#also like. helps that i saw a direct comparison right before the video but um. honkai stigmata as a fontaine character???

[aromanticasterisms]

whatever kaeya's in 3.7 i'm satisfied

[potter-imagines]

Being Thor and Loki's Little Sister and Dating Peter Parker Would Include...

Notes: wow I haven't written a marvel one in a long time pls don't read too much into the timeline lol I know things overlap but just go with it (:

Warnings: none... I think ??

Word Count: 3.6k (sorry its a bit long for a write like this but I couldn't help myself)

You managed to do a decent job at keeping your relationship under wraps from your brothers for quite some time

Of course every other member on the team knew before the two of you even begun officially dating

Peter had spent three months ranting and raving to Tony Stark about how cute he thought you were and how much he liked you

Tony insisted time and time again he should tell you but Peter’s fear of rejection was much too large for him to find the courage for that

Unbeknownst to him,

You had spilled about your crush on Peter to Wanda and Nat almost a week after living in the compound

Being the only other girls there besides Pepper, it was easy to confide in them

Day after day you would wander to Wanda’s room and lay on her bed and gush about how handsome Peter was and how kind of a heart he had

Wanda found it adorable

And Bucky, Steve and Sam had placed the pieces together after days on end of watching Peter and yourself flirt like school kids in the gym during training

Even after being frozen for years, Steve recognized the look of smitten on Peter’s face when he talked to you

Bruce on the other hand had to sit through most of the kids talks with Tony in the lab so he figured it out fast

So when the two of you finally confessed your feelings for one another and Peter asked you out, there was only one road block holding the moment back from perfection

Your brothers

You and Peter shared the news with all the other team members expect the two, possibly most important in your case, members

You’ve been close to your brothers since you were brought into this world so it wasn’t like you didn’t want to tell them

It was more or less how overprotective they could be that made you bite your tongue

And as nervous as you are, Peter is 1,000% more worried about your brother’s finding out

Like honestly can you imagine how petrified Peter would be to tell Thor and Loki you two were dating

He’d purposely walk in the opposite direction every time he saw either of the two for the first week

Couldn’t stop fumbling with his words when he spoke to either of them

Like he was terrified

It’s sort of a cliché to have protective older brothers but older brothers who were also both Gods ????

Peter felt like a deadman walking

When the day finally came that you did tell your brothers about your relationship with Peter, it was absolutely cringe worthy

Peter had been coming home to the tower after a long day at Midtown High School when he spotted you the second he stepped foot out of the elevator

His excitement had clouded his judgement as he failed to check and see if the coast was clear

“Y/n! Hey!”

He nearly tumbled over his own feet as he rushed over to you

His face was gleaming with happiness and for a brief moment you felt a smile creep to your face until you were pulled back to reality by his hand reaching out to grasp yours

Your eyes widened in shock as you stared at Peter and before you could warn him to stop, he had planted a soft kiss on your cheek

That adorable smile was glowing from his face as he reached down for your hand only to fall once you pulled your hand away

He gave you a look of confusion, clearly surprised by your lack of response

But when an awkward cough sounded from behind him, he suddenly knew why

Peter didn’t have enough time to make any sort of a move when a husky, all too familiar voice spoke up,

“Hello, man of spiders. May I ask why you just kissed our little sister?” “Oh shit- I uh, well you see I…um...she had something on her face so I uh…”

Loki would snicker in amusement at seeing the boy squirm and prolong his torture “So you kissed her?” “Yeah…” “Hm, there something you’d like to share, little one?”

It wasn’t exactly the way you were hoping to break the news to your brothers

But it was certainly one way of doing it

The rest of the night was filled with awkward tension as you and Peter had to confess the truth to your brothers, who then made you share the news with the rest of the team

Thankfully, the rest of the team pretended they were just hearing about your new relationship for the first time, seeing as no one wanted to deal with an angry Thor

Now let’s get into your relationship with Peter

Peter Parker is the most caring person in the universe

Honestly

And dating him certainly came with it’s perks

You can expect to wake up every morning with a fresh coffee and a pastry on your nightstand, courtesy of Peter

He’ll also write you a sweet little ‘good morning’ note with a sketch of spider-man hanging from a web

(( he’s actually pretty talented in the doodling department ))

Makes cute sketches of him as spiderman and you as a princess ( vv fitting)

But also draws you as a total badass saving the galaxy bc… well you are

Count on him to be the first person to greet you when the sunrises and the last person to wish you a goodnight when it falls

Gets Mr. Stark to buy you an iphone so he can teach you how to use it

Has your name as “goddess” in his phone

The first thing he does is teach you about texting so he can pay you in imessage games

Refuses to play you in battleship since you somehow have crushed him every single time

Gets slightly annoyed with the overwhelming amount of random photos you snap of him

But he knows its all new to you and finds it irritatingly adorable

Loves it when you walk home with him from school

Will also keep reminding you that you shouldn’t have walked alone all the way to Midtown High School alone

Peter often forgets that you’re Asgardian and can protect yourself just fine

But it’s so cute how protective he is

He’s very observant and notices nearly everything

Like when you’re feeling a bit homesick

He picks up on it right away and will ask Thor and/or Loki for advice

Or when you start to become bored and tired at one of Star’s parties

Peter made his way over you before you even had the chance to turn and search for him

He’d escort you back to your room and lay with you until he was positive you had fallen asleep

Kisses to the top of your head

Is the boyfriend that will take your makeup off for you if you wear any

(( and sets yours lashes on the nightstand so neatly and labels which eye they were on cause the poor boy doesn’t understand ))

Spends weeks learning how to master the intricate braids that adorn your head

It’s so cute cause he’ll sit and look up Youtube videos and try to learn how to make the different braids and is just so confused but so determined

Taking Peter to visit Asgard

“Woah- this place looks like something from Lord of the Rings! It’s awesome!” “Lord of the Rings? I’ve never met that God.” “Uh, no, it’s a movie from Earth. We can watch it when we go back.” “To Midgard?” “Midgard? No, to New York.”

Loves it when your people refer to you as “Princess Y/n”

For some reason it makes him blush

Will tell everyone back on Earth that he’s dating a princess

I could def see Peter getting annoyed and frustrated with the Asgardian men trying to flirt and win your heart

Although that’s something that already belong to Peter

And even though Peter trusts you entirely

He’s still insecure from time to time

Especially when he sees how much taller and stronger Asgardian men look in comparison to him

But he finds reassurance in the feeling of your hand in his and the gleeful smile adorning your face as you show him around your homeland

Attempting to help Peter study

Although you’re not much help to Midgardian school work “Peter, darling, I don’t have a clue what a watergate is and I haven’t an idea how that could be scandalous.”

Maths however you excelled in

And Peter was thoroughly surprised to find you had the sequence of PI memorized to the one hundredth number- and in song form

Holding your hand 24/7

Endless cuddles on the couch

And when you’re walking around together, he does that thing where he swings your hands and back forth

Movie theater dates… at the tower b/c your brothers feel the need to be in close proximity the you guys at all times

Trying ice cream for the first time with Peter at two in the morning

One of Peter’s favorite things to do with you is take you through a walk in his world

At least three times a week Peter and you will walk around the city and find new things your Asgardian self has yet to experience

Like pizza

New York pizza to be exact

And hot chocolate

Ice skating at Rockefeller Center once the weather got cold

Loves to take you for drives in the more woodsy land of New York once fall set in and the leaves began to change

But by far his favorite thing is showing you Midgardian films and movies of all sorts

He loves that you don’t judge him for nerding out over his love for films

Not to mention you actually sit and watch Star Wars with him

(( maybe it was the whole space element but Peter was just thrilled you liked it ))

But then he shows you ‘Alien’

And it was an instant regret

It took him the rest of the night to convince you that the movie was fake

You made him sleep in your room just for reassurance

Your favorite out of the films Peter played was called ‘Toy Story’

Buzz Lightyear reminded you of Thor

In terms of TV shows

F.R.I.E.N.D.S. which quickly became your guys comfort show

Parks & Rec too “That Andy fellow looks an awful lot like Starlord, don’t you think?”

Peter refuses to let you watch Black Mirror

After the whole incident with Alien

Black Mirror didn’t seem like a good idea

Constantly teasing from the rest of the Avengers

Tony just can’t help it

He loves tormenting the two of you

Especially when Thor and/or Loki are around

“Hey Peter, I thought I saw you go into Y/n’s room last night but I didn’t see you leave until the morning. Heard a lot of noise too- thought Y/n was getting attacked. What was that about?”

Or

“Kid, I got you those condoms you asked for. How’d you manage to run out of that last box so quick? I just bought it for you a week ago!” “Messing with you, they’re just sugar packets- Thor put Peter down right now!”

Aunt May absolutely adores you

Always tells Peter how sweet you are and is constantly inviting you over for dinner

Lets you two have sleepovers in his room at her place

As long as the door stays open

Peter can’t stop laughing when you compliment May on her ability to make an amazing bowl of cereal

She thought it was a joke seeing as she burned dinner the night before to a crisp and laughs until she’s in tears

And you’re literally sitting there so confused, clearly not understanding the joke

Peter then takes you on a trip to a grocery store for the first time to show you a whole aisle full of cereal

It is then that you realize Aunt May didn’t hand make the fruity pebbles

She still laughs about it to this day

Befriending Ned and listening enthusiastically while he gives you a full speech on the franchise Star Wars

And his rant on how terrible Star Trek is in comparison

Is shocked when you ask questions out of genuine interest

Ned immediately takes a liking to you after that and asks Peter daily to invite you to hangout

Whenever Stark adds an upgrade to his suit, you’re the first person Peter shows it to

He shares quite literally everything with you

As do you to him

The rest of the Avengers love gossiping about you guys

Nat and Wanda have already started planning the wedding and Pepper has the perfect venue in mind, much to your brothers dismay

For some reason

Thor and Loki are always within reasonable distance, enough so they can keep an eye on you but also give some sense of privancy

Thor is def always the first one to step in

“Peter, please remove your hand from my sister’s behind.” “Oh uh, ye-yeah… sorry, Mr.Thor.”

Loki would find Peter amusing

He loves to mess with him whenever given the chance

“Ah, Peter. Good to see you. I’m sure Y/n informed you of our task today. Very impressed that you offered yourself as the sacrifice to the aliens-” “Wait, what? Y/n?!” “He’s kidding, Peter.”

Everyone in the Avenger’s tower knew Peter was lactose intolerant and knew the repercussions of the boy consuming any sort of dairy

(( he physically cannot leave the bathroom for a full day ))

Yet Loki regularly will swap Peter’s specially labeled almond milk with a jug of skim milk just for the hell of it

There’s something so hilarious to him about the look of panic and alarm that smacks abruptly across Peter’s face as he quickly stumbles out of the kitchen to his room

It keeps him laughing for days

You’ll just shoot your brother a look of disapproval, clearly certain it was his doing

“Loki, why did Peter run off?” “Not sure, darling sister, maybe he’s got one of those stomach bugs. I’ve heard Midgardians are prone to them…weak bodies and such.” "You switched out his milk again didn’t you.” “I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re accusing me of, little one.”

Thor is a bit more hesitant on accepting your relationship with his fellow Avenger

He trusts that Peter would never harm you

Although he did not trust that you would never be harmed because of Peter

It was risky enough that both your brothers were big names in space, as well on Earth, however

Thor knew Loki and himself were capable of protecting you but Peter?

He was just a kid, in Thor’s eyes

However the one thing that kept him from telling you this was seeing how happy Peter made you

As your older brother, Thor trusted your judgement and tried his best to be accepting of his little sister dating

And as much as he wanted to deny it, he saw crystal clear the care and love Peter gave to you and he wasn’t willing to break that for you

Still

Thor is the type of brother to barge into a room and shove himself between Peter and yourself without warning

This man does not care at all

At least Loki has the decency to give you two space as a couple

Thor does not

He is constantly third wheeling on your dates and will ‘accidentally’ walk into rooms he knows you two are in claiming he forgot something

Not that he ever grabs anything,

He’ll usually just stand and stare at the two of you until you either leave the room or ask him to leave

To which he always answers,

“No.”

But with a smile

A smug smile

PDA is something he will never be okay with

Thor will yank Peter back by the collar every time he sees his lips on yours and glare at him, “Man of spiders, I know you’re in love with my little sister but kissing her infront of me is too far.”

And Loki will physically gag just to piss you off

For the most part, your relationship with Peter is nearly perfect

It would be entirely perfect if you weren’t constantly worrying about him dying on a mission or getting hurt

But still, just like any couple, you had your moments

And when you did fight, it was typically over Peter’s safety or him not wanting you to tag along for a mission

Your common way of dealing with conflict was the silent treatment

Which is pure torture for Peter

Not only does he miss the sound of your voice

He misses having you around

Seeing your smile

Hearing you laugh from something he said

He felt terrible everytime

He’d go to Tony for advice and spend hours rambling on to him about how sorry he was for yelling at you and for adding to the fight

Tony would half listen while he worked away on a new system and suit, offering a ‘yeah’ and ‘hmm’ every few seconds which pleased Peter who thought his mentor was fully listening

And after almost two hours of his non-stop talking, Tony Stark had reached his limit

Setting his wrench down on the metal table with a thud he turned around to face the young boy

“Kid, why’re you saying all this to me and not her? I mean, I’m all ears but I’m also not Y/n. I know we’re both good looking so I can see why you mixed us up, but you should be talking to her right now.”

Similar to Peter you also had someone to confide in when the road got rocky

Loki had always been the one you shared all your secrets with

As children you were attached at the hip to both your brothers but Loki a smidgen more than Thor

Your father, Odin, had Thor at his side 24/7 growing up

While he was busy learning the ropes to ruling Asgard, Loki and yourself run amuck causing trouble left and right through the royal palace

Through the years of bonding Loki become your best friend, and you his

So when trouble struck in paradise, your older brother was the one you ran to

He’d welcome you with open arms and a questioning gaze

Loki is by far the best listener in your family

Instead of telling you what to do, he asks what you want, which is a refreshing change

After a long talk with Loki you’d search the tower high and low for Peter while ironically Peter was doing the same thing

When you did finally make-up, it felt like coming home

The apologies were so sincere and genuine

You’d end up having a sleepover in your room watching 80’s films that Peter claimed were ‘iconic’ and laying in his arms

And that’s where you felt complete

Fights never occurred often but bickering ???

DAILY

You two bickered playfully over everything under the sun

Like who’s the better superhero; Ironman or Captain American

Or

Debates between living in New York and living in Asgard

Loves to pull up Midgardian inventions and ask you to guess what it is “Princess, what do you think this is?” “Oh! Oh! I’ve seen this one! Tony has one in his kitchen!” “Okay, so what is it?” “Yes, it’s a chicken nugget maker!” “It’s actually an air fryer but we only ever make chicken nuggets in them so I’ll give you a half point.”

Peter sneaking out of your room at the crack of dawn and sprinting to his

As much as Thor and Loki liked him and supported the relationship

He was sure they’d both team up to murder him if they caught him sleeping in your bed

Steve and Tony, who seem to be incapable of sleep, have watched him tiptoe out of your room numerous times but they only share a look of amusement then go back to their previous discussion

Playing hide-n-go-seek and tag on rainy days at the tower

Cuddling in Peter’s bed while he asks you to tell him stories about Asgard

Loves hearing about your childhood and what it’s like to grow up with siblings

Is fascinated when you tell him about Heimdall

Stealing Peter’s hoodies

Especially his Midtown High School ones

They’re insanely soft

Sweet little kisses throughout the day

He's just so sweet and gentle

Loves getting to hold you and snuggle in his bed

Most weekends you spend lounging on the couch with Peter’s head in your lap while you play with his hair

Other times you’re sitting next to Peter on his bed watching him play some video game and asking a million questions “Who is that man, Peter?” “That’s me, he’s the main character of the game. That’s Mario, babe.” “You’re not Mario- you’re Peter.” “No, the main character of this game is Mario, I’m just playing him.” “Oh… and what is that green dinosaur creature?” “That’s Yoshi!” “Adorable.”

Making out between games

In terms of... y'know... sex

Neither of you were keen on rushing the process

You had tip toed on the line multiple times yet never fully crossed it

Until you had decided to make the first real move after being together for about five months

You trusted him with all your heart so it wasn't exactly scary, but rather exciting

He had a way of making you feel safe, comfortable, and loved all at once

Lets be honest, Peter nearly fainted the first time he saw you naked

And still, no matter how many times the two of you have sex,

He worships every inch of you like it was your first time all over again

You couldn't have asked for a better lover

Dating Peter means a new adventure everyday

You’re constantly learning new things about each other and from each other

Despite coming from two very different worlds

You’ve never felt more connected to a soul until Peter came along

[xiaomoxu]

Lucien - Mind’s Quest: Arriving With The Crowd

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT!! ⚠️

A date from CN server which hasn’t been released on EN server yet. Might contains some spoiler.

Please beware of roller-coaster emotions from this. A sweet moment yet has a deep meaning between them, is ready to serve you~

*) I put [...] on my thought about some scene.

Translations under the cut~

Part 1

??: Lucien, MC, we met again.

On the way when Lucien and I get off from work, suddenly a familiar voice came from behind us.

We spontaneously turned around and saw our neighbor, Mr. Zhang, carrying a supermarket bag and beckoning to us with a smile.

Mr. Zhang: Recently, I saw you two commuting to and from get off from work together every day. It's a really good relationship.

MC: Mr. Zhang also helps your wife buy vegetables every day.

Mr. Zhang: My wife’s legs are not good, so I will run more errands. It’s not the same as when you are young.

Mr. Zhang: I remember MC said last time that you were going on a business trip, when would you leave?

MC: I will leave tomorrow.

Mr. Zhang: Oh my, it's no wonder! Then I won't bother you, so I'll leave you two.

Lucien: Okay, I understand, please be careful Mr. Zhang.

Mr. Zhang smiled and looked at us again, then strode away.

I received an outdoor reality show a while ago. I planned to go to the countryside of a neighboring province to shoot for three months. I heard that the signal over there is not very good and it is inconvenient to communicate.

In order to make up for the time when the two places were about to be separated, Lucien and I made an appointment to spare some time every day before departure.

Almost all the spare time was used by us when commuting to and from get off work, visiting the supermarket, and buying breakfast.

Even if it is somewhat "inseparable" in the eyes of others, I still feel that this time is far from enough.

When I was thinking about it, Lucien gently squeezed my hand, recalling my thoughts.

Lucien: How do you plan to spend the last night at home?

MC: Speaking of it, it might be a bit boring...

MC: In fact, my luggage hasn't been packed yet, so I'm always worried about what's left.

Lucien: Let me check it with you later.

Lucien: There is a distance between the shooting location and the urban area, so you still need to prepare well.

MC: Okay.

I looked up at the bright evening sky, and couldn't help but move closer to Lucien, entangled his arm.

MC: But the weather is so good today, let's go slowly.

Lucien: Alright.

As he said that, Lucien slowed down, we dragged a long shadow and walked slowly towards home.

--

Early the next morning, Lucien escorted me to the station.

After taking the luggage out of the trunk, I stood still and did not move.

Standing at the gate of the station, the dismay of parting suddenly surged up.

Lucien turned around with a sense and helped me stroke the messy hair in my ear.

Lucien: This time it's my turn to help you take care of the green plants. Don't worry, I will take care of them.

Lucien: And for you, if you need my help over there, remember to tell me.

MC: Okay.

I opened my mouth, but couldn't say anything more. Lucien sighed lightly and pulled me into his arms.

Lucien: It's ok, the words you want to say, I understand.

Lucien patted my back lightly, as if he wanted me to feel at ease.

I gradually calmed down, feeling the breath in his arms a little greedily, wanting to save a strength for myself.

None of us spoke, just let time pass quietly.

A radio alert sounded vaguely in the station, and the restraint on my waist was loosened. I also let go of my hand and raised a smile to Lucien.

MC: Phew... Recharge completed.

Lucien: It seems that the big producer is ready.

MC: Um! I will work hard, strive to go and return early.

Lucien: Okay, I'll wait for you to come back.

I waved to Lucien, pulled up the luggage and walked into the station.

After passing the security check and walking far away, I couldn't help but look back.

At the entrance of the station people were coming and going. I don't know who they are going to go to or who they have just said goodbye.

Lucien still stood on the spot, looking at me from a distance.

A train came into the station, and the crowd quickly engulfed him.

But knowing that someone is watching, has filled me with confidence.

--

Exclusive Radio

Lucien: The question just now is almost like this.

Lucien: After you go back, you can adjust your opening report based on today's discussion.

Lucien: Do you have any other questions?

Student A&B: There's none.

Lucien: Okay, that's all for today.

Student A: Huh? There is another hot search on the news.

Student A: "The villagers broke the news that the film crew was polluting the environment...This film crew seems to belong to the company "Miracle Finders", right?

Student B: Yes, I saw their propaganda a few days ago, saying that they are going to the neighboring province to shoot a reality show.

Student A: Local villagers said that they dumped sewage into the river and also posted photos.

Student B: This is too unqualified, right? Do you want to destroy people's environment in the name of local customs?

Lucien: ....

Student A: Wait a minute, Professor Lucien is the consultant of "Miracle Finders" .....

Student B: It's, Professor Lucien, we didn't have other meaning...

Lucien: It doesn't matter. It's a matter of fact. If the film crew really makes a mistake, it is normal to be criticized.

Lucien: But I want to know, did the photos on the hot search actually capture the scene where the show crew dumped sewage?

Student A: Not really, only pictures of the river.

Lucien: Then we better not draw conclusions so quickly.

Lucien: There is no objective fact of "the program group dumped sewage" in this photo, only the result of "the river water was polluted."

Lucien: People can stand from different angles and use this result to infer many different stories.

Lucien: There is only one true fact.

Lucien: How do you prove it, are the stories you heard were the facts?

Student A: I.....

Student B: Look, the program group issued a statement to refute the rumors!

Student B: They also did a picture comparison. It turns out that the picture on the hot search is a picture several years ago.

Student A: Huh? Then someone maliciously spread the rumors.

Student A: ... Sorry Professor Lucien, we were a little impulsive just now.

Lucien: There is no need to apologize to me, it is essentially the fault of the rumors.

Lucien: However, since the thesis is about to start the topic, you can use this matter to remind everyone.

Lucien: Whether you are doing research or encountering social events, don't be too impatient. Set your mind down and analyze the logic carefully.

Lucien: I will also look at your logic loopholes during the defense. So, I hope you will prepare it well.

Student A: Good professor, we must prepare carefully!

Lucien: Well, let's go back.

(Lucien left the room and close the door behind)

Lucien: Huh? No phone, no news...

Lucien: Forget it.

--

Part 2 - Main Story

I settled down at the shooting location and confirmed some shooting-related matters. It was too late when I got back to my senses.

--The whole day's hard work hits my body, but the unfamiliar environment makes me sleepless.

I unlocked the phone and saw that the conversation with Lucien was still staying in the report after arriving.

Suddenly I wanted to talk to him, so I raised my arm to find the signal direction and knocked on what I saw today.

MC: "Today, I was dealing with emergencies, the network was unstable, and the scene was very chaotic..."

MC: "But fortunately, I saw a very interesting book on the way, specially introduce words with special meaning."

MC: "For example, this one."

I posted a photo of a page in the book with the Greek word "pathos" on it.

T/N: The Greek word pathos means "suffering," "experience," or "emotion." It was borrowed into English in the 16th century, and for English speakers, the term usually refers to the emotions produced by tragedy or a depiction of tragedy. "Pathos" has quite a few kin in English. A "pathetic" sight moves us to pity.

It means the sense of yearning and longing for those who are absent.

I waited for a while, but Lucien didn't reply, he should have fallen asleep.

I confidently continued to type on the keyboard and talked out all kinds of experiences in one mind.

MC: "The villagers are very kind and hospitable and helped us a lot."

MC: "The air is also very fresh, and a faint fragrance of green grass can be smelled everywhere."

MC: "But there are so many bugs! Thanks to you reminding me to wear long pants yesterday."

I told everything from morning to night, and when I was about to say something, my phone suddenly shook.

A video call invitation appears on the screen.

I sat up, scratching my hair twice before press the answer button.

MC: You haven't slept yet...

Lucien: Well, just after finishing the report, I received your self-thinking message.

Lucien: I thought I couldn't wait for your good night today, but I didn't expect to receive a "big gift before going to bed".

MC: I don't know if you're still awake, is it bothering you?

Lucien: How come, I didn't feel disturbed.

Lucien: It should be said that I am very happy to see you share these experiences, in every detail.

Lucien: It seems that I am also experiencing these with you.

Lucien picked up the phone on the side and swiped, and smiled in a good mood.

Lucien: The book you took is also very interesting. The author has developed such a rich interpretation just around the word "pathos".

Lucien: This is the first time I know what this word means in Greek.

MC: Does this word exist in other languages?

Lucien: Well, I remember that this word is often used in English to convey the appeal of artistic works. It also means "sympathy" and "suffering".

MC: When you say this, you feel that there is a subtle connection between these two interpretations.

MC: Missing or longing for someone you care about can be considered "suffering", right?

Lucien: Maybe it is true.

Lucien: When the person you care about is not around, everything about her becomes more conspicuous, which makes people more aware of the fact that she is not around.

Lucien: Just like today.

Seeing that I was a little confused, Lucien pointed to his mobile phone.

Lucien: I saw some people on the Internet saying that the villagers at the filming location are somewhat dissatisfied with you.

Lucien: Is this the emergency you dealt with?

MC: ....I thought my actions for solving the problem were fast enough to keep you from discovering it.

Lucien: I thought you would talk to me about this sooner, so I have been waiting for your news.

I was stunned for a moment, and then quickly smiled at Lucien.

MC: Don't worry, those on the Internet are all rumors, I’ve already solved it.

MC: In fact, we get along very well, and we promised to let the guests help a family draw portraits tomorrow.

Lucien: Well, then I won't worry about it.

Lucien paused, and suddenly moved closer to the camera, seeming to want to see something clearly.

Lucien: Why you keep supporting your arm like that, is it not comfortable?

MC: No, because the signal at this spot is better...

MC: The accommodation conditions here are actually pretty good, and the rooms are clean and tidy.

MC: Except for the occasional signal, you have to looking for the angle yourself.

Lucien: I can imagine how you would look for a signal while holding your phone.

MC: You're teasing me again!

Lucien: Alright, I won't teasing you. It seems that you can sleep well tonight.

I lay down again holding my phone and patted the hard bed underneath.

MC: Newcomers may still have to get used to the bed for a few days.

Lucien: In this case, I will lie down with you.

Lucien turned off the top light and walked to the bed to lie down. I followed and turned off the ceiling lamp, leaving only the small lamp beside the bed.

The screen went dark, and Lucien's face also looked a little fuzzy.

We lie on each other's sides, looking at the screen, as if we were lying face to face.

Lucien kept looking at me. I was a little embarrassed by him, and my eyes began to drift around.

Lucien: Where are you looking at?

MC: ... I can't sleep, I want to divert my attention.

Lucien: It's better to close your eyes first, and I'll help you.

Seeing Lucien's encouraging gaze, I closed my eyes, and his low voice quickly came from my ears.

Lucien: Next, can you tell me what sound you can hear over there?

I pricked my ears and listened carefully, perhaps because my vision was blocked, my hearing became extremely sensitive.

MC: There is the barking of puppies and the roar of the machine.

MC: The alarm bell of a car rang...It was a bit noisy.

I subconsciously covered my head with a quilt, remembering that Lucien was still watching, and then secretly revealed half of my face.

Lucien: I seem to forget to remind you to bring earplugs.

Lucien: If you bear with it, the owner should wake up soon.

As soon as Lucien's voice fell, the noise outside the window stopped, and the world returned to silence.

Lucien: Is it quiet?

MC: Well, it feels quieter now than before...

We were silent in unison. Maybe the night is getting darker, and there is no other sound in my ears for a long time.

I don't know how long it took before I vaguely caught a tiny movement.

There are small ups and downs in the steady, it is Lucien's breathing.

I brought the phone closer, and subconsciously let my breathing keep up with his rhythm, as if we were in the same space.

My mind slowly calmed down, and my consciousness gradually drifted away in this sudden connection.

MC: Lucien...

Lucien: Hm?

MC: Good-

Did I say "good night"? It was too late to confirm, and my mind was gradually empty.

I do seem to be a little sleepy.

I don't know how long it took, Lucien's breathing gradually became even longer.

The girl on the screen is asleep, but she seems to have not released the phone yet.

Lucien sighed almost inaudibly, then curled the corners of his mouth again.

She was right, "The yearning and longing for those who are not around" does make people suffer.

Lucien gently stroked the sleeping face on the screen with his fingers, and spoke softly.

Lucien: Good night.

--

Part 2 - Memory Silhouette

Half a month has passed since the shooting. On weekend mornings, I was putting on makeup while chatting with Lucien.

MC: Professor Lucien has worked hard, and accompany me to get up early on weekends.

Lucien: It's okay, I just came back from buying breakfast.

MC: Huh? You finally remember to have breakfast on time!

Lucien: I heard that the spring limited soup dumplings from the Huxin Road store will be off the market in a few days.

Lucien: Thinking you might like it, I bought it.

Lucien: However, I forgot that you were not at home and accidentally bought two portions.

Lucien fiddled with the bag on the table and sighed softly.

I touched my flat stomach and sighed.

MC: I knew I should have eaten it again before I left, now I have to wait until next year...

Lucien: Then wait until next spring, we will buy it the first day it goes on sale.

MC: Okay! Then if you want to eat more today, just eat one for me.

Seeing Lucien nodded with a smile, I just patted the sunscreen on my face and closed my makeup bag.

Lucien: How do you feel that your dressing time has become shorter today?

Lucien: It usually takes at least half an hour before you come knock on my door.

I hummed twice, leaned close to the phone and tapped on the screen.

MC: Professor Lucien may not be aware of it. Make-up takes time and it takes time to remove makeup.

MC: At days, moving bricks are precious as moving gold, and I’m sleepy at night, so I don’t want to bother to remove my makeup.

MC: And now, it’s more important to be able to concentrate on talking with you for a while.

Lucien looked at me, smiling at the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

Lucien: It seems that I was too accustomed to this intention before, and I will cooperate more with your time in the future.

Lucien: Speaking of this, I found a lipstick at home yesterday, which should have been dropped by you.

Lucien got up and disappeared from the screen for a while, and when he returned, he had the lipstick in his hand.

He opened the lid and showed it to me. I recognized that this was the one I carried with me before. The paste had already bottomed out.

MC: Actually this one is about to run out, just throw it away for me.

Lucien: Do you like this color very much?

MC: Yes, it's very versatile.

Lucien thoughtfully twirled out the remaining lipstick. I looked at him with a curious expression and couldn't help but smile.

MC: Lucien, in your eyes, are the various lipstick look similar?

Lucien: Just looking at it, it's a bit difficult to tell.

Lucien: But after you apply it, I can see the difference.

[Not me crying over this conversation ㅠㅠ]

MC: Unexpectedly, Professor Lucien is also have a talent for such things...

Lucien: This is not my talent.

Lucien: You make these colors look clearer and more beautiful.

[UGLY SOBBING]

It sounds like a joke, but his tone is very sincere.

I was a little embarrassed to look away, and my heart was filled with sweetness because of his attention.

MC: Do you have any favorite color?

Lucien: I have. What I see now is the one I like the most.

My cheeks were slightly hot, and I was about to say something when the phone alarm rang suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.

Lucien: Is it time for assembly?

MC: Mmhm, how can time pass so fast...

MC: Then I'll go out first.

Lucien: Be careful on the road and take a break.

Lucien waved his hand as I did, and the sunlight shining in the room reflected his smile more clearly.

After finishing the call, I also subconsciously glanced out the window.

Although we can't spend this weekend together, but fortunately, we still enjoy the same sunshine.

--

Part 3 - Main Story

It has been a month since the shooting started, and the daytime sunshine gradually warmed up.

Three poles on this day, we set up the machine under the sun, but a guest did not wait.

Perhaps because of the sweltering weather, the guests were not very enthusiastic about their work, and even began to find all kinds of excuses to try "ask for leave".

Physical discomfort, temporary travel, family affairs... all sorts of things like

The reasons for yes and no are endless, which makes us very embarrassed.

I communicated privately a few times, hoping that they would cooperate with the work, but within a few days, the old drama will repeat itself.

Today was another morning without anyone. My colleagues took turns to the residence to persuade. I also made a few calls to the guests’ agents.

Fortunately, after some coordination, the guests finally came forward, and we started the machine in the afternoon.

But in this state, the shooting process becomes a bit difficult. The venue is not cool enough, there are too many retakes caused by the wear, and I don't like interactive sessions...

Little things that did not constitute a problem have become problems. I tried my best to explain from them, so that my colleagues and guests did not quarrel.

In order to ensure the quality, I temporarily decided to stop work ahead of schedule after the key parts were taken.

I took advantage of the break time and prepared to go to the nearby supermarket to buy some supplies to comfort everyone.

Along the way, the villagers who came home passed by, and the sound of conversation and the roar of tricycles filled the evening breeze.

Although they looked tired, everyone was happy on the way home.

I suddenly remembered the days when I left work with Lucien before I left. At that time, I also had the same happiness as them. It was expectation and stability.

I don't know what Lucien is doing now. Did he leave work on time? Did he eat well? I took out my cell phone, but found that there was no signal.

I turned off the screen, walked silently to the entrance of the village, and suddenly a bright light shrouded my head.

The street light was on, and the warm light spread on the road outside the village. In front of the platform not far away, a bus full of passengers was pitting in.

Looking at the scene in front of me, I seemed to be gently pushed by a force and changed the direction of advancement.

I got on that bus.

--

Clerk: Welcome!

MC: ....

Originally, I just wanted to take the bus to relax, but I didn't expect to sit at the terminal --- the railway station accidentally.

The power that clamored in my heart drove me to buy a ticket for the fastest return to Loveland City.

When I walked out of the Loveland City Railway Station, it was raining heavily outside.

I watched the pedestrians passing by in the rain, and the reason for escaping gradually returned to my brain.

I walked into a nearby 24-hour store and sat down. I was looking at the night view outside the window and combing my thoughts. My phone suddenly vibrated, and Lucien's messages popped out.

Lucien: "Are you done?"

MC: "Well, it's finished."

I thought about it and added another sentence.

MC: "it's raining outside."

Lucien: "It's a coincidence, it's raining in Loveland City."

Listening to the patter of rain, I calmed down a bit and dialed the video call.

Lucien quickly picked it up. With the light on, I saw the familiar room behind him at a glance, which seemed to be my living room.

MC: Lucien, are you at my house?

Lucien: Mmhm, the rain is a bit heavy, let me move the green plants on your balcony.

Lucien: Are you still outside?

MC: I'll go out to buy something for everyone, and I'll go back when the rain drops a bit.

Lucien: It's already a bit late, so be careful when you go back.

MC: Don't worry, I am fully equipped.

As I talked, I nodded vigorously, as if to prove something, and as if I just wanted to convince myself.

Under the bright light, Lucien's dark circles were obvious, and his face looked a little pale.

There was a bit of sourness in my heart, I subconsciously moved closer to the screen.

MC: Lucien, what have you been up to lately?

Lucien: There is a study at the end, and the things at hand are a bit trivial.

MC: Is it very hard? You look a little haggard.

Lucien: In order to avoid blemishes as much as possible, it is indeed a bit harder.

Lucien: But it will be over soon, don't worry about me.

Lucien: But you seem to be very busy lately. Have you encountered any difficulties?

MC: There is a little problem...but fortunately, it is not difficult to solve.

I hesitated for a moment, thinking that I secretly ran back to Loveland City like this, I always felt a little embarrassed, so I changed the subject.

I glanced at the room behind him, and suddenly caught a bright color near the window sill.

MC: Lucien, what's on the windowsill...?

Lucien: Recently, a new flower shop opened near the research institute. There are many type of flowers and they are very beautiful.

Lucien: So I bought some privately and put them in your house.

MC: Well, I want to see it too.

Lucien switched the camera to the rear, and I saw a row of flowers on the windowsill, almost in full bloom.

It can be seen that these flowers are taken care of by Lucien very well, but the colors are all gorgeous, and they are inevitably dazzling when they are placed together.

always feel that this is not in line with Lucien's style, so I spoke with some doubts.

MC: Lucien, did you choose this all?

Lucien: I just chose the type of flowers, and the clerk helped to match the others.

Lucien: What's the matter?

MC: Nothing... they are bloomed very well.

MC: Is it time-consuming to raise so much?

Lucien: It does take time to change the water and pruning, but once in a while, it can be regarded as a kind of rest.

Lucien: Sometimes it is a little more comfortable to do things according to your own will, right?

I vaguely think that he meant something. Did he find out what he sneaked back into? It shouldn't be so obvious....

Just as I was thinking about how to respond to him, Lucien turned back to the camera and met my gaze.

Lucien: What about you, is there anything you really want to do now?

MC: Yes, I really want to go home, and immediately sleep for three days and three nights, and then go to eat hot pot and soup dumplings.

MC: I also want to watch movies and dramas instead of the ones I made myself.

Lucien: I thought that at least one of these wishes was related to me.

MC: Of course it is related to you. These are all things I want to do with you.

MC: It’s just that sometimes I don’t dare to think too much. It would be a little sad if I remember that you are not around.

I lowered my eyes, on the opposite side, Lucien did not speak for a while. Only after a while, I heard his voice again.

Lucien: In fact, every time the flowers bloom and wither, I also get annoyed.

Lucien: It would be nice if I could see it with you. If I raise it with you, it might be able to bloom longer.

Lucien: I am used to witnessing these moments with you. When you are not around, it is really uncomfortable.

I looked at his slightly bent eyes, and the bottom of my heart loosened for a moment, like a seed coming out of the soil.

MC: Then next time there are flowers blooming, please send me a picture.

MC: Although the network on my side may be delayed, it can be considered as a witness with you.

The smile on Lucien's lips deepened, and he nodded gently.

Customers opened the door one after another, and I glanced out the window. The rain had stopped.

Worried about revealing my position, I hurriedly moved closer to my phone.

MC: Lucien, the rain stopped on my side, I'm going to catch the last bus first.

MC: Let's continue tomorrow, go to bed early. Good night!

Lucien: ... Alright, pay attention to safety. Good night.

As soon as Lucien's voice fell, I hung up the phone in a hurry, and quickly bought a ticket to the neighboring province.

The sky was still gloomy, but my mood faintly became lighter.

One-sided thoughts may be troubles, but if this trouble gets a response, it turns into some kind of power.

The feeling of wanting to escape disappears. Between parting and reunion, I will run as soon as possible.

Because I know he is waiting for me.

--

Part 4 - Main Story

The filming work has been going on for two months, and the sense of summer has gradually become clearer.

It wasn't until the evening when the heat subsided. Colleagues walked to the restaurant one after another. I took out my mobile phone and walked to a place where there was a signal, and left a message to Lucien.

MC: "I have finished work, is Professor Lucien still busy?"

The words "The other party is typing" appeared at the top of the dialog box, but soon stopped and changed to a video call invitation.

I hurriedly picked it up and Lucien's figure appeared on the screen. He was wearing a white coat and seemed to be still in the laboratory.

Lucien: Sorry, I may have to work overtime today.

Lucien: When checking the data, we found some problems, and we need to "rescue" them.

MC: Is it serious?

Lucien: Fortunately, it's just a bit time-consuming to process.

Lucien rubbed his eyebrows, and my heart tightened suddenly as I looked at his tired face.

MC: I remember that you were finishing up last month, is it almost to the deadline?

Lucien: It's less than a week.

Lucien: This time I brought a newcomer, and there are a lot of things that need to be run-in in the details.

MC: They might feel a little nervous, it's the first time they take on an important job.

MC: But with Professor Lucien, everyone will be able to find the way out smoothly.

Lucien smiled and moved a little closer to the screen.

Lucien: I find that in your eyes, "Professor Lucien" always seems to be very powerful.

MC: Not only "Professor Lucien", in my eyes, Lucien is omnipotent.

MC: As the saying goes, those who can do more work, but you can't force yourself too much.

MC: Maybe you can’t rest assured now, but I have a tip to make you feel better.

Lucien: Oh? I really need it. Please tell me your advice, teacher MC.

MC: When it's really difficult, just give yourself a wish.

MC: In this way, every day we are moving towards that final wish and we have overcome many difficulties without realizing it.

MC: For example, arrange a vacation or travel, as long as it is something you like to do!

Lucien looked at me for a while and suddenly laughed.

Lucien: Thank you, teacher MC. I understand.

Lucien: In fact, this wish has always existed, maybe I'm just too impatient.

MC: What is Professor Lucien's wish?

Lucien blinked at me and skipped the question.

Lucien: If I remember correctly, your filming is also coming to an end.

MC: Well, the part of the reality show has basically been filmed, and I will go to the neighboring city next week to make up some empty shots.

MC: It is estimated that I will be able to go home soon to appreciate the flowers and plants that Professor Lucien has taken care of!

Lucien stretched his brows, and the smile in his eyes became deeper.

Lucien: Well, they are also looking forward to seeing you.

--

The neighboring city’s framing plan is based on the theme of "going home from work", for which the on-site director summoned a group of extras.

However, it rained suddenly before the filming started, so we had to buy an umbrella temporarily and distribute it to everyone.

I looked at the monitor and thinking about the moving line. I saw the light of the traffic light blurred in the rain, like a wet oil painting.

Considering that the theme of this reality show happened to be related to painting, my heart moved and decided to change the shooting plan.

MC: Please use an artistic way to express the theme, we will do slow-motion processing.

Think of this block as the background of the painting. You can use the props to simulate the people in the painting.

The actors seemed to be very interested in this suggestion and tried them.

MC: Let's try it first.

The camera moved slowly on the slide, the light slid between the transparent umbrellas, and the crowd moved closer to the camera and dispersed.

I seemed to catch a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure in an instant, but in a daze, the figure disappeared again.

...How could Lucien be here? I must have saw it wrong

I blinked vigorously, forcing myself to concentrate.

Some of the people in this "painting" singing, some strode across the puddle, and some pulled out a stack of papers from their bags and threw them into the sky.

The night scene oscillated in these chaotic lines, and seemed to be lit by the warm atmosphere.

A piece of A4 paper flicked in front of the camera. After a brief loss of focus, the familiar figure suddenly appeared in the line of sight.

MC: ....?

I refocused, but found that the scene in front of me was not an illusion.

A narrow gap was opened between the crowds, and I saw Lucien holding the umbrella, walking towards me.

He didn't make any movements, but just followed the crowd forward.

The light-colored coat was stained with some rain, which did not weaken his refined temperament at all.

This is the "Professor Lucien" I am most familiar with. He walks in the crowd calmly, as if he just got off work.

The splendor in front of me instantly lost its sound, and my eyes could only follow him closely.

But why is he here, why did he join the group acting team?

Doubts and surprises are intertwined in my heart at the same time, I really want to run to him immediately. However, at present, the only thing I can do is to look up from behind the camera.

It seemed that I had been waiting for a long time, and the moment I looked at him, I looked into his full of emotions-eyes.

In the next second, he took out a familiar lipstick from his pocket, twisted his fingers apart, and slowly started writing on the inside of the umbrella.

Perhaps it was because the people around him were acting in an exaggerated manner, and his movements did not appear abrupt.

I subconsciously stared at his umbrella and slowly pieced together what he had written.

P-A-T-H-O-S, is the word we talked about.

The continuous rain water glides along the umbrella surface as if soaking it.

There is a faint bitterness in my heart, it is the smell of yearning and longing.

After a brief gaze, Lucien passed the equipment and stopped beside me, as if accidentally covering the umbrella over my head.

I came back to my senses and refocused my attention on the shooting until the group actors had all gone.

MC: Cut!

MC: Xiao Fu, tell the actors, just follow the feeling they just did, and take another shot later.

My colleague walked to the side to greet the actors. Seeing the atmosphere loosen, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face the person behind me.

I took a straight step forward, squeezed his sleeve, and poked his cheek again. Lucien leaned down cooperatively, and let me touch him.

MC: Am I really dreaming...

Lucien: Do you need to check again?

The smiling eyes are so near. As if bewitched by the light, I opened my arms to embrace him.

The faint fragrance of green grass enveloped my breath, and I couldn't help but move closer.

MC: Lucien...

Lucien: Mmhm, It's me.

He was holding an umbrella in one hand, and he held me tightly on my shoulder with the other. I didn't care if there were other people beside me, and buried my face in his arms.

A real touch came from under my palm, and the tips of his hair flicked gently in my ears, itchy.

At this moment, without the barrier of the screen, even if I bury my head in his arms, I can clearly outline his appearance.

Lucien gently patted me on the back. I don't know how long it took before I heard his voice.

Lucien: Is it confirmed now?

MC: Hm.… It is indeed our Professor Lucien who has replaced the actors.

MC: But why are you here?

Lucien: Now I'm here, will it affect your work?

MC: No way, you just provided a super awesome picture.

I remembered the busy work he said before, and subconsciously stroked the back of his hand.

MC: Is your research over?

Lucien: It's just ended today.

MC: Why didn't you take a break first...

MC: It’s a few hours’ drive from Loveland City to here.

Lucien: Compared to the past few months, a few hours is nothing.

Lucien: Besides, someone suggested before that I should give myself a wish to face the problems.

Lucien: Now that the problems have been resolved, I will come to realize this wish.

I looked into his eyes and suddenly understood what his "wish" was that he didn't tell me that day.

MC: But we have to go back to the countryside after the filming today. Is such a short time enough?

Lucien: Not enough.

Lucien: But the moment I saw you, I still thought it was worth it.

Lucien: I just don't know.. Does this suit the "going home" theme required by the big producer?

I looked at his questioning expression, and couldn't help but gently squeezed his face again.

MC: Totally suitable.

MC: Lucien, welcome back.

--

Part 4 - Memory Silhouette

After a brief reunion, Lucien will return to Loveland City.

After the filming was over, my colleagues took the equipment back first, Lucien and I got on the bus to the station.

There were not many people on the bus at this time. We sat side by side by the window, and the neon lights circling outside the window passed by.

This short reunion still made me a little dazed. I stared at Lucien's reflection on the car window, as if I couldn't see enough.

The bus stopped for one stop, opening and closing the gap between the doors, Lucien turned around, with a helpless smile on the corners of his lips.

Lucien: Suddenly holding it so tightly, are you afraid that I will run away?

He raised our tangled hands, and I realized that I had just accidentally used some strength.

I let go hastily, and reluctantly hooked his finger again.

MC: It's a bit, after all, "sweet dreams" are always too short.

Lucien: If this is your dream, don't worry, it won't slip away easily.

Lucien gently folded his fingers and clasped my fingers.

Lucien: Speaking of it, I'm very curious, why didn't you choose the Loveland City for your shooting this time?

I paused and thought about the words before I spoke.

MC: Loveland City is a bit far away from us, and suitable shooting sites have not been approved for various reasons.

MC: But there is another reason that I don’t want to shoot in Loveland City.

Lucien: Hm?

I paused and thought about the words before I spoke.

MC: At first, everyone was back at their home. If they were in Loveland City, they might not even want to work.

MC: Especially knowing that I'm in the same city as you, I can't help but feel sorrowful.

Lucien smiled and stroked the back of my hand lightly.

MC: But how do I remember that you seem to have sneaked back once halfway through?

MC: Huh?! How did you know..

I looked up at him in surprise, but Lucien smiled and clenched my hand, pulling me closer.

Lucien: When you called me that day, it was in the store, right?

Lucien: There is an activity label on the shelf behind you, and I saw the words Loveland City.

Lucien: Moreover, the call that day was particularly smooth. Normally, your signal in the village should not be so good.

MC: ... Then why didn't you break through me?

Lucien: You look a little shaken, I have been waiting for you to tell me why.

Lucien: But you didn't, and you comforted me in turn.

Lucien: So I guess, at that time, you didn't really want to escape, you were just pissing off, or wanted to calm down, right?

The stop announcement of the bus intervened in our conversation, and after a short stop, we continued to move forward.

The night scene outside the window quickly receded, and only Lucien's smiling eyes stayed on me.

I secretly sighed in my heart. Maybe it is because he always looks at me like this that he can always guess any of my thoughts.

MC: I should have guessed it a long time ago, nothing can be hidden from you...

MC: But thanks to you chatting with me at that time, I didn't really waver.

MC: Knowing that someone was waiting for me to go home, it instantly became full of energy.

Lucien: Silly, you have worked very hard.

Lucien: Compared with the past, you already become stronger and braver.

Lucien: Instead, I need to get strength from you now.

I looked at his slightly frowning eyebrows, and there was a burst of soreness in my heart, and I leaned over to embrace his waist.

MC: Can this give you a strength?

Lucien: Hmm... But maybe you have to hug a little tighter.

MC: You are shameless.

With that said, I moved my body and moved closer to him.

A muffled chuckle came from the top of his head, and the temperature between his arms soon covered his back. I leaned on his shoulder and suddenly thought of something.

MC: By the way Lucien, who told you about the filming location?

Lucien: If I told you, would you blame that person?

MC: Of course, it's not right to disclose the itinerary privately

MC: But criticism belongs to criticism. Since it was revealed to you, I will still personally thank this person

I reluctantly rubbed his chin and buried my face in his shoulder.

I felt Lucien resting lightly on the top of my head, and a slight vibration followed his voice.

Lucien: I'll tell you when your work is all over.

Lucien: Now there are only two weeks left, and we can enter the countdown to go home.

Lucien: I hope that when you see me again, you can still be as happy as you are today.

MC: I will definitely be happier than today.

The bus kept entering and leaving the station, muting our tail sound in the slightly bumpy carriage.

I counting in my mind, there are three stops, two stops, one stop left. I'm going to say goodbye to him again.

However, the rainy season is about to pass.

I think it will be a clear sky on the day of reunion again.

--

Part 5 - Main Story

The three-month shooting is finally over.

Before the hottest day came, I quickly packed my luggage and returned to Loveland City.

As soon as I got out of the station, I immediately looked around, looking for Lucien's figure.

The moment I dragged the box in the crowd, a familiar call suddenly came from my ear.

??: MC!

I turned my head and saw Lucien standing outside the security line of the station, his eyes gazed deeply on me.

MC: Lucien!

MC: Excuse me, please let me-

I dragged my luggage around the crowd, and ran towards him. Seeing Lucien, I rushing towards him, I simply let go of the luggage and jumped into his arms.

Lucien: .... Be careful.

Lucien warned me like this, but his arm had already hugged me tightly.

Rarely, he didn't lean over to hug me and carried almost all of my weight in his arms. I had to stand on tiptoe so I could barely touch the ground.

There was a slight suffocation in the chest, and none of us willing to let go.

MC: Lucien... I miss you so much.

Lucien: I miss you too.

A low breathing sound came from my ear, Lucien let go of me a little bit, his fingertips slid from the top of my head to my shoulders, followed by his eyes inch by inch.

Lucien: Our big producer seems to be tanned, tired and thin.

MC: Really?

I also raised my hand and stroked Lucien's cheek, rubbing it with affection.

MC: Our Professor Lucien has also lost a lot.

MC: It seems that I have to eat more delicious supplements these days!

Lucien smiled and nodded, and pulled the two luggage behind me.

Lucien: Then let's go home.

MC: Well, this time I really "go home"!

--

After returning to my home after a long absence, looking at the familiar furnishings, I finally let go of the tension that had been in the past few days.

Tired from the long journey, I quickly changed my clothes, walked into the room and opened the curtains, and at a glance I saw the flowers that Lucien kept on the windowsill.

It is a new variety that has never been seen before, and it is still in full bloom.

Lucien walked up to me and was slightly taken aback at the scene on the balcony.

Lucien: ... It seems to be brighter than I imagine.

MC: Imagine?

[DO YOU WANT ME TO CUT 1 KILOGRAM OF ONIONS??!]

Lucien's eyes flickered. I thought maybe he didn't know much about flower arrangements, so I volunteered to pick up an empty vase.

MC: It’s okay, just a little adjustment.

I picked a few flowers of similar color from a few bunches of flowers, trimmed them briefly, and put them in the empty vase again.

MC: Look, is this better?

Lucien: It looks a lot better.

Lucien: Before, I just followed the maintenance instructions to raise it, but it turned out that it needed to be adjusted like this.

MC: The most important thing is to keep the flowers well, I just add a little ornamental.

Lucien: In order to make flowers and people happy, it is best for us to raise them together.

Lucien: If you raise it next time, can you please help me arrange the flowers?

MC: Of course, it's on me!

I raised my head confidently, Lucien rubbed my hair with a smile.

Lucien: In return, I have a small gift for you.

Lucien turned around, picked up a small box from the coffee table and handed it to me, opened the box and there was a lipstick inside. The authentic rose red reminds me of the handwriting printed on the transparent umbrella on that rainy night.

Lucien: Choosing lipstick for the first time, I don't know if you like it.

MC: It looks so beautiful...Why would you think of buying lipstick?

Lucien: I just think this one should suit you well.

Lucien: Want to try it?

MC: Yes!

I picked up the mirror on the table and was about to turn the mouth red, and suddenly met Lucien's gaze from the mirror.

MC: You, why are you looking at me all the time.

Lucien: Can't I watch it?

MC: Not really, just a little embarrassed...

I turned around while I was talking, only to find that he was still looking at me in good time.

MC: .... Lucien!

He was amused by the way I was bulging. He seemed to think a little bit, and came over to take the mirror from my hand.

Lucien: Sorry, it's been a long time since I looked at you like this, I really don't want to miss any of your expressions.

Lucien: But if you are not used to it, I have a compromise.

Lucien: I'll help you put it on, how about it?

This fresh proposal made my eyes bright, and I quickly turned to face him.

MC: Okay, I won’t miss any of Professor Lucien’s special offer!

MC: But did you even know this...

Lucien: I'm not that good, and I may need you to be a "guinea pig."

Lucien: But I will try to be careful.

MC: It doesn't matter, Professor Lucien's "fault tolerance" here is very high.

Lucien: It seems that this is a special treatment for me.

Lucien: Come, sit by my side.

Lucien took me to sit on the sofa, tucked the hair beside my face behind my ears, and then focused on the lipstick.

He opened the lid skillfully, and squeezed it unnaturally

His gaze rested on my lips for a while, and I opened my mouth slightly in cooperation before he made the first stroke.

The moisturizing paste pushed against the lower lip, Lucien lifted my chin unconsciously, extending the color stroke by stroke.

His movements were very light, I was a little itchy, and was blocked by him, so I couldn't move, so I kept blinking and looking around.

Lucien seemed to have not noticed my struggle, so he put on lipstick slowly and didn't forget to look around, as if admiring his own work.

Lucien: This color really suits you, and looks better than I imagine.

MC: Is it "imagination" again?

Lucien: ,After all, it is a gift for you. Since I bought it, I have been imagining the way you put it on.

Lucien: Now, I can finally see it with my own eyes.

Lucien's fingertips gently rubbed along the edge of my lower lip, as if tracing its shape.

I caught a glimpse of the flowers behind him, and my heart trembled slightly.

I don't know how Lucien faced his longing, maybe it was a short daze interspersed with his busy work, maybe it was a "wish" in my heart...

I didn't deliberately think about it, but I felt that it was like a shadow.

I gently held his face and looked at him seriously.

MC: Lucien, now I am back.

MC: Whatever you think of or what you want me to do, you can tell me directly.

MC: After all, during this time, I have also accumulated a lot of wishes about you...

MC: Just as we "compensate" each other!

Lucien looked at me in silence for a while, and finally raised the corners of his mouth.

Lucien: Since I got my wish just now, now it's your turn.

Lucien: What do you want me to "compensate" for you?

I spread out Lucien's hands, seeing that there was still the lipstick that he had just rubbed off on his fingers.

I suddenly realized that it is precisely because there is no barrier at the moment that we can directly leave marks on each other.

And the long separation that I experienced made me want to be more greedy at this moment, leaving more proof of existence around each other.

I followed my heart to stood up and kissed his lips.

Lucien: ...

The newly applied lipstick rubbed against the corners of his lips, like a small blooming flower, dotted on his fair skin.

This color is really beautiful.

MC: If I want this kind of compensation... is that okay?

Lucien met my gaze, raised his hand and rubbed the corner of his lips, and suddenly laughed.

Lucien: Of course you can.

He hugged me up and let me sit on his lap.

Sunlight spreads on us through the gauze curtain, adding warmth to the narrow distance.

Lucien: I thought before that you might need to adjust to your original life for a while... Lucien: Now it seems that I am the one who has been worrying too much.

I took the lipstick from his hand and made a few letters out of thin air.

MC: Remember the "pathos" we talked about before?

Lucien: Yes, I remember.

MC: Later, I read the book carefully and found that there are actually two kinds of misses described by this word.

Not only do I miss the other person when we are separated, but even if the other person is right in front of me, I still long for him.

MC: So, although we are not in the same place in the past few months...

MC: But to me, I never felt separated from you.

Lucien raised his head slightly and looked at me, his eyes seemed to be filled with shards of light.

Lucien: So, even if I am a little greedy now, is it okay?

MC: It’s okay.

Lucien: I not only want to see unique colors, but I also want to leave colors related to me in it.

Lucien: Is it okay?

He took my shoulders and seemed to draw something on my shoulders with his fingertips.

I lowered my head and looked over. The little red he rubbed with his fingertips just now was drawing another "flower" on my shoulder.

MC: Of course, after all... this color suits me very well.

Lucien stared at me deeply, his gaze slowly sliding from my eyes to my lips.

In the drenched sunlight, he held my face and dropped a feather-like kiss on my lips. The soft touch feels like a kind of gentle comfort, which makes me fall into it bit by bit.

I closed my eyes and felt him pull my chin slightly. I opened my mouth slightly, and his breath quickly swept through my perception.

The jaw was clamped by him, and a slight pain melted into the hot breath, which made the kiss look a little eager.

I put my arms around the back of his neck and responded carefully, the pain quickly dissipated, and he asked for it even more with burning sensation.

The faint scent of rouge faints between the lips, I don't know if it comes from the lipstick on his lips or mine.

The shoulders were gradually clasped by him, and the cold air from the air conditioner came in through his fingers and was warmed by his palm.

Every skin that touches him is conveying pleasant sensations. I keep my eyes closed, but my eyes are full of brilliance.

The wet and rainy season that I have just spent alone is all illuminated by the snuggle at this time.

I don't know how long it took, the temperature on my lips slowly faded, I opened my eyes and saw a mess of rose red on Lucien's lips.

MC: Lucien, the lipstick--

Lucien: It's all spent.

We reached out to each other at the same time, trying to wipe off the fainted lipstick. But no matter how you rub it, it will leave a shallow trace.

We looked at each other in embarrassment and couldn't help laughing together.

MC: What to do.. am I ugly now?

Lucien: No, it's cute.

The eyes of the person in front of me are like water, and the sunlight seems to have washed away the complexities in these eyes, showing a bit of pure satisfaction.

Lucien embraced me again and stroked my hot cheek patiently.

Lucien: Any other wishes?

MC: There are a lot more, I feel I can't finish it for several days.

Lucien: It doesn't matter, I will be with you for many days.

Lucien: Those missing seasons, let us make up for it together

--

Notes from me: I can’t helped but giggling and crying over this date. The writer really gave us how Lucien’s feelings towards MC. They will loved each other for sure, with any circumstances ahead them. My wish just, please give them a happy moment like flying kite maybe? Anyway, thanks for visiting my blog and always reading Lucien’s date, and give him love~ xoxo

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: New Game Patch (December 18th, 2018)

Remove all MODS and Custom Content before updating your game!

Update: 12/18/18 - PC 1.48.90.1020 / Mac 1.48.90.1220

Hey Simmers!

It’s cold out there… wait, that’s a Groundhog Day intro. Also, it’s pretty “northern” stereotypical… my apologies. So, it’s a month out there in which some experience a cold season at this time of the cycle in which we revolve (or not) around the glowing ball in the sky, and in which festivities may or may not be observed, and others experience a warmer season, in which similar, or non-similar observances may be made. And I wish you an emotional response relevant to your desire.

With that said…

What’s New?

We have added MORE to the Holiday Pack!

More home things…

Some new light sources!

2×1 Ceiling light

Mason jar candles

A log display… with candles

Some new decoratives!

Ceiling snowflake décor

Mason jar décor

Bough wall hanging

Wood carving wall hanging

A fireplace façade (for decorative purposes only)

A new Picnic table

And more clothing things…

A sweater top for kids

A female full body outfit

Female pants

A female hair

A male sweater

A male hair

Slippers for male and female

Yeti costume, unless you choose brown, then it’s a Bigfoot costume

Not that I’ve ever seen Bigfoot…

And I apologize if you are a Big Foot who happens to play The Sims. Hopefully you see a resemblance.

All Holiday pack objects can be found easily in the catalog by using the Holiday Pack filter, in the filter sort options.

Remember, if you have not yet downloaded the Holiday Pack, click on the Holiday Pack icon from the Main Menu! And if you have already downloaded the pack previously, you don’t need to do anything, you have the updates now!

…assuming you are reading this after you launched The Sims, and finished downloading the update. If not, then you have them then!

In addition to the Holiday content, there are few other new bits…

A female hoodie, sweater, and crop top are new in Create a Sim

Two new recipes for your Sims to cook

Winter Cake

Crown Roast

And the Lin-Z Smart Speaker!

Play music, order a pizza, play trivia, be yelled at… all with the touch of… with the call of the wild… with just a…

You have to just talk to it. Your Sim talks to It.

Please don’t start talking to your computer.

Make friends with your new AI overlord and learn its secrets! Or don’t. It’ll remember

But if you already do, that’s ok, there’s nothing wrong with that. Just don’t name your computer Shodan.

First person camera smoothing updates. We got some feedback about the mode being a bit sickness-inducing (especially if you watch the announce stream and saw the Sim on the swing… or the rock clim… ahm, ur okay, I’m… let’s move on).

“Roll” has been disabled in First Person Camera mode when you are using the Sims 4 camera settings (you can find your chosen option in the Camera Controls menu in the upper right corner of the screen). Roll is essentially side to side movement along a curve, and the primary motivator of discomfort.

If you are a Sims 3 Camera user, and you want the smoother camera, you can use the cheat “camera.fpc.simple on” to switch to Sims 4 camera while in First Person Camera mode. And of course, to turn it off “camera.fpc.simple off”.

In addition players can use the cheat “camera.fpc.smoothing off/low/medium/high” to fine-tune their experience.

That’s that for the new, on to the old.

General Issues

The tutorial has been updated with some new tips in order to assist our new players with the basics of playing The Sims!

Style Influencer stay at home tasks now register as complete, when completed.

You can now hire a gardener if you have plants on your lot for your gardener to garden, regardless of your garden’s gardening needs.

Previously, if your garden was not in need, you were being incorrectly informed that you didn’t have a garden.

The brick01GEN wall pattern has a new name.

Teen interaction Mess Around should no longer duplicate itself in the interaction menu for each target location for said mess around.

Townie Sims are no longer glaring at each other as they pass by on the streets.

Sims have taken social etiquette classes, and now understand that one does not need to constantly mix drinks when hosting a party.

Does the concept of the entire Sims populace taking classes in social etiquette give you an Orwellian chill?

The tutorial's chef aspiration no longer starts your Sim with the Snob, Foodie, and Glutton traits, but instead the Slob, Perfectionist, and Foodie traits.

The former due to a text error.

The later due to the two being incompatible.

First Person Camera will no longer show the inside of the Sim's head when using Intel Integrated Graphics.

I told my mom that, she called my grandma, and said she was worried about me.

Ceilings should no longer look darkened, but instead lighting should be more prevalent in comparison to the location of lights in a room.

The Gardener Career now provides raises when the profession is maxed.

The With Pets, Dogs, or Cats Gallery filter now works, and will no longer break your other filters from functioning.

Z/X and -/+ shortcut keys will now adjust FOV in first person camera mode.

Exiting first person camera will no longer cause a Sims head to become stuck facing one direction.

Many others however are still stuck facing One Direction.

If you have enough traits to fill the Simology panel beyond the window height allowed by your monitors resolution, you will no longer find yourself unable to interact with the Simology panel.

Also, your Sim is amazingly complex.

Non-specific pack issue

Randomly generated neighborhood Sims should no longer shop exclusively within the City Living and Vampires Create-a-Sim catalogs, and are more likely to have expanded their clothing opportunities to all packs you have available for them.

Cats & Dogs

Cats will no longer become stuck on top of surfaces after being lectured about jumping on surfaces.

Cat Whiskers now appear with the proper color relevant to the color chosen in Create-a-Sim.

Seasons

Setting the thermostat to cold when it’s hot out, or hot when it’s cold out, will no longer add a 1.5-5x modifier to your bills.

Get Famous

Take Selfie interaction will now help relieve the Separation Anxiety tense buff that is a result of the Phone Fanatic quirk.

The More Views Video Station can now be cloned with the Eyedropper tool.

Sleeping Pod interaction Less Needy Dreams, has been changed to Social Dreams.

The More Views Video Station memory upgrade tooltip will no longer lie to you.

The Drama King buff received from watching a Sim perform the Perform Dramatic Monologue interaction will now tell you that it is from watching a Sim perform the Perform Dramatic Monologue interaction.

Moving an in use Music Production Station will no longer cause the music to become stuck on.

The Lifestyle Brand interaction now works.

Celebrity Sims set to the normal walk style, should now maintain their walk style setting.

Married celebrity Sims will no longer react in disgust towards one another.

In case you wanted more More Views.

Unless there is reason to.

Like cutting your toenails in bed.

I mean, who does that?!

Spa Day

Sims giving a hand massage, will no longer contort in an excruciatingly painful manner during the massage.

Vampires

The Parts to Copy filter, for vampires in Create-a-Sim, should now actually show what parts you can copy.

Parenthood

REJOICE! Children can once again play on the monkey bars without the compelling need to halt their monkey bar activities to make a mess. Yes, that’s right Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Player, children are free! Free to play! Free to climb, swing, and do whatever it is that children do on the monkey bars. The draw, the compulsion, the absolute need to end their activity to make a mess has finally come to a close. So rejoice! And let your kids climb, until they can climb no more.

Ok, let’s see, it’s been awhile since I’ve done this, so let me just go through my checklist.

Greeting, uh yep, check.

The What’s New section, check.

Various issue commentary, unnecessary expository, overuse of ellipses, random grammar atrocities, run on sentences…, check, check, and… um, check.

References to old and outdated entertainment media, check.

Sign off, and holiday wishes, not yet, but shortly.

Looks like everything is good to go!

Happy Holidays!

-SimGuruGnome

[bluepenguinstories]

Remoras Full Intermission II: Holding Back the Ship

(Takes place after the events of chapter 37 and before “Captain Acab” arrives at the diner in chapter 39)

Day One:

Dear Diary,

Or whatever. However it goes. Look, I got a journal so I can try to keep track of the days. Not because I’d be lonely out at sea. Nu-uh. Do I look like someone who gets lonely? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Not only do I not get lonely, but I don’t need to write in a journal, either.

...It’s just something I’m doing so I don’t get bored. That’s all.

So let’s recap: I bought a boat so I can sail back to the arctic and save everyone at the diner. And so I can see them all again. Before I set sail, I visited that facility that Wendy told me about. It was really creepy with how empty it was. At the time, I expected to be attacked by that mysterious person I had to fight in that alleyway. But that didn’t happen. Thank goodness.

No, instead, I found some rocks stashed in the back of a room. There didn’t seem to be very much, but I took what I could get. Those rocks, or “minerals” for the more sophisticated mind, were materials known as Angel’s Essence. Said to be fragments of a cosmic entity’s own body. In fact, while they cannot harm such beings, they seem to bring harm to a person who has become a host to the entity. Even then, the person can heal or regenerate from such wounds, but normal weapons and bullets may not do any damage at all by comparison. So weapons infused with those minerals have a higher chance of killing the host and sending the entity away than conventional weapons.

Anyway, I didn’t really have much to work with, so I just crafted a spear from a steel pipe and shards of the Angel’s Essence for the tip. It probably won’t do me much good, but without my rifle, I gotta make do with what I have. I can never know whether I’ll be attacked at sea, or attacked on my way back to the diner. Either way, I need something to defend myself with.

Day Two:

So I set out to sea yesterday. Yeah, I spent that long intro right before actually taking off on my ship. You know, like a dummy. I promise you I don’t make those mistakes often. Also, I feel like I can drop the formalities. Sorry ‘diary’, but you’re not that dear to me. You’re literally just a journal.

My first day at sea wasn’t very notable. In fact, it was quite boring. Just as I thought it would be. Gee, isn’t it great I have you? Or isn’t it great to have something to put my thoughts down? That’s all you are. Something to put my thoughts down. I promise, I don’t have very many thoughts. So you can rest assured that you won’t be used very often.

I caught a fish. Used a rope and made my spear into a harpoon. I’ve got months worth of snacks, so I need to be thankful that I’m not allergic to peanuts. All through the day, I shivered and...yeah, that’s nothing new. Let’s move on.

It’s a cold day today. It was a cold day yesterday. I wonder how far north I will have to go until the weather matches how I always feel. My guess isn’t long. I’m sure there will be some strong winds ahead. Some high tides, unstable waters.

I’ve never done this before. The whole sea thing. I feel like a pirate. Or a sailor. Except I’m not stealing anything and I have no sense of direction. It...it just dawned on me that there’s a very real possibility that I end up sailing in the wrong direction. This could go very wrong. Very wrong indeed.

Day Four:

Yesterday was just like the day before. There’s nothing new to note. I think I should have brought some books with me. Maybe buy a console, play some video games. I could have bought movies, a mini-TV, ANYTHING. Instead you’re all I have and I’m so lonely.

No. Ignore what I said. Please? Ok. Gonna cross it out now.

There. Done. Now no one will know.

Day Five:

Hi. How are you? I’m good. Let me re-introduce myself: I am Remora. Or Rhea. But I think when I see them again, I’ll be Remora again. I think I’d like that. Not the seeing them again part, but the Remora part. It just seems nice. Hey, I wonder if I’ll meet an actual remora while out at sea. It’s very possible, isn’t it? Maybe I’ll befriend a shark…

Never mind the last bit. I won’t cross it out, but this is just how things have been since out at sea. All around me is water. I can look out in every direction and I will just see water. Every now and then there’s a small bit of landmass. Like islands. Except they’re so small that NOTHING IS ON THEM.

You know what? That’s fine. That’s what an ocean’s supposed to be, right? A whole lot of water. If it wasn’t a lot of water, then what the hell kind of business does it have being called an ocean? Hmm? Something to think about. Anyway, I’m going to take a nap, try not to throw up. I’m finding I might be seasick, on top of constantly cold. Yeah, not so dignified for the once professional killer. That stoic, no-nonsense, whatever other adjectives. I’m not a weirdo. OK?

One thing I don’t understand about this, about myself as well, is why I’m putting in so much effort. I remember being alone before. Many times. I’ve enjoyed it, too. That solitude. That sense that I could be undisturbed, do things for myself, and live out the rest of my life alone. Now I’m going back. For others, no less. It’s just...this isn’t me, is it? It certainly feels like the me who first arrived to this world and the me now are two different people, and that person I was in the beginning...did I kill her? Did meeting those people kill the old me?

Day Six:

For the record, I don’t mind that I’m different than I used to be. In fact, for the longest time, I wanted to feel something, and have a connection with others, but I just never thought it possible. Is it still impossible? I’m not sure. I feel like I have emotions, though. Maybe that’s debatable, but I think my emotions are there somewhere.

There’s a lot of introspection to be had while out at sea. Alone. I’ve never really been that good at introspection. Or maybe it’s just something that happens regardless of good or not. I’m sure I’ve thought about myself a lot. Or at least I would hope so. For the longest time, I thought I was the only person I was able to care about.

...I think the truth is that I didn’t even care about myself. So many times I would take an injury as an excuse to die. Just be done with the shivering. Done with the coldness. Done with having to deal with myself. I think it’s not even that I didn’t care about myself, though. I think I cared about myself and it was because I did that I wanted an end to the constant discomfort. The constant pain. The parts of me that I wish never became. That killer, that lack of regard for the lives of others. If I just had some means of release, then I’d be free. No more pain, just a final, pleasant moment.

Anyway! I think one thing I ate today was trout. Couldn’t say for sure. I don’t think I can identify fish. If only Demetria was here with me. Not that I want her to be, just that she could help identify the fish I catch. No, I think I like being alone on this ship, actually. No one can tell me anything or say what’s “common sense”. As if I don’t know what common sense is. Not to mention, being all isolated like this where no one can see means that I can piss out into the ocean if I want to. No one can stop me.

Day Seven:

It’s been a week. I think. I swear the days aren’t slipping from me.

I’ve been thinking of new names….Noelle Fence? Like “No Offense”? Does that work? Maybe it doesn’t. Back to the drawing board. Why am I doing this? For fun. I don’t care about names, except the names that I like. Jeanne Denim? Hmm...no, I don’t think so.

I think I could go for some oysters. How do I catch them? I don’t have a net. This is so sad.

Day Ten:

I think I saw a seagull today. Or a dove. It could be a good sign. Or it could just be that it was a bird. Birds aren’t signs, they’re birds.

The past couple of days, I haven’t had any motivation to write in you. You’re toxic, I’m going to tell you right now. Just think about it: if I’m not careful with you, I’ll end up spilling some deep, personal stuff, and I’m not ready for that. I just want to pass some time while I make it to the arctic.

So what I do is nap all day. Nap and eat and stretch around. Do some sit ups. Imagine some scenario in my head. Sometimes I just think about some sea related things. Like mermaids. How big of boobs do mermaids have? Do they wear shells or are they full tits out? These are important things to think about when alone, out at sea.

Day Fourteen:

Sirens, mermaids...I know they were said to drag people into the depths, but has anyone ever had sex with one? No, it’s not a dignified thought. In fact, it’s not even a sanitary thought. Do you know how long seaweed grows to? How much algae is in the ocean? How salty it is? Now, I’m not saying I would...with a mermaid...but if I were to, they’d have to get aboard my ship. I’m not about to...with a mermaid...in the water. No thank you.

I think it’s been four days. But it might have only been a couple. Despite writing in this I think I’ve lost track of the days already. Don’t be mad at me, OK? There’s only so many nights and mornings I can take before they all bleed into each other. This is what a phone is for. Or a computer. Something. Alarm clock.

Day Fifteen:

How many more days? I think I saw some ice or something the other day. That would be thirteen days, right? Um...I wouldn’t mind licking a block of ice. Maybe a snow cone.

I’m still sane. As sane as I’ve always been. That should be noted.

Day Seventeen:

Let’s just pretend that numbers don’t exist. They don’t matter. Sometimes the sun comes up and sometimes it’s the moon. It’s going to be a month before I get there, huh? If I get there at all. Yeah. That’s a very real possibility looming over my head: the idea that I could never make it. That I could starve or die of dehydration. Or maybe, like I mentioned before, I’ll go the wrong way. Maybe I should just go south, just for fun. Who needs time? Who needs places?

I’m sorry. I don’t mean it.

Wait. What am I apologizing for? To whom? The Whomth?

Day Twenty-Five:

I’m still alive. Believe it or not. Yeah. Pretty impressive, huh? It’s been almost a month. I really can do anything all by myself. I can build myself a house (done it before, I can do it again). I can hunt alone. I can be alone. My whole life’s been defined by isolation, so this really isn’t anything different. That’s right: I’m the queen of isolation. The cold doesn’t bother me, anyway (except it does. It very much does. It bothers me all the time. To the point where it’s hard to sleep. If I get much sleep at all, it’s a broken one. Yet I’m so damn tired much of the time to the point it’s hard to keep my eyes open. Then there’s the shivering, the constant discomfort. Oh god. Why would I say that I’m fine when I’m most obviously not ever fine? It’s so obvious, too. Everyone can tell. I can’t even try to hide it and I hate it. It’s like please don’t notice me. Don’t perceive me. Don’t even have fantasies about me).

OK. I think if I stay on this page any longer, I might try to cry. I say “try to” because I don’t know if I will or if I can, just that if these thoughts go on much longer, I might want to. I can’t explain it any more than that.

Day Twenty-Seven:

I’ve done a lot of thinking these days. I know it was over a hundred years ago or so, but my mind drifts to the Titanic. It’s like, that thing crashed into an iceberg and that’s why it sunk. But I’m just thinking, like, it’s kind of the ship’s own fault, isn’t it? That iceberg’s just there minding its own business when a ship just decides to crash into it. Kind of rude on the ship’s part, don’t you think?

Not to mention, might I add, what kind of terrible ship doesn’t have good steering that it can’t just steer out of the way of the iceberg? I’m just thinking, like, even if there was a fog, they had to have seen it, right?

But, OK. Fine. So they tapped an iceberg. It couldn’t have been bad enough to make it sink, could it? Unless the Titanic was just feeling a little tipsy. We’ve all been there.

I suppose, I think, it was some kind of tragedy, and I guess it was sad for some people. Probably. I actually know very little about the Titanic. All I know is that there was a movie and French Girls, and Celine Dion, but I don’t think it was in that order.

To anyone who sees this: I’m sorry. But also why are you reading this? This is a private journal. I’m literally just out here, ALONE, in the middle of the fucking ocean, just sitting here. EXISTING. There should be no reason for you to read my journal.

Day Twenty-Eight:

I thought about tomatoes and I started to cry.

I didn’t actually cry, but I thought it would be cry-worthy. Like if it was going to go into a cry compilation, it may as well be tomatoes. It’s just...the make ketchup and tomato soup. That’s amazing stuff. How are we so blessed to have tomatoes? Oh, and don’t get me started on potatoes. I’ve never been a big potato fan but I wish now more than ever that I could just bite into a potato.

Day Twenty-Nine:

I’m starting to believe being alone isn’t as cool as I thought it was. Well, that’s the whole reason I’m out at sea in the first place, isn’t it? Because I want to see people again. People...people...Tigershark, Sunny, Ray...D...D...Dicksquad.

Sorry. I know what ‘D’ I’m thinking of and it has nothing to do with dicks. I just had to. I saw an opportunity and I took it.

Day Thirty:

I don’t know why I didn’t think of it the first time, but now I’m considering it: What if I’m supposed to be the iceberg? What if I’m supposed to throw myself overboard, then float along the surface of the water and wait for my ship to crash into me.

I know I shouldn’t think these thoughts. I just don’t have a very big imagination.

Day Thirty-Five:

I considered going a whole week without writing in this. I have to be independent. I can’t rely on things like journals to keep me company. It doesn’t show good character. Does it? I don’t know.

But, like, for the sake of argument, imagine me as a character for just a moment. Would you like me as a character? No, probably not. I don’t have much going for me. Sure, I have a backstory, I guess. But I think people with far more ordinary backstories probably have better characters just by virtue of being more of a person than me. That’s right: I’m not much of a person, let alone a character.

These tides are getting a bit wild. I’m thinking that my boat, no, ship, could rock, and the water will come onto the main deck and pull me in. I’ll be washed away as my skin will corrode and fade. Then...I’ll wash ashore, no pulse, on an island that nobody’s ever inhabited.

But let’s not think about that. Let’s think about how there are people out there in a cold place. People who are important to me for reasons I don’t quite understand but am ready to accept anyway. It’s still hard to believe I’m willingly going to a cold place. Like, yeah, me. Just go ahead and embrace the part of you that you hate. Why not?

Hate’s a strong word. I think there are things I hate more. I can’t think of what those things are right now, but I probably will tomorrow…

Day Thirty-Six:

Hate it when I don’t understand things. Hate when people lie or mislead me. Hate when people try to be a part of my life.

No. I don’t. I thought I did. It just annoyed me back then. I didn’t want any part of it. But I wish I did. I hate how sometimes I don’t know what I want or sometimes I want something that I didn’t want before. I hate that I want to understand things and sometimes the answer seems so clear and yet it doesn’t add up to me. Here. Let me elaborate:

IF I care about people, HOW do I care about people? How am I able? How is it possible? How can I tell that I care about people if it doesn’t become apparent?

There’s something else that I hate. It’s something else about myself. And maybe it’s not even a hate, but it’s something I don’t like: when I can’t tell something about myself, I just assume that it’s not something about myself, or it’s not possible. That line of thinking makes no sense, though. Like, imagine I’m gay. Like Demetria. No, I’m not saying I like Demetria. I’m saying, imagine. OK? Imagine I am.

You’re imagining, right? What I mean is, like, imagine I am a woman. And there is a woman. And I am attracted to that woman. And even if I don’t know I am attracted to that woman, or if I don’t know that I’m attracted to women at all, that doesn’t mean that I’m not attracted to women, right? That just means that I don’t know that about myself.

But that’s the hard thing! How do I know if I don’t know because if I don’t know, then I don’t know?! Like if I’m sad and I don’t know I’m sad I’m still sad. But how do I know I’m sad if I don’t know I’m sad? It’s just like, maybe I think I’m not when I am? But I still am.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Day Thirty-Seven:

Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts.

I hate that you can’t un-kill people.

Fuck. Those weren’t happy thoughts.

I’ve got a complicated relationship with my past. Something that’s probably easy to tell. I mean, it’s really affected how I feel about myself in the present, hasn’t it? My complicated relationship with...taking lives, and...it being a job.

I’m not sure if I feel remorse or if I just want to feel remorse. If I do, I can’t tell, but I don’t want to say I don’t, because I’ve made that mistake before. Thing is, if I do, it’s a little too late, isn’t it? It’s not too late to feel regrets or remorse, no, but it still feels too late. Because I never stopped to think much about the people I killed. Whether or not that I should have.

I know there’s something fundamentally wrong with me. Yet I still want to keep living anyway. This must be selfish.

Day Thirty-Eight:

Today I thought I saw a person. But I think it was just a porpoise. Or a manatee. Or seal. Or narwhal. Do narwhals actually exist? I don’t know.

I think if I saw a narwhal, I think I’d think they were pretty. Pretty narwhal of them. Don’t you think? I think they’re pretty narwhal, all right.

Day Thirty-Nine:

When I get there, I think I should put on a disguise, take on a new persona. No one’s expecting me back, and if I do present myself, then the one who’s targeting them, targeting me...the others could get hurt worse. I don’t want that to happen.

Besides, I bought a fake beard, I bought this sailor jacket and a sailor hat. I don’t want these things going to waste. I’ve even gotten myself fake sideburns. That ought to count for something, right?

Still, when I think about it...will anyone even want to see me again? I know how I left. It’s kind of my fault that they’re in the mess they’re in. I left them when I knew, or at least suspected, that our troubles weren’t over. It’s careless of me. Poor judgment. But now I’m going to return, return to what is apparently now a foggy wasteland.

What’s it even going to look like? Will I find my way there? I hope so. I miss them. I probably don’t even deserve to see them again, they may want nothing to do with me. I’m half-hoping that’s the case. I think I’d understand. Even still, I want to see them again. I want them to be safe. Even if I deserve the worst of the worst...they don’t. They just don’t.

I’m sorry. I really don’t like being alone.

Day Forty:

I’m going to die out here, aren’t I?

Day Forty-Two:

If I’m going to disguise myself as a sailor, I need a sailor name, don’t I? Problem is, I don’t know too many sailors. Fictional or otherwise. Maybe there’s Popeye. Dude sure loved his spinach.

OK. Let’s brainstorm, you and I.

There’s that Dick book. The one about the whale. Captain...Ahab, I think? Yeah. That sounds right. So what if I was...Captain Amab? Afab? No. That doesn’t sound right. Amab sounds like Mab, like Midsummer Night’s Dream. Queen Mab. Afab sounds nice, like “a fabulous person” but I just don’t know…

I think Acab will work. Kinda sounds like taxi cab, but not. Also, his enemy was a dick, right? Um...a whale. Named Dick. Moby? Moby was a Dick? Yeah. Sounds right. So I should have my villain origin story. I mean sailor. Look, being a character is hard.

So I don’t know why that guy had whale problems. Like that’s just normal people problems, I guess? Not really. I don’t see how someone could hold a grudge against a whale. A whale isn’t human, even if they are a mammal. Now, a duck sounds truly fearsome. You never quite know what a duck is thinking. Yet they quack all the same.

“For whom the duck quacks. It quacks for thee.”

So Moby Duck sounds much better. Much more respectable. I think I could write a novel. Probably better than whoever wrote Moby Dick. Make way for the Duck, people.

Ducks aren’t people. Some people are real dicks, though. Hmm...I wonder if that’s where the term comes from.

Day Forty-Three:

I see land! Or an iceberg!

I guess you’ll have to find out tomorrow. If I don’t write anything tomorrow, then you can assume the worst. I’ve never been one for last words or anything like that. I always just figured when the end comes, it’ll just come and that’ll be that. For what it’s worth, I always figured the end would come at any moment. Or hoped so. Now I don’t want it to come. Not just yet. But the end doesn’t care for what we want, does it?

Day Forty-Four:

You. You’ve been there for me during this whole journey. For that, I couldn’t be more thankful. Even if it was really just myself...talking to myself...it’s enough to know I had something with me. I’ll remember you. But probably not for very wrong.

Anyway, you can probably guess why I’m writing in this. It’s true: I arrived. No, not at the diner. Just on land. But I recognize some of the area. Or I think I can. If I’m wrong, well...maybe you’ll know. But I’ m hoping you won’t. Because I want to be right.

Also my ship crashed. It was a big storm and it was hard to get by. For some reason that feels secondary to everything else. After all, I survived. So I’m going to leave you behind. Right here within the wreckage of my ship. It’s really a good thing I never named her. But now I think I know why ships get called ‘she’. I think it’s just a symptom of loneliness.

[narelleart]

How to Acclimate New Fish (Please don’t just float the bag!)

I did a video on this, but it was Really Bad, so I’m sticking to what I know: Big Long Text Posts.

I originally did the video because I saw so many pictures in the tag of people’s new fish floating in their tanks in the bags they came home in.

It’s common practice, it’s what the fish store employees tell you to do, but it’s not exactly the best way to do that? When you “acclimate” your fish by floating the bag, the only quality of your water that you are acclimating them to is the temperature. But there is so much more to water than that! Water has more to it than even just pH, KH, GH, DO…too many qualities to list here. “Hardness” alone can be broken down into the content of each specific mineral. And these are all qualities that we can’t see, and generally don’t test for.

The composition of the water your fish is living in has a direct effect on them. They are breathing that in. When a fish gets plopped from one volume of water into completely different conditions, they undergo some level of shock. For comparison, imagine teleporting from below sea level to the top of a mountain. For divers, compare to the bends. A sudden, drastic change in conditions of the atmosphere you are living in takes a toll on your body.

When your newly introduced fish immediately gets pale, breathes heavily, retreats to the bottom? That’s shock from being suddenly moved between vastly different conditions.

So what can we do to lessen that shock?

Drip Acclimate!

Drip acclimation uses airline tubing to slowly mix the store water the new fish are in with your tank’s water to allow your fish to adjust slowly, hopefully limiting the amount of shock they might go through.

Personally, I like to use a clear container to hold the fish while I acclimate, with just enough of the fish’s original water to completely cover them and allow them to move around a little. They don’t need much right now, and the more water you have in this container the more it will take to sufficiently mix. If you have an ammonia binding water conditioner like Prime you can add a drop or so of that to help keep the water safe while you acclimate, or use a product like Polyfilter that will absorb the nitrogen. Add an airstone to make it easier for your fish to breathe. (But don’t have it so strong they get blown away - all you need is very mild surface agitation. You CAN have too much DO.) I like to add something dark, usually a black shirt, over top of the container to keep the fish from stressing out and help prevent jumping.

Now that your container is all set up, you can run your drip line. As mentioned, you just need a length of cheap airline tubing, which you’ll use to create a siphon to drain water from the fish’s new home into their acclimation container. If the flow is too strong, tie a knot or knots in your line to slow it to a steady drip. The slower the drip, the gentler the acclimation, but it will take longer so you’ll have to watch your temps. More sensitive animals do best with longer, slower drip rates.

I like to let my containers fill at least so much that the water has a 2:1 ratio of new water to old water. (2/3 new, 1/3 old.) That’s a minimum, though, it certainly doesn’t hurt to do more than that.

If you have a convenient means of measuring your parameters, like digital thermometers and probes, you can check what values you’re able to, to make sure they match before you move the fish. But if you can’t do that, the above water ratio should be enough to sufficiently limit your fish’s shock. If you’re still worried about temperature, NOW you can float your fish to make sure it matches, as a last bonus step before you add them to their new tank!

Airline tubing is cheap, so I would always recommend drip acclimating over the “scoop water into the bag” method, where you periodically add water from your tank to the bag of store water. It does work on the same principles, so its not bad if you’re in a bind and don’t have airline tubing handy for some reason. Just not as gentle, and personally, takes too much attention and attendance. I let my fish drip and walk away, and just peek at them periodically to check the water level.

“But wait! Popular Fish Youtuber says that floating the bag is better, and that drip acclimating is unnecessary!”

When I first saw this, it made me mad. I’m still pretty mad.

So the argument here is that when you open the bag and expose the contents to fresh air, the ammonia in the water becomes more toxic, so its safer for the fish to float and then just plop them in?

UM, NO? If you add the Prime or Polyfilter, you don’t need to worry so much about the ammonia. Those products will buy you plenty of time. And while you drip in (what should be) clean, filtered water from a cycled tank, you are diluting the nitrogen and making it safer for the fish anyways. There is no reason your (healthy, not already on its deathbed) fish should come anywhere close to dying while you are drip acclimating it.

There is also a claim in this video that a fish can’t actually acclimate to new conditions (pH is specified) in the span of a drip acclimation, that it takes much longer, so trying to match pH is pointless. This may be true, but I’m not buying in to it without actual tangible proof? If anyone has any, please do share, I am genuinely interested. It just sounds like bad excuse to be lazy about introducing new fish to me.

But the thing is, either way - if you can safely drip acclimate (which you can with the right nitrogen neutralizing products), and try to give your fish the chance to acclimate to the many differing qualities of your water vs the source (remember - there are many qualities to water, not just pH and temp), why wouldn’t you? If there’s any chance you’re making their little lives easier, and their transition to your tank safer, shouldn’t you do it?

Fish can die of shock. Don’t you want to do everything you can to keep your new pets as healthy and safe as possible?

[mostleemorethansmut]

That was twenty-eight years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-x7GcwT-Tk

[A/N: Well, if you want a spoiler for this story's plot, go ahead and listen to the song. If you don't want spoilers, still listen to the song, just don't note the lyrics. Anyway, this one came to me when I was watching the Fran Bow stream where he describes going to a dance at a catholic school. The framing device of where they met came initially from a ShAmy fanfic I was meaning to write, but then... GTLive happened. I don't think there's much more to add. Also, Matthew describes his first kiss on one of the Higher or Lower streams, but I'm going to say he's lying]

Matt was fed up with his life. Not in a bad way. He wasn't so fed up that he wanted to go jump off the roof of a dorm building[extremely unsubtle Life is Strange reference], but he was fed up. No, fed up wasn't the right word. Bored. Yes, he was bored. He was bored with his life.

Sure, he'd just finished the eighth season of Game Lab, and on his 40th birthday he'd happily handed down the Game Lab torch to his protege, Quinn.(Actually, they'd be splitting the next season to help the viewers get used to her) The team had just added the tenth show to the main channel and officially were releasing daily. Film Theory moved to posting every other day, and, though they hadn't announced it yet, Matt and Steph were hoping to have a kid soon.

He was bored because every day was the same. It'd gone from running around constantly trying to catch up with life, but soon it'd gotten routine. A literal routine. Get up, have food, research til lunch, get exercise, record script, livestream, more research with dinner, translate evidence into script, go to bed. Sometimes they stayed up late together because they wanted to work ahead for traveling, but he never had to record while away anymore. He almost missed recording in a foreign closet now. He even missed recording in a closet, ever since they started paying for a professional recording studio. Their getaways felt routine now, too.

He wanted to break from the norm.

*

Matt jumped up and down in the backseat. It was so exciting. "Mom, are we there yet?" he asked.

Mrs. Patrick laughed from the front. "We won't be there for several more hours," she called back. "But we are almost to New York."

"Don't you have a game-boy back there?" his father asked. "Two of them in fact?"

Matt sighed and fell back into the seat. It was true, he had the games back with him, but could you blame him for being excited? It was his first time out of Ohio. He had never gotten to the national science fair before. He sighed and reached back to his Pokemon red. After a few failed attempts at finding Missingno, he set it down. There wasn't anything left to do. Wait, he hadn't beaten the game using only the first Pokemon he'd captured. He'd try doing that.

*

The word "ahead" didn't even begin to describe the two theorists. In fact, they were so far beyond their work load, Matt almost wished for the days when they'd pull all-nighters trying to write a new episode.

Matt sighed. He pulled up the N-Switch and decided to go for a retro night with another run-through the remastered Subnautica. Stephanie took the seat across the room from him and pulled open the newspaper. Matt stared at her for a few seconds, remembering the days when she'd cuddle up on his lap, no matter what he was doing. Then he focused on the game again.

Matt was zooming through the game, and was almost ready to build a base when Stephanie interrupted his thought process. "Hey honey," she called. "Listen to this:

"I'm a middle aged man who is waiting for life to stop running by him. Yet all attempts of kindling a new lustful flame have failed. And I want another chance at the past. So, probably hopelessly, I put out this ad. I call upon a woman; a girl when I met her. I met her at a national science fair in New York. We were young, but it was there that we kissed. It's unlikely that she lives in Los Angeles, but I'm willing to try to put out a call.

Sincerely,

Pokemon."

"Do they still have letters like that?" asked Matt, absentmindedly. He knew the answer very well. He was the one who put the letter in there.

"Apparently," responded Stephanie.

*

"Time to get up," called Mrs. Cordoto. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

Stephanie refused, wrapping herself up in the blankets. "I don't wanna," she responded.

"You don't?" her mother called. "You've been looking forward to this science fair for the past months. You wouldn't stop bothering us. You're seriously telling me you don't wanna go."

"I wanna sleep," Steph playfully whined. "I'm still tired from last night."

"Now what did we tell you about going to bed late. If you're going to got to bed late, you're gonna have to live with the consequences."

Stephanie understood her mother. She was already getting up and trying to stay awake while warming up the shower. They'd traveled to her cousin's house last night and the whole of the day was spent partying. She was still pretty pumped for today's performance. She wanted to show everyone her science project.

*

Matt frowned as his wife walked back into the house. "Where did you go?" he asked, giving up on the pages he was looking through.

"I went to mail a letter," she responded.

"What for?" he asked.

"Oh, you know," she dodged, "stuff."

"Steph, what's up."

Stephanie avoided eye contact by looking to the ceiling. "I was just... contacting a friend." MatPat gave a dubious look, but she continued. "I've been wanting to make a decision now for a while, but before I did, I wanted an old friend's advice."

"And you couldn't call her."

"Some things just have to be written down," she replied, directing her gaze to the computer, trying to absorb herself in that day's work.

"Okay then," Matt agreed, dropping the conversation.

*

Matthew crawled through the sea of early students. It seemed that everyone except him knew to show up early. They'd arrived when the letter had told them to, but the room seemed to be filled with overachievers. Matthew finally saw two open spots. He decided to choose the spot at the end of the table.

Matt set out his experiment. He'd chosen something video-game-themed. It was, "How much damage would Pikachu's thunderbolt do?" 'TotPat' helped compare size and facts that he could collect from the video game. From what he found with the size of pokemon and how much damage was dealt, relatively.

This was all decent, but, after finding a power strip, he pulled out his final product. There were two buttons that he'd rigged up to show Pikichu's weaker and stronger attacks. The second one was able to kill a person, so he just rigged a pretty shocking button and told everyone to imagine it 20 times worse.

Matthew had just set out a sign to check with your medical details before touching the buttons; when a girl set down her project next to him.

*

It was Matt's turn to read the newspaper tonight. Stephanie had claimed the television a while back to play Silent Hill 2.

Matthew scanned the paper. "Say Steph, do you know where that article from last night is?"

She raised an eye at him. "I didn't know you were so into the personal column all of a sudden. It's on page 8C, if memory serves correctly."

He flipped through the paper. "Hey, it seems someone answered."

"Oh?" asked Stephanie, clearly uninterested. "what did they say."

"Dear Pokemon,

I'm surprised to hear from you. I almost didn't even remember when I first heard the story. Now I remember. I am a now middle aged woman who would love to try to re-kindle her lustful flame again. How about we meet. Kennedy, two days from now. Same place we hid all those years ago.

See you then,

Doom."

*

Stephanie set out her cardboard display. It was a pretty cool project she had in mind. She had done a research project into the natural resources on Mars and weather or not it would be feasible to have a base there.

She had gotten the idea from the video game Doom and had used a lot of comparisons to the game world and how accurate it was. She went through and showed how the levels were mapped, how big they would be in real life, and what technology it would take to get there.

She looked over at the boy next to her. He was slightly taller than her with glasses and a strange hair-do. He was pretty cute. "Hey," she called, "my name's Stephanie." Steph held out her hand nervously. "What's yours?"

The kid took her hand. "Matthew," he introduced, "What's your project about?"

"Well, um," Steph stuttered. She was always embarrassed to tell people that her project was based on a video game. "It's about building a base on Mars." She gestured at the tri-fold.

Matt examined the board. "Oh my gosh, this is all about Doom. That's cool. I haven't gotten to play it because I only own a console. Have you played it?"

Stephanie was surprised at the kid's response. "Um, yeah. Lots of fun. I really enjoyed it." She looked at the boy's presentation. "Say, you like Pokemon?"

"Yeah," he responded, turning his attention back to her. "Do you?"

"Don't have have a Game Boy."

"I have an extra one. You wanna play some?"

*

Matthew put on his jacket. It was a bit chilly outside today. Stephanie had to run to the store, so now was the perfect time. He got in the car and drove to Kennedy Elementary School. The building was buzzing with activity. It was a science fair, after all.

Matt took a deep breath. Was he seriously going through with this? Cheating on his wife for a girl he barely remembered? Deciding that there was no time like the present, he got out of the car and headed inside.

He wandered through the dozens of science fair projects. After roaming through the sea of children and mediocre projects, he finally found the back door. He stepped out and glanced back and forth. Then he saw someone there. The woman had shown up.

*

Matt and Stephanie were sitting right next to each other. They'd snuck out of the science fair and escaped out a door in the back. "I don't get it," little Stephanie swore. "Why are all of my grass types unable to even harm your one fire?"

"Stephanie, that's the whole point of Pokemon. An extreme game of rock, paper, scissors." Matt grinned and patted the top of her head. "Video games can be hard sometimes."

Steph glared at him and sent out a water type. Matt gulped and tried to escape. Stephanie grinned as the tide suddenly shifted in her favor. She still lost, but it became fun by the end.

They were laughing and discussing their last match when someone said something over the loud speaker. "Sounds like they're about to announce the winners," Matthew said. He stood up and they shook up.

"This was a lot of fun," Stephanie thanked, "thanks Matt." The little girl leaned in and gave the little boy a kiss on the lips. Then she skipped off inside.

Matthew stood there, stunned at what had just happened.

*

The couple's reunion was a bit awkward at first. Stephanie stared at Matt and vice versa. "I remember now," she figured. "I can't believe I never figured it out."

"Me neither," laughed Matt. They both burst into a giggling fit. "C'mere," directed Matt, pulling her into hug. They happily snuggled together.

Stephanie chuckled as they separated. "I guess everything worked out in the end."

"Almost," Matt joked, "we have yet to re-kindle that lustful flame."

"Well that's pretty easy to do," she smiled.

Matt nodded, then his expression changed to panic. "Wait, you don't mean here?"