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demaury · 5 years

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You and me both (1/2)

OR; Lucas meets Eliott's family for the first time and spends his first family weekend in ages. (ao3 link)

SAMEDI, 9:45

“What if they don’t like me?”, Lucas blurts out on their way to the Gare-de-Lyon, and he automatically wants to crush his face against the closest newsstand.

There’s a fine line between being insecure as fuck and being the whiny mess that always complains about it, and most days, Lucas is able to swallow it down until it’s just a churn in the pit of his stomach. Keywords being, ‘most days’.

Eliott spares him a glance, discarding his phone for a while. His grey eyes narrow as his body shifts towards him. “Why on Earth wouldn’t they like you?”

Lucas gives him a look. He doesn’t want to say it aloud, and he doesn’t think he needs to either. There are, in fact, a whole bunch of reasons why the Demaurys could decide on not liking him, the most obvious involving weed, a houseboat and their son running naked in the streets. Thing is, he knows that introducing him to his parents has been on Eliott’s mind for a while now, and- well, they’ve been together for a couple of months now, so it’s only logical for them to take that next step. Except that logic has nothing to do with one’s goddamn insecurities — that’s precisely why they can’t be treated with paracetamol and a gulp of water.

Eliott lets out a small sigh, and pulls him into a hug, wrapping his long arms around his shoulders and resting his chin on top of his head. “I know it’s hard but one day you’ll realize that people not liking you isn’t a default mode.”

Lucas snorts, but right now his face is pressed against Eliott’s collarbones and every single one of his senses is overwhelmed by a wave of Eliott. Thank God no one they know is around, or they’d never let him get away with that — the last time Eliott mentioned that Lucas started crying at the bus stop, everyone became extra obnoxious about it and making stupid jokes about him being a duckling or a baby koala, depending on the day.

“C’mon,” Eliott says, freeing him from the embrace, but cupping his face long enough to peck him on the lips, “time to go.”

Eliott picks up the Adidas travel bag he had set down at his feet, when they had first stopped to check on the time and their platform (seconds before Lucas opened his stupid mouth and made a fool of himself), and reaches to grab his hand. Lucas finds himself smiling, a bit shyly, as they start striding through the crowd. They don’t really hold hands that often, generally Eliott flings an arm around his shoulders and they roll with it, but there’s something both extremely intimate and casual about his boyfriend tangling their fingers together — something that makes him feel warm and protected.

The Gare-de-Lyon is packed with people taking off for the weekend, but they manage to make it on time, and to find a compartment that is as close from quiet as they can hope for. They’ve been sitting for five minutes when Eliott flips his sketchbook open and starts drawing, while Lucas fishes in his backpack to find his earbuds and play some music. Their train ride to Reims isn’t long, about two hours, and in the meantime, Lucas makes a point of remembering the things he knows about the Demaurys without freaking out at the thought of them being, technically, his in-laws — there’s something so adult and mature in these tiny words that make Lucas want to remind everyone he’s just 17.

The family had lived in Paris for most of Eliott’s life, but his father, who had been teaching History at the University of Reims for over a decade, suggested that the family moved there after Eliott had failed to take the BAC. “They thought a change of scenery would be ‘good for me’,” Eliott had explained once, mimicking the quotation marks, then he added: “They had just found out what was wrong with me, so of course after that they wanted to baby-proof everything. We stayed in Reims for the whole summer, Lucille was gone for a family trip abroad, my friends rather wanted me far than close, so… yeah, having my parents bugging me all day long kind of- fucked me up, I guess. They sent me back to Paris the following September and you know the rest.”

Lifting his head off the headrest, Lucas turns to Eliott, suddenly haunted by a thought that just crossed his mind. “What’s your sister’s boyfriend like?”

Eliott glances up from his sketchbook, his back resting against the window of their carriage. As usual, it takes a second for him to leave the little space his mind has gone wandering while drawing, then he shrugs. “Thomas? He’s okay, I guess. We don’t exactly hang out together, you know, because we’re in Paris and there’s this shit-ton of kilometers between us and them, but yeah, if Clémence likes him I think he must be decent on a daily basis.”

That’s so very comforting, Lucas cringes internally. Eliott isn’t really the most observant one when he doesn’t feel like he needs to be (details are overwhelming at times), so it can mean everything and its contrary at this point. He startles when Eliott pokes him on the cheek with his pencil.

“Don’t overthink everything, it’s going to be fine,” he says, grinning. “They’ve asked plenty of stuff about you, and I already told my dad to back off because History isn’t your thing.”

Lucas’ eyes widen in horror. “You’ve told him that I don’t give a fuck about the one thing he cares about the most?” Fuck he’s screwed, he’s not going to make it through the weekend. He wonders briefly what would be the penalty for trying to stop the train, but he guesses reluctantly that it’s probably not worth the shot anyway.

“Lulu, unless you’re saying that the Man in the Iron Mask was either Fouquet or Louis XIV’s twin brother, I very much doubt that it’s going to be enough for my dad to hate you,” Eliott adds nonchalantly, the faint sound of his pencil scrapping against the page of his sketchbook returning. Lucas blinks, and his fingers are already unlocking his phone and nervously typing away when Eliott glances up, eyebrows shooting up. “Oh my god, stop! You don’t have to go all Wikipedia now!”

“But what if it comes up somehow?”

Eliott laughs incredulously. “You seriously think it ever came up with Thomas ‘I work in retail for Kaporal’ Goncet?”

Okay, it seems fair enough to him, and Lucas locks his phone again. “If it does come up, it’s on you,” he threatens, eyeing him warily.

Eliott snorts and leans forward, tucking his sketchbook between his chest and his legs to kiss him on the cheek. He’s right, he shouldn’t be freaking out so much, and that’s a bit annoying, if Lucas is being honest. He just can’t help it, that horrible thought that keeps bubbling in his chest. He’s broke. He’s not able to take care of Eliott. He’s not on speaking terms with his dad, just barely starts making up with his mom, he’s younger and he’s a fucking boy.

It seems like Eliott is sensing that whatever he can say won’t do it, so he just spins around onto his seat, finally sitting correctly, and wordlessly claims one of his earbuds. Lucas’ head finds its natural place onto Eliott’s shoulder, and his boyfriend waits for a total of three songs before fussing to choose the next one, which Lucas allows with a fond eye-roll.

SAMEDI, 12:32

It’s not until after spotting Clémence Demaury and her mom waiting for them at the train station that Lucas realizes how relieved he is that Eliott doesn’t have a bunch of younger siblings.

Don’t get him wrong, kids are fine. But as an only child without many family ties (his mom’s an only child as well and his dad isn’t on speaking terms with his only brother), the closest he’s been from a kid in recent years is Yann’s younger sister (who’s old enough to punch him in the face for even stating she’s a child), and the family of three living two floors away from the flat share.

In short? Children are not exactly his forte, and if you ask him, they are mildly intimidating.

The first interaction with the two women doesn’t go so bad, mostly because they are busy hugging his boyfriend to death for the first five minutes or so.

“Can you- Can you not do that?” Eliott mumbles, trying to get away from his sister’s grip.

“I haven’t seen you in forever, that’s basically my birthright,” Clémence fires back, unapologetic to the last degree as she squeezes her brother even more.

Eliott gives Lucas a pleading glance that makes him chuckle, and instantly there are two more sets of grey eyes drawn on him. He doesn’t really know what Eliott’s dad looks like, but there are already a lot of things Clémence and Eliott have in common that Lucas can track back to their mom, starting with the hair and the eyes. It feels strangely overwhelming, because he’s never really paid much attention to that sort of thing before, but now he just can’t unsee it.

“Lucas, right? I’m Clémence, it’s nice to meet you,” Clémence says with a polite smile. It’s not one of those big-ass grins that make the Demaurys’ eyes crinkling, but right now he welcomes everything that doesn’t involve being yelled at or glanced over as a victory (self-esteem who?).

“Nice to meet you too,” he replies.

Eliott’s mom eyes him a split-second too long — long enough for his heartbeat to start picking up. “Caroline. Nice to meet you.” And without transition she turns to Eliott, her gaze softening before Lucas even has the time to blink. “I was worried you’d get delayed, I’m glad you made it in time sweetie.”

“Let’s get home, I’m starving and Dad will want to hear about the details anyway,” Clémence chimes in.

Oh fuck, that’s just the first half, Lucas thinks, barely holding back a groan. Eliott slings an arm around his shoulders, startling him slightly, and beams at him as they’re heading out for the parking lot.

The trip to the Demaurys’ sees Caroline and her daughter bicker about a variety of things, which allows Eliott and him to talk a little between themselves at the back. It’s the first time he’s finding himself in Reims (the first time in a while he’s leaving Paris at all, to be completely honest), so he just takes some time to glance through the window every now and then to ease himself a bit. Eliott draws soft patterns onto his knee in the meantime, and that’s almost enough to make him forget it’s just the beginning of a very long weekend of basically watching himself and behaving.

Eliott’s parents’ house is located about twenty minutes away from the city, in a quiet neighborhood that doesn’t spark much at first glance; the two-story house itself is rather big and modern-looking, with slate rooftops, white walls and sharp edges. When they climb off the car, a beagle welcomes them, bouncing and enthusiastically yapping.

“Maia, come here,” Clémence calls out, tapping at her lap, and immediately the dog hurries to her side. She pets her a little, then she follows her mother inside, Lucas and Eliott trailing just behind, up the pathway to the front door.

The first thing that shocks Lucas once he steps inside is the nice smell, which, along with the pleasant warmth of the house, hits him in the face in the best kind of way. The entrance is facing the kitchen from across the hall, with the living-room on the left side and a staircase leading up to the upper floor directly to their right. There are a couple of pictures framed on the walls, on the way to the kitchen, or set on display on a console in the main entrance, and Lucas is sure he can spot Eliott on several of them, but he doesn’t dare to take a close look since everyone is already flocking in the kitchen.

As it turns out, Eliott’s mom well and truly seems to be the scariest parent of the two, because when he’s introduced to his boyfriend’s dad, he finds a smiling man in his fifties busy preparing lunch, and who apologies profusely because he needs to wash his hands before greeting him properly. The table is already set in the living-room, and the four of them sit down while Clémence is gone searching for her boyfriend Thomas.

“What is he even doing in the garage?” Caroline asks, cocking an eyebrow.

“He said he had to check something on Clémence’s car,” her husband, Olivier, supplies as he takes a seat next to her at the end of the table. So far, the only things Lucas can pinpoint in him that belongs to Eliott are probably the cheekbones and the sharp jawline, but it’s not like he’s spending his time staring either.

“Let’s hope he’s better with fixing cars than fixing a clogged bathtub,” she mutters. “Did we receive the papers from the insurance already?”

“I don’t think we should be expecting them until next week at best.”

Lucas can’t help himself and his eyes fly immediately to Eliott, who stares at his mother in return. “Mom, don’t start now, Thomas is fine.”

She smiles at him, and it doesn’t take much for Lucas to realize it’s her very special ‘Eliott’ smile. “Of course he is. But let’s be honest, it’s not like Clémence is going to spend the rest of her life with him.”

Lucas’ hands tighten on the edge of the table. What the fuck is he doing here? He doesn’t even know if he should cry or laugh at the situation right now. Cry, probably. Because if Caroline doesn’t really bet on her daughter’s long-term relationship to work out when both she and her boyfriend are fairly close from adulthood, how on Earth would she bet on him?

She’s totally going to chew him and spit him out in a two-day span of time.

“Caro, they move in together in three months, get over it,” Olivier sighs, handing her the bread basket.

She seems about to argue when the door leading to the garage opens on Clémence, a tall guy with dark hair and a grey button-down following close-behind. His faded jeans are hanging low on his hips, probably lower than Caroline and Olivier like it on their son-in-law, and maybe it’s this tiny detail, or the massive GUESS stamped on his belt, or the way his hair is styled, but all of a sudden Lucas has no trouble at all to picture him in a Kaporal store.

His face breaks into a grin when his eyes trail on Lucas. “Oh, hey. I’m Thomas,” he says, holding out his hand.

Lucas stands up, careful not to make a mess between his chair and the carpet on the floor. He smiles back, shaking his hand a bit awkwardly. “Lucas,” he offers a bit uselessly. He’s spent less than an hour with the Demaurys but somehow it’s not that hard to think he’s been the hot topic for quite a while. For better or for worse.

“What were you talking about?” Clémence inquires, visibly suspicious, as she takes her seat next to Lucas, and Thomas places himself between his girlfriend and Olivier.

Eliott picks up a piece of bread from the basket and he hands it to Lucas. “The train ride. Boring.”

The lie rolls off so smoothly that Lucas can’t help but find it a bit hot. Clémence hums in response. “At least you got here in time. Last time my train got delayed for four hours.”

“And that’s why we ended up driving for four hours to get here this time,” Thomas snarls.

Olivier passes around the crudités. “You should get your driving license too, Eli. The SNCF never stops failing, it could come in handy someday.”

Eliott shrugs. “There’s still the subway. And the bus. I don’t know what I’d do with a car.” And then he smiles, looking at Lucas who suddenly feels like his cheeks are heating faster than they should. “And I wouldn’t have met Lucas otherwise.”

Lucas knew it would suck to be at the other end of the table but he’s still unpleasantly surprised to feel so awkward under everyone’s glance when they all focus on him. He clears his throat. “We-uh, we met at a bus stop. After- uh, after school,” he explains, trying to keep his voice in check.

Eliott probably did it on purpose, judging by his bright grin that has nothing to do with the topic of the conversation.

“Oh, that’s sweet. So you didn’t know each other at all?” Clémence asks while she fills her plate.

“No,” Lucas answers honestly. “At least I didn’t, but apparently Eliott’s got some great stalker skills.”

Take that, he thinks, shooting a grin to Eliott. There’s something that glints into his boyfriend’s grey eyes and it makes his heart beat faster. “I bumped into him the moment I walked in, in January,” Eliott says nonchalantly, “I just kept an eye on him until we found ourselves together, is all. Besides, you came to talk to me.”

Lucas snorts, and immediately he swallows back his smile when he remembers where he is.

Thomas frowns. “Weren’t you still with Lucille back in January?”

The smile on Lucas’ face vanishes for good and it’s stupid, really, because it’s not like he never thought she wouldn’t be brought up at any point, ever. She’d been dating Eliott for the past four years, so of course it’s only natural that-

Fuck that, he just wants to crawl into a hole. The worst part? He can distinctively feel that his mind is torn between guilt at the thought of having taken Lucille’s spot in a family that apparently liked her very much, and being completely aware that Lucille wasn’t the right person for Eliott.

“It was complicated,” Eliott mumbles. “Too complicated if you ask me. Everything’s much simpler with Lucas.”

“And that’s what should matter in the end,” Olivier intervenes. There’s a second of silence, then he smiles at Lucas, gesturing at the plate Clémence had set between them at some point when they were talking. “Lucas? Will you take some?”

SAMEDI, 14:37

After lunch, he’s dragged along with Eliott in a very long, very tiring, and very intense shopping session in a shopping area nearby, which gives him massive war flashbacks from his childhood. He’s spent tons of afternoons like this, trailing behind his mom, occasionally whining because he was tired and wanted to go home while she kept filling shopping cart after shopping cart.

“Can’t we stay here?” Eliott asks after Caroline knocks on the door of his bedroom, literally five minutes after they got inside, to give them a heads up on the program.

“Honey, we barely ever get to see you. It’s going to be fun, you’ll see,” Caroline replies, and so Eliott caves in.

Since they can’t fit everyone in one car, Eliott and Lucas go with Clémence and Thomas, thus allowing him to catch a bit of a break.

As it turns out, shopping with his boyfriend instead of his parents is a bit more fun than he expected. It’s not the first time he’s going out with Eliott (aside from the occasional raid to the closest FNAC store every now and then, his boyfriend would sometimes drag him through all of his favorite record stores and Lucas would just watch Eliott rummage through them for hours without ever getting bored), but this time feels different, for some reason. They spend most of their time sharing jokes and decorating ideas while the whole family walks through IKEA.

“That kid is definitely called Stella,” Eliott says at one point when they walk by the nursery section, briefly stopping in front of a small area decorated with shades of pink and green. There are flowers laced together framing a round-shaped mirror, and plushy blankets in the white crib. “She lives with her single mom and her two aunts are always around to dote on her.”

Lucas quirks a brow, laughing. “Alright. What about this one?”

The following area is designed for a toddler, with a small bed instead of a crib and a tipi spilling toys on the floor in the corner. The various pieces of furniture are made of a light-colored wood that vaguely reminds him of bamboo. Eliott gives it a thought. “Esteban,” he says. “He’s been diagnosed with ADHD and his parents are always trying to follow him through all his activities even if they’re dying to get a quiet afternoon.”

Lucas huffs a laugh. “Okay, let me try.” Eliott gestures as if to say ‘be my guest’, and Lucas gets a look at the next one. The walls are painted light-grey, with wooden letters spelling the name Lola on one of them and a white crib in the center. The large carpet is white with small baby foxes playing. “Well, she’s called Lola-”

“You must be tired already,” Eliott snickers and Lucas elbows him in the ribs.

“-and her parents have a dog that she’s constantly petting. She’s got those extra-expressive eyes and she’s always laughing.” He turns his head to the side and Eliott grins at him. “It’s not that hard.”

His boyfriend pulls him closer. “You forgot the most important part though.”

Lucas cranes his neck up. “Which is?”

“She’s got two daddies.” Eliott winks at him and Lucas flushes while he’s already sauntering away, tugging at his hand as he does so.

After IKEA, Clémence and Caroline head for another furniture store but Lucas and Eliott decline to follow, opting to wander around on their own instead. They stop by at Subway to grab a drink and settle on a bench outside, which is probably not the best option regarding the temperature, as Lucas quickly realizes. “Are you cold? We can go back inside,” Eliott suggests when he sees him shiver a bit.

“Nah, it’s fine,” Lucas waves. Eliott slides a bit closer and wraps his arms around him, which makes him feel warm but for another, much sappier reason than mere body temperature. He doesn’t mind people looking at them anymore — it barely ever gets to him now. He’s just happy with how things are, and he doesn’t think he could ask for more than that.

“Sorry about my parents, they’re a bit overwhelming. They like to do tons of stuff like this,” Eliott says. “I guess they forgot I can’t always deal with it.”

Lucas turns around in his arms, worried. “Are you okay?”

Eliott tilts his head to the side. “Oh, yeah.” Then he smiles, cupping his face. “Yeah, it’s fine.” He pecks him on the lips, once, twice, before Lucas goes for a longer kiss.

Eliott’s dad texts him not long after to agree on a gathering point, and they head to the spot, where the Demaurys suggest that they should have dinner at a restaurant, which makes Clémence snickers as soon as they climb in the car. “Mom can’t cook to save her life, be grateful Lucas.”

“I already got food poisoning from one member of the Demaury family,” he snorts as Thomas maneuvers through the parking lot, “but thanks for the tip.”

Clémence turns onto her seat. “Eli, what the hell did you do?”

“Why are you throwing me under the bus?” Eliott complains and Lucas tugs on his arm to kiss him on the cheek. “I made it with love.”

“I’m just kidding. And your eggs are great, generally.”

Eliott snorts.

“Still better than mom,” Clémence observes. “Once she put eggs in the microwave, it felt like we were reenacting that scene from the Gremlins movie. Luckily we had dad growing up. Not sure we would have made it otherwise.”

#skam france #text #elu fic #eliott demaury #lucas lallemant #elu #mine #my fics

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

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764.

What is something small that brings you a lot of joy? >> The first dandelions of the season.

What would it take for you to feel completely satisfied with your life? >> Honestly, at this point, I think all it would take is moving somewhere a bit warmer and greener and with a lot less people around. I’m pretty okay with everything else in my life. It’s light-years better than it ever was.

What was going on the last time someone yelled at you? >> An argument, most likely.

Describe the best and worst aspects of your personality? >> I’d rather not.

How did you discover your current favorite band(s)? >> ---

When was the last time you changed your mind about something? >> I was originally not going to go for a walk this morning, and then I did.

How have your dreams and ambitions changed since you were younger? >> They haven’t really. I still don’t have any ambitions.

What are some of your current favorite lyrics? >> Lay Me Low by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds has some good lyrics. I listened to it today on my walk and was reminded of that.

Are you more of a private person or an open one? >> I am open in the sense that I’m not ashamed of myself or anything (you know, when Inner Critic isn’t in charge). But I’m private because I just don’t think everyone needs to know everything about me all the time. The fortress of my existence isn’t necessarily impenetrable, but you can’t just fucking waltz in either, lmao.

What is something you wish you had learned when you were younger? >> Meh. There’s no guarantee that learning a particular lesson at an earlier time would have made my life any better, so who cares. I did my best with what I had and here I am.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? >> Being here, right now, still alive and not, like, fucking locked away somewhere or dead in a gutter.

Are you creative or artistic? What do you like to express through art? >> Sure. I don’t know how to answer the second question.

What is something you eat that others consider gross? >> I dare someone to call something I’m eating and obviously enjoying “gross”. See how long I put up with that rude bullshit.

Five ways your life has changed over the last five years? >> I moved out here, I stopped using DXM, I gained weight, I got married, I experienced first class flight.

When was the last time you needed help with something? >> I don’t remember.

What kinds of things do you consider romantic? >> I’m not interested in romance.

What is something you will never do again? >> Who knows.

In what ways do you think you inspire others? >> I’m not sure anything about me is particularly inspiring. I’d have to be explicitly told otherwise if I’m going to have any idea about this.

What is something from your childhood that you still enjoy? >> The Prince of Egypt.

In what ways are you open-minded? How about close-minded? >> I’m open-minded in almost all ways I can think of. I can’t think of a way in which I’m close-minded...

What is something that is uniquely YOU? >> I don’t think anything is uniquely ME. There’s always going to be someone out there with at least a similar experience or opinion or worldview as me, even if I never encounter them. There’s probably someone else right now who is reading The Dark Tower and getting to my part and going “that’s... that’s me, I lived that life” and tbh I hope I do encounter that person so I can have someone else to bitch about Roland to.

How do you tend to conduct yourself in arguments? >> I tend to just. Not have arguments. I’m over it, there’s nothing in the world I have ever found that is really worth arguing with someone about. Maybe I’ll find something one day, but right now I am really content with just not bothering.

When was the last time you apologized for something? >> I don’t remember. I try to avoid doing things I need to apologise for as much as possible.

Name one healthy and one unhealthy thing you do? >> ---

Do you prefer to be alone or around other people? >> I prefer to be alone, although I will make an exception for a certain few people. And by “few” I mean “I can count them on one hand”-few. (There are plenty of people that I like, sure, but when it comes to purposefully setting aside my alone-time to spend time with someone else... there’s gotta be more than just “yeah, you’re cool” going on.)

What is your most recent passion or obsession? >> Final Fantasy XIV.

If money wasn't an issue, how would you live your life differently? >> Well, I’d buy more high-quality, long-lasting products (which are usually outside of my current budget, so despite my preference for them I often have to settle for the cheaper options). I’d be able to make all the food choices that I prefer, buying local produce and better ingredients and such. And we definitely wouldn’t be living here.

When was the last time you made a drastic change to your appearance? >> I don’t remember. My appearance has been pretty static for the past five years, aside from my weight.

What is something you believe in that not many others do? >> The experience of being from another world, which happened to be written about by some guy on this one and published as fiction.

What calms you down or comforts you? >> Can Calah, primarily. Also, sitting in the sunlight.

When was the last time you went somewhere new? >> Ha! Good fucking question, eh.

With whom do you spend the most time? >> Sparrow, because we live together.

What's your favorite food to have for breakfast? >> Veggie burgers and chips. I don’t know when or how that happened, but it did. Samefood gang~

Do you have any unusual eating habits? >> I guess the concept of samefooding is a little unusual, considering it seems to be particular to people with spectrum disorders or whatever.

How old were you when you figured out what you wanted to do for a career? >> ---

When was the last time you conquered a fear? >> I don’t know.

What did you think of the last book you read? >> The Poisonwood Bible took me like three years to finish lmao (I would read some of it and then put it down and forget about it for months at a time -- a whole year, even) but I found it to be very engaging and immersive. I loved the way each character had such a distinct voice -- I would sometimes cover up the chapter title (which would be the name of the POV character) and try to guess the character from just the first couple of sentences and I always got it right, just because I could tell their voice immediately. It was a lovely story full of emotional and philosophical depth and I gave it five stars on Goodreads now that I’ve finally finished it, hah.

What is your current favorite television show? >> Succession, lmao. I didn’t expect to get sucked into it the way I did, but HBO dramas really are good at that.

What happened the last time you were annoyed? >> Spooky is jumping on things he shouldn’t be jumping on again. He’d better not knock anything over that I have to clean up. This is reason 3498587 why I don’t care for pets.

How would you describe your bedroom? >> Small and easily cluttered. Ask me again after I’ve thrown away/donated half of my belongings (as I tend to do).

What happened the last time you cried? >> I was being overwhelmed by environmental noise.

When was the last time you were out in nature? >> This morning. Not like, fully immersed in nature -- I was walking down a sidewalk, after all -- but there was some to observe. It’s as good as it gets, for now.

When was the last time you were in a big city? >> January (Houston, Texas).

Have you been drifting away from anyone lately? >> Not to my knowledge.

Is there anyone with whom you would like to be better friends? >> Meh.

What do you like most about summer? >> The warmth, the Sun, the wealth of outdoor things to do.

What are your favorite things to do during the winter months? >> Be inside :|

Who were you with the last time you watched a movie? >> I was alone.

What was the subject of your last phone conversation? >> Insurance bullshit.

What was your first pet? Do you still have this pet? >> A Rottweiler. No way, that was when I was a child.

What was the last thing you purchased online? In a store? >> Underwear (got price-gouged, too, but that’s what happens when you will only wear a specific kind and no other will do). The last thing I purchased in a store was groceries.

Where was the last place you went on vacation? >> I guess going to Elle’s wedding was kind of a vacation.

What is your favorite thing to learn about? >> I have a lot of favourite things to learn about.

Who do you trust most in your life? >> Can Calah.

Have you ever done any volunteer work? If so, what? >> No.

If you have a job, what do you like best about it? >> ---

If you were to redecorate your house, what style would you choose? >> I live in an apartment, that’s not happening.

What is your relationship like with your parents? Siblings? >> Nonexistent.

When was the last time you visited your relatives? >> ---

What are you going to do now that you're finished? >> Might take a peek at my dashboard, might get bored of that within 5 minutes and do something else, who knows.

#surveys #survey #random survey

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theaceofskulls · 7 years

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So despite the latest expansion coming out in about a day, it feels like I’m not seeing a lot of marketing work going around outside of the already invested community for Guild Wars 2. I’ve seen more for Final Fantasy XIV and Warframe than I have for this game, which is kind of disappointing because I recently fell back in love with it and feel it deserves a bit of talking about.

I have some greviances with the monetization of it, as well as its pricing, both for microtransactions and for the way you can exchange in-game currency for the premium type. However as I look over it again, especially having thought about it in comparison to several other MMOs I’ve played, I find it’s not too bad on the whole and the way it’s set up is uniquely tuned to suit the way I approach MMOs.

If you’re the type of person that likes a couple of MMO’s but tends to spend a lot of time playing solo, this game is surprisingly good for that. With a focus on a personal story that really helps bring your characters to life, maps that are made to not feel crowded but with adjusting level mechanics that keep them populated by characters of all levels, varied content and choices that makes alternate characters feel distinct from one another, several account bound rather than character bound progressions (like your in-game wallet) that make playing on these characters easier and feel less like you’re not advancing in the game as a whole, and a variety of ways to level both by having multiple zones of the same level range, awarding XP for crafting and exploration, and random events that pop up to spice up the area you’re in, the game manages to avoid pitfalls I’ve seen in other MMO’s. You feel less shuttled around a preset path the developers laid out for you to follow, and more in control of what you’re doing at any one moment.

In addition the lore of the game, often the biggest brick wall I’ve seen in most MMO’s, is given to you in digestible chunks, with a good establishing monologue from your character after character creation is done that immediately helps you understand what you need to without bogging you down in all the details. Of course that’s not to say that you’re forced to sit down and listen to the story if you don’t want to, but it’s stylistically handed to you rather than asking you to do your homework beforehand.

Gameplay is also thankfully devoid of the splashscreen of hotbars and cluttered UI, requiring you to only handle 10 number key bound skills and the occasional Function Key (and a couple of tricks like dodging and moving around though there’s a gradual curve to learning this sort of stuff). It’s relaxing compared to several other MMO’s play. It’s not going to hit my “top 10 best gameplay ever” list anytime soon, but it’s easy to approach and to slip into even if you’ve been away for awhile.

I’m not going to go into too much detail as this is more a PSA to try it rather than a full review. And speaking of that, I should mention its pricing. The game launched as a Buy to Play MMO, just like its predecessor, eventually going Free To Play* down the line. You may remember me talking about the marketplace and might be worried it’s another SW:TOR situation, but you can relax. Also I’m going to explain the asterisk I put on Free To Play.

The game’s first expansion, Heart of Thorns, has to be bought. In doing so you go from a free account to a paid account. Similar to SW:TOR, there are restrictions on free accounts, though unlike that game most of them are social rather than gutting the game to sell back piecemeal. You can also now buy the new expansion (which is standalone and doesn’t require the previous one) for the same upgrade.

I should point out that this effectively means that the F2P version of the game is a rather complete game on its own, meaning that it’s the same as what I say about Warframe: the game will absolutely encourage you to spend money on it down the line but you’ll be able to spend enough time with it to decide whether or not you feel it’s worth your dime.

So yeah, I’d encourage everyone to give it a shot, at the very least because I feel it’s sad for it to have such a large release just around the corner and not seeing much buzz outside of its little bubble on the internet.

Oh and also it has the coolest dragon design I’ve ever seen in a game as its final boss. It’s not at all what I suspected and gave me flashbacks to Legend of the Dragoon with just how much they stretched that concept to the absolute limit. That sort of design philosophy has continued throughout the game as it’s gone on, and I hope to see it continue to provide interesting and unexpected sights to come, so it could use some word of mouth to keep people coming to check it out.

#Guild Wars 2

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stardust-static · 4 years

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Yum yum yum yum yum

I just had the most satisfying dinner. I've been craving carne asada fries from my fav mexican restaurant.. So I went and got it. Leaving out the fries. So just the carne, sour cream, guac, and cheese. It was so flippen good! 🤤 it felt like cheating and it wasn't. I didn't even miss the fries. It was just as good! That will be a new go to when craving mexican food. Bomb.com

Sorry all my posts are keto related lately. It's just what's going on in my life right now, and I'm really happy about the new life change and bettering myself. :) I'm not too exciting lately, really...

Just eating well, occasional gym, studying a whole lot for my real estate license, applying for jobs here and there, Christmas shopping, trying new recipes, spending time with my beeb, besties, family, doggos, + kitty, playing final fantasy XIV, reading comics, annnnnd that's it! That's what's happening.

I must say I'm lot happier these days compared to a few months ago. Depression is still there with me like a dark phantom in every room, but I am still trying to swim towards my goals though I often find myself lost in dark pools of unmotivation. I didn't study for nearly 2 weeks recently. It was constantly on my mind, but I was lost in dread, and sometimes its hard to find my way out of that mind set. I feel dread so I avoid. And I would feel so ashamed of myself going to bed that night not having worked towards anything that day. Over and over again till eventually I wake up and it's washed away and I can resume living my life. Before recently I feel like my days of dread would drag out much longer than they do now. I am doing better. I am working towards being better overall. For myself and everyone I love. I made it a point to tell everyone about my real estate license and about my schooling for it. Sort of like self blackmail, because I know how I am, and more than anything I hate letting the people I love down. So I hyped this up. So I have this reminder that I need to move forward. It may seem a little thing, but I struggle mostly with the smallest things. So yeah.... I am doing the very best i can. I dont know how a post about food turned into this, but here we are. :)

Have a good night ❤

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

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1017.

5k Survey LXX

3551. Is racism still a big part of our culture? >> It is still a big part of American culture. It always was, but recent events just shined a spotlight on it instead of letting it flourish in the relative shadows as it’d been doing. 3552. A drawing was shown to a person. The drawing showed a black man in a business suit standing next to a white man holding a razor. The person who saw this drawing was white and was asked to describe it to a second white person who had not seen it, who described it to a third, and so on. By the end of six rounds the final report often placed the razor in the hand of the black man and it is claimed he is waving it threateningly. What do you think of this? >> I don’t have any thoughts about what is being presented to me as an anecdotal tale of dubious veracity. 3553. How many famous people can you name who committed suicide? >> A couple, I’d imagine. 3554. Do you have OCD? >> I do not. 3555. Are you more anxious or relaxed? Insecure or secure? Sociable or withdrawn? Original or conventional? >> I don’t have an anxiety disorder, so I suppose I’m more non-anxious than anxious. I don’t really know how to measure my sense of security. I spend a lot of time alone, but I don’t think “withdrawn” is the appropriate word for most of my solitude (some of it, sure, but not the bulk of it). I’ve got no interest in the last one.

3556. Are you more emotional or calm? self pitying or content? Fun loving or sober? Imaginative or down to earth? >> I think emotional vs calm is a false dichotomy. I don’t think “pity” is the way I respond to myself, exactly. I don’t think I’m more of either fun-loving or sober-minded. I suppose I tip the scale towards “imaginative”. 3557. Are you more Friendly or aloof? adventurous or cautious? Broad or narrow when it comes to interests? receptive or closed to new ideas? >> Somewhere in between. Cautious, usually, but there are some risks I’m interested in taking. Broad. Receptive. 3558. Are you more good natured or irritable? soft hearted or ruthless? well organized or disorganized? Dependable or undependable? >> My irritability level depends on my mental health at the time. Jury is still out on the second one. Well-organised. Mostly dependable, I guess. 3559. Are you more courteous or rude? sympathetic or tough minded? hardworking or lazy? ambitious or easy going? >> More likely to be stiffly courteous than intentionally rude, but not really by much. Jury is out on the second one, again. I don’t think I’m hard-working, but I also don’t think calling myself “lazy” gets to the heart of the matter either. I am not ambitious. Anxiety Inscurity Emotionalism and Self Pity are traits of a neurotic personality. Sociable, fun loving, friendly and adventurous are traits of an extraverted personality. orignality, imaginative, broad interests, and receptive are traits of an Open personality. Good natured, soft hearted, courteous, and sympathetic are traits of an agreeable personality. Well organized, dependable, hardworking and ambitious are traits of a conscientious personality. >> Yeah, yeah. Next. 3560. Do men and woman have little or a lot in common? >> ... 3561. Do you feel like any of the teachers you've ever had have REALLY cared about educating you to think for yourself? Do you tend to try harder if they DO care? >> I don’t remember any teachers that seemed particularly interested in teaching critical thinking skills as opposed to the rote memorisation method the public-school curricula encouraged. 3562. Have you ever been stereotyped? As what? >> I think it’d be really difficult to go through three decades of existence without ever being stereotyped. I don’t remember any specific examples right now, though. 3563. Have you ever been dsicriminated against? For what? >> Most likely. 3564. How often is your school and/or job closed due to weather? >> --- 3565. Who do you know that you believe does not masturbate? >> Why am I developing beliefs about other people’s masturbatory habits...? 3566. Does a cloned human being have a soul? Why or why not? >> I’d have to have a solid opinion about whether non-cloned human beings have a soul, first. Which I don’t. 3567. Finish the sentance: As the world turns..I only have one concern...that: >> ... 3568. What group in history has been the most oppressed? >> Wow. 3569. Have you read any biographies? Whose? >> Yeah, I read a lot of rock star bios and autobios when I was in my early twenties. I also read Maya Angelou’s autobios, and probably some others that I’ve just forgotten by now. 3570. What are you obsessed with? >> Final Fantasy XIV. 3571. Break out your decoder ring..(no hints this time)! t3ii9 8 i9f3 697 29h5 697 53ii j3 6974 hqj3? >> No. 3572. Do you crack your: knuckles? neck? back? other? >> My knuckles, yes. My neck, rarely. No others. 3573. Of the following powers which 2 would you pick for yourself? The ability to fly, breathe under water, turn invincible, change into animals, freeze and restart time, never gain weight unless you want to, heal people with your touch, have orgasms that last for an hour >> Meh. 3574. Do you chew your pencils and pens? >> No. 3575. Can you tell the exact point where your back ends and your butt begins? >> I’ve never bothered to figure that out. 3576. When you are bored do you picture everyone around you naked? >> No. I doubt that’d do anything for my boredom, anyway. Naked people aren’t any more interesting to me than anything else. 3577. What are some great holiday gift ideas for guys: girls: 3578. Who looks better naked, men or woman? >> . . . 3579. Do you sit in chairs or fall into them? >> I sit in them? 3580. Has anyone ever screamed your name during sex? moaned your name during sex? >> I don’t remember, man. But Inworld, sure. 3581. Hershey's kisses: mint, almond, hugs, plain. other? >> --- 3582. What's the best slurpee flavor? >> --- 3583. What are five movies that you think someone would have to be living under a rock in iceland to not have seen? >> --- 3584. Of these words, which ones are funny: beets? cumquat? pit? Piss-capades? fuzzy? What are some other funny words? >> --- 3585. Do you give good massages? >> I’ve never given a massage, so I’d assume not, based solely on a lack of experience. 3586. What songs have been 'stuck' in your head? >> Various FFXIV tracks because I play the game so often. 3587. What don't most people know about your job? >> --- 3588. Is there anything you won't say unless someone else says it first? >> I don’t think so. 3589. Do you need a little christmas? >> I don’t know what this means. 3590. Fake or real tree? >> We have a fake tree. 3591. Is your refrigerator running? You know what to do. >> Yeah, yeah. 3592. How can you explain when there are few words you can choose? >> What? 3593. Who can it be now? >> ??? 3594. Where HAS Joe Dimaggio gone? And why does our nation turn it's eys to him? >> What is happening. 3595. How often do you get headaches? >> Infrequently. 3596. Have you ever worn fake eyelashes? >> No. Talk about sensory hell. 3597. What could you spend 24 hours in a row doing? >> Nothing. 3598. Is it Friday yet? >> No, it’s Monday. 3599. Do you remember There was a time (ahaha) when people on the street were walking hand in hand in hand? >> I don’t understand this reference. 3600. Do you talk to inanimate objects? Do you try to get them to answer you? Have they ever answered you? >> I do talk to inanimate objects. I don’t try to get them to answer me because that’s not the point.

#surveys #survey #5000 question survey #not for reblogging *glare*

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