#( 🎮 : mai plays )

[heliomanteia]

I'm honestly so glad they introduced a new protagonist. Not just because Rook is a darling, but also because Inquisitor would have been a horrible choice for the story they wrote.

[romans-empire]

Aww, Siffrin is smaller than Mirabelle! On another note, they're faster now.

[miharuhebinata]

the top 6 games i played in 2023!

1. Heaven's Vault

An archaeologist uncovers a lost history in an ancient space Nebula.

I know that I said I had mixed feelings about this game in my initial review, and I'm sure if I tried replaying it right now, I still would. But honestly, I think about this game so often, I had to include it in this list. Truly such a unique experience. I'm even thinking of reading the book version.

2. Bugsnax

Catch mysterious living snacks and feed them to your friends in this unusual island adventure!

This is a great game, with fun gameplay and an extremely bizarre but interesting story, but where it really shines is its characters. You might not guess on first glance, but the character development in this game is so good and so rewarding. It exceeded all expectations in the best of ways.

3. Sable

Embark on a unique and unforgettable journey and guide Sable through her Gliding; a rite of passage that will take her across vast deserts and mesmerizing landscapes, capped by the remains of spaceships and ancient wonders.

Though it can be glitchy at times, this game is absolutely gorgeous, not just in graphics but in its story and its soundtrack as well. Very, very beautiful game. Not to mention the exploration reminded me of Breath of the Wild: you are free to do what you want, go wherever, and the ending will wait until you're ready for it.

4. Song of Horror

Fear the Presence, a mysterious entity you cannot fight: stay alert, hide, breathe slowly… Explore cursed places where unseen spirits and lost souls linger in a true horror story for the ages.

Unlike other games of the genre, in this you are completely powerless against your enemy—and if your character dies, they are dead for good. These (admittedly sometimes frustrating) mechanics make for a particularly harrowing experience, enhanced by the dark, isolating atmosphere of each chapter. A truly gripping experience.

5. A Plague Tale: Innocence

Follow the grim tale of young Amicia and her little brother Hugo, in a heartrending journey through the darkest hours of history.

The story of this was somewhat unexpected, as I was not anticipating supernatural elements in a game about the black plague, but it was so, so good. It really takes you on a journey, though the highlight of the game is obviously the characters. Both Amicia and Hugo felt not only real, they were also endearing, as were the several friends they made throughout the story. Very much looking forward to playing the sequel at some point.

6. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

A new Shogun seizes power over Edo period Japan and enforces nationwide peace. In his battle against conspiracy and rebellion, he recruits five specialists with extraordinary skills for assassination, sabotage and espionage.

I've never played a real-time tactics game before and I'm not at all good at strategizing, so you can probably imagine how frustrating this game was for me; and yet, I absolutely adored it. I found the story and the characters compelling, not to mention this game just makes you feel smart. Completing a level was always so satisfying, and it more than made up for any lingering frustrations in regards to the difficulty of the gameplay.

(Also, fun fact: one of the characters, Takuma, is voiced by the same person that voices the narrator in the Trine games! As a big fan of the Trine series, this delighted me to no end. 😊)

[waloeders]

ive been replaying rdr2 on my deck n it is. such a relaxing game when im ignoring the plot. i got to chapter 2 n now im just running around doing side missions all the time. anyway picture spam under the cut, maybe very minor spoilers but no context at all

also i DONT have a favourite special guy stop lying about me ignore how much hes here shut up 😭😭 (/lh lh)

[rawr-mortgage]

they're saying i should pull for e2 mydei if i don't want him to go into auto battle and take my player rights away from me🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️🧍‍♀️

[caeca-iustitia]

The game took pity on me!

I got really lucky and got 4 stamps on a random- barely scraped together- draw which was exactly the amount I needed to finish the card and get Vincent's outfit...

*screams*

LOOK AT THEM!

Just in time for Vincent's birthday as well lmao

[jasperxkuromi]

Play ideas for chronically ill, disabled, or otherwise bed bound/low energy littles

Hi all! I am chronically ill. I am not comfortable sharing my specific diagnosis, but I am more than okay with talking about disability in general. Everything below is based on my own personal experiences and activities I like to do while stuck in bed. Everyone's body and experiences are different. I may list some things that just aren't an option for you, and that's okay. You are more than welcome to add on to this post with activities you do too!

🐛 Open the curtains and cloud watch! I like to look for clouds that remind me of animals or characters and day dream a story about them. If the weather is nice, consider opening your window a little bit and letting some fresh air into your room.

🐦 Bird watch! I have a bird feeder outside my window that I painted myself from a kid's kit. There are also bird feeders that have suction cups that can be stuck right on your window. You can also make your own seed ornaments. You could pick yourself up a kids book or two on learning to identify birds.

🌷 Get a window planter. You may need someone's help to set one up, but once they are in place they are fairly easy to care for. I like pansies and marigolds because they remind me of childhood, and they are low maintenance and do well in containers.

📖 Audiobooks are great for middles who want to read chapter books. If you have a library card you can borrow tons of audiobook, ebooks, and comics through hoopla and Libby for free. There are some audiobooks for younger kiddo books, but honestly I think YouTube is better for that.

🖼️ Scrapbooks and journals! Being penpals with another little is also an option, but I do recommend using basic internet safety and common sense. (I don't think you should do this if you are under 18). You could always scan/take pictures of your letter and send it digitally to your penpal instead.

🛏️ If you spend a lot of time in bed, and have the money to do so, I really recommend getting items to make your time in bed more comfortable. Extra pillows, or even a reading pillow can be helpful. Lap desks or bed tables can give you space to color or set up play scenes with small toys.

🌟 You can also decorate the area around your bed to make it more child like! Fairy lights, glow in the dark stars, bed canopies, posters, and the like.

🪑 I have a floor chair I use for times I am playing outside of my bed. Being close to the floor helps me feel small, but not having back support hurts after a short while. I have an adjustable one that I can lay flat on the floor as a sleeping mat. Very helpful for the times when I need a quick nap after playtime.

🎨 Check the seasonal and kids sections at dollar stores and Five Below. I usually find fun craft kits that can keep me occupied for a bit for really cheap.

🧶 Do your own crafts! I like the knit and crochet. Some people can do them in bed, but I find it difficult to find a comfortable way to do that. However making friendship bracelets in bed works out pretty well. They make great gifts, even for non little friends. Or you could make matching ones for you and your CG or favorite plushie!

🪀 Make your own sensory bin! You can find tons of tutorials and ideas online. Bonus is you can get most of the items you would use at the dollar store. There are tons of other DIY sensory toys you can make as well if you look around. Glitter/shaker bottles are pretty popular too.

🐇 Cuddle with your stuffed animals. Tell them stories. Play pretend. Read to them. They will appreciate all of it.

🎮 If you have an old 3DS stuffed away in a drawer somewhere, pull it back out. 3DS are fairly easy to install homebrew and there are toooons of kiddo friendly games you could get (check 3ds.hacks.guide for this, do not follow tutorials on YouTube or random websites as they very well could be outdated)

💊 Decorate your medicine organizers with stickers. If you use mobility aids you can decorate them as well! Fake flowers are great for decorating mobility aids and there are tons of ideas you can find online.

🍼 I have stomach problems that makes it hard for me to eat enough. I often drink Ensure to make sure I am getting enough calories/nutrients. I get the strawberry flavor and sometimes put it in my sippy cup and pretend it is strawberry milk 😋

😴 If you need rest, rest! You deserve to get as much sleep as your body needs. Babies and toddlers take naps all the time! Trying to just exist with chronic health issues is difficult enough. You don't need to push yourself.

[noahsresources]

DETAILS ABOUT OCS !

send an emoji/description of emoji to learn more about a writer's oc! many of these are taken from my munday asks meme, because i thought it would be fun to make a version for characters too! the prompts are categorized by emoji type and given descriptions in case anyone can't see the symbols. can be used for roleplayers and any general writers alike! for roleplayers, these can also be used for your interpretations of canon characters if you so desire as well!

𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒. 💭 THOUGHT BALLOON — what is your oc's MBTI, enneagram, and/or other personality aspects (if known/interested in)? 🚗 CAR — does your oc have a driver's license? can they drive/operate any automobiles/machinery besides cars? ✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person? 🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies? 💍 RING — does your oc have any piercings? do they want any (more) piercings? 🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos? 📚 BOOKS — what level of education has your oc most recently completed/is currently in (GED, undergraduate, grad school, phd, etc)? 🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)? 🩹 ADHESIVE BANDAGE — does your oc have any physical and/or mental disabilities? 🩸 DROP OF BLOOD — what is your oc's blood type?

𝐒𝐘𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐒. 🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often? 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know. 💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits? 🔱 TRIDENT EMBLEM — can your oc swim? do they enjoy swimming? 🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons? 🔶 LARGE ORANGE DIAMOND — does your oc know cpr? do they have any other medical expertise? 🚫 PROHIBITED — does your oc drink/smoke? do they do it regularly, or is it more on occasion or for special events?

𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄. 🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use? 🎄 CHRISTMAS TREE — what is your oc's favorite holiday? 🐶 DOG FACE — does your oc have any pets? 🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends? 🐷 PIG FACE — what is your oc's favorite animal? 🐉 DRAGON — what is your oc's favorite mythical creature? 🍃 LEAVES FLUTTERING IN WIND — what is/was your oc's favorite subject in school? 🌴 PALM TREE — does your oc have a green thumb? do they enjoy gardening? 🍎 RED APPLE — where was your oc born? do they still live in/around their place of birth or do they live somewhere else? how do they feel about their birthplace?

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒. ❤️ RED HEART — what are three of your oc's positive traits? 🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc's neutral/questionable traits? 💔 BROKEN HEART — what are three of your oc's negative traits? 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them? 🧡 ORANGE HEART — does your oc tend to prioritize family or friends? 💛 YELLOW HEART — how many languages does your oc speak? what language(s) are they learning, if any? 💚 GREEN HEART — does your oc prefer being inside or outside? 💙 BLUE HEART — does your oc have any cool/special powers and/or abilities? how are they with magic, if it exists in their world? 💜 PURPLE HEART — what is your oc's ancestry/genetic background? 🖤 BLACK HEART — has your oc killed or seriously wounded anyone before? have they broken someone's heart and/or broken someone's trust?

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒. 🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc's birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, & rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, & ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, & rising signs? 🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc's favorite food(s)? 🍰 SHORTCAKE — what is/are your oc's favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)? 🍦 SOFT ICE CREAM — what is/are your oc's favorite ice cream flavor(s)? 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer? 🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc's typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast? 🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc's typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch? 🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc's typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner? 🍸 COCKTAIL GLASS — what is your oc's favorite alcoholic drink, if they can drink? ☕️ HOT BEVERAGE — does your oc prefer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, water, or some other drink? how do they like to take this drink (ex. coffee with milk, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a specific kind of tea, etc)?

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄. 😊 SMILING FACE WITH SMILING EYES — what are your oc's career/general life desires? what do they want to get the most out of life? 😖 CONFOUNDED FACE — is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved? 🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms? 🧐 FACE WITH MONOCLE — is your oc more logical or emotional? 🤓 SMILING FACE WITH GLASSES — is your oc chatty or quiet? are they at ease in social situations, or are they more shy? 🤩 FACE WITH STARRY EYES — is your oc a planner, or are they more spontaneous in their actions? 😥 SAD BUT RELIEVED FACE — is your oc prone to getting stressed out, or is it easy for them to keep their cool? 😓 DOWNCAST FACE WITH SWEAT — is your oc open-minded or stubborn? are they inquisitive or do they prefer to keep to their bubble of knowledge? 😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone? 🤒 FACE WITH THERMOMETER — does your oc get sick easily? 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILY WITH MOTHER, FATHER, SON AND DAUGHTER — how many people are in your oc's immediate family? how many people are in your oc's extended family? do they have aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc? who in their family are they closest with? are they close with their birth family, or do they have a found family?

[montereybayaquarium]

Who’s ready for another educOCEANal gaming stream?? 🎮 🌊

We’re diving into the wondrous world of Endless Ocean Luminous with Aquarium dive officers Meriah, Sara, and Tori! Join us Thursday, May 30th at 3:30 p.m. PT on Twitch or YouTube as we chat all things SCUBA, diving, the ocean, and how our awesome staff are making positive changes for the safety of women divers everywhere. It’s going to be a shell of a good time!  🎮 🤿 🐋

[bucketbueckers]

I'D RATHER PRETEND

CHAPTER FIVE

tags: @angryflowerwitch @avvwritesstufff @melpthatsme @rebecca-woso @bueckersg1rl @l0verl4ne @clouded-whispers @dolliest-thena @katemartinlvr @numberonepartyanth3m @glamourdaya @pbbucks @unadulteratedcyclepaper @paiges-1vur wc: 6.3k notes: masterlist ahead? uh yeah i sure hope it does! decided last minute i didn't really care about any real plot action this chapter outside of tess and paige so if you are disappointed by that, sorry but it's better this way, tess and paige are the plot now🤞 accidentally made this chapter kinda important, it lowk got away from me, but i hope you all enjoy 🫶

‘This Month in Review - The Cutest Sports Couple Since Megan and Sue’

Whether you’re a sports fanatic or a casual watcher, there is no denying that Paige Bueckers and Tess Kennedy have taken the sports scene by storm. They are a topic of conversation in every room – and for good reason. Bueckers and Kennedy were top recruiting prospects out of high school, with Bueckers leading the pack as the #1 recruit and Kennedy following close behind as the #2. They are the current leaders of two superstar programs and despite not having played their full collegiate careers, Bueckers and Kennedy have already cemented themselves as players that will go down in history as the greatest to play college basketball at their institutions.

Bueckers and Kennedy are a power couple through and through, and while neither of them have made anything official, it is clear that they have spent this entire offseason together – even several hundred miles apart. Fans have pointed out that their recent TikTok reposts make references to missing a long distance lover or are largely relationship focused. Their Instagram stories often feature each other. From Kennedy’s Instagram, a recent story showcased a short clip of Bueckers holding a LEGO rose, winking as she blew a kiss to the camera. From Bueckers’s Instagram, a recent story included a FaceTime screenshot of Kennedy, grinning as she threw a thumbs up for the photo, and it was affectionately captioned, “My duo 🎮.”

Additionally, they have been noticeably active in each other’s Instagram comment section:

[IMAGE TRANSCRIPTION: MAY 30, 2023 | BUECKERS IS PHOTOGRAPHED WEARING A LEG SLEEVE, BLUE AND WHITE PATTERNED BASKETBALL SHORTS, AND A BLACK LONG SLEEVED SHIRT ROLLED UP TO HER ELBOWS. SHE IS MID-JUMPER, LEFT ARM EXTENDED AND RIGHT WRIST BENT. USER PAIGEBUECKERS: “TUNNEL VISION ON A MISSION ⏳” | USER TESSKENNEDY25: “I AM LOOKING RESPECTFULLY 👁️” END TRANSCRIPTION.]

Their galavanting didn’t end there. They made their relationship known through TikTok live one night, featuring Bueckers, Kennedy, and some of Buecker’s UConn teammates including Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl. The TikTok live was a source of endless laughter, jokes, and games. Again, nothing was officially confirmed, although many viewers posted various screen recordings the morning after, and all fans can agree on is that Bueckers and Kennedy are not slick.

Many are comparing their relationship to Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, and we have to admit, the similarity is there. Bueckers and Kennedy are both standout athletes and leaders on dynasty teams. Fans are eagerly awaiting the hard-launch, if only just to confirm what we all know is true.

-Penelope Lancaster, Bleacher Report

JUNE 20, 2023

“Do you have everything, piccola? Brace, heating pad, charger?”

Making a conscious effort to fix her face, Tess resists a sigh and responds, “Yes, mamma, I have everything.” She knows that her mother is just looking out for her, but she’s been through all of her belongings three times now and she knows for a fact that she has everything. If something was missing, she’s certain Paige would have an extra or she’d be able to buy a new one in Massachusetts. 

She got the call from Amaya only a few days ago. To no one’s surprise at all, the media was eating up her and Paige’s fake relationship. Their brand deals were feeling secure in their investments once more and the tabloids were far more concerned about Tess & Paige than they were about Tess’s month-long crash out. With everything aligning once more, Bose actually wanted to sign a joint deal with her and Paige and get them to advertise a new product – standard NIL endorsement stuff, but the icing on the cake was Amaya’s cheerful, “You’re married now!” that nearly made Tess’s heart fall out of her ass.

Tess doesn’t make a habit of being a gullible person, but she genuinely thought Amaya was going to make her and Paige scrap the whole “soft-launch” idea and just come out at the altar with wedding rings. Amaya was quick to clarify it wasn’t actually like that (Thank God), but the Bose representatives wanted to do something corny, monopolize on their traction as a duo, and Tess and Paige would henceforth be named Mrs. and Mrs. Bose.

It was pretty stupid, but a little funny, and as soon as Tess saw her payout, she couldn’t really complain.

“And Paige is getting you from the airport? No Uber?” her father asks for the second time, mostly to clarify.

Tess can’t stop the flush from spreading across her cheeks like she’d been caught red-handed. Truthfully, her parents weren’t haters by any means. They were oddly invested in her and Paige’s ruse – which made lying to them about it so much more difficult, but the both of them seemed to genuinely like Paige despite never speaking to her. They’d been begging for weeks straight for Tess to bring her home so they could meet her since it’s “getting serious,” although they were pleased to know she’d probably be around by Christmas. She and Paige had this commercial to film, then Paige would have to return to Storrs for summer practices (Tess wouldn’t be returning until the semester officially started – she wants to work as much as she could with Terri, no hate to Craig), then Paige was set to spend early August in Europe with her teammates. Both of them would be extremely busy in the coming months, especially once the season started, so they weren’t expecting to see each other all too much outside of FaceTime.

“Yes, Paige will pick me up,” Tess confirms, zipping up her backpack one last time. “She flew in this morning.” Tess tactfully leaves out the part where Paige had completely rearranged her flight schedule for her. Paige argued that it “wasn’t safe” to put her safety in the hands of a random Uber driver given her knee and that she hated late flights anyways. Tess knows that Paige truthfully doesn’t give a fuck about flight times, but arguing with her was near impossible.

Her father gives an approving nod, and much to Tess’s well-hidden anxiety induced annoyance, the three of them do one last check of her belongings before they load up in the car to drop her off at the airport. Tess tries her best to tune into the conversation, although part of her is still nervous about flying. She’s been cleared to travel for a week or two now. Despite that, she can’t help but anticipate the worst going wrong. Amaya splurged on first class so she’d have plenty of leg room and she’s flying on a very reputable airline. She has to remind herself that realistically, she’ll be perfectly fine.

It’s a quiet morning at the airport as her father pulls into the drop off lane, putting the car in park. “Text us as soon as you land, okay, piccola?” her mother tells her.

Tess flashes the both of them a comforting smile, leaning forward to give them quick hugs. “Of course.” And with that, she grabs her suitcase and her backpack, says her goodbyes, and waits for her parents to pull off before she walks through the airport in search of her gate. She’s only stopped a few times by fans asking for photos, which she dutifully poses for, then she makes her way to the counter to check in. She only has to wait a few more moments to board the plane. Amaya set her up with a secluded seat in the back. She snags a quick photo of the tarmac and sends it to Paige, whose response comes quickly.

Tell your pilot to take a shortcut or sum I miss you

you use that line on all the girls back home?

Is it working?

maybe a little

Then no All my lines are for Tess Kennedy and Tess Kennedy only

good

🤔 Are you forgetting something?

miss you too pb 👎

I know 😁

so modest gtg we’re about to take off

I’ll be waiting 🫶

Tess simply reacts to Paige’s last message with a heart, unable to wipe the smile off her face. She shuts her phone off and settles in for the hour long flight.

When the plane touches down in Framingham, Massachusetts, Tess is full of restless energy. It’s equal parts relief and excitement; however, after spending the morning traveling, she’s ready to get back to the hotel and get a nap in before she has to be productive. She hauls her bag over her shoulder and exits the plane with the other passengers as she waits for her phone to power back on. When it does, she sees that a text from Paige is already waiting for her.

I got your suitcase I’m like right in front of the gate

Tess sends back a thumbs up, something she’s sure Paige is annoyed by, and slides her phone back into her pocket. She follows the crowd out. Her heart thrums with anticipation, even as she tries to shove down those complicated feelings. Friends are allowed to miss each other, but her longing feels different somehow. She and Paige were practically inseparable for the month they were apart. Knowing that they’re about to reunite in person leaves her giddy with anticipation.

The crowd clears. Paige stands tall and proud in the center of the boarding area, an easy smile on her face and her arms hiding something behind her back. When Paige finally spots her, her smile widens and she begins taking swift steps towards her. Tess matches her strides, falling into her embrace with a soft laugh and overwhelming relief. One of Paige’s arms loop around her waist, squeezing her gently. “Missed you,” Paige murmurs, her cheek pressed to her head, and Tess doesn’t bother fighting the flush or the enamored upward curve of her lips.

“Missed you too, P,” she confesses. Paige’s arm tightens around her waist and she can feel the smile the blonde presses to the crown of her head. She pulls back, uncaring of the way the crowd clamors or the phones pointed at them, fully focused on Paige. Her hair is pulled back into a wavy ponytail, her face bare (yet she’s still undeniably beautiful), and she’s dressed in a UConn hoodie and a pair of grey sweatpants. Simple, but Paige is good at pulling just about anything off. With a mischievous grin, Paige displays the bouquet of flowers she’d been hiding behind her back, and Tess can’t quite hide the surprise on her features. “Paige – what?”

Paige carefully pushes them into Tess’s hands. They’re roses and in shockingly good quality, as if they’d been plucked directly from a garden rather than purchased from a grocery store. “Saw ‘em and had to get ‘em for you. Figured you deserved a little better than that LEGO flower after these past two months, yeah?”

Tess is speechless, her mouth opening and closing much like a fish’s. No one has ever gotten her flowers before, high school graduation aside. Paige did this completely on her own whims, and that thought alone makes a fresh blush creep up her neck. She glances at Paige, a soft smile spreading across her face. “These are beautiful, P. Thank you.”

Paige’s grin turns tender, her face clearly pleased as she pulls Tess in by her waist once more, careful to not squash the flowers. “‘Course, ma,” she says like it’s the easiest thing in the world, which, for a girl like Paige, it probably is. That thought alone is sobering and Tess remembers where they are, adrenaline rushing into her mouth as Paige releases her. “Ready to go, Mrs. Bose?”

“So fucking corny,” Tess groans, but Paige’s joke is enough for the tension to melt away, for Tess to forget all about the sudden sadness she’d felt as Paige hugged her. “Lead the way, Mrs. Bose.” Paige cocks a wry smirk at her and does just that, her left hand reaching for the handle of Tess’s suitcase. Her free hand brushes against Tess’s, a silent question in her eyes. One glance at the crowd makes her heart race, but Paige’s eyes are soft, understanding, and all the convincing she needs. She links her fingers together with Paige’s, relishing in the squeeze Paige gives her in reassurance. Tess tries not to think too hard about how well their hands fit together – the blonde’s are just slightly larger, enveloping her own in a way that should not be as comforting as it is, and her thumb mindlessly brushes against her knuckle.

Paige leads them through the busy airport, the crowd parting for them, and Tess hardly pays it any attention as she gets lost in her racing thoughts. They’re just friends. Sure, no one in her life is as close to her in the way Paige is right now, but they just have their own thing going on right now. Pretending to be each other’s girlfriend requires a lot of commitment that neither of them have otherwise experienced. Tess was never one for romance – it wasn’t in the cards for someone like her. Growing up, she was taller than most other girls – and boys – her age. A lot of people weren’t into that. Then she realized she didn’t even like boys, which never bothered her, but she felt as though she was missing out on some crucial part of girlhood because she wasn’t desired or yearned for. She’ll be the first to admit it sounds stupid. There’s many people out there with issues far more serious than whether or not they were somebody’s crush in high school. She’s out of her element in so many ways, and she can’t help but think back to that initial burst of anxiety she felt as soon as the severity of the situation finally hit her. She’s in way over her head, she’s realizing it now, and she fears that it won’t be long until people realize she has no idea what she’s doing.

But Paige? One glance at her, at the easy expression on her face, the slight furrow of her brow as she scans the airport signs for the exit, and Tess can tell she’s not freaking the fuck out like she is. Paige is vastly more experienced in this situation than Tess is and they both know it. Paige said she could do casual. This is essentially what this was, right? All of the romance without the intimacy. Tess should have told her right then and there that she was not built for casual. It always spins out of control, and Tess is probably living proof of that.

This is all physical, she tells herself, unsure of if she even believes it. You don’t actually like her. She’s attractive – that’s all there is to it. And for now, that explanation is good enough for her. She’s going to do these commercials with Paige, hard-launch their fake relationship, and then they’re going to be far too busy to see each other until the holidays when they visit each other’s families to, again, hard-launch their fake relationship and tell the biggest lie to the people closest to them. That time apart will be enough for Tess to get her head back on straight and realize there's absolutely nothing going on between her and Paige that should be of any (reasonable) concern.

She almost believes that. At least until Paige smiles at her as she loads her suitcase into the trunk of her rental, opening the passenger door for her. Tess’s heart swells and she realizes just how unfathomably fucked she is.

JUNE 21, 2023

After a calm night spent watching Grey’s Anatomy – Paige’s request, obviously – Tess and Paige were up bright and early Wednesday morning to drive out to the Bose main office for filming. Paige entrusted her with the aux and promised to not complain about her music choices as long as Tess bought breakfast, which was a deal Tess was all too happy to make as she directed Paige to the nearest Dunkin. She made sure to snag plenty of pictures for the Instagram hard launch they planned to post before they went their separate ways. Her personal favorite was the one of Paige sitting in the driver’s seat, legs wide and pressed against the door and the center console, sunglasses perched over the bridge of her nose as she held both of their coffees. The blonde sported an easy smile with her hair in her game-day braids and her thin, black fleece jacket was unzipped, showcasing the UConn shirt she was wearing under it. Paige made sure to get one of her, too, but it was less presentable and far too candid – Paige had swiped whipped cream across her nose and photographed her mid-gasp. Tess begged her to delete it, but Paige’s infectious laughter caused all of the indignation to drain from her body.

With breakfast and coffee secured, Paige drives the rest of the way to their filming location as Tess hums along to Omar Apollo. The silence in the car is calm, both of them comfortable in simply sitting next to each other as the music plays. Paige shifts, her elbow resting on the center console as she drives with her left hand. Her fingers mindlessly twirl the straw in her cup. The movement catches Tess’s eye and she’s suddenly overcome with the urge to grab her hand.

It’s domestic, in a sense – sitting next to Paige in the car as they drive down the road with the windows down. The weather holds a gentle bite, not overbearingly cold, but chilly enough that it makes Tess feel a little more tethered, that she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be.

In her last session with Yvette, the psychologist recommended she just let go. As obvious as the advice is, and despite it being easier said than done, Tess is interested in giving it an honest shot. For years, she’s carried so much anxiety with her, worried about whether or not she’s doing something right or worried about how she’s being perceived. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of discomfort to move forward.

Before she can talk herself out of it, Tess props her arm up on the center console. Paige is close enough that she can feel her jacket sleeve brushing against her arm. She can feel Paige’s gaze on her, the gentle curiosity, but she keeps her eyes straight ahead, watching as the trees pass by in green blurs. Then she feels her move, feels her knuckles brush against her hand; and with her heart thrumming in her chest, Tess wordlessly unclenches her fist in invitation. Paige doesn’t hesitate before she’s linking their fingers together, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Tess spots her smile from the corner of her eye, and knowing that Paige is watching her, too, she allows a smile of her own to grace her features. Nothing has ever felt as right as Paige’s hand in hers in a long time. As she continues driving, Tess can’t help herself from feeling at peace.

When the two of them finally make it back to their hotel room after spending the day filming, Tess collapses onto her bed with a dramatic groan, immediately reaching for her pillow and wrapping both arms around it, pressing her chin into the cushion. She hears Paige snort from somewhere in the room, followed by rustling as she shrugs her jacket off her shoulders and throws it haphazardly on her bed. “Tired?” Paige asks teasingly.

Tess hums in confirmation. Tired doesn’t even begin to cover it. She was up early, was on her feet for most of the day, and all of the reshoots and retakes weren’t doing her any favors. She knows she’s crashing out for no reason – this is literally her job – but she’s equal parts tired and hangry and she honestly just wants a hot shower.

“Want me to DoorDash somethin’?” Paige asks, as if reading her mind. She kicks off her shoes and falls into bed next to Tess, already pulling out her phone.

Tess cracks one eye open as the mattress dips under their shared weight, glancing at Paige, who crosses one leg over the other as she gets comfortable. “Chick-fil-A?” she requests. “Nuggets and fries? My card’s in my wallet.”

Paige wrinkles her nose. “Hell no. You got breakfast.”

Tess rolls her eyes. “Breakfast and the aux.”

“All you played was sad, break-up R&B,” Paige grumbles. “I really should make you cover dinner after that bullshit. Feels like there’s something you’re tryna tell me.”

“Pretty sure I’m not contractually allowed to break up with you,” Tess retorts. “So don’t worry.”

The blonde hums, unconvinced, before she turns off her phone and throws it in between the two of them. “Dasher’s gonna be here in 15,” she says, gazing down at her. “You good? Your knee okay?”

Figuring her current position probably isn’t the greatest for said knee, Tess rolls onto her back and stretches her leg out with a sigh. Her elbow brushes against Paige’s stomach and Tess shifts again, not realizing how little space she’d left between them after she moved. “‘M good,” she says. “Should probably get an ice pack just in case.”

Paige is rolling off the bed before Tess even registers what’s going on. She watches her pull the lid off of the ice box on the desk, scooping up a handful and depositing it in a plastic bag. She tests the seal, and once she’s satisfied, she wraps the makeshift pack in a towel, plucks a pillow off of her bed, and holds the ice pack in between her teeth as she gently lifts Tess’s leg, sliding the pillow underneath. Tess’s breath hitches at the slightest contact, and despite the chill of the ice pack, Paige’s hands are inexplicably warm on her skin.

“Is this the Dr. Bueckers the ladies told me about?” Tess asks with a coy smile, trying to ignore the flutter in her chest. The way Paige was gazing at her left too much for her to want, eyes soft and attentive, and for Tess, it was easier to hide the longing with humor.

“You play too much,” Paige says, but her words lack any real heat as she rounds the bed once more and crawls back in, reclining against the pile of pillows. She’s closer than she was before she left. Tess can smell her perfume, the shampoo she’d used the night before. Paige is magnetic, that much Tess knew to be true – she’d felt it the very moment Paige stopped her outside of the conference room to inform her that she’d be tagging along for PT. It’s only now that she realizes how strong her pull was as she unconsciously leans into Paige’s space, the blonde’s arm raising to wrap around her, fingers splayed against her shoulder.

“Do I?” she asks, if only to fill the silence. Paige’s thumb begins to trace soft patterns on her skin. It’s difficult for her to focus on anything but that, but she cranes her neck, finding that Paige is already staring at her. Tess flushes under her gaze, though she refuses to break eye contact.

Paige’s lips quirk as she responds, “Yeah. You do.” She seems as though she’s content to leave it at that, but a couple beats pass before she’s speaking again. “You want a lot of things you think you can’t have.” Tess’s brow raises at her words, but she remains quiet. “I see it in film. You’re an insane three-point shooter but you rarely take middies or layups unless it’s absolutely free. And you do this thing – it’s like you’re faking the drive, and I can tell you really want to do it, but you just…don’t. You’re not faking. You’re just scared to get out of your comfort zone and go for it. Scared to get close.”

Tess doesn’t think they’re talking about basketball anymore. Despite the sharpness of her words, Paige’s tone is gentle, and the smile on her face is both confusing and frustrating. Frustrating because Tess knows she’s right; confusing because Paige knows she’s right, but it seems like she’s not completely confident in Tess taking that leap. Honestly, part of Tess is tempted to prove her right. She knows they could drop this topic right now and Paige wouldn’t press her. The other part of her knows they’ve come this far together, that she’s come this far. Doesn’t she owe it to herself, to Paige, to be vulnerable? To take the drive into the paint, risk getting fouled, instead of hovering at the perimeter to take the same shot she’s taken thousands of times already?

She thinks she does. Tess is tired of wanting, of yearning for the things well within her reach if only she had the confidence to go after them. But perhaps there is a thin line between confidence and bravery, between knowing and trying. So she shifts, feeling a little braver, angling her body towards Paige’s, fists the collar of her UConn t-shirt, and pulls her closer and closer until their lips finally meet.

Paige gasps against her, surprised, before her good sense returns and she melts into Tess. The hand on her shoulder skims across her skin to rest on the nape of her neck, her right hand reaching up to hold her face. As Paige guides her jaw to get better access, her kiss deep and consuming, she takes full advantage of Tess’s jilted sigh. Her hands fall from Paige’s collar, finding purchase on her stomach and her waist in search of stabilization. Paige leaves her breathless and woozy, and if she didn’t feel secure in the way she was holding her, then Tess would be afraid of floating away completely.

They break away, chests heaving, flushes down to their collarbones. Tess’s eyes open with a flutter of her eyelashes. Paige is already staring at her, her eyes wide in some sort of awe, pupils dilated. Her lips are swollen, shiny, and Tess can’t help the feeling of smug satisfaction that comes with knowing she did that. Paige Bueckers looks like a mess and it’s all because of her. “Still think I’m scared?” she asks, voice hoarse, her fingers gripping the fabric of Paige’s shirt.

The smile that spreads across Paige’s face is raw, real, visibly affectionate despite her next words. “Yeah.” Tess almost rolls her eyes, but Paige’s hand drops to the base of her throat, her middle finger brushing against her pulse point. She doesn’t apply any sort of pressure, but the weight of her hand makes her head spin anyways. “But s’okay.”

Tess chuckles. “To be scared?”

Paige hums an affirmative, shifting again, and she presses her lips against Tess’s. It’s different this time; firm, lingering, and insistent, almost as though she’s trying to take everything she possibly could. The weight of Paige’s body against hers is exhilarating and it makes her heart race. She can feel Paige’s smirk against her lips. Tess is instantly reminded of the fact that Paige can feel the thrumming of her pulse. She pushes her back with a hand to her chest, smiling at the rumble of laughter that reverberates through her body. “S’okay to be scared,” Paige says seriously, her thumb wiping away the smear of gloss on Tess’s lip. “But you don’t gotta be. Not with me.”

Tess meets her gaze, studying her features, the sheer honesty in her expression. Paige releases her jaw, her hands reaching down to untangle Tess’s fingers from where they’re still clenched in her shirt, fitting their hands together. “Don’t overthink it,” Paige whispers, understanding Tess’s mannerisms by heart now.

But the peace is always short-lived. Tess frowns, her voice almost a murmur when she asks, “What are we doing?” Paige’s eyes widen slightly. Tess wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t been so fine-tuned to Paige’s every move for the past month. “The rules, Paige, we agreed–”

“We haven’t broken any of the rules,” Paige states firmly. She squeezes Tess’s hands, her throat bobbing as she swallows. “We communicate. We don’t see other people. We don’t tell other people. And we…” Paige struggles to find the words. “We don’t have to label this. It’s just us.” Tess’s face softens, the furrow in her brow relaxing. “‘M just…glad it was here. You and me, no cameras. And... we can just say we practiced for the public, right?” Paige’s thumb brushes against her hand as she stares at her imploringly, almost as though she’s pleading for Tess to agree, to stop thinking and just do it.

Practice. That word fills her with simultaneous relief and dread, but she remembers Paige’s words. Don’t overthink it. Tess understands that they’re walking a very thin line right now. Why should she let her brain ruin it? They don’t have to complicate what they have right now. And for now, that’s good enough for her. “Practicing is fine,” she confirms, feeling a little more confident.

When Paige’s eyes light up, her lips quirking into a smile, Tess believes that she’s made the right decision. “Yeah?”

Tess nods, flashing a smile that’s unexpectedly genuine. “Yeah.” She pulls Paige in closer by her hands, their lips brushing again, but before she can melt into her completely, Paige’s phone rings and the two of them snap apart.

“Fuck,” Paige groans, her brows drawn tight in annoyance. She hardly looks twice at her phone as she picks it up and answers it. “Hello?” Tess can barely make out what the person on the other end is saying, but the tension leaves Paige’s body. “Okay, I’ll be down. Thank you.” Tess looks at her curiously as she hangs up the phone. “Cockblocked by the dasher,” she says solemnly, unable to hide her pout. “Gimme five minutes, I have to go meet him.”

Tess can’t wipe the smile off her face as Paige rolls off the bed again, slipping on her shoes and rummaging around in her bag for her wallet. Before she leaves, Tess catches her by her wrist, pulling her down to her level and planting a chaste kiss to her lips – a far cry from the one they’d been cheated out of. “Hurry back,” she says. “I’m hangry.”

“Two minutes,” Paige breathes out, grinning stupidly, pushing Tess’s hair out of her face. Then she’s gone, and Tess is left alone in the silence of their room. If any of this had happened a week prior, Tess would probably be spiraling, but she’s committed to turning over a new leaf. She’s not going to overthink it, she’s not going to crash out, and most of all, she’s going to accept this new development in her and Paige’s friendship for what it is without trying to second guess whatever it could mean. They can just be friends who kiss now. That’s a thing. They don’t have to label anything. They can just be them, and as far as Tess is concerned, she’s okay with that.

Paige makes it back in record time, Chick-fil-A bag and drink carrier in hand and slightly out of breath. At Tess’s brow raise, Paige shrugs cheekily, handing over a milkshake. “You said you were hangry,” she teases, sliding back into bed next to her. “I’m too young to die.”

Tess rolls her eyes as Paige begins dividing out their food, passing the sauce and napkins. “You’re such an asshole,” she says good-naturedly.

“You kissed me,” Paige reminds her, as if Tess could ever forget about that. “What does that say about you?”

“I’m a very charitable person,” Tess supplies modestly. Paige snorts like she doesn’t believe that, but Tess smiles regardless.

They continue chatting throughout dinner. Paige pretends like she doesn’t notice Tess stealing her fries, although Paige ends up using most of Tess’s sauce, so they call it even at the end. Paige throws their trash away while Tess scrolls on her phone, only glancing up when Paige returns, hooking her chin over her shoulder and throwing a casual arm over Tess’s waist. “Time to break the internet?”

“You better not post anything embarrassing,” Tess grumbles, enjoying the weight of Paige’s body on hers.

Paige hides her laugh in the fabric of her shirt. “I couldn’t if I tried.” She pulls out her phone, opening Instagram and begins drafting a new post. Tess’s eyes catch on some of Paige’s photos as she scrolls through them. There’s random screenshots of Bible quotes, a concerning amount of selfies, a lot of basketball related things, and pictures of Tess have somehow become a new trend in her gallery. From the photo of Tess with cream on her nose, FaceTime candids, to photos from their shoot today that Tess wasn’t even aware Paige had taken. Tess softens. Most of the pictures were nice. “Could get a new one,” Paige suggests, opening her camera and pointing it at the mirror on the opposite wall, displaying the two of them pressed close together. Tess rolls her eyes, chuckling, but Paige takes the photo before she can react.

“Paige Madison,” Tess sighs. She can feel Paige smile against her.

“C’mon,” she goads. “We look good.” Tess can’t really argue with that one, so she leans her head against Paige’s and begins drafting her own Instagram post. They work in silence as they select the best photos for the hard launch. It’s only been a month and a half, but Tess feels both fondness and nostalgia as she scrolls through their photos and their memories. She has a couple of photos from PT with Paige, FaceTime screenshots, the photo of Paige holding their coffees, and photos of Paige trying to style the Mrs. Bose earbuds they were promoting. She knows there was a reason why Paige came into her life, but she can’t help feeling like she showed up at the right time; it could have been anyone else – college athletics has an endless amount of controversial athletes who are in need of image repair – yet being paired with Paige feels like a stroke of fate.

Tess selects only a few photos, not wanting to go overboard. She includes their first picture at PT – Paige holding the ice pack over her knee, the FaceTime screenshot of Paige showcasing the LEGO rose, Paige and their coffees, and a mirror selfie they’d taken after stylists did their hair and makeup for the shoot. She captions it “here’s to tess kennedy’s worst kept secret. thank you for coming into my life when you did,” and while this hard launch is not real, the sentiment is.

Paige finishes at around the same time she does, a soft smile on her face as they swap phones to look at each other’s work. True to her word, Paige kept the embarrassment to a minimum, although the first photo she selected was the one with whipped cream on her nose. Tess shouldn’t have expected anything less, but it’s quickly growing on her. The rest of the photos consist of the mirror selfie Paige just took, a screenshot of Tess modeling the gold dress for her, a bible quote – 1 Corinthians 16:14 – and, shockingly enough, an older photo of them from their freshman year, shaking hands after the first game they’d played against one another. They’re both cheesing. Tess remembers that loss vividly. The media called it The Battle of the Freshmen, mostly because it was the long awaited match-up between Tess and Paige, who’d been hailed as freshmen phenoms, two top recruits. In that game, they both accounted for the majority of their team’s points. Paige was responsible for 31 of UConn’s 63 while Tess led South Carolina with 30 of their 59.

Tess couldn’t even be upset at the loss. She and Paige played their hearts out, and honestly, playing against Paige was the highlight of the game. From their expressions alone, you would have thought they both walked home with trophies that night. Tess could argue that she did. Playing with Paige makes you a better player, sure, but playing against her? Tess learned so much from her game, although she would never admit that to Paige; her ego is too overinflated and Tess will not contribute to growing it.

“Where’d you find the last one?” Tess asks curiously, handing Paige’s phone back.

Paige does the same, her face lighting up with a soft smile. “Got tagged in it a couple times,” she says. “Felt right.” Tess can’t argue against that, smiling too. “At the same time?” Tess hums in confirmation, her thumb hovering over the post button, and simultaneously, they both share the hard launch to their pages. There is a very brief period of stillness before the notifications and comments begin pouring in. Tess swipes over to Paige’s post and only then does she read the caption, “And her pink skies will keep me warm.”

“Cheesy ass Frank lyric!” Tess exclaims with a laugh.

Paige looks inexplicably smug, pleased with herself. “Full circle,” she says.

“Full circle,” Tess agrees, her smile turning tender.

It’s at that moment that everything finally clicks. The lyrics filter through her brain. And a new day will bring about the dawn. And her pink skies will keep me warm. She can hear it perfectly, Frank’s voice singing to her, “Abandon mission, you must be kiddin’, this shit feelin’ different, shit feelin’ different to me.” All of the thoughts she’d been ignoring, the uncomfortable conversation with herself she’d been avoiding. She tried to push it down, but the realization came into focus with stunning clarity. Tess liked Paige. Tess likes her.

That was the entire reason why everything has felt so different. It wasn’t because she and Paige were spending so much time together, why Paige has become nearly synonymous with Tess’s recovery. It wasn’t because their friendship was just different. It was because it wasn’t friendship at all. It was always something more, even from the start.

Tess feels as though the floor beneath her could splinter, a giant crack down the middle that would send her tumbling to the ground below. She likes Paige. She has feelings for Paige. Calling it by any other name wouldn’t do her any good. She broke their rules and it’s taken her this long to realize.

“You good?” Paige asks her, her brows drawn into a furrow, concern etched onto her face as her hand reaches for Tess’s. She hadn’t realized she was shaking.

Tess clears her throat, nodding. “Yeah,” she lies, hoping that it sounds believable. Bree’s words come back to her. You’re lying to Paige, which is why you’re fumbling the bag. She was right all along. Tess could laugh at the absurdity of it all if Paige wasn’t sitting next to her. “Just need a shower, I think.”

She decides right then and there that Paige can’t know. She can’t know that she’s close to ruining it all, close to undoing all of the work they’d done to restore their reputations. That she’d broken their rule after all. That she let this get out of hand, and if Paige knew, their friendship would be destroyed for sure, and Tess isn’t sure if she could handle not having Paige around.

Paige hums, seemingly convinced, but all Tess can think about is what she’s done.

[tra1nchi]

omgg hii, this is my first time requesting! >O<

i was wondering if you will do Top!Yuri Briar from Spy X Family and Bttm Male Reader? There isnt a lot of Yuri fanfics and i love this man sm :sob:

Both Yuri and Reader work for the secret police. Yuri is upset that his sister went on a luxury crise ship and Reader tries to cheer him up by dressing up as his sister. Yuri gets upset with the reader saying 'I may love my sister, but you being you makes me happy'. Yuri then proceeds to undress Reader and fuck his brains out.

could you include bondage, praise kink, Dirty Talk and nipple play? if you cant then its okay!

can i be known as '🎮' anon?

At first I thought u meant Yuri from ybc and I got a little frightened,,MINORS DNI!! Bttm male reader,,praise kink,,Naughty talk,,nipples!!,,

You always knew of his obsession with his sister,, The way he praised her like he had never praised you before made the relationship between you both strain,,

Yuri noticed you becoming distant from him,, even when you both were on the same task you'd try to do everything yourself,,avoiding his touches and not even talking to him when he spoke to you!!

So,,that's how the fight started,,he had poured himself more into his sister,,visiting her more often even in the presence of her new lover,,while you stuck into your work,,you both barely spoke over the next few days,,

That was until Yor had left for some stupid cruise with her new family!! Yuri felt essentially replaced by them but when they left,,he felt lonely and that was because he knew you were mad at him!!

Deciding that he should go visit his own boyfriend for once,,opening the door,,looking around the house for you worried,,locking eyes with you spread out on the bed!!

You were dressed in a dress similar to his sisters,,your face dawned in a makeup similar to hers,,you expected him to blush and sutter his way through his words but his expression only changed to one of disgust

"What is this?" Yuri says in disbelief as he moves closer to the bed,,moving to straddle you as his hands hold onto the straps of the dress,,"take this off, I want to see you..not her" He says in a gentle tone stripping you off of the dress!!

"There you go, there's my boy" He smirks leaning down to press his lips against yours,,his own getting stained by the red lipstick,,pulling away with a soft groan as his hand moves down to rub your nipples,,his eyes drooping to be half lidded

Turning you around as he kisses your nape,,running his hand through your hair before Yuri shoves himself inside with a gentle grunt!! Singing praises in your ear as he uses the discarded dress to tie your arms together!!

Both of you completely forgetting about your fight and Yor as you fuck like bunnies until dawn!!!

[dejwrld]

CHOSOIST PRESENTS....LET'S PLAY W/ DEJA #KINKTOBER

of the words of berleezy, i'm a gamer...i do this. the do in question is thirst and thinking about getting bent over by your favorite video game characters. deciding to mix this year's (technically my first every kinktober) up and step away from my animanga roots. so ladies, gents, & non-binaries angels, this year's kinktober is dedicated to some of my favorite video game characters. — TAG LIST FORM

𝐋𝐄𝐓❜𝐒 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐒

OCTOBER 2ND-OCTOBER 7TH

( F*CK JOEL MILLER, LITERALLY ) 🎮 JOEL MILLER X FIREFLIES MEMBER!READER

— after a quite interesting run in with joel and ellie, you're stuck with them through the long journey to ensure ellie get to the fireflies in one piece. through bickering and nearly getting them killed, with a bottle of old whiskey and the moonlight shining down on you—joel miller shows you just how much he hate your guts.

( cw ) ⸻ fem reader, female anatomy described, firefly!reader, power dynamic, mentions of reader technically being held hostage by joel, mean dom!joel, oral (m.receiving), profanity, reader literally has the smartest & dirtiest mouth, age gap between reader and joel but nothing too big, alcohol consumption, spit usage, takes place during 1st tlou game, reader & ellie banter

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

( DEMON TIME) 🎮 INCUBUS!SIMON 'GHOST' RILEY X READER

— game synopsis: your boyfriend has been quite neglectful when it comes to your needs. not particularly being the best book boyfriend similar to the books you've read. but the one demon that visits you in your dreams seem to give you everything you need.

( cw ) ⸻ fem reader, female anatomy described, mentions of reader having a boyfriend, doggystyle, unprotected sex, dirty talk (simon calls reader a slut), mentions of wet dreams, pillow humping, monsterfucking, mentions of simon having horns

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

OCTOBER 9TH-OCTOBER 14TH

( GUARDIAN ANGEL ) 🎮 GUARDIAN ANGEL!SEPHIROTH X READER

— game synopsis: he's been your guardian angel since you were sixteen years old. protecting you from danger you didn't see coming, but now that you're slowly wanting space from him—he makes it his mission to remind you who you belong to until you take your final breath.

( cw ) ⸻ fem reader, female anatomy described, slight enemies to fuckers, reader somewhat purposely put herself in danger, possessive!sephiroth, mentions of sephiroth having pretty white wings, mating press position, cream pies, mentions of soul ties,

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

( COLD AS ICE ) 🎮 SUB ZERO!KUAI LIANG X SIREN!READER

— being the handmaiden of the grandmaster of the lin kuei has its perks. although you feel like an odd one out in a winter storm, your bond with the cold grandmaster seems familiar. as if you've experienced it before.

( cw ) ⸻ fem reader, female anatomy described, takes place in the mortal kombat timeline where kuai liang is the lin kuei grandmaster, clit play, ice play, temperature play, mentions of reader & kuai being multi timeline lovers, reader has siren powers, fingering, edging, slight exhibitionism,

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

OCTOBER 16TH-21ST

( BIG BAD WOLF ) 🎮 BIGBY WOLF X RED RIDING HOOD!READER

— game synopsis: bigby wolf has to juggle being the sheriff holding the fables together in the busy city of new york, but now a former prey returns to the city stirring up trouble & bigby's primal past.

( cw ) ⸻ fem reader, female anatomy described, mentions of folklores, marking kink, blood kink, primal kink, mentions of infidelity (bigby is dating snow/snow white), takes place after first the wolf among us game (spoilers may be included), cunt slaps, witty nicknames being said during intercourse (reader calls bigby the big bad wolf), reader is new in town, slight established relationship between bigby & reader

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

OCTOBER 31ST

🎮 BONUS PLAYTHROUGHS

⸻ short game plays to savor your sweet tooth from your favorite halloween candy

— ellie williams x reader, trick n treat ( fem reader, oral [reader receiving], dirty talk, thigh marks )

— jin sakai x reader ( female reader, arranged marriage trope, virginity lost )

— leon kennedy x reader ( female reader, doggy style position, marijuana usage )

CLICK HERE TO WATCH

[romans-empire]

You know, I was referring to myself when I said aromantic but I didn't think she would also be.

Oh dear.. It's an aromantic and an oblivious silly little fella too busy being in a timeloop to even think about dating trying to find a match for Mirabelle. I vote for the fashion lady! I've been kinda shipping them from the start!

[mookymilksims]

🌟 ULTIMATE REALISTIC 🍼 Inactive Daycare Roleplay Guide 🧸✨

Wash good, MooMoo crew! 🐄💖 Welcome back to my channel, and if you're new here, thanks so much for stopping by!

In today's video, just as promised, I'll be showing you how to set up your very own inactive Daycare in The Sims 3! 🎮👶

An inactive Daycare is basically an NPC-run daycare center in your save file, where your babies, toddlers, and children can be sent instead of calling a babysitter. It's a super handy way to add realism to your gameplay!

Now, I know for a fact that many of you probably had no idea this was even possible. A bunch of my simmer friends—who’ve been playing this game way longer than I have—were shocked when I told them about it. So trust me, you’re in for a treat!

I’m really excited to walk you through everything: how to get it set up, the mods you’ll need, and a few extras to enhance the experience even more.

This guide is part of a new Education Roleplay Guide Series that I’m adding to my guides playlist! 📚✨ We’re starting with Daycare, then moving on to Elementary, High School, Boarding School, and finally University roleplay. So if that sounds fun to you, stay tuned for the whole series!

Alright, grab your water and get comfy—let's jump right in! 🚀

Mods You Need 🛠️

The only mod you’ll need to set up your inactive Daycare is the NRAAS Go Here mod. This mod includes specific settings that automatically assign a babysitter service call to your inactive Daycare, making the whole system work seamlessly. 🏡👶

Here’s an important tip: When the Daycare isn’t open, the game will revert to its regular “Call Babysitter” feature, so you don’t need to worry about your gameplay being interrupted when the Daycare isn’t available.

Now, a quick note about compatibility: Avoid using mods that modify babysitters or the Daycare career, as they’ll conflict with these settings and may cause the Daycare career to disappear entirely from your game. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way—let my playtesting mistakes save you some headaches! 😅

For those who want a bit more detail, I’ve created a manual guide for these settings and mod enhancements on my Tumblr. I’ll link it in this guide, and you can always find all my guides through my Tumblr link in the description. I make sure to upload every new guide the same day my video goes live! 💻✨

If you already have your own Go Here settings, the manual guide will help you tweak them specifically for inactive Daycares. But if you’d rather save time, you can download my pre-configured Go Here settings, where I’ve already enabled the mod to register inactive Daycares for you.

All the links and resources you’ll need can be found at the end of my Tumblr guide. 🌟

For the Nerds: Understanding the Settings 🤓✨

Here’s a quick breakdown of the settings you’ll be tweaking:

Allow Active Day Care The mod allows Day Care career Sims from active households to care for local inactive children. Set to: True

Allow Babies/Toddlers to Be Home Alone The mod stops the “hibernation” of children left alone at home but doesn’t call a babysitter. Set to: False

Hire Babysitters for Inactives The mod either finds a Day Care to place inactive children or hires a babysitter to watch them while their guardian is away. Set to: True

Use Day Care Instead of Babysitters The mod uses Day Care career Sims to watch inactive children instead of hiring babysitters. Set to: True

At first glance, these settings might feel a little overwhelming, but here’s the gist:

You’re ensuring children aren’t left home alone.

You’re allowing the game to automatically call for babysitters when necessary.

Most importantly, you’re enabling the mod to use an active Day Care career in your world instead of the default babysitting service.

Here’s the fun part: Although the settings refer to an "active" Day Care career from an active household, we can tweak them to let an inactive household run the Day Care instead! This is how we get around making your own household responsible for the service. 🏡👶

Now that we’ve covered the settings, you have two options:

Manually adjust the settings yourself using this guide.

Download my pre-configured settings for convenience.

If you choose the second option, simply place my settings file into your Library folder and import it through the NRAAS settings menu in-game. 🗂️

Next, I’ll show you how to set it up in your world step by step! Let’s go! 🚀

Setting Up Your Daycare Lots 🏡🎨

First, let me say I really wanted to finish my Preschool Conversion Megapack before this video so I could send you off with hundreds of new items to decorate your Preschools. But I fell behind on my conversion schedule—don’t worry, though! I’ll make it up to you by finishing the project and uploading a handful of CC Preschool lots for you to download. Stay tuned for that! 💾✨

For now, I’ll be using a CC-free Daycare lot I found on the Sims 3 Exchange. I’ll upload a few more options I come across, so you can revamp them and place them in your worlds. Full credit goes to the original creators, but since the Sims 3 website has been glitching lately, many of you might struggle to download from the Exchange. That’s the only reason I’m uploading these files myself—they’ll go into your Library folder, of course!

Daycare Lot Design Tips 🏢👶

Your Daycare lot doesn’t have to look like a house—it never did! You can design it as a fully commercial Preschool and assign it as a residential lot. While home daycares can be cozy, they might not always match the theme of your world.

For Daycare staff housing, here’s a quick tip:

Build a basement and add bunk beds with a dresser for the staff to sleep. That’s all they need—sleeping quarters.

The lot’s main areas, like the bathroom and kitchen, should already exist on the commercial level, so no need to replicate them in the basement.

You’ll want to encourage staff to only use this basement for sleeping. The less functional the basement is, the less likely the staff will linger there instead of interacting with the Daycare space.

Building for Smooth Gameplay 🎭🔄

Since these lots will be used by inactive Sims, design them to complement the game’s AI. Like in Part 2 of my Slice of Life Roleplay Guide, aim for an 80% decorative, 20% functional building style.

Here’s what I’ve learned from my playtesting:

Highchairs: Optional for aesthetics. Inactive Sims usually feed toddlers on the floor, so highchairs don’t get much use.

Walkers: Add two max—inactives will occasionally place toddlers in them, but too many decreases usage.

Rocking Chairs: Great addition! Inactives love to rock with babies and toddlers.

Playpens: Limit to one—you can fit up to four toddlers in a single playpen. Adding more lowers their usage rate.

Cribs: Useful for babies, but avoid adding too many, as inactives might not use them.

For toddlers, I highly recommend CC toddler beds that allow them to autonomously climb in and out. These are ideal since they let toddlers nap independently and won’t trap them like traditional cribs.

Skill-Building & Play Areas 🧩🎶

Designate a playroom for skill-building toys, but don’t overdo it:

Toddlers love music and block toys, so place two of each to ensure availability.

Add one functional toy box to prevent clutter. Too many toys lying around can distract Daycare staff from teaching toddlers how to walk or talk.

Other Tips & Tricks 🌟

Baby Changing Stations: Nice for aesthetics, but inactives typically change diapers on the spot.

Keep the lot’s design spacious and realistic to align with my 80% deco, 20% functional system. So when you do add cc and deco you'll have a lot of room to work with!

By following these tips, your Daycare lots should run like a dream for inactives. I can’t wait to see what you all create with this system! Happy building! 🎉🛠️

Setting Up Your Daycare Staff (Optional: Toddler NPC Household) 👩‍🏫👶

When setting up your Daycare staff, you technically only need one adult Sim to run the Daycare. However, adding more adults to the household can make things more dynamic and fun! Here's how I like to organize it:

Creating the Staff 🧑‍🎓👩‍🔧

For my Daycare, I created a Preschool teacher modeled after the teacher from Cocomelon—a fun little nod for anyone familiar! I also added:

A "Nanny" Sim registered as a nanny or homemaker using NRAAS Careers or PhoebeJay's Register Mod.

A Handy Sim, registered as self-employed through NRAAS or using PhoebeJay's Register.

Feel free to get creative with your staff roles—each one can bring unique dynamics to the Daycare environment!

Adding NPC Toddlers 👶👶

For a more immersive Daycare experience, you can optionally add up to 5 toddlers to this household. Here's why I recommend it:

These toddlers will populate your Daycare lot and also appear out and about in your world when the Daycare isn’t open. The adults in the household will naturally take them to community lots like parks, beaches, or arcades.

By creating these toddlers, you avoid relying entirely on townie households, which may not always have younger Sims.

Balancing Toddler Populations 🏫

With my population settings, new babies and toddlers might take a while to appear in your world. Here’s the breakdown:

If you only add 2-3 toddlers across townie households, the GoHere mod will teleport just those 2-3 toddlers along with your active toddler to the Daycare lot. That makes for a total of 4 toddlers at the Preschool.

If you add 5 NPC toddlers to your Daycare staff, those 4 townie toddlers combined with the NPC toddlers will total 9 toddlers on the lot.

Pair this with deco Preschool Sims, and your Daycare will feel lively and realistic—with minimal performance impact!

Why Add NPC Toddlers? 🤔

While optional, I highly recommend adding NPC toddlers if you want your Preschool to feel full and bustling. It’s not as fun when your toddler or baby is the only child on the lot, or there are only one or two others. With 9 toddlers (and some clever decor), your lot will truly feel like a thriving Preschool.

By following this setup, you can make your Daycare come to life with both active and NPC toddlers, creating a vibrant and immersive experience! 🎉

Setting Up Your Daycare Staff Household 🏫👶

Toddler NPCs and Their Beds 🛏️

No need to worry about building a basement or special sleeping arrangements for your toddler NPCs—they’ll autonomously use the modded toddler beds I showed you earlier!

Playing as the Daycare Staff Household 🎮

Once you’ve created your Daycare staff, switch to this household to set things up:

Assigning the Preschool Teacher 👩‍🏫

Use a newspaper or head to the library to apply for a job via computer. If you’ve watched my ULTIMATE REALISTIC Money Overhaul Guide, you know that if there isn’t a PC on the Daycare lot, you’ll need to use the library anyway.

I don’t recommend placing PCs on inactive Daycare lots, as adult staff will be distracted playing games instead of watching the toddlers.

Using Job Overhaul Settings 🛠️

Access Job Overhaul Mod settings, and enable “Show All Available Jobs.”

You can import your preset settings later, but for now, assign the Daycare career to your Preschool Teacher.

Once assigned, the mod will prompt the teacher to visit City Hall to complete paperwork and designate their residential lot as the new Daycare.

Setting Up Additional Staff 🧹🔧

Assign the other two adult Sims to their roles:

Nanny/Director: Register using PhoebeJay’s Register Mod or assign a self-employed career.

Handy Sim: Same process as the Nanny.

While NRAAS self-employed careers can work, I recommend PhoebeJay’s Register Mod for a better task automation experience. In my tests, staff assigned via the Register were more effective at helping around the Preschool.

Optional Aesthetic Touches 🎨

Use Transmogrify to turn the Register into lockers for a cohesive Preschool look.

You can even download scrubs or matching uniforms for the staff—get creative!

Assigning Career Levels and Duties 🏆

Once your Preschool Teacher returns from City Hall:

Open NRaas > MC > Intermediate > Career Level and set their Daycare Career Level to 5.

This is critical, as the inactive Daycare setup doesn’t work properly if the career level is below 4 or 5.

If using the Transmogrified lockers:

Assign the other two staff members to their lockers.

Setting Staff Duties:

Nanny/Director: Clean up and care for children.

Handy Sim: Repair broken items, with the optional duty of also tending to children.

Expanding the Daycare Team (Optional) 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

You can assign additional Daycare staff from other NPC households. For example, if you have 6 toddlers in total, consider adding 1–2 more staff members.

Aim for a good balance—toddlers should outnumber adults. This allows room for toddlers to explore, play independently, or nap while still receiving plenty of attention.

Switching Back to Your Active Household 🏠

Once everything is set up, head to Edit Town and switch to your active household.

Import your NRaas settings if you haven’t already, especially GoHere. These settings will take effect the following Sim day.

By the next morning, your Daycare will be ready to operate, and your toddlers can enjoy a lively, engaging environment! 🎉

Cons to This Setup

While I love this setup, I want to be transparent about some of the drawbacks and share a few workarounds:

1. Hygiene Needs Inactives won’t change your active toddler’s diaper, even though they handle all the other toddlers and babies on the lot. To work around this, make sure your toddler’s hygiene bar is full before sending your sims to work or school.

2. Potty Training Inactives will help your toddler learn to use the potty, but they do so gradually. You’ll need to do the bulk of potty training at home. Once your toddler has learned, they can autonomously use the potty at the daycare, reducing frustration. Before they’ve mastered it, you might consider using cheats to keep their hygiene up—this can cut down on fussiness during the day.

3. Skill Building Inactives will occasionally teach your toddler to talk and walk, or supervise them while they play with skill-building toys. This doesn’t happen every day, but it’s a nice bonus when it does. Any progress they make at daycare gives you more time to enjoy other activities when they’re home.

Once your toddler learns to talk and walk, it unlocks even more daycare activities (with the help of mods). This can make the daycare feel like a fun mini-game for your toddler’s development.

4. Eating Needs Feeding works similarly to hygiene: inactives feed all the other toddlers but won’t reliably feed your active toddler. They may attempt to use the Sweet Simmers Mod to feed your toddler on their lap, but this often cancels out.

For this, I recommend Zoe24’s Toddler Food Bowl Mod. This mod adds an object that works like a pet food bowl, letting you auto-fill it with various food options that toddlers can eat on their own. It’s adorable, functional, and gives your toddler some autonomy while keeping them happy and well-fed.

5. Babies’ Needs If you have active babies, the same challenges apply. Inactives will cuddle, play with, and occasionally put babies in cribs, but you’ll likely need to use cheats to keep their needs met. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me since mods make babies more interactive overall, and the daycare system is still fun despite these quirks.

It’s worth noting that the inactive staff will take excellent care of all other babies and toddlers on the lot, so your focus can stay on your own children.

Dynamic Gameplay

One of my favorite things about this setup is that no two days are the same. Inactive daycare staff vary their interactions with your child, creating a dynamic and exciting environment. For example:

Monday: They might focus on playing with your toddler.

Tuesday: Someone might teach them to use the music box.

Wednesday: A staff member might spend an hour teaching them to walk.

Thursday: Another sim might cuddle them in a rocking chair.

Friday: They could take turns placing your toddler in a playpen or engaging with them in other ways.

This variety keeps things fresh and gives your toddler new experiences to explore every day.

Recommendation for Enhanced Gameplay

I highly recommend combining this setup with the Ultimate Careers Mod (UC). This mod makes it easy to switch between all your sims, ensuring they’re always actively doing something. With this combination, The Sims 3 begins to feel like a more complete game with structured tasks and open-ended roleplay options.

Whether you prefer a day packed with activities or a cozy, low-key session, this setup offers creative freedom and flexibility for every kind of player.

Now, let’s jump into the game 🎮, and I’ll show you how it all comes together ✨ when you apply the techniques from this guide! 😄👶🏽🏡

🌟 Conclusion 🌟

As you saw, just as I promised, every day in this setup feels unique and dynamic. 🎠 Your babies 👶🏽 and toddlers 🍼 can enjoy a genuine inactive daycare experience that adds so much realism 🌈 to your family gameplay and roleplay mechanics. This setup has been a staple in my family plays, and I can’t imagine playing without it! 💕

Let’s clear up a few questions I know will come up:

❓ Can I have more than one inactive daycare lot in my world? You can, but GoHere will only assign one lot as the daycare hub (likely the first one you set up). So, setting up multiple daycare lots wouldn’t make sense since only one will function as intended.

❓ Can I have both an inactive daycare and an active daycare in the same save file? Unfortunately, no. As I explained earlier in the video 📺, the GoHere mod will treat the inactive daycare as if it’s already an active one. This means trying to juggle both setups in one save file will lead to conflicts.

➡️ My recommendation: If you know you’re going to run an active daycare in the future, skip this setup. But if you’re sure you’ll keep your daycare inactive, go ahead and follow this guide!

🎥 If you want to enhance your gameplay even more, check out my ULTIMATE REALISTIC Family Gameplay Guide for mods that complement this setup. Both guides (this one and the family gameplay guide) will be available on my Tumblr, and you’ll find the link in the description below!

I hope this guide made everything clear and inspired you to try this setup in your own games! 🌟 Thank you so much for joining me today—I appreciate and love you all! 💖

See you next time, MooMoo's! 🐄💕 Byeee! 👋

🌟 Resources 🌟

📖 Tutorials:

📂 [Manual Guide]: Set up functional inactive daycares step-by-step!

🏡 [ULTIMATE REALISTIC Family Gameplay Guide]: Enhance your baby-to-teen experience.

🛠️ Mods You’ll Need:

🔧 NRAAS Go Here

🛏️ Arsil Toddler Bed (Napping Mat)

🛏️ Olomaya Toddler Bed

🍽️ Zoe24 Toddler Food Bowl

🛍️ Phoebe Jay Register

🛠️ Extra Settings & Lots:

⚙️ GoHere Settings (Place in your Library folder)

🏡 CC-Free Daycare Lots (Credits to the amazing creators!)

[oediex]

The Big Dragon Age Survey! 🎮 ✍️

Hello everyone!

May I present to you a labour of blood, sweat, tears, and love:

The Big Dragon Age Survey!

This is a survey for all lovers of Dragon Age, whether you have played the games yourself, or have watched others play them! I don't care how you engage with the series, if you love Dragon Age, then this survey is for you.

If you know someone who loves Dragon Age, whether on Tumblr or elsewhere, please do tag them and/or send them a link to the survey. The more the merrier!

The survey will be open through the month of May 2024. I will close it once we roll into June. I will publish the results of the survey as quickly as possible, so I imagine that will also be in June, but please be patient, since it's a lot of information!

The survey should take about 15-20 minutes to complete. (But please don't quote me on that.) (In fact, if your experience is different, please let me know and I will adjust this information!)

There are four main sections to the survey:

A section on the Dragon Age series in general, and BioWare.

A section on the three main Dragon Age games, covering many of the choices you make in the game - this, as you can imagine, is the biggest section

A section on Dragon Age and fandom

A section on the Dragon Age fandom demographic.

I want to make clear that no one but me (Oedie) will see the raw data of this survey. Any information that will be shared publicly will be statistics/generalised. I will never share any information that can be easily identified. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to message me on discord (oedie) or Tumblr (@oediex) and I will try to help you in any way I can.

Also, please note that none of the questions are required, although you are encouraged to complete them all. All answers are anonymous and no e-mail addresses are collected for this survey. If you're still concerned, you can always complete this survey in an incognito window!

Alright, so now for the actual link - here it is!

Thank you so much for contributing to this survey and for sharing with people who also love Dragon Age! ❤️🎮

[meraki-sunset]

Hi Meraki!

Can you draw Carapaces at different points in their lifespan? I wanna see babies, kids, and the elderly chess pieces.

Sure bro. here are some chess people and some headcanons i have

🧸👶BABIES!👶🧸

It's not confirmed if carapace can reproduce naturally or if they can only multiply using the ectobiology machines.

On sburb, the chess people are born as adults and with a specific purpose, with a barcode on their wrist to identify the, i guess, model. So there are no babies on Prospit or Derse.

The babies the players made in the post credits would be the first carapace children to exist.

I headcanon that they're born with a full set of teeth that fall eventually, like with any other child.

They're a little more squishy than an adult carapace but less than a human baby

i also though it'd be cool if sometimes they got black or white spots

(Also, even if chess people remember living for years before the arrival of the players, they effectively began to exist the moment the first player enters the game, those memories being an illusion, same as how, when you buy a game and turn it on, the NPCs might tell you about their childhood, when in reality, they were never kids in the real world, they were rendered as adults for the purpose of being there in the game. The same happens with the chess people)

🎈🎀KIDS🚀🪁

Like before, there are no carapace children in sburb, but I imagine they would be the quiet type of kids. Not necessarily shy, but not very talkative.

They would have a lot of energy and due to their physical endurance, they would play outside a lot, sometimes a little too rough with the human and troll kids

⚽⛱️TEENS🎮👗

I guess this is the period where they would become more vocal.

Also, I can see many of them using a lot of hats/accessories as a form of self-expression.

Suction-cup accessories would be their own version of hair clips and scrunchies

👠👓ADULTS💍🎓

They're the strongest, a lot of them have more pointy features than their teenage counterparts, some may retain the round face into adulthood, but they would still be sturdier than a teen. Their hands have now fully developed claws. They aren't strong enough to open a can, but they can hurt

EarthC adult carapace specifically would be more talkative than Sburb's carapace. Also, not having a predetermined role to fulfill, they would be more similar to humans. If you dropped one of them on one of the sburb moon, they would stand out a lot.

🌙SBURB CARAPACE🌙

Just some apreciation of the canon characters.

i love them to death

👨🏻‍🦳ELDER👩🏻‍🦳

Last but not least, the elderly carapace. Sburb carapace didn't seem able to age, or at least they did so very slowly, because their purpose was to live long enough to act as sort of guides to the players after being exiled.

I suppose they can grow old eventually, specially the ones born outside the game, as babies, they most likely have a shorter lifespan that their Prospit/Derse counterparts.

Probably you can tell they're old because of the damage to their external carapace, which isn't as hard as it used to and their posture, product of time taking a tool on them.

As for wrinkles, they're only visible in their faces, which are softer for facial expression, but they don't even get that many

(also, just so you know i cried drawing the chicken grampa carapace, he knows his wife loves birds so he bought her a chicken, that's not exactly the kind of bird she expected but loves it regarthless, the chicken's name is gertrude, the grampa loves gertrude, she's a chicken orb, a chorb if you will. they're all happy, i would die for chicken-grampa)

And that's all, that's how I imagine EarthC carapace work. They're not so different from the Sburb carapace, but they get to experience growing up and deciding what to do with their lives.

i really love the species and i want to explore them more in the casu epilogue