#Rusty's new stuff is GORGEOUS

[bisexual-horror-fan]

"Not What I Planned." Rusty Nail X AFAB! Reader.

Well hello! It is the amazing and fantastic @eggsandbeer birthday so, so soon! But I am meeting Matt and Skeet tomorrow and my brain is gonna be all on Billy and Stu post that, so you get this now! This is my first time writing Rusty, I watched Joy Ride 2 six times while writing this. I love Riri, she is so fucking awesome and I adored doing this. She has a more personalized version but gave the go ahead to post a reader insert version for you all! So let's go!

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Rating. Explicit. Length. 7.7K (I Know.) Rusty Nail X AFAB! Reader. She/Her Pronouns. Warnings: Customer Service Work. Asshole Customers. Murder Mentioned. Drinking. Making Out. Man Handling. Fingering. Masturbation. Blow Job. Cum Eating. Vaginal Sex. Riding. Taunting. Teasing. Dirty Talk. Praise. Pet Names.

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You hate your job, it is exhausting, mentally and physically, a total drain, but you do all you can to not let it get you down. You focus on the little things, good customer interactions, great coworkers and the times you are truly able to get away from your work. It isn’t like it’s what you wanted to do for the rest of your life anyway, far from it, in fact one of those vital lifelines that helps keep you sane is a local news internship, it gives you some good experience for what you hope to actually eventually do with your life along with giving you purpose. 

Today is not good, though, off to a less than ideal start. This is decidedly not the way you wanted to spend your birthday. Rolling into the grocery store to do a closing shift, apron in your grip and bag over your shoulder, half-hearted waves to co-workers as you strolled through towards the area you could safely stow away your stuff until you are allowed to clock out. You do just that, drop your stuff in the usual place, get your uniform situated and punch in, ready for another day of God knows what bullshit. 

Your mind was at least slightly occupied, where you work is en route to the Burning Man festival which meant that you were busy as fuck with people loading up on supplies before they arrive to their final destination, it kept you busy. As for what kept your brain whirring, your internship had tasked you with writing a piece on the crowd that is rolling through on their way, meaning you are watching and listening intently. It looks like you aren’t from the outside, hands stacking a fruit display, but ears open, all sorts of talk about events the Burners were amped up for, how much further they had to travel, what snacks were the best and would keep in the desert heat. 

You did some actual work naturally, finding yourself crouched and cleaning out a stubborn drain, the process thoroughly annoying and honestly degrading, and not in the fun way you usually liked. It was your fucking birthday, for Christ’s sake, you should be indulging in the fun kind of calve burning, not the bent over and unclogging kind. Still, you try to stay in higher spirits and certainly not show it outwardly, if someone squinted hard enough, they might be able to pick up on it. 

Later on, you had just finished making a new display, standing back and looking at the gorgeous display of apples you’d spent longer than you cared to mention on, hands on your hips. The first genuine smile that had graced your face since clocking in and wasn’t tinged with a single hint of perfectly practised customer service fakeness. This is one of those moments you felt genuine pride in your work, a glimmer of nicety in all the bullshit. 

It lasted for two whole seconds.

A customer’s cart hits you in the hip and wrist simultaneously because of how you were standing, the action both painful and shocking, completely unexpected. It makes you step to the side, grip your wrist with your other hand, the pain is throbbing and dull, it isn’t the worst thing you’ve ever experienced, but it still sucks and should have never happened in the first place. The customer doesn’t apologize. Worse still, they stride forward, pick a single apple from the middle of the display, causing half of it to tumble over. The customer scoffs with a roll of their eyes, they drop the apple into their cart to look around, seeming to notice you just now for the first time, only then acknowledging you. They give a pointed look from you to over their shoulder, a motion of their head as they criticized your work, “Not very sturdy.” 

Your mouth falls open, and they tut as they walk away, leaving you dumbfounded with fifteen some odd apples scattered on the ground that you had to clean up and a display you had to rebuild. 

Later still, you are sweeping, trying to get these damn onion skins up, but they aren’t moving. You are half focused, conversing with one of the Burners, they are asking for your opinion on what kombucha is best, and you are humouring them and getting a few questions answered along the way. 

Throughout all the regular work crap, you’d been having small conversations with people, writing brief notes for your project, and it was nice getting some serious stuff down about it, served as a half decent distraction too. 

His initial thought is that it was reminiscent of a zoo, upon greater thought while attempting to park the Peterbilt he decided swiftly that it was worse than that, a fucking circus. He manages to park and decides that getting in and out as fast as possible would be vital to maintaining his sanity. He was aware that Burning man was happening, naturally, but still the place was crowded as all Hell, more than he had been anticipating. Rusty didn’t like large crowds of people, but he needs some supplies, he needs to eat. 

It isn’t any better inside. 

He is making his way around, hat pulled low, basket in his grip, grabbing a few drinks, some favoured snacks that he knew kept well, he was passing by the produce, almost ready to get the fuck out. He goes into your department, he is grabbing bananas and thinking about getting some of those pre-cut carrot and celery sticks. Rusty is trying to be a tad more health minded, not like it would do much with how much he enjoys a good smoke but better to do something than nothing he supposed. 

His train of thought is broken when he hears a loud exclamation of, “I can’t believe how fucking stupid you are!”

Rusty’s head turns, he catches sight of you, standing there, trying to look apologetic as some older lady is verbally ripping into you, “I’m making lemon chicken LEEK stroganoff, right?”

She is looking at you expectantly, your eyes wide, and with that half customer service forced smile you nod and say through gritted teeth, “Right.” 

“So tell me, how. Am I. Supposed. To make. Lemon, chicken LEEK stroganoff without LEEKS?” The way she said it was infuriating, the halting, pausing way of it, so condensing, as if you were the cross between an idiot and a child all rolled into one. 

“I don’t know, ma’am. I guess you can’t. I’m very sorry.” You admit it reluctantly, knowing she won’t like your response, and she does not. She goes off on you, “Well I’ve had this menu planned for WEEKS, I have company coming tonight! You have to make this right!” 

Rusty was listening in, brow pinching, this woman was off her rocker, what a complete bitch. You were trying to calm her, smooth over the situation, and she was being worse and worse to you. No matter what you say, she wouldn’t stop freaking out. 

“I really am very sorry. I could call another store nearby and ask if they have any leeks?” You offer up, and she scoffed with a laugh, “So I can make ANOTHER stop? Do you not remember? I am hosting a dinner party tonight, I’m busy! I have other places to go, I can’t be here fighting with you over this all night!”

And yet she was still here, doing just that. 

He had turned, wasn’t watching quite as subtly as he was previous. You were doing your best and none of it was measuring up to this crazy, impossible standard that was being set out. He was looking at you, and he could see that you were taking it hard, your customer service face and voice were holding strong, but your eyes? They looked so sad. 

You reminded him of a kicked puppy, as the woman finally had enough of being a raging cunt and stormed off. Right after that, someone else in uniform walked by, a manager? And on their way, they said, “Happy birthday.”

You gave a small, “Thanks.” along with half a wave as they strode past. You were not only working on, but getting treated like that, on your birthday? 

It got to him, hit him square in the chest, shot to the heart. A sigh and he looks over, he makes a note of the asshole who mistreated you so, he has a little time before they check out before he can go dispose of them in the parking lot for being so unreasonable and rude to you. It might be too far for some people but not for him, people like that, there is no changing them, not at her age, some people don’t deserve to live. 

First things, first though, he saunters over to you, a small clearing of his throat before he asks, “Got a date tonight, there a drink you’d recommend?” 

You turn towards the low and smooth voice, you have to turn your head up to look at him properly, he was taller than you. The way he was standing, the angle, and how he wore his hat you couldn’t see his face, brim pulled too low, standing a few feet away.

A small inhale and your smile turned more genuine before you reply, “Oh, our Pink Champagne is my favourite. I get that on special occasions.” 

Well, how fucking perfect a find were you? Kind, respectful, hardworking, and you have good taste. 

“Thank you.” He said it easily with a wave of his hand in acknowledgement and broke away. You watch him go and think to yourself that he is cute, in that particular way that strikes you when an older guy catches your eye just so. The interaction doesn’t stick with you however, you turned and saw more fucking onion skins that needed sweeping up.

Hours later, you finally get off of work, messed up apron in one hand and looking forward to getting the hell home. You had two days off ahead, you were intent on a bath and partaking in some drinks in your fridge with a good record on when you get home. You are walking through the dark and now very empty parking lot, your mind only focused on reaching your car, sliding behind the wheel and getting home as soon as possible, when you hear a voice calling out. Your car keys are in one hand, the keys between your fingers, sticking out and ready to punch a would be attacking if you need to. 

Hearing the voice makes you put your head on a swivel, initially scared, you look and then see it is that older gentlemen you helped out earlier. You pause, and he comes a little closer, again in the dark and with that hat you can’t make out much except for the orange glow of the end of his cigarette, partially illuminating the lower half of his face. He calls out your name, following it with a question of, "-right?” 

“Hi, yeah it is.” You were still sightly on edge until he is holding up the very same bottle you suggested earlier, “Wanted to say thank you for your recommendation, properly.” 

Your brows raise up, you saw him in the store hours ago, meaning he should in theory be long gone, and you ask, “I thought you had a date?” 

“I do. I was just waitin’ for her to get off work.” Even though you couldn’t see it fully, you could hear the smile in his tone, and it makes one spread to your own face. “Oh, my apologies, I didn’t realize that was you asking me out.” 

The tone you said it in was very light, and he seemed equally amused, “Sorry bout that, terrible manners on my part, truly.”

There is a beat of silence, and you say, “I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you.” 

“So you’d be willing to join me?” He asks, you nod, you felt endeared to him very quickly, the confidence he displayed, the boldness, you were charmed and figured why not? You had the time tonight, nothing wrong with enjoying a birthday drink bought by a courteous man. 

“Where are we going to go?” You ask, and he gestured over to the large shiny black Piterbilt towards the back of the lot. “Was thinking my truck, if that’s alright with you?”

When he asks in that delicious tone of voice, you think that yes, it is very alright with you. “Lead the way.” You prompt, and he does, you fall into step beside him, apron is thrown over your shoulder, and you asked, “So you’re a truck driver?”

“How’d you ever guess?” He asked on an exhalation of his cigarette with a glance over to you. Now you can catch the half smirk on his face, unable to make out his eyes completely, but it didn’t bother you, honestly you kind of dug the mysterious kind of thing, not even fully knowing what he looked like. If anything that communicated how into him, you were, hadn’t even seen his whole face but his voice and how he carried himself was more than enough to convince you to this odd kind of unexpected date. 

“I’m real intuitive. Call it a gift.” You mused, and he liked you, even in how you joked, there was no real meanness to it, could tell that it was all in fun and that inherent niceness shone through. “Giving me gifts when it’s your birthday? Isn’t that what M’ supposed to be doing?” 

That gives you some slight pause, how in the fuck did he know that it was your birthday? Before any serious question could be made, you were next to his truck on the passenger side. You look it over and say honestly, “Nice truck.”

“Thanks, do my best to take real good care of it, s’ seen some rough times.” You look a little closer, scrutinizing, if it had, you couldn’t tell, the thing looked clean and not a scratch on it. You turn and lean against it, you realize he had gotten some cups that were also sold at your work, he holds them out, “Mind holding these while I open this?”

You nod and take them out of his outstretched hand and watch as the last remainder of his cigarette was dropped and ground under the heel of his boot. He uncorks the bottle with ease, doesn’t spill any or cause it to overflow, which mildly impresses, you hold out the cups and he fills them. The bottle is set aside on the ground and after passing him his cup he asked “Any words to share?”

“Here’s to the weekend?” You offered up after a moment’s thought, and he said, “I’ll drink to that.” He knocks yours and his cups together, and you take a sip of the sweet and familiar fizzy alcoholic drink. 

“Seriously the shift I had today was rough, so this is really nice, thank you-” Then you realize you don’t know his name, he clearly picks up on this and says, “Name’s Rusty. Rusty Nail.” 

Immediately you figure it must be his CB handle, you wonder if Rusty is his real name, but also you don’t think it matters much, you don’t press, “Well thank you, Rusty, really.” 

“S’ my pleasure. Heard how that woman was going off on you earlier, some people can be so rude.” Is that what prompted this? The total bitch who was freaking over leeks? If so, you think that maybe her being such a raging cunt wasn’t such a bad thing if it led to this. 

Little did you know that Rusty had taken care of her, she was currently stuffed in the trunk of her own car, way, way on the other side of the lot, body long since gone cold. 

The conversation then turned to you both complaining about a shared distaste for rude and unreasonable people, he let you vent about your day and previous horrible customers at your job. As the conversation went on, you find yourself enjoying his company more and more. You also find yourself standing closer to him, half the bottle gone, he’s had another smoke, and you are leaning on him much more than the truck, he doesn’t mind, you sigh to him, “I cannot believe the crap you have to put up with, it’s so unfair!” 

“Some people have some really unsavoury and outdated views on people in my line of work.” He admits with a nod, and from what he’d shared it seemed like. There are people who say the meanest shit, make horrible assumptions, treat him like dirt or worse, a feeling you know all too well at your own job. You relate to Rusty. 

You’d been talking for an hour, and it was even later, darker, and a shiver unexpectedly ran up your spine, “You cold?”

You were a little, you were in a t-shirt and after standing in one spot for so long this late the chill had somehow set in. “Yeah, surprisingly I am a bit.” 

Then he made an interesting offer. “You want to get in my truck, warm up?” 

You think you really did want that. “Yeah, that’d be great, actually.” 

He moved back then and so did you, he opened the door for you, and you looked up, Christ it was big, how were you supposed to get in while in your slightly buzzed state without looking like a total clown? You feel him against your back, he asks, “Need some help?”

You nod, unsure of what he means or how he is going to help but trusting him all the same, it’s then that you feel his hands on you. He turns you, and then those same hands find your waist with ease and grip. He lifts you like you weigh nothing, and you realize to him, you probably do, as he helps hoist you into the passenger side of the truck. Rusty sits you on your ass in the seat and your face feels much hotter, he just scooped you up and set you down so fast, one simple and fluid motion as he stepped one foot up on the running board, and then there you were. You are side-saddle, legs dangling down and far off of the ground. His hands leave you quicker than you’d like, sliding off your waist and stepping back down. You are a bit dazed, his hand touches your ankle, and you jump, he laughs at your surprised, “What?”

“You wanna get your legs in, so I can close the door?” You nod and do so, swinging your legs in, and he shuts the door. Your hand, that had been clutching your bag and apron, dropped them on the floor by your feet. You look down into your cup, you hadn’t spilled any even when he picked you up, the cup is raised, you tip it back and swallow down the remainder. A sigh and you pull the cup back, hand still clutching it, comes to rest on your thigh as your thumb on your opposite hand swipes a stray drop from the corner of your mouth. He had come around to the other side, he has the door open and is sliding in beside you into the driver's seat, he’d picked up the bottle on the way, and you were contemplating asking for more.

As if reading your mind he gestures for your cup, you lean over, holding it out, and he pours you some more, you asked him, “So before, you were talking about all the bad stuff about truck driving, but what about the stuff you do like?”

The question seems to surprise him if his tone is any indication, “The stuff I do like?” 

He has pulled the bottle back, he isn’t pouring more for himself, you respond to his question with another of your own, “Yeah, what makes the job worth it? Other than the money.” 

Rusty considers the question for a moment before he says, “I like seein’ the country, like being by myself most of the time but most of all? Probably seems obvious, but the freedom of it.” 

You nodded, it made sense and asked, “Can go anywhere, do anything?” 

“S’actly.”  

The silence is as surprisingly comfortable as the passenger seat of this truck is. The thought hits, and you say it without thinking, “I dunno how you do it.” 

“What? Truck drivin’?” He asks, and you say with a turn to him, “Yeah! Like, the actual driving it.”

He laughs, and you press on, one hand holding your cup and the other making like you are gripping a steering wheel that was comically large, pretending to turn it, “Seriously! This thing is massive, it’s a beast! How can you control it?”

“Ain’t that hard really, just gotta be the right mix of careful and confident.” He assures, and you laugh, “You make it sound so easy, I’ve never driven anything this big, that-” You point out the window to your much less impressive ride, “-is my car over there.” 

“Yeah, don’t quite measure up, does it?” He teases and you grin, “Nope. But I don’t think I could drive anything like this.”

“I think you could.” A small pause before he asks the big question, “Wanna try?” 

You nearly choke on your sip and pull the cup back, wiping at your mouth, “What? Me? Drive the behemoth? You want to write it off that bad, Rusty?” 

“You cannot be that bad a driver.” He scoffs. 

“Rusty, you barely know me, I dunno-” He insists, “C’mon, I’ll help.”

“Help?”

You were curious enough to allow it to happen, you’d not counted on his idea of help being putting you in his lap. He’d moved the seat back enough and encouraged you to climb on, emboldened by both the drink and his encouragement, you slide on into the space he made. He moves the seat forward enough to do the pedals, and he places your hands on the wheel, his hands covering yours. “You sure this is a good idea?” 

Nerves were setting in, you’d been drinking, not a lot but also all the close contact with him was getting to you, his attractiveness was apparent during your brief meeting earlier but now that you'd’ been getting to know him? He was becoming even more appealing, being sat in his lap, your back to his chest, his hands on yours, you felt flustered. Sounded by him in both touch and scent, it could be enough to make your head swim if you let it. In your current position, his voice is over your shoulder, “Positive. You’ll be fine.” 

The tone of voice he says it in, the conviction, he makes you believe it. 

One of his hands leaves yours briefly to start her up, the truck rumbles to life, and it makes you jump slightly, Christ it was loud and is vibrating like all Hell. “We’ll just do a lil’ loop, alright? M’ doing the pedals, you just steer her real easy.” 

He had to speak louder to be heard over the hum of the truck, and you pitch your own volume up to be heard, “Yeah, real easy, can do.” 

His foot comes down slowly, and he eases it forward, you grip the wheel tightly and let him lead. He talks you through the process, and it helps, you focus your eyes forward and your ears on listening to his smooth voice praising you, “Uh-huh, around the pole, use it as a guide.” You swallowed and nodded, brows knit together as he keeps talking, “Oh good job, see? You’re doing it.” 

His hands squeeze yours reassuringly, your mouth feels dry, you nod and say quieter than you should, “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me, you’re doing most of the work.” You feel that isn’t truthful but again, he talks, you believe. 

“Almost all the way around, a little further-” Both his hands leave yours, sliding down your arms and choosing to come to rest on your waist again, letting you fully be in control. It makes you tense, rushing out, “Rusty, wait-”

Another flex of his hands, another show of comfort, he says easily, drawling out, “Calm down, you’re doing it all yourself.” 

You aren’t fully convinced until you’ve made the full loop, and he lets off the gas, he turns off the car and your shoulders slump, what he says next, makes you melt, “I told you. You’re perfect.” 

That does something, makes a particular part of you break, or is it wake up? Either way, a certain section of you, somewhere aside, comes alive, and instead of wanting to run from it, you chose to grab onto the live wire of sensation with both hands. The truck has stopped, but you keep moving, the urge overcomes, and you turn in your seat and in his lap, one hand comes up, meets his cheek, feeling the rough stubble. He’d already gotten you the champagne, but you think you want more still, and you ask, “Can I be selfish?”

“S’ your birthday, be as selfish as you want to.” You take that is more than enough of an invitation. You lean up and in, push the brim of his hat up enough to give yourself the appropriate access, and you kiss him. 

He had a feeling it was going this way, but thinking and experiencing are two different things. You choosing to take the lead was better than he could have been hoping for, though. Your mouth was so fucking soft, you felt warm, he tried to take it easy, but this is the kind of thing he can’t help getting swept up in. Chances like this don’t come around often, the urge to rush is present, he manages to ignore it, preferring to savour it, or rather, savour you. He lets himself relax further into the seat, returning your affection immediately. 

The scratch of his facial hair against your skin feels better than you’d hoped it would, you let out a soft exhale, a sound on the precipice of a moan while still falling just short. His hands are still on your waist, he nudges you closer, you lean in more, your head tilts, his lips part, and he tastes more like cigarettes than he does the champagne, but it’s there. Your tongue makes the first exploration and sticky sweet fruit is unearthed from below smoke and ash. 

One of his hands slides down, a brief pass over your thigh, and you wonder where it’s going, you realize in short order when the seat you are both on moves back, giving you more space, making it, so you aren’t quite as locked up against the steering wheel. Heat is sparking inside, your hand moves from his face, slipping to rest on his neck, your other hand comes up to his shoulder, fingers grip the jacket he has on and the want becomes too much. You grind down on him. 

The shifting and adjusting allows you to feel how hard he was growing, a harsher inhale, and you begin to scramble, you want more contact, you move to be fully straddling him, no more twisting partially around like you currently were. You are seated just right soon enough, ass firmly planted, and you think fleetingly God he had some solid thighs, strong, you felt very well-supported. 

The making out was only paused briefly while you changed position, you’d gotten right back into it, your mouth slotting back against his with a hum that sounded like his name. You grind again and this time he returns it, rutting up into you, and the friction makes you actually moan this time. The taste, the feeling, and two minutes more of making out is all it takes for you to break, pulling back once his touch had gotten bolder, one having slid up your body, palming one of your tits through your work shirt easily with how large his hands were. You arch into him, breaking the kiss you beg, “Fuck, Rusty, more.”

You are close enough now that you can see his smile as opposed to just hear it, his hand moves and starts to go under your shirt, rough fingers on bare skin and steadily moving up, brushing the edge of your bra. Not quite a laugh but more than an amused releasing of air, he asks, “More?” 

A frantic nod, another squirm of your hips and he asks, “How much more? C’mon, tell me.”

He wants you to say it and you want it desperately enough that it’s no issue, far from it, if anything him making you say it, makes you want it more, makes you feel hotter. “Fuck me?”

“I like your directness.” Thank God for that. “Just have a lil more patience with me, alright?” 

When he asks in that tone, you think you’d do just about anything. A small nod and he needs to get his fill of you just a hair more. Hands explore, groping, feeling, it teases both of you, trying to get a sense of your body before the clothes come off, mind running over just how you’ll feel with nothing in the way. You remain good, you let him feel, minimal squirming on your part, even when he starts kissing your neck as the hand that isn’t up your shirt kneads your ass. Only when you feel your underwear literally plastered to you and your cunt ache incessantly do you whine his name again. 

He mercifully acquiesces, “Okay, okay, I hear you.” 

He eases up, a gesture of his head for you to move to the passenger's seat, “Gonna need you out of those clothes for what you really want.” 

You rush to comply. Once in the passenger's seat, sitting sideways, still facing him, looking at him, your hands catch the bottom hem of your shirt and as if anticipating that you intended to frantically tear it off, he stops you. One hand out and that sweet but firm tone, commanding, "Do it slowly." 

Your face feels hot, and you do as instructed, slowing your movements right down, pulling the shirt up, exposing your stomach and then your bra. Higher and higher until you have taken it off, tossing it in the direction of your bag and apron. Next you have your thumbs hooked in the waist of your pants, arching your hips you start to slide them down, you watch him, try to gauge his reaction, but it’s hard in the low lighting. He gives a nod to show he’s pleased so far, encouraging you verbally too, “Go on.” 

Shoes removed, pants follow, soon you are in just your underwear, and he speaks, a small gesture of your body, up and down, “S’ a good start but keep going.” 

You reach behind yourself, start to unhook your bra, and he is still talking, “Dying to see the rest.” 

You swear you can feel his eyes raking over every exposed inch of your skin. A small thought strikes, you follow it, slipping your arms out of the straps but holding the cups to your chest, an indulgent smile, a rise of your eyebrows, and he clicks his tongue, you play dumb and ask, “What?”

“You’re being a tease.” He states, and you ask in a tone of mock innocence, “Am I?” 

He says more seriously. “Drop it.” 

Unsure if he means your bra or the act, you chose to abandon both. You let the padded fabric slip out of your hands, a spread of your legs, you wonder if he can tell how wet you are from here. He moves too now, you weren’t expecting it, he falls to his knees in the space between your seat and his. Hands come to your hips and the sudden contact makes you jerk with a sharp inhale. His mouth catches yours in another kiss, you return it and moan, his mouth doesn’t stay on yours for long, trails down, jaw and neck, one on your shoulder and lower.

He is confident, he’s taking what he wants and you more than let him, you enjoy every rough scrape of his well worked hands, pass of his lips and nip of his teeth. His warm breath fanning over your chest is welcome, one hand has moved again, over your hip and now on your inner thigh, his thumb is close enough, and he runs it up you, swipes up your clothed slit. You sigh, eyes falling closed, relishing the contact, you are sure now he can feel how wet you are. He runs it back down and then up again, a press just right, and you moan between the friction on your clit and his mouth now on your chest. 

He found it so easily and judging by the smile you can feel against the curve of your breast, he is just as pleased. Rusty abandons the current pleasant task, fingers hooking in your underwear, “I got a feelin’ it’d be a fight to get these off you too, an’ I just can’t wait.” 

You couldn’t either, not anymore. 

Assisting with a move of your ass up, he gets them off, and now you are naked in his semi-truck. You want to jump him, but he is holding you down by your thighs, taking in the view of you unobstructed, totally bare. “Fucking gorgeous.”

A hand reaches out, catches his jacket, and you tug as you tell him, “I feel really exposed right now, you wanna lose some of these?”

“S’ only fair.” He agrees, he removes his jacket and asks, “Wanna give me a little show while I fix myself?” 

It is a request, but you take it like it’s an order. Hand between your spread legs, fingers trace up, catching ample wetness and spreading it up, circling sensitive tissue, making your thighs tense and a small moan fall from your lips. “There you go.”

The praise helps, you increase the pressure, and he hums in approval. Shirt is gone, belt is opened more and more revealed until he is in a similar state of undress. The view of him stripping all for you is insanely helpful. Pleasure is filling you easily and once he is ready he asks, “You mind if I-?”

“However you want me, please.” It leaves you needy and breathless. He steps in, he moves your hands away from yourself, and starts to adjust you to his liking. You like it, you think he can be rougher honestly, you are put on your knees, facing the passenger window, a hand on your back, adjusting you more, hips tilted up, and you feel him against you. The bump of his shaft between your thighs and over your clit is already very good. “Ready, yeah?”

A shaky nod, “Please Rusty-”

The one word and his name is all you are able to get out before he is lining up just right, you hold your breath in anticipation, he spits into his own hand, strokes himself, the extra lube as courtesy is appreciated. He slides in, and you let out a gasp, he doesn’t do it easily, taking you in one firm stroke, hand on your hips as his come to rest against your ass. He revels in you, the tight, soaked heat of you, his head tips back slightly as he soaks it before he starts to move. Pulling out halfway before driving forward, your hands scrabble for the window’s edge, you hold onto it like a lifeline as you gear up for what is already promising to be the ride of a lifetime. 

His thrusting is firm, just like him, steady and sure, a good and even pace. It leaves breathless, not caring about being overheard, not like anyone could in the empty parking lot. A heavy breath from him, “Fucks sake, you’re soaked.” 

You were moaning, incoherent pleas, along with his name, you were more than warmed up, each drag of his thick shaft in and out increasing the feeling. Fingers dig into the meat of your hips, he pulls you back as he drives forward, and you move too, rocking backwards to meet him. “Tight as Hell, can barely fit myself in here.” 

“Keep talking, never, ever stop talking.” Is the one thought in your brain as you moan dumbly. You aren’t thinking much, unable, but you are feeling. Rusty was so kind to you, was totally turning your birthday around, making you feel incredible, spoiling you, and you want to do the same. His hands are roaming and that won’t do, you need to stop him before you are fucked into total submission and wrecked. Another minute, just another minute, you tell yourself, eyes are half open and brain hazy. The glass is so fogged up you can’t see out of it, could write your name but if he asked you doubted your hands would be steady enough. Could you even spell your name right now with what he was doing to you? 

Finally, you reach back, hands on his hips, “Ru-Rusty, please, stop-”

“Something the matter?” He asked, holding deep, all the way to the hilt inside you. His hands smooth up your sides, fingers trace the curves of your chest before coming back down again, and you shiver, clenching on his shaft. 

“Gotta, fuck, do something. Pull out?” He listens, he does so, “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”  

The pet names, fucking Christ the pet names, you are forcing yourself to move. It happens quickly. You turn, and then you push him, so his back is against the seat of the driver's side. He takes the hint, sits up on the seat sideways, and then you are the one on your knees. Between his spread thighs, you lean down, a hand locks around the base of his shaft and you lick. He lets out a surprised groan, soft and sounding too good. You start to blow him in earnest, careful of your gag reflex as you work. Your hand slips up and down his slick shaft as you suck on the head, his hand comes down to your head, fingers twist in your hair, “Like tasting yourself?” 

A nod as you moan against him, tongue swirls around the tip, and he watches enraptured, his hips buck slightly, and you gag almost immediately. He inhales through his teeth, “Sorry there.”

You brush him off, a gesture that it is fine, as you redouble your efforts. He seems to be enjoying it immensely, he is encouraging you further but soon asks, “Can you handle some more?”

For him, you want to try. You nod, and he guides you, does it slowly and easily, “Breathe through it-”

You do and the pace, his voice, it somehow works, and you’re able to take him deeper, “Pretty birthday girl. Takin’ it so well.” 

All you wanted to do was please him, you continue the work for only a minute more, however because then he tells you, “I want you back up here.”

You jump at the chance. Same as before, you climb up him and straddle him, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where this is going. “You didn’t have to do that.” He comments, and you have your hands on his biceps, currently sucking a hickey into his neck and teasing your dripping hole with the tip of his dick, “I know. I wanted to.”  

“Could tell you were into it. You always wanna taste yourself like that?” 

“Not always but it is-” You move your hips down, start to slide him inside with a moan, once he is buried inside of you again you finish the thought, “-a favourite.” 

“Dirty girl.” He coos it like a compliment, and it hits you just like one, too. You start to ride, his hands on you help along with upward rocks of his hips. You bite and suck along his throat in between broken moans, the salt of his skin is a tad too addicting, as is the stretch of him inside and the way he brushes all the right spots inside of you at this angle. 

Apparently it still isn’t good enough for him. 

He tugs you closer, presses you so that way your clit is getting friction and ground with every thrust and bounce, your moans increase in volume in pitch along with the sensation. You had no clue this is how your day would shake out, if you did, maybe your shift would have been more bearable. 

His hands are on your back, holding you close, fucking up into you as you are slamming down, and on a particularly good hit you are gasping. For two people fucking for the first time and relative strangers, you’d found a frighteningly good rhythm. Your body is moving on instinct, just chasing what feels good but still, thoughtlessly tinged with doing your best to please him, thankful for the moment that what seems to be getting him off is feeling incredible for you. It isn’t quite enough, though, and he seems to pick up on that. 

“Lean back.” His voice snaps you out of your pleasure induced stupor, and you nod, separating yourself from him, the one point of contact still remaining your ass on his thighs and him stuffed deep inside. He directs you further, his hands help, and you find yourself with one hand on his knee, the other braced on the roof of the truck, feet on the seat on either side of him and with a confident nod you start moving again. 

It’s good, you are able to hit spots inside yourself that are even deeper, using all your leg muscles as well as your hands it becomes more of a full body effort, minute adjustments can be made so too much strain is never on one part of your sweat slick frame. Soon as you are just right in the groove of it, he surprises you, why he wanted the change in position becomes all too clear. His hand is between your bodies and his thumb presses down, swirling over your clit, and it makes your pace falter, “Oh my fucking God-”

“Don’t stop now.” The way he says it makes a shiver run up your spine and again makes you clench down on him. He says it in the dominant tone of voice, but it’s light, that smug fucking half grin on his face, unable to tear his eyes away from your body. You shake your head, choking out, “Wo-won’t stop.” 

“No, course you won’t, you’re so good at listening.” The praise washes over you with another sharp jolt of ecstasy. His hand that wasn’t working your nerves into a frenzy was on your thigh, sliding up, gripping your hip, “This workin’ for you?”

Fuck, was it ever. You nod frantically, focusing on breathing and not stopping riding him, but in short order, your movements were getting increasingly sloppy. It was like he didn’t have to ask, didn’t rush it, just let you work it out and helped carry you along. You were getting dangerously close, the edge creeping up at a blinding pace, everything you’d experienced so far this night was piling up and threatening to make you break apart at the seams. There were no real words, just hurried breathing and pitched moans, head back, nails digging into the fabric of the truck cab’s roof, the sound of skin on skin and his encouragement. 

A soft call of your name, his hips moving up, grinding into you as his hand works and him asking in a mind meltingly hot tone, “I wanna see it, give it to me.”

And something about that, whether it is what he said or how he said it, causes the reaction inside to finally make it happen, like it clicks into place just right, and you go from a weak and barely audible strained whisper of, “I’m almost there!” To holy fucking shit, I’m, “-cumming!” 

Riding as much became not an option, legs almost giving out, but he takes over, grip on your hip is bruising, hip strength impressive, and he drives up into you over and over. Your hand isn’t able to stay on the roof, caught midair, body tense as your climax rockets through your body, you think your hand on his knee might be drawing blood with your nails, but you can’t stop it nor can you care. 

You jerk as it peaks, and he slips out, his fingers don’t stop until you are crying out and pushing him away, still trembling through the aftershocks. Your eyes were closed, you were panting and not even remotely down from his high when you feel the hot splatter on your tits and stomach with your name staining his tongue. Peaking back open, you see him, hand around himself, and he’d cum all over your torso. The pretty pearly white is sliding down, and his own breathing is very laboured. Your hand trails down, still shaky, skating through the mess he left, and then you're bringing those same fingers back up to taste him. 

Your body relaxes against him, you get into a more comfortable position, and after you stop shuddering so much you are telling him, “That was pretty fucking great.”

“Oh, are you all done?” He asked as he looks up at you, hands are resting lazily on your thighs, tracing patterns absentmindedly. “I mean I thought we were but are we not?”

“We don’t gotta be. I’m in no rush.” The thought of that is extremely pleasant. 

“Another drink till you’re ready to go again, old man?” You asked with a smile, and he laughs as he reaches over to where the bottle was left on the floor of his side of the truck. Thankfully it hadn’t been knocked over, “You get that one and only cuz you were so good.” 

“Only one old man joke or one joke overall? Because I was gonna make one hoping that you aren’t passingly along tetanus to me Rusty, but if you’re planning to be a buzzkill-” He shuts you up with a hand on the back of your neck and a kiss that you end up humming into. Yeah, you think this has been a pretty solid birthday. 

[moonknixght]

Awkward conversations and.. Fishes? (Steven Grant x GN!Reader)

Summary: Curiosity to learn more about a gorgeous store clerk of a pet shop leads Steven to buying his first pet ever. Warnings: Fluff ?? and just embarrassingly long silences Word count: 1.1k A/N: Okay please imagine that Gus wasn't Steven's pet already 🙏 Might make a part 2 if I get ideas. Also first post woohoo!! Made this account solely so I could make my ideas a reality. I'm a little rusty at writing as of right now, so bare with me </3 Requests are open for stuff!! (please talk to me)

"And this little guy here, He's a feisty one, but he means no harm." Lifting up a perched budgie on your finger, who seemed to have distrustful look on it's face, You smile widely at the latest client that had stumbled upon your small shop. You've always been a passionate soul when it came to animals; from the age 8 when you first wanted to be a veterinarian, which you quickly backed out from after slight consideration as you realized that you would have to constantly put down animals and see them in absolute pain. The next choice was arts, which you did took a degree in, before landing on the final prospect of being a caretaker to injured animals. From there, you found yourself reverting back into your obsession, eventually starting a small shelter/pet-shop where you took in abandoned and wounded animals, healed them and put them back to find new owners. It would be a lie if you said that you didn't miss any of the animals that were taken by other people, but it was also a joy to see them go to homes where they would be given full attention and loved. Therefore, you found yourself rambling about all your beloved pets to whoever stepped into your little abode with any interest— which is what was happening right now. A guy, with almost perfect curly black hair and tan-kissed skin had walked in and began to mindlessly wander, often catching your eyes while he did so. You eventually walked up to him and offered your help, to which he seemed ever so grateful for, even though it was odd that he didn't know what animal he wanted to adopt. This man was Steven Grant. and only if you knew the panic the poor guy was going through. With Jake relentlessly pushing Steven to interact with the employee he's been eyeing through the glass doors of the pet-shop, Steven found himself awkwardly cruising through the different animals, who looked up at him with expectant eyes. Clearly, He needed a plan before walking into the shop, especially when you approached him with a confused look on your face. "Uh.. I-I'm not particularly fond of birds, love." Steven gave you a weak smile, he seemed like he was scared of possibly disappointing you. "Maybe the fishes?" 'Or the cats.' Jake added from somewhere in the headspace, obviously enjoying the shit-show. "Ah." You say allowing the bird back onto the bird perch, your eyes shifting towards a small section of the shop where you tucked away a rectangular aquarium with exactly one fish inhabiting it. "Well, The options are very limited with fishes." Steven was digging himself a deeper hole each time he enquired about the animals like he was actually going to get one— but don't get him wrong, he was genuinely finding your rambles about every creature there interesting. So interesting in fact, that he couldn't possibly leave without getting something. So, the most laziest pet to have would be a fish, according to him at least. You eventually lead him to the front of the tank, where you lightly bend (which Steven also mimicked) to meet eye-to-eye with a goldfish. But this wasn't any goldfish, it was a goldfish with exactly one fin. "He's your only luck if you're looking for fishes." "Does.. Does he have a name?" Steven asked, trying to keep the conversation going. How exactly was he going to take care of a goldfish anyways? Especially a goldfish that only had one fin? What if it dies? It'll ruin his entire day. Maybe his entire week.

 You tilt your head to think about it, before giving a soft shrug in response— which Steven admittedly found quite endearing. "Not really, He just came in like this I guess, Never thought to give him a name." 'A fish, Seriously?' "What about Gus?" Steven asked, turning a deaf ear to Jake's mocking comment. The goldfish paused for a second looking at the two observing it for a moment, before it continued to pace around again. It was almost like the little aquatic creature had approved of the name, but he wasn't planning on sounding like a total nutjob by expressing that out loud. "Hm, It surprisingly fits him." You say after a moment of silence. Though a second later, With a chuckle, You pick up conversation again. "You're pretty good at naming fishes, huh?"

"No! I just.. It came to me, I guess. Lil' fella looks like a Gus." "I agree."

After another moment of uncomfortable silence, Steven desperately tried to revive the exchange. "D'you know that Gus means Majestic? It fits 'cause it's quite amazing that he can swim with just a fin." 'Way to make them swoon, Steven. Buen trabajo.' Steven was truly getting sick of the unnecessary commentary from Jake, but he couldn't quite tell the wanker to piss off just yet. You, on the other hand, seemed to be intrigued by this rather sudden splurge of knowledge. Honestly, You didn't mind this at all, actually finding some amusement in how he suddenly geeked out. "Huh, I didn't know that." You said with a pleasant smile. "That's interesting now that you put it that way." "Yeah..." Steven's voice was small; the fear that he might have come off as weird subsided with your smile, which he reciprocated almost immediately. "I'll take him then." Your eyes lit up. For some odd reason, you didn't exactly expect him to actually get anything— Let alone a damn fish. Actually, Even Steven didn't know that he would end up being the owner of a fish, it just happened. He's technically already named the fish, it's only right that he takes it.

"Right, A moment." You nod, excusing yourself to go get the equipment needed to pack Gus away and off to settle in his new home. You come back a moment later as Steven stepped by the counter, Gus in a small plastic baggy as you balanced a small tank to put the little guy in as well as some food for the strangers convenience. Handing it off to him carefully, you nodded as you glanced at the only goldfish your store has seen be taken away. Who would've guessed. "I'll be off then, Thanks, love!" "You're welcome, Take care Gus!" You cheerfully wave them off, watching as your customer for the night took off. You sigh contently, feeling unnaturally happy about the whole interaction. Strange. ��� 'You bought a fish but you didn't ask for their name?' Gods, He totally forgot amidst everything. Steven had made it back home, his lip curling into a subtle frown as Marc bought forth a very valid point. The male couldn't help but sigh out loud, swiftly punishing himself with a face palm as he realized his error. Maybe Steven didn't manage to catch their name or learn more about them but as he laid in his bed, he found himself recalling how beautiful that store clerk looked when they smiled. And besides, he made a new friend— a companion he was starting to adore quite alot.

[dead-lights]

household // 1910s caleb & lilith & lily [DOWNLOAD]

It's so much fun throwing the Vatores into random historical eras. This is what you'll get if you throw my late Edwardian Zhu-Vatore household into your game! I may have gone a bit overboard.

↓↓↓ tl;dr household download link & required cc below the cut ↓↓↓

There's absolutely gorgeous Edwardian cc out there, so I collected it for you 💖

The Edwardian era was marked by excess and conspicuous consumption. They liked big hair and big hats, and by the end of the period people had come to agree that the sexiest shape a woman can be is cylindrical.

Caleb, Lily, and Lilith really pull off the look. Neither lady is particularly cylindrical, but they look great in these dresses and absolutely rock the Gibson Girl updo and fancy hats.

I aged Lily down and changed her hair color, removed Lilith's tattoos, and gave Caleb a basic dark form, but no other changes. I tried to make them cousins? But when I loaded the household onto my laptop, they weren't cousins anymore :(

You'll need Vintage Glamour, in addition to Vampires and Werewolves. A few of Caleb's outfits and his hair are from VG and you CANNOT pair side bangs with Edwardian clothing. It's a fashion law.

In order to cut back on the amount of cc, there's less variety of hats, hair, gloves, and shoes than I'd like. I also didn't include jewelry. If people are interested, I can put together a list of supplementary cc that can be swapped in.

Please tag me @dead-lights if you use these for anything! I'd love to see my pixel buddies walking around in other people's saves.

Now buckle up, y'all. This gets long.

download household [SFS]

Extract that into your Tray folder (in the same folder as your Mods folder). You should see the household in CAS when you open your gallery.

required cc

@happylifesims

fedora shape no. 2

peaky blinders outfit

wilbur outfit

1920s coat

rose's boarding outfit

rose's dinner dress

rose's lunch dress

rose's flying dress

rose’s jump dress

rose's swim dress

1910s day dress 01

my recolor of day dress 01

1910s day dress 02

1920s nightgown

@historicalsimslife

men's casual edwardian suit

edwardian men's underwear + sleep wear

edwardian women's hat + coat

edwardian women's nightgown

@gilded-ghosts

the hartfield shoes

summer swells dress

flower accessory

gilded gibson hair

fanny's finery gown (dropbox)

perfectly plain skirt

clair de lune nightgown (dropbox)

promenade dress

demure day dress (dropbox)

astor dress (direct link)

coquette corset (dropbox)

@linzlu

picnic tops 2 & 3

bathing belle

florence outwear (direct link)

miss scarlet evening gown

hattie dress (direct link)

&

vintage swimwear by @eirflower

duchess of xviii hat by @rustys-cc

white garden gloves by rustys-cc

sunday hair by @saurusness

season's greetings hat by @nolan-sims

edwardian satin bow pumps by @waxesnostalgic

knickerbockers by waxesnostalgic

gibson curl updo by @the-melancholy-maiden

vintage glam hat by @madlensims

avery skirt by madlensims

scholar vest by @magnolianfarewell

edwardian huntress dress by @elfdor

tyrell by @clumsyalienn

bespoke corset by @dzifasims

my recolor of bespoke corset

fur hat by @lilis-palace

carla by @buzzardly28

hattie dress by @dancemachinetrait

"tea time" vintage edwardian hat by shawnthesimmer

lingerie dress by @javitrulovesims

If you're trying to replace the default in-game:

move this household into wolfsbane manor with the default vatores, then delete the defaults

use mods/cheats to make the new lily the vatores' cousin (i think mccc and ui cheats can both do it)

move custom lily in with the volkov household - use cheats/mods to copy her default relationships if you'd like - and then delete default lily. you will also need to mod/cheat lily back into the moonwood collective if you want her to keep her position. all three characters still have their occult rank and powers. she does NOT keep her special moonwood mill gossip dialogue - not sure why.

TOU

don't put my stuff behind a paywall

don't claim my stuff as your own

don't violate the TOUs of the cc makers i've included

Please let me know if there are any problems - this is my first time putting up a household and I'm only mostly sure I did it right 😅 I managed to get it to work on my laptop, so there's that.

If you're just here for the download, you're done now! If you're interested in learning more about Edwardian fashion, let me ramble at you for a bit :)

my notes

This isn't the most historically accurate set, but I'm calling it close enough - if you're interested in learning more about the era, Edwardian Promenade is a great place to start.

Edwardians had really weird, complicated rules about hat and glove wearing. For most of these outfits, people would don and remove their hats and gloves based on social context - they shouldn't be wearing gloves when they eat, for example, but should always wear gloves when they're dancing. It's hard to find consistent information about the specific rules, but I've read excerpts from the Edwardian equivalents of Miss Manners and Good Housekeeping and they are fascinating.

I found some great reference images for sportswear from Silhouettes Costumes. Caleb's athletic outfit is based on this contemporary illustration. The unfastened bottom button is a nice detail to have - it was fashionable for men to leave the last button undone, as a nod to King Edward.

The ladies have 3 sleep outfits - the first are nightgowns that they would wear to sleep, the second are corsets, with other undergarments still on underneath, and the third are chemises, which were worn under their corsets - the underest part of the underwear, essentially.

For an in-depth explanation of Edwardian lingerie, check out The Fashion Archaeologist's Blog. For information about Edwardian nighttime hair care, check out Sew Historically.

The girls are wearing lingerie dresses for their hot weather outfits - lacy dresses made with the same materials & techniques as lingerie. These were good casual afternoon dresses, and were sometimes worn without a corset. Learn more about them from The Dreamstress!

[idk6123]

An Odd Human (Vergil x Male reader)

Travelling around the world in order to get more power certainly makes his life more interesting. Whether it’s new sword-technique, new abilities, weapons or anything else, Vergil’s curiosity can never been ceased. Most of the time, however, since he’s living in the human world, there isn’t that much interesting stuff. Still, it’s not like he has a choice.

One day though, his view upon humanity changed just a bit. It all started when he arrived at a small town in the countryside. A farming village that is near a lake. With the spring sun, it’s not too cold or hot. Knowing he’s going to rest for the rest of the day, he walks in a B&B to get a room. Then he gets led to his room by a human called Y/N.

“Where’s your stuff?”

“I got all I need here.” Vergil responds.

“Mm, practical, I guess.” Y/N made some small talk, but nothing too major, which Vergil appreciates. Once they get to the next floor and to his room, Y/N watches how he’s looking around. “And?”

“It’s good enough.” Vergil responds. He looks back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Y/N then lays eyes upon the sword sheath. “You’re a swordsman?”

“Yes. I hope this-” He pats the sword sheath. “isn’t going to be a problem.”

“Normally, yes, but I let it slide. Just be careful to not flex that thing to the entire town. Anyway, enjoy your stay. I will be somewhere around if you need me.” With that, Y/N leaves, allowing Vergil to take time for himself.

-

Later that day, in the night, Vergil is in the outskirts of the town, training his sword technique. He does this everyday just to not get rusty. He doesn’t has a particular target, just swinging around with the correct stances. During the training, he notices a presence behind him. Swiftly, he turns around to put the sword to the targets next, just stopping before he could slice it. That’s when he sees Y/N, looking shocked.

“You shouldn’t sneak upon someone training with a weapon.” Vergil warns him, putting the blade away.

“Sorry.”

Vergil’s stoic face looks at the nervous man. “What is it that you want?”

“I was just curious.” Y/N sounds a bit better. “I never seen someone with your talent.” Vergil remains quiet, merely looking at him. That’s when the other man tries to think of something to talk about. Then he notices the sword. “You got a gorgeous sword. Katana, right?”

Vergil wanted to correct him that the sword isn’t any regular old katana, but he restrains himself. “Thank you for the complement.” There is another awkward silence between the two, making the swordman patient to tick. “Is there anything else you want to say?”

“Can I observe your technique?” Y/N requests. “There is something mesmerizing about how you move.”

Vergil thinks about it. He doesn’t have a particular reason why not to. “Sit on the side unless you want to be decapitated.”

“Thanks.”

And so, Vergil continues his training while the regular human is on the side, observing. The demon doesn’t really care for a couple of minutes, until a question bothers his mind.

“Do you do this to your other guests as well?”

“No. The other guest certainly doesn’t have any swords.” Y/N jokes, though Vergil doesn’t look amused, as he’s too focused on the training. “How long have been training?”

“My entire life.”

“That’s impressive.” Y/N complements him. “You must win gold every time you compete.”

“You could say that.” Vergil replies, though Y/N doesn’t know how to interpret his vague comment. Thus, Vergil stops and looks at Y/N. “I have someone that I want to defeat.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He’s, my brother.” Vergil coldly comments. He doesn’t really know why he’s telling this to a stranger, but it’s refreshing. “His skill rivals mine, and yet he doesn’t even care to take a second to hone it.”

“Is that why you’re travelling around?”

“Not specifically. I just want to be stronger in general.” Vergil comments. He wonders how a regular guy thinks about it. “What do you think about it?”

Y/N thinks about it. “Dunno. I find it admirable. Always eager to improve yourself, I mean.”

Vergil hums. “You’re on odd man.”

Y/N snickers. “Says you. You’re the one that trains in the middle of night.”

For whatever reason, trying to view things from Y/N eyes, he can’t help but chuckle at the thought of it. “I guess I can see why you think I’m odd.”

“Still, it’s just a regular thing for you.”

“Yes.” Vergil says with a smirk. He stops training to get his attention to the other man. “What about you? What’s your story?” It’s rare for Vergil to chat, or even talk with someone. Although he doesn’t have a desire to have people around him, talking to someone is nice in a while.

“Well, I work at the B&B. Lived at this town forever.” Vergil sits down next to the other man. “Honestly, it isn’t something special.”

Vergil wonders if he’s being humble or serious. “Does that bother you?”

“Kinda.” Y/N answers with honest. “I always fantasize having an adventurous life, though I’m kinda a coward. Still, one day I want to leave this place and take a look around the world. Maybe with a goal in mind, or not.”

“What keeps you not doing it?”

“Dunno. Maybe I’m just scared.”

Vergil hums. “For what’s worth, travelling the world broadens the mind. You need to be independent, as well a strong will and mind. Isolation isn’t something for everyone.”

“I didn’t take you as someone so wise.” Y/N wise. “Maybe perhaps I should travel with someone. That way, I can lean on them.”

“That would be a good start for you.” Vergil comments. “I would give an offer, but even if you think you want to, you will regret so.”

Y/N looks confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The journey I’m taking isn’t what regular people should take, for their safety.”

“Huh?” Y/N doesn’t fully get it, only understanding that it’s dangerous. “How dangerous can it be?”

“That depends. Days like these, nothing special happens, or I guess it is, depending how you like at things. Other days, I need to use my sword.” Vergil answers. Still, Y/N doesn’t fully get it. “How about I just say it. The enemies I’m fighting are demons.”

“Like from the Bible?”

Vergil chuckles. “More from the underworld.” He looks up at the starry night. “You see, I’m the son of an angle and a demon. There are worlds that aren’t for human eyes to see, but for me, they are. There, many mysteries are left to be discovered.”

Y/N looks doubtful. “I’m not sure I should take you literally or…”

Vergil looks back at the man. “I can show you my other form, but be warned, I only change appearance. Don’t think I’m going ‘eat you’ or something ridiculous.”

Y/N hums, allowing Vergil to change form, showing his dark skin with blue rays. He looks back at Y/N, who’s mouth hangs open. Then the demon changes back.

“You look stunned.”

“You say that like a normal guy should react like you’re normal.”

Vergil smirks. “Touché.” He looks up again. A soft yawn comes out of him. “Excuse me. I think it’s time to rest. I did enjoy the talk.”

“Me too.” Y/N still sounds a bit shaky. Both men stand up. Afterwards, they walk back to the town. “Why were you so interested to talk to me anyway?”

“While I do enjoy the isolation, there are times someone to talk to clears the mind.”

“You should do it more.”

“And let other’s imprint my demon form into their mind? I’m surprised you didn’t scream out of fear and ran away.” Vergil looks amused.

“I didn’t mean that…” Y/N replies. “Say, if you talk to the same person, you don’t have to share your secret to everyone.”

Vergil cocks his eyebrow. “You want to come with me? I already told you-”

“I know, I know. It’s dangerous, but how many times are you fighting against someone. And say you’re going to do something dangerous; can’t you just leave me somewhere safe or something.”

Vergil thinks about it. “And you’re willing to travel with a man you only met an our ago?”

“I guess I’m that bored of my current life.” Y/N says with a smirk. “Besides, we immediately got along. And it’s not like I’m a hyper extrovert that keeps talking to you.”

Vergil let out an amused hum. “I don’t have a problem with it. However, we have to set rules. When getting into danger, you stay behind. You don’t interfere with my training or other events.”

“I’m fine with that. So, are we going tomorrow?”

“I guess we are.”

-

Days has passed since that happened. Vergil never imagined himself travelling with a companion, especially someone that can’t even wield a sword. However, it has been pleasantly nice. Vergil could share his thoughts with someone that isn’t there to judge him.

Today, after exploring some old, demonic ruins, the demon walks back to the motel room he and his companion got. It’s nighttime, and so it’s time to rest. Once he gets in, he can see Y/N’s eyes laying up on him.

“And?”

“Nothing interesting.” Vergil responds. “No foes to fought, no old relics, no leads to follow.”

“Well, at least you know.” Y/N comments. He sits on the bed.

Vergil sits down next to him, putting the swords on next to him. “I had a feeling it was going to be a waste of my time. Still, you’re correct.” He looks besides him. “I hope you weren’t bored without my company.”

“I’m fine.” Y/N assures. “Actually, I’ve been reading that book you’re traveling with.”

“And? What do you think?”

“It’s hard to fully understand what it says.” Y/N chuckles. “I wasn’t the best with books to begin with.”

“That’s alright. Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes. I think I learn a bit more about you.” Y/N smiles, making Vergil smile.

“That’s good to know. Feel free to read it whenever you want. I can even read it for you, if you want.”

“That would be nice. A perfect bedtime story.” Y/N sarcastically comments.

“I would never imagine enjoy a human’s company. I wonder if others are the same, or if you’re just something special.”

“Oh, I’m something special.”

“Then I better keep a close eye on you.” Vergil leans further to the other man. “You’re still human, so fragile. And even though we met days ago, I can call you someone special to me. So, you’re ready to further explore this journey?”

[madeofcc]

URBZ MAG : SPECIAL SUMMER EDITION

Choose your cover ! Strangerville / Sulani / Harajuku ? Aïssa does it all ♥

Interview + cc credits + special summer poster below the cut !

Aïssa Tamoré, 23 years old, if you never heard of her well, you must not live in Sims Nation. After her huge social fight against Edgar Brindleton, the social activist is beginning her modelling carreer. More than that, she's also preparing her own fashion collection and she's going to tell her more about that and what really happened in Sulani ....

So, Aïssa, what could be the best adjective to describe you ?

People uses plenty of names all the time so call me whatever you want ... But one word to define me : unique ...

For those who don't know you, could you tell us more about your social actions in Sulani ? (Those events are related to DH2 which got cancelled)

Well, this is a bit long but we couldn't let Brindleton destroying Sulani. Have you seen how gorgeous it is ?! Thanks to the help of the sulanians and all the people around Sims Nation, Brindleton realized that he was completly wrong and decided to leave* ... (*He actually died trying to stole the Heart of Sulani. He fell into Sulani's volcano, oupsi ...)

Okay ... Well, that seems a bit vague but anyway ... We heard that you're actually studying fashion and cinema at Britechester right ?

Yes totally ! September will be the beginning of my last year there actually. As you can see I'm a woman with multiple talents ! Britechester has an awesome educational team and we have a lot of ressources to help us there so I look forward to complete this program and leave this place once and for all

Are you going to be a trouble there ? I mean, this is actually the Ivy league we're talking about ...

I know. But the Ivy league also needs to realize that they really protect horrible values and people soetimes ... The world will know it one day. That's all I can tell ...

Well, it's seems that you're not affraid to get your feet into serious issues ...

Nope ... I'm not ...

As this is our summer edition, what are your plans for this summer ?

This year is going to be a summer full of work ! I've been contacted for 2 new contracts for a perfume and a new fashion designer I'd like to promote. I'm also featuring on a local DJ song and going to be an extra on The Urbz show !

Seems like you're really getting famous !

I don't feel like it but I like being buzy. Also, people have been very friendly lately and I've met a lot of awesome new souls !

Another subject, you told me you created your own clothes. What does this mean to you ?

I think it gives me some kind of total freedom on my style. As you can notice, I love pink but there's not a lot of clothes that fit my body well. I created some stuff lately and I'm really considering creating my own brand soon. I want a fully inclusive brand, designed for people like me ... Unique !

Do you think your fans would follow you into this new trend ?

I don't want anyone to feel obligated to do so but I know that there's some of them who have been asking me to do more. I just want to grow with them, like together. I still can't believe some people are finding me inspiring to be honest

Last question, what about your relationship ? Are you single ?

Let's say that my heart is taken by a vampire slayer ...

Aïssa Tamoré will be back in Destiny Harbour : Melodia special and Destiny Harbour : Nightmares at Britchester !

CC Credits : @daylifesims @bustedpixels @xldkx @llazyneiph @funako @rustys-cc @sentate @serenity-cc @sleepingsims @liliili-sims4 @caio-cc ♥

[lipshits-continuous]

Prime numbers of the ask game let's go!

This is gonna be a long old post haha /pos

2. What math classes did you do best in?:

It's joint between Analysis in Many Variables (literally just Multivariable calculus, I don't know why they gave it a fancy name) and Complex Analysis. Both of which I got 90% in :))

3. What math classes did you like the most?

Out of the ones I've completely finished: complex analysis

Including the ones I'm taking at the moment:

Topology

5. Are there areas of math that you enjoy? What are they?

Yes! They are Topology and Analysis. Analysis was my favourite for a while but topology is even better! (I still like analysis just as much though, topology is just more). I also really like group theory and linear algebra

7. What do you like about math?

The abstractness is really nice. Like I adore how abstract things can be (which is why I really like topology, especially now we're moving onto the algebraic topology stuff). What's better is when the abstract stuff behaves in a satisfying way. Like the definition of homotopy just behaves so nicely with everything (so far) for example.

11. Tell me a funny math story.

A short one but I am not the best at arithmetic at times. During secondary school we had to do these tests every so often that tested out arithmetic and other common maths skills and during one I confidently wrote 8·3=18. I guess it's not all that funny but ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

13. Do you have any stories of Mathematical failure you’d like to share?

I guess the competition I recently took part in counts as a failure? It's supposed to be a similar difficulty to the Putnam and I'm not great at competition maths anyway. I got 1/60 so pretty bad. But it was still interesting to do and I think I'll try it again next year so not wholly a failure I think

17. Are there any great female Mathematicians (living or dead) you would give a shout-out to?

Emmy Noether is an obvious one but I don't you could understate how cool she is. I won't name my lecturers cause I don't want to be doxxed but I have a few who are really cool! One of them gave a cool talk about spectral geometry the other week!

19. How did you solve it?

A bit vague? Usually I try messing around with things that might work until one of them does work

23. Will P=NP? Why or why not?

Honestly I'm not really that well versed in this problem but from what I understand I sure hope not.

29. You’re at the club and Grigori Perlman brushes his gorgeous locks of hair to the side and then proves your girl’s conjecture. WYD?

✨polyamory✨

31. Can you share a math pickup line?

Are you a subset of a vector space of the form x+V? Because you're affine plane

37. Have you ever used math in a novel or entertaining way?

Hmm not that I can think of /lh

41. Which is better named? The Chicken McNugget theorem? Or the Hairy Ball theorem?

Hairy Ball Theorem

43. Did you ever fail a math class?

Not so far

47. Just how big is a big number?

At least 3 I'd say

53. Do you collect anything that is math-related?

Textbooks! I probably have between 20 and 30 at the moment! 5 of which are about topology :3

59. Can you reccomend any online resources for math?

The bright side of mathematics is a great YouTube channel! There is a lot of variety in material and the videos aren't too long so are a great way to get exposed to new topics

61. Does 6 really *deserve* to be called a perfect number? What the h*ck did it ever do?

I think it needs to apologise to 7 for mistakingly accusing it of eating 9

67. Do you have any math tatoos?

I don't have any tattoos at all /lh

71. 👀

A monad is a monoid in the category of endofunctors

73. Can you program? What languages do you know?

I used to be decent at using Java but I've not done for years so I'm very rusty. I also know very basic python

Thanks for the ask!!

[amystheme]

I hate to say it…but that Doctor/Amy moment in The Power Of Three was very obviously rewritten by Moffat. ‘Because you were the first face this face saw and you are seared onto my hearts forever’ could not be more Moffat in either language or sentiment. Especially as it was repeated in 11´s regeneration scene. RTD rewrote scripts all the time too (he wrote so much of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit that he’s on record saying he regrets not giving himself the writer credit for it). Broadchurch though…that was all Chibnall, and there was gorgeous character work throughout. It isn’t quite as absent from his Doctor Who stuff as people say IMO, but it’s still doesn’t hit the levels of humanity that Broadchurch did so effortlessly.

no you’re right that makes so much sense. it’s so disheartening though. because every time I go ‘oh oh new guy who could show run dw maybe ??‘ it’s always rusty and steven the fanboy brothers 😔

[mrsbsmooth]

Scripts - S7 - Episode 1 (Part 1 of 2)

Meet the girls, meet the boys (+ chat with Alex)

NARRATOR: Welcome back to a brand-spanking new season of Love Island! Well, actually we’re partway through and are about to go into Casa Amor!  But will I make <i>Amor</i> funny opening than this? I hope so, for your sakes. I’ve been stuck in this shed since last season and my chat’s a bit rusty.  But don’t worry, the Islanders’ chat is far better!  Let’s meet our stunning Casa Amor girls!

Your Jeep rolls down the stony drive and comes to a stop outside Casa Amor. Your heart races as you strut down the path to the entrance. You open the door to reveal the glamorous, modern villa and strut inside… You step out onto the lawn and spy a table decked out with champagne glasses. Three other Casa Amor girls squeal with excitement when they see you.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Ahh! It’s the final Casa Girl!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Hey, everyone!

SUMMER_HAPPY: Wow, I thought I’d be stealing the show.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: Looks like I’ll have some serious competition.

Summer looks stunned as she pours you a glass of bubbly.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Thanks!

SUMMER_HAPPY: Sorry, I haven’t even introduced myself, I’m Summer!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Hey, Summer.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Oh my days, you’re gorgeous!

She beams with joy, full of nervous energy.

BONNIE_EMBARRASSED: Did I just say that out loud?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Aha yes! But thank you.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Well it’s true! You’re a hottie! I’m Bonnie by the way.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Nice to meet you!

SUMMER_HAPPY: And this is Uma…

Uma steps forward to greet you with a striking confidence.

UMA_FLIRTY: Way to show us all up… We all knew the final girl would be a bombshell.

UMA_HAPPY: But I didn’t think you’d be this stunning.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Last, but certainly not least!

SUMMER_FLIRTY: So, what do we call you?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Oh, I’m {0}.

BONNIE_HAPPY: That's such a cool name! She’s got it all!

UMA_HAPPY: And who is {0}? What do you do?

Graphic designer

PLAYER_HAPPY: I work as a freelance graphic designer.I make logos and create brand identities for businesses. As well as working on my own stuff.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Wow! You must be quite the artist!

Semi-pro athlete

PLAYER_HAPPY: I actually do athletics!

SUMMER_HAPPY: Oh, what kind?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sprinting, hurdles, long jump. The whole lot really! I’m still semi-pro at the moment. But my goal is to go professional soon!

BONNIE_HAPPY: That’s so impressive!

Entrepreneur

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’m actually an entrepreneur. Working with businesses to build themselves up and grow.Start ups mostly. Making sure they’re utilising everything in their portfolios. As well as working on my own small business.

UMA_HAPPY: I love that hustle!

Junior Doctor

PLAYER_HAPPY: I actually recently graduated from medical school. Just starting out as a junior doctor.

BONNIE_IDLE: Wow congratulations, that must be hard work.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It is! Being a doctor is all I ever wanted to do.

Trainee Engineer

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’m actually training to be a civil engineer. It’s mostly helping with designs, writing up reports and assisting the lead engineers. But I’m hoping to be building bridges of my own one day.

BONNIE_HAPPY: That sounds so exciting!

UMA_FLIRTY: Well in the meantime you can build some bridges in here…

Conservationist

PLAYER_HAPPY: I actually work as a conservationist.

BONNIE_SURPRISED: No way!

UMA_HAPPY: Wow, what does that involve?

PLAYER_HAPPY: I mostly work with nature trusts around the U.K. Helping them maintain and preserve protected areas for wildlife.

In the middle of a gap year

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m kinda still figuring that out. Having a bit of a gap year.  I’ve been travelling and getting some life experience. Trying to decide what’s next for me.

PLAYER_HAPPY: If that's to study more or get into a job. I’m kinda still figuring that out.

BONNIE_HAPPY: I respect that. There’s no rush to find what you want to do! We’ve got our whole lives for that.

BONNIE_HAPPY: That’s such a coincidence!

BONNIE_HAPPY: I’m a campaigner for an animal rights charity! I’m obsessed with nature and wildlife. And doing everything we can to protect it.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Seems like we’ve got a lot in common.

BONNIE_HAPPY: What do you guys do?

SUMMER_HAPPY: It’s funny, I actually work with a lot of athletes.

PLAYER_IDLE: Oh, what do you do?

SUMMER_HAPPY: I’m a physical therapist. I do a lot of work with sports people, helping them recover from injuries.

SUMMER_IDLE: I’d say I’d love to work with you, {0}, but hopefully you never need to!

PLAYER_HAPPY: How about you, Uma?

UMA_HAPPY: It’s funny that you mention logos, {0}.

UMA_HAPPY: It’s funny that you’re an entrepreneur.

UMA_HAPPY: I’m a businesswoman myself!

UMA_IDLE: I run a hair accessory brand. We’re small at the moment but growing fast!

UMA_HAPPY: We were actually looking to rebrand soon. Something new and exciting.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Well you know where to find me.

UMA_FLIRTY: Exciting!

UMA_HAPPY: I’d love to learn more about what projects you’re working on sometime.

PLAYER_HAPPY: For sure!

UMA_HAPPY: Exciting!

SUMMER_HAPPY: Aww, you guys seem so cool! We’re gonna be besties I can already tell.

BONNIE_HAPPY: For sure. I guess this is all of us now. I still can’t believe we’re here!

SUMMER_HAPPY: Better believe it, we’re in <i>the</i> Casa Amor!

You look around the villa, soaking it all in, nervous excitement hangs in the air.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: Hope you girls are ready to turn some heads!

UMA_FLIRTY: We were just talking game plans for when the boys arrive.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: Yeah! What’s your game plan going to be, {0}?

I’m getting my flirt on!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh I’m definitely going to be grafting. If we’re getting back to the main villa…

We are gonna need to get our flirt on.

Gonna act casual

PLAYER_HAPPY: I think I’m just gonna play it cool. If I just be myself then I’ll vibe with the right guy. Plus that’ll let them do the grafting.

Mysterious is the way to go

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m going for the mysterious approach. Get them hooked and wanting to know more.No point giving everything away straight away.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Ooh, I like it!

SUMMER_HAPPY: I think I’m going to take it slow. Really get to know them before I commit.

UMA_IDLE: Really? I don’t know about you, but I plan to turn some heads.

BONNIE_IDLE: I don’t even know what they look like! Wanted it to be a surprise.

UMA_IDLE: Yeah I only watched bits.

UMA_HAPPY: I wanted to make my own impression when I met them!

SUMMER_FLIRTY: I wanted to come in fresh too. Make my own read on the boys.

I saw some beach hut updates

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I saw some beach hut updates. Quite intriguing.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Oh, so you’ve seen them already?

UMA_FLIRTY: Sounds like you’ve had a head start then, {0}.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It looks like it.

I wanted to come in fresh too

PLAYER_HAPPY: I wanted to come in fresh too and make my own mind up.

BONNIE_HAPPY: That’s the way.

I was away on holiday

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’ve been away on holiday recently so haven’t seen it at all. Seeing them will be a nice surprise.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: It sure will.

SUMMER_HAPPY: What do we think these boys are gonna be like then?

SUMMER_FLIRTY: I’ve always liked big hunks who can cook exquisite Italian food…

PLAYER_HAPPY: That’s pretty specific.

BONNIE_HAPPY: I just want someone who can make me laugh, a real comedian.

BONNIE_IDLE: And someone who is kind and puts other people first.

UMA_IDLE: I know what you mean. I want a proper gent.

UMA_FLIRTY: Someone who’s ambitious and knows what they want from life. So we can be the ultimate power couple.

UMA_HAPPY: Some rock hard abs wouldn’t hurt though.

BONNIE_HAPPY: What about you, {0}. Have you got a type on paper?

Boy next door

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m looking for those ‘boy next door’ vibes.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Someone who I can take home to the family and see a future with.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Proper boyfriend material?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Exactly!

Bubbly and energetic

PLAYER_HAPPY: I just want someone who’s bubbly and fun. A guy I can have great chat with, someone to match my energy.

BONNIE_HAPPY: I’m with {0} there. You’ve gotta be on the same wavelength for sure.

Mysterious and chill

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I like someone mysterious… sexy.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I enjoy finding out more about them slowly. Chipping away.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Makes things more interesting.

UMA_FLIRTY: I totally agree.

Romantic and sweet

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I want a hopeless romantic.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Someone thoughtful who likes to surprise me.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Yes! Need a man who is gonna treat you right!

BONNIE_HAPPY: I suppose we’ll wait and see who walks through those doors.

SUMMER_HAPPY: I wonder what’s been happening in the villa so far?

BONNIE_HAPPY: We’ll find out soon enough!

BONNIE_EMBARRASSED: I’m so nervous, I’ve never done anything like this before.

BONNIE_HAPPY: But life’s all about new experiences!

UMA_HAPPY: Exactly, you could have love at first sight. Who knows what will happen?

SUMMER_HAPPY: We’re gonna hang out with a load of hot boys, that’s what!

BONNIE_HAPPY: And beautiful girls too it seems!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Are you into girls as well as boys?

BONNIE_HAPPY: Oh yeah, for sure. Whoever lights my fire!  Are you into girls too, {0}?

Yeah, I’m into girls and boys

PLAYER_HAPPY: Yeah! I’m into girls and boys.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Good to know… Can’t wait to get to know you better.

I’m not into girls

PLAYER_HAPPY: Nah, I’m just into boys.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Fair enough. Well I can’t wait to get to know you girls anyway.

Suddenly, your phone pings.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Our first Love Island text! This is it, our summer begins now.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s mine!

LITEXT: Girls, the boys are on their way from the main villa. Please get ready to meet them. {0}FirstImpressions {1}GameOn

BONNIE_HAPPY: Ahh! Here we go!!!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Let’s do this.

You all hurry into the villa to prepare for the boys’ arrival.

The girls rush into the dressing room to touch up their hair and make up.

SUMMER_HAPPY: It’s all happening, ladies. Our men are on the way!

BONNIE_HAPPY: They’re not ours yet. They’re still coupled up, remember.

UMA_FLIRTY: Not for long…

UMA_HAPPY: If we’re gonna turn some heads we need to knock their socks off.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Gonna be hard catching their eyes while standing next to {0}. But I’ll try my best to match her glam…

SUMMER_FLIRTY: I’m not worried.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Really? I feel like I need some flirt practice. I might be rusty.

PLAYER_IDLE: When was your last relationship?

BONNIE_EMBARRASSED: Oh, me and my ex split about 8 months ago.

BONNIE_IDLE: But we were together for a year.

BONNIE_HAPPY: There’s no hard feelings between us though. I’ve been a bit slow getting back into the dating game. Guess that’s why I’m here.

SUMMER_HAPPY: I definitely couldn’t wait 8 months to get out there! Gotta live your life! Just hit up some raves and see who you meet. And then if they end up being boring then it’s byyyyeee.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: No point waiting around for what you want. Gotta go out and get it!

UMA_IDLE: At a rave though? No way, that’s not my vibe.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What’s your vibe then, Uma?

UMA_HAPPY: I wanna be wined and dined! Fine-dined that is…

BONNIE_HAPPY: Yes!

UMA_HAPPY: You can tell a lot about a guy by how much effort he puts into the first date.

UMA_HAPPY: My ex was obsessed with food, he’d take me to some of the best restaurants.

BONNIE_HAPPY: He sounds like a keeper. What happened?

UMA_HAPPY: Let’s just say his arse got dumped! I’m after the real deal now. No more lads.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: How about you, {0}? What’s your dating history like?

Fresh out of a long-term relationship

PLAYER_IDLE: I actually just got out of a long-term thing.

PLAYER_HAPPY: But I feel like I’m ready to find someone new!

BONNIE_HAPPY: I’m right here with you!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Time to get back out there.

I’ve had a few situationships

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’ve had a few situationships.

PLAYER_HAPPY: But nothing super serious.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Yeah, who needs serious!

PLAYER_HAPPY: But I think I’m ready for the real thing.

I’ve just been having fun till now

PLAYER_HAPPY: To be honest I haven’t really had any serious relationships.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’m not necessarily looking for the love of my life. I’m just trying to have some fun.

SUMMER_HAPPY: A girl after my own heart.

BONNIE_HAPPY: It is <i>Love</i> Island after all!

UMA_FLIRTY: And there are boys for the taking!

SUMMER_HAPPY: Speaking of which, they’re probably nearly here! We need to get ready!

BONNIE_HAPPY: I mean, {0} is already looking 10 out of 10.

Looking in the mirror, you’re looking out of this world in your outfit. With the boys nearly here, you wonder whether you want to make any final touches.

UMA_HAPPY: I thought you couldn’t improve on perfection!

UMA_FLIRTY: Summer’s right, first impressions are everything. Everyone knows that Casa girls have the toughest challenge.

UMA_HAPPY: We have to make them forget they ever had partners.

BONNIE_HAPPY: What you thinking, {0}?

PLAYER_IDLE: I think this works.

SUMMER_SURPRISED: Are you sure?

UMA_HAPPY: We’ve only got a few days to get back to the main villa. Wanna start it off with a bang!

Ok, I’ll take another look

I’m fine

PLAYER_HAPPY: This will definitely turn their heads.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Oh my days, give us a chance, {0}!

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Stunning!

UMA_HAPPY: They won’t know what hit ‘em.

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m feeling more comfortable in this outfit.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Whatever makes you feel comfortable!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Well, I think we are looking gooooorgeous!

UMA_HAPPY: Look out boys, here we come.

SUMMER_EMBARRASSED: Hey, I actually thought of something.

SUMMER_IDLE: What if we all take it slow today?

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

SUMMER_IDLE: We could stick together and let the boys do the work?

SUMMER_IDLE: We all want to make sure we find the right boy…

SUMMER_IDLE: And get back to the villa together. There’s no point rushing.

BONNIE_IDLE: I thought you just said you don’t wait for boys?

SUMMER_HAPPY: I know but I’m here to do things differently! I wanna try the slow burn.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Well I’m a slow burn kinda girl anyway, so fine by me!

UMA_FLIRTY: Erm, not gonna lie I’m not about the slow burn.

UMA_FLIRTY: You guys can do what you like, but I’m jumping in head first.

SUMMER_HAPPY: What do you say, {0}?

SUMMER_IDLE: I know you said you were going to get your flirt on but…

SUMMER_HAPPY: You did say you were gonna play it casual…

SUMMER_HAPPY: You did say you wanted to play it mysterious…

SUMMER_IDLE: Shall we all take it slow together?

Let’s take it slow

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sure thing, Summer.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Let’s take things slow. We don’t want to rush things and get it wrong.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Yes! I knew you would get it.

No way, I’m going for it

PLAYER_IDLE: Nah, I’m gonna do my own thing.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I want to be free to get to know the boys.

SUMMER_SERIOUS: Ergh really, I thought you would get it?

SUMMER_SERIOUS: Oh well. Just me and Bonnie then.

Suddenly you hear the doors of the villa open.

The sound of excited chatter echoes from downstairs.

UMA_HAPPY: The boys are here!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Let’s get out there, girls!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Good luck everyone!

Summer rushes out of the door and downstairs.

BONNIE_EMBARRASSED: So much for taking things slow…

You and the other girls hurry out behind her to meet the boys.

You spot Summer already flirting with two of the boys and sashay over to meet them.

PLAYER_IDLE: Having fun there, Summer?

SUMMER_HAPPY: Oh, hey guys! Have you met Alex and Joyo yet?

UMA_IDLE: Obviously not.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Hey! It’s great to meet you all.

JOYO_FLIRTY: You’re all looking stunning.

JOYO_FLIRTY: I can already tell this is going to be interesting.

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Yeah, today’s been wild already.

ALEX_FLIRTY: What do we call you girls?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m {0}. This is Bonnie and Uma.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Nice to meet you, boys.

UMA_FLIRTY: I hope you’re ready to forget all about the main villa…

JOYO_FLIRTY: I think we’re in trouble here, Alex.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Yeah, you all seem lovely.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Your outfit is amazing, {0}.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Going to be hard to keep my eyes off you.

JOYO_FLIRTY: You’ve got a great look for sure.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Thanks!

UMA_FLIRTY: Is it just you two then?

JOYO_FLIRTY: Bored of us already?

UMA_FLIRTY: Just want to weigh up all my options.

JOYO_HAPPY: They’re exploring inside, but we’re all you need right here, right?

The villa doors swing open and out burst two more boys.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Well hello, hello!

BRYSON_HAPPY: There you all are! We were wondering where the ladies were at.

ALEX_HAPPY: Speak of the devils…

SUMMER_FLIRTY: And I thought the boys couldn’t get any hotter!

BRYSON_HAPPY: How wrong you were!

BRYSON_FLIRTY: Hey, girls! I’m Bryson.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I’m Rafael, it’s a pleasure to meet you!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: This villa is almost as gorgeous as you all.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Cute, where have you two been hiding?

BRYSON_HAPPY: We just had a cheeky little tour. This place is sick!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: We may have gotten a little lost.

ALEX_HAPPY: Lost? You guys are useless.

BRYSON_HAPPY: We wanted to find you girls first, but we’ve been beaten to it.

You catch Bryson’s eye and his face lights up.

BRYSON_FLIRTY: Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s {0}.

BRYSON_HAPPY: I won’t be forgetting that in a hurry.

JOYO_IDLE: You’d forget your own name if it wasn’t written on your clothes, Bryson.

BRYSON_SERIOUS: At least I know how to dress myself, Joyo.

There is a moment of awkward silence, before the boys burst out laughing.

JOYO_HAPPY: I don’t even have an answer for that one.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: So boys, who’s closed off and who’s not?

BRYSON_SURPRISED: Straight on it, love to see it.

BONNIE_HAPPY: And this is her taking it slow.

The boys all look at each other, seeming unsure what to say.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Cat got your tongue, boys?

RAFAEL_IDLE: I guess I’m the only one that’s kind of closed off.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Kind of? You don’t sound too certain.

A phone pings.

ALEX_FLIRTY: That’s mine!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Ooh read it out!

LITEXT: Islanders, it’s time for an ice-breaker, please make your way to the firepit for a game of Sexy Charades! {0}MimeTime {1}LimberUp

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Sexy charades! Yes!

BRYSON_HAPPY: This will be fun. Let’s go!

You all rush off towards the firepit.

Everyone takes a seat around the firepit where a stack of cards sits.

Your phone pings.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Another text! It’s mine.

LITEXT: Islanders, please take it in turns to pick a card and act out the action with the Islander you think is the hottest. {0}, you’re up first. {1}PartyStarter {2}LetsGo

BONNIE_HAPPY: Ahhh, I’m so excited!

Bonnie leans over and whispers in your ear.

BONNIE_HAPPY: This is our chance to show these boys what we’re made of.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Better put on a good show if we’re gonna make it back to the villa.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Can’t wait to see what tricks you’ve gotten hidden up your sleeve.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Well, {0}. What are you waiting for?

UMA_FLIRTY: Yeah, which boy do you think is the hottest?

Alex

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I think it’s going to have to be Alex.

ALEX_HAPPY: Wooo!

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: I mean, I’m flattered!

Alex stands and joins you over by the cards.

Rafael

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It’s going to have to be Rafael.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Wow, really?!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I’m honoured!

Rafael stands and joins you over by the cards.

Bryson

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It’s going to have to be Bryson.

BRYSON_HAPPY: YES!

BRYSON_IDLE: I mean, totally. I saw that coming.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Wasn’t surprised at all.

Bryson stands and joins you over by the cards.

Joyo

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I think it has to be Joyo.

JOYO_FLIRTY: I knew you’d have great taste.

Joyo stands and joins you over by the cards.

The other boys seem disappointed as you reach for the first card.

It reads Cowgirl.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Ok, let’s go!

You grab {0} by the hand and drag him in front of everyone.

{0}_FLIRTY: What should we do?

Ride on his back!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Quick, get on your hands and knees!

{0}_FLIRTY: Yes, maam!

He drops down on his hands and knees and you hop onto his back.

He crawls around while you swing your arms, riding him like a pony.

Do the proper position

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Seems like you better lie down on your back!

{0}_FLIRTY: You’re the boss!

He lies down on his back and you hop on top of him.

You sit on his lap and swing your arms around like you’re riding a horse.

Let him ride you!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’ll be the pony and you can ride me!

{0}_FLIRTY: But that’s not the position?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Just do it!

{0}_HAPPY: You’re the boss!

You get down on your hands and knees and {0} sits on your back, riding you like a cowboy.

UMA_IDLE: Hmmm.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Erm, cowboy?

BONNIE_HAPPY: Horsey?

SUMMER_HAPPY: Riding?

BONNIE_HAPPY: Cowgirl! It has to be!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Yes!

{0}_HAPPY: You smashed it, {1}!

You both get up and take your seats.

It’s Alex’s turn next. He looks around, choosing who to pick.

Summer scooches towards him.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: So, who's it gonna be?

ALEX_HAPPY: I think it has to be {0}.

SUMMER_SURPRISED: Again?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Me?

ALEX_HAPPY: What do you say? Wanna pick a card with me, {0}?

Let’s do it!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Yes, please.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I was hoping you would!

Alex takes you by the hand and you rush over to the card.

He reveals the prompt, Spooning!

He leans in and whispers in your ear.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Wanna be big spoon or little spoon?

Big spoon!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh big spoon for sure!

You both get down on the ground and you tuck yourself behind Alex in a cute cuddle.

Little spoon!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Little spoon definitely!

You both get down on the floor and he scooches in behind, enveloping you with his muscular arms.

SUMMER_HAPPY: It’s spooning!

No thanks

PLAYER_IDLE: I’d rather not if that’s ok?

ALEX_HAPPY: Oh yeah, of course! Who wants to join me then?

Summer and Bonnie’s hands shoot up.

BONNIE_HAPPY: I will!

ALEX_HAPPY: Let’s do it!

Alex draws the card. Then the two of them jump to the floor.

Alex scooches up behind Bonnie and cuddles here, keeping a respectable distance between them.

ALEX_HAPPY: Quick, guess!

Snuggle!

PLAYER_HAPPY: They’re snuggling, it’s got to be!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Nope, not yet anyway!

SUMMER_HAPPY: It’s spooning, obviously!

Spooning!

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s got to be spooning!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Yes!

Sleeping!

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s sleeping! They’re sleeping together!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Nope! Not yet anyways!

SUMMER_HAPPY: It’s spooning, obviously!

ALEX_HAPPY: Yep, you got it!

SUMMER_IDLE: That was too easy.

SUMMER_EMBARRASSED: Someone gonna pick me now?

UMA_FLIRTY: Don’t worry, Summer. There’s no <i>rush</i>.

Summer looks a little embarrassed as another text comes in.

JOYO_HAPPY: I’m up! How about you, Uma? Wanna have a go with me?

UMA_FLIRTY: You read my mind.

PLAYER_IDLE: Oh…

JOYO_HAPPY: Just want to make sure everyone gets a go!

SUMMER_SERIOUS: This is ridiculous.

Joyo and Uma rush over to the cards. They pull one.

Uma pulls Joyo to her and then spins her body around. She presses her body playfully back against him as she bends forward.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Well this looks familiar.

SUMMER_SERIOUS: I wanted this one!

The Wheelbarrow!

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s the wheelbarrow!

UMA_HAPPY: What’s the wheelbarrow?

JOYO_FLIRTY: I know what it is, but it ain’t this.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: I know doggy style when I see it!

UMA_HAPPY: Yes!

Doggy style!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: That has to be doggy style!

UMA_HAPPY: Well observed!

JOYO_HAPPY: A personal fave.

The shopping cart!

PLAYER_HAPPY: The shopping cart?

UMA_SURPRISED: The what? I’m not a shopping cart!

JOYO_HAPPY: Isn’t that a dance move?

BONNIE_FLIRTY: I know doggy style when I see it!

UMA_HAPPY: Yes!

Joyo and Uma rush back to their places.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Finally! My turn!

SUMMER_FLIRTY: You look like you know what’s good for you, Bryson.

Bryson stands and heads straight for you.

SUMMER_SERIOUS: Oh come on.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Fancy another go, {0}?

For sure!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Yes please!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Let’s gooo!

You and Bryson hurry over to the cards.

BRYSON_FLIRTY: Will you do the honours?

You pull a card, it says Turn Me On

BRYSON_HAPPY: What do we do?

PLAYER_HAPPY: What turns you on?

BRYSON_HAPPY: Neck kisses?

Kiss Bryson’s neck

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You got it.

You come in close to Bryson and gently kiss his neck.

He starts acting turned on, until you realise he isn’t acting.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Neck kisses!

ALEX_HAPPY: Making out?

JOYO_HAPPY: Turning him on?

BRYSON_HAPPY: Yes!

Let Bryson kiss your neck

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Well go on then…

You turn your head to reveal your neck.

Bryson comes closer and gently plants kisses up your neck.

You act turned on to the crowd.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Neck kisses!

ALEX_HAPPY: Making out?

JOYO_HAPPY: Turning him on?

BRYSON_HAPPY: Yes!

Pretend to be a lightswitch

PLAYER_IDLE: Not doing that! I know, I’ll be a light switch!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Yes!

You stand still and form a switch by sticking out your arm.

Bryson pushes your arm up and flicks the switch.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Switch?

SUMMER_HAPPY: Lamp?

JOYO_FLIRTY: Turn me on!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Hold on, Joyo, it’s my turn!

BRYSON_HAPPY: I’m kidding, that’s right!

You and Bryson head back to your seats.

I’m ok, thanks

PLAYER_HAPPY: I don't think so.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Oooh ok. Summer, let’s go!

SUMMER_HAPPY: I’m gonna pretend I wasn’t second choice there!

They grab a card, and whisper for a moment. Summer starts kissing Bryson’s neck.

Love bites!

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s love bites!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Nope, she’s being quite gentle actually.

UMA_FLIRTY: It’s a turn on!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Sure is!

UMA_HAPPY: I knew it!

Rushing things!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Looks like rushing into things to me.

Summer rolls her eyes, pretending not to hear and then continues.

UMA_FLIRTY: It’s a turn on!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Sure is!

UMA_HAPPY: I knew it!

Turning him on!

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s a turn on!

BRYSON_HAPPY: Sure is!

PLAYER_HAPPY: I knew it!

Summer and Bryson rush back to their places.

Uma’s phone pings and she heads straight for Alex!

UMA_FLIRTY: Come here you!

ALEX_HAPPY: Okie dokie!

They bolt to the cards and pull one out.

Uma jumps to the floor and lies on her back.

UMA_HAPPY: Don’t be scared! I don’t bite!

Alex looks a little shy and he lies down on top of her.

JOYO_HAPPY: Just sex?

BRYSON_IDLE: Good one…

Planking!

PLAYER_HAPPY: He’s planking on her!

ALEX_HAPPY: Rude!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I think he’s trying to do missionary?

ALEX_HAPPY: Thanks a lot, guys! Like that weren’t embarrassing already!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Only messing with ya, great form mate!

Missionary!

PLAYER_HAPPY: That’s missionary for sure!

ALEX_HAPPY: Yes! Glad I did something right!

UMA_FLIRTY: You did a lot right.

Wrestling!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Are you wrestling her?

ALEX_HAPPY: Wrestling her? No!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I believe it’s called missionary.

ALEX_HAPPY: Thank you!

Alex and Uma take their seats hurriedly.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: My time to shine!

Rafael hurries over to Bonnie and offers his hand.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Bonnie, will you do me the honour?

BONNIE_HAPPY: Sure!

PLAYER_IDLE: Oh…

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Just wanna make sure everyone goes!

Rafael and Bonnie pull their card.

She whispers in his ear and then plants a peck on his cheek.

JOYO_HAPPY: A peck!

SUMMER_HAPPY: A kiss!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Yes!

RAFAEL_FLIRTY: Easy peasy.

Before Bonnie can sit back down her phone pings!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Oh, my turn again!

She looks around at everyone.

Then her gaze lands on you.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Care to join me, {0}?

Yas!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Yes!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Yay! Come on then!

Not really

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m ok, thanks.

BONNIE_SAD: Oh, no problem.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Well then how about you, Bryson?

BRYSON_HAPPY: Sure, let’s do it!

BONNIE_HAPPY: How about you, Bryson?

BRYSON_HAPPY: Yes! Let’s do it!

You and Bonnie rush over to the cards and pull one out.

It says Cuddle

BONNIE_HAPPY: What should we do??

Jump into her arms

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’ve got an idea.

You take a step back, then leap into Bonnie’s arms.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Ahhh!

She catches you just in time.

Everyone claps and applauds.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Aren’t you full of surprises!

Have a tender embrace

PLAYER_FLIRTY: How about this?

You step towards Bonnie and pull her in close to you.

You gently place her head on your shoulder and relax into one another.

Holding each other tight in a comforting embrace.

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Aww, this is actually really nice.

BONNIE_HAPPY: You give great cuddles, {0}.

Snuggle on the floor

PLAYER_HAPPY: Quick! On the floor!

Bonnie lays down on her back and you hop on top of her.

Wrapping your arms around each other, you roll around in a chaotic cuddle.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Ahh! You’re wild {0}!

BRYSON_HAPPY: A hug!

SUMMER_HAPPY: A snuggle?!

RAFAEL_HAPPY: A cuddle! Obviously!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Yes!

Bonnie smiles, a sparkle in her eye. Before you make your way back to your seats.

Bonnie and Bryson grab their card.

Before you know it Bonnie takes a run up and jumps into Bryson’s arms.

They lock their arms around each other and spin around in a playful embrace.

UMA_FLIRTY: Dancing?

JOYO_HAPPY: Hugging?

RAFAEL_HAPPY: It’s a cuddle!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Yes!

Bonnie and Bryson high five as they take their seats.

UMA_FLIRTY: Is that it then? Game over?

JOYO_HAPPY: Looks like there is one more card?

UMA_FLIRTY: {0}! Why don’t you take it! Bet it’s the juiciest!

UMA_FLIRTY: Might even be a chance for a little smooch.

*Yes, I’m doing it!

PLAYER_HAPPY: That card’s mine!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Wooo! Go {0}!

UMA_FLIRTY: This one is gonna be good, I can tell.

Nah, I’m done

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m fine, thanks.

BONNIE_SURPRISED: Really? But who knows what it will be?

UMA_FLIRTY: Might be a chance to get to know the boys <i>properly</i>.

SUMMER_HAPPY: If you don’t take it I will!

*Alright, I’ll do it!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Ok, I’m doing it!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Yaaas! Go, {0}!

I don’t want to

PLAYER_IDLE: No thanks. I don’t want to.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Great! Then it’s all mine!

You pick out a card, it says Snogging. Uma glances over your shoulder at it and whispers to you.

UMA_FLIRTY: Juicy. Sounds like Rafael’s kind of closed off. For now.

UMA_FLIRTY: Sure we can turn his head though in time.

UMA_FLIRTY: So, who are you gonna pick?

Bryson

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m choosing Bryson.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Well aren’t I a lucky boy!

BRYSON_HAPPY: We’re gonna smash this!

Joyo

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m choosing Joyo.

JOYO_FLIRTY: I hoped you would.

JOYO_FLIRTY: I guess I got lucky.

Alex

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m choosing Alex.

ALEX_HAPPY: Lucky me!

ALEX_HAPPY: I’ll do my best!

Bonnie

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m choosing Bonnie.

BONNIE_HAPPY: Me? Wow, it’s my lucky day!

You take {0}’s hand and show the card, both of your eyes lighting up.

{0}_FLIRTY: I guess there’s only one thing to do?

Sexy snog!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Pucker up!

You pull {0} close to you.

You feel their hands on your waist as you close your eyes and lean in.

{0}’s soft lips meet yours in a passionate snog.

You feel them breathe deeply, goosebumps forming on your skin.

{0} pulls you in closer in a tight embrace.

Then you pull apart and stare into each other’s eyes.

UMA_FLIRTY: Wooo! Now that’s a snog!

{0}_HAPPY: Yes it was! I’m very impressed.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Good to know you enjoyed it.

{0}_HAPPY: I think that’s understating it, {1}.

{0}_FLIRTY: You’re a great kisser.

{0}_FLIRTY: That kiss is definitely up there.

{0} looks deep into your eyes, a palpable excitement hangs between you.

You get a sense that you’ve certainly caught their attention.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m hoping there’ll be more kisses like that.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Interesting.

UMA_FLIRTY: Looks like sparks are flying already!

SUMMER_SERIOUS: Can’t deny that looked like a hot kiss.

Mime snogging

PLAYER_HAPPY: Let’s just mime it for now.

{0}_HAPPY: Sure thing!

You turn your back to the others and pretend to snog each other.

SUMMER_HAPPY: Kissing?

UMA_HAPPY: Making out?

SUMMER_HAPPY: Oh wait, snogging!

{0}_HAPPY: Yes! Kind of.

You hear one final ping.

Joyo checks his phone.

SUMMER_IDLE: What now?

JOYO_HAPPY: Says the game is over!

SUMMER_SERIOUS: Oh what? That’s not fair!

UMA_HAPPY: That’s it then!

SUMMER_FLIRTY: I defo would’ve picked you, Joyo.

BRYSON_SURPRISED: Why Joyo??

JOYO_FLIRTY: If you have to ask then that says it all.

BRYSON_SERIOUS: I wasn’t asking you.

JOYO_FLIRTY: Maybe if you worked on your moves a bit.

ALEX_HAPPY: Come on, lads, let’s leave the girls to chat for a bit, yeah?

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Yeah, I’m sure they’ve got lots to discuss.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Sure, see you later, ladies.

JOYO_FLIRTY: Later, girls!

As the boys walk away you can hear Bryson and Joyo bickering.

JOYO_EMBARRASSED: Why the long face man?

BRYSON_SERIOUS: As if you need to ask that after earlier.

UMA_HAPPY: That was a lot of fun!

BONNIE_HAPPY: Right! These boys are such a laugh.

SUMMER_FLIRTY: Not to mention hot!

BONNIE_FLIRTY: Yeah, what happened to going slow, Summer?

SUMMER_IDLE: I don’t know what you mean?

BONNIE_FLIRTY: By the time we got out there you nearly had a ring on your finger!

SUMMER_HAPPY: I just got a bit excited, that's all!

SUMMER_HAPPY: I’m not committing to anyone! The deal’s still on. No rushing!

UMA_FLIRTY: Well, I’m going to go chat to them and see who they really are.

Uma leans into your ear.

UMA_HAPPY: If I were you, I'd get my grafting boots on too.

UMA_HAPPY: And get to know all the boys as much as you can.

UMA_FLIRTY: You only get one chance to make a first impression.

*I’ll have longer chats with all the boys

I’ll see how it goes

PLAYER_IDLE: I think I’ll just play it by ear. See how they go.

UMA_IDLE: I don’t know. Things move fast in Casa Amor.

UMA_FLIRTY: I’d get to know them all as much as possible.

UMA_SERIOUS: It could help you work out who to focus on.

UMA_FLIRTY: And it might help turn their head your way.

*I’ll have longer chats with all the boys

I’ll play it by ear

PLAYER_IDLE: I’ll just see what happens.

UMA_IDLE: Fair enough.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’re right, I should make the most of these chats.

UMA_FLIRTY: Absolutely. You only get one chance at a first impression.

UMA_FLIRTY: And things move fast in Casa Amor.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Catch you later!

&roofterrace: Alex

You burst through the doors, surprising Alex as he takes in the views.

ALEX_SURPRISED: {0}! You caught me by surprise then.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Didn’t mean to scare you.

ALEX_HAPPY: Oh no, nothing scary about it! A very nice surprise.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Come sit with me.

You sit yourself down next to Alex.

ALEX_HAPPY: You caught me getting a cheeky bird’s-eye view of the Casa.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Getting the lay of the land?

ALEX_HAPPY: Exactly, just taking it all in. The villa’s been such a whirlwind.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Being here feels refreshing.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Like a fresh start?

ALEX_FLIRTY: Yeah, maybe.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I’ve certainly found a lot to admire so far.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh really? What have you been admiring so far?

ALEX_HAPPY: Well, the cupboards in the kitchen have been fitted immaculately…

ALEX_HAPPY: And don’t get me started on the living room.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sorry, what are you on about?

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m a carpenter by trade.

ALEX_HAPPY: Gotta admire good craftsmanship when you see it.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Oh, I thought you might have been admiring us Casa girls…

ALEX_FLIRTY: I was… I’m just messing with you.

ALEX_FLIRTY: You’re all stunning. It’s true what they say.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What do they say?

ALEX_FLIRTY: Casa Amor really is the ultimate test. I can already see this won’t be easy!

ALEX_HAPPY: But I’ve gotta admit. I’m glad it was you that came and found me.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh really?

ALEX_FLIRTY: I’ve been looking forward to getting to know you.

Flirt it up

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Me too. I’ve been looking forward to getting you to myself.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Well, I’m all yours.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: All mine already? That was easy.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Just a few minutes with me and you forget all about the other villa?

ALEX_FLIRTY: Ha, you clearly have that effect on me.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You haven’t seen anything yet.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I can’t wait to see what you have in store…

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I want to see what you’re about first.

Act cool

PLAYER_HAPPY: I can’t blame you, I’m pretty cool.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Most people wanna know me. I’m kinda a big deal.

ALEX_HAPPY: I can tell… and humble too.

Alex shoots you a jokey wink.

ALEX_HAPPY: Well, I’m honoured to be in your presence.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Good, you should be!

PLAYER_HAPPY: So, who is Alex?

Be mysterious

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m more interested in getting to know Alex.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: The less you know about me the better…

ALEX_FLIRTY: Ooh, very intriguing. I love a bit of mystery.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Go on then, I’m an open book.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’re a carpenter?

ALEX_HAPPY: That’s right and I know what you’re thinking.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What am I thinking?

ALEX_FLIRTY: It does make me good with my hands.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Very presumptive but good to know. What sort of stuff do you make then?

ALEX_HAPPY: Oh anything I put my mind to really.

ALEX_HAPPY: I built a lot of my house actually, back in Warrington.

ALEX_IDLE: Bought a sad old fixer upper and have been refurbing it back to its former glory.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Some kind of lad pad I’m guessing?

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: More like country manor…

ALEX_HAPPY: It was basically a ruin so I got it real cheap.

ALEX_HAPPY: It's always been my goal to build my dream home.

PLAYER_IDLE: And would you build a dream house for your dream girl?

ALEX_FLIRTY: I’d love to, what we talking? Humble cottage or grand castle?

Cottage

PLAYER_HAPPY: I wouldn’t mind a cute little cottage.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Tucked away all cosy in the countryside.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Now that I can do.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sounds like you’re a handy man to have around.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I like to make myself useful.

Castle

PLAYER_HAPPY: A castle sounds real nice.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’d expect nothing less.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Your wish is my command!

ALEX_HAPPY: Might take me a few years, mind.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I can wait.

Townhouse

PLAYER_IDLE: I’d prefer a townhouse?

ALEX_HAPPY: Ah city girl are we? That might be a tricky one.

ALEX_IDLE: I’m more of a fan of rustic buildings.

ALEX_FLIRTY: But just for you I could give it a go!

ALEX_HAPPY: I’ve got a treehouse in my garden in the meantime?

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You think I’m going to live in your treehouse?

ALEX_HAPPY: Trust me this isn’t any ordinary treehouse.

ALEX_HAPPY: Think of it more like a luxury tree top residence.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’m listening…

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Alright, I may have oversold it. It is dragon themed.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Interesting.

ALEX_HAPPY: I built it for my nephews! And kinda for me too.

ALEX_HAPPY: They always come over to mine.

ALEX_IDLE: I thought it would be nice for them to have somewhere to play.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Aww.

ALEX_HAPPY: I built this slide coming out of the dragon’s mouth.

ALEX_HAPPY: It leads into this ball pit I made. It’s got a roof so they can play in the rain.

ALEX_HAPPY: And I built this scaly tail out of old tires.

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Sorry, I always geek out over this stuff.

Tell him he’s cute

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s pretty cute hearing you talk about this.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s good to see your cute side already.

ALEX_HAPPY: Glad I haven’t icked you out already.

Tease him

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It certainly seems like you do.

PLAYER_IDLE: Do you normally rave about treehouses to girls you’ve just met?

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Sadly so. Probably why I’m still single.

ALEX_HAPPY: Anything to be the cool uncle.

ALEX_HAPPY: Which feels weird to say, I still feel like a kid.

ALEX_HAPPY: But seeing how much the kids love it always puts a smile on my face.

ALEX_HAPPY: Even if having a dragon treehouse isn’t exactly a winner with the ladies…

I love it!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I love the sound of that!

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s a winner with me.

ALEX_HAPPY: Really? I mean I secretly love it too.

ALEX_HAPPY: You can visit anytime.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s a date.

It’s not a vibe

PLAYER_IDLE: Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a vibe if I’m honest.

ALEX_IDLE: Yeah, exactly. The kids love it though.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Maybe when they grow up I’ll turn it into the luxury treetop residence.

PLAYER_HAPPY: That’s more like it.

Who cares about the ladies?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Who cares what the ladies think!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Being the cool uncle sounds way better anyway.

ALEX_HAPPY: It is pretty great. They’re funny kids.

PLAYER_HAPPY: So you’ve not been bringing many ladies to the dragon house then?

ALEX_HAPPY: Not exactly.

ALEX_IDLE: Though I’ve not brought anyone back to the casa del Alex lately.

PLAYER_IDLE: Oh? Have you been single for a while?

ALEX_IDLE: Not exactly single, but not exactly dating. I don’t know what you’d call it?

PLAYER_IDLE: I know what you mean, like situationships?

ALEX_HAPPY: Yeah! I’ve met some nice girls but it’s not gone the distance lately.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Has it ever gone the distance?

ALEX_HAPPY: Well clearly not too far otherwise I wouldn’t be here!

ALEX_HAPPY: But I’ve had a couple of long-term girlfriends in the past.

ALEX_HAPPY: But neither of them were the one.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’re ready for the one?

ALEX_HAPPY: More than ready! It’s the reason I’m here.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: And do you think you’ve found her yet? In the villa I mean.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I see you’re not shy asking the awkward questions.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Had to ask. Who are you coupled with in the villa?

ALEX_IDLE: I’m with Estelle.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Ah Estelle! The competition…

ALEX_HAPPY: Ha, not quite. She’s a lovely girl.

ALEX_HAPPY: We definitely clicked, on that first day there was chemistry.

ALEX_IDLE: But after a while it kind of fizzled out.

ALEX_IDLE: It felt like we wanted different things. I guess opposites attract…

ALEX_IDLE: But it doesn't mean it lasts.

ALEX_HAPPY: It’s pretty friend vibey with us.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You’re in a friend couple?

ALEX_IDLE: Not quite, but I think we’re both open to new people.

PLAYER_IDLE: So you’re open to having your head turned?

ALEX_FLIRTY: Seems to be spinning as we speak.

ALEX_FLIRTY: You’ve certainly taken be my surprise, {0}.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Though I think you’ve caught all the boys’ eyes.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You think?

ALEX_FLIRTY: Can’t say I blame them.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m sure they’ll be butting heads over you in no time.

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Wouldn’t be the first time in here.

PLAYER_IDLE: Yeah, I noticed a bit of tension between Bryson and Joyo.

ALEX_HAPPY: Ah yeah, they’re not exactly the best of friends at the moment.

ALEX_IDLE: But not my place to get into other people’s business. Or my style.

ALEX_HAPPY: Prefer to stay drama free.

ALEX_IDLE: I’m sure they’ll fill you in themselves though.

ALEX_HAPPY: If they haven’t already…

PLAYER_HAPPY: Looks like I’ve got some snooping to do then.

ALEX_HAPPY: If you’re not in a hurry to snoop we could chill here a little longer?

ALEX_HAPPY: You’ve got good chat. I’m up for getting to know you better for sure.

ALEX_HAPPY: Plus, I could fill you in on the other boys too if you’re interested?

*I’ll stay longer!

I’ll make tracks

PLAYER_IDLE: Nah, I’ve got other people to chat to.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I’m sure they could wait, if you wanted to talk a bit more.

ALEX_HAPPY: I can give you my first impressions of you girls…

*Ok, I’ll stay

No, really

PLAYER_IDLE: No, really. I wanna talk to the others.

ALEX_IDLE: Makes sense, {0}.

ALEX_HAPPY: We’ll catch up later.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Yeah, ok. I’ll stay and chill for a bit.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I was hoping you’d say that.

ALEX_HAPPY: I feel like I was ready to leave the main villa for a bit.

ALEX_IDLE: It’s really fun to come here and meet some great new girls.

ALEX_IDLE: No shade on the OG girls, they’re all cool in their own ways.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I’m just ready to explore a new connection.

PLAYER_IDLE: So what were your first impressions of the Casa Amor girls then?

ALEX_HAPPY: Uma’s great. She seems very sure of herself.

ALEX_HAPPY: I like her confidence!

ALEX_IDLE: I feel like people often jump to conclusions about confident people.

ALEX_IDLE: Thinking that they’re cocky.

ALEX_HAPPY: But Uma doesn’t seem it. She just seems to know her own mind.

You like confidence? You’ll love me

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You like confidence?

ALEX_FLIRTY: I do… It’s always been a trait I like in a girl.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’ll love me then.

ALEX_FLIRTY: I believe you, {0}.

ALEX_HAPPY: You seem sure of yourself. I like that.

Are you confident then?

PLAYER_IDLE: Are you confident then?

ALEX_HAPPY: Absolutely.

PLAYER_IDLE: But not cocky?

ALEX_IDLE: Never. My friends and family would never let that fly.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m a confident guy. Confident in what I do, who I am, how I dress.

ALEX_IDLE: But I’d like to think I never come across as arrogant.

PLAYER_IDLE: I’ll have to wait and see.

Uma’s not that confident

PLAYER_IDLE: Uma’s not that confident.

PLAYER_IDLE: You just met her, I don’t know how you can gauge all that.

ALEX_IDLE: That’s just the vibe she gave me.

ALEX_IDLE: I’m fully prepared to be wrong though.

PLAYER_IDLE: What about Bonnie and Summer?

ALEX_HAPPY: Bonnie seems like the kind of girl who could brighten up any situation.

ALEX_IDLE: She’s got that natural comfortability about her.

ALEX_HAPPY: She could slot into any friend group and be close to them in no time.

ALEX_HAPPY: An all-round lovely girl.

ALEX_HAPPY: Summer seems nice too.

ALEX_IDLE: Very flirty and competitive.

ALEX_IDLE: It’s hard to fully know what she’s about right now.

ALEX_IDLE: I’m sure there’s more to her.

PLAYER_IDLE: And what’s your first impressions of me?

ALEX_HAPPY: Very beautiful. Like, extremely beautiful.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Magnetic. I can feel myself being pulled towards you.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Charming…

ALEX_FLIRTY: Very cool…

ALEX_FLIRTY: Mysterious…

ALEX_HAPPY: And you love treehouses too, which is a bonus.

ALEX_HAPPY: In short, you’re intriguing for sure.

I’m the most intriguing girl

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m the most interesting girl, I know that.

ALEX_IDLE: Bold statement there, {0}!

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m a bold girl.

ALEX_IDLE: I wouldn’t want to put any of the other girls down.

ALEX_HAPPY: But you do have something about you for sure.

ALEX_IDLE: You seem like the most so far.

Aww, thanks Alex

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Aww, thanks Alex.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It feels good to hear you say those things.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Does it?

ALEX_HAPPY: I think that’s a good sign then, {0}.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Maybe you’re right.

Is that all you can say?

PLAYER_IDLE: Is that all you have to say?

ALEX_IDLE: Well, I’ve only just met you, {0}.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m sure there’s way more I have yet to discover.

ALEX_HAPPY: I think you’re going to be popular with all the boys.

PLAYER_IDLE: You think?

ALEX_HAPPY: Definitely. I know them all pretty well by now.

PLAYER_IDLE: Give me a bit of an insight then?

ALEX_HAPPY: Into the boys?

ALEX_HAPPY: Well Joyo, he’ll pretend that nothing fazes him.

ALEX_IDLE: Don’t get me wrong, he is a cool guy.

ALEX_HAPPY: But the right kind of girl could rattle him.

ALEX_IDLE: I think he’s got more levels to him than he gives off sometimes.

ALEX_HAPPY: Bryson… He’s a lot. He makes me laugh, constantly.

ALEX_HAPPY: He brings the good vibes to any situation.

ALEX_IDLE: He can be a bit immature though, but he’s very switched on.

ALEX_IDLE: I think underneath the bundle of charisma, he’s a smart lad.

PLAYER_HAPPY: And Rafael?

ALEX_HAPPY: Raf, Raffie, my brother.

ALEX_HAPPY: You know when you just know you’re gonna be mates with someone for life?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Aww. Bromance?

ALEX_HAPPY: Yeah, he’s become like my little brother in here.

ALEX_IDLE: I feel the instinct to look out for him.

ALEX_HAPPY: Plus, I know my nephews are gonna love him.

ALEX_HAPPY: We’ve been pretty inseparable since the day we met.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m happy to make it to Casa Amor with him.

ALEX_IDLE: Now we both need to figure out what we want from here…

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m curious to know that too.

ALEX_IDLE: I’ll be straight with you, {0}.

ALEX_HAPPY: I want to give everyone a chance. I’m here to find my person.

ALEX_IDLE: And I never want to settle. I want to find <i>the one</i>.

ALEX_HAPPY: And who knows how that’s going to pan out.

ALEX_FLIRTY: But you’ve defo caught my eye.

ALEX_IDLE: But I will let you know that I move slower than some of the other boys.

I move slow too

PLAYER_HAPPY: That’s cool with me, I move slow too.

PLAYER_IDLE: I like to really get to know people.

ALEX_HAPPY: Exactly! Things are a bit different here than in the outside world.

ALEX_IDLE: But that doesn’t mean anybody has to rush into anything.

ALEX_HAPPY: Then again, who knows. Maybe I’m looking for a girl to surprise me.

What a shame, I move fast

PLAYER_IDLE: Ooops, that’s a shame. I’m sorta in the move fast camp.

ALEX_IDLE: Well, that’s ok.

ALEX_IDLE: Who knows, maybe I’m just waiting for a girl to surprise me…

ALEX_IDLE: Yeah, Bryson and Joyo definitely seem to move a little faster.

ALEX_IDLE: I think they’ll want to explore things in Casa Amor.

ALEX_HAPPY: See if they’ve got a better connection with anybody.

PLAYER_IDLE: Oh really?

ALEX_IDLE: Yeah, but Rafael will be more cautious. He’s a bit tied to Daphne.

ALEX_HAPPY: I think he should explore his options though.

PLAYER_IDLE: That makes sense.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Speaking of the other boys…

ALEX_FLIRTY: I’ll let you mingle.

ALEX_HAPPY: It’s been fun chatting with you, {0}.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Bye, Alex.

You head off to chat to the others.

[cimeret]

So, I'm a die-hard Cyan fan. Myst has been very influential to me as a child and kinda defined my whole idea of what a good game should be able to achieve in terms of immersion and atmosphere. I've been hyped for Firmament ever since I heard Rand say the words "callbacks to Myst" and "steampunk magic vibe" and "cool machinery". But now that I've spent a sleepless weekend playing the game, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. Because the Cyan fan in me really, really wants to love this game and there's so much good stuff, but some of the decisions in gameplay and storytelling don't work for me and I just know Cyan can do better.

Spoilers for the game under the cut. Also, this post is going be image-heavy because, yeah, it's a Cyan game.

And first of all, YES, there's no absolutely doubt that this game was made by Cyan. Everything feels very Cyan. They just know how to build worlds. Beautiful abandoned places that fill you with a sense of melancholy and nostalgia and spark your imagination. Even on my old potato laptop with abysmal frame rates, I felt like I WAS in the world of Firmament. Sometimes I just stood there and looked around, enjoying the view. All buildings and machines are designed in Cyan's typical style between slightly fantastic and nitty-gritty steampunk realism, and fit seamlessly into the beautiful nature. For the architecture, this time they've opted for a heavily Art Decor inspired style. It makes everything seem very epic and grand, but also a bit austere, and goes very well with the many old and deserted factories we explore in the game. Where Obduction had worlds that felt like a small, close-knit community where people used literal junk to craft their homes and environments, in Firmament everything feels monumental and larger-than-life. The giant arches that span the skies of the worlds are visible from almost everywhere. You handle huge blocks of ice, dump tons of red acid into the sea (yuck), and raise large towers from the ground and open them. This feels like the stuff the D'ni might have constructed at the height of their power. And all of that fits right in with the theme and backstory of Firmament, that megalomaniac multi-generational plan to set off for a new world.

Much of what you would expect from a Cyan game is there. Three very different, atmospheric worlds + a smaller hub world. Epic maglev rides. Turn-on-the-power puzzles. A great visionary tale of hubris and enslavement. An underwater area that is the reincarnation of the selentic maze puzzle. Yeah, even the last one made me roll my eyes in fondness.

(The way the frozen waterfall reflects in the ice ... so gorgeous ...)

(You know it‘s a Cyan game if a puzzle looks like a something out of an amusement park)

(Look at the pretty! I was blown away by the beauty of the whole conservatory area. Just wanted to grab my things and move in.)

The great sound design also does so much to immerse you in the worlds. Headphones recommended! The crunching of ice, the singing of birds, the hissing when you open doors, the grinding of machine parts — I'm quite an auditory person and a big part of the charm of the Myst series for me were the very realistic noises when you turn rusty valves or some heavy door closes and locks behind you. The soundtrack itself left me a bit disappointed. It's mostly ambient and rather unobtrusive, creating a suitable atmosphere, but there were few pieces that stood out for me. One can certainly argue that this should be the point of an immersive soundtrack. Personally, I prefer Robyn Miller's haunting, simple melodies. Still, there were a few songs that I liked, such as Batteries Casting Shadows or Power Station.

(The most beautiful chill disco)

(Firmament also has its own "linking books". Never change, Cyan. <3)

The puzzles were integrated well into the environment. I found them all quite easy. For the most part, I figured out what I needed to do fairly quickly, and it was just a matter of getting it done.  A lot of the puzzles dealt with finding your way through an area and navigating the space, so they were puzzles that challenged spatial intelligence. And I love that kind of stuff so I was never really bored, but still a little more variety would have been nice. I would have liked to see some puzzles where you have to take notes or collect clues at different locations in the worlds.

The best puzzles were the ones where you had to learn how to first power and then operate huge machines that required multiple steps. Those kind of puzzles are a staple of Cyan games and always a lot of fun. My favorite puzzle in that regard was the sulfur processing factory. Just staring at the schematics of the huge mixer and the pipelines and figuring out what to do, then moving machinery parts and twiddling with them until it finally clicked — easily the best part of the gameplay for me. I just wish we could have had a bit more of this.

(That whole area gave me so many flashback to the original Myst .)

(YES just give me some huge, unnecessarily complicated, creaking machinery I can rotate and break!)

All the interaction happened via the adjunct only, so you just searched for sockets and operated them. In fact, everything was operated via the adjunct: doors, elevators, the maglevs, everything. And while handling the adjunct itself was very intuitive and the gameplay felt engaging and satisfactory, it did feel a bit monotonous in the long run. I miss my levers and buttons and valves. Interacting only via a blue glowing string that connects to the same socket model all the time made me feel very detached from the environment. As a direct consequence of the adjunct-focused gameplay, there were also no items outside of puzzles to interact with (aside from the few lore documents). No small, seemingly pointless toys that secretly taught you the mechanics of a larger puzzle. No drawers that you could pull open. I remember the creepy little projector in Achenar's room in Myst where a rose turned into a skull. All of this helped so much to make the worlds feel alive but there wasn't anything like this in Firmament. The decision for the adjunct was probably influenced a lot by the fact that the game is designed for VR, I get that. But when I look at the old kickstarter vids for Firmament where the little floating device is combined with "manual" actions like pulling a lever or pushing a button, I can't help but think the gameplay could have could have been more diverse and still applicable for VR.

(I loved taking a bath in sulfuric acid. But even the suit mechanic was getting a bit repetitive by the second time ...)

Speaking of worlds that feel alive ... here, too, I would have liked to see a bit more scenic storytelling to support the plot, which is largely carried by the monologues of the mentor. This is definitely something I know Cyan do better! The worlds they design are always very special in that they are deserted and contain hardly any NPCs, but at the same time so much life and story is conveyed through the setting. And I'm not just talking about the countless journals Myst is infamous for. The characters in Obduction, for example, had personalities — C.W., Caroline Farley, Mayor Josef, they felt real. Walking into the classroom in Riven, or Gehn's temple, you learned so much about him and how he presented himself. You slowly put together a picture of what had happened, of who these people were and who you could trust. And Firmament also makes some promising approaches in this direction. The constant unsettling brainwashing of the Keepers on the one hand. But on the other hand, everything we see presents a picture of a small community that lived very much in peace and simple happiness. There are things that don't add up, vaguely foreshadowing the twist at the end. All of those little bits and pieces are really great and inspire so much intrigue and mystery.

(Totally normal to have all those banners and doctrines on the walls of your workplace. Not creepy at all.)

(Who were those people? Wish we could've get to know them more ...)

But ultimately, at some point, the mentor decides to just tell you the truth and that's it. Most of the plot is covered in fifteen minutes of gameplay at the very end, through her monologues and the newspaper clippings and documents in the spaceship's control room. But at this point the game is already over, because there are no more puzzles to solve, no more decisions to make. The ending plays out like a visual novel. A beautiful one, no doubt — I loved the resolution and the kinda open, but hopeful ending. But I still I think the game would have worked better if Cyan hadn't been so bent on the spectacular effect of that plot twist at the very end. During the game I had already considered whether the mentor would turn out to be Turner, or maybe me? I was coming up with theories on where Turner really came from, and what he did to those people. And what the real purpose of this cycle of Sleeping and Awakening might be. I don't know, I think it would have been so much more exciting to discover clues for theories while exploring the worlds (via lore documents and setting), and not just through the mentor's monologues. The big twist at the end would have been less surprising, but I think the plot would have unfolded more organically and it would have felt more rewarding to come up with the truth on your own.

I am definitely going to replay the game (after buying a new laptop) and I'm curious to see if it changes my opinion. I've heard that Firmament runs very buggy for a lot of people and apparently, VR is broken. I'm not going to talk about bugs, because yes, while the game crashed numerous times during my playthrough and some parts played really janky, I'm not sure how much of that was due to my hopelessly outdated hardware. But all these things — buggy gameplay (I wonder how much playtesting was done?), poor VR implementation, a story that feels a bit lackluster in its presentation, lack of all those little loving details in the scenery that I usually appreciate Cyan for — all of it feels like some things were rushed during the development of this game. It might have needed just another round of polishing.

The basis for another Cyan classic is definitely there, but I'm afraid Firmament won't leave the same long-lasting impression on me as Obduction and certainly not the Myst series. And I'm a bit scared of what that might mean for the future of Cyan Worlds.      

[coffee-at-annies]

*cracks knuckles* Okay I think the main questions are where are you staying, and when are you going,? Things get harder if you don’t have a car but uber/lyft/cabs will probably be able to get you most places and Downtown is easily accessible via most public transit.

PPG Paints is on the edge of downtown and partially in the hill district. I’m not familiar with the hill district so I can’t direct you that way. If you are staying near the arena there is limited stuff but if you’re in downtown there’s the cultural district which has all of the theaters (drama/musical/orchestra, not movie theater) and the convention center. Point State Park is the point (you’ve seen the fountain in all the big helicopter/drone shots). I think it’s got a museum about the original fort but unless you care about history I’m not sure it’s worth seeking out. There’s also ice skating outdoors in market square/ppg place if you’re gonna be here between now and March? If not hunt armory is in a different neighborhood but has indoor ice skating. Also in downtown is the Milkshake Factory if you’re lucky enough to get half price Jake Rusty Shakes.

Just following my mental map of the point, across the mon is Station Square. You can get there by walking across the Smithfield street bridge or taking the T. It’s free to use within downtown to the north side in one direction and station square the other, so if you want to see the incline that’s the way to get there. The incline is the main attraction outside of restaurants and the soccer (European football) stadium. I don’t know when the riverhounds play and I know even less about our new women’s soccer team tbh. Up the incline is Mount Washington which is the tourist trap for photos. The overlook is gorgeous and worth it for tourist reasons imo.

Across the Allegheny is the North Shore where from west to east you’ve got Rivers Casino (gambling), Carnegie Science Center (science museum), Acrisure Stadium Heinz Field (American football)(we’re ignoring that the name changed cause yinzers are petty), and PNC Park (baseball). There’s also a concert venues and some bars. I think the Andy Warhol Museum is technically in the North Shore. Cute little museum dedicated to a singular artist. If you like Warhol or Pop Art it’s got like 4 or 5 floors and it’s fine. Opening day for baseball is late March so there’s some overlap with the Pens season and tickets are relatively cheap. I wouldn’t recommend Steelers football because tickets are stupid expensive but Pirates baseball is cheap as hell cause we suck. Best ballpark in America tho. Pirates frequently shut down the Roberto Clemente bridge to walk across the street during weekend games which is a delightful experience.

Further back into the North Side (basically the neighborhood behind what’s on the river) there’s the Mattress Factory (sculptural and installation art museum), the National Aviary, plenty of parking/parks, and the Children’s Museum (for 3-12 year olds so very out of your age range since there isn’t a baby sportsthoughts but I’m just listing things at this point). The aviary is delightful because birds are good and they have penguins.

On the other side of downtown not across the rivers (downtown is a triangle) is the Strip District. Historically it used to be wholesale retailers, nowadays it’s that plus restaurants plus offbrand yinzer sports merch. I mention it because if you want history, the Heinz History Museum is on the other side of the convention center between downtown and the strip. The Heinz History museum has the Western PA Sports Museum. It takes up like the entire second floor and they’ve redone the Penguins sections to include the 16-17 cups. I think like the Church Brewery is in the strip as well and there’s a whole new shopping center that was under construction forever that I haven’t checked out but has like indoor golf.

Now we’re getting to the places that aren’t walkable from downtown. There’s the Carnegies in Oakland which is 80% college and college students. I’m talking about the Carnegie Natural History Museum and the Carnegie Museum of Art (they share a building with each other and the Carnegie library of Pittsburgh, Main branch) The Nat History has dinosaurs. Art is what it says on the tin. They usually have a feature exhibit and the modern art gallery and the permanent collection. Teenie Harris has an exhibit. One admission will get you into both. I can direct you to the website if it’s interesting to you. Phipps Botanical Gardens is also in Oakland if you like plants. I think they’re fun.

In Shadyside is the Frick, but I wouldn’t prioritize it tbh. It’s good if you’re looking for something new after having hit up most of the museums but it’s a museum in a fancy house, it’s skippable. M

If you’re looking to push how far away from downtown you can get, I’d recommend seeing if you can see the boys during practice in Cranberry at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. You’ll probably need a car or cab, I don’t know about the busses in the area. Also a bit of a hike is the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Exactly what it says on the tin. Finally if you’re there in spring, you can possibly visit Kennywood, the amusement park. Good if you like rollercoasters we have three different wooden coasters that I’m a fan of.

There’s also the parks, which I don’t think you’re gonna care about the playgrounds or walking trails.

Only other thing I can think of is PPG Paints is doing arena tours which includes walking in the locker room but because of that it’s incredibly limited and might require the boys to be out of town entirely. Idk I looked it up at the start of the season and it was all at like noon during work days so I put it out of my mind.

although on that topic: friends who've been to pittsburgh or know the city - what should I see? I have a few free days between games. anything that I absolutely mustn't miss?

[strawberry-jackalope]

okok info dump time: so the other day I posted a lot on instagram, including a poll (which, relevant later) and it got the attention of two people who played big roles in my childhood and queer awakenings, but who because of different things like moving and just being in different places, we never really rekindled the friendships we had (and I thus never told either of them how I felt). I’ll tell you about them, first, and then why I’m spiraling. Chronologically, I’ll start with G—I met G in 4th grade, and he was easily one of the few kids that was really nice to me. He and I didn’t really talk about it, but I always felt like he liked me, I was just too scared to ask him about it because he was my best friend (but I’d liked him, too) We both moved away, though, for fifth grade, and we haven’t spoken much in all that time (in 2016 we said like “hi” but it didn’t go any further) but we’re friends on a lot of social media. It’s unreal how attractive he is—he’s practically AotC Ewan McGregor. The other person, C, is the first person I had a crush on that wasn’t a boy. We met in 5th grade, they were also the first friend I made at the new school. They might as well have made the sun, and I still think that about them. They’re gorgeous, smart, and incredibly talented. Hell, I just tried to bleach my eyebrows because C thought it looked cool on me. They only recently followed me back on social media, even though I’ve been following them for a while (read: years), and the moment I saw the notification it felt like the air flew out of my lungs. I had a similar feeling when they replied to my instagram story, saying my hair looked cool, and asking me what kind of dye I used. I replied, but it’s been 24 hrs and C hasn’t even opened it. G, on the other hand, voted in a poll I posted (which, like, only 20 of the 90 who saw it did) and I reached out to him, and he’s had a few responses now, but it’s been only one sentence at a time: one not long after I sent a message, then once late last night, and once this morning. So I don’t know if I’m just really rusty at socializing in general, or overthinking, but I’m a little overwhelmed by feelings that only I might be experiencing. And I don’t know what to do about it, lmao. I can’t even fully describe what I’m feeling? I’m really excited to talk to both of them, but I’m really easily crushed by the idea that it might mean more to me that we’re talking than it might mean to them? And I don’t even know what it means to me, I just feel kinda algdkadjskajdhd ? - 🆘

okay so I think this is super sweet!!

but, I do think there's a little too much going on. You may be rusty at socializing, it's tough to do anyway, but if you start skimping, as with any skill, it gets harder. So don't worry too much, once you get better, things will feel more natural

the other thing is everyone is super busy right now, like life is just hella weird and kinda awkward for everyone. so if G isn't replying right away, could be work/school/pet stuff/whatever that's going that takes priority. It's likely it has nothing to do with you as a person, G's just trying to maintain a level of sanity. Same with C probably.

On the worst case scenario, they're just interested in being mutuals and low level friends. It's not the end of the world, though of course it kinda sucks. But the way they still want to be friends is encouraging. Just focus on keeping it simple and slowly build up to socializing more. If it would make it easier to do so in person, send an invite. Just say 'hey it's been so long, I'd love to really sit and catch up. Are you free for coffee or something sometime?'

This puts the ball in their court. It's likely they'd be open to meeting up again, just to feel things out. If things are awkward irl, you know not to attempt again for a while (or ever, if the vibes are really bad)

[uglypastels]

Heaven and Hell // (Stranger Things) S.H. x reader x E.M. smut

requests: @ami-is-hungry -- Omgg okay- hear me out-- So, we're at a party y'know we have been dating Steve for aaa few months, and we're not really into parties like that so we invite our best friend Eddie the hot Munson. Steve gets jealous and boom threesome?? jkjk unless 😩✨

@ anon: PLEASE CAN WE GET A THREESOME W EDDIE AND STEVE!! I BEG YOU I NEED IT SO BAD

a/n: you ask and you shall receive!! I had a lot of fun writing this and thank you both for sending in the request as I really needed it to get back into the writing game- also saying that I haven´t written anything in ages and I haven´t written any ST stuff since... season 2 came out??? so I might be a bit rusty. none the less, I hope you enjoy!! Also, in my mind, Eddie´s closest friends (aka reader) call him Munchy, so yeah, that will be coming back in any other fics i write i think. Also plot might be a bit iffy, but let´s be real, no one is here for that.

Please support your local content creators with reblogs and comments &lt;3

word count: 6022

warning: jealous boyfriend!steve, female reader, drugs, drinking, smut (characters are 18+, minors DNI!) -- mmf threesome, blindfold, sex under influence, unprotected sex (no-no), oral (f/m receiving), hair pulling, one ¨slut¨, face sitting, cum stuff. no specific dom/sub dynamic but Eddie kinda takes charge, it just kind of happened.

Big black shape with eyes of fire Telling people their desire - Black Sabbath

‘Oh god, what is Munson doing here?’ Steve muttered into your ear. You sat next to your boyfriend, practically on his lap and entangled in his limbs, while sipping some stale beer from a red solo cup. Then, at the sound of your friend’s name, your head spun in the direction of the door, where you could see his uncombed mop of hair stick out above the masses of hairspray and gel. 

‘I invited him,’ you said matter-of-factly, waving Eddie over. Steve’s eyes bulged in confusion. 

‘What? You… invited Eddie the Freak Munson? Why?’ 

‘Because he’s my friend and now, besides you, the only person I can actually stand in this shithole.’ You got up from the couch to hug Eddie. His arm wrapped themselves around you in a tight and warm embrace that felt nothing but like homely comfort to you. It was a gift which he was very generous with to others.

‘I’m so happy you could make it, Munchy.’ You said mid-hug, squeezing him a little bit tighter. 

‘You know I can never say no to that gorgeous smile, M’lady. And the number of people I could score a deal with here, I’ll be able to feast for weeks!’ With his arm still around your shoulder, he looked in search of a new investment, someone looking for a good time. Then you also noticed he was carrying his, to say the least, iconic black toolbox under his arm. 

‘Alright, let’s break this up, shall we?’ Steve got up from his seat, popping his head between you and Eddie, pushing you slightly apart. ‘Let’s not get too comfortable, yeah, Munson?’ 

‘Don’t worry, Harrington, I’d never dare steal this lady from you.’ Eddie’s smirk didn’t go unnoticed by you or your boyfriend, which probably wasn’t helping the situation. You had known for a long time how jealous and overprotective Steve could get– well, you had heard about it from the girls he had dated in the past, yet never had experienced it first-hand yourself, as you had never found yourself in a situation where Steve would have felt threatened. Indeed, you had never expected this to finally happen with your best friend. The idea alone was ridiculous. 

‘Yeah, well, we’ll see about that, ok?’ Steve grabbed you in an embrace, stating his position clear to everyone, specifically Eddie. 

‘Whatever, man.’ Eddie rolled his eyes, then looked at you, ‘you’re still up for it later?’

‘Mhm, totally.’

‘Later? What’s up later?’ Steve, already feeling three steps behind, looked at you for clarity, so you explained it. 

‘Was going to go outside for a bit, smoke some of Eddie’s good stuff… you can join, of course. If you’d like to.’ 

‘Sure.’ Steve didn’t even hesitate. He glared quickly over at Eddie, who giggled behind his hand at the thought of Steve Harrington smoking a joint for, what probably would be, his first time. He told you he’s meet you out back later after he’d make some sales with the people on the part. So, already looking forward to catching some fresh air, you took Steve by the hand and led him out to the backyard. It was surprisingly empty, with most party-goers still inside the house. You found two declining garden chairs and pushed them into a far corner of the garden, where you would be less likely to be disturbed.

Steve sat down on one chair, and you were ready to sit on the other, but he grabbed you by your hips and pulled you down to sit on his lap. 

‘Hey there, sailor,’ you kissed his cheek. 

‘I’d really prefer for you to not call me that anymore.’ 

‘Hmm, I know but “sailor” is so much better than “home video man”,’ you giggled. 

‘Oh god, stop.’ Steve groaned, but you kept coming up with job titles to call him, even when he started leaving sloppy kisses across your exposed skin.

‘Rental boy?’ He kissed your neck. ‘Hmm, I can’t come up with anything better. So, sailor, it’s.’ Steve’s mouth moved down to your collarbone, which peaked out of your shirt. 

You weren’t sure how far you would have taken it on that garden chair if it wasn’t for the voice you heard behind you. 

‘Don’t mind me, you two,’ followed by a flicker of a lighter and an orange spark of light. 

‘Shit. Eddie, sorry.’ You pulled away from Steve and wanted to get up to face Eddie, but Steve had different plans, keeping you fastly seated on top of him. With his arms around you, you had nowhere to go. 

‘No, it’s fine. I had voyeurism on my try-out list anyway,’ he put a neatly rolled up joint between his lips, flicking the lighter on again. The flame lit up his face as he hid it from your vision with his hands, needing to protect it from the soft wind blowing around you. The flame caught on and burned the tip of the joint. It already had a strong smell, but the smoke that Eddie blew out only made it spread out faster and with more intensity. 

‘You’re disgusting,’ you laughed and watched Eddie let himself fall onto the other chair next to you. He then winked as he took a long drag of the joint. 

He exhaled and was finally able to speak. ‘Mmm, you know it, baby, whoo!’ The smoke came out with his words, and he cheered for the effect it already had on him. You didn’t want to miss out on any more of it and took the joint out of his hand. Steve had not said a word yet, but you felt his eyes on you as your lips touched the rolled-up paper. The smoke filled your lungs quickly, slightly painfully, with the overcoming burning sensation that you had grown to love so bitterly. 

Not wanting to let the smoke out, you couldn’t talk, just hum to get Steve’s attention. 

‘What?’ He tried to ask, but you were quicker with pressing your lips onto him. Like that, you let the smoke travel between you. Knowing it would be the only way for Steve to get high and not pester you with complaints afterwards, it was a strategy. 

‘Oh shit,’ he coughed after you let go. ‘That is disgusting.’ 

‘Just let it do its magic, Harrington,’ Eddie put his arm behind his head as he looked at the dark sky above you. The stars were mostly hidden behind even darker clouds, but some shined through. Steve coughed a little bit more. 

‘Shit, Steve, I’ll go get you some water.’ You would get up, but Steve didn’t let you go. 

‘No, I’m fine, y/n. It’s fine.’ 

‘Ok, then I’m gonna get myself some water.’ You pulled his hands away from your waist and got up, quickly striding back inside. You found some water bottles in the fridge in the kitchen, grabbed three, and walked just as quickly back. With the only two people you were interested in talking to sitting outside, you had no business staying in the room. You wanted to get out of there before some drunken asshole started to talk you up, or someone would spill their drink on you. 

You managed exactly that and got back outside to find the most unusual image. Steve and Eddie passed the joint between themselves, giggling like two school girls. 

‘What did I miss?’ you asked curiously, handing them their own ice-cold water bottle. Steve immediately started drinking his, but Eddie filled you in on the last few minutes. 

‘We were just talking.’

‘About?’ You decided to sit on the ground. The freshly cut grass smelled so much better than the grass being smoked up by the three of you. 

‘You.’ Steve said, which made you raise an eyebrow, so he added: ‘and how pretty you are.’ It really took him that fast to be out of it, huh? You couldn’t help but laugh. There was no way those two idiots had just spent the previous five minutes gushing about you. Well, maybe Steve, but why would Eddie…

‘No, it’s true,’ Eddie said, nodding lightly and handing you what was still left of the joint. ‘You’re like… insanely hot.’

‘Dude!’ Steve said, ‘that’s still my girlfriend you’re talking about.’ 

‘Yeah, believe me, I know.’ Eddie kept his head up on his knuckles. You couldn’t tell if the hazy smile came from the drugs or something else. You also started to feel that “insanely hot” comment slightly too literally as your face heated up. Hearing Steve compliment you as he does was still something you weren’t wholly grown used to, but now Eddie was sitting next to you, looking at you the way he does with those big brown eyes of his, not to mention the weed was hitting all the right spots… you were getting dizzy. 

Or maybe you had inhaled it for too long because suddenly, you were coughing. Finally, one of them unscrewed the cap of your bottle, and you downed the contents. 

‘Fuck- thanks,’ by your own voice, you had still gone a bit sore, but at least you weren’t choking on smoke any longer. 

‘Are you ok?’ It was Eddie who asked; he had come off the chair to sit on the ground next to you, his hand on your shoulder. His face was full of concern. Steve had the same expression on his features, just a few feet away. And then he registered Eddie’s position next to you, and some anger overtook him. 

‘You see she’s fine, Munson. Back off.’

‘I’m not doing anything, man.’ Eddie laughed, and his words were echoed by you: ‘he’s not doing anything, Steve. Calm down.’ 

‘I want to but it’s really hard to do when this guy wants to fuck you this bad.’ 

‘Woah! Woah! Woah! Take a step down Harrington!’ Then, as if you were burning up, Eddie jumped up and stepped back. ‘No one– there is nothing– No.’ 

‘We’re just friends.’ You went in to defend your best friend. Here it was; Steve’s jealous side was showing its true colours. 

‘I believe you, y/n.’ Steve said, ‘it’s the Freak that I don’t trust.’ 

‘Steve,’ you weren’t enjoying where this was headed and wanted to break it off before it would go too far and someone would get seriously upset. But Steve’s words didn’t have that effect on Eddie, apparently. He laughed, actually. 

‘No, it’s alright, y/n. I get it. I would be jealous too if I had a girlfriend like you, an unmatched ego without any skill to please a woman.’ 

Steve didn’t hesitate, nor did he waste a second to get up and press himself up against Eddie. They were ready to fight, you could tell as you were trying to pry yourself between them and keep whatever was happening in check. 

‘Guys–’ you tried, but it all fell on deaf ears. There was only one other thing you thought of, but it felt ridiculous to say out loud, and it had a significant chance of making things even worse than they were, but the drugs were working their natural magic on you, and your verbal filter was shut off for the moment. So, you said that slightly intrusive thought when it popped up in your brain. 

‘So prove it!’ You shouted while both of them were yelling something vague about being really good in bed. Those three words coming from your mouth were enough for them to halt their silly fight and look at you dumbfounded. 

‘What are you talking about?’ Steve asked. 

‘You’re both trying to outdo the other and you’re both saying how great you fuck, so… prove it. Both of you. Fuck me.’ 

‘No way.’ ‘Okay.’ 

They glared at each other at the sound of the other one’s answers. 

‘What do you mean, “okay”?’ Steve said. 

‘What, are you too pussy Harrington?’ Eddie was probably taking a greater enjoyment out of annoying Steve than he would have by having sex with you. He had a shit-eating grin on his face, and it only grew in size as he got under your boyfriend’s nerves. 

‘Seriously, cut it out.’ 

‘I’m just following the lady’s orders, man! Can’t say no to lady!’ 

Steve looked at you, then at Eddie. Then back at you. He sighed slowly and wildly exaggerated before rubbing the bridge of his nose. ‘What exactly did you have in mind, y/n?’ 

‘I– hadn’t actually thought that far ahead,’ you admitted, ‘just thought… you guys could figure it out. So play nice and fair, and all that, figure out your own problems amongst each other. 

‘And what? You would just be… doing what, exactly?’ 

‘Enjoying myself.’ you couldn’t keep back the smile on your face. How ridiculous it sounded; you kind of wanted it to happen now. Steve and Eddie were standing in front of you, looking at you with most likely very similar thoughts running through all your heads. Or, you hoped that while you were thinking of what they could do to you, they were thinking of what they would do to you. 

‘This is insane. Actually insane.’ Steve suddenly turned around and started talking to himself. ‘I can’t believe I’m— and you’re ok with this?’ he faced you and looked you dead in the eye. The lump in your throat went down slowly, but you nodded. 

‘Say it. I gotta hear you say it.’ 

‘Yes. I’m perfectly ok with it, Steve.’ You both looked at Eddie, who seemed, then confirmed, not to have a single issue with this plan. 

‘Ok,’ Steve let out another sigh. He was about to say something before changing his mind quickly. ‘Actually, no, can you give us a moment,’ he asked Eddie and then took you by the hand and led you a few feet away from where you were standing. It wasn’t the actual privacy, as Eddie could still most likely hear what you were talking about, more so the idea of privacy while you discussed everything. 

‘Right, so, seriously, what was you idea for this?’ 

‘I really had not thought you’d consider it, Steve,’ you laughed out of nerves, ‘I mostly just said it so you wouldn’t beat each other up. There’s no need for you to break your nose. Not again.’ That got a little smile out of Steve, but it faded with his next question:

‘This isn’t some weird scheme to just hook up with Eddie, is it?’

‘Now I want to punch you. No, Steve it really isn’t. I would have so many more and easier ways to hook up with him, and you wouldn’t even have had to know.’ 

‘Ok, well… wait, what?’ There had been a slight delay in Steve’s mind. You had already been walking back to the chairs when he let your words form entirely. You blew him a quick kiss.

 ‘Everything figured out there?’ Eddie asked when you came back. 

‘Mostly, I think.’ 

+++++++++

You were the first one that walked upstairs. Everyone knew Steve, and Eddie stood out in his own little way, so you were the most inconspicuous of the three of you. You looked around the upstairs corridor and searched for an unoccupied and reasonably clean room. It felt wrong to be scouting for a sex room in a stranger’s house, but the adrenaline and the weed were taking over your morals that night. 

The last room on the left had a made-up king-sized bed and a dresser in it; the unpersonal touch in the interior indicated to you that it was, in fact, a spare guest room, the best possible out of all them. 

You sat down at the edge of the bed, ignoring the nerves coming up inside. Should you get undressed or let them have that fun? Was sitting like that ok? Or maybe they expected a little show? You had no idea what to do. 

Then there was a soft knock on the other side of the room. Nervous, you jumped up to open the door yourself and, to your surprise, both men were standing in the corridor, even after you had decided it would be best for them to come in separately to not draw in any nosy bastards that were also at the party. 

‘We were thinking,’ Eddie said while stepping inside the room, already making you regret leaving the two of them alone for the second time that night. ‘And we want you to put this on.’ He showed you the bandana that he had hanging from his jeans. 

‘Don’t worry, it’s clean.’ He added and handed you the piece of material. It was soft and, indeed, looked clean.

‘What am I supposed to do with it, exactly?’ 

‘Nothing, really,’ Steve came up from behind you and took the bandana. He gently draped it in front of your eyes and tied it by the two ends behind your side. ‘It’s just for you too look pretty.’ His words send shivers down your spine. They wanted to blindfold you. Take away an entire sense for the night that would most likely end up in a lot of overstimulation. 

‘We thought this would make things a bit more fair,’ Eddie sounded much closer to you than initially, his words whispered right into your ear. ‘Besides, it would calm Harrington down knowing you’re not only with him for his boyish charm and looks.’ 

That pulled a laugh out of you that Steve probably took slightly personally. But if so, he didn’t let that be heard. His hands, for you’d recognise his touch at any time, moved over your body as he spoke. ‘We’ll undress you now, alright, sweetheart?’ 

‘O-ok.’ you didn’t know where the shake in your voice was coming from. 

‘And as we keep going, we’ll ask you how you feel, so it’s important you be honest with us, got it?’ Eddie was on your other side; you felt like your little Devil and Angel were talking to you, except both were absolutely filthy, and neither had much pureness in them planned for the night. 

‘Yes.’ 

‘Good girl. Keep it up just like this.’ 

You didn’t know if Eddie was talking about the blindfold or your willingness to give into them. Then, both of them took a step back from you. The light was dimmed in the room, so you couldn’t see anything from behind the blindfold even if you tried. With one sense taken away from you, you tried to focus on everything else, and you could hear them shuffle around a bit, but it wasn’t possible to figure out which one of them had positioned themselves on your left and which one on your right. 

A cold hand reached out for you, making you shiver from the suddenness. They moved slowly over your body before reaching for the buttons on your shirt. It was Steve’s shirt actually, an old one you borrowed before going to the party. You had been at his place, too lazy to head back to your own house to change. Never in a million years had you thought then that you would be being undressed by Steve and Eddie four hours later. The shirt was pulled off your arms, and you could hear it fall to the ground in a corner. It was thrown back there. Then either of them made a start on taking off your trousers. It was a slow, fumbly and awkward process, making you giggle as it went on, but the kisses he (whoever he in this scenario may have been) left down your leg as he pulled your jeans down made your laugh just that little bit shakier. 

You were left only in your underwear then. There were moments when you could have sworn it sounded like more clothes were coming off, but in the darkness, everything got more confusing, and you couldn’t be certain of anything. 

‘I really hope I’m not the only one getting naked,’ you asked nervously. They didn’t respond, verbally at least. Instead, they both took you by the hand and guided you forward. Then you felt it, two chests, skin soft and much warmer than the icy cold hands that had teased you earlier and were still holding on to you. But they let go soon after, leaving you to explore what was in front of you on your own. So you did; moving your hands up and down, you could feel both men had taken their shirts off. 

Your hands moved down, expecting some kind of layers, but nothing was left. A soft belly, a hip dip– ‘Oh god, I’m sorry,’ you pulled your hands away when you realised what you had just touched. 

‘It’s ok, baby,’ Steve reassured you. You took a deep breath, but it only got harder to breathe when Steve whispered his following words: ‘did you feel how hard I am for you?’ 

‘Yes,’ you whimpered. He was still standing there. Too far to actually be touching you, maybe just an inch or so, but you felt his presence near you. A warmth radiating off his body onto you. His breath on your shoulder. You wanted to look into his eyes, kiss him, but that wasn’t what the guys had planned, it seemed like, so you stayed put. 

‘Are you gonna fuck her, Harrington, or are we just gonna stand around?’ evidently, Eddie was getting restless. 

‘Way to ruin the surprise there, Munson,’ Steve groaned. Right. They didn’t want you to know who was doing what to you. That way, you’d be able to “judge” fairly. Without knowing who was doing what, you’d be able to say what felt better without feeling the need to be partial to either of them.

‘I’m sorry, was the surprise to bore your girlfriend to sleep? Is that the “freaky” shit you two are up to without me? Jesus,’ he sighed out the small curse. Then he, you assumed it was Eddie, at least, guided you over to the edge of the bed. You sat down on the mattress while the guys shuffled around a little bit, and the idea of them trying to figure out a position to stand in while naked was quite amusing to you. 

Then, Steve said from the other side of the room: ‘y/n, why don’t you lie down for us, baby.’ And so you did, already anticipating what would come next– and you could feel the anxiety through your entire body. Waiting for either of them to finally touch you. 

And one of them finally did. Soft and slow kisses on your thighs as hands kept you steady between him. He spread your legs gently but still let his lips trail over your legs, teasing you effortlessly. 

‘Please,’ you said after what felt like an eternity. ‘I need you.’ You hoped that by saying this, you would find out who your torturer was, but not a peep came out of either man. It was a confusing situation, not being able to see the man that was pleasuring you the way that “he” was. You wanted to be able to praise them, tell them properly how much you enjoyed it, and for selfish reasons, you wanted to see it happen. The image of one of those incredibly handsome men worshipping your body– but all you saw was pitch darkness. 

‘C’mon, please,’ you tried again, and it was slightly more successful this time. Your panties were pulled aside, and a little puff of air blew over your sensitive skin, hitting the nerves of your clit. And then their fingers, you still didn’t know whose fingers they were, but the feeling of them on you felt like a little piece of heaven. Maybe it was Steve, which wouldn’t surprise you– he always loved to take his time with you and use you as his little plaything– but perhaps had Eddie taken off his large rings to not give himself away too quickly. But, as much as you wanted to use logic to figure it out, it was too much. You couldn’t concentrate on figuring out who the person hovering above you was when their fingers were moving over your soaked slit. 

They moved faster, rubbing circles, then slowed down, and then moved deeper with each tender stroke until you felt him stretch out your walls. A moan escaped you, too loud for your own liking. Not ten minutes had gone by, and you were already giving them this kind of satisfaction… but how could you not when they fingerfucked you so well. He sped up with each moan you made. 

‘Oh my god,’ the heat that overtook your body could have come from plenty of reasons, but it was most likely the feeling of that perfect mouth between your legs. At this point, you didn’t even want to ruin the mystery, and instead of grabbing at their hair, you reached for a clump of the sheets to drag your nails over. 

Apparently, that disappointment in action was shared because the person taking care of you quickly reached for your hand and placed it on top of their head. Your fingers immediately rooted themselves in their soft hair. Soft, long… different from what you were used to…

‘Fuck, Eddie,’ you moaned and, being able to say his name, slightly untied the knot in your stomach. ‘I’m- ah, fuck.’ The blindfold had little effect now, so you pulled the material off your face with your free hand. The light in the room, still dim, wasn’t blinding but took a moment to get used to. But once you did, you were greeted with the gorgeous image of a pair of deep brown eyes looking up at you, his casual smirk temporarily occupied with your slit as he sucked on it, pulling another moan out of you. 

You looked around for Steve and didn’t need to search far, as he had taken a seat in the chair in the corner, his hand on his dick, and his head was thrown back. 

‘Steve,’ you called out your boyfriend’s name as casually as you could while another man was eating you out. He immediately met your gaze, surprised to see your eyes uncovered. He had probably made his way over to you in less than a second, perhaps thinking you were in pain or some other discomfort, ready to help. 

‘Babe–’ You didn’t let him finish his sentence. Instead, you opened your mouth and looked up at him as innocently as you could. 

‘You’re gonna be the death of me,’ Steve chuckled, getting on top of the bed. ‘Absolute menace.’ 

‘You know it,’ you winked, and at that moment, Eddie decided to insert his fingers back into you. You moaned, looking down at him in a bit of confusion. 

‘I’m feeling left out,’ he said with a faux pout. 

‘I’d never forget you, Eddie.’ the smile on your face was already becoming more and more sheepish, but the fire in your stomach was far from getting blown out. Precisely because of this, you got up on your knees, startling both of your men, and sat up. 

‘Something wrong?’ Eddie asked. 

‘Not at all,’ you patted the spot on the mattress next to you for him to sit, and as soon as he did, you kissed him. It felt very peculiar but not wrong in any way to kiss him. The fact that Steve was right behind you didn’t shoot any alarms either, unlike you had expected it to. It should have made you feel off that you were making out with Eddie, but the worries evaporated out of your mind once you felt Steve’s hands on you, and he started kissing your neck from behind. While you cupped Eddie’s cheek in one hand, your other moved down to stroke Steve’s length, and it didn’t take long for him to moan out against you. 

In the meantime, Eddie was growing harder by the second. Finally, when you looked down, you saw his dick against your leg, tip painfully red. 

‘Mmm, ok, how do we want to do this, boys?’ you straight up asked them, knowing they would have their own preference to what to do. Meanwhile, you just wanted that hollow feeling between your legs to go away, not really caring who would be the one to do it. 

‘I’m sure Harrington wouldn’t appreciate me using up your pussy the whole night,’ Eddie slapped his hand lightly over it, making you jump, which in turn made his smirk resurface. ‘Besides, I’ve sort of fallen in love with that mouth of yours.’ He took your lower lip between his teeth, pulling just the slightest bit before letting it go and saying, 'an’ I’m dying to find out what else it can do.’ 

You looked over at Steve, needing to be sure he was fine with it since he hadn’t said much. You made eye contact, and he smiled his lovely grin. 

‘Are you ok with this?’ He actually asked you, ignoring your unasked question to him. 

‘Absolutely.’ Your eagerness was undoubtedly high and didn’t go unnoticed. 

‘Alright, calm down there,’ Steve chuckled, slapping your ass playfully, ‘I don’t think you want to show Munson just how much of a slut you are, right of the bat.’ 

‘I think we’re way past that point,’ Eddie joined in, and you rolled your eyes at both of them, and not wanting to continue this teasing of yours, you decided to take small control of the situation. You got down on all fours without saying a word, facing Eddie. That shut them both up fairly quickly. 

Steve was the first to take action, putting his hands on your hips and aligning himself at your entrance. He loved to take his time going in, and while it usually killed you, you had a view to look at this time. The time that Steve took to tease you, you spent teasing Eddie. Fluttering your eyelashes every now and then at him with a sweet smile, biting your lip, all that dewy stuff guys drool over. You didn’t really have much experience with other guys, so you stuck your tongue out like Steve liked. It was just a bit too far to reach Eddie. Now, you would lie if you said you didn’t want him there and then, but sometimes waiting it out just a little bit could make things better. 

Eddie, in the meantime, started to clump up your hair in a makeshift ponytail. He was careful and very gentle, ensuring that he didn’t pull too hard (yet) on a loose strand of hair or didn’t lose any of it from his grip. 

‘Steve, please,’ you needed him to hurry up, already knowing that you were practically dripping for him. 

‘You heard the lady, Harrington. Get a move on.’ Eddie’s dark eyes were practically black at that moment, filled with the need for you. 

‘Don’t tell me what to do, Munson,’ Steve groaned, finally letting himself slide inside you. He did it in one swift move, stretching you out. And once that happened, he didn’t waste a second and started to move with all the strength he had in him, and through that, he managed to hit your deep spots with every thrust. His hands dug into your sides, and the way his hips met yours through his movements, you knew you’d get sore from it in the best way possible.

But Steve definitely, maybe purposefully, made it hard for you to stay up on your hands and keep your head up for Eddie.

It was like a chain reaction. First, Steve would thrust into you, and in all that ecstasy, you’d moan around Eddie’s cock, which would send all of those vibrations like electricity through his entire body. Then, either as a treat or punishment for it, he’d pull that ponytail he had worked so hard on to keep neat. He’d pull your hair, and you would tense and squeeze around his length. And just like that, in the perfect little circle of it all, Steve would respond with his pretty moans. 

‘Fuck baby, you’re doing so good,’ he panted, slowing down. Eddie, however, kept up his own rhythm. It was sloppy, and you couldn’t imagine it was attractive at how he made you drool, but he kept going, hitting the back of your throat. 

‘So… good,’ Eddie responded to Steve’s earlier statement. A tear rolled down your cheek, and he was quick to wipe it away with his thumb. He cursed under his breath when, once again, he managed to hit the back of your throat and make you gag. His grip on your hair tightened even more, and to add to it, Steve started to slow down his movements. Slow down, but he used all his energy to make you feel it with each move. Slow, but hard and precise. They were both close; you could feel it. 

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck,’ Eddie, being new to your body and limits, pulled out. 

‘It’s fine, Eds,’ you smiled at him and opened your mouth again for him. He hesitated, looked at you, then at Steve, who must have given him some kind of green light that you couldn’t see from behind you. But it wasn’t enough for Eddie, who still looked for another confirmation in you. 

‘Come on, Eddie, I know you want to do it.’ You licked his tip, and it was almost enough for him to burst. Then, while Steve pushed out his last strong thrusts, Eddie spilt inside of you. Maybe it was what Steve had been trying to hold on for, as he didn’t come much later. It was by far the dirtiest moment in your life, being filled up by your boyfriend and best friend, taking in their cum like it was made for you. 

Finally, they slowed down to a moment of halt. Some of Eddie’s cum spilt out of your mouth, and the realisation hit you that you were in a stranger’s bed, who would probably not be very excited at the image of those strains on their covers. 

‘Ah shit, wait,’ Eddie moved away and jumped off the bed in the direction of what you presumed to be the bathroom. Steve then took on his usual “caring boyfriend” role and helped you lie down comfortably. 

‘Did you cum?’ Of course, those were the first words that came out of his mouth. 

‘Steve-’ 

‘Did you?’ 

‘Honestly, I don’t know. I was too occupied with the whole “two dicks inside of me” situation.’ That was probably the dumbest way you could have phrased it, but because of that same situation, you were too tired to think and sound more poetic. 

‘You didn’t, did you?’ His eyes saddened immediately at the idea of neither him nor Eddie actually managing their goal. But as quickly as the spark disappeared, another kind of glint emerged in his eyes. ‘C’mere.’ 

‘What?’ You looked and sounded confused as he tried to pull you up. 

‘Just hold onto the frame.’ He shuffled down the mattress to lie down. ‘I’m promising you, you’re not walking out of this room until you’ve come… at least twice.’ He wanted to make it up to you, clearly. 

You sat up like Steve told you to, laughing to yourself, with your legs on either side of his face. The sound of your laugh was already plenty of fuel for him to get going again, and it all started again with a kiss to your core. Steve wanted to prove a point, and he was sure as hell gonna do it well. 

‘Round two already?’ Eddie had just walked out of the bathroom, cold and wet towel in hand just for you and the sight that greeted him was of you sitting on Steve’s face. Something he had not prepared for but now would never want to forget. You tried to reply, but Steve was much too distracting. You were mid-moan when Steve said from between your legs: 

‘This is still round one, man.’ And Eddie didn’t need to hear another word. He was just as ready to make it up to you for the rest of the night. 

The End

Leave a review behind!

tag:

@sdawn03 @mrs--barnes

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed it please reblog or at least leave a comment with your thoughts <3 an ask is also always nice to get

Stranger Things masterlist will probably be up eventually, and then will be linked in my bio.

there is no official ST taglist either, but just hmu and i will tag you in anything i will post in the future &lt;3

[crybaby-tarnished]

coldblood-gardens​:

Alberich went from shocked, to confused, to proud of himself. It was a lovely, glorious feeling, having someone support him… And being blessed with her love was another thing entirely. The old wizard can’t help but blush from her kisses, flicking his wrist to shake some feeling into his hand

“Ah, they’re always pretty numb, but I must admit even I felt a shock. It’s definitely a new feeling, but not necessarily a bad one. Thank you for the lesson, Fyra.”

Alberich spins on his heel, the ground below his feet once again freezing over to suit his dramatics, and scooped his love up off her feet in a twirl that ended with Fyra being held princess-carry and kissed on her forehead

“I shall be sure to practice regularly so I don’t get rusty. You know, it could be fun to spar with you, provided we acquire some less… Lethal tools to play with…and perhaps produce something to lessen the impact of spells, I’d never forgive myself if I damaged that gorgeous face!”

Another kiss, on the cheek! And another, and more. Alberich peppers Fyra’s face all over with little love pecks, a public display uncharacteristically brazen for the shy old man.

Every kiss brought out a giggle, Fyra squirming a little in his arms as she was showered with kisses and affection. Finally she got her hands between her face and his, taking a few breaths she could not get with her giggle fits. Once she had her breath again, she took the brim of Alberich’s hat, lifted it, and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

“I really like seeing you come out of your shell, you know?” Another softer kiss, the she settled her head on his shoulder, fingers rubbing over the red glintstones embedded in his cloak.

“I’d love to spar with you some time. But don’t worry about my face. Nothing a sit down at a site of lost grace can not fix. I've been smashed, stabbed, eviscerated… A lot of stuff but I look great, don’t you think?” She fluttered her lashes, then giggled again.

"I finally have something for you, Come, follow me to the great hall. I will teach you frozen lightning." She is clutching her Erdtree seal in her hands. She does not really know how to teach something like this, but she could try.

"Ah, marvelous! I've been waiting for the day you were ready for this"

Ever optimistic in tone, Alberich follows behind Fyra with a smile. Today was a good day, even if their earlier heated flirting ended with him making a clown of himself and tripping on his own cape as he tried to step closer.

"I was given a seal that to be honest quite offends me, but it is a tool and it shall be used as such. I am ready to observe, My dear."

[gold-sweets]

✨Dream Girl Year Journal ✨

🌺 🌻 🌺 🌻 🌺 🌻 This year we blooming  🌺 🌻 🌺 🌻 🌺 🌻

Inspired by @2pretty​ ´s Dream Girl Guide.

I´ve seen a lot of girlies making these and it has inspired me so much to discipline myself to make a whole year of dreams come true. Sooo...

My dream girl is a financially,  emotionally and mentally stable woman. She just happens to be gorgeous. She´s highly educated and succesfull in both academia and her programming career. She´s constantly looking for ways to deepen her knowledge in art and science. She´s living by herself in a lovely and bright plant-filled apartment where something amazing is always cooking.

12 qualities/steps to become her:

 She has a programming job

This month I´m working on my CV and sending it to land a part time data analyst job. I´ve come to realise I´ll need more money for the next steps and the experience will be worth it once I finish my major.

I´ll start journaling about this month soon!

She has clear skin/ beautiful hair

I´ve already saved for my long waited isotretinoin treatment. My acne is not terrible tbh but I want perfect looking skin so bad. I´m done with breakouts. I´ve already gotten an appointment with my dermatologist and he´s confident that I´ll only need around 6/7 months.

Also, I´ve already started my curly girl journey and its looking amazing, this month I´m investing in morehair masks, better conditioners and setting the perfect morning and nightime hair routine.

She´s fluent in 3 languages

My mother language is spanish. Also, I´m already certified in English and French but tbh my french is pretty rusty, this month I´m starting an online course to talk to native speakers and perfect my wrtting. 

 She´s an amazing cook

I have already started cooking for myself and my family but this month I´m making time for new recipes and getting some technical skills. My bf is totally up for doing this one with me!

She has a great body

I´ve been procratinating my chloe ting´s challenges. I´ve been doing a routine here and there but I haven´t made proper time to take cake of this. I´m looking to gain some weight and start getting stronger in my upper-body. 

She´s skilled at 4 object-orientented languages, also Excel and SQL

I hope I´m already working somewhere for this. I´m going to start Data-camping and setting up a great github to prepare for a proper full time data scientist job.

She´s done with her Social Service.

I´ve just started my social service so I hope by this month I´m almost done. This will be a wrapping up my project, presenting article and lecture month. 

She has finished her university classes.

By this month, I hope I´m almost done with the 9 courses I have left. So this will be all work, no fun, get that perfect score for your masters month.

She´s making some coin.

I´ve already started a small (tragically small) savings account. This month I´m going to be working in selling stuff and trying to get some investing knowledge

10.  She has a beautiful smile.

If everything works by this point I will have saved up for half my braces treatment. I´ve long wanted to do this, I was hoping to get a loan for it but since Covid I had to pospone it. Now I feel I can get it with my own saved money (and parents help lol). So everything happens for a reason and even though I´ll be 23 with braces I´ll be 24 with a great smile.

11. She´s finishing her thesis

This! I´m already savouring the moment I can say, I´m through! By this month I will have more than a year and a half to work on my thesis so I can´t let a single week go without doing some advances. 2022 I can already feel it.

12. She´s mindfull

I have to work on my anxiety and depression every-single-day of my life. This won´t be the month of  my mental health awareness. I want to take a trip with friends this month, when I´m done with school and some other  family related stuff. I want to take a month to breathe before I start getting ready for my masters.

Steps to create her:

I have divided my steps into daily and eventual steps.

So daily:

Health related

1. Eating healthy: Different salads everyday, heavy breakfasts, no soda or processed sugar

2. 2.5 liters of water 

3. Stretching/mild yoga  routine 

Beauty related

4. Washing face every morning and before bed. Doing skincare

5. Deep conditioning, braiding before bed

Career related

6. Work on thesis at least an hour everyday

My hour working on this is over so I´m going to leave it there. 

Thank you to you all for posting and inspiring me. I hope this will be a great eyar to each and everyone of you.

[thegreymoon]

Honestly, I have nothing to recommend when it comes to Luo Yunxi. Don't get me wrong, he's always amazing, but the dramas themselves always derail in the worst ways. I found Ashes of Love unwatchable, minus his scenes where he gives off strong CWN vibes. He is amazing in Princess Silver, but his role in it is tiny while the rest of the drama is long and boring. I gave up and just watched his scenes. I rage-quit TTEOTM because of the honest-to-god awful writing (and absolutely hating the female lead), but his visuals were spot-on. He was simply gorgeous, he cries so prettily and he was born to do whump. The costumes were out of this world and there were lots of Chu Fei vibes in some scenes, so I would recommend it for that alone (also, he had an insane brother there who wanted to torture and murder him giving off incredible TXJ vibes, but he was not around for long, unfortunately).

I only managed to sit through some of his modern dramas in full, but not because they were good. I just love his face and am willing to put up with a lot to get my fix. He doesn't really give off CWN vibes in the modern stuff, so I only recommend them if you are a fan of his independently of 2ha. He's delicious in Broker, but the rest of the drama is just one big yikes. I had to quit Lie to Love two episodes in because the female lead was just unwatchable. Really, she's so bad, it's remarkable in and of itself. He was gorgeous and doing his best there, but there was simply too much nonsense working against him. Love is Sweet is the best one from him (ironically, with the same lead as in TTEOTM, but she was awesome here), but the side couple is so awful, they redefine the meaning of the word. The bar is in the lowest circle of hell and they still found a way to dig under it, I'm not joking. I recommend fast-forwarding through all their scenes if you want your sanity to stay intact. Light Chaser Rescue was actually moderately good. Nothing brilliant, but for the most part, it won't give you brain damage. He, as always, was incredible, but the rest of it was not memorable. I couldn't make myself sit through Love is Panacea, though. I had just given up on TTEOTM and I was at my absolute LIMIT.

In contrast, the first 30 episodes of Ever Night are amazing. Possibly the best I've ever seen in a c-drama. The second half derails a bit and has some rage-inducing moments, but it's still watchable. Like I said, Ning Que is so Mo Ran 1.0, I couldn't turn away even when he was being so obnoxious, I wanted to hit him over the head with a rusty axe because it couldn't possibly make his brain damage any worse. You will get the FULL experience of the Shi Mei infatuation phase because he falls in love with this idiotic white lotus character, who is too good, too beautiful, too pure for this world, to the detriment of his original true love. It's frustrating and infuriating and I've been unable to watch that actress in anything since (luckily for me, she was recently cancelled by the CCP for tax evasion and is unlikely to film any new dramas any time soon). Unfortunately, he dropped out of season 2 because of scheduling conflicts and they recast him with Wang Hedi, but I've only ever heard bad things about that sequel so I never watched.

Also, if you can do modern stuff, I'd like to recommend Gold Panning with CFY. He is very Mo Ran there too, very single-minded and intense. It's an excellent show, a bit grimy and depressing, but heaps better than the average c-drama fare.

Chen Feiyu seems like perfect casting as Mo Ran for me, like he’s got such a sweet boyish face, you could totally see him as Mo Ran acting cute and pathetic to get what he wants

[theramseyloft]

After Ankhou died, I have had a very hard time keeping up with both manual loft maintenance and media work.

Manual loft maintenance is the higher priority of the two, so that's were the energy I have has been focused.

The birds are happy, but I have failed to advertise availability for two months.

The birds currently available do not meet the specifications of anyone on my wait list, and to prevent the loft from getting crowded, we've frozen rescue intake and implemented strict hatch control.

Breeding pairs on the roster are only permitted to hatch their first clutch with another bird also on the roster.

Every subsequent clutch will be swapped with fakes at least until all currently available cocks go home.

As I am not caught up on editing photos yet, I will have to make due with listing the name, parents, and temperament of available birds.

Please message me privately, email theramseyloft@gmail.com, or call/text 706-993-7452 for more information.

1. Raddish

Mia x Cara

Retired. ($20)

Was friendly as a young bird, but has not had the opportunity to express temperament in Qt.

Not to be bred under any circumstance due to one known and a second possible cancer in his blood line.

2. Wukong

Blue Check Chinese Owl cock

Loft Bird $30.

Wukong is an excellent father that will definitely benefit a breeding program.

He's very human shy, unless his mate isn't.

Chances of him bonding with a patient person that will let him make friends at his own pace are decent, but I can't guarantee it in good conscience.

3. Farthing

Pied Almond Blue T-pattern het for Toy Stencil mixed cock.

Betty x Hagrid

Comfortable ($50)

A bit of a himbo, Farthing is one of our better known cocks.

He likes people and often gets in my lap or on my shoulder, when not distracted by being the loft bi-cycle.

He's pretty and sweet, but Giant Homer and Frillback ancestry make him a big boy with long flights and tail feathers that will need a lot of room.

4. Leela

Khaki T-pattern mixed hen

Cody x Rigby

Comfortable ($50)

Leela is a mellow little sweety that likes my lap and shoulders.

She's a great pumper, but chain lays and starts a new clutch INCREDIBLY early! Leaving nestlings well fed, but largely unguarded.

5. Todoroki

Tippler

Sooty Ash Red Bar cock

Rescue ($20)

Todoroki is an EXTREMELY high energy breed that will need a LOT of space to free fly most of the time.

He would be happier in a loft than as an indoor pet.

6. Amiga

Blue T-pattern mix hen

Pippin x Cookie

Retired ($20)

Amiga is going to be a pain.

She hates people to the point of trying to break herself to get away from them, and she cannot under any circumstance be allowed to hatch an egg.

She provides her own hatch control by nest cup dancing on her hatchlings. She has been given two chances to hatch clutches, and eviscerated all three peeps this way.

So she will need to be housed in a loft with minimal interaction other than obsessively switching her eggs with fakes.

7. Dolly

Blue Bar mixed hen

Pippin x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Dolly is her sister Amiga's opposite in almost every way.

She's only retired from my program because she's the hen on the roster that likes people the least.

She is an amazing, devoted mother and would make a fantastic foster hen.

8. Wess

Blue tailmark mixed cock

Wukong x Suki

Curious ($40)

Wess is shy and dislikes being approached directly, but often chills nearby preening my clothing and occasionally hops up on my knee.

He is a TERRIBLE dad! It took him two weeks to start helping Dolly feed their nestlings and never sat on them when they were little enough to need it.

9. Arco

Pied Ash Red T-pattern mixed cock

Vito x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Arco is uninterested in people, but not afraid of them.

He'd be a good partner for a nervous rescue bird, or an absolutely amazing foster dad!

He's devoted to his mate and her nest and doesn't start shit with flock mates once he's settled.

10. Bridget

Blue T-pattern feral cock

Rescue ($20)

This is the boy we found with a broken wing and foot on the sidewalk under an overpass.

He's healed entirely and though flighty and skittish, gets along very well with his flockmates.

Like Arco, he takes a mate, picks a nest, settles, and doesn't start shit.

He'd make an excellent foster or partner for a skittish rescue.

11. Scan

Pied ash red cock

Cherub x Tandy

Loft Bird ($30)

Scan is Cherub and Tandy's first hatch.

I was initially going to keep him, but his brother, Nimbus, has a better temperament.

Scan is a flamboyantly aggressive pain in the ass, constantly starting shit with established pairs to earn himself a spot in the hierarchy.

He'd likely mellow out with fewer birds, but isn't interested in being social with me, so I don't think he'd be the best house pet.

12. Acer

Ash Red T-pattern mixed cock

Pippin x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Acer's classification as a loft bird is maintained by technicality.

He has to come in after repeatedly attacking nestlings.

If he does it again with different ones when he goes out on Thursday, his status will be changed to Retired foe unusually severe aggression.

This seems to be a pattern developing in the Pippin x Cookie line...

Which is going to make the birds afflicted hard to place.

13. Bell

Blue T-pattern mixed hen

Pippin x Cookie

Loft Bird ($30)

Bell is the same intense degree of skittish as the rest of her siblings, but gets along well with her flock mates.

She has the best chance of them of being ok as a house bird, but she'd honestly be happiest either in a loft or with a bird friend.

14. Rusty

Pied Ash Red T-pattern mixed cock

Ginger x Danica

Curious ($40)

Rusty is an energetic boy with places to be and stuff to explore!

He occasionally lands on my shoulder or head, or hops briefly up into my lap

He isn't afraid of people, but not liking to hold still makes him hard to interact with.

He's very fun to watch, though, and would be a good match for any one who wanted an independent bird.

15. Checkers

Pied blue check mixed cock

Ginger x Danica

Loft Bird ($30)

Checkers is less interested in people than his brother, Rusty.

He's energetic, gorgeous, and fun to watch, and would make a lovely addition to a pet loft.

He probably wouldn't enjoy being a house bird unless he had a hen to interact with.

He's very combative with other cocks, and has not yet learned the virtue of "Don't start none, won't be none."

16. Frieda

Khaki tailmark mixed hen

Wukong x Suki

Comfortable ($50)

Frieda, though not super outgoing, is friendly in spite of her shyness.

She often gets up in my lap to loaf, but doesn't like being reached for, even with treats.

If you just want warm, quiet company while you read, watch videos, or do desk work, she'll be an excellent match for you.

17. Berry

Pied blue bar hen

Cherub x Tandy

Loft Bird ($30)

Berry is not remotely interested in hanging out with me. She isn't even curious.

She's not afraid by any stretch, she just would rather do literally anything but interact with me.

With lots of enrichment or another bird, she could be ok inside, or she'd make a pretty loft bird.

18. Shinobi

Black pied mixed hen

Leonard x Elliot

Comfortable ($50)

Like most of her siblings, Shinobi is friendly and interested in people, but too energetic to really hold still for long.

She is sweet and polite about taking treats when she feels like it.

She'd be quite happy as a house bird with lots of flight time.

19. Mote

Blue check mixed hen

Wukong x Suki

Curious ($40)

Mote is shy and reserved, but mostly seems overwhelmed by how many of her older and younger flockmates want to be in my lap or on my shoulders at any given time.

When my lap is free, she will usually hop up unto it and loaf for a bit.

She has a good chance of coming out of her shell as a house pet.

20. Tye

Pied tiger grizzle ash red cock

Ginger x Danica

Loft Bird ($30)

Tye is a drop dead gorgeous little man, the spit'n image of his father, Ginger.

He's not afraid of people, but literally everything else is more interesting.

Being a roller and tumbler mix, he's a delightfully acrobatic flier who is a joy to watch.

He'd be a striking addition to a pet loft, or, with enough enrichment or a friend provided, a great addition to a household.

21. Slate

Dirty, smoky blue bar mixed hen.

Satin x Chiffon

Interactive ($60)

Slate's brother, Cotta, is my new therapy prospect.

Slate is mellow and sweet tempered, happily accepts treats, and occasionally tries to play with my fingers like she would a stick.

She's quite happy to loaf in my lap and occasionally lets me stroke her little neck with a fingertip.

22. Flint

Blue check mixed cock

Nobu x Leela

Comfortable ($50)

Flint is a sweet little man that has started jumping into my lap at every opportunity, and often flailing his way up to loaf on my chest.

He accepts treats politely when he feels like it, but doesn't try to play with me yet.

I told y'all there were a TON of birds available. XD

I'll do my best to update this post as there are updates to make, but 22 is WAY more birds ready for homes than I'm really ok with having, especially with winter on the way.

It's my own fault for failing to advertise that they were available as soon as they became available.

Now I'm just going to have to wait before I can do any more rescue work or hatch peeps out for the people on my wait list.

Back to playing catch up...