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#no bump maps on floors
tvickiesims · 8 months
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No Bump Maps On (Certain) Floors
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I remember back in base game (or very early EPs) all of the floors pictured above had no bump maps and I liked them. But then Maxis decided to add them in and they started having those horrid dark shadows when zoomed out. Today I decided that I had enough of them and made this fix 😃
It's a tiny TXMT edit and takes almost no place. Only fixes the floors pictured above.
Compressed, clearly labeled, gif included.
Download at SFS
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Cabin Fever - (Regina George x F Reader) Part 2
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Fandom;
Mean Girls (2024)
Pairings:
Regina George x Reader
Summary:
The students of Northshore go on a school trip for a week in the forest. You end up getting to know the apex predator in a way you’d never seen her before.
Warnings;
Underage smoking, underage drinking, ED mentions.
Parts
Part 1// Part 2//
Regina doesn’t say a word to you, or even glance your way.
She storms in and throws her bag down onto the bed next to yours, sweeping your clothes onto the floor with her hand. You open you mouth to protest but she cuts you off.
“Not a word, loser.”
Loser means she hasn’t got anything specific against you. No blackmail material, no weird rumours. Loser is a good place to be.
You sit on your bed and watch in silence as she starts to replace the pillows on the bed with her own pink pillows and satin blanket. She takes up over half the drawers for her own clothes, moving yours into a single pile at the bottom of the shared wardrobe. She puts her makeup and toothbrush, both varying shades of pink in the bathroom. She’s marking her territory.
“Don’t touch my shit.” She scowls, flips her hair and swiftly leaves the cabin. Her faint vanilla scent lingers in the air. It’s both intoxicating and sickly.
You wait a few minutes before you leave too, just to make sure you don’t accidentally bump into her and make yourself a target. The last thing you want is to be Regina’s plaything of the week.
Todays activity would be orienteering. You stand around the campfire pit, avoiding the crowd, waiting for instruction on where to go.
“Please stay in your room groups, follow the map you’ve been given. You’ll be taken to where your group will be starting, just follow the map back to camp. Everyone understand?”
There are excited chatters as everyone groups up with their friends. Unfortunately for you, the crowd parts to reveal Regina who’s giving you a look like she might murder you in the woods and leave you there.
You wait, in silence, next to Regina, for a camp member to pick you up in a jeep and drive through the forest to your particular starting point.
“Please don’t make me, don’t leave me here. I’m too pretty for this” Regina whines as the keep drives away, leaving you both stranded in a clearing.
Against better judgement you decide to speak. “I’m sorry you couldn’t go with Karen and Gretchen.”
“Whatever, just give me the map.” She snaps and snatches it from your hands. Wordlessly she stomps off through the trees. You have no option but to follow like a lost puppy.
As it happens, Regina isn’t a great map reader. And lots of the forest looks identical which makes it even harder. Your feet start to ache, you feel like you’ve been walking in circles for the past couple of hours.
“Can I please just look quickly, I trust you know where we’re going but I think I should still just look at the map” you try to reason which was clearly an awful move because she starts to turn around slowly to face you.
She moves,she’s stalking you like prey as she comes towards you.
“Are you calling me dumb?” She growls.
You shake your head, suddenly unable to speak, afraid that any sound past your lips would make her pounce.
“I’m reading the map, loser. I don’t want to be stuck out here any longer than necessary.” She spins around and continues her forward march through the forest.
This is going to be a long day.
It’s been hours since you or Regina said a word to each other, and hours since you started walking. You hadn’t stopped for a break. You managed to eat an apple while you walked, throwing the core into a bush but Regina hadn’t taken her hands off of the map to eat, drink or give you a look at where you were going.
You felt for your box of cigarettes in your pocket. Regina probably wouldn’t turn around or notice, and you needed one now, Regina is really starting to test your patience. Just as you put the cigarette to your lips ready to light ,Regina’s knee buckles and she trips slightly, heading straight for the ground.
Instinctively you go to catch her, both hands under her arms.
“Get off me weirdo.” She barks but it comes out a little more strained than usual. She’s gone pale and there’s a sheen of sweat across her perfect forehead. Somehow she’s still effortlessly beautiful.
She pushes herself up and tries to keep walking but her legs start to falter again and you rush forward again and catch her as she faints.
You try calling her name, shaking her gently, offering her water but nothing brings her round. Her hands feel cold.
Fuck.
In a panic you call the emergency number a teacher had given you and someone says they’ll come to collect you both in a jeep and administer first aid.
Regina comes round before the jeep arrives and you can feel the anger and embarrassment radiating off her. You try and think of something to say. She doesn’t speak to you the entire way back.
Everyone stares as they see you both come back to camp after being picked up but Regina plays it off well, bragging that she even gets treated like royalty here. You admire her ability to make quick excuses, and to be honest she still looks like royalty. Beautiful blonde hair cascading past her shoulders, icy blue eyes, sweet vanilla scent, outfit still perfect. Only you noticed the lingering sweat, the nervous look in her eye and the slight grass stain on the back of her jacket.
When the car stops Regina gets out and immediately goes to find Gretchen and Karen to sit together for dinner. Half of you is glad she’s gone, she was starting to get irritating, but you also want to make sure she’s okay. You go back to the table you were at before, you can’t help but watch her again.
Just making sure she’s okay, you repeat to yourself.
This time you watch her eat closely, notice she picks up food and when her friends aren’t looking and drops it under the bench onto the dusty floor. You wonder if that’s why she fainted earlier. You’re not sure why the thought of that makes you angry, and a knot forms in your stomach. It makes it hard to finish your food.
When dinner is over the teachers watch the three girls closely, making sure they go back to their newly assigned cabins. All three comply which means there’s a moody Regina heading your way.
You sit on your bed and pretend not to hear the door open, and keep your eyes fixed on your phone, pretending to read or maybe scroll social media.
The giveaway is that you forgot to let out the breath you were holding.
“If you tell anyone what happened I will ruin your life.”
You just nod, not daring to look up at her until you hear her lay on her bed and roll so she’s facing the wall away from you.
Then you allow your eyes to look at the sleeping lioness, her breathing seems slow. Maybe she’s asleep.
Your eyes trace down her curves- that is dangerous territory. You look away sharply just incase somehow she knows you’re looking.
She’s probably asleep.
You reach over to your bag and try and pull out your switch as quietly as possible. Mario kart, that’ll take your mind off of Regina.
You’re on your third lap when you feel the bed move and smell that addicting, warm vanilla scent.
“What is that you’re playing, dweeb?” It’s like she can’t even ask a normal question without it being insulting.
“Mario kart? Have you never played Mario kart?” You question her, meeting her gaze which seems slightly less intense than usual. To be honest, you can’t really picture someone like Regina playing a dorky game like Mario.
You disconnect the joy cons and throw one at her. She gives you a wary, icy look and picks up one of the controllers, scooting closer while still maintaining a large gap between you both.
You’re disappointed for some reason.
She obviously picks peach, and the pinkest cart, completely ignoring its stats which makes you giggle to yourself. You play as Bowser.
The first race you explain the controls to her, she picks it up quite quickly but you have years of experience on her and win.
She pouts and sends a glare your way. You stick your tongue out.
She giggles, Regina giggles and it might be the best sound you’ve heard. You definitely want to hear more. She doesn’t seem threatening like this. How much of Regina was an act?
The second race, she loses again, you win but not by too much, she’s definitely getting better. When you look over at her, her brows are furrowed and she’s completely lost in the game now, determined to win. The way she licks her lips when she’s concentrating makes you blush, and you’re glad she doesn’t look up.
The third game is nearly neck and neck but you beat her again. She finally snaps.
“What the fuck, you gave me a shit controller! I could have beat you!” She yells.
“Not my fault you suck at Mario kart.” You quip back bravely. She also sucks at losing apparently.
Suddenly she springs up and pounces, desperately trying to grab the controller off of you, but you hold on. You nearly forget why you’re holding it, mostly you’re squeezing the controller to distract yourself from Regina’s hair tickling your face, her lips being so close, her knees either side of your thighs.
She puts up a good fight but you start to see that familiar sheen of sweat and she seems cold and clammy all of a sudden. She must notice this because she huffs out a whatever and gets up, wobbling to her bed.
You miss everything about her suddenly, that one hit of the real Regina was enough to have you addicted.
She lays again, but this time face up, trying to control her breathing. You realise she’s on the verge of passing out again.
“I have a cereal bar in my bag, I don’t want it, you’re welcome to have it.”
She huffs and looks at you.
“I’m not accepting food from anyone after that stunt Cady Heron pulled. Who knows, you might be giving me a bar of lard.” She spits, but you can tell even speaking is hard for her now.
“It was just an offer.” You reply quietly.
Once she’s steadied herself again she stands and rummage through her bag, pulling out a half empty bottle of vodka and 2 plastic cups. She pours 2 shots worth into both and fills it with a fizzy orange mixer. She hands you a cup.
“You better not get too drunk and puke and get me into trouble like Karen.” She says as she takes a sip.
You both drink in silence for a while. The alcohol makes you feel warm and fuzzy, and a little too calm in Regina’s presence.
“Why don’t I know you?” Regina suddenly breaks the silence.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re not a new student, so why don’t I know you, I don’t know what you’re about.” She leans towards you like she’s inspecting you.
“I don’t know I just stay out of the drama.” You answer truthfully.
“Huh, boring answer.” She says taking another drink. “You’re friends with Pyro Lez though, that’s not exactly staying out of it.”
You shake your head “I only started hanging with them after that whole mess. Me and Janis have a mutual interest.”
“Is it girls?”
You stutter for a moment and see a glimpse of intrigue flash across Regina’s face.
“It’s art.”
You haven’t lied. That’s what connected you and Janis in the first place, it was a lucky dodge to the question.
She’s staring at you with an unreadable expression and you decide to stand awkwardly and get your cigarettes. You need a break from Regina, this feels all too much like she’s trying to uncover your weak spot.
It’s hard to tell what’s genuine or not.
You sneak outside to your spot from last night and light the cigarette, inhaling deeply, mostly from the butterflies in your stomach, bouncing around your rib cage.
Obviously you noticed Regina at school, who didn’t? But you’ve never had this much interaction with her. You can see why people fall victim to her so easily, there’s a side to her that seems so real, Is this part of her trap? Maybe you’re just easy prey but the chase is feeling all too thrilling.
Everything about her draws you in, golden hair, soft lips, even her scent. Are her lips as soft as they look?
Before you can register, the cigarette is pulled from your lips as you see Regina take a drag and then place it back between your fingers.
You skin burns where her hand brushes yours.
Suddenly she reaches to grip your hand, steadying herself. She clearly feels faint again. She’s swaying slightly and she looks like she’s losing focus.
“You need to eat something.” You state bluntly.
“Whatever you don’t know me.” She spits back, but she’s still gripping your hand. She starts to lean a bit too much.
“Fuck, Regina. Okay we’re going back inside.” You have to half drag her back inside the cabin and prop her up on the bed.
You check the cabins mini fridge, you brought enough food to sustain you that week. You didn’t know if the camp would have vegan food so better safe than sorry. Luckily the cabin had a mini fridge, probably for drinks but you stored some meals in there to keep fresh, and there was a microwave in the small kitchen.
You grab a pot and throw it in the microwave. Hopefully Regina doesn’t mind mushrooms.
She’s still laying on the bed, eyes squeezed shut, trying to get the room to stop spinning. You feel momentarily guilty for drinking with her, you knew she hadn’t eaten, it was a bad idea.
The microwave pings and you grab a fork and take it over to Regina.
“I’m not eating that, it’s probably processed shit.” It comes out as a defeated sigh.
“I made it, just eat something please, passing out wouldn’t be a good look” This makes her think, and she picks up the fork and takes a bite. The whole time she’s glaring at you so you decide to sit on the bed and play on your switch again.
You don’t look up for a good half an hour. Worried that Regina will stop eating if you so much as move. Clearly the whole thing with Cady has made her wary of food. The thought makes you feel sick. The plastics may rule the school but the constant insecurity that seems to come with it is too big of a price to pay.
A quiet voice breaks the silence.
“Thank you.”
You smile slightly but still don’t look up from your game until you hear shuffling and Regina is holding your sketchbook before you have time to snatch it back.
Your heart is in your throat, you’re not sure why her possible criticism of your sketch bothers you so much.
“This is beautiful.”
You’re beautiful, you idiot why don’t you see it, you think, but don’t say it out loud.
She tears the page from your book. Great, Back to cruel Regina, tearing up anything she doesn’t see as worthy.
What you don’t expect is her folding and placing the sketch under her pillow.
“I’m tired now.” She yawns and climbs into bed, flicking the lamp next to her off.
You’re left in the dark, confused, but you can’t help the small smile that creeps across your lips.
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kachowder · 10 months
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You should make the millionare a virgin loser who doesnt know the touch of anything but his own hand and then slut reader outtttt. Make it fresh u kno?
Teaser(?)
His fingertips traced down the curve of your spine, caressing the skin that was presented to him. Calloused pads trailed along blemishes and marks like the most stunning of paintings, mapping each and every feature.
His nose bumped into the curve of your shoulder, nuzzling against the skin as he exhaled. His body cooled from the previous heat and steam of late night activities. And though he yearned for more, his mind craved the comfort of just laying together.
But all good things come to an end. The sound of a small ding coming from your phone, roused you to sit up from the silk sheeted bed. Your fingers rubbed against the sores of your muscles as you reached for the infuriating device, the bright light blinding you amidst the dark room for merely a moment before you swiped through your lock screen. He watched intently as your eyes fluttered over the text.
“Mm…It seems I have to go, Mr. K..” Your voice soothed his senses, though your words made his eyes narrow. Only slightly.
Another client.
Often times, he wondered if you did these things to taunt him. If you somehow knew of his infatuation, and paraded yourself around this way to mock him for his cowardice.
And as he bit back the urge to call you back, to tempt you back into his arms so you could sleep in each others embrace. So he could savor the feel of your skin and the smell of your hair. He believed this to be even further the case, as he was made to watch you re-dress in preparation to leave him. Alone. Again.
But he did nothing. Not even a noise of acknowledgment, leading you to believe he may have fallen asleep.
Kane was not a beggar.
Your bare feet padded across the cold wooden floor of the bedroom, and you shivered. You wanted to go back to the bed, to swaddle yourself in it’s expensive warmth. But, you needed the money. And while one night with Mr.K would hold you over for well into a month, you couldn’t stop a small seed of greed to sprout through your heart.
“I’ll pay double.”
You stopped, hand just about curved around the golden, cold handle of the door. Perhaps you had misheard?
“Im sorry?”
You turned back, nearly jumping at the sight of dark grey eyes that bore deep into your flesh. Mr.K was not an expressive man. Not even in the most intimate of actions did his facade fail him. Hardly even a noise. You often wondered if you pleased him the way he did you.
Mr.K was a very skilled lover, despite having admitted to never laying with another before you. He was attentive in ways none of your clients had ever been. Learning the in’s and out’s of your body, seemingly rapt in your pleasure more so than his own.
“I’ll pay double.”
Your lips pursed in confusion. “Double..what?”
Mr.K did not beg. He asked for very little.
“Double whatever your client is paying. If you stay tonight.”
Your skin tingled. And the offer was deliciously tempting. “It would be bad for business if I canceled now..” that was only partially true.
The air felt warmer then it had before. Your previously cooles skin now feeling hot, under the intense gaze of the man before you.
“Triple.”
Spit lodged in your throat and you choked, eyes widening momentarily, and for just a second you swore a flash of amusement had invaded those cold eyes. “Th-that’s…is there something..you want to do?” Paying so much usually meant the request would be something…more unsavory.
“Rest with me. Then, tomorrow we’ll go out together. For a date.”
That couldn’t be all?
But it was.
With a soft heart for the quiet man before you, you undressed once again and slipped beneath the now cold duvet, exhaling in tired awe at the comfort it swaddled you in.
Your skin tingled as a hot breath beat down on it, and as fingers traced against your skin and through your hair once again. Gentle kisses littered your collar and neck.
It was romantic in a way. Despite him being one of your clients, time with him always felt a bit special. A bit more intimate.
You knew Kane was a lonely man. You often wondered why he never sought out a wife for the comfort he seems to crave.
But, as his strong warm arms curved around your waist, and pulled you flush against his chest, you found yourself a bit selfishly happy about that fact.
Sleep came easily to you that night, under the intense gaze of the man beside you.
Your client stopped responding to you the following morning.
(I lost the plot so we’ll call this part 1 before delving into this guys psyche some more)
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luvjunie · 10 months
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— Unforgettable ( 1 )
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part one • part two • part three • part four
pairing: e-1610!miles morales x fem!reader
contains: miles rizzing you up after knowing you for two seconds, a beef patty changing the entire course of trajectory for your life. nothing too major
summary: a bump in with a certain boy at the bodega threatens to ruin your previously perfect afternoon until he offers to fix it. you assumed things would end there, and then you ran into him again. wc: 1,634
a/n: this was originally going to be one long fic but i decided to split it up, and i’m estimating around four, maybe five chapters in total. also, chapter one is cute but i thought i should let y’all know that two of them will contain some angst/conflict! this is the first series i’ve ever written so it won’t be the best, and i’m still deciding if i like how i mapped out the rest of the story so please bear with me if updates are a tad irregular 😅
next
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To think, a damn beef patty is what started it all.
A beef patty that had tumbled out of your hands, down the sweater you’d just taken to the laundromat— your favorite one, at that— and onto the dirty bodega floor when a hard surface came in contact with you on your way to leave.
“Oh shit—“
“Jeez, what the hell man!”
You lunch gone and your good mood with it, your head lifted a great distance from the murder scene at your feet to meet the apologetic face of who had committed this unjust crime against your rumbling stomach.
“I am so sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going…” The boy in front of you murmured sheepishly, palm dragging at the back of his neck.
Lips pursed, your forefinger and thumb pinched at the bridge of your nose as you willed yourself to refrain from cursing him out. New york already had enough of that, you decided as he continued apologizing.
“It’s my fault. I bumped into you, it’s fine.” you grumbled curtly, clearly irked. Shifting the blame onto yourself was your best attempt at keeping your anger at bay. The last thing you wanted to do was cut up in this nice man’s shop, especially not on a Sunday.
With a heavy sigh and a scratch to your brow, you crouched down and swiftly scooped the discarded meal off the floor with a napkin. Great, money down the drain.
“Let me buy you another one.” He said to the top of your green adidas beanie, palms pushed together to accompany his plea.
“No need.”
“I really wanna buy you another one.”
You shot up and tossed the remnants into the trash, your frustration evident in how much forced you used. “Dude, it’s—“
“I’m buying you another one.” he insisted, chin raising when he hollered at the clerk. “Yo, Lenny, lemme get another beef patty, man.”
He shuffled past you before you could decline again, the man behind the counter already sliding a fresh one past the register after having witnessed the run in.
You stared at the back of this stranger, brows furrowed incredulously. He was nice, which was unusual for someone in this city, so your innate response was to be annoyed at his persistence. People were always bumping into you and ruining your day, but no one had ever offered to fix it before.
“That’s the last one I got for the day, Miles.” Lenny, the owner of the shop informed apologetically, his Jamaican accent heavy on his tongue. He knew the boy usually came into his store around this hour for one thing, and it was always for one of his beef patties.
“It’s cool, don’t sweat it.” Waving him off, Miles slapped the cash down onto the counter and snatched the pastry up.
“Here,” He turned to you just as you were brushing your hands off onto your dark-wash jeans, breath held with what he hoped would be a peace-offering, extended out to you. “I’m sorry, again.”
You looked up at him, then back down at the patty in his hand before you gently accepted it, the pads of your fingers lingering in his palm when you did so.
“Thank you,..” trailing off, you blinked up at him, a silent request for his name. He was tall, kind of lanky, and had the prettiest brown eyes you’d probably ever seen. They stared back at you, appearing puzzled before he put the pieces together.
“Oh!— Miles.” he answered with a warm smile, hands tucking into the pockets of his jacket. It was green, your favorite color.
“Thank you… Miles.” you returned his smile with a smaller one, something about it contagious.
Caught up in the way you said his name for a moment, it wasn’t until you were already halfway out the door when he realized you hadn’t told him yours.
“Wait! I didn’t get your—“ he called out to the air, the bell on the shop’s door a taunt of his failed attempt. “Name.” he murmured, shoulders falling with a sigh.
He felt eyes on him and turned to the side, lips smacking against his teeth in annoyance at who’s stare he’d caught.
“Don’t be mad at me, man. You gotta step ya game up.” Lenny threw his hands up in surrender and stifled a laugh, shaking his head at the boy.
Even though he had nothing to be smiling about when he exited the small store—seeing as he was out of five dollars and still hungry—Miles found himself walking home that day with a smile etched onto his face, a little pep in his step and something to keep his mind busy.
Nothing happened, that was obvious, but for some reason he felt like this wouldn’t be the last time he saw you.
Exactly one thing was on your mind the next time you entered Lenny’s shop, and he already knew what it was before you’d opened your mouth to ask after approaching the register.
Well, maybe two things, but the second one wasn’t necessary to get into.
“Comin’ righ’tup, sweetheart.” He nodded at you.
“Thanks.” You smiled sweetly, idly tapping your hands against the counter during your short wait.
The white parchment paper cradling your all time favorite snack slid over to you a minute later. You paid quickly, your stomach rumbling just from smelling the savory treat.
Just as you went to turn around, you spotted that same boy who’d ran into you a week ago and nearly ruined your day. Miles, you remembered his name was, as you stuck an apprehensive hand out in front of you, patty pulled close to your chest and brows raised in warning.
“Chill,” He laughed, his hands shooting up in defense. “I’m out your way this time, promise.”
Narrowing your eyes at him, his playful demeanor rubbed off on you. “You better be.”
“Please don’t tell me you got the last one.” He pleaded with hopeful eyes, but wishful thinking never did much for him.
“She sure did.” Lenny called from behind the counter, eyeing Miles closely to see if he’d take the bone he threw. He then ticked his head to the side with a slightly widened stare, as if urging the disappointed boy to make a move.
“Woops.” Using your fingers, you ripped a piece off the patty and popped it into your mouth, shrugging as you brushed past Miles, who had just caught on to what the shop owner did for him.
With your back to him as you pushed the door open to outside, you missed the two fingered salute Miles shot towards the man as a thank you.
He followed after you, swiftly shouldering himself through the closing door and sliding outside, into step with you.
“Tell you what, I’ll give you my number for half of it.” He offered with a boyish grin, long legs able to keep up with ease.
You nearly choked, steps halting when you spun around to face him. What made him think you wanted his number? And maybe you did, because you definitely thought he was cute, but that was besides the point since he didn’t know that.
“Are you flirting with me?” you asked, and he perked up a bit.
“Depends. Is it working?”
You rolled your eyes. “How about my name first?”
He shrugged, leaning back against the side of the building a bit. “I kinda assumed that was a package deal, seeing as I’ll need something to save your contact under.”
Okay, you’ll admit it, that was smooth.
You put your hand on your hip, patty in the other with your head tilted in thought. “Somehow, I feel like this deal benefits you more than me.”
“That‘s possible.” Miles chuckled, and you can’t believe that’s all it took to convince you. How pretty he looked when he laughed. How good your name sounded rolling off his tongue when he’d repeated it back to stake it within his memory.
You quietly hummed to yourself, contemplating. You’d never accepted a guy’s advances this easily, and figured you’d test him in a way he’d most likely fail.
“Quick, what’s my favorite color?”
There was a pause.
“Green.”
Your jaw dropped. “What— How in the hell?” You gaped at him. “How did you know that?”
“You give away more than you know with your eyes.” He grinned. “Saw you eyeing my jacket last week, and you’re doing it again today. And your beanie, too.” With a raise of his eyes from yours, he pointed out the forest green hat pulled snug over your head and your hand mindlessly went to touch it. “But honestly, I was only like, seventy percent sure, so maybe you can call it a lucky guess.”
You quirked a brow. “Oh, so you think I’m checking you out now?”
“No, but I wouldn’t mind.”
Well, you’d managed to lose at your own game, fair and square. Holding his gaze for a minute, you had to restrain a smile from splitting through your calm and collected facade and shooed away the urge with a clearing of your throat.
“Phone.” You held your hand out, beckoning him for it.
Fetching it from his pants pocket, he did the same to you with his other hand, palm upwards. “Patty.”
Huffing in frustration, you awarded him the half he earned and snatched the device, ignoring the triumphant look on his face as you punched your digits in.
It was pitiful. It barely took anything for you to take interest in a guy in general— but even if your standards were ridiculously high, there was no doubt that Miles would have weasled his way into your thoughts regardless.
You’d checked your phone at least six times in the past hour in hopes of seeing a text, coming up with unconvincing excuses like checking the time, or the weather— all while blatantly pretending to be oblivious towards the possibility that a message from an unknown number might just be there, too.
And then it came.
[Unknown]: Best patty I’ve had in a while. Food always tastes better when it’s not yours :)
He had you on your stomach, features pulled into a hopeful smile with your legs fluttering in the air off one message. You’d remind yourself to get a grip in due time.
Who’s this?
You knew damn well who it was. But you wouldn’t be who you were if you didn’t play hard to get.
[Unknown]: Damn, you forgot about me that quickly?
You clicked the info button in the top right corner of your phone and saved him as a contact before you replied.
Maybe. Remind me of your name again? Micah, right?
[Miles]: Okay, now that’s just hurtful. I do not look like a Micah!
You laughed to yourself at that, flopping onto your back as you typed a response. In the back of your mind you wondered if things would progress any further than this conversation.
But if only you could’ve time travelled and spoken to your future self, because she would’ve told you that forgetting about a boy like Miles Morales, or trying to, would be impossible.
tags: @cctoma
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intynidad · 11 months
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Yes sir ma’am sir
Yandere otome au: the DLC
Tw: yandere stuff, suggestive in some parts tell me if I miss anything please
Tag: @pollypocketblog03u thanks for ur request love! <3
As time went on, you noticed something peculiar: despite the approaching "final day" of the game, the heroine had not yet locked a route. It struck you as quite unusual, but you dismissed the notion that it had anything to do with you. Perhaps the game mechanics were different in this "real life" version. Through some trial and error, you managed to discover a sort of "pause menu." However, it didn't prove particularly helpful. It wasn't like you could literally pause time, but it provided you with information about the characters, which you were determined to use to your advantage. Strangely enough, when you examined the character sheets, you found that some of them were either blank or marked with a ??? symbol.
Then, it dawned on you that the final day wouldn't be triggered until the heroine had met all the love interests. Recalling the main cast, you were certain there were only three: the childhood friend, the family friend, and the loner (excluding yourself as the rival and the heroine).
Nevertheless, you were positive that the heroine had interacted with all of them, as you had observed her engaging in (not so friendly) conversations with each.
That’s until you remembered…you had installed the “more love” dlc!
Okay... This is actually pretty perfect, to be honest.
If you manage to meet all the new love interests and make them your friends, or even prevent the heroine from meeting them at all, the "final day" won't trigger, and the heroine won't take revenge on you! This is perfect. What could go wrong?
You honestly had no idea who the new love interest would be and the whole “praying for your life” thing made you exhausted, you needed a way out.
So there were you moving through the game map to a new location exclusive of the dlc, “the obsidian stardust”
The bass reverberates through every fiber of your being, as bodies move in sync with the hypnotic melodies. The dance floor is a mosaic of swaying figures, their movements fluid and uninhibited. The atmosphere is alive with an aura of liberation, a temporary escape from the mundane.
It was just what you needed
With your newfound knowledge of the current route and the realization that the "final day" was yet to come, a sense of relief washed over you, and you felt a wave of relaxation. Tonight, you were determined to forget about everything and simply enjoy yourself on the dance floor, immersing yourself in the music and letting loose.
Lost in your own little world, you accidentally bumped into someone. "Ah, sorry, my ba..." you began to apologize, but before you could finish, the stranger took hold of your hand and pulled you into a dance.
Well, this wasn't exactly what you had envisioned, but it was a club after all, and people often bumped into each other. Perhaps this person simply assumed you wanted to dance, and you decided to go with the flow, embracing the unexpected twist of the evening.
Both of you danced and danced until it was time to go home.
You were outside the club either debating to call one of your friends or just pick up a taxi when you felt a tab on your shoulder.
“You really know how to move, ain’t ya’” this stranger looked at you with half lidded eyes
“Let me tell you something” he got a step closer “my place is a couple of streets away, so what do you say”
“No thanks”
“Perfect, let me just grab my car and we ca-wait what?”
“I said no thanks” you repeated yourself a little bit louder
The stranger was frozen in place while you walked your merry way into a taxi and left
Did?- did he just got rejected??
THE PLAYBOY
This dude is a player, he loves to sleep around and break hearts. He knows he is handsome and is willing to use it in his favor to get what he wants.
Used to sleeping around and breaking Hearts but totally not used to being rejected, so when you do it is like if somebody dropped a bucket full of ice water on top of him.
But when he recovers from the initial shock he sees this as a test, a challenge to test his charm and ability to woo people.
So he tracks you down and starts to shamelessly flirt with you and being very vocal on wanting to sleep with you.
And you just??? Say No? To him??? Who does that!!?
So he tries and tries again, his friends telling him to give it up and to just move to another pray, that any other boy or girl would be in line to get on their knees for him.
But no, he doesn’t want anybody. He.wants.you.
This becomes something personal,he needs to make you his.
This starts to slowly spiral into an obsession but he is delusional, you are just crazy about him! You are just playing hard to get!
He ends up convincing himself that you are completely in love with him and that you are just or too shy or too bratty to accept his- i mean your feelings
Is not until he is fucking another person that he realizes that it doesn’t make him feel good anymore,at least not the way it was before.
His worst fear had materialized before his very eyes: he had succumbed to the allure of love.
The echoes of his past deeds reverberated through his being, fueling a resolute determination to never subject himself to the heartbreak he had once inflicted on his victims.
You will be his,and that’s final
The delinquent
With your newfound understanding of the city's layout, you found yourself strolling through its vibrant streets more frequently (purely coincidental, of course, and certainly not a clever tactic to evade the relentless presence of the heroine and the rest of the love interests). On one eventful day, as you ventured downtown, a disturbing scene unfolded before your eyes. A group of individuals, driven by an inexplicable rage, were beating the absolute crap of some random unfortunate soul.
you and what you assume was the leader made eye contact and you did what was the most logic course of action.
Averting your eyes, your pace quickened, silently signaling your intent to distance yourself from the impending chaos.
What?.you weren’t gonna risk yourself like that!
It was best to mind your own affairs and leave the role of the valiant hero to others.
You thought that that would be the end of the interaction, that until you were in a local bookstore,mostly to pass the time, that’s until you were passing through the cooking section that your eyes meet with the same guy was beating the random person the other day!
He looked well, cleaner?(with less blood you mean) and you could swear that they took out some of their piercings.
The eyes of the ringleader flashed with recognized and panic, and started to speed walk and corner you into an mostly empty part of the bookstore
Long story short, you were threatened with staying quiet with the leader’s apparently-secret-hobby of baking
After that you started to bump into him more often.
He even one day gave you some muffins on the (totally not excuse) of needing a taste tester.
After that you two started to hang out around, his menacing aura was enough to make people move off the way.
He even started to give you more of your favorite pastries (even though you don’t remember telling them about your preferences)
What you didn't know is that the delinquent grew really attached to you because you didn't judge him about his “secret hobby”.
He might or might not started to mix the pastries with…some special ingredients
A thirst was just a little bit of his saliva, just to pretend you guys shared an indirect kiss, then it moved to…other stuff.
Watching you stuff your mouth with something he made, made his mind wander on what that mouth of yours could do.
When some underling of his made the comment of him going soft for somebody, he crushed his skull with a metal bar until probably not even their family would be able to recognize them.
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scary-lasagna · 1 month
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Hi! Could we get more of the creeps bumping into someone they used to know before their incidents?? I love your blog thank you!!
Decided to go a negative route for this one to make it spicy
tw: bullying, trauma mention,
Toby
He tried so hard.
Even after the double take, he still wasn't sure about the man five feet away from him.
But he still smelled the same, that irritating wet-dog smell mixed with a shitty watered-down body spray.
Toby balled his fists, attempting to focus on the words of the shirt in front of him.
Standing in line at the bank was not where he expected his next breakdown, yet here we are. He wasn't even in his hometown; he was a few cities west of his origin.
Toby was mentally prepared to glance at a few familiar faces, but never the main culprit of the Devil of his school years.
With the stress of the situation, his medication seemed to nullify, and a quick snap of his neck caused a few heads to turn toward him.
Toby's cheeks burned, and he glared at the marble flooring.
"Ticci Toby?"
Fuck.
Toby tightened his jaw and slowly looked over to the man in the next line over, a redhead with dirt clinging to his oily skin, along with that same spotty beard Toby remembered from his school-days.
Then again, Toby probably didn't look his best after work either, with sweat still clinging to his bangs and dirty, non-bank-worthy clothes.
"Rick." Toby managed a cringeworthy grimace of a smile, "How have you been?"
At the moment, Toby felt like that pathetic excuse for a teenager again. A pathetic excuse for a human.
The memories of being shoved against lockers and brick walls and returning home with more bruises than he cared about resurfaced in waves of pain.
"I've been good. Been working." Rick nodded. He sniffed and glanced away, "You disappeared off the map, everyone thought you killed your dad and died in the fire."
What a fucking opener for small talk.
"He was not my Dad," Toby said curtly. And I'm still alive." However, Toby definitely wished he wasn't at that moment.
The pain of embarrassment and uncomfortableness was enough to make the brunette keel over.
"I bet you wished Lyra was still here after all of that, huh?"
A beat passed, and despite how hard Toby glared at the man in front of him, the line did not budge. Rick continued to stare at Toby.
"You think you're too good to talk to me now?"
Toby breathed. He sighed and rolled his neck.
A verbal tic followed closely after, at the best moment to call Rick a Cunt.
Whatever manilla folder Rick held dropped from his hands and dully fell against the marble.
Toby allowed himself to react out of pure fear and instinct, punching Rick directly in the jaw before he could even lay hands on him.
And, with Toby being much stronger now as a grown man, Rick was not expecting such a hit. The pressure radiated from his jaw and rebounded to whatever brain cells were left in his empty skull.
Toby didn't know what happened between that moment and when he was running from security guards and into the nearest wooded area.
But his hands were covered in blood, and his knuckles had been scraped open.
After returning home, he apologized to Slender for not depositing the check and decided not to speak of anything else.
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doobea · 7 months
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SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE - NAGI SEISHIRO
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synopsis: Your boyfriend doesn't realize how important little things are to you until it's a bit too late.
contents: established relationship, slight hurt and comfort??, slight jealousy, sfw, nagi struggling trying to process emotional needs of others - what else is new, also nagi centric, college au, mentions of fraternity formals, gn!reader, idk i hc'd nagi to be a compsci major but up to debate ig word count: 1.6K a/n: title is based off of tyler the creators song hehe its my fav from his album and omg thank u nagi for breaking me out of this writer's block, inspired by @celestair for the idea!!
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Nagi hadn't really expected you to get so excited about attending his chapter formal. Hell, he didn't even know that they were going to have one in the first place if it weren't for Reo bringing it up in a passing conversation last week in your dorm room.
"We should go!" You said, and he remembers you hopping out of your seat, abandoning your assignment, and dashing immediately towards your closet for an outfit.
"Should we?" Nagi questioned, a frown creeping its way to his lips.
Reo slumped his arm over Nagi's shoulder, tugging the male slightly into his chest. "C'mon, why are you even paying the dues if you don't attend our events?" Reo sounded annoyed.
Nagi shrugged and went back to his phone, resuming the level of whatever popular gacha game that was released for that month. "Because you said it would look good on my resume or something." He answered flatly.
Of course, Nagi knew that he couldn't say no to this. As much as he would love to, once you and Reo were both set on something it's almost impossible to try and coax you two out of it. Nagi is pretty sure that this formal is going to be the bane of his college existence and that his computer science classes are, arguably, now the easiest part.
"It's too loud in here." Nagi wanted to go home the moment he stepped out of his best friend's rented limo. He feels too stiff with the suit he's currently wearing, the cologne is starting to overwhelm his senses, and he really didn't like the fact there's already a fuckton of people inside the venue.
Everything feels too congested.
The three of you take a seat at a table shared by Nagi's other 'brothers' and their dates. He really doesn't remember anyone's faces aside from maybe one or two from his classes, so he's confused when a handful of them start greeting him with fist bumps. All of which he awkwardly returns. Something about long-living brotherhood? Nagi didn't quite catch what they said.
"Do you guys want anything to drink?" Reo shouts over the music as he starts to get up.
"A cranberry vodka would be nice." You gently tug on Nagi's sleeve, attempting to break his unyielding attention from his phone. Reo had set a rule before they left, and it's a mobile game and social media app ban at the table. So, naturally, Nagi is stuck analyzing the weather app. "Do you want anything, Sei?"
Looks like tomorrow there's going to be a slight chance of rain which is pretty awesome, he thinks.
"Hm? Oh, whatever you're having, I guess."
Nagi misses the way your smile fades. "Um, make that two cranberry vodkas?"
"Ah," Reo stumbles around with his words for a bit before nodding away. "Sure, be back in a minute."
"Sei," Your voice is closer this time, lips almost pressed up to his ears to minimize the booming music in the background. "Wanna go on the dance floor later?"
Nagi pauses his thumb, hovering over a random European map, and he's already internally shrinking from the idea. "Do I have to?"
You laugh, it sounds a little forced. "Only if you're up for it."
He shrugs and eyes the surrounding area. The dance floor looks semi-packed at the moment and everyone looks equally semi-buzzed. Sitting at the table sounds better in his head. "I think I'll stay here but you can go on ahead."
"Oh," You exhale through your nose and laugh again. "Okay, if that's what you want!"
"Mhm," He hums back and settles his head down at the table, feeling almost exhausted despite not having to do much today.
Nagi doesn't notice that he's alone at the table until the DJ starts signaling everyone in the venue to pay attention to a couple on the dance floor. He only looks up when he hears Reo's name getting called out and starts to straighten his back when he sees you dancing hand in hand with him. The sight leaves Nagi gnawing the insides of his cheeks.
"Hey," Nagi turns to see two of his fraternity brothers looking at him with a bit of concern and he's not sure why that's making him feel uneasy.
"You good there?" Isagi asks, careful to sound casual, but Nagi picks up on it.
"What?" Nagi frowns, connecting the dots together. "It's fine. I don't really care about them doing stuff together anyway." It's a vague statement. Maybe purposefully vague.
"Eh? You sure about that, Nagi?" Bachira presses.
Nagi frowns again, tips his head down, and is in deep thought. "I'm actually not sure." He finally admits. Nagi is currently fighting off a weird feeling in his stomach. Maybe it's just the drink he had earlier.
He's always been fine with Reo keeping you company whenever he isn't in the mood. Whether it be eating with you in the dining halls, attending movies together, going to the mall, and so forth. Dancing isn't off the list either. He's seen the two of you dance before but isn't sure why this is setting him off. Maybe it's the thought of you being happier without him in your life that is eating him away.
"Shit, he's walking over."
"Waah, let's go!"
It doesn't occur to Nagi that Reo's in front of him until his best friend clears his throat. Reo puts a hand on Nagi's shoulder and gives him one of those looks. A look that insinuates something big that he can't place a finger on but knows it's full of negative nuance.
"Don't be an ass right now," is all that Reo says.
"An ass?" Nagi echoes.
He allows Reo to tug him out of his seat and Nagi almost feels lethargic from how long he's been sitting down. A final push towards the edge of the dance floor is when he catches your sullen figure.
"I'm surprised that you haven't caught on," Reo continues after a while. Nagi recognizes the tone. He doesn't say anything more, and Nagi appreciates it that much, at least.
It's funny how much his mood is able to shift. First from feeling annoyed, to borderline sleepy, to determined. Nagi thinks he's finally learning how to read his relationship with you.
It's only when he's inches apart that he realizes that you're on the verge of tears. Nagi instinctively reaches out his hands and softly cups your cheeks, rubbing his thumbs across in his attempt to calm you.
What's wrong, he wants to ask but he already knows the answer to that. He feels bad for complaining all week, but he feels even worse for essentially abandoning your needs for god knows how long.
Nagi chews on his lips as a new idea starts to brew. It's an uncharacteristic idea. An idea that pushes him to become a new version of himself—the person he wants to be but struggling to understand.
"Hey," Nagi calls out your name slowly. "Can I dance with you?" You open your mouth—probably to say it's okay and you'd rather not make him uncomfortable—but Nagi continues before you can get a word in, before your tears start falling. "I'm sorry, I should've paid closer attention." He says in a whisper.
You fall silent and Nagi is wondering if he's said something he shouldn't have. He quietly peers over at Reo who's aggressively nodding his head, throwing a thumbs up across the room. You shift awkwardly in place before giving Nagi a faint smile.
"I would like that," You sound a little hesitant, but surprisingly welcoming to the suggestion. "I mean, if you're okay with it?"
"Don't worry about what I think, you've done plenty for me already." And he means it.
Nagi migrates his hands from your face to your waist as the music shifts to something slower, more tender, and sweet. It's obvious to everyone in the room that you two are a little nervous and it's almost laughable. He's been dating you just shy of a year and has never once offered to dance with you. It comes as no shock to him that you're growing shy under his touch and movements, despite being together countless times. This feels different to Nagi, and he's positive you're thinking the same thing.
It takes a while, maybe because you're both getting used to this foreign feeling, but you eventually wrap your arms around his neck and hug closer to his body. Somehow, that short circuits Nagi's brain and he freezes in place.
"Sei, is everything alright?"
There's a wave of guilt that washes over his eyes. This act is weighing Nagi down, more than he wants to admit, and he has to pull away. Eyes glued to the ground because if he looks at you he'll start to feel nervous, confused, and small.
"Sorry, I'm... trying my best."
"Sei, it's okay." It's your turn to rub your hands across his cheeks and he doesn't realize that he's flushed in the face until you comment. "You're warm."
"Sorry," He doesn't know why he's apologizing again. For being flustered? Not knowing how to dance? Or afraid of disappointing you again? He thinks it's a mixture of all three.
"Hey, as long as you're trying then I'm proud of you." You reply with ease.
You're always kind to him. Most times, you don't push him more than what he's willing to give and maybe that's why he's comfortable around you. Even if he does know you're silently judging his actions but it's okay, because it's you. But he also knows that he's been taking advantage of this trait and it sucks having to find this out tonight.
Nagi nods. You're right, he doesn't need to worry about anything else but you in this moment.
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the-oblivious-writer · 9 months
Text
Let The Light In |1|
Tara Carpenter x Fem!Reader
Chapter One: Princess Tara
Summary: You and Tara Carpenter never got along much. One of the things she looked forward to when leaving Woodsboro was never having to see you again. But one day she unexpectedly bumps into you on her first day at Blackmore University
Warning(s): Swearing, underage drinking and mentions of intoxication, the loving part of their enemies to lovers story has definitely not started yet
Notes: This is gonna be fun
Masterlist|Next part
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It was Tara’s first day and of course she was already running late for her first class. She had turned down the maps that were offered at the entrance..goodness did she regret that now. About seven minutes left until the start of her class and she was ninety nine percent sure she was walking in a circle. Tara decided to make one more attempt before asking for help when she bumped into somebody. Just as she was about to apologize she stopped herself when she realized who she had bumped into.
“Sorr- oh it’s you.” You rolled your eyes as Tara responded with a scoff. “What the hell are you doing here?” She asked as she picked up her things and you did the same with your fallen belongings.
“Attending college. What does it look like, princess?” Tara roughly shoved one of your books to your chest. “We’ve been over this, don’t call me that.” You’ve had the same nickname for Tara since highschool and every time it pissed her off. Oh, how you loved getting a reaction out of her. 
“What I mean is, what the hell are you doing in New York? It’s one hell of a coincidence.” You let out a dry chuckle before answering. “Decided to go to a college near my family. What’s it to you?” Tara rolled her eyes. Gosh, she despised you. Just when she thought she finally got away from everything that she left behind, you show up. 
Just as she’s about to let out another remark she realizes the time. Tara still has no idea where she is, meaning she’ll have to swallow her pride and ask you, of all people, for help. “Listen, I don’t have time to go back and forth right now. I’m gonna be late for my film class and I have no idea where I am right now.”
You grinned and looked at the girl,“Lucky for you we’re headed in the same direction, my class is right by your destination.” 
“Great, show me?” Tara asked, causing you to wear a smug smirk. Oh how she wanted to slap it right off your-
“Of course, princess” you winked at her and started walking, Tara let out a small groan but followed. It didn’t take long for you both to arrive at her destination. “Are you serious, it was right here?” Tara scoffed.
“Yeah, you never were good at direction” you remarked, which earned you a shove to the shoulder. “And you’re still as infuriating as ever.” You tsked and shook your head at her. “That’s no way to thank somebody, Tara. Where have your manners gone?” 
“I need to get to class before I’m even late.” She shoved passed you and entered the classroom. As you walked the short distance to your class, the younger Carpenter sat down next to Mindy with a huff. 
“Uh oh, I know that look. Who pissed you off this time?” Mindy asked as Tara settled in her seat. “The same pain in my ass from highschool.” Mindy raised her eyebrows, knowing exactly who her friend was referring to.
“Shit, really? Never thought I’d get to see you two at it again. But never say never I guess” Mindy sighed as Tara groaned and put her head down.
You opened the door to your shared apartment, throwing your bag on the floor and dramatically plopping down on the coach. You leaned your head back and closed your eyes as the door to your roommate’s room opened.
“Y/N, you up?” She asked, you opened your eyes and nodded at her. “Okay good, I need your opinion.” She held up two tops. “Which should I go with? This one or this one?”
“Uhhh, left one for sure” you answered, pointing to the left top. “Right?” She has been talking to this girl and tonight would be their second date. “So, when do I get to meet the girl that has my roommate so smitten?”
“And then you embarrass me? Yeah, gonna hold off on that for a bit.” You jokingly scoff at her comment. “Come on, Anika. I’m not gonna embarrass you or anything.” Anika let out a small laugh, “Yeah that was super convincing.”
Later that night, you’re left alone in the apartment with nothing to do while Anika is out on her date. You try to pass the time by re-watching Abbott Elementary before getting a message from one of your friends asking if you were free. 
Henry (8:32 pm) you free? I’m so fucking bored rn 😩
Y/N  (8:33 pm) what do you have in mind?
Henry (8:33 pm) heard about a frat party goin on tn
Y/N (8:34 pm) Idk, you know how I am with parties
Henry (8:34 pm) ohhh come onnn my little wallflower pleaseee
Y/N (8:35 pm) I don’t feel like being around people rn
Henry (8:35 pm) you NEVER feel like being around people. besides..there’ll be alcohol and you can stay in your little corner if you want
Y/N (8:36 pm) Fine. You win, asshole.
Henry (8:36 pm) YAYY pick you up in fifteen?
Y/N (8:37 pm) Alright
Read at 8:37 pm
When the two of you arrived at the party you immediately wanted to curl up into a ball. Henry stayed by your side for a while but then ventured off to do his own things. You sat down on a couch, beer in hand as your right leg bounced. 
“What about her? She’s cute” Ethan pointed to the couch and Chad looked over to find you. “Holy crap-” Ethan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Uh, you know that girl that Tara was ranting about earlier?” 
“Yeah, but what does that hav- oh. Oh. It’s her?” Chad nodded, looking back at you then back to the curly haired boy. 
Henry walked over and sat down beside you, “What’s up, buddy?” You took another sip of your beer before responding. “I feel like eyes are on me but I don’t know where and it’s really starting to tick me off.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’re not being stalked if that’s what you’re worried about.” You went for another sip of your beer but noticed you’re all out. “Can you come with me to get another one?” Henry hummed and you both got up to where the drinks were.
Henry was talking to somebody else, you were beside him and it was when you grabbed another beer that you heard, “Oh you have got to be kidding me.” You rolled your eyes and turned towards the voice. Revealing it to be Tara Carpenter. 
“At this point you’re stalking me. You have to be” Tara said with scoff as you rolled your eyes again. “Someone’s full of it. Actually, I was dragged here by a friend. Not everything pertains to you, princess.” 
“I’m supposed to believe you actually have a friend?” Tara questioned with a look that said ‘really?’
“Now you know how I felt when I discovered there was more than one person that supposedly tolerates you” you shot back, tilting your head slightly. 
“All I’m hearing is that you can’t comprehend what it’s like to be tolerated.” Tara lifted one of the bottles of  Vodka, inspecting it before tucking it to her side. 
You noticed this but didn’t say anything. Maybe you just never thought you’d see the day when princess Tara would be drinking and going to frat parties. 
Tara walked away before you could respond to her comment. You were pulled out of your train of thought by a tap on your shoulder. You turned to see Henry. “You alright?” He asked you, the person he was previously talking to had left. 
“Yeah. Yeah I’m good. I’m gonna go back to the couch.”
“Want me to join you?” You shook your head,“Nah, it’s okay. You can go, you know where to find me.”
“Alright but let me know when you wanna leave,” he said, patting your shoulder. You nodded and he left, already talking to somebody new. 
You sat back down on the couch, cracking the beer open and taking a sip. It was disgusting but it was something to do. You took out your phone and scrolled through your notifications. Some from  Tumblr, tiktok and two messages from your older brother. You clicked on one of the messages.
Dickhead (9:01 pm) mom wants to know if you’re coming over for Lily’s birthday 
Y/N (9:43 pm) as far as I know, yeah
Dickhead (9:45 pm) took you long enough
Y/N (9:46 pm) relax, it was only 42 mins
Dickhead (9:46 pm) how do I know you didn’t get kidnapped in those 42 mins????
Y/N (9:47 pm) you're so fucking dramatic
Dickhead (9:47 pm) am I?? Or are you not dramatic enough?
Dickhead (9:48 pm) where even are you rn
Y/N (9:48 pm) some stupid party. Why’s it your business??
Dickhead (9:49 pm) whatever, idc
Y/N (9:49 pm) kindaaaa seem like ya do
Dickhead (9:50 pm) if that’s what helps you sleep at night
Before you could text back you hear something smack against the wall. You look up to find an extremely drunk looking Tara being held up by Chad. “Alright, it’s time to go home.” You recognized him from Woodsboro as one of  Tara’s friends. “No I’m fineee” Tara slurred, still struggling to stand.
Chad waves over Ethan, leaving with him and the intoxicated girl. They finally get back to the Carpenter-Bailey residence with Sam waiting for them in the living room. 
“Where were you guys? I was worried sick- Is she drunk?” Sam questioned, with a raised voice which caused Tara to groan from the volume. “Tooo loud.”
Sam sighed, “Tara, I’m gonna wash you up and then in the morning we’ll talk about this when you’re sober.” Chad mumbled a ‘sorry’ as Sam walked Tara to the bathroom. Ethan and Chad said their goodbyes to the older Carpenter before leaving.
It was the next day and you had history. 
Ten minutes had passed and as you were taking notes you heard the door slam open. Everybody turned their heads and you saw Tara was the one who had opened them. She was wearing sunglasses, a black hoodie and gray sweatpants. No doubt, she was suffering from a killer hangover after last night. The professor looked at her for a second before lazily saying, “Find a seat” and continuing the lesson. 
Everybody else turned back to the professor but your eyes still followed the younger Carpenter. You noticed the only available seat was beside you. Which was just ridiculous to you. Of course today was the day people didn't feel like skipping out on learning.
As Tara painfully approached the seat beside you, you looked back towards your notes. Trying your absolute hardest to ignore the girl beside you. A few minutes pass before you speak up. “Ya know, you could’ve just skipped.” You whispered to Tara without looking up from your notes.
“Sam made me go.” She whispered back, slightly tilting her head to look at your notes. “You live with your sister?” You asked as you blocked your notebook from her view with your arm. 
She rolled her eyes, painfully due to her headache. “And?” You shook your head. “Didn’t mean anything by it. She seems nice.”
“How do you know my sister?” Tara’s voice had a hint of suspicion. “I met her briefly back in Woodsboro.”
“Really?” Curiosity started to grow inside Tara. “When was that?” You sighed and turned to meet Tara’s stare. “I just remember bumping into her at some point. It was a while ago though so I don’t remember the specifics.”
“Maybe if you spent as much time taking notes as you did interrogating me, you wouldn’t have to try to copy my notes.” Tara looked away from your notes and rubbed her temples. 
“Whatever, Y/L/N. You think I wanna be here? Only reason I am is because it’s a mandatory class.” You mumbled something before throwing a pencil at Tara. “At least look like you’re doing something.”
After what felt like forever, the class was finally over. You and Tara had enough of each other and were ready to get out of there. Anika met you outside the classroom, Tara shoving passed you and not sparing a single glance to you.
But Anika immediately noticed the tension in those couple seconds. “Y/N, please don’t tell me that’s the girl you rant about.” You furrowed your eyebrows at her. “She is..”
“Of course she is,” Anika sighed. “You know that girl I’ve been seeing?” You hummed. “She’s friends with her.”
“You’re serious? That’s..great.” You said trying to sport a supporting smile for your friend.
Of all the things that could be consistent in your life, why did it have to be Tara?
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A/N: First chapter finally posted!
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Text
Secret Smokes (Part 15)
Pairing: Teacher! Remus Lupin x Reader
Series Summary: When the reader bumps into the new DADA professor on the bridge in Hogwarts she begins to build a friendship with him all thanks to their shared feeling of not belonging and love for muggle cigarettes. Their friendship blooms while they both fight internal battles deciding what is wrong and what is right leading to a lot of fluff, angst, flirting and a rollercoaster of emotions.
Warnings: Swearing, smoking, drinking, teacher-student relationship, angst, jealousy, fluff, smut.
Word Count: 2311
A/N: wow it's been a while I have no excuses I just have a soul-draining full-time job and no free time. Enjoy! I missed you all <3
 | SERIES MASTER LIST (All chapters) |
Previous Chapter, Part 15, Next Chapter
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You spent the whole Sunday sulking as you walked around Hogsmeade trying to lift your own spirits. You couldn't take it anymore. On one hand you thought about how maybe you just need to go one a date with someone else to break this fixation you had on Remus on the other hand you felt like you may have a lot more than just a crush on him and that no one will be able to replace him. You simultaneously wanted to bump into him and to not see him for a few days. But something pushed you to try and force him into bumping into you. So you pulled out the marauders map and saw he was in his classroom. You went to the corridor adjacent and sat with a book waiting for him to walk out, yet the next time you checked the map he was in the library so you headed straight there. Once you arrived to the library he was nowhere to be found, you checked the map and saw he was walking towards the courtyard you followed him but couldn't catch up with him until you saw him disappear from the map. You knew he left Hogwarts, and you knew he was avoiding you as he probably saw where you were using his own map. It was hopeless. He was impossible.
Your next interaction with him was Monday morning in class, one of the only places he couldn't avoid you, especially that you knew he couldn't skip classes as he had to do so at the end of each month anyway. When you walked in Remus's eyes flicked to yours and then straight to the floor to avoid yours. He kept his composure well during class but spent the whole hour tapping his finger on his wand and falling over his words. He barely answered questions and took deep breaths. After the lesson finished he let out a sign simply saying "that's all, thank you very much. Remember keep studying I know you'll all do great." In this moment he gave you a short glance breathing in, closing his eyes slowly and turning to walk up to his office. As everyone funnelled out you followed him. "Professor, I have a question about one of the exams." You said nearly running up to catch him as he was already half way up the stairs.
"Miss L/N, I can't go into too much details about exams you know this. I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be of much use to you."
"But professor I just want to understand more." You pushed hugging your books for comfort and looking around as some students were still in the class, he shifted his body weights to his other leg.
"I'll be honest I've never ran a class through exams, you know I'm new to all this. It would be better for you to speak to a different professor on this subject." He pained and you knew you were both speaking in double meanings at this point.
"But you're the one I want to speak to as you are the one who teaches defence against the dark arts."
"Was I not clear that I'm not the right match for you on this topic when we last spoke about exams, I suggest Professor McGonagall could help." He said looking past you at the last few girls in the room both you aching for them to leave you you could speak normally as he knew you wouldn't leave and there wasn't much you could say like this.
"Yes I do understand that Professor however what she explained wasn't that clear either, it left me with a lot of questions specific to defence against the dark arts." At this moment the last two girls left saying "bye Professor Lupin." He said goodbye to them before turning back to you and saying "Follow me, let me see if I can help." You followed behind him, he held the door open for you and let you in his office first before shutting the door behind you, you didn't make yourself comfortable in the room but rather stood by the door. "You shouldn't speak to me like that while there's other students around." He said in a low tone.
"I needed to get your attention somehow."
"You know you've always got my attention." He words were almost a low growl.
"But you avoided me all Sunday."
"It's what's best for you." He took a step closer closing the space between you forcing you to look up if you want to look into his eyes.
"How do you know what's best for me?"
"Trust me I do." He leaned down his lips were an inch away from yours.
"Really?" You asked and his lips met yours as he moaned a "mhm" in confirmation. He pulled away to say "you know you really shouldn't act like that in my classroom while there's other students still leaving, begging me to talk to you, to give you attention." His words were making hot flashes go through your body as you said nothing just looked up at him. "Do you understand?" He asked and you nodded.
"Good girl." He said the words catching you off guard. He walked away from you to go and lean against his desk as you stood in the same place confused.
"I thought you were avoiding me?" You asked not understanding his sudden change in behaviour.
"I am." He said signalling for you to come closer with his hand and you followed his command. He stood up straight in front of the desk as you looked up at him he picked you up and put you down on the desk so you were now sitting on it.
"How is this avoiding me professor?" You ask him as he looked down at you, he got on his knees in front of you, his head at desk level as his hands moved up and down your thigh.
"Well right now we don't have to discuss all the stuff I'm avoiding." He said moving his head between your thighs and teasing you through your clothing.
"How are you so sure?" You asked as you resisted all the feelings he was sending through you.
"Because dear you can't even think straight and I haven't bent you over my desk yet." He said standing back up leaving you aching for him.
"Please don't stop." You said looking into his eyes that seemed a lot darker in this moment. He began to kiss you as he undressed you and you unbuttoned his shirt. He grabbed you by your hair to turn you around and bent you over his desk. You felt his body against you before he leaned down to whisper in your ear he took a deep breath and then he let you go and walked away sitting on the sofa opposite the desk while saying "I can't do this."
You turned around in confusion to see him buttoning back up his shirt, you quickly fixed yourself before questioning him. "What do you mean you can't do this? You started it!" You attempt to protest.
"and I'm ending it."
"So what happened to wanting to bend me over your desk?"
"I can't, I care about you too much. I don't want to throw you around this room like an object of desire. Don't get me wrong I do desire you, and you do something to me when you out me on the spot in public like that but I can't treat you like this."
"What if I want you to treat me like that?" You asked afraid of moving anywhere closer to him in the room.
"Then you don't understand your own worth." He simply stated.
"So now you won't speak to me or even sleep with me anymore?"
"You know I think it was William Blake who said sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires."
"Well if you studied Blake like I did you would know Blake is telling you to act on your unacted desires, unless you're telling me you would rather kill a infant in its cradle than kiss me again."
"You've got it wrong dear. I may have been homeschooled by my parents but don't underestimate how many hours I spent reading. The enacted desires are the things you should murder. If you nurse them, they must be in a cradle. They are the baby in a cradle so strangle your unacted desire, don't act on them."
You felt almost embarrassed at you pointing out school, you didn't know he was homeschooled but it made sense with his condition and the fact they moved constantly, it added up and now not only were you angry at Remus for his recent actions but you felt guilty for your own words. You didn't reply, the silence was thick before Remus breathed heavily and continued to speak.
"Therefore it's time for me to strangle mine, if you remember the day we went to the British Museum I asked you to promise that if you developed any strong feelings for me to tell me so we could cut it off before either of us gets hurt." He said and you nodded slowly to show you're following along. "Well I may have not been too truthful and I feel neither have you, and it has resulted in us both becoming victims of our own misfortune."
"Are you saying you have strong feelings for me Remus Lupin?" You asked feeling both nervous and excited.
"Not exactly, what I'm saying is there was a line that I tried to set and I believe somewhere that line became blurry. So after you left on my birthday I decided to establish that hard line again. I decided we will stop sleeping in my bed, we will stop all the cuddling nonsense and all the softness. However I simply can't do that Y/N, I can't be as stern and strict as I want to be with you."
"That's okay, I want to cuddle with you."
"I'm aware however I told you that day, I would like to take you on dates, I would like to walk around and hold your hand, I would like to bring you to see my friends especially during my birthday but we can't do that, I told you it will hurt to not be able to live in public, I didn't want to risk the pain for you. You deserve so much more than this." He looked weak.
"Can you not tell you're what I want no matter how many times you deny me?" You were almost in tears.
"I simply don't believe you understand what you're signing up for with me, and it's emphasised by you asking me to take you on dates, to go see Sirius, to go to my cottage. I always told you those weren't options with me especially while you study here but you didn't listen." He was angry but also frustrated like he was mainly fighting with himself.
"What if I didn't study here?"
"What? Y/N don't try and ruin your education?"
"No, as in when I finish. What happens then?"
"Then we're free, but then you have the burden of being associated with me.  I fear that the stigma attached to me will affect you before you even have a chance to become the amazing witch you can be."
"I don't care." You simply shrugged. "But would you take me on dates?" You asked and he thought for a second.
"Of course if you're not my student there no reason not to." He replied thoughtfully.
"Would I be able to visit Sirius with you?"
"It would be encouraged." He replied instantly.
"Okay, then we'll continue this whole conversation when I finish."
"So what happens now?"
"You tell me, you're the one who knows what's best for me." You said and he laughed for the first time since you entered this room. "Touché."
"I think we hold off for a little bit, you're right you know, I'm not being truthful about how attached I am to you. And I haven't been really seeing my friends this year because all I can think about is you." He gave you a sad but understanding nod. "So I think I should come here less, but I don't want to stop coming. Maybe we become a bit more casual, see each other every so often, I'd still like to be able to come for tea, listen to music and sometimes kiss you if that's okay."
"It's always okay." He said with a soft pained smile.
"Okay, so we do that, and when I finish school you can ask me out and show me what dating Remus Lupin is like, deal?"you put your hand out for him to shake.
"Deal." He said reaching out to shake your hand. "Would you like to stay exclusive still?"
"You don't?" You were caught off guard.
"No I do, but I'm not in my last year of school, I'm asking you?"
"I don't think I would be comfortable finding out you're kissing someone else, so could we please stay exclusive even if we don't see each other as often?" You asked nervously.
"Of course dear, now what would you like to do stay here with me today or go back to your friends I won't be offended if you leave right now."
"I'd like to stay." You said and he reached out his hand to pull you to sit beside him.
"I'm very proud of you for putting your foot down like this, don't get me wrong it hurts to know I'll see you less but I think you've acted more mature than me in all this."
"If we had it your way we would still be smoking and flirting on the bridge." You pointed out as Remus put and arm alright you and got comfortable making him laugh. You felt safe, and like you made the right decision. You hoped.
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NEXT CHAPTER | More stuff I wrote
A/N: sorry for the angst I had to do it.
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amongemeraldclouds · 2 months
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better than revenge | chapter one: falling for me, dear?
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Lorenzo Berkshire x Slytherin!reader (ft. Ex!Mattheo Riddle)
Series trope: Fake dating
Chapter one summary: While trying to hide from your ex-boyfriend Mattheo, you run into a potential ally and the scheming starts.
Warning: Swearing, allusion to cheating
Author's note: I prefer using I instead of you to refer to the reader. Feel free to comment if you’d like me to tag you when the next one goes live.
Aahh I'm so excited to publish this! It's my first time writing fan fiction and doing a series. I used to write fictional one shots years ago when I was 15. Anyway, enjoy reading! Happy to receive feedback.
main masterlist | series masterlist | chapter two: practice?
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What is Mattheo Riddle doing in the library at this hour? He’s supposed to be in class.
I close my book and grab my bag. Trying to tame my racing heart, I sneak off to the shelves. He can’t see me, nope. He no longer has the privilege to interact with me in any way, not since he broke my heart.
I curse inward, walking back, further down the shelves. My eyes dart from him and the exit, mapping out my escape plan. If I wait for him to pass the next five rows of shelves, I can—
“Oof,” I drop my book as I hit something behind me. No, not something. Someone.
I nearly fall but then strong arms catch me. “Falling for me, dear?” I hear a deep, playful voice. Lorenzo Berkshire, we knew each other casually but he and Mattheo are rivals despite being half brothers so I never had much opportunities to speak to him when we dated.
“Ha, funny Berkshire. Maybe if you didn’t randomly stand by shelves, then people wouldn’t knock into you,” I say grabbing my things off the floor and composing myself.
He raises an eyebrow, “maybe if you didn’t walk backwards, you’d actually see where you’re walking.”
“Maybe if your brother stuck to his schedule and he was where he needed to be then I wouldn’t have to go sneaking around the damn library at my damn school. Like I’m the one who did something wrong,” I reply.
“First of all, it’s half brother. And second—what?” His eyebrows knit together.
“Why are you avoiding Mattheo?” His voice softens.
I look away from him and my cheeks burn. “I just don’t want to see him,” I whisper, trying to keep my voice steady. It’s been three weeks yet the memories felt fresh in my mind. A night of forbidden kisses and broken promises. I can feel my eyes sting and it takes everything in me to hold it all in. 
“I don’t know what happened between you two, but knowing Mattheo, it was definitely his fault,” he says. I look at his grinning face and smile back. 
“Listen,” he leans in conspiratorially and holds his arm out to lean on the shelf.
Footsteps grow louder as Mattheo approaches, watching you smiling up at Lorenzo while he stands intimately close to you. “Get a room!” He chides.
Lorenzo smirks at you then turns to face his brother, “stalk much? If you missed me, brother, you could have just called.”
“Fuck off, Enzo,” Mattheo bites out. “I heard a thud and had to see what is was about.”
“Always looking for trouble,” Lorenzo tsked. “You know what? I’ll take your advice. I’ll fuck off and we’ll get a room.” He turns towards me, “what do you say?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” I take his hand and force a smile, looking at Mattheo for the first time in weeks. God, I missed his brown eyes and those dark curls.
I inwardly slap myself to stay focused. “Thanks for the advice, Mattheo,” I say sweetly. I hold my head high and leave the library with Enzo, my sadness transformed to anger.
“Thanks for the save,” I bump my shoulder against Lorenzo’s once we’re far enough away from the library. 
He bumps my shoulder back, “any chance I can annoy Mattheo is a great opportunity in my book.”
“So listen,” I start, an idea forming in my head. “What if we continue to annoy him?”
“And how do you propose we do that?” He asks.
“By continuing this” I point between us. I didn’t expect it but I felt courageous speaking to Mattheo earlier when I was with Enzo. It felt good.
Lorenzo smirks, “darling, if you wanted to date me, all you have to do is ask.”
I hit his shoulder playfully, “fake date. Honestly, I’m still getting over Mattheo. It wouldn’t be fair. I’m not yet ready to date for real.”
“Let’s do it!” He agrees enthusiastically.
“Wait,” I stop walking. “You agreed too easily, what’s in it for you?”
“Aside from the kindness of my own heart?” He smirks. I roll my eyes.
“Fine. Here’s a tale as old as time: my father wants me to marry a pureblood. Given my dating history, he doesn’t trust me to make the right decision so he’s been setting me up with his friends’ and allies’ daughters this past year. Now normally I don’t mind wining and dining with beautiful ladies, but at this point, I’m exhausted,” he sighs.
I frown, “Shit, that’s a lot of pressure. But why? We’re still young.”
“Right, but he wants to have a strategic marriage that will keep our social status or even elevate it,” Enzo explains.
I catch on, “My father is influential in the political sphere so it would definitely help you.”
“We don’t actually have to date, don’t worry. But it’s enough to keep him off my back just until we graduate and then I’ll have more room to breathe.”
“So that’s why Mattheo was annoyed earlier! If we date, he’ll think you might marry me and then his ex-girlfriend would be his sister in law,” I realize. 
“Exactly, it’s a win-win situation,” Lorenzo grins then looks at his watch. “I have class in ten minutes. Meet me at my dorm later so we can go over the details in private?” I nod in agreement.
Lorenzo leans closer, “can I kiss you on the forehead?”
“Why of course, fake boyfriend,” I whisper with a small smile, finding an odd comfort in his proximity as he places a gentle kiss on my forehead. A few students around us whisper, witnessing something new to gossip about. 
Fake dating, what could go wrong?
main masterlist | series masterlist | chapter two: practice?
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ghouljams · 9 months
Note
Begging for someone to break into Bee’s house and König only finds out bc of the bug, so he takes care of it
Here's where we get more of König being insane about his crush. Introducing(formally) the perimeter alarm.
An alert pings on König's phone as he's herding the last horse into their stall. He pats the over-large animal affectionately as he tugs his phone free and swipes through the notifications. He frowns, opening the property map and scanning for where the break pinged. Your side of the farm, not good. Hopefully it's just a wild animal that's wandered too far from the woods and set off the alarm.
He pulls the back wall of the barn open, survey's his arsenal, then grabs a rifle and a few tranquilizer rounds. If it is an animal, he'd hate to hurt the poor thing. If it isn't... Well better not to take care of it on your property.
It's a short ride through the pasture to get decent sight lines. Your house is dark, that's good. König raises the rifle, steadying it against his shoulder. The small movements of the horse under him are a little tricky, but nothing he can't deal with. Grace under pressure is what got him the rank of colonel in the first place.
He sweeps his sights around your house. While the breach hadn't been too close, it did take him time to get here. No deer, no foxes or coyotes threatening your brightly painted chicken coop, no raccoons in your trash. König frowns, sweeping wider just as a flashlight wanders its way around the blind side of your house. That makes this easier. His brain clicks through calculations, before taking aim and watching for impact. The quiet thunk of his silenced rifle firing is like music to his ears.
The figure startles a little, grasps at the dart's entry point, stumbles and collapses. And they said he couldn't be a sniper.
König rides closer to the fence, and hops off his horse, fishing some rope out of the saddle bags. It's always so easy to hop your fence. He keeps his eyes on your bedroom window, careful to stay quiet as he makes his way to your back door and your would be intruder. It's only when he turns the man over and he feels the cold grip of malice that he really decides what he's going to do next.
The man awakes in a single chair, in a small concrete room. It's dark, the only light coming from a single bare bulb hanging over head. Across from him, König leans forward. Watching with his elbows resting on his knees as the man jerks and panics against his restraints.
"It is very fortunate that I found you when I did," König tells him, "I would not have been able to stop myself if you'd actually gotten into the house."
"Where am I?" The man spits, König clicks his tongue, shakes his head.
"Now now, you are asking the wrong question. You should be asking, 'who are you?'" König motions with his hand, "Go on."
"Fine, who the fuck are you," The man's face is red with barely contained rage.
"I'm the man that's going to kill you."
All the motion seems to drain out of the man, his muscles locking up in fear or perhaps realization as König stands. The little metal table he drags over shakes and bumps along the uneven ground. It's only the noise of it, the sort of slick friction of metal against plastic, that makes the man look down at the tarp covering the floor.
"Don't look so worried, this is going to hurt a lot, but not for very long." König pauses, picking up a file, "Well, not for me anyway. For you it will feel like an eternity."
"I- Whatever it is you want we can work something out," The man asks, begs, leaning back in his chair as best he can as König draws closer. "I've got money, you want money? Or- or- shit!"
"No money," This part is always fun, the begging, the crying, the last shred of hope, "you hurt someone very precious to me, and I can't let that happen again."
"I don't even know who you are," The tears are starting. König grips his jaw hard, forces his mouth open to give the file room to drag against the man's teeth.
"But I know who you are," König hums over the grating noise of file against enamel, the building panicked scream, "and that's all that matters, isn't it?"
Yes, König thinks, that is all that matters. It isn't as if the man is fit to answer the question anyway, what with the amateur dentistry happening. This is really fantastic timing on your ex-husband's part, well fantastic for König. He'd just been wondering if and when would be appropriate to rid your life of this scum. It wasn't like you'd miss him, truly no one would, but timing was -is- everything.
An extended business trip, a few bad investments, a drunken if slightly rabid text exchange. König kept close eyes on his targets, even if he told himself it was just to keep you safe. He knew every detail, every movement this bastard made. How convenient that his tour of stupidity would lead him right into König's hands. His car might be a problem, but it's nothing König hadn't handled before.
König pulls back from his work to stare at the bloody gums and nubbed teeth. The man sobs, gurgled bubbling spit turning red from the rough orthodontics as he tries to speak around the pain. König thinks he'll do the fingers next, maybe try inserting some metal screws into his legs. It doesn't really matter what tortures he puts the man through, it'll all be burned away in the end.
König wakes you up in the morning, his knocking on your front door thunders through your house. Although you suppose it could be anyone knocking on your door, you don't really get any visitors but him. You pull a pair of shorts on to answer the door, just barely awake enough to deal with people. Your alarm isn't set to go off for another two hours at least.
When you pull your door open you blink blearily up at König. His eyes dart over you, taking in your pyjamas as you rub your eyes with a frown. You don't know what was so important it couldn't wait for later in the morning.
"König s'early, what're you doing here?" You yawn. König's expression is soft and affectionate, it's too early for that.
"I thought I'd make you breakfast," He pulls his bandana down for you to see his smile. You hum and turn to go back into the house, figuring he'll follow you like always. König's hand catches your head and spins you to face him again, dragging you for a kiss. His fingers tighten their hold on you as his lips drag against yours. It's the sweetest good morning you've ever gotten. You wonder what's gotten into him.
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guacamoleroll · 4 months
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𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖈𝖍𝖔 𝖔𝖋 𝖘𝖞𝖓𝖈𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖎𝖈 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖘 「𝔣𝔶𝔬𝔡𝔬𝔯 𝔡𝔬𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔢𝔳𝔰𝔨𝔶」 ༉‧₊˚
content. f!reader. implied breaking-and-entering, fireworks, metaphors about stars, soft!fyodor, he's secretly down-bad, he's also incredibly possessive. descriptions of moscow (red square, st. basil's cathedral), mentions of eastern european food (pirozhki), references to greek mythology (perseus and andromeda), jokes about greek incest. not proofread. 2.2k+ words.
author's note. starting the last of my fics for the year with the first bungou stray dogs character i've ever written for. thank you for such a lovely year! ࿐ ♡ ˚ .
would you like to see more? join the taglist or comment under this post!
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synopsis. within the last minutes of the year, sitting underneath the stars, two lovers discuss the stories mapped within constellations. in themselves, they find that some tales are timeless.
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"It's so lovely at this time of night."
You couldn't contain your astonishment as flurries coasted to the earth in silent swells, dusting the city in a sheen of sparkling white. With an outstretched hand, you gathered flakes into your palm, admiring them before they melted with the heat of your skin. The riverside stilled as you coasted along the sidewalk, frozen in thickening ice as parents ushered their children away from its tempting surface. Tourists clustered under trees, shivering in their thin hats and coats as they underestimated the spite of Russia's wind. But despite the chill, there was an unmistakable gaiety in the air, smiles strewn on glassy faces as they awaited the new year.
You tailed behind Fyodor as he sauntered forward with broad steps, unable to catch your breath as the basket of freshly baked pirozhki settled heavily in your stomach. Your eyelids threatened to close as exhaustion crept into the corners of your vision; journeying between museums, promenading through parks, and scowering various foods had taken a toll on your energy.
You groaned. "Do we have to go tonight?"
He merely chuckled, the velvety bass of his voice tracing goosebumps down your spine, easily distracting you from the fact that he hadn't answered your question. Your field of vision spiraled into a haze, thoughts shot far in the distance despite the frost attempting to rouse you, left unaware as an assured hand ushered you inside a concealed entrance to the luminous structure slumbering outside of Moscow's main square. You walked forward into the endless darkness, only to bump into something sturdy. Your fingers carded through the puffed fur of Fyodor's coat, tugging on its ends.
"Fyodor?"
With a click, the room was brought to life. The high-vaulted ceiling outstretched to reach the heavens above, walls embellished with intricate frescoes of ancient Abrahamic tales. Flares of resplendent color danced across the floor as moonlight met glass, casting waves of softened light upon your skin. A labyrinth of winding corridors hid in the shadows, prompting any curious wanderer into a trove of antediluvian alcoves and chapels.
Your jaw dropped, gawking at every deliberate component. "What is this place?"
"It was a cathedral erected in honor of Tsar Ivan the IV." His gloved hand puckered altar cloth between his gracile fingers, tracing the embroidery as his mind drifted elsewhere.
You hummed, racking your brain as it itched in anamnesis. "Wasn't that the terrible one?"
He was silent as he released the fabric from his fingers, but the self-satisfied smirk told you everything you needed to know. "Indeed. This place once brimmed with life, hosting religious gatherings and services for the denizens of this city." His boots snicked against the tile, the noise reverberating as it spun towards the ceiling. "It has been left as a relic of time."
You ever-so-delicately brushed your hand against one of the columns, not wishing to disturb the peace of stillness and rest that blanketed the cathedral.
"How marvelous."
Your attention went astray as Fyodor tinkered at a lock, the hinges of a thin door ricketing with unsettling squeaks as he stood aside, uncloaking a never-ending staircase to the unknown.
"After you."
Your muscles cramped with every step, dread buried deep in your gut as your vision remained impaired, the flashlight beam smattering inconclusive rays of light as it aimed at your back. It was almost like the architects had attempted to reach the clouds, their grandiose endeavor churning a flare in your back as you slumped against the wall, your lungs burning with every passing moment. Your spirit was invigorated at the sight of a door through the dime ire of light, basking in your relief as you stepped out the door, the crisp breeze of winter striking your skin as—!
"W-Woah!"
Your feet teetered over the ridge of the roof; only your ankles remained flimsily rooted onto solid paneling as your arms swung out to balance yourself. Fortunately for you, an arm wrapped around your waist, drawing you back against Fyodor's chest. A quick peek upward towards his impish expression revealed everything you needed to know.
"You must be careful, любимая."
Your breath was shuddery, inwardly wavering on whether to punch him or kiss him, the indecisiveness reigning victorious as you pointedly ignored the mellifluous lilt of his tone, hands binding to his arm as your gaze locked onto the ground several hundred feet below.
"Good lord, we're high," you muttered between pants.
His arms braced you further against his chest, leaning away from the perilous drop. "You're trembling." The tension in your grip eased at the sensation of a gentle kiss against the crown of your head. "You know I'd never let you fall, hm?"
"Right." You released the amalgam of tense breath that clawed at your throat, able to balance on your own two feet as you settled your view to the skies.
Your feet shuffled across the panels as you slogged onto a wider expanse of the roof, slumping against a wall as the tension evaporated out through your fingers, the nightmare of plummeting from the roof erased from your mind. However, you swallowed a yelp as the flashlight flickered off, leaving the both of you enshrouded in complete darkness—at least for a brief moment.
Clouds stacked in bunched within the stratosphere, mirroring fragments of light that bounced from below in a nebulose aurora. But despite the wonderment of their decadence, they lost their luster once the stars peaked through their fogged edges, the finite speckles scattered like freckles across the canvas of the heavens. They felt close enough to touch if only you reached out toward them, daring to do so. Your fingers trailed maps of these celestial bodies, finding a sense of peace in their familiar patterns.
"Are you familiar with Ovid's Metamorphoses?" Your voice pierced through the silence.
"I can't say I am."
You withheld the impulse to laugh—he had the entire compendium of books in his personal library. It would be a surprise if he hadn't at least skimmed them, but you decided to humor him this once, scooching closer to point towards a specific cluster of stars.
"Those are the constellations of Perseus, the son of Zeus, and Princess Andromeda, the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia."
You took his silence as an encouragement to continue. "Perseus found Andromeda chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the sea monster, Cetus, by her parents in order to save her home." Your fingers drew out the character within the stars, a grin upturned on your lips as you envisioned the archaic tale in your mind. "It was told that he found her so beautiful that he slayed the monster, rescuing her before fighting against her uncle for her hand-in-marriage."
"Her uncle?" Fyodor mused.
Your nose scrunched in a grimace. "There's a lot of that in those stories, I'm afraid."
"The couple went on to live happily ever after—an extremely rare ending to most ancient stories."
"There is a simple explanation for that," he replied.
You snickered, already aware that your open-ended commentary would eventually lead to some thoughts from the infamously brilliant man.
His eyes rolled in return at your amusement, disregarding the tightness of his chest. "We hold onto ancient tragedies because they are a reflection of life. Nothing in our world is as simple as a happy ending." A vacant look ruled over his features, a familiar expression that often shielded his thoughts within the dark, contemplative hours of the night. "Most aspired heroes never reach their potential due to their blind devotion to selfish aspirations and goals."
"You're right," you sighed, hands balled against the corner of his cape in an attempt to thaw your frozen fingers. You wanted to say more, but it felt like your mouth was cotton-filled. So, instead, you returned your eyes to the sky.
"Sometimes, I wish I was a constellation." He looked at you. "Even with its flaws, this world is undoubtedly beautiful from above. I like to think the stars admire us just as much as we do them."
And he didn't say anything more; he didn't need to. Instead, he reigned you onto his lap, his coat shrouding your shoulders as he shared its warmth. You leaned into his embrace, basking in the flutter inside your chest.
"You're awfully cold, милая," he grumbled, his fingers mapping your frigid palms.
"Our roles are reversed now," you quipped. "I hope you think about this the next time you decide to stun me with your hands in the morning."
"I'm afraid I might forget," he whistled.
"You little—"
But you found your voice hidden underneath layers of crackling. You ogled as fireworks wiggled their way into the night sky, shimmering onto the city square, the towers of the Kremlin becomen heavenly statues as their structures temporarily glistened. Without a second thought, you grabbed onto his hands, giving them a squeeze with each pop. You were so attentive to the collections of radiant sparks that you didn't notice the eyes boring into your skin; Fyodor's gaze averted from the fireworks to contemplate the interlacement of your fingers.
He surmised you were to be his future the moment you had locked eyes for the first time—his destined, pre-ordained other half as he journeyed to actualize God's promised land. It wasn't a surprise that someone was fated to remain in his keep—another loyal follower, too intertwined in their own aspirations to connect to his cause without deliberate guidance.
But not you. 
You may not have supported his cause with the devotion of his witless flock, but you understood it better than anyone. And most importantly, you understood him. You peered through his intricate plans and performative malice, reading into his cause as you unraveled his intentions. It had been an enticing cat-and-mouse game, the both of you constantly entangled in a mental match, intellect and morals clashing. He knew you were his perfect match from your analytic dexterity, but he had no idea that you would pull at the strings cast around his heart, ones he believed had been severed long ago.
His heart had never belonged to anyone or anything—his mind and will were forever devoted to his cause, but his heart hadn't beat since before he could even remember. The sudden constriction of his chest was so foreign.
You must've been quite the powerful woman to kickstart the heart of a demon, excavating a trove of humanity he had buried within himself with a simple glance of your eyes—and all without knowing, your gentle expression puncturing through his abstruse masquerades, somehow able to see everything except the turmoil that you left in the wake of your very touch.
He found himself less and less concerned about the echoed beat of his heart within the emptiness of his chest, too captivated by your smile as you beheld the heavens with a benevolent expression, savoring the burning red and gold sparks despite their dullness in comparison to you. In spite of himself, your everlasting happiness had become an intrinsic component in his plans.
You were made to remain at his side—not as a brainless devotee, but as his equal and often opposite. The world, so rotten yet somehow divine through your benevolent gaze, may try to pull you away, but he'd have no issue burning cities to their ashen roots if anyone dared attempt to pry you from his hold.
His lithe fingers outlined the constellations of every freckle and beauty mark, star patterns copied onto your skin as his touch drifted your attention from the flashes and flickers to him, your inquisitive eyes scanning his face as he remained unmoved.
"Федя?" 
He shuddered with unparalleled delight at the euphonious sound of his mother language slipping like honey from your tongue, foreign to your lips yet dulcet all the same. Your bonniness beaconed him forward, a heat flowering in his once cavernous chest as he captured your lips, which were as soft as the powdered snow that glinted on your skin. His heavy breath tickled your nose, which crinkled in tandem with your eyes as you drew him in for another. Words became meaningless, his skin seared like static as your arms drew him closer, skin scorched from the cold of your hands against the nape of his neck.
He tucked your hair behind your ear, ensuring that your empyreal features weren't veiled further as flakes of snow flurried once more, your parted lips and shallow breath leaving him in a helpless state of complete limerence. He stirred as his hand brushed against your pulse, your own heart racing concertly with his.
You parted in bittersweet bliss, yearning imbued in your bones as your hands drifted towards one another to intertwine. His forehead rested against yours, your shared breath permeating in spirals within the open air as he peered into your hazy, glossed-over eyes.
His hand cupped your cheek, the frame to a divine masterpiece. "Ты согреваешь мою душу, мое нежное солнышко. Тво�� красота вне всякого сравнения; твой разум безупречен." He had never looked at anyone like this before, his ire thawed by the brilliance of your tender gaze as if he had melted. "Я бесконечно благодарен, что Бог привел тебя ко мне."
And you laughed. "You know I don't understand anything you're saying, right?"
He kissed your forehead, concealing his smile as his lips pressed against your skin. "You will one day, солнышко. You will."
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любимая = darling милая = dear федя = fedya ты согреваешь мою душу, мое нежное солнышко. твоя красота вне всякого сравнения; твой разум безупречен = you warm my soul, my gentle sun. your beauty is beyond comparison; your mind is beyond flaw. я бесконечно благодарен, что бог привел тебя ко мне = i am eternally grateful that god brought you to me. солнышко = sunshine
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nexusnyx · 1 year
Note
So much love to you sweetheart! Major congrats on hitting 10! That’s SUCH a huge achievement! You deserve 10,000 more and you *know it*.
Can I ask for…
🖊️ Breath-hitching when they get close with Joel? I feel like it’s such a JOEL thing. His expression stays the same, his body language is stiff, but he can’t deny the way his heart stops when you’re nearby 🥹
SO MUCH LOVE TO U
So, there you go tingling all the right bits in my brain. I love the idea of tension with Joel because he's just soooo serious, isn't he? I wanna thank you first of all, babes, idk if I'll ever make it to 10k more but just knowing you think I deserve it is good enough. — main masterlist | fireplace celebration | 🏷️: established relationship, soft!Joel, pet names, mentions of smut, minors DNI; [WC: 1.2k]
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ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ˗ˏˋ꒰ edges start to burn꒱
This thing with Joel was new. Tentative, and big.
It was like a dip in deep ocean, something you have only one clear memory of.
After dancing around each other for far too long, he’d done something about the tension that was born in the air every time the two of you were alone, and now, it was like getting to know Joel all over again. All the nervousness, the electric shocks whenever he bumped into you or talked too close to your ears—everything it took you goddamn months to get used to, and the fact that it now came with more.
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It was torture, and yet, you both loved it.
Since the kiss after the campfire, now Joel smiled at you differently.
You’d seen it the first time after he pulled away, his hands still cupping your neck and his arms around you holding you back from collapsing on the floor in a thousand tiny pieces. He was smiling. It was—shy. Coy. A little cocky, too, specially with the smugness in his voice when he said, “open your eyes, darlin’.”
Joel became a hazard to your health.
Every time he inched closer, it made the oxygen in your body to behave funny—it stilled. His voice and his presence were like the zero degree hit mark, and you became ice under his touch before you melted away.
He takes it slow.
Painfully slow, if anyone asked you, but it’s still fine. Joel’s look has a promise of something bigger, and it keeps you on your toes. It’s better that he grows you used to the curling in your toes when he kisses you long and deep, or trail his hands on your body.
That’s how you’ll survive something more—dosed on him.
Joel crawls inside of you like something wild. He comes in bit by bit, trusting your smiles the more they come. He takes a while before allowing you to caress him the same you he loves doing you.
While his hands have trailed almost all of your body — trembling, shaking, breathing through the assistance of his own breath too close to yours and his gaze holding a dark cloud over you, his whispers of ‘it’s ok, darlin’—feels good, doesn’t it? I like seein’ you squirm like this’ driving you into a foggy haze — that was all that happened. Joel kissed you and ground your hips into his, letting you claw at his scalp and hold onto him for dear life, but it was only you who fell apart at first.
Then, one day, your hands traveled underneath his shirt, and sighed, melting into it.
Not away from it. Joel continued his ministrations, sighing deeper into the kiss, opening up beneath you.
Getting underneath Miller’s layers was similar to bringing an untamed horse inside close borders—it came with drawing boundaries, and going through them slowly. Surely.
Joel opened up about his past before he could feel comfortable to get naked for you.
It was like he needed you to see him before seeing the rest. A map of scars and a long past.
It’s intense, and more than you expected, but not in a bad way. It’s real.
He’s so Joel that you know him better than you knew people who grew up around you. He understood the deepest and darkest parts of you, shrugging them off as if they were nothing.
Joel showered you in compliments whenever he could, much like you did with him. Yours always came out much shier than his, but he blushed at them all the same.
On a Sunday, you wake up to the smell of coffee and find him in the kitchen with your vinyl player turning the whole place into a dream. Maybe it’s the Spring air outside, and the pink light streaming through your glass, or maybe it’s him—
Joel’s leaning on the counter, shirtless. It’s definitely him.
Or maybe you’re still dreaming.
“What are you doing here?” you ask. 
He spins around with the mug in his lips, but you see the smile behind it. Your smile.
He gives you a curt nod, then uses his free hand to make a come hither gesture.
You walk towards him, drunk in sleep and the view you’re graced with, and then walk until your body is all pressed on his. Your arms wrap around his waist, and Joel sips his coffee before putting the mug down behind him. He then hugs properly, putting his face on his neck. “Mornin’ to you, too.”
You chuckle. “Sorry. Thought I was still dreaming there for a sec.”
“Is that so?” His breath tickles your neck, and you nuzzle your nose in his hair. He’s been using the coconut shampoo you gave him, finally. “Didn’t know you dreamt about me being indecent that often.”
Heat burned in your cheeks, and you were thankful for being hidden in the crook of his neck. “Shut up.” You feel him pulling back to look at you. “You know what I mean.”
“I might know what you mean, yeah.” Joel laughs a little. “I told ya I’d be dropping by the first day that it was hot early in the mornin’ to get a look at your window. I washed the dishes and saw the sink was drippin’, too, so I fixed that. Might’ve gotten sprayed in the process.”
“So handy, Miller.”
He leans until his lips were brushing on yours to answer, “You knew that already,” in a whisper.
It was way too early to be trembling like this, “Unlike some people, I haven’t had my coffee yet.” It comes out a little breathless.
Joel hums thoughtfully at you, and presses a kiss on your waiting lips either way.
How could you be so delusional to think you’d need coffee when he was here. Joel’s better than coffee. Sharper, too.
When he kisses you like this, it made you remember the hidden books in Elena’s secret library that you read when you were younger. The ones you wished you could take it home and read until all the light went out of the sky—lines and thousands of words of exactly this; his hands felt hot. They made your body respond like a magnet.
Joel left a trail of heat wherever his hands passed by, and it woke you up much faster than caffeine would dream of.
Your own moans your muffled to your ears by the sound of his soft sighing, and that was all you needed to press harder into him; slithering your body on his. Joel responded by untangling from you with his heavy breathing and his smile turned up a thousand watts. “I really like this ‘just woke up’ look on ya,” he says before dipping to kiss along your neck.
Your only answer is a whine, and trying to control the desire to start climbing him as you had times before.
His skin is so hot under your palms that they’ve been running all over his back as kissed you lazy and awake, and you can feel the dampness in your underwear because of the way he squeezed your thighs and your ass.
When Joel nibbles on a sensitive part of your neck, you whine louder. Whine his name.
“‘kay, ok, I hear you.” Joel then scoops you up by your ass, pulling a surprised yelp from you. “C’mon,” he laughs.
He makes his way to your bedroom, and you think—definitely still dreaming. You’ll believe it’s real when you eat something.
Maybe him.
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oumaheroes · 1 month
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[8] + fruk? idk, it sounds like something they'd hardly tell each other but I figured it's a challenge you could enjoy solving. :) i love your writing btw. Thank you for sharing it with the world. <3
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[8] 'I love you'
Both of these asks are so so old but I enjoy a challenge, Anons! Took me a while but I got there in the end. Hope you like!
Characters: France, England, FrUK
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Love Is...
'You're not entirely intolerable.'
England says this to him in warm candlelight, yellows and orange hues dancing gently on his cheek and across his nose. On his back, no less, looking up at France with wine soft eyes amongst expensive coverlets and pillows of a borrowed palace bed.
France's hands are busy, one supporting him, one not, and thus he knows there is some bias to England’s words.
If it were darker, less candlelight and more masking cover, maybe they would be more true. England had always been gentler in the shadows, safer when he feels he can't be seen.
'Shame the same cannot be said for you.' France says in reply, and bites him hard on the shoulder.
-------------
'You can be useful.'
France sounds surprised.
England clenches his jaw. 'Fuck you.'
'I'm serious.' France twirls the pointed end of his share knife into England thick wooden table. 'There may yet be hope in regards to you being anything of value.'
It is France's own knife, at least, that he is blunting. Gilded- overly so, so it's almost more decorative than usable. Almost. France does so like to find those lines and tease them.
The remains of a meal are pushed aside, a map open and curling long between them instead like a dried up sea. England wants to grab the knife out of France’s hand and jab it in his eye but he doesn’t. He needs France, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, needs his help sweet talking the French nobility and keeping his King in check and so refrains from lunging across the table. Swallows bitterness down and looks from the maimed table to the map.
The French coastline looks alien upside-down but England doesn’t ask France to turn it around.
‘So.’ France’s voice is silky and low, ‘Can you deliver on your end?’
England thinks of his own King, thinks of his endless envy that is great enough to engulf his nation’s pride. He nods.
France clicks his tongue, ‘What a surprise.’
-------------
‘Where have you been?’ A nation who will one day be England pouts and crosses his arms across his chest, ‘I’ve been waiting here for hours’.
‘It wasn’t hours.’ A nation who will one day be France looks about the bank of the tree where England is sat in distain, ‘The ground is wet.’
‘You’re late.’ England insists, ‘You said you would be here by noon. And wet ground is better to write in.’
‘It’s still noon. Couldn’t you have picked somewhere sunnier? The ground hasn’t dried here; where will I sit.’
‘Are you stupid?’ England holds out an arm and gestures to the shadow it makes upon the floor with another. It is slightly longer than noon would provide, ‘Does that look like noon?’
‘Do you want me to help, or not.’
‘No.’
France sighs, ‘Fine. Do you want me to do this the easy way or the hard way.’
England kicks at a small stone and it bumps a little ways down the small pathway along the edge of the wheat field he’s been biding his time in. This France knows, because there’s chaff caught in his hair and dusting amongst the mud of the dampened hem of his cloak.
‘I already know how to write letters,’ England grumbles, ‘Rome made me learn his, and they’re exactly the same as your ones. Why do I have to do this all again.’
‘Because after Rome, you learnt some barbarian ones, and now I want to make you presentable. These are things any decent, proper nation should know.’ France dusts down England’s hair, ‘And it’s very hard to bring you up to par when you keep avoiding my visits and moving from castle to castle.’
England shakes his head and looks away.
‘You should stay with the King,’ France says pointedly, ‘Not move about the strongholds like a vagabond. You shouldn’t show your earls too much favour.’
France sees England hold himself back from speaking. He knows what England wants to say and is relieved when he keeps the several possible and difficult arguments to himself. An improvement, but maybe only because there’s no one else to hear.
‘Move.’ England says suddenly. He picks up a stick that France had failed to notice, propped up ready to go against a thick root, and waves him out of the way and off the flat dirt road. He begins scrawling in the ground in rigid, sharp strokes. ‘If I write “go fuck yourself” in Latin, Norman, and French, will you do so?’
-------------
‘I don't always hate you.’
France says this so quietly that England almost didn’t hear him. He wouldn’t have done, if he didn’t know France’s voice and his habits so well. He halts, the quiet palace yawning open unseen down the darkened passage ahead.
From the corner of his eye, England sees France shift where he leans in the archway. He was so still that England hadn’t noticed him as he walked, his dark shape held like a statue in shadows. Now that he knows he’s there, England can almost see the glint of silver threads in the moonlight, fine clothes on a man made just as much from the dirt as he.
A shift of fabric as France moves again. England stares ahead and does not look at him.
‘You may not believe that, but it’s true.’ France offers quietly. ‘I don’t like to think that you believe otherwise.’
‘I don’t like that you make me believe so.’
A pause. England can hear the sounds of the evening: distant footsteps on flagstones, the rustle of trees in the orchard beyond the stone courtyard walls. The smells of thousands of past summers on the warm breeze, blurring the edges of the era and turning the night endless.
The moment stretches, full and expectant. Then, a sigh.
It passes.
France does not reply, and England walks away.
-------------
‘Are you coming with me?’
France snorts. ‘I am offended that you would ever think that I would.’
‘Oh fuck off. Come on.’ England’s eyes are dangerously captivating, ‘You’re just as bored as I am.’
‘Unlike yourself, I am able to find joy in the finer things.’
‘Francis, this is the worst fucking ball we’ve been to in centuries.’
France winces, ‘Yes, but the food is at least good. And the people here are-‘
‘All over fifty.’
‘We are over fifty. And they’re-’
‘Boring.’
‘Important.’ France corrects, ‘They are important, my dear.’
England scoffs and looks across the lacklustre and lethargic dancefloor, couples with outdated clothes and dour expressions stiffly moving in their formations. He swirls his wine in his glass and points with it shamelessly, ‘Important for what, exactly.’
‘To be seen by. To talk politics with. To encourage away from silly decisions that will ruin my skin for the next decade.’
‘And the younger important people? Or heaven forbid, any fun ones? Where are they?’
France shrugs with one shoulder helplessly, ‘The Viscount is... particular.’
England raises and eyebrow and France shrugs, ‘Fine. It is dull. He is dull, and these are all his dull friends. What do you want me to say, the money is here but the life is gone. I’m not blind, Arthur.’
England adjusts the lace of France’s collar, straightening it from where a point has curled under itself, ‘Well, I’m going to the inn on Perry street. That’s where the kitchen boy told me-‘
‘The one with the hair, or the one with the funny leg?’
‘The one with the teeth.’
France shakes his head, ‘Poor boy. Sugar is a terrible thing, I wonder when people will pick up on that.’
England rolls his eyes and downs his wine. France winces, ‘That was expensive.’
‘Good. I’m off.’ England kisses his cheek quickly, the powdered hairs of his wig tickling France’s neck, ‘Have fun somehow being the most interesting thing in the room for a change.’
‘Ha ha.’
France watches England carelessly drop his very expensive glass onto a passing waiter’s tray and tuts at him, ‘You’re too over-dressed for a common inn, you’ll get mugged.’
‘I’ll manage.’
‘I’m sure you will. When I find your naked corpse in a hedge tomorrow, don’t tell me I didn’t tell you so.’
‘I tell you your make-up makes you look like sun bleached fish every day, and yet you still wear it.’
France huffs and turns away. He hears the clip of England’s shoes as he slips behind a curtain until his steps soften, sights fixed on the dancers. The crowds in the edges of the hall, in the dark corners where candles cannot find them, have a low murmuring buzz that heaves itself above the orchestra enough to give life to the odd word of two. None of them give France any hope.
Once he is sure no one noticed England leave, France downs his own wine and pushes himself away from the wall to join him.
------------
‘Be careful.’
England blinks, confused.
It is dark, moonlight all they have to go by, and they are watching British soldiers pour out from and over French beaches into hungry, waiting boats. Months of planning, countless sleepless nights and hours held stressed and tense in the wait for scraps of coded information has lead them here, to this. To men running through waves, to home so close and yet so far, and a flight through the dark to get stranded soldiers home before France falls.
England feels hollow. His chest feels concaved, an empty feeling of something like relief rotting and curdling there at the thought that this momentous victory is in the grand scheme of things, nothing at all. A huge success merely only for how difficult any small victory is. And still a failure because... because-
France’s hand brushes his. England swallows and entwines their fingers together.
‘You’re the one who should be careful.’ He says.
France squeezes his fingers. ‘If-‘
‘Don’t.’
‘-If.’ France’s grip tightens, ‘If, Arthur. Just be careful. I’ll be fine. It’s you who-‘
France breaks off.
‘I won’t.’ England says. He takes a deep breath in. ‘Not me. Not yet.’
‘I would be deeply embarrassed for you, if you do. It’s shameful. To a child, and one raised by Gilbert, no less.’
England snorts and smooths his thumb over France’s knuckle before he breaks them apart. He tugs down his uniform, wishing for gold trimming and a deep red coat, and smooth wood of a longbow.
D-Day unfolds in the muddied, darkened shallows of Dunkirk beach, and two empires watch the world turn over and into something new.
------------
‘Move over.’
France wakes to a knee in the small of his back. ‘A.. Arthur?’
‘Francis, move.’
Bewildered, France obediently shuffles over and there’s a gasp of cold air as England lifts the covers to climb inside. ‘What are...?’
‘Shh!’
France hears the heavy drapes around his bed being rearranged, then gets another knee in his back as England burrows down next to him.
France turns over. In the darkened room and behind thick curtains, England is nothing more than a source of warmth and the feeling of being watched. ‘What are you doing here.’
‘This is my castle, isn’t it?’
‘It’s one of your King’s castles, yes.’
‘Well then.’
‘But you weren’t here.’ France whispers, When we arrived. ‘He is very upset. He says you shame him.’
‘He shames me.’ England’s cool hands find themselves under France’s back, ‘The grandson of a usurper has nothing to do with me.’
‘Arthur.’ France cautions, but then stops. It is not the time, nor place. Nor, he knows, his place, really, to say anything at all. He places his hand on the cool skin of England’s arm and squeezes it, ‘I’m happy you’re here now. Apart from all the dirt you’ve likely tracked into the bed.’
‘I haven’t.’
‘I can smell it. You smell like outside.’
‘Outside doesn't have a smell.’
It does. Brought in to a human space where it doesn’t belong, the night air that clings to England’s hair and skin is earthy and cool. Fresh and foreign amongst wood fires and the fresh thresh on the floors.
‘I changed.’ England insists, seemingly having taken France’s lack of answer as an argument, ‘I do have nightclothes, you know. I’m not a savage.’
‘Hmm.’
England wriggles his fingers under France’s back to the soft parts of his sides and France can’t help but yelp as they tickle.
‘I was in York but heard you were leaving.’ England says, ‘Did you want to go riding before you go?’
‘We go Tuesday.’ France whispers, conscious of the servants littered about the room asleep. How England crept past them all or even got into the castle so quietly in the first place, he’ll never know. ‘We’re almost ready.’
‘So, do you want to go riding, or not.’
It is Sunday. There will be a lot to do before he goes back to his own lands, lots of packing and planning and then talking to people and France is exhausted just thinking about how much of it he will be needed for, let alone the voyage back across likely windy seas.
‘I don’t want to share. I want my own horse.’
‘Fine.’
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‘Here.’
England looks up from his laptop to find a cup of what might be soup held aloft before him.
France waggles it, evidently deeming England too slow on the uptake, ‘Take it.’
England does, cautiously, and moves his laptop aside to safety. ‘What’s this for.’
‘You.’
‘I could infer that.’
‘Could you? I never want to assume.’ Before England can tell him not to, France settles himself in the seat opposite. The booth England has hidden himself in has a wide table down the middle which takes up most of the room, but France moves himself into the tight space far more dramatically than is needed.
The soup is hot. England pops the lid off- carrot and coriander. His stomach clenches at the smell, he hadn’t realised how hungry he was. ‘Where on earth did you get it? They stopped serving dinner hours ago.’
‘I know. You missed it.’ France shoots him a pointed look, ‘I went to a café down the road.’
England looks down and swirls the soup around the Styrofoam. It’s thick, good quality. ‘I’m not paying you for it.’
‘Ah yes, because that is why I went.’
England glances at his laptop. France shuts it. ‘Now, whilst you’re eating, listen to me. I have a story for you.’
England takes the spoon that France offers and stirs. He wonders if France has any chocolates in his pockets, ‘Is it about the look Antonio gave-‘
‘Yes.’ France leans forwards eagerly, ‘But shut up. Let me talk.’
-------------
‘It’s... it’s large.’ The scientist at the front of the room looks shrunken, weighed down and wizened. He runs a hand through his hair, glasses glinting in sterile, overheads lights. ‘It’s large.’
France looks up and catches England’s eye. He looks tired, old.
Scared.
Question lights flash on around the room, every national and political delegation with something to say or ask. The scientist seems to freeze, overwhelmed by where or who to turn to first, and then people start shouting all over each other, nations and their politicians alike.
‘What the fuck is this?’ France’s president holds her hands to her mouth and shakes her head slowly from side to side, ‘This cannot be happening.’
‘There is nothing we can do!’ France hears the scientist say over the braying clamour, ‘It’s too late, it’s-‘
‘Francis.’ England is there, at his shoulder. ‘Come on.’
-------------
‘What the fuck have you done to yourself?’
France sniffs and turns away, ‘That’s none of your business.’
England snorts and hangs his hat and coat on the stand, ‘You look like you’ve fallen off a horse.’
‘You look like an unkempt vagabond.’
England looks down at his finely pressed suit and trousers and then back to France. He is on his sofa, studiously reading a book and not looking at England making himself comfortable in France’s livingroom. His leg is before him on a padded stool, swollen at least twice the size, and there is a purple bruise blossoming upon one cheek.
England comes around the back of him and brushes soft golden hair away from France’s shoulder. ‘I could do better.’ he says, gently thumbing the fragile scabbing of France’s bottom lip.
France swats at him, ‘Go away. I don’t want you here.’
‘Wrong place wrong time? Or did you try to speak sense again to someone who actually has some.’
‘Arthur, stop.’ France catches England’s wrist and kisses the inside, ‘You’re too unsympathetic to understand.’
‘Hmm.’ England kneads at France’s shoulder and then heads to the kitchen, ‘Would it help you to know I’m planning on telling everyone you fell ice skating?’
France lets out a bark of laughter, ‘Oh? And who on earth would you tell.’
‘Anyone who will listen.’ He collects a glass and a bottle of wine, along with some bread and some of the expensive cheese that he knows France always squirrels away in his pantry whenever he can, and takes them back to the living room.
-------------
‘If you could be anywhere, where would you be.’
Soft music from a Spanish restaurant down the road, warm ocean breeze. Anywhere and everywhere, all at once.
Besides him, England sips warm ale from a can he smuggled through customs and shrugs, ‘Home.’
‘That’s a boring answer.’
‘That’s the truest answer.’
‘And where again would Arthur go, if he could leave England behind.’ Francis watches Arthur from the corner of his eye, sees the fragments of him outside of all else that they always are.
‘I can’t leave England behind.’ England says, ‘So there’s not much point entertaining it.’
‘I’m trying to have a serious conversation.’
‘Then don’t ask a hypothetical question.’
Francis sighs, and retreats. He takes a deep drag of his cigarette and watches the smoke drift away into the dark.
‘But if you’re asking time.’ England tilts his head, considering. Behind them on the seafront, students between bright club front lights in loud, drunken clusters, ‘Now, I think. Maybe a hundred years ago, at most.’
‘Really?’ France is surprised, ‘I would have thought-‘
‘Boring answer,’ Arthur says, and the rest remains unfinished.
-------------
‘Don’t you fucking die on me.’
Of all the places England expected to die, this was actually what he’d considered the least likely. In Calais, oft contested, right by the sea, and entirely calm. No war or battle to take him, no disease or crop failure to push him along. He can see Dover in the distance, his white cliffs so close he can almost feel them in the bones they represent.
But above them, burning and close, the sky roils.
France lies in his lap on the grass of his garden, eyes wet and smiling. ‘That’s not fair, you can’t say that to me. That’s what I was going to say to you.’
‘I’m serious.’ England swallows down something bitter and painful in his throat, and brushes the hair from France’s face, ‘You’re not allowed to go first unless I’m given that honour. Keep yourself awake.’
France freezes, eyes wide, ‘What-‘
‘I know you too well,’ England says, and dips his head to kiss him. There is a golden chain around France’s neck, old and reliable. On it hangs a much-used pendant, once again filled and ready. Still full, he hopes.
England fiddles with it in the hollow of France’s neck and sees the burning heavens reflected in his eyes. ‘We’ll go together.’
-------------
‘I love you.’
On a nameless bit of a terraformed Earth that might have once been a small kingdom in the northern sea, a man called Francis pauses at the hydro sink, half washed cup in his hands. A man called Arthur stands next to him with a dish cloth and when Francis turns to him, Arthur stares back, face inscrutable.
Arthur does not mince words. He has always spoken his mind frankly, regardless of how offensive or tactless his thoughts may be. He has never tailored himself to a situation, never presented himself as anything he is not. But softness and open vulnerability is not a texture he can wear upon himself. Not because he doesn’t have any, Francis knows, but because he expects that Arthur doesn’t know how. Some core part of his personality that gets lost from his heart to his tongue, or given spikes along the way.
Maybe that was what caught Francis’ attention in the first place, all those years ago on the transport ship to Earth. The parts Arthur kept to himself more than the parts he did not. Arthur spoke kindness and care in actions, not words, and words were what Francis had heard far too much of.
Francis looks away and makes sure to keep his face just as blank, just as unconcerned.
‘I love you too.’
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jesterwriting · 6 months
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Hellooo! I hope ur well !! Would it be a bother to ask for a head cannon/scenario list, with Zoro, Nami Sanji and Law? Reader’s lost in their own head, tries to let it out through battle- ends up with just needing to be in the comfortable, silent presence of their crew-mate/captain afterwards? You can take it however direction you want-!
Feel free to skip if it’s too much to ask!! Sending you lots of love and good wishes, hope you have a good day/night and take care of yourself 🫶💞
pairings: nami x reader, zoro x reader, law x reader, sanji x reader
word count: 1.8k words
contents: fluff, gender neutral reader, slight descriptions of depression, don’t fight when youre distracted or youll make your blorbos grumpy and worried
note: this was cute! my favorite way to spend time with someone is sharing a room with them hehe :3 i hope you enjoy these headcanons!!
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Cat Burglar Nami
She is so focused on her own fight, she doesn’t notice how lost in your head you are until it’s over. Once everything dies down, that’s when Nami scolds you. If you’re in a fight, you give it your full attention, you could get seriously injured if you don’t. Nami knocks you upside the head for it, with love, of course. You’ll be nursing a bump for the next few hours, though Nami will grab you an ice pack if you whine about it enough. She rolls her eyes, but loves how you lean into her touch when she places the ice on your aching forehead.
Your thoughts are still racing as you pace up and down the length of the Sunny’s deck. If you looked in the mirror, you would swear your eyes were spirals. You couldn’t be alone, not right now, not unless you wanted to go crazy. To make things worse, your head still hurt. Nami sure packs a punch, though you know it's only because she cares. You’re lonely, and while you know she is busy navigating right now, you want her company.
The first thing Nami says when you find her is, “I’m still mad at you!” However, she doesn’t make you leave when you sit on the floor and lean your back on the wall. You watch her hands move, fingers curled around a pen as she works on a map. She narrows her eyes at you when she catches you staring at her, reminding you, yet again, that she’s still angry about you putting yourself at risk. When you give her a sheepish grin, she sticks her tongue out at you before getting back to work. Neither of you speak. As time passes, she relaxes, shoulders slumping and brows furrowed as she focuses. The comforting sound of pen on paper soothes your ailing mind. By the time you realize the sun is dipping under the horizon, your ice pack has melted and is nothing more than a sack of water.
Nami looks at you out of the corner of her eye. “Do you need another one?” When you say yes, she smirks and calls for Sanji, who comes running equipped with dinner and another ice pack for you. Her food is so good, you have to try it, stealing a sneaky indirect kiss from you when you share her fork. With Nami as company, you feel a lot better than you did before.
Roronoa Zoro
He notices quickly that you’re lost in your own head mid-fight — Zoro trusts you, but he can’t help but keep an eye on you during battle — and barks at you to get it together. You were hoping to take out your frustrations on the enemy, only to have clumsy footwork because you couldn’t stop thinking about how upset you feel. Zoro is blunt, but his harsh words come from a place of care. If you get hurt because you’re not paying attention, it’s no one’s fault but your own. That doesn’t mean he won’t worry if something were to happen. After the fact, he will double down on his reprimands. Everyone on the ship is counting on you, not only yourself.
You’re even more frustrated with yourself because he’s right. It’s hard to keep his words out of your head, mingling with the thoughts from earlier until you feel absolutely exhausted. You need peace. Somewhere quiet to lay and stare up at the sky for a while to remind yourself how little you are in the grand scheme of things. To you, your problems may seem big enough to swallow you whole. To the sea, they are nothing. The moon doesn’t care how inadequate you feel, the stars cannot fathom how tired you are. You climb up into the crows nest to be closer to them, in hopes that their indifference will rub off on you.
That’s where you find Zoro. He’s napping, though he acknowledges your arrival by cracking open an eye and giving you a nod. You take that as a sign that it’s okay to join him. With a deep breath, you settle next to him and stared up at the sky, tracing the constellations with your pupils. Zoro’s breathing eventually evens out, his loud snoring filling the space enough to drown out any of the negative thoughts that threaten to spill over. No words are spoken between the two of you, they don’t need to be. You enjoy having the presence of another body next to you, the heat from his skin so close by warming you from the nighttime chill. With the white noise of Zoro’s breathing, and the warm blanket of his presence soothing your thoughts, you drift to sleep.
The next morning you wake up with your head on his chest. Zoro is awake, acknowledging you with a grunt before he scoots out from over you and leaves the crow nest. Not before sending you a smirk, as if he hadn’t been letting you cuddle him for the better part of an hour, “Sleep well?”
Trafalgar Law
He notices you’re lost in your own head before the fighting even starts. Law is observant, he knows you like the back of his hand, studying your expressions and mannerisms until he can name your emotions before you can even recognize them. It’s likely he recognized your frustrations the night before, choosing to give you time to work them out on your own. If you don’t, he benches you. Don’t try to fight him on it. Unless you’re able to work through what you need to work through in the next ten minutes, you’re sitting this one out. It’s not that Law doesn’t trust you or have faith in your abilities, he knows that the enemies you’re about to fight are strong and you need to have your whole head in the game. He can’t have you getting hurt on his watch because he failed to recognize the signs that you might be suffering under mental duress.
After the battle, the ship is loud and full of celebration, none of which you want to take part in. Maybe you don’t feel like you deserve it because you didn’t do anything, or maybe you were just too exhausted, being alone with your negative thoughts while the fighting went on. Unable to stand it, you left in search of somewhere quiet. Not alone, you weren’t sure if you could handle being alone right now, but with someone to breathe the same air. If there is one place on the Polar Tang that would be quiet, it would be wherever Law is.
Law raises an eyebrow when you slink into his office. He’s in the middle of reading a book, one leg crossed over the other as he lounges in his chair. “What do you need,” He asks. You shrug and say you don’t want to be alone right now. Law can understand that, gesturing quietly to the chair across from his desk before he’s absorbed back in his book. You share the silence well. While you count the ceiling tiles, you listen to the sound of Law turning the pages of his book. Occasionally, Law will clear his throat, but that’s the only sound you get from him. It’s comfortable, companionable even. You could do this more often. Law’s presence is sturdy and makes you feel safe, the thoughts that run rampant in your head quiet in your captain’s presence.
Hours pass like that, until finally, Law closes his book and announces he’s going to bed. That’s your cue to leave. Before you’re out of your seat, Law asks if you feel any better, smirking a little to himself when you confirm you are. He enjoys sharing a space with you, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud. You’re welcome back in his office anytime.
Black Leg Sanji
He is always watching you during a battle, just out of the corner of his eye. Sanji is naturally protective, especially of those he loves. Asking him not to worry about you during a fight is like asking a dog not to bark. Due to this, he notices how lost in your head you are almost the second the fighting starts. He takes care to watch your back, driving back the worst of the assailants to make up for your worse than average performance. After the fighting dies down, he asks if you’re doing alright and reminds you to take care of yourself in case something happens. He won’t always be there to protect you. Sanji doesn’t know what he’d do if you got seriously injured on his watch. More than likely, he’d blame himself for not protecting you properly.
You don’t have to seek Sanji out. After the fight, he asks if you would like anything to eat, offering to let you spend time with him in the kitchen while he cooks. Whether you’re hungry or not, you at least take Sanji up on his offer to spend time together. You still can’t think straight, the battle being nowhere near satisfying in getting your emotions out. Being alone right now is not high on your list of priorities. The two of you fall into step with each other as you make your way to the kitchen, and already his presence is a balm to your racing thoughts.
Sanji is truly at home in the kitchen. You know that now more than ever as you watch him cook. It’s like a dance, one he knows perfectly, and there’s a certain sense of grace to his every move. At first, Sanji will try to make conversation, though he slips into a comfortable silence when you explain you would rather not talk right now. He understands, offering you a kind smile before he’s back to work at the counter, chopping vegetables and sprinkling spices into the food. The comfort of a home cooked meal is just what you need, especially since Sanji cut the vegetables into the shape of little hearts. So focused on your meal, and Sanji’s beautiful blue eyes, you can’t remember what you were so upset about.
After you finish your meal, Sanji is insistent that you let him know you feel better before you leave. Give him a big smile and watch him flush, starry eyed at your expression. He feels better now that he knows you feel better. Anytime you need, you can come find him and he will spend time in silence with you, happily cooking you a meal.
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pixelplayground · 7 months
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PXL'S Anatomy of Screenshots
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So you want to take better screenshots? There are multiple factors to consider, and if you don't enjoy tweaking reshade settings for every image, my ultimate method may not be for you. That being said, there are tips and resources in this guide that are applicable to everyone and you can select to explore those that are useful to your specific situation.
Disclaimer: I am not claiming to be an expert, nor am I offering to provide troubleshooting on an individual basis. This is a general guide and if you are unfamiliar with any of the concepts, please use the mighty power of the internet to find tutorials. I promise everything that I have learned over the years has been published and documented a thousand times better than I ever could.
There are five factors to address:
Your computer's inherent capabilities
The game's limitations
The mods you're using
Reshade
Post Processing
Graphics Card Settings & Drivers:
Become familiar with your graphic options. If you don't have a dedicated graphics card (i.e. a desktop or gaming laptop, these features may be unavailable and you should skip.)
I have an AMD Radeon Pro card which is designed for workstation level systems. It's overkill for sims, but useful for 3D rendering and modelling work. I have changed the following settings for DirectX 9 applications:
anti-aliasing - enhance application settings
anisotropic filtering - enabled
anisotropic filtering level - 16x
texture filtering quality - high
surface format optimization - high
Consider overclocking your graphics card to unlock it's full potential. DO NOT pursue this venture unless you are ok with the risk of burning out your card prematurely. I use at present, overclocked Bootcamp Drivers from BootcampDrivers.com obviously, if you're not playing on an intel based mac through Bootcamp, this is irrelevant to you.
None of these settings are useful until you address the default games limitations, which leads nicely into the next factor.
Addressing The Sims 4's Graphic Limitations:
Everyone should be familiar at this point with lighting mods, 4k, textures, disabling ssao, etc. but, I'm still going to spell it out. None of this is new information and has been covered many a time by various players ad nauseum.
remove ugly blue toned lighting in the world by choosing a lighting mod from @softerhaze here
overhaul your graphics.cfg file (i use a custom blend with features specific to me), however @simp4sims has done a ridiculous amount of work in providing a simple to install file that can be found here - read through their tutorials!! they have provided an excellent oversight of exactly what this does and why it matters
improve the indoor lighting for your sims - previously i used @luumia's no blu, no glo - recently i switched to @northernsiberiawinds better in game lighting mod here, though i have tweaked some of the settings to suit my own personal preferences
i don't use the HQ mod, i don't find that it makes enough difference for the amount of effort it requires to convert CAS CC
It should go without saying, but tweaking your graphics config file is absolutely useless if you can't play TS4 at it's maximum in game graphic settings!
The Mods You're Using:
Now that you've put in all this work into getting the game ready to make use of quality mods where do you start? Well, the CC you install matters. Whatever your preference, whether it be maxis-match, alpha or somewhere in between, priority should be given to using items textured in 2k or 4k resolutions, and specific attention should be paid to using wall and flooring textures with bump maps, and or high quality resolutions (this is important later for reshade if you intend to learn about ray tracing).
I will separately post a guide to creators with crispy textures because that is it's own novel.
Reshade:
Phew. Still with me?
There are many many many reshade presets out there, most are alike, but none employ ray tracing, and that is because a) it needs to be manually adjusted for every screenshot, b) they are paid shaders, and c) this requires advanced knowledge of reshade and a decent enough graphics set up that won't overheat - games running native ray tracing recommend a minimum VRAM of 8GB (please note RAM and VRAM are not the same) - i therefore do not recommend pursuing this option if your system does not meet those minimum requirements.
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Start here to understand what ray tracing for reshade is. In my opinion, the shaders are well worth the price of $5 for the amount of work that has gone into creating them by the talented Pascal Gilcher. That link is a comprehensive starting point into expanding your knowledge of reshade and it's capabilities.
I have always created my own reshade presets from scratch, and while the core colorization settings I utilize remain largely the same, using ray tracing and re-light means every screenshot needs to be manually adjusted (lights repositioned, bounce and AO factors adjusted, etc) before being captured. @pictureamoebae just published a very timely post discussing the re-light shader and you can read it here.
Post Processing
Reshade does 99.99% of the work that traditionally would be accomplished in a photo editing software like photoshop. Occasionally, I need to adjust exposure manually, add depth of field manually, or color correct. Beyond that I use it to scale images to fit the resolution and file size limits of various platforms. Conceptually this reduces the amount of uncontrolled loss encountered when platforms like tumblr auto compress files that are too large. In reality, tumblr still makes images crappy compared to how they appear in my file folder.
optimize your images for various social media platforms using this guide
fix exposure or colorization issues using a software like photoshop
I hope that this gives you a starting point into expanding your methodologies. My process is continuously evolving and I find this aspect of the game most entertaining. For others who don't enjoy this process, it's probably not worth it!
Thanks for reading ❤ PXL
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