hole was speared through your gut too.

As you lay bleeding on the cold ground, with only a talking mushroom to keep you company, you wrack your brain to put together a proper character but... you really can't. You can't even think straight. Not with the recent information you've found out.

The so-called Creator is now creating their very own characters, their very own people/army, through alchemy, and is now sending them after you, thus increasing your hunters by double. And on top of the already powerful vision-holders (of course they're powerful, you made them that way), you figured... "Ah... I'm fucked..."

Knowing you might as well be as good as done now, you didn't even bother bringing out the last of your characters to heal you. It's not like healing yourself will make you forget about this lifelong trauma--

... Forget?

...

A fleeting thought.

A dumb fleeting thought. A very dumb one at that.

One that will for sure backfire in your face if you do it wrong. And quite frankly, it could spell the end for this world, even for the one they call Creator.

... But it's not like you have anything else to lose.

And so, within the dim light of the mushroom, you painstakingly start to write. Word for word, cramming everything information you know, as deatiled as you can make it into bringing it into life. A character you've never tried making before. Something that could possibly end your suffering. Or make it worse.

You honestly don't know if you're doing it right. After all, you've never tried something like it before.

"What are you making this time?' the ever so curious mushroom asked.

You grin, a manic look in your eyes. "Either my stupidest... or my brightest idea yet."

It's not long befere you finished. You gaze upon your finished product and you have to say... it's even more fleshed out than your best characters. And that quick sketch you drew... you swear those hollow eyes are following you already. That may be just the blood loss talking.

"That's... one ugly worm you've drawn..." The mushroom hums, like it can just see the monstrosity that you've created.

You chuckle breathlessly, looking almost solemn with what you're about to do. Well... it' not wrong. But...

"This is my kid. Their name is... Falseh. Get along well with them... okay?"

0===|>>>>>.

The very ground trembles as the Lord of Geo strides through the dark tunnels, a dark look in his eyes and a spear in his hand. If his presence wasn't enough, the murderous intent rolling off of him in waves is enough to deter any beasts from crossing his path.

The imposter was last seen slinking around the depths of the Chasm by one of the Tianquan's agents. Although failing to execute the imposter the first chance they got with their incompetence, Morax have to commend the Qixing for being able to find them even in the depths of the earth.

For some reason, the land seems to reject his commands from time to time now. He was baffled as to why his beloved Maker is hindering him in fulfilling his given mission but he's just been informed that the land defiance of him is due to the imposter infecting the land with their vile abilities.

Now, he's even more hellbent on making sure to drive his spear through the imposters heart and presenting it to his Grace. He won't miss a second time.

His eyes sharpens as a he a cavern just up ahead, soft blue light spilling through entrance. Tightening his grip on his spear, the power of Geo gathers in his other, ready to skewer someone five times into death if he so wishes.

He steps through the entrance and immediately lands on a figure, leaning prone under a giant glowing mushroom. He relaxes a bit. He recognizes this place. It's a bit close to the Land of Verdure, Sumeru. He needs to be careful. He can't be caught flaunting his power on another Archons domain after all.

Approaching the figure, he gets a bit surprised as they twitch, looking up to him through their hair. They try to talk, but all they can manage are quiet wheezes.

'Oh. They're still breathing. That's good.' Zhongli kneels down beside them, looking them over. They look like they've been dragged through the Abyss and back. Their midriff is bandaged heavily but it's already bled through, forming a pool of their own blood below them. He frowns lightly. It must be quite a big injury if it's bleeding this much.

Wordlessly, he holds a hand over the injury and channels his power. He's not the most profficient in healing, but he should at least be able to stop the bleeding.

Mere moments later, he have plugged up the injury and the figure is now able to stand up.

"Th-Thank you so much Rex Lapis!" they bow down. Or at least, they bow down the best they can without opening their wound. "Any longer and I would've surely perished..."

Zhongli waves them off nonchalantly as he starts to walk back out the way he came. "It's best you get back to the surface. Your injury needs to be properly tended. And I can see that..."

His eyes drifts to the scattered bloody bandages and practically empty backpack. "You've run out of supplies. It is a virtue to you mortals to know when to give up. Remember that."

"Y-Yes sir Rex Lapis sir! I'll get back right away!" they start to quickly collect their things, haphazardly stuffing the bandages and handbook into the bag, being careful of their injury.

The Lord of Geo just watches for a moment before completely leaving, trusting that they won't make any stupid mistake and go back post haste.

After he has left, you pause in your packing, leaning against the mushroom and slowly sliding down with a shaky breath.

"Y-You... didn't you say he and the entirety of the world was hunting for you?" The mushroom hums in confusion, sharing your tension. "What was that? Heck, he was the one that put a hole through you and he healed you!"

You chuckle breathlessly, the manic look intensifying in your eyes as it dawns on you that it worked. That stupid idea of yours actually worked!

And if you can get to the Creator... you can make this whole concept disappear altogether. Forever.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see it. A large mass of hairless flesh writhing about, multiple tentacle-like appendages potruding out of it. It's slithering it's limbs about, coiling around the mushroom and and back again, and around you as well.

But when you turn your head to actually look, there's nothing there. All you can hear is what seems to be muffled humming, an eerie tune listlessly flowing through the air (but somehow, the sound is the most comforting thing ever).

"Oh it's nothing. I think... he just heard something that made him forget."

[simphoraa]

Sweet & Sour Legacy Challenge - Sims 3

Created by Simphora & Gabrielle-kl 

Hey guys! Surprise, surprise. Me and Gabby did a little something.. we created a Sims 3 challenge! Woot-woot! This is our very first time creating a challenge together. We had such a blast. I’d like say this challenge is fun and unique. We put our FOOT into making this because us Sims 3 simmers are in desperate need of more challenges. Also, feel free to check out Gabby’s amazing challenge called, Not Your Average Legacy Challenge. 

The Sweet & Sour Legacy Challenge is a six generation legacy challenge inspired by fruits. These fruits have a sweet and sour aesthetic for each generation. For example, the sweet fruit generations are compassionate and up-beat. Meanwhile, there’s a little twist with the sour fruit generations because it’s more pessimistic and chaotic. All-in-all, if you're a simmer that is looking for a fruit themed and drama fulfilled legacy challenge, this is a challenge for you!

If you’re interested in doing this challenge, please feel free to tag us: @simphoraa @gabrielle-kl​ or #sweet&sourlegacy. We would love to see your progress and gameplay!

R U L E S:

You must follow each generation in chronological order. 

It is recommend that you use all of the provided traits.

If you do not have a certain Sims 3 expansion pack that is related to the traits, careers, or goals, you can make adjustments.

The aesthetic color/colours for each generation is optional.

Before moving on to the next generation, you must complete all of the required goals.

DO NOT use any money cheat codes (ex: motherload, kaching, or rosebud).

Generation #1 - Watermelon: One in a Melon

You like to see yourself as the main character, and you think that everyone that comes in contact with you thinks so too.

Everyone absolutely loves you! Or do they? As unique as you are, you want to be a famous actor or actress. Soon enough Hollywood would be signing your name on everything! You find yourself chilling with A-list celebrities and even date a few. You have everything you could ever want! No one can ruin this for you, except maybe yourself.

Get started: Live in a small starter house or apartment. Purchase your basic necessities to survive, and progressively buy more necessities once you start earning some simoleons. Good luck!

Starting simoleons - §1,200

Traits - Charismatic, Dramatic, Snob, Star Quality, and Workaholic

Career - Film

Lifetime Wish - Superstar Actor

Aesthetic Color/Colour

Goals:

Become a five-star celebrity

Ruin your reputation 2 times, make your life a little scandalous! (ex: get publicly disgraced)

Master the Charismatic skill

Reach level 10 in the Film Career (choose the actor branch)

Have 2 close friends

Host a meet & greet once a week (ex: sign autographs and take pictures with fans)

Fall in love with one of your fans

Have as many kids as you want

Generation #2 - Lemon: When life gives you lemons.. you have to deal with some sour sh*t!

Sigh! Your childhood was already enough as it was with being a nepotistic child, but now there’s even more shenanigans.

Apart from hiding in your parents' shadows and not being the main focus when it comes to the paparazzi. You carry a nice and sweet persona on the outside. Those who were fortunate enough to have a conversation with you say your personality is like, “stuffing their mouths with a bunch of sour candy”, but you didn’t hear that from me. Just know, it’s okay to loosen up a bit. You do not always need to leave a bitter taste in one’s mouth.

In the course of time, you finally meet someone and insert yourself into their life. Love makes you do some silly things. You want to help them with their unlawful issues because you think that you can help them figure things out and get their life back on track. Realistically speaking, you would never think of laying your eyes on someone with a completely different personality than yours and a terrible outlook on life. Oh boy! You're in for a nice treat.

Traits - Bookworm, Grumpy, Hopeless Romantic, No sense of humor, and Perceptive

Career - Journalism or Private Investigator

Lifetime Wish - Star News Anchor or Pervasive Private Eye

Aesthetic Color/Colour

Goals:

Get romantically involved with a criminal  

Be disliked by a few sims. Having “friends” isn’t your thing because people disappoint you

Master the Writing or Logic skill

Reach level 5 in the Journalism or Private Investigator Career, and then quit or get fired

Have 1 failed marriage

Have only 1 child

Have a bad relationship with your child

Find a hobby or skill, and make a source of income out of it

Have a rebound relationship with someone

C H O I C E:

This generation has a choice for you to make. These are choices that you could build off of and integrate into your storyline.

Hmm, it looks like you have found love again. Are you genuinely happy this time? You may be a little traumatized from the last relationship. Just remember, everyone isn’t the same. This rebound relationship could be turning into something really serious. There may even be wedding bells in your future. Do you want to give marriage a second chance or stay in the “dating” stage?

Generation #3 - Strawberry: You’re the sweetest pick of the patch!

Everyone loves you, at least this time. Nobody is actually lying. Good job! Everyone finds you to be the sweetest sim in the patch. And, trust me, you will most definitely take full advantage of all this attention. You mainly use it for a good cause. You love power, but not in an evil kind of way. You want to use that power to help those in need.

You attend University in hopes of being the future president of the free world and eventually start raising a happy family that is way better than how your current family dynamic is right now. I don’t really know anything, but deep down you want to be better than your parents because you have a weird feeling that they were doing some shady things before you were born.

Traits - Friendly, Family-Oriented, Good, Irresistible, and Schmoozer

Career - Political

Lifetime Wish - Leader of the Free World

Aesthetic Color/Colour

Goals:

Fix your relationship with your parent

Maintain A’s in school and even aim to become an honor/honour roll student (child-teen)

In high school, join the debate club

Enroll into University and major in Communications

Host a rant/protest once a week

Donate to a charity once in a while

Join a Social Group (Nerd, Rebel, or Jock)

Throw a party every weekend in Sims University

Earn the Communications degree

Reach level 10 in the Political Career

Be a good role model as a parent and a faithful spouse

Have about 2-4 kids

Retire from the Political Career once an elder

Generation #4 - Green Apple: One bad apple doesn’t spoil the whole bunch..

You want to find love just like how your parents have it. You can’t seem to find someone that fits the description of your dream partner. All of your attempts seem to fall flat. Why? You’re not that bad of a person. You’re just exploring a bit. You may be a little picky, but everyone has their own personal preferences within a person. Right? Hmm.. maybe you're just picking the wrong kind of sims? Do not give up. Keep putting yourself out there until you find the one. Just do not get yourself caught up. They say the world is one tiny place..

Traits - Commitment Issues, Flirty, Over-emotional, Social Butterfly, and Unlucky

Career - Any self-employed career

Lifetime Wish - Heartbreaker

Aesthetic Color/Colour

Goals:

Maintain a good relationship with your parents

Create an Online Dating Profile

Go out on a date every weekend

Have 10 failed relationships (get caught cheating or initiate a break-up)

Have an accidental baby from a hook-up

Avoid/Lose contact with some of your friends. You forgot about them. You’re too “caught up” in love

Start a Personal Blog

Post daily blogs about your life

Reach level 7 in Social Networking skill

Attempt to meet someone through the Sim Finder App

C H O I C E:

This generation has a choice for you to make. These are choices that you could build off of and integrate into your storyline.

Good news! It looks like you may have found the sim of your dreams through your blog. Out of all those fishes in the sea, it only took ten different sims to find them. Do you try to fix your reputation, and finally settle down or continue to be a.. heartbreaker?

Generation #5 - Blueberry: Life is very sweet, and you are naturally sweet

Being generous and compassionate is one thing, but doing it all the time, even to the sims that do not deserve it.. gets draining. You kept it pushing. Hey, even I am surprised you lasted this long. Everyone makes mistakes. Although, some people are just unforgivable. It turns out you're the type of sim that doesn’t hold others' mistakes against them forever because holding grudges is immature.

You’ve studied hard to be in a career that has long tiresome hours where you're barely at home, and if you think you got lucky in some extra lounge time – Oh! There goes your alarm, it’s time to clock in! Unfortunately, since you're never home, some things just seem to slip under the rug. Only so much can be slipping through the cracks for you to be completely oblivious. Hmm, I wonder how long this has been going on for? I could never trust someone again after that stunt. Could you?

Traits - Ambitious, Eco-Friendly, Friendly, Genius, and Loves the Outdoors

Career - Science

Lifetime Wish - Become a Creature-Robot Cross Breeder or Renaissance Sim

Aesthetic Color/Colour 

Goals:

Have your sim live the Eco-friendly lifestyle (ex: own a bicycle, eat organic food, recycle, etc)

Start a garden

Fish once a day

Catch/Collect 5 different uncommon or rare type of fishes

Master the Gardening, Handiness, and Fishing skill

Grow a plantsim or create a small farm (ex: raise chickens, cows, horses, etc) [PICK ONE]

Fall in love with one of your co-workers

Once married, make your Spouse have 2 affairs and you must stay with them

Try repairing your marriage with your spouse, but only if you catch them cheating

Generation #6 - Grapefruit: Don’t be such a sour puss!

Let’s be realistic here. You need to get your life together. I’m sorry. I know this is something you do not want to hear, but ya need to put a pep in your step and do something with yourself. Pronto!

You find it quite unfair how other sims around you get to go on fancy trips, have nice cars, live in mansions or high-rise buildings, and afford expensive meals. You wonder to yourself how one can achieve all these kind of lifestyles. Dangerous choices can lead to serious consequences, but it’ll never stop you. I would say you like to live your life on the edge. So, what if you leave a place with five different things that do not belong to you? Any who --- hey, wait a minute... since when did your neighbor/neighbour get such a nice car? Oh my god! Did they seriously leave their keys in the slot like that? Someone could just steal it. It is a really nice car though. I think I might take it for a little spin around the block.. Finders keepers, losers weepers!

Traits - Athletic, Childish, Hot-headed, Kleptomaniac, and Night-owl

Career - Criminal

Lifetime Wish - Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law

Aesthetic Color/Colour

Goals:

Steal 3 items a day

Possess §50,000 worth of stolen items (do not sell anything)

Befriend your ALL of your neighbors/neighbours. No one knows what you do in your free time. You could get some valuable goodies from them, wink wink

Get arrested

Work out 3 times a week at the community Gym

Master the Athletic skill

Live in a house worth over §100,000

Scuffle with someone once a week

Adopt a child

C H O I C E:

This generation has a choice for you to make. These are choices that you could build off of and integrate into your storyline.

Uh-oh, there’s a new addition to the family. Now, you have a lot of responsibility on your hands. This is very important to you. Is this the perfect time to finally get your life together by quitting your job as a Criminal and find a new job? Or, remain a Criminal, but hide it? This has been your lifestyle for a while. Just remember that this could also make you look like a “bad parent” because children can be easily influenced.

If you have made it to the end of this challenge, we want to thank you so much for participating and completing it. Let us know what you think as well!

[gepardings]

HIIII can I request for a vincent renzi fic where vincent as a lawyer is of course VERY busy and reader rarely sees Vincent and when reader texts him he barely answers so reader gets moody af :o then one night, unexpectedly, when reader is eating dinner or something and sitting alone in her apartment, Vincent surprises her and it gets so fluffy after..... hope everything goes well for u, thank you!

Oh my god, anon!!! This is such a good prompt. I took the angstier approach with it near the beginning, but you do get your fluff at the end. Thank you for the ask! I hope you like it <3.

genre: angst with comforting ending word count: 1081. warnings: none!

It took awhile for the lawyer to agree to make it official with you. Vincent Renzi was a man who fell in love easily, but seldom did he act on these desires. He was focused, meticulous, determined. Between law school and building a career, he had come to terms with being alone for the foreseeable future. In all fairness, he believed that no one would put up with him because of it. His relationships didn’t last very long as a result and he’d convinced himself that he was content with that.

However, he did not anticipate you in this. Suddenly, he was no longer content leading this lonely life of his. Suddenly, he was going out of his way to get your attention. Suddenly, the world was just you. It was wonderful. 

When the honeymoon phase wore off, however, reality would hit you both. He was a busy man in a competitive field, and he had to get his head back in the game. Vincent back at work, you desperately trying to adjust to his absence. He really tried at the beginning— he’d squeeze in dates no matter how busy he was. During harder cases, even those dates would disappear. 

This one particular case fell as an example of that. You hadn’t seen him in weeks! He’d head from the office straight to his apartment where he’d collapse and the cycle would repeat. You’d considered asking him to move in, but he wasn’t answering any texts except for the ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ ones (to prove he wasn’t ghosting you, just busy) and there was no time to bring it up. 

At some point, you tried showing up to the law firm to drop him off some lunch you’d made him. Showing up unannounced was your first mistake however, Vincent was visiting a client who lived two hours away by car! He wouldn’t be back until the deep hours of the night. You’d gone home— defeated. It wasn’t just defeat, but a misplaced anger. In the heat of the moment, you’d angrily texted him to have the decency to at least text you his schedule, and that this was driving you insane. When the text remained on delivered for the next few hours, you’d felt humiliated and hurt. 

Maybe you just weren’t cut out for this. Vincent needed someone who could keep up with his pace, but oh you loved him desperately. It wasn’t an issue of insecurity or feeling unfulfilled. You just … missed your boyfriend. Yeah, you just missed your boyfriend. You missed his hands running through your hair as you cuddled on your couch, his other hand scrolling through his laptop as he went over the details of another case while yours scrolled through your phone. You sat in the same position on the couch, scrolling through your phone, but there was no hand to run through your hair. 

You must’ve been in that position for hours, because when you looked up at the sound of your door unlocking, you could see that it was dark outside. You frowned deeply. You knew it was Vincent who had come on— he was the only person with a key to your apartment after all. He called out for you, and when you gave him no response, he made his way to the living room, looking at you with a sheepish expression. 

He looked tired. Deep-set eyes looking at you with apology etched in. In his right hand was a bouquet of your favorite flowers, in his left was your favorite take-out. However, he did not speak, only watched you. 

“Do you think this makes up for this?”, you spoke, and you were surprised at how you immediately choked up. You looked to the side, not wanting him to see how truly worked up you were over this. You heard him put down the gifts and in seconds, he was crouching in front of you. 

“Chérie..”, he pleaded. “Sweetness.”

“It’s not fair, Vincent”, you mumbled, still not looking at him. The comfort his presence brought you was unmatched. Just speaking to him could bring you to tears when you’ve been repressing them for weeks on end. “There has to be a different way”, you finally turned to him, the tears freely falling down your cheeks.

“Please, don’t cry”, he whispered, hand wiping at your cheek, his other hand holding your own, squeezing. “I’m so sorry.” When the tears didn’t stop, he pulled you in by the back of your neck, letting you bury your face in the crook of his as he kissed your forehead. “I never wanted you to feel like this. It’s just not something I can control”, he promised. “Look at me?”

You finally did, your eyes finding his blue-grey ones. He smiled down at you, and you couldn’t help the ache in your heart. “We have to figure something out, okay? I love you, but it’s like I’m dating a ghost.” He nodded, kissing you softly. “Okay. We’ll figure it out.” 

You stayed like that for a while, staring at one another, unspoken words of love exchanged. “I heard you came by.. the law firm today?” You nodded, laughing softly and wiping away your tears. Your laugh was a sound that always made his heart swell with affection. Vincent Renzi was a man who fell in love easily, and when he did, that love encompassed his entire being. To him, your smile, your laugh was his entire being. 

“I thought that if I wasn’t going to see you at home or on dates, I could bring the dates to you. I wanted to have lunch together, but you weren’t there.” 

He watched you, a smile on his face.  “What?”, you asked. He reached over and planted another kiss on your lips. “Je suis fou de toi.” (I’m head over heels for you).

You blushed, giggling into the kiss. It was not easy being with someone as driven and determined as Vincent Renzi, but you had once heard that when you love someone, truly, then there is nothing to keep you away from that person. You were never much of a believer in such cliches, but he made you one. He had turned you into someone who believed in cliches, and you had turned him into a man willing to throw all the efforts he had made to protect himself from heartbreak out the window just for the chance to love and be loved by you.

[sawyerconfort]

the yellowjackets when you wear their shirts would include...

Hi, I promised I would come back and I just disappeared, I'm really sorry! As I mentioned before, my computer has been having huge problems, and I've tried to fix it before, but it looks like I'm going to have to format it after all.

In the meantime, I've got a laptop abandoned at home and I'm trying to write on it. Half the delay was because I was trying to adjust to the new method and the other half because I really had no idea for these requests and giving you shitty stuff would not be fair at all.

Ok, so here we go, probably for a wave of headcannons with other fandoms (AHS fans, I promise I'll answer all of your asks, don't worry!

Enjoy!

Requests will be a little closed for a while just until I get my act together! Sorry for the delay and closing!

If you can also let me know in the replies if you want more prompts and headcannons with the yellowjackets, I would appreciate it! And let me know if you want me to include Travis or\and Coach Ben on it too...

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

Jackie Taylor

I don't think Jackie would make a fuzz about it. Alright, she would probably be surprised on the first day. But because she's supposedly the most popular girl in school, she's even happy that you're being influenced by her style, after all, that's what popular girls are for, right?

It will also depend a lot on your relationship. If you are friends, for example, Jackie will insist on letting you take some clothes that no longer fit her. And if you're dating, she'll make sure to tease you as much as she can until you express the reaction that pleases her the most.

"You look beautiful, (Y\N), my style really suits you, like I always said."

Shauna Shipman

Shauna wouldn't mind too much about you wearing her clothes either, but unlike Jackie, I think she'd be pretty insecure about commenting on it, kind of afraid that it would make you stop wearing it, and also, of course, due to her internal issues with herself.

But Shauna would find it incredibly adorable, though, and would give you some signs that she liked the offbeat idea, her way. This includes not-so-subtle glances while you're wearing the fabric, or some clothes, which are her favorites as well, laid out on the bed when you come to visit… Little details that let you know that Shauna isn't bothered at all therefore.

I mean, unless it's her flannels, these inseparable fucking flannels… Those no one can take, not even a significant other.

"Uh… You look cute, (Y\N), in my outfit… I like it."

Natalie Scatorccio

I don't think Natalie would mind you wearing her clothes. In fact, I think it would be a good opportunity for her to take advantage of this and tease you as much as she can. She will do anything to make you self-conscious and blush, but not in a bad way. Like, that's just her love language.

And, let's face it, Natalie is needy enough not to let her scent wash off her clothes when you take them off. On nights when she needs to sleep alone, if you're dating, she'll purposefully grab one of her pieces of clothing and smell in the scent to keep you close.

"Hey, sweetie, lookin' pretty, huh? Is this outfit mine by any chance?"

Taissa Turner

I'm a hundred percent sure that Tai would be one of those people who abominate clichés, unless she's doing it herself. So, at first, this idea of sharing clothes with her significant other is something she would find completely silly. The first time, she would just kindly tell you to stop it, in a way that doesn't hurt your feelings (I love a soft-hearted Tai, don't judge me!).

But then, as time goes on, I'm also one hundred percent sure that Tai would buy clothes in her style that exclusively fit you. It's kind of her guilty pleasure, since spoiling you is one of her most practiced love languages. And well, considering the tantrum she threw the first few times, how much you've evolved is impressive.

"Okay honey, which one do you want to wear today?"

Lottie Matthews

Okay, get ready for the biggest love bomb you've ever received in your life. Lottie would be completely adorable about your wearing her clothes, and not only would she not mind at all, she would make a point of convincing you that you are one of the lost paintings by one of the famous artists of past centuries, or something like that.

In fact, it's kind of a headcannon on my part that Lottie doesn't have her own style and that she's always looking for something that makes her belong somewhere (some clothes in her teens she wore because of her mother's influence, just because it would please her, you know? )

So, seeing you wearing the dresses that she finds extremely over the top, or the blouses that have too much detail and too little simplicity, is like one of the greatest achievements of her life, if not the greatest. I don't think Lottie ever liked that flashy style more than when you started stealing it from her.

"Wow, wow, wait a minute! Wow, (Y\N), I think you wearing this made me a hundred times more in love with you! Wear it more, babe. You can wear my clothes as much as you like."

Van Palmer

(Okay, since Liv identifies as they\them, I'm going to change the pronouns for this one, hope you don't mind!)

Van and Natalie would have the same approach when it comes to stealing their clothes. But, I think, as an honest opinion, Van would turn this more into a flirting game than anything else. They are simply obsessed (it reads turned on) when you wear something of theirs.

And of course, this opens the door for some good teasing that will inevitably end in making out. Like, how would you handle it, with Van looking you up and down and smirking with that smile you're completely drawn to every time? It's almost impossible for nothing to happen.

I'm also pretty sure that if you were dating, they wouldn't let you have only your clothes in your closet or in your bags. There would always have to be three or more pieces of them that you could use as much or as little as you wanted.

"Wow! Watch out, everyone! There's an extremely hot living being crossing the room, and look what a coincidence, they're wearing my clothes!"

Misty Quigley

Misty would probably have the best reaction ever. Then she, who was always ridiculed for her attitudes and style, having someone who was able to wear her clothes as if they were completely ordinary. Are you kidding? You'll practically make her day if you do something like that!

Obviously, she would be embarrassed and reluctant to ask you the first time why you were doing it, but Misty Quigley has two sides to the coin, and one of them being the impulsive side, I think that would be the one that would beat her to the courage. And your response of the type "because I love your style" would simply keep her up all night.

By the next morning, her entire circle of potential friends would have known about it…

"OH MY GOD! Are these… are these my clothes? Okay, now you really need to let me do your makeup, (Y\N)!"

Laura Lee

(Same thing as Liv\Van, but I don't really know if Laura Lee would use neutral pronuns... It's all because of Jane Widdop, our baby!)

Laura Lee would be pretty surprised if you showed up wearing their clothes, and honestly, I don't think there would be any malice on their part when you did. More than a possible sign that they could be more than friends to you, this would mean that you could, above all, be friends.

They would find it extremely sweet, actually, the effort and dedication you put into choosing an item of clothing that they loved, but was also comfortable for you. In short, Laura Lee would just adore you even more, if that were even possible!

"Oh! Oh! I can't believe it! You look beautiful wearing this, (Y\N). In God's eyes and mine mostly."

[oneminutefiftysixseconds]

many esteemed cycling mutuals are understandably looking at the... Everything about the recent gpogbling tweet, but as an incorrigible Noticer and part-time bike nerd i'd like to take a moment to talk about feet.

by which i mean cleats!

for those that don't know, they're components that screw to the bottom of cycling shoes, providing the interface between pedal and foot. many kinds exist but there are four brands used in the WT peloton (as far as i know)

both UAE & Jayco use Shimano's SPD-SL system, but with some gratuitous zooming in on feet we can see that bling's cleats are red whilst tadej's are yellow

this is down to the different float options offered by Shimano, “float” being how much you can adjust your foot position without unclipping (which is done by twisting the heel out away from the bike). yellow has the most freedom, red has none, and blue is intermediate. there's different axes of motion too but let's not get into that

which colour to use is basically a matter of personal preference but you're a good deal less likely to spot reds at a local club than you are in the pro peloton because their lack of movement means the bike fit has to be 100% dialed-in to prevent joint pain -- the kind of precision you'd expect from teams at the top of the sport.

as far as i can tell blue seems to be pretty widespread among the Shimano-using teams. for but a few examples: adam yates, luke plapp, and MVDP's banged-up cleats following his crash in Glasgow (it's amazing he could still clip in with those)

i would assume this is to balance the increased efficiency of power transfer that comes with decreased float whilst retaining enough freedom to allow comfortable adjustment over the course of long races.

bling uses the reds -- as expected for sprinters -- for maximal power transfer at high speeds, making every fraction of a watt count in a bunch sprint and keeping his legs/feet in the most efficient position without having to think about it

so initially i thought “perhaps tadej trains with yellow because they're more comfortable?”

but no -- he races in them too: these are before and during Giro stages (couldn't quickly find any from TDF/Montréal/other races so if there's photos of him using different colours please do tell me!), so the relatively increased movement must suit his riding style and specific anatomy better than the other options

or maybe he just likes them 🤷 it's not something any of us can ever know but for a rumoured €8million/year i'd expect the team to investigate most possible avenues of ~marginal gains~.

and of course riders’ preferences change over time; adam used to use yellows‚ remco used to use blues (now reds), all this is just something i thought was interesting!!

[mooestriovermind]

Hypnosis - Everything can work

It's the combination of the desire to be hypnotized and the understanding that you can be hypnotized that combines together to make someone susceptible to trance. If you know how easy it is to go under, but you don't want to, you won't. Vice versa, if you want really bad to drop, but feel that it's impossible to do so, you won't fall.

Some people are in the second boat- quite a few, actually. If you want to be hypnotized, but think that your mentality or a certain mental illness prevents you from being hypnotized, you misunderstand. Everyone can experience trance. Many frequently have and didn't attribute the state they were in as hypnosis. It doesn't even require the ability to picture something in your head, or the ability to focus. Hypnosis can be brief, it can be long, but it is accessible by everyone. You need only notice that you're being hypnotized, and recognize that it can happen, in order for it to happen.

Take for example, right now. You've been reading down this informative post, your curiosity piqued by the knowledge I have to offer. And thusly, you have locked your attention on my words, here. Eager to learn, happy to recognize the hypnotic nature of a good monologue. Even if you don't picture a comfortable place like your back porch on a cool day or a beanbag when it's raining outside, you can still find it possible to recognize how my words affect you.

Even if they affect you minimally, it's possible that you still notice something as small as a change in your breathing. You see, small changes, however noticeable, tend to occur when you take note of the fact that someone is trying to hypnotize you. You can find it easy or difficult to follow what I'm saying, but ultimately you will be able to recognize that I am indeed trying to hypnotize you in this moment.

For some, the mere mention that someone may be actively hypnotizing them could lead to the familiar fuzzy feelings of trance to overtake them. Maybe you can already feel the sensations you recognize as trance. Maybe you don't know what hypnosis feels like! Maybe you've never been hypnotized (or you feel like you haven't) and you're just curious enough to keep reading. Either way, you are reading, and I am hypnotizing you, which means you are feeling at least somewhat different.

Considering that many experience trance in different ways from others, it's not entirely possible to say exactly how my words are making you feel. It could be any number of sensations or ideas. As long as you're capable of receiving sensory input or holding onto imaginative thoughts in some capacity, you are likely feeling open or even following along so closely that the world around you is no longer important.

Because you've read this far, I can imagine that I've successfully managed to at least entertain you. If you're feeling hypnotized, that's great! Keep feeling those sensations and keep allowing your behavior to adjust according to my words. If not, that's fine too! I've entertained you enough to provide you with some useful information that may assist you in any number of hypnotic endeavors.

Of course, all trances must end, and so must every Tumblr post. Finite and measurable, this little script and informative text must now draw to a close. You'll be able to awaken from any trance you may be in- as everyone is fully in control of their own hypnosis experience. Don't let anyone trick you into thinking that you can't resist, or that you absolutely must stay entranced. This is a sign that you're either doing a discussed CNC scene, which is fine, or you're being approached by an abusive dominant, which is less fine. (Very important distinction!)

Either way, thank you for reading my post! I hope it provided at least a modicum of entertainment.

Farewell, and don't forget to stay hydrated!

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Full hcs for the m6 with an MC that has chronic pain (I looked through the masterlists and didn't find anything, but it's totally possible that I missed something O///O)

The Arcana HCs: MC with chronic pain

Julian

He devotes his full care and attention to every person in need of a doctor he meets and you are about to get 200% of that

Will do a full examination as soon as you're able to talk to him about it. Give him your medical history, past diagnoses, personal opinions, potential causes, and any other detail you have

Listens to every word, writing them all down so intensely that his handwriting is even less legible than usual

In the moment, there's not much he can do beyond suggesting a few alternate ways of handling it and covering you with kisses and careful, all-encompassing sympathetic hugs

In the long run, chronic pain starts to rival (if not surpass) hematology as his field of study and expertise. Pain management does get easier over time as he learns and applies more

It has also changed how he speaks about pain

The earliest example of which was when he told you that he was "intimately acquainted" with it and you misinterpreted that as him saying that he suffers from it too - you still tease him for that

Your biggest medical advocate & never loses sympathy for you

Asra

They didn't really know how much you suffered from it until your first weeks back, and then they watched as you had to relearn how to live with it. To call it nightmarish would be an understatement

So, so, so many pain easing spells and potions. His collection was already impressive for Nadia's migraines but now it's tripled

Curious to the point of almost seeming insensitive about the sensations you experience. They did, with your permission, try linking to you enough to take them on once

He didn't like it. He can handle physical discomfort well enough but he hates it with a passion and this was a horrible realization

Thoughtful and protective of your right to comfort and access to accommodation, to the point that you sometimes have to remind them that you really can handle it

Asks you every morning and through the day how your pain levels are and will adjust accordingly. Bad pain day? Leave the shop to him, here are some meds, he'll bring you breakfast in a bit

Has been known to use pain transfer spells on rude customers during your flareups - it's two birds with one stone!

Nadia

Had a hunch that it was something you experienced from the moment she met you, if only because she was dealing with constant migraines at the time and recognized the pain

Does her best to hide it from you because she doesn't want to make your pain about herself, but gets frustrated beyond measure about it. She's a fixer, and this is something she can't just fix

She does everything she can for you, of course - opening the Palace doors to anyone with knowledge on the subject, stocking up and giving you access to all of her pain management methods

But it still gnaws at her when she knows you're having a bad pain day and the most she can do is encourage you to rest and have your meals sent to you and try to get extra time to spend with you

Even more proud of you than you can tell (which is very proud). Living in pain the way you do is no easy thing and that pain being largely "invisible" only adds to what you must be going through

Very respectful of your needs. It doesn't matter if she doesn't understand why you need something right away, if you need it, you need it

Muriel

It's not something he'll confess to until you're close enough and he's comfortable admitting it, but he has his own chronic pain from his Coliseum injuries. It's not constant, but it flares up regularly

A poorly healed fracture in his wrist. Some mangled nerve endings from blunt force trauma to his ribs. A wrenched knee that never fully healed and keeps coming back like a sprain

There's another layer to the days he spends hiding in bed, lifting nothing heavier than his tiny carving tools

He never really got much medical attention when the injuries were fresh and he certainly hasn't gotten any for the pain since, but he'll share all the knowledge on natural medicine he has

And nobody knows how physical pain can get into your head like he does. He doesn't always know what to say, but he is dedicated to listening when you're struggling and helping where he can

A little slower at accepting support for his own pain (it's months, if not years, before he's comfortable with being seen for it by a doctor) but he's with you every step of the way. You're not alone

Portia

Portia is excruciatingly empathetic to you and this is not something easy for her to understand or relate to

Pain? Physical pain?? Which you can't control, or point to an obvious/visible/curable source for??? How do you not act like you're in constant pain? How have you not found a cure?

(To say that she cringes when she remembers peppering you with these questions is an understatement. What matters is that she learned and she never doubted you for a second)

She still has difficulty fully comprehending what you're going through, but once she's dragged you to her brother and gotten some action items to follow up with, supporting you gets easier

Checks in with you several times a day on schedule and keeps a list of useful questions to ask so she can understand your pain levels

Always has at least two pain meds on hand in case of a spike or flare up and will scour the markets for any ingredients that she hears will help with pain/nerve damage/inflammation

Will bring Pepi to loaf and purr on you for hours when you need to stay in bed for the day and leaves treats on the bedside table

Lucio

He relates to this more than he wants to, but his own experience is so all over the place he doesn't know how to talk about it

Sure, he had chronic pain when he was a count, it's hard to have an emergency amputation done by an inexperienced student and then a decently weighty metal prosthetic for 20 years without it

But back then he had plenty of doctors and the kinds of resources to make managing it almost easy, not to mention the parties and pleasures he indulged in constantly to distract from it

And then for three years he felt nothing - nothing at all

At this point, he'd choose the pain over the ghost form any day, but that doesn't make it easy. Hearing you talk about your pain openly helps him realize it's possible to live with, even though it's difficult

So that's what he does. He'll live with his pain, and you'll live with your pain, and you'll both wake up to it with each other for company. He can do this

He'll still go as far as threatening any medical experts he finds with their demise if they refuse to see either of you and you're not there to stop him, though

[luceracastro]

Teacher's Pet

Professor!Esteban Kukurickza x reader

Summary: After a few months of starting your literature course you seem to find it harder with time to ignore your professor, little did you know you were driving him crazy as well.

Warnings: teacher/student relationship! Age gap (the reader is in their early 20s and Esteban is mid/late 30s). There is not much warning in this part but it will change within the next few (also fyi this fic will be about 15 to 20 parts long and in Spanglish)

Masterlist

Ever since you could remember you dreamt of writing your own books, your mom and dad remember you making your own little stories as a kid with paper, crayons, and a pencil, your dad stapling the pages together for you

then you used notebooks and wrote little stories or poems of your own, you grew a great obsession with books and literature, so it made sense when it was your major and you got into one of the best schools in Spain to study.

Now living alone, working a part-time job to pay for necessities and other important bills except rent and school since your dad agreed to pay for it as long as you promised to make something out of yourself you were set, One small issue was that you had a Professor who was way too hot for his own good

lectures were hard sometimes, he was a good educator no doubt about that but he seemed to call on you for everything, of course your hand was the first up at times but even when it wasn't he would call on you saying he trusts that you understood the lecture and topic and can answer his questions, and you did, perfectly

he would flaunt your perfect work to the class, using you and your assignments as a example to the rest of the class, he praised you too that it messed with your head now, you began to think he probably knew how much you really liked him.

you had just sat through one of those painfully hard lectures after he asked countless questions which you mostly answered and now the class was working on the research paper he had assigned for the remaining time of class.

"Senorita T/n" he called and you looked up he motioned you over with a nod and your breath caught in your throat but you regained your posture and got up walking to his desk "Sólo quería decirle que hizo un excelente trabajo en este papel, eres un alumna muy dedicada y hasta puedo decir mi favorita" he chuckled and you smiled but the warm feeling inside of you was getting hard to ignore with the closer you are to him, especially with the countless praises he gives you.

"Gracias Profe que amable" you said, he smiled up at you a soft small smile but his eyes starring into your soul practically made your skin crawl, in a good way, "Bueno, te dejo que sigues trabajando" he said and you nodded "Muchas gracias Profe" you once again thanked him as he nodded and you walked back to your seat

the class had ended but before you could even walk out the door "Senorita T/n" he called out for you and you turned around "Mande?" you walked over to his desk as he looked over some papers "Me puedes hacer un favor?" he asked and you nodded adjusting the strap of your bag

"Yo tengo mucho trabajo que hacer entonces quiero saber si puedes ayudar a tu Compañera Adelia con un trabajo que tiene que hacer?" he asked and you nodded "Si, si claro con gusto" you said a small smile on your lips which he admired very much "Gracias de verdad, que amable eres me ayudas mucho" he said and your smile grew at his words

"Entonces le digo que te mande un correo electronico y de ahi empiezan a trabajar juntas, gracias otra vez" he said and you nodded "No problema Profe, que tenga buen dia" you said "Tu tambien querida," querida, that name was rare but when he did say it your legs turned to jelly

you left the class and made your way back home, the small flat you lived in was comfy and cozy, at first it may seem a bit too small but it was suffice for the time being, and with small trinkets and decor you'd get from small shops and thrift stores you made it your own little cozy home

you put your bag and books down, and your keys were thrown on the kitchen counter as you opened the fridge, leftover dinner from the night before it was. As you ate you looked through your computer for any emails or whatnot, and low and behold Adelia had emailed you

you had answered and through a couple exchange emails agreed to meet at a nearby coffee shop to work on her assignment, you closed your computer and got up to go and do some house chores, clean up, and do some laundry that you had put off for long enough.

the paper assigned from class today was now your current task late at night, you were tired of course but to not finish the paper would make you stress to the point where you wouldn't rest well so you decided to stay up and work on it

"Todavia despierta?" your eyes widened at the small chat from your Professor, when working on assignments you go on a website where teacher and students are signed on and anyone can see if you're active or not, turns out he's grading some work.

"Si, haciendo unos trabajos :)" you sent back and bit the inside of your cheek afraid of what he might say, was the chat too un professional for a student to send to a professor? but all doubts went away when he sent another chat

"Pobre, descansa mejor" he sent back then a little smiley face making you smile and giggle to yourself "Claro que si, nomas quiero terminar el papel de hoy y luego me voy a dormir" you sent back "Bueno Querida, tenga buen noche y por favor descansa" he sent back and you felt your belly warm up and lips curl into a big smile your cheeks began to hurt

"Gracias profe, que tenga buen noche tambien" was all you sent back before going back to work on your assignment, after you had finished the paper you put all your school belongings away in your bag and then went to get ready for bed. Esteban had always noticed his special student, you were a hardworking and dedicated student and always worked hard when it came to your school

her remembers seeing you working at one of the local coffee shops being kind to customers and being quick on your feet to attend them, you were also kind to your classmates helping out in class or outside of class, other teachers spoke highly of you and he added to it

you were also very well carried he noticed, dressed in nice clothing, always presentable, beautiful dare he say and you had a way about yourself which made you likable and irresistible if that was even a sufficient word, you were perfect and he firmly believed that.

the next day in class you had sat down in your usual seat, and like the same old routine for Esteban he stole glances when you weren't looking, when he realized you'd seen him he'd play it off with a kind smile

but the skirt you wore was pretty much a distraction, he couldn't focus but he wasn't complaining "Profe, me ayudas?" a student of his was standing beside his desk snapping him out of his trance as he nodded "Si claro"

after class had ended he stopped you again "Entonces no duermes mucho?" he smiled and you smiled as well "trato," you chuckled as he nodded "Prometame algo, que si vas a descansar, eres mi alumna favorita y no quiero que estas cansada por mi culpa" you shook your head "No, no de verdad no te precupes estoy bien ni tengo sueno" you said

he nodded "Pero una cosa, yo siempre me voy a precupar por mi alumna favorita" he said and you let out a sigh the nerves eating away at your belly "gracias profe, te lo agradezco" you smiled kindly making him return one back "Otra cosa, cuando estamos solos me puedes llamar por mi nombre," he said and you nodded

"Bueno profe, Esteban" you corrected yourself with a small smile making him nod "Bueno linda, tenga buen dia" linda, that was a new one, "Tenga buen dia" you gave him a kind smile and nod before leaving his class

this man would be the end of you.

A/N: Okay so this is the first part, not too exciting but by the next part it will be longer and more interesting as it goes on but Likes, comments, and reblogs are very much appreciated but no pressure my loves as long as you all enjoy and if you would like to be tagged let me know <333

Honorary tag since this lovely girl is the reason I even started this fic (also my love for Esteban) @madame-fear Love you hope you enjoy love!!!!!