#Tess the tinker

[gears2gnomes]

AGDQ 2025 - New Super Lucky's Tale

"I heard there are speedrun strats?"

[pixeldolly]

Walden BACC

After the high-stakes drama of the past few weeks, it's time to return to your regular scheduled Walden gameplay - and catch up with the Orwells!

Last time I played them (has it really been two years? Damn!) Tess and Hayden had gotten married and they both longed to start a family, but Tess's vampirism created certain...complications.

After their adoption application was rejected, Hayden convinced Tess to try the new alien fertility treatment which should, in theory, allow Hayden to carry Tess's baby.

Of course, the procedure has never been tested on a human/vampire couple...

Life was as close to perfect as Tess could have hoped for.

They had a nice, spacious home, fulfilling jobs, good friends, two adorable cats, and each other.

The only things which disturbed Hayden and Tess's domestic bliss were minor annoyances - and even then, there was always a bright side, like that time when Hayden discovered a new passion for tinkering by fixing their broken toilet.

And yet, something was still missing.

They were scheduled to undergo the first treatment in a couple of days, and emotions were running high.

If it worked...their little family would finally be complete, but Tess couldn't help but worry about the many unknown factors involved.

Did they have the right to put a potential child at risk, when they didn't know how her altered DNA would affect the pregnancy?

Did she have the right to risk Hayden's life, even if she'd been the one to insist they try it?

Such questions kept churning inside Tess's mind, during the long hours of the night while her wife slept.

[galway-girlatwork]

hello, dear ❤️

with this ask I challenge you to write a ficlet (or anything bigger if you want) inspired by this screenshot:

may the writing muses be with you 🧚🏼‍♀️

xoxo

Please forgive me. I am so sorry it took me so long to write this. December was a dumpster fire. Also please forgive me because this is so riddled with angst and there is no happy ending. I don't know if it falls under ficlet. LOL. Thank you so much for letting me in on this. MUHA.

Road Trip

Music Inspiration: Leave a Light On for You-Papa Roach with Carrie Underwood.

His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as the truck bounced along the uneven road. The cab was silent, save for the steady hum of the engine and Ellie’s occasional muttering as she flipped through one of Bill’s magazines. Bre, seated next to him, stared out the window, fingers tracing the worn leather of the seat, lost in thought.

The atmosphere was heavy. They’d just left Bill and Frank’s, a grave reminder of what the world had become and now they were headed towards Wyoming. He didn’t want to be responsible for either one of them but Tess took that decision out of his hands. Now he was stuck with a kid and a Firefly, trekking across the country to find his brother and pass the cargo off.

“Y’know,” Ellie said, breaking the silence, “this truck is like, a friggin’ spaceship. I can’t believe you two knew how to drive one of these things.”

He huffed a quiet laugh, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. “Ain’t that hard once you get the hang of it. Just don’t touch anything.”

She shifted in her seat so she could face Ellie. “Stick shifts are harder to drive. Gotta shift at just the right time or you’ll stall.” Turning back around, a glance at Joel, before she turned to look back at the scenery whizzing by. “Also, I am pretty sure I heard you cursing under your breath when it took fucking forever for the battery to charge.”

Lips twitched just a bit before the permanent scowl was back in place. “That was Bill’s tinkering, not me. Damn thing is patched together with duct tape and prayer.”

“Don’t forget spit.”

Ellie snorted. “Well, it’s workin’ now, so you both can quit complaining.”

Joel shook his head, his eyes scanning the road ahead. The tension in his shoulders didn’t ease, even with the banter. Every mile they drove, every turn they took, felt like one step closer to danger. He didn’t know how long they’d been driving before he could see the semi-comatose state of both of them, dusk starting to take hold of the sky as he slowed down and turned right, crushing the grass of the field. “We’re gonna stop for the night. Start early in the morning.”

Thank God, she thought. She was tired and this was not how this was supposed to happen but the best laid plans always got fucked up. Marlene had made her go with Joel and Tess, who’s threat of killing Ellie loomed over her head. The whole thing had now turned into a cluster fuck and she was in the middle of it. By the time he stopped, they were so far into the woods, if he decided to kill her, they would never find her body.

“You helpin or not?”

“Yea.” Sliding from the truck, they began unloading only what would be needed for tonight. She said nothing to either of them, letting their conversation flow over her as they ate. She’d never had Chef Boyardee before; it wasn’t half bad.

“Can we light a fire; I’m freezing my ass off.”

She was just about to answer her but Joel had beat her to it. It wasn’t infected he was worried about but others and they had all heard stories.

“I’m gonna go crash in the truck.”

He waved a hand at her, almost as if dismissing her as they began unrolling sleeping bags. She’d slept in worse places so the front seat of a beat up S10 was like the fucking Hilton in her mind. Rolling down the windows, body curled up, crashing hard. Sometime in the middle of the night, body jerked her awake and it took a second for her to remember where she was. Sitting up, she looked around and saw him, off in the distance, rifle in hand. He was keeping watch, not just over Ellie but of her too. She wasn’t sure what to think as she laid back down, staring at the roof of the cab.

He looked in the window of the truck, seeing Bre asleep, soft snores could be heard through the morning air. Shaking his head, he went to the back of the truck, intentionally dropping the tailgate, smirking when he saw her jump up so fast, she almost hit her head on the roof of the cab. Pushing the door open, she stumbled out of the truck and made her way towards him.

“Morning,” he said gruffly. “We need to start packing up. We’re movin’ out soon.”

The lump on the forest floor moved, scooting on her knees towards the coffee pot, before flipping the lid open. “Oh, what the fuck is that?”

“What you don’t like coffee?”

Lid was flipped back before she fell over and rolled back to her side.

“Ellie, if I gotta suffer, you gotta suffer.” Less than an hour later, they were back on the road. Ellie sat in front while she settled in the back, again staring out the window, thoughts all over the place, wondering what would happen when they found his brother. She’d never met Tommy, joining the Firefly’s after he’d already left. Was she that pathetic in the QZ, that she needed to join? No but at least she was fighting for something. Wasn’t she?

The city loomed in the distance, its jagged skyline marred by collapsed buildings and overgrown vegetation. He slowed the truck as they approached an overpass, the highway ahead littered with abandoned cars and debris.

“Something’s not right,” voice low as she leaned forward, eyes narrowing as she scanned the road.

“Stay here.”

They both watched as he got out, looking for some way to get through, looking defeated on his way back to the truck, when he realized there was no way through. “We’re gonna have to go round.”

Hands covered ears as Joel and Ellie went back and forth over the map, until Ellie screamed to stop. “Is that the QZ? Where’s FEDRA?”

“The Firefly’s pulled outta KC…If FEDRA’s gone, it wasn’t us.”

That was when they heard someone asking for help. It took all of thirty seconds for him to realize they were trapped.

“Aren’t we gonna help him.”

“No.”

Before she could say a word, he stomped on the gas pedal, truck picking up speed and everything around them exploded. Cinder block crashed into the windshield, bullets ricocheted off metal, spike strips ripped through tread, control was lost and the truck plowed into the side of a building.

“GET OUT OF THE TRUCK!!!!”

Scrambling out, rifle passed to Joel, gunshots rang out and then it was all a blur, instinct had brain focus on only one thing, staying alive. Fingers like steel, wrapped around her wrist, practically dragging her, so they could hide behind what looked like a washing machine and with one last shot, it was over.

“You ok?”

“Yea. Where’s Ellie?”

She didn’t get an answer from before a shock of blinding white pain lanced through her. It felt like a hot poker had been shoved through leg, brain short circuiting as she looked down, blood gushing from her thigh. A scream pierced the air as she pressed her hand over it, before seeing Joel struggle with a boy sitting on top of him, the length of the rifle pressed against his throat.

Reaching for her gun, afraid to fire, afraid of hitting Joel, she jumped when she heard the crack of a bullet, the boy falling off Joel as he struggled for breath. Looking up, she saw Ellie, pure terror on such a young face.

The pleas from the boy on the floor went unheard as Joel told her to get back behind the wall, taking the pistol from a shaking hand. That was when Ellie noticed her, the blood pooling beneath her. “Ellie, go. Don’t look back. Just go.” Closing her eyes as Ellie turned away, the boys pleas were now directed towards her, trying to convince what ever softness she had, to not let Joel kill him. Begging for them to take him to his mom. When steel meets flesh, it makes a sickening sucking sound, as if the body is welcoming home the foreign object.

“Bre, look at me.”

Brown met brown, a half-smile on her lips. “You know I’m not gonna make it. You keep her safe.”

“Fuck.”

“Joel go. You gotta go now. There will be more and they are gonna look for you both. Leave me here.” Pushing away at him, eyes pleading. “Please.” He didn’t know what possessed him to grab the back of her head and press a kiss to her forehead before he got up and left her behind. Keeping Ellie safe was the only thing on his mind right now as he moved them from building to building. It was right after he’d given Ellie her gun back, that they both heard it. The truck rumbling past where they were and then a barrage of gunfire. In that second, they both knew she was dead.

@iamasaddie @604to647 @jolapeno @guiltyasdave

[azucar-skull]

Rise of the Last of Us (ROTLOU) Masterpost

Decide to make a little masterpost for this AU. It's not a big AU but smth I'll tinker with every now and then.

Any posts related to the AU will be tagged with #rotlou

Summary: ROTLOU follows the same script as TLOU tv series and video game franchise. A few things may be changed here and there to respect the authenticity of both shows.

Cast:

Leo - Joel || Casey Jr - Ellie || Mikey - Sarah || Raph - Tommy || Donnie - Bill || Jeremy - Frank || Usagi - Tess || Casey Sr - Anna || April - Marlene

All works set in chronological order

Art:

Mikey doodles

Casey Jr - First appearance

Eavesdropping

Usagi doodles

Save who you can save

Don't blame me for smth that isn't my fault

Gun practice

Finger breaker

Writing:

Mikey

Act Of Mercy

Lies

To Whomever But Probably Leo

Bryan

[zehecatl]

He likes watching her work.

Always has, since they were both small, and Keira was still tinkering away with small stuff, little machines and compact mechanisms. He used to sit beside her, arms folded on the table and head laid down, and just- watch.

She's brilliant.

Daxter never much cared for it- too much sitting around, too much silence. Jak loves the guy, but silence's never been his thing, never known a quiet moment he can't break, and the few times Daxter had tried to join them in their still little bubble, it had ended with a whole lot of bickering, and very little actual tinkering. He's stopped, after a while, or maybe it had all just gone the way of it, and now they're grown up, they're older, they're in the future-

Daxter has a life, outside of Jak. He's not used to that.

Not used to having one himself, either.

Keira's a constant, though. Something he can cling to, fall back on- he's adrift, after. Lost in the whole of it, two years spent broken and barely functioning, and then days, weeks, more weapon than human. He'd picked it, had chosen it himself, but- didn't do him any favours, is all.

So. So. Keira. Keira's lab, with all her bikes and machines and smell of oil and latent electricity, sharp in the air, and he can watch her work, like he used to.

She threw him a look, the first time. Raised eyebrows, quirked lip. She hadn't looked angry, just- bemused, maybe. Almost like she thought him above this.

It hadn't hurt, just as it hadn't not. Complex feelings. Complicated, messy. Tangled up, and hard to pick apart, which was just Jak's entire life, now.

But she hadn't asked, and he hadn't explained, and then he had done it again, and again, and she had stopped looking at him like that, had smiled instead. Had started talking outloud, sometimes, sharing her work, what she was doing, and it-

It's nice.

Daxter doesn't join. It's time apart, time he spends with Tess, alone, and Jak thinks- maybe it's good for them. Maybe this is a life they can live, they can have. Something they can keep.

"You're thinking awfully loud over there," Keira says, and Jak startles- not enough to crunch the metal beneath his palms, but enough to briefly dig in claws, and feel it groan.

He flushes. Doesn't exactly curl in on himself, but he raises a shoulder in something of a shrug. "Lots to think about."

She cocks her head. Steps closer, and at some point she must have decided on a break, because she's a lot closer than she should be, and she's cleaning motoroil off her hands.

She steps up to him. He's sitting on one of her tables, so he's taller than her, is almost looming above her, but he doesn't feel like that. She slots herself in between his legs, drops the rag behind him, and looks straight up, in his eyes.

"You good?"

Hands on his knees. Even through the fabric of his pants, it makes his skin prickle. Makes him shiver.

"... yeah."

Sometimes, he can't handle it.

It's different, with Daxter. Easier, because that's paws, not hands, and sometimes the feel of skin on his own, even through fabric, makes him-

It's bad. Sometimes.

But today- today it's okay. Today, he curls forward, reaches out a hand to tug her a little bit closer, because sometimes he's so fucking starved it still feels like he's locked away in the Baron's little torture chamber, and he's never gonna get out.

Keira hums. Steps even closer, somehow, and raises a hand to tug him down, to press his face to her neck. Wraps her arms around him, and he exhales at the feel of them, breathes out so shakily he might as well be crying.

She hugs him close.

Lets him bury his face in her skin, and doesn't even say anything when tears prick at his eyes, and probably burn at her throat. Just hums, and holds him close.

After a while, he slips his arms around her, and hugs her back.

[pupsmailbox]

STARTING WITH T

MASCULINE︰ tad. tadeo. talbot. talon. tanner. tate. tatton. tatum. tayler. taylor. teagen. ted. teddie. teddy. tel. tennyson. terance. terell. terence. terrance. terrell. terrence. terry. tevin. tex. thad. thaddeus. thane. thatcher. theo. theobald. theodore. thiago. thom. thomas. thorburn. thorley. thornton. thurstan. tibby. tiger. tim. timmy. timothy. titan. titus. tobias. tobin. toby. tod. todd. tolly. tom. tomas. tommie. tommy. tony. topher. torin. tory. trace. tracy. trafford. tranter. travers. travis. trent. trenton. trev. trevelyan. trevor. trey. tripp. tristan. tristen. tristian. tristin. triston. tristram. tristyn. troy. tru. true. trueman. truett. truman. tucker. turner. ty. tye. tylar. tyler. tylor. tyrell. tyron. tyrone. tyrrell. tyson.

FEMININE︰ tabitha. taelynn. tahlia. tala. tali. talia. taliah. taliyah. tallulah. tamara. tamsin. tania. tanya. tara. taryn. tatiana. tatum. taya. taylor. taylyn. taytum. teagan. tegan. temperance. tempest. tenley. teresa. terra. tess. tessa. thalia. thea. thelma. theodora. theodosia. theresa. therese. thora. théa. tia. tiana. tianna. tiffany. tilda. tillie. tilly. timber. tina. tinley. tinslee. tinsley. titania. tomasa. toni. tori. treasure. treva. trinity. tru. trudy. true. twyla. tyler. tyria.

NEUTRAL︰ taelyn. tai. tailor. taiwo. taj. takoda. talent. tali. tally. talon. talyn. taryn. tatum. taunt. taxi. taylen. tayler. taylin. taylor. taylow. taylyn. taytum. tea. teagan. teagen. teal. tear. techno. teddy. teegan. tegan. teigan. teigen. tempt. tennessee. tenzin. term. terran. terri. terry. texas. thai. theo. theory. therefore. thorn. thrifty. thriller. thunder. thyri. ticket. tide. tie. tiger. tilden. timber. time. tinker. tint. titan. tobi. tobias. tobin. toby. tommie. toni. tonight. tony. torch. torn. tory. tower. townes. toxic. trace. tracy. trainer. trance. treasure. trek. trinity. trip. triple. tristin. tristyn. trouble. tru. truce. true. trust. truth. tuesday. tulip. turbo. turner. tussle. twilight. twin. twist. tylee. tyler. tylin. tyme.

[positivelybeastly]

"Hank. I need to talk t'you." Tess arrives with a soft rustle of flannel, dog tags clanking at her neck where she tugs on them. (Look, she's gotta do something with her hands, okay?) She turns one of his spinning lab chairs around and straddles it, folding her arms over the back. "And I need you to understand that I'm only telling you this because I know it will stay between us."

She emphasizes that last part, the muscles of her jaw working from side to side as she searches for the right words. Something subtle, like--

"I think I want Morph. Sexually."

The sounds of the Barber of Seville greet Tess with the full force of Hank McCoy's baritone, the mutant happily hanging upside down - as is his wont - while he continues to tinker with Lucas' time band.

"Largo al factotum della citta! Presto a bottega che l'alba e gia! Ah, che bel vivere, che bel piacere per un barbiere di qualita!"

"Ah, bravo Figaro! Bravo, bravissimo! Fortunatissimo per - oh, hello, Tess!"

He blinks at her seriousness, his head quirked. What could possibly be the matter? Is it Logan? Has he done something to upset everyone again? Perhaps Remy, throwing more beignets around as though they were playing cards, and kinetically charged in much the same manner? Or perhaps . . ?

"Of course! You know I would never dream of violating your confidence. What you have to say will stay between us, and us alone."

Then it comes. He blinks again.

He drops.

That . . . was not what he had been expecting her to say.

. . . Quick, say something.

"Well, ah. Thank you for telling me."

I think?

He clears his throat.

"And . . . is Morph aware of these feelings? Or am I, as yet, the only one whom you've told?"

Internally, Hank is screaming. Please don't let this turn into a love triangle, I simply do not have it in me to bear with yet another manifestation of that particular kind of drama . . .

[aninsecurewriter]

100 must-read books!

This is a list of books considered "must-reads" from various lists and online posters. I'll be reviewing them as I go but mainly keeping track of what I have and haven't read here.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Matilda by Roald Dahl

The Secret History by Donna Tart

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Norwegian Wood bt Haruki Murakami

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Lolita Vladimir Nabokov

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Ulysses by James Joyce

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Wild Swans by Jung Chang

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Gulliver's Travels by Johnathan Swift

The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt

Persuasion by Jane Austen

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Beloved by Toni Morrison

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

Macbeth by Shakespeare

The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) by J.R.R Tolkien

The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally

London Fields by Martin Amis

Sherlock Holmes and the The Hound of the Baskerville's by Arthur Conan Doyle

My Man Jeeves by P.G Wodehouse

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Gladys Aylward the Little Woman by Gladys Aylward

Mindnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Tess of the D'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian

Dissolution by C.J Sansom

The Time Machine by H.G Wells

Winnie the Pooh (complete collection) by A.A Milne

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Castle by Franz Kafka

Dracula by Bram Stoker

All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Misery by Stephen King

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis

The Shining by Stephen King

The Odyssey by Homer

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

[coreene-simblr]

Ramirez Household [1]

I like them. I like running their business too, unlike Jacquet's bakery xD but they are boring.

Well, maybe not so boring as instead of working they decided to flirt.

Lisa has a sales badge so I gave her the selling job but I didn't want to remove their employee because I want to promote him to a manager at some point.

When they got back, Tessa wanted to learn to study. Tessa is a hardworking kid.

Also, I can't keep these two off of each other. I do not have many pictures from their days but I stopped taking Lisa to the store because it becomes a chore to keep them apart.

After school Tessa brought home Cassy! I support this friendship.

Both parents had a wish to get Tessa into private school so headmaster is here. We need some more schmooze points and Lisa is not the woman for that job.

Checo jumps into save the day.

I called Cassy again because Tess wants to be friends with her.

Lisa has been levelling for a while and I thought he needs a hobby and got her the robotics station and a car to fix.

I fixed that car many times but rarely played with robotics so she's gonna be an evil genius. And I noticed she fulfilled a wish after I bought this thing so even though tinkering is her hobby I think she wants robotics and science as well.

cute little scene

I noticed at this point that I never took pictures from Checo's day and here he is buried with customers. He makes sells, he restocks he makes sure the cashier doesn't quit as it happened so many times with Denise xD

Hermia's face xD

Back in the house Tessa brought another friend but she has a wish to become best friends with Cassy.

Meanwhile Lisa got a bronze badge!

I've never seen this thing in game before.

The place is so crowded the cashier line is broken xD

I was worried that the expensive sales were going to go to waste because he is sooo bad at this. He managed to get to Demi before she lost a star and threw the bag down.

This guy came to network with Checo, I thought cool. What he'll get?

A date? nah. Even if he wasn't married he doesn't have the time xD

I called Cassy over so they can become best friends.

She brought Pascal as a friend xD it's a nice little play date.

It was also Tess' birthday and not an official party but similar.

oooh, she' rolled Romance. I love it. Maybe she'll be less boring than her parents now xD

With this however their round is over. A singular post for a family of 3 is weird but they are boring xD

[novakiart]

I've gotta know, so curious, where did you get your style inspiration from?

ohhh that's such a hard question!!! this style is one I've been tinkering with for two decades and inspiration has ebbed and flowed, so there's no way I could name everything that's inspired me up to this point!

if I had to name one, I think it would be Tess Stone's work. I was super into Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name back when it was actively updated on DeviantArt waaaay back in the day and his stuff is what really got me into graphic novels as a storytelling medium. but for the past few years, I've just kind of collected elements of other people's art that I've liked and adapted them to fit my own. what you see is the sum of that!

artists, like writers, are just kind of frankenstein'd together. we are the sum of our influences, nothing is original, etc etc

[mimisempai]

You will never be one of my regret

Summary

Bill wakes up in an empty bed and finds Frank contemplating the memories of their lives hanging on the wall after a nightmare. But it is not the nightmare that keeps Frank awake, it's a question that nags at him. Does Bill regret letting him into his home?

On AO3

Rating G - 761 words

Bill awoke with a strange feeling. The space beside him was empty and cold. He looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand, it was 2 am.

He got out of bed without putting on a shirt, it was summer and the night was still warm. He went in search of Frank, a little worried.

He quietly descended the stairs and when he reached the first floor, he immediately saw his lover standing by the piano, looking at the paintings and photos hanging on the wall.

Before Frank, there were only two photos on that wall, an old yellowed photo of Bill and his mother, apparently at his First Communion, and another of a young adult Bill in a lumberjack shirt and jeans cutting wood.

Now the two photos were surrounded by several of Frank's drawings and paintings, collected since Frank had started painting again. 

There was a charcoal portrait of Tess and Joel talking in their backyard.

A watercolor of Bill playing the piano and smiling as he sang for Frank.

Various small sketches that reminded Bill of many happy moments. A strawberry. A bottle of Beaujolais. A green plant.

Several other charcoal drawings of Bill wearing an apron in the kitchen, or tinkering with the pickup, or watering Frank's plants with a scowl.

A self-portrait of Frank that Bill had asked him to paint.

All the bits and pieces of the happiness that had made and were making their lives.

Bill came closer and, in a now natural gesture, put his hand on Frank's shoulder to let him know he was there. Then he slid his arms around Frank's waist and rested his chin on Frank's shoulder. Frank immediately leaned his head against his.

Bill asked quietly, "A nightmare?"

Frank nodded, "Hm. Nothing new."

Bill had no answer, just a tightening of his arms around Frank in support. Of course, they both had their share of nightmares. For Frank, they were more frequent, considering what he had been through before falling into Bill's trap.

They stood in silence for a few moments, contemplating these fragments of their lives.

Suddenly, Frank whispered, "Do you regret it?" 

Bill replied in a confused tone, "Regret what?"Frank turned in Bill's arms and, putting his hands around his neck, he replied softly, "When I literally fell into your trap and almost forced myself into your home, do you regret taking me in? Do you not regret the fact that I disrupted your life?"

Bill cupped Frank's face with his hands, locked eyes with him, and said in a deep, determined voice, "I don't have to think about it to give you an answer. My answer is no, a big no. I'm not going to lie and tell you that I did it willingly in that moment.  You saw for yourself that I was anything but... welcoming. But to regret it? Trading this life for the one I had before you? I never will. What I have here with you is real, it's my present. So no, I have absolutely no regrets about you."

Bill sealed his speech with a deep and tender kiss before wrapping his arms around Frank and continuing, his lips against Frank's hair, "The only thing I regret now is that you must have been doubting all this time because we didn't have this discussion earlier."

With his head against Bill's shoulder, Frank replied, his voice muffled, "I haven't doubted all this time, it's just that sometimes I wonder if I've made things harder for you. ."

"But Frank, take a good look." Bill took him by the shoulders and turned him back to the pictures...

"Take a good look," he repeated, "Take a good look at the pictures and take a good look at what you painted of me, can't you see the difference?" He didn't wait for Frank's answer and continued, "My smile. I am happy in your drawings and you are responsible for that. I can't remember a time when I was truly happy before I met you, but there on that wall is a concentrate of the happiness I've lived with you. So instead of making things harder for me, I would say you made them better.

Frank gazed at the pictures for a moment before turning and taking Bill's hand. He pulled him behind him toward the stairs to their bedroom, "Let's go to bed and make some more happy memories."

Following him, Bill took one last look at the wall covered with drawings, thinking that there was plenty of room for more pieces of happiness.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Bill and Frank masterlist : here

[lone-sole]

I gave Amanda a new FC and now @sah1x1s has to deal with her being a hyper muse (p2: Joel!)

---

She was only two when the world went to utter shit.

Catherine, her mother, basically raised her on the road for a few years before settling at the QZ. There Amanda was able to grow, to tinker, to learn with out having to think too much about the apocalypse unfolding every day. She was pretty young when she started working on maintenance, then specializing in gun maintenance. 

Joel was possibly the most distant of the community, always Kinda coming and going without speaking to her. Tess was usually one to stop by, unload on her the guns that needed fixing or cleaning. But seeing Joel in her shop... Something unnerved her about it.

“Hey Joel.” she voices awkwardly. “Uh. you okay?”

[startseeingstars]

Echoes - Ollie Sway (Song of Sway Lake)

CH20 Ollie’s POV

🎶 Do I Wanna Know - Arctic Monkeys 🎶

T/W smut

Tess’s soft hair covered my face as she sat on my lap, flipping through my record collection. Nikolai was downstairs, tinkering with the boat as per usual.

It had been a couple of weeks, but he recovered quickly and was already back to his annoyingly charming self. Luckily, it was just a severe concussion.

That day changed something in me. It made me realise that I could take chances, and I wanted to, with Tess. Since Grandma Charlie left, Tess had moved into the lake house with me. I figured she should probably stop illegally occupying the property next door, and we had been together pretty constantly.

It was like I couldn’t get enough of her. Her presence had this grounding effect on me that made me feel like I wasn’t completely in over my head all the time. It quieted the storm in my head that had seemed to loom over me since my Dad.

Carefully, I brushed her hair aside, revealing the soft skin of her neck. I couldn’t help myself from planting small, lingering kisses there, letting the tip of my tongue graze along her skin.

She giggled, looking back at me with that familiar softness in her eyes that made me smile. “What?” I furrowed my eyebrows, but I knew she could feel my growing hard-on against her ass.

“Nik’s downstairs.” She smirked as my hands slid up her thighs, beneath her sundress. Her legs parted slightly, and my fingertips brushed gently against her core. She was already wet, and I grinned when I realised she wasn’t wearing panties. Good.

Her head lulled back onto my shoulder as she sighed. It was a sound that made my chest swell, among other things. “Don’t let him ruin the fun,” I pleaded teasingly, dipping a finger inside her as she gasped slightly.

Her hand took my free one from her thigh and brought it higher. I groped her chest, feeling her breathing get heavier as I pinched her nipple under the thin fabric of her dress while my other fingers played with her wet core.

My cock twitched beneath her as she started to grind her hips against me. That was all it took for me to gently guide her off my lap. She looked surprised for a split second before she watched me shimmy my pants lower, freeing my aching cock.

Her eyes darkened slightly, and I stroked my length as she lifted her dress, giving me a view of her perfectly plump ass. I reached out, groping it for a moment before she swatted my hand away playfully.

Leaning forward, she adjusted herself against my ready cock and I felt her slick juices coat the tip. With a soft moan, she sat and my hands found her hips to help guide her down my cock.

“Mmm, feels good, baby?” Her sweet voice was gentle, almost musical to my ears as I closed my eyes and nodded.

Her warmth wrapped around me perfectly, and I began to buck my hips slightly. Just then, we heard footsteps down the hall.

Nikolai.

She went to jump up, but my hands gripped her tighter, holding her in place. Panicked, she glanced back at me. “Shh,” I brushed her hair behind her ear as she quickly adjusted her dress, covering us both.

Nikolai knocked, but immediately entered the room, rendering the gesture useless. “What’re you two love birds doing, huh?” He seemed playfully suspicious, but to my surprise, Tess answered.

“Flipping through records,” she shrugged, continuing with her mundane exploration. Her casual demeanor and Nikolai’s intrusion had my cock throbbing inside of her, begging for movement, but I remained still.

“Ah, what is new? Ollie, can you help me with the boat?” His eyes fell on mine, but I swallowed the small lump in my throat.

“M-maybe later,” I tried to keep my tone casual, but as Tess leaned forward ever so slightly to pick up a different record, my voice faltered. “I’m kinda tired.” I finished as she sat back down, letting her pussy swallow my rock hard cock again.

Nikolai smirked but rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I’ll see you at dinner.” He took his leave and Tess turned to me with bright red cheeks.

“Oh, you’re dirty.” She teased, wriggling her hips against me again now that we were alone.

“You have no idea,” I gripped her hips, holding her still once again. She frowned, confused as I kissed her cheek. “I like this,” I muttered against her skin. “Let’s see how long you can go without squirming.” I was curious as to how long she could hold out before going crazy and using my cock to satisfy herself. The idea of it was intoxicating to me.

“Oliver,” she whined, scolding me playfully. My fingers dug into the flesh of her waist a little harder as she tried to squirm.

“C’mon, Princess. Be good for me.” I encouraged lightly, trailing kisses from her earlobe to the nook of her shoulder and neck. She groaned, but stilled her motions.

“Fine.” She sighed, and I ghosted one hand over her chest, the other rubbing small circles against her sensitive clit. I felt her shiver beneath my touch and smiled, in absolute awe of the beauty she radiated, inside and out.

[jennabeansims]

Caitlin’s family invited her and Matthew over to meet the newest member of the family, Tess Tinker. Caitlin was now beginning to wonder if she is ready to start having children of her own.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 8 Ep. 66: Movin' Out

While the young ones were off at Paul’s party, Chance and Bianca’s search for their perfect new home had ended on the bluffs in Strangerville.

A modest sized house had just come up for sale and they both fell in love with the layout and the location. Before they said goodbye to the homestead by The Bay there were just a few last items they needed to collect to make their new house feel like the home of their dreams.

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The first item on Chance’s list was to finish a pet project that he’d been collecting parts on for ages. The robotics master had never made a servo, but with the prospect of a raising a child and Bianca’s demanding job he had decided a couple extra hands would really help out.

After days of tinkering and a healthy dose of electricity Chance and Bianca welcomed the shiny new Tess into their family.

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As far as Bianca knew, the next item on their checklist was to visit the wishing well at the party place.

When Chance had told her about Aileen and Marlee’s wishing well based introduction into his family, she had become enchanted with the idea of a child of their own that was literally a wish come true. Chance was happy with that plan but had one extra wish of his own to request of her first.

In the drizzling courtyard outside, Chance got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend to agree to spend a lifetime with him and their soon to be new son or daughter. Bianca was not a naturally romantic sim, but the levelheaded soldier had been looking forward to this proposal for awhile now.

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

The happy new fiancées were now ready to make their request. Chance had done his research on what kind of offerings best disposed the spirit of the well towards generosity. After flipping the glittering gift into the depths, he followed it up with his firm and heartfelt wish for a child.

Neither of them noticed the archmage Candor behind them, who had apparently been drawn by the magic entangled with his ex-husbands wish. Adding his own silent well wishes for the couple’s happy future, he quietly returned to his current family inside the party place with an oddly weighty heart, leaving Chance and Bianca alone to await the results of the well’s sparkling magical work.

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As the glow faded both sims looked around eagerly for the child they had expected to appear, but to their surprise there was no one there.

Instead, Chance’s phone suddenly began buzzing urgently in his pocket. It seemed that the magic in the well had adapted to modern conveniences in granting this particular wish and had somehow simply altered records at a local agency to pre-approve them for an adoption.

They rushed home to go online and complete the process of selecting the child of their dreams from the options the well had put in their path.

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

Later that same day Chance was able to bring Robin to the homestead briefly to meet her new relatives.

Their little family now complete Chance and Bianca finished packing up their things, said their goodbyes, and made the trek out to Strangerville to get settled into their new home with their daughter and robotic friend.

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Want To See More? View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[assholevoice]

The bullets didn’t kill the creature, only slowed it down a little. The teen scrambled to her feet and almost reached the doorway where Joel stood, gun in hand, when she was suddenly tugged backwards by her hair like a ragdoll. The force of the action causing the girl to fall hard on her back. Now he had a clear shot again, only a few feet from the looming threat. He pulled the trigger but he was out of bullets. Joel cursed, the infected now on top of the brunette, what was left of a mouth chomping air; its putrid breath on top of her. The man struggled to reload why the girl fought off her attacker; her cries becoming screams. Just as he had reset the weapon, he looked up as the girl stabbed the creature in the fungus filled head with something sharp. What was left of human blood, oozing out of the open wound and onto the dirty tiled floor.

Joel stared, gun half raised, his breathing heavy and he sighed in relief. A load of good he did! He watched the teen throw away her make-shift weapon and lean back, the distress alleviating as her brush with death was over. He saw her bloody palm and furrowed his brows, finally lowing his weapon, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. He put his gun away and tinkered with his flashlight while the girl pulled herself together, silence between them. When she spoke Joel almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it. He looked at her intensely for a moment before looking away, making up his mind.

“One.” He breathed, reluctantly, he had to give it to the girl, she wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed but she did have tenacity. She reminded him of Tess. He would tell the others there was only seven cans instead of eight. Since he always delivered he figured they owed him one by now. The girl had almost got herself and him killed, he could have been half way back to the QZ by now; but he had to admit she had taken the infected out in the end.

“Let me see your hand.” He said, it wasn’t a request. He had to see if she had been bitten in the scuffle. He grabbed her backpack and put the cans into his before stepping forward and holding out a can in one hand, opening his palm with the other as if to say; show me the hand and I’ll give you the can.

     Feet carried her as fast as she could go, legs feeling like CINDER BLOCKS when they should have been light as a feather. That’s how those nightmares always went, though, right? The harder you tried to run away from the DEMONS, the slower you were actually moving. Shots were fired above her but to no avail, the clicker barely slowing down as she managed to scramble back up to a standing position and sprint towards the door. 

     Just as she was about to make it to the guy, she felt a tug on her braid, neck craning backwards and body SLAMMING to the ground. 

          No, please, STOP! 

     The nature of the attack flung her back into a rather painful memory, visions of Rick standing over her and laughing as he had his way with her when she coped an attitude or stood up for Max FLOODING her system. Too often was she left BROKEN on the floor of the tiny apartment in the QZ, not a single knock on the door to see what all the commotion was about. Not a goddamn neighbor or even fucking FEDRA cared enough to look further. Everyone knew she had a mouth on her, the teen often starting fights with the other girls, so seeing her covered in bruises was nothing new.

     The loud, shrill sound of the clicker was what SNAPPED her out of the memory, Sydney doing all she could to keep the clicker from infecting her. Her gun had fallen on the ground when she slipped at the end of the aisle so that was out of the picture as far as a weapon. Using her forearm to hold the creature back, her free hand searched for something – ANYTHING – to grab on to. It must have been her lucky fucking day, ‘cause sure enough, her palm wrapped around a large shard of broken glass. 

     With all of her might, Sydney swung the shard into the side of the clicker’s abdomen twice. Now that she was free, she turned the tables and mounted the fungus, arms raised high as she drove the shard straight into what was left of the brain.

          One. Two. FUCK YOU! 

     She stayed there for a few seconds, hunched over the now deceased clicker to make sure the BASTARD wasn’t coming back before leaning back and yanking the glass out, discarding the makeshift weapon to the side. That was when she noticed the BLOOD seeping out of her palm, no doubt thanks to the amount of force required to kill the infected below her. Pressing against her knee, she was slow to stand, the exhaustion of the battle that had ensued and an empty stomach taking everything out of her. Once she was standing again, she stumbled a bit backwards, catching herself on the mostly empty shelves behind her. Tired gaze shifted from the floor to the stranger.

          “So can I keep the cans?”