#and i have like 7 houses to furnish now

[captainamericasmotercycle]

mirror sex

Kinktober Day 1 —> masterlist

pairing: jake seresin x reader

wc: 1k

warnings: smut, minors DNI, 18+, p in v sex, oral (male and female receiving), doggy (i think?), reader has grab-able hair?, cock

a/n: i am quite literally a virgin so idk how sex works

The two of you have just settled into your new home just outside of Jake’s permanent stationing in San Diego.

When you bought the house it came with minimal furnishing, so you decided to make it your own.

You and Jake had pretty much filled the rest of the house with things to make your house feel like a home. The only thing left was your bedroom.

As much as you loved everything you’d gotten for it, there was something missing. And you decided it was a mirror.

So as you scrolled on Amazon and countless furniture stores, you had finally found a good one. A large, full length mirror that was absolutely gorgeous and would fit perfectly in your room.

You had been asleep when they delivered the mirror, so when Jake came back from work and saw a 7 foot package outside the door he was quite confused.

He unlocked the front door and called inside to you, “Baby, what is this?”

“What is what?”

“This thing on our porch?”

“My mirror!!”

Jake looked the package up and down, “Yes, of course, because a seven foot mirror on our porch makes sense.”

You laughed softly as you met him at the door, kissing him gently on the mouth, “It’s for our bedroom. Help me bring it in.”

By “help me bring it in”, you really meant, carry it to the bedroom for me. Through a little bit of teamwork, (but mostly Jake’s brute strength), you were able to bring it to the bedroom and set it up at the foot of your bed.

“It’s perfect,”

“Yes, it is,” Jake smiled at the two of you in the mirror, wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing down your neck.

You shivered at the touch and melted into him. You pushed your backside into his, subtly rubbing against his cock. You could tell he was having trouble containing himself at the sudden hitch in his breath.

You turned yourself around to face him and kissed him on the jaw. You worked your hand down to the crotch of his training uniform, rubbing and squeezing softly at his hardening length.

“Baby, fuck,” he could barely speak through his aching erection.

You got down on your knees, tugging at his belt and the buttons on his pants. He turned so that you were now perpendicular to the mirror. You let his pants and boxers pool at his ankles.

You pumped his cock a couple of times, wiping the pre-cum away. You feathered kisses on his red tip, teasing him, before he got too impatient. He gently pushed your head, letting you take in his length. You bobbed your head on his cock, the tip of it hitting the back of your throat.

You massaged his balls as you sucked him off, and to say Jake was close was an understatement. He moved his head around through pleasure, catching a glimpse of the mirror in the corner of his eye. He looked directly at it, seeing you on your knees, hair ruffled and you looking absolutely fucking gorgeous. That’s what sent him over the edge.

Seeing his beautiful wife suck him off was the best thing he’s probably ever seen. He reached his climax and shot his cum into your mouth, you swallowed and he pulled out of your mouth. As you stood up, he wrapped one hand around your waist, and one hand behind your head, kissing you roughly.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, baby. Fuck, I need you right now,” he flopped the two of you on the bed. Clawing at your shorts and practically ripping off your underwear.

He spread your legs, dipping down to kiss the sensitive part of your body. He kissed around your entrance forcing you to let out a breathy moan.

Sucking on your clit, you writhed under his touch. God, you loved the way he looked between your thighs.

As you reached your climax, he stopped sucking. You looked down at him, “Jake? Is there something wrong,”

“I want you to watch me—”

“I am watching you,”

“-In the mirror,”

In the mirror?

He dipped back down as you looked to your side at the mirror, watching as he lapped at your clit. Holy fuck.

Watching him eat you out in the mirror sent you over the edge, you shivered with your orgasm and screamed out, gripping his hair.

He came up to your lips kissing you slowly. Turning you to face the mirror, he flipped you to your stomach, and thrusted his hard cock into you.

The room was filled with the noises of his hips slamming into your ass and the smell of arousal.

He grabbed your hair, pulling you up vertically, “Look at yourself.” Jake held his left hand around the front of your neck - just below your chin - keeping you up against his front, making you watch him fuck you in the mirror.

You watched as your tits bounced up and down as he thrusted into you, he grabbed at them, gently squeezing, causing you to moan out incoherent words, “Listen to you all speechless,” he whispered in your ear.

In the mirror, you could see his cock pulling in and out of your core; and you watched as he traveled his free hand down to your clit, “Please, Jake,” you begged him.

He rubbed at your clit slowly, gradually getting quicker and more rough, his thrusts started to decelerate, you knew he was close. All of a sudden he picked up his pace on his thrusts and handwork, and were you a goner.

Your legs shook as you came, Jake breathing hard behind you, you knew he had cum too.

He pulled out of you, but still grasping your neck, he came down to your ear, “We need about 12 more of those mirrors.”

[lowkeyrobin]

hiii :з can i request domestic hcs with quackity x reader where they just moved in with each other and basically figuring stuff out about living together

idk what domestic means in this context but I don't think I wanna know

QUACKITY ; living together

summary ; you and alex finally moved in with each other and you're figuring out your new way of life

warnings ; language

genre ; fluff

word count ; 687

masterlist

At last, you and Alex were finally living under the same roof in Los Angeles. You were living in a studio apartment for a while, but finally upgraded to a two story house just outside the main city with your boyfriend.

Money was the first problem that you tackled beforehand, which you got sorted nice and easily. The next was unpacking and buying new furniture.

You'd already took out some loans for new furniture since both of you either didn't have some furniture, or needed to scrap the old stuff you found off eBay for a scarily low price. The trip to the closest furniture store, about three miles away, was horrifying.

You'd never been a stickler with money, but coming up not having much of it sometimes taught you a great amount about fair pricing. However, when you saw a large number, you stood there awkwardly, wondering if you could afford it or if it was even worth it. Alex was the same, but he was more comfortable spending larger amounts of money on bigger things because he understood the expenses a bit better than you did.

All in all, you probably spent about two thousand dollars at that place. You'd ended up finding some good furniture off of eBay that you could go pick up that afternoon, and found a nice and free dresser set out by the road from someone who didn't want it anymore.

The house, now a month later, was finally furnished and you were in charge of decorations while he organized the kitchen and set up the PC's and other electronics. You two hadn't been doing much other than get used to sharing a room and a bed 24/7. You ended up deciding it'd be better to save that room for something else and have your bedrooms and office combined into one. If anyone wanted to snuggle in the night, they'd go to the other person's room.

It was mostly for privacy, and so you wouldn't end up fighting or beating the shit out of each other. You both needed downtime away from each other, a perfectly normal and healthy aspect of a relationship.

The next part, after setting your desktops up and decorating your rooms and whatnot, was getting into the routine of living together and not doing everything independently. Both of you were independent and didn't need to rely on each other, a good thing, but when it came to getting groceries or going out or streaming, talking about it and making decisions together would be the next step in moving forward.

Tiger was a whole conversation in herself. Alex decided he'd take care of her litter box and you decided you'd take care of her food and water. He felt bad making you take care of his cat, but you found no problem with it considering Tiger was like your child already.

The final steps were just getting used to living with each other and boundaries that came with it.

But, over time, everything would go great.

༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚༘⋆₊ ⊹★🔭๋࣭ ⭑⋆｡˚

Quackity appreciated you bringing him food, water, or a hoodie on stream, and you did as well

Tiger walking into your streams >>>

even streaming side by side was a reoccurring thing

often times you'd play uno and have the handcam on in the corner

you'd give each other advice when editing videos and writing scripts

making dinner together with music in the background >>>

especially when he sings along/to you, good lord

you can't go a single day without cackling at each other

fighting and arguments are healthy for a relationship, but with you guys it's never serious, it's either over dumb shit you couldn't care about or you play fight with each other for laughs

sometimes he'll shout at you in Spanish to mess around and you'll stare at him like "tf are you saying"

if you do understand Spanish though, it's war

arts and crafts together go crazy

you start a little vlog channel together as well

it's run by you and he's only there sometimes but still

insta pictures of you two doing dumb shit 24/7

[reticulating-splines]

Chez Cromwell: Redux - Pt. 1

Magical Victorian Cat Mansion. Redone.

Part I: Exteriors | Part II

So after the long-awaited addition of Infants and Ceilings to the game, I realized I should probably update my one furnished build (so far) for these features. Unfortunately I got carried away again and just ended up revamping the whole build from the exterior, to each individual room + some new ones! This version has also been more extensively play-tested over time with all age groups and pets, with some extra fire hazard and accessibility issues addressed.

It still has all the original Lot Features:

Victorian era historical build, fully playtested

Off-the-grid compatible

9 Bed / 6 bath

Library Greenhouse

Spellcaster's room

Outdoor smokehouse

Pleasure + kitchen gardens

Portal to the magic realm

Hidden cat room, litterroom, + catway system for Familiars

Staff/Servant's lounge w/ private stairs

Bedrooms for Butler, Nanny/Governess, and Maids

Lot size 30x40, fully landscaped

Cat Hangout, Peace and Quiet

Spooky lot challenge

As well as an extensive Changelog and list of New Features:

Revamped exteriors + interiors, roofs, and gardens

Ceilings for all rooms

Added even more windows somehow

Skylights for 3rd floor and wraparound verandah

Rooftop meditation-garden-yoga-summoning-circle

Portals! Small library located off the spell-room has been converted into the Portal Room with 3 portals leading throughout the house: one to the tower on the roof, one to the greenhouse in the back, and one to the third floor hall.

Moved Magic Realm Portal to rooftop garden

Put more cat doors everywhere, they enjoy using the catdoors and portals for zoomies

Sprinklers, alarms, and fire resistant flooring have been added around fireplaces.

Fireplace in the tower was removed for it's propensity to set the roof on fire and become unreachable and inextinguishable

Tower room has been converted into a Collections display room instead, a la sims 3

Portal in the tower/Collections room also makes potential burglaries more threatening, but if you’re an occult you’re expected to employ practical DADA techniques to avert this

Updated Nursery and Playroom for Infants

Redid terrain paint. Twice. Why tf does it just vanish randomly sometimes

NEW Magic Bean Hunt! Stump is located where the magic realm portal used to be and beans are strategically hidden around the lot. I'd love to see how long it takes for you to catch them all!

Washbasins for rooms without bathrooms now look like washbasins and are actually useable, both on and off grid

Added privacy hedges and lattices to backyard and fenced in chicken run

Potions Crafting Table added to Spell-room

Crafters Supply Cabinet added to Kitchen

Pocketed pocket doors

Secret Cat Room color scheme updated and cat-approved artwork added

Another Cat room added to 3rd floor

Magic Well has been shrunk

Rooftop area outside 3rd floor Study converted into rooftop Pavilion with chessboard and painting easel

Jack-and-Jill bathroom added for two of the third floor bedrooms

Toilet room removed and bath added for staff washrooms, for an equal 2-toilet/2-bath arrangement, which means the build now has a total of 7 full baths, and 8 toilets.

More crafting tables (fizz machine and candle maker) added to Staff Lounge

Yoga/Meditation Balcony for staff above greenhouse

Small telescope added to rooftop outside tower room’s new 2nd door

Garden lights around yard configured for power + off grid lighting

‘Bike racks’ added by front gate

New Library shelves seem to allow sims to retrieve books but not put them back. However this is actually a feature, not a bug, since now you can put the books back yourself on on the right shelves and keep things organized 🙃

Should now be consistently able to feed and be eaten by the Cowplant

Homey trait replaced by Gnome lot trait since there is a proliferation of gnomes

Requirements

Lot: 40x30, $752,005, 9 bed 8 bath, Cat Hangout, Gnome, Peace and Quiet, Spooky Lot Challenge

Packs - packs in bold are essential:

EPs - Cottage Living, University, Island Living, Get Together, Get Famous, Seasons, Cats&Dogs, Eco Living, City Living, Get to Work

GPs - Realm Of Magic, Jungle Adventure, Parenthood, Vampires. Strangerville, Spa Day, Outdoor Retreat

SPs - Paranormal, Laundry Day, Romantic Garden. Nifty Knitting, Vintage Glamour

Kits - Blooming Rooms, Desert Luxe

Patreon Download

Public: Available Dec 15th!

[messedupfan]

Benefits of Car Troubles | 7

Summary: Y/n and Leigh go house hunting. The Shaws meet Y/n's father. And Leigh and Y/n decide to test run what it would be to live with each other

A/N: Heeeellloooo!! So, at this point I'm going to have to make a chapters page for this. UGGHH!! But anyway. Hope y'all enjoy. Also Imma do a poll for this story so be on the look out!

Masterlist | All Stories Taglist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Here is the master bedroom,” the real estate agent says as he leads you and Leigh through the house. It is much bigger than either of your current rooms. Even with it fully furnished. “I noticed that you are expecting so let me show you the nursery room that we have set up.” He draws the attention over to a room a little ways down the hall to show off the staged nursery. It's meant for a little girl which you and Leigh are almost positive that it's what she's carrying but the room makes you want to have a little girl someday. 

“This is so beautiful,” Leigh says with tears in her eyes as she imagines a smiling baby lying in the crib. She can see them having your eyes and her nose as they hold their little feet in the air and reach out to her with their tiny hands. She can't believe that image has the potential of being real. When Matt had told her his stance on children, she thought she would never get to experience her own children. She thought she was going to have to pretend to be a happy aunt when it happened for others. She hopes whoever he's with now doesn't want children. She hopes that he doesn't take that away from someone again. There are plenty of women that don't want to have kids, he told her in an argument once. Why are you making me out to be a villain? He'd asked when she posed the question why he waited until a year into their marriage to reveal this detail. I just want you! He had said when she told him that he could have been with anyone else. 

“Leigh,” you call softly as you wrap your body around her from behind. She melts against your chest. “What’s on your mind?” You lean down and rest your chin on her shoulder. 

“I’m just really grateful for you,” she says as she rubs your arms. You ask her why with a slight amusement, surprised about her sudden words of gratitude. “For making my dreams come true,” she admits as she leans back to catch your lips. The sweet kiss is interrupted by your phone going off to your ringtone for your father.  

“I’m sorry baby, I have to answer this,” you say as you pull away. “He probably just wants to make sure that we’re going to be there for dinner.” 

“Y/n, it’s okay to talk to your dad,” she says with a small laugh and you shake your head confused as to why you were so flustered about answering a phone call from your own father. 

“Right,” you say as you answer the call. While you walk off to talk to him privately, Leigh continues to walk around the home, imagining the two of you making it your own. At the other houses that the two of you toured throughout the week, they didn’t feel right. They were lovely homes but they didn’t feel like her home. However, this one she can see it all happening here. You chasing the kids down the hall just for fun. Her baking cookies from scratch with them in the kitchen. Catching the baby in her belly trying to sneak out of the house when he’s older and grounded. Having family movie nights in the living room. Playing board games on the dining table. She can see it all. 

“What do you think about the house?” The realtor startles her in the dining room and he apologizes. 

“It’s okay, I’m just lost in my head. I love it, but I’m going to discuss it with my partner before I say anything else,” she says, being cautious of the agent's sales tactics. He nods once and starts to give the age old speech of how it’s a popular house and that there are many offers already placed on it and Leigh nods along pretending to be concerned. She has done her research on each property and this one has been on the market for five years and has gone down in prices in the last couple of years. Standing in it she can’t imagine why it hasn’t sold, there wasn’t anything wrong with it that she could see and to her knowledge no one was murdered in it. 

You find Leigh when you’ve hung up and you listen to the real estate agent’s pitch as well. “I’ll keep that in mind and be in touch with you soon. But we have to go,” you take Leigh’s hand, “My dad wants us there a bit early for dinner. It was a pleasure to meet you and hopefully we’ll see you again soon.” You drop her off at her house to get ready so that you can grab something nice for yourself from your place. Then you return to her house to pick up Leigh and her family. Jules is coming along and you worry about what her behavior might be through the night as you warned your dad about her current condition. He swore to have all of his liquor locked up and you trust that he would but you worry that Jules might lose it without having a beverage or two. 

Arriving at your dad’s house, everyone is impressed with the size of the home and you feel a little embarrassed. “This is where you grew up?” Jules rolls down her widow to stick her head out. 

“No, I never live here. My dad got this a few years ago. The house I grew up in is closer to where I live now,” you explain as you find a spot in the large driveway to park. You look over at Leigh whose eyes are wide with fear. “You okay?” You ask as you take her hand in yours and begin to rub your thumb into her palm. 

“He is going to think I did this for money,” Leigh states. You shake your head as you try to tell her that’s not true. “How much does he know?” She looks at you alarmed. You had told her that you told your dad a version of how the two of you got together to make her feel better about meeting him. But that wasn’t true. 

You sigh as you admit, “I told him everything. Trust me, this isn’t going to go bad. He isn’t judgemental. He just wants to be included in this family.” 

Leigh nods as she starts to calm herself down. “Okay,” she says, “Okay, let's go before I lose it.” She spins in her seat to face her mom and sister, “The both of you better be on your best behavior.” 

Amy takes her daughter's hand and reassures her that everything is going to be okay. Leigh is nervous the entire walk to the door and you do your best to calm her but with the added hormonal imbalance that comes with pregnancy, it’s not an easy task. Your father greets everyone at the door with warm hugs as he invites them in. You compliment the house that you’ve only been to a handful of times since he purchased it. 

He offers to do a tour as dinner is being prepared and as you’re about to reject the offer, Leigh accepts and stays close to your father. She doesn’t know how she is going to get this man to see her as someone that loves you for you but she is certainly going to try her best. 

As your father shows everyone around the house he is certain to mention that it’s a house meant for family and that he hosts great holiday parties for all of the major holidays and that the Shaw family is welcome to join. “If you don’t mind my asking and please excuse my phrasing but do you have a father that you are in touch with?” Your dad asks Leigh who is continuously surprised by the man's politeness. As soon as she saw the house she was preparing herself for a narcissistic, judgmental, snob. But your father has so far presented himself as the exact opposite. 

“Yeah, I do,” Leigh says, “He’s been a great support in this, I can’t believe I completely forgot to invite him to this.” 

“It’s no worries, another time,” your father says with a smile. “He and whoever is important to him are welcomed here as well. My child isn’t always good at including people in their lives,” he leans close, “he gets that from his mother. But I am happy to extend the invitation.” 

You try not to think about the comment about your mother too much. You haven’t seen her since you were twelve years old. But even before that it was still just you and your dad. You haven't opened up about your mom to Leigh yet. She gives you a look of concern and you shrug it off as the tour continues. After seeing every room and amenity in the home your father is informed that dinner is ready and he ends the tour in the extravagant dining room. This house could fit the one you viewed today about fifty times and there’d still be room. You never understood the need to have a house so big. Especially for one person. 

“Oh my,” Leigh’s mouth waters at the meals displayed on the table. 

“I know how bad pregnancy can be sometimes, Y/n’s mother could hardly enjoy anything when she was pregnant so I asked Y/n about all of your trigger foods and all of your cravings. I hope they’ve been paying attention because if you have to run out of here, I’m not above grounding them,” your father jokes to Leigh.

She is shaking her head with tears in her eyes, “No, it’s perfect.” Everyone sits down to enjoy the meal together. Your father shares stories about memories the two of you shared together and Amy does the same for Leigh. Jules keeps quiet because all she can think about is embarrassing moments and how bad she wants a drink. The night goes well and when it’s over, Leigh is being sent home with more leftovers than she knows what to do with. Your dad gets the Shaw girls to promise to visit and Amy offers to host him next weekend. He enthusiastically accepts the invitation.  

On the way to the Shaw residence Amy and Leigh are asking about what meals your father likes and you assure them that you will handle the meal for them. “So why didn't you tell us that you were rich?” Jules asks. 

You laugh, “Your sister thought it was a pick up line so I didn't correct her.” Leigh rolls her eyes and tells Jules that it's not true over her shoulder. “Nah, I'm kidding. It's really not my money. It's my dad's. I don't make or have nearly as much money as he does.” You explain. “But, I do well for myself. Leigh and the baby will be taken care of,” you hold Leigh's hand in yours and she leans over and kisses you on the cheek. 

“What did you think about the house we saw today?” Leigh asks as she folds a shirt that she puts in a suitcase. She wants to trial run living together without her family around and without all of the comforts that she is used to. 

“I loved it, I think we should put in an offer,” you say as you set your phone down to give her your full attention. “It was weird, I could really see us living there,” you admit. “And it's more bedrooms than we need right now so you know what that means,” you wink at her as you bite your lip. 

Leigh shakes her head with a laugh, “Slow down. Let’s see how we are with one kid first.” You agree with her and continue to watch her pack her things. “I really liked it too by the way.” You hum in question of what she is talking about. “The house. I think we should put in an offer. Well, you should. I don’t think I can yet because Matt is dragging this divorce out.” 

“Does he know about everything?” You ask slowly just in case the question upsets her. 

“Yeah, unfortunately Estelle told him everything and so he has this lawyer trying to screw me over in the divorce,” she says with a frown. 

“If you need a better lawyer, Teddy’s brother is a pretty great one,” you suggest. 

“Teddy has a brother?” Leigh says surprised. 

You nod, “She has two brothers and a sister, all of them are a lot older than her so she wasn’t close with them when she was younger.” 

“Wow, I don’t know why but I didn’t picture her as someone with siblings,” Leigh says, still shocked by the information. “But no, I wouldn’t feel right asking for favors from a girl I’ve barely met.” 

“Well she owes me and he owes me too so it wouldn’t be wrong for me to call in some favors. Besides, she’s kind of part of my family and correct me if I'm wrong but you and I are building a family together.” You wait to see if she will correct you but she doesn’t and you smile. “Come on, we can set up a lunch and I won’t ask until after you meet them,” you try to convince Leigh to let you help her. 

“Okay, I would like to get to know Teddy better,” Leigh says, feeling a little bit jealous that you are confident in calling some other woman your family, whereas it's still a question with her. Sometimes she wishes you'd just be more direct in what you wanted from her instead of tiptoeing around the subject. Sometimes she wishes that you would stop asking her for permission for everything. Sometimes she fantasies that you storm in one day, grab her by the waist, and claim her as yours. 

But no, you continue to play it safe. “Leigh,” you call her name, causing her to look in your direction. “Something on your mind?” 

She puts on a fake smile and shakes her head, “No, I'm just um… I'm just a little nervous about spending the week with you. It's a big step for us.”

You shrug a little confused by the statement and stand from the bed, “I think we've taken bigger steps.” You walk around the furniture and stand behind her, wrapping your arms around her middle.

Leigh snorts, “We didn't take that step, we were pushed into it.” 

You smile and kiss the back of her neck, “I think there was a little bit more involved in that.” 

Shivers race down Leigh's spine as she leans into your chest. “Not here,” she whispers as her body heats up from your touch. You continue to kiss her neck and lightly trail your fingers down her stomach and slowly bunch up her dress in order to slip your fingers in her underwear. Unfortunately, a knock on Leigh’s bedroom door has you jumping away from her. You quickly sit on the bed and cover your lap with one of her decorative pillows. Leigh takes a few breaths to cool down as she opens the door. “Jules, is everything okay?” She asks full of concern for her sister with tears coming down her face. You feel even more awkward now, but a little relieved that the tears have scared away the evidence of arousal. 

“Yeah,” she sniffs and wipes her face. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make everything about me but. Ugh, I don’t want you to have this baby,” her admission has you and Leigh looking at her with wide eyes. She is being a bit hysterical so you give her the benefit of the doubt. Plus the smell of alcohol is strong in her presence. Now neither of you has to wonder about a stash in her bedroom.

“Why’s that, Jules?” you ask with concern as you sit up more on the bed.

She shakes her head as she continues to cry. “No, I mean. I want you to have the baby. I just. I want to be sober when he or she or they get here. I don’t want to be like, like, like this!” She gestures to herself. You and Leigh are relieved to an extent. Jules wants help but you’re a little weary of the timing. You have offered her help many times before she came to your fathers home. Now she is ready for help? 

“Hey, hey,” Leigh holds her sister in her arms. “It’s okay, Jules. There’s still time to get you help. We’ll talk to mom and-” 

“No! I can’t put her through that again,” she says as she pulls out of Leigh’s arms. “She’s still paying off the last rehab. I can’t put her in more debt.” You sigh and rub your face. 

“Okay, we can look into some places,” Leigh promises. “Make some phone calls maybe, we could help you apply for one of those programs that are for people that don’t have a lot of money to get better.” 

Jules shakes her head, “No, I can’t go to one of those. That’s where my friend Mindy went. She met her heroin dealer there!” 

You sigh and stand up from the bed and pull out your wallet. You don’t carry cash often, but one of your best customers gave you a pretty hefty tip in cash. “Okay, how much do you want, Jules?” you ask with a coldness that Leigh has never seen in you before. She doesn’t want help. She wants money. You’ve dealt with this behavior before. Leigh scowls at you for accusing her sister of only asking for money when she was clearly here for help. That’s until she sees Jules' eyes dry up almost instantly. 

“Um, maybe a few hundred to a thousand. You know, for the down payment,” she says as she starts to scratch her wrist. You close your eyes, her habits have gone beyond alcohol. You clear your throat and pull the wad of cash out of your pocket and with a heavy heart, you start to count the cash. 

Leigh can’t believe what she is seeing and she puts her hand over yours to stop you. “Jules, it’s okay. You don’t need to make the arrangements yourself. I will do it for you.” You feel bad for your girlfriend because you can see that she has hope that she can save her sister from herself. Part of you hopes that she can, so that she doesn’t have to deal with the heartbreak of finding out that she can’t. 

Jules looks at her sister and then to the money in your hand. You don’t know what has gotten into Leigh's sister, and you want to help prevent her from getting worse but it was up to her. And if she needed money, you’d rather be the one to give it to her than to have her find other ways to earn the money. You follow Leigh’s lead and give her the chance to choose, the money or her sobriety. Leigh is desperately hoping her sister makes the right decision. Her hand grips yours tightly in anticipation. 

“Jules, whatever you’re going to use this money on isn’t worth it,” you say, letting her know that she has been caught. She looks at you in shock, she thought her act was working. “We’re here for you, let us help you.” Jules locks her eyes on the money in your hands and licks her lips. The craving is so much stronger than she is. You can see her losing her battle. 

“Jules,” Leigh says in a strong tone with tears filling her eyes. “If you take this money, I don’t think I could have you in my baby’s life.” She tries to bring out the sister that was promising Leigh months ago that if she kept the baby then she would help her every day and night with feedings and diaper changes and watching the baby whenever Leigh needed her to. When she was sober, she wanted it all. She can’t believe she doesn’t recognize the woman in front of her. 

“Okay,” Jules says as she steps back. She clears her throat. “I’m um I’m so embarrassed. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done this. I just. I just, I need to get out of here.” She says as she starts to leave the room. Leigh starts shouting for her mom to come to her room and Amy arrives, concerned and a little annoyed. 

“What is with all of the shouting?” She asks as she enters the room. You and Leigh waste no time in explaining to her mother the concerns the both of you have for her daughter. The both of you suggest staying at the house longer in order to help monitor Jules but Amy doesn’t agree to the idea. “No, I won’t allow it. You two need to start focusing on the baby and starting your lives together. Okay? You already have enough to worry about. Jules is my baby and it’s my job to care for her. I appreciate the offer but no. I have to take matters into my own hands here.” She states confidently. Leigh can’t believe that her mother is being so stubborn about allowing her to help her sister. But Amy has put her foot down on the situation. You try to offer to help with paying for Jules' rehab stay but Amy declines. “No, we’re not doing that again. I think I’m going to handle this differently. Besides, the two of you need to buy that house. You will have a child of your own to worry about soon enough. You don’t need debts from something like this.” 

You nod and rub Leigh’s back in comfort, “I understand. Please let us know if we can do anything if you ever find that you need help.” Leigh concurs your statement and Amy hugs both you and her daughter as she thanks you. 

“Now hurry up with that packing,” Amy says as she points to the half empty suitcase. She leaves the two of you alone to go find Jules. Leigh no longer takes her time in packing, ready to be away from the drama for a bit. When she is ready to leave, she doesn’t say bye to her mom or her sister because she doesn’t get the chance to. The door to Jules’ room is locked and Amy is on the phone making arrangements to help her struggling daughter. 

The drive to your apartment is quieter than you anticipated it being. You wanted today to end on the good note that you and Leigh were committing to a life together. Not this. Unfortunately, stuff like this is a harsh reality. And if neither of you can handle it, then it might not be the perfect match you convinced yourselves of after all. Then again, when Leigh puts her hand on your thigh at the red light to grab your attention and she gives you that look that is so full of love and appreciation as she thanks you, you know that isn’t the case. You know that this is real and this will be a lasting connection. You love her and she loves you. Together, the two of you can brave any storm.

Eight

Taglist: @princessprudy @sayah13 @agaymilflover @awkwardmandalorian @bentleywolf29 @thatshyboy1998 @artisannat @thisischaismagic @wqndanat @madamevirgo @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @the-writer-arcane @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @aloneodi @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte @druggedduck @notbornbutforged @when-wolves-howl @lifespectator @justyourwritter69 @wandaromamoff69 @awesomelygayasf @nekoannie-chan @diaryoflife @wuwu96 @wandanats-goodgirl @sincerely-indi @blueredg52 @sisiwritesfanfics @fuzzyuniversityeclipsefriend @arcturusseer @scarlettwidow34 @chasethemoon @raven-ss @canyonyodeler @sokovianbaby @alexawynters

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Modern 2005 house right on the lake in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. 7bds, 7.5ba - $12.5M.

Very long hallways. Slightly disappointed that these upper windows overlooking the water are in the hallway. What a perfect statue for a shotgun house, too, b/c the rooms are as straight as an arrow.

The front area of the living room has panoramic views.

What a massive area to furnish and this furniture is so dull. There should be something high on the wall to draw the eye upward and bring the wall down.

The large monolithic fireplace is double-sided and on the opposite side of the living room is the dining area. Love the built-in shelving, but I would like it a little taller with an added sliding library ladder and an interesting background of either contrasting paint or wallpaper.

Chef's kitchen has a bit of a mid-century modern vibe.

I now like green b/c I'm so sick of houses that are devoid of color, I like it as the new neutral. At least it gives this beige room some pop.

This house is very long. Look at this hall.

The primary bedroom faces the water, has room for a full living room set, plus an office area.

The en-suite is very Zen. Look at the wooden tub setup. You can be buried in that thing.

Large secondary bedroom has a good view and a door to the outside.

As you know, every rich person's home must have a home gym, even if they only go in to dust it off.

Deck along the back of the home has a hot tub, and overlooks Lake Winnipesaukee.

Oversized sauna fits at least 4 butts.

Lower level patio.

Plenty of room to house your boats.

Property measures 6.2 acres.

[gladlypants]

Hey! I uploaded a ton of lots to the gallery today (id: gladlypants) Some were recent builds I was doing while I was waiting for GT, some I just furnished today, some I built last summer before HSY released and forgot about, and then vault Cleo’s grandparents’ house. I had a lot of fun practicing building over the last few weeks!  :) 

It’ll take me a bit to get all of these tray files up, will have to go back and take interior screenshots and all that. There are names of each and short descriptions under the cut, numbered like the screenshots, cuz I just felt like talking about em, and gallery images suck. I’ve playtested most of these at some point, except Charles E. Cheese’s, the shells, and the Batchelder house.

Lmk if you want any of these now for your new pack gameplay and I’ll shoot you a temporary dl.

1. Charles E. Cheese’s - Heavily branded for the feline version of Chuck, Charles! It’s a restaurant and I haven’t playtested it, sorryyyy, but I don’t foresee any issues. There’s a pizza vendor kiosk inside too if you want to change the lot type or have typical Dine Out problems. Intended as a kind of party space for kids. The upstairs feels a little chaotic to me but maybe not idk. ♥

2. Raymond’s Noodles - A little local noodle restaurant I built for a sim named Raymond I was playing in a recent rotation save. It’s small and cute. ♥

3. The Schneider House - a big ol’ traditional style Windenburg house. I was also playing a household on this lot, and I really loved it!

4. Batchelder Craftsman - I love the style of this house. Named for Batchelder tiles, which I am pretending this one has throughout! (reference)

5. Gray 2 Story Craftsman - The household I played the most in my rotation lived in this house and I love the layout, so it’s probably my favorite of the Craftsman shells I built, even if it is a little plain looking on the outside. It has an awesome, huge main bedroom suite! 

6. Green Family Craftsman - f*ck those rooves. This one has a a sunroom and a bedroom for grandparents/stay-overs. (reference)

7. Blue Craftsman - Built this one like a house my sister-in-law lived in here for a long time, it’s a common style and layout in older neighborhoods where I live.

8. Black Victorian Shell - It’s supposed to a small detached row house. I built it with the idea of using it for renting to roommates but you can use it however you like obviously.

9. Cleo’s Grandparents’ House - a desert mcm! Still has the camper in the yard that Cleo + Devon lived in before they got locked in the vault.

10. Single Mom House - I built this for one of my gallery households, who is a single mother and teenage daughter. It’s a little shabby, with some craftsman features and some Hispanic decor for them.

11. The LaFollette House - also built for one of my gallery families, a single military dad and his two daughters. I intended this one to be the same as the Single Mom house, but remodeled to be more modern and spacious.

12. The Gilbert House - for a gallery household, it’s a little retro inside!

13. Split Level Family Home - also for a gallery household, this one has very feminine style decor, except for one of the bedrooms for a teen, and a huge unfinished basement (just walls.) 

^^ Also this “Colorful Craftsman Shell” that I forgot about and don’t think I’ll get around to furnishing/finishing it anytime soon. It has a bonus attic room. You’ll need to move the back door, place it on a bigger lot, or lower the foundation because I didn’t leave space for steps there. 

And a big modern “apartment building” with one furnished unit and a gym and indoor pool downstairs, which is kind of unfinished but idk if I’ll get back to it.

Sorry for the wall of text, thank you if you read it all. ♥ 

[notyour-valentine]

His World ~ Tommy Shelby X Reader (Fluff)

[Masterlist] [Taglist]

Summary: When Tommy wants her to join him in his world, she agrees, even if the thought made her skin crawl

I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other. This hasn't been beta'd so I apologise for typos or mistakes

Warning: societal sexism, heavy flirting

Wordcount: 3727 words

The gravel crunched under her feet as she tried very hard not to run the short distance from the western exit of the house towards the stables.

They had already been grand, but Tommy had expanded them as soon as he had signed the contract to make this house theirs.

That had been more important to him than all the other renovations, or the reshaping of the garden or the furnishing. For all that, he had given her a blank check and the promise that he'd love whatever she chose anyway, sealed with a kiss to her cheek.

But the absolute regency did not extend to the matters regarding horses. Anything and everything to do with them went over his desk and his desk only, from the expansions on the stables, to the manufacturing of the saddles, to food and hay.

Any staff they hired had faced harsher tests and trials than those that might have been hired for the King's household, only the punishment for mistreatment would be far harsher on the grounds of Arrow House than Buckingham Palace.

Polly had told her once, about the first man Tommy had ever wanted to kill, back before he really knew what killing was. He had been barely more than a malnourished, small boy from the streets of Birmingham, who had somehow managed to wrestle the bullwhip from a man thrice his size after seeing him use it on a frightened horse. According to his aunt, Tommy hadn’t stopped even when hardly anything remained of the man’s shirt but crimson coloured rags.

At first, she hadn’t believed it, after all Thomas Shelby was not a cruel man, nor did he enjoy the sight of suffering, unlike many people she had the displeasure to meet.

But he was also a man who, when pushed to the threshold and faced with the abyss, was fully capable of crossing it without batting an eye.

The man who had owned the horse all those years ago was not the last who had learned that to their peril.

She found him outside of the stables, but she had nearly missed him in her hurry, as he stood amidst the tall and proud animals, almost blending into their group to the point of nonrecognition.

Sometimes, she thought that this was his intention.

The man she saw there, was different to the one he showed the world, who entered board meetings and business negotiations, no matter if they were held at Number 7 Watery Lane or at the polished mahogany tables of the London offices of Shelby Company Limited.

To all those who only knew him as the man from the paintings in the house, he would be entirely unrecognisable now, but also because they had never truly learned to look.

Tommy Shelby wore no suit and no jacket, no riding habit of his own.

His dark trousers had gotten stained and crumpled, and the sleeves of his simple, collarless shirt had been rolled up almost carelessly, with his clasps on dark suspenders slightly lopsided. The hours spent in the sun had made a thin sheet of sweat appear on his brow to which a few loose strands of his hair clung.

With any trace of the shrewd, sharp businessman forgotten, it made him look younger than his years.

(Y/N) watched, as he caressed one of the steed's fur, rubbing the side of her neck while whispering soothing words into her ear - words she would not have been able to understand even if she stood right beside them.

She had always liked horses. Their proud posture and noble stride had captured her imagination ever since she had been a child, whether it be from looking at the life size portraits of long dead warriors and kings, or when she herself had begun her riding lessons at the appropriate age of six.

She had liked the warmth and the softness of their fur, and later the feeling of freedom when she could gallop down a green hill, ever trying to outrun her instructor.

But she had only grown to love them when she learned to see them through his eyes.

Tommy preferred their company to that of most people, and sought them out whenever the world of men turned too loud for him.

There was some form of sanctuary they could provide his ever restless soul that he would never find anywhere else, not even her arms.

That had been a hard truth to accept, and if she loved him any less, she would have let any affection she had for the animals turn to hate.

But she couldn't hate them even if she tried, not when she saw how his eyes lit up and how the corners of his lips twitched into a small, almost boyish smile.

(Y/N) had fallen in love with the man he was, but that did not mean she did not relish these moments in which she could see the glimpses of the boy he had once been.

Here, with the horses, in the open air, far away from all the smoke and noise, she could see him, truly see him.

But even now, his carefree and sometimes even playful nature, did not mean he was any less diligent. He was patient, yes, more patient than she had ever seen him, but still precice and strict.

And so (Y/N) had soon learned not only how to rub down a horse, but how to clean its fur, how to refill their hay and even how to clean out their hooves. It wasn’t a task she was naturally suited to, nor one her parents would have allowed her to attempt, but it was one she took upon herself gladly if it meant she could spend more time watching him in their presence.

When he was in their company he was so much at peace, she could not only see it in his features, but feel the tranquillity and calm radiate from him.

It was not something one could often say of Thomas Shelby.

Stillness yes, but tranquillity was not a luxury he got to experience often, let alone share.

“Hello you.”, he greeted, his back still turned to her.

“And there I thought I was being sneaky.”, (Y/N) mused as she allowed herself to step closer, leaning against the only recently painted fence.

“Not quiet enough for her.”, he said, patting the steed’s side.

“How is she?”, she wanted to know, a slight frown forming on her brow. She was getting so large now, it was a marvel she could still stand upright.

“Restless.”, Tommy said, “it won’t be long now, before the foal comes.”

That filled her with an almost giddy excitement.

“Shall we put the veterinarian on alert?”, she asked. Tommy had found a man from Dorset he liked, who took thrice as much money as the usual rate. But he was good, and apparently he had treated the horses in France too, which made Tommy trust him above all others.

He only shook his head.

“When we get closer, I’ll call Curly up. He knows more.”

With a final whisper, he patted the horse on the side and turned to face her fully.

A sly smirk spread on his face as he saw her.

“So you decided to wear fancy dress then, hm?”, he asked, as he climbed through the fence, glancing up and down. “At least you left the circus hat inside.”

The circus hat was what he called the black tophat and net which had accompanied every single riding habit for at least two centuries. So much had changed in the war and after, and the fashion hadn’t been exempt, but still the riding habit stayed the same. Tight leather riding trousers under wide dark skirts and a matching jacket, a blouse, a black ribbon and a tophat.

“You said we were going riding.”, she reminded him as he took her hand, leading her back in the direction of the stables. As they walked, her dark green skirts brushed against his legs just like they did against her own.

She found Dancer already outside, lounging in the shade. But there was no other horse.

“Tommy, what’s this?”, she asked, glancing at him suspiciously.

“A horse.”, he only said.

“Well I can see that.”, she huffed, “but why only one?”

“Because you’ll be the only one riding today.”

There was something in his voice that told her she was missing something, but never mind what she was missing. The horse was missing something too.

“I’ll go fetch the saddle.”, she said, but his grip tightened slightly, not nearly enough to hurt her, but enough to stop her hand from slipping away from his grasp.

“No need.”

She sighed.

“Tommy, I know you are able to ride a horse without a saddle, but I’m not.”

He smiled softly, and there was that glint in his eyes again - that glimmer of mischief and that tell tale sign that he had planned something.

“Well today you’ll learn.”, he said.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him in utter disbelief.

“You want me…to ride a horse without a saddle?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head.

“Tommy, I can’t. It won’t work. I’ll just slip off.”

There would be no way she wouldn’t, not even if the horse moved as slowly as possible and a trot would send her flying.

“Not if you ride properly, you won’t.”, he mumbled.

Only then did she catch his meaning.

“No.”, she said, shaking her head. “I can’t…it’s not allowed.”

He snorted, almost rolling his eyes at her. She knew all too well that he saw no value in what society taught her to consider proper. He even hated the word when it came from her lips.

“I know you’re wearing trousers under there so just get rid of the skirt and we are good to go.”

She wanted to argue again, to explain to him that if they were to be seen it would be a scandal, that her parents would never allow it, that it just wasn’t right, but she bit her tongue and watched how he began to rub Dancer behind the ears.

When the horse gave him a playful nudge, he grinned in amusement.

This was his world, and he was asking her to be a part of it.

(Y/N) knew she would be a fool if she didn’t sacrifice a small part of the world she came from to appease him.

“I’ll need your help with the buttons.”, she finally dared to say.

They were small and many, and right at the back.

As always, Tommy was more than happy to oblige.

When she stepped out of the dark green fabric that had pooled at her feet, she couldn’t help but feel - naked.

She still wore trousers, but they were far tighter than any trousers those daring flappers and fashionistas in the cities wore, who preferred men’s clothing over women’s.

And her face burned.

“Whatever you want to say,”, she hissed under her breath, “don’t.”

“You might have liked what I wanted to say.”, he teased.

She glared at him.

“This is already daunting enough, so please don’t make it any more difficult.”, she admitted, as they approached Dancer.

“No need to be scared.”, he assured her. “People have been riding horses without a saddle for far longer than they have been riding them without.”

(Y/N) gave him a doubtful look.

“Are you sure about that?”

He only shrugged.

“At least they’ve been riding without one far longer than they’ve put women in those things from the carousels.”

The wave he gave was nothing short of demeaning and so was his almost childish tactic of not dignifying things he despised with their appropriate name.

Her riding habit was ‘fancy dress’.

Her tophat was the ‘circus hat’.

Her aunt with her archaic values and constant recommendations was only referred to as ‘old bat’, her father’s valet as ‘head clown’.

And so her side saddle was that ‘thing from the carousels’, because apparently if one rode side saddle, one wasn’t riding at all but merely sitting on the horse the same way one would do on the painted one’s at the fairs.

According to him it was unnatural, illogical and not really riding, but all that didn’t make it any less daunting, as she approached Dancer.

She wasn’t the tallest horse they had in their stables, but by no means short, and very capable of going at a rather swift and daring speed if she wanted.

Almost in preparation, her loins began to ache.

“Don’t worry.”, Tommy assured her, coming up right behind her.

“I’m right here, eh?”

“Well, then you might tell me how I am supposed to get up, because you’ve not only forgotten the saddle, but also the stepping stool.”

He grinned as he laced his hands together.

He can’t be serious, she thought, but he was. And so she had nothing left to do but place her knee - and her trust- in his hands.

With one smooth motion he hoisted her up the horse.

And then she sat, frozen in place with her hands braced on the back of the horse. Her legs were spread wide over the back of the horse, stretching the muscles in her thighs like they hadn't been before.

But she also felt the warmth of the horse against her legs, with nothing, no saddle, no skirt and no posture to separate her body from that of the animal.

"You good?", Tommy asked, walking around Dancer to see if she was sitting properly.

"Well, I don't think it will get better.", She confessed, as her heart thundered in her chest.

He attached a rope and began to lead the horse away from the stables and towards the green plains.

She had spent countless hours on the back of horses, but this might as well have been the first day she had ever seen one, that was how different it felt- how foreign.

When she sat side-saddle she could feel the horse's movements as well but now she could feel the muscles work.

Every tensing and relaxation, every single shift, it was almost as if they were no longer two separate bodies but one, single being.

Once they had left the gate behind them and were out on the green grass, Tommy began to step back, letting the rolled up rope slip through his fingers.

"Now you urge the horse not with the reins but with your thighs.", He said.

I know, she wanted to mumble, but that didn't make it any easier to do.

"A bit more. The horse has to be able to feel it. Don't be shy."

Her face burned as she tried not to think of how inappropriate all of this was.

"Good.", Tommy said, as Dancer began to move forward. "Off you go."

As long as I'm not going to a hospital next.

Even if Dancer was only leisurely trotting, she was jostled with every step and feeling ever more like a sack of potatoes. Inelegant, undignified and untalented.

"Put your right shoulder back.", Tommy advised.

No matter what she tried, she just couldn't keep her posture, and soon the instruction came once more.

"You're leaning again.", He warned her.

So (Y/N) moved her shoulder back, only for Dancer to dip slightly in her trot, making her gasp and lean over to keep her balance. But in her instinct, she overreached and for a frightening second she felt herself slip.

It was over in a heartbeat, but not fast enough for Tommy not to notice.

With a single spoken command, he got Dancer to slow, giving her the time to compose herself again.

"That's what I mean with leaning. Sit up straight.", He told her.

"I'm trying.", She confessed. "It's not nearly as easy as you make it look."

"Just try to move with the horse and not against it."

Well that fixes everything, she thought, but kept her complaints to herself as she urged the horse on, with her thighs and not the reins.

(Y/N) had barely circled him once more when he corrected her again.

"If you keep that up, you will be sore tomorrow. Move with the horse."

"I am moving with the horse.", She argued, making sure to keep her back perfect.

She circled him once more, then Tommy began to roll the rope up again, approaching both her and Dancer.

"I'm getting cramps just watching this.", He said.

(Y/N) bit the inside of her lip and glanced down.

She hadn't exactly had a great time today, not nearly as much as she would have had if he had let her saddle her horse the way she was used to, and she had tried.

But now, the cold, biting feeling spread in the pit of her stomach, spurred on by the fact that she had failed- worse, that she had disappointed him.

"Hold this?", He asked, shoving the rope into her hand.

"What are you doing?", She asked turning her head as he reached up, one hand in front of her, the other behind.

(Y/N) had needed help getting up, but Tommy Shelby managed to get on without much of a struggle.

"Don't mind me.", He said, his breath hot on the back of her neck as he reached for the rope. Not only was his chest right behind her back, his legs brushed against hers from behind.

"I'm just the passenger.", He assured her. "You tell Dancer where to go. Use your legs."

Her heart thundered in her chest, as she squeezed her thighs. Relief flooded her when the horse started to move.

"Good.", He praised.

"It's always easier to learn something than to unlearn it."

"Huh?", She asked, but by then his hand had already slipped in under her arm, a palm reaching up and pressing against her right shoulder gently.

"You're trying to keep the balance the way you did with both legs on one side so you overreach.", He explained calmly.

(Y/N) inhaled sharply and shuddered as his other hand ran down the length of her back, two knuckles on either side of her spine.

When she tried to evade his touch, the hand on her shoulder kept her in place.

"Don't tickle me.", She insisted with a breathless giggle.

"Just making sure you're back's straight.", He assured her, unable to hide his amusement.

When his lips pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck, it made her stomach flutter the same way it had done when he had kissed her there for the very first time.

"Straight as an arrow. Like standing to attention. Keep it that way.", He instructed, before allowing both of his hands to drop.

Now, in the absence of the rope, she had to guide Dancer through the curves on her own, applying more pressure with one leg than the other.

"Speed up a little.", Tommy asked, before dropping his head into the crook of her neck, on the right side- the one she had been leaning over too far.

While her shoulders were and stayed in line now, a second problem soon became apparent, because with every step, she felt herself bounce to the point where it began to cause an ache.

"You need to move your hips with the horse. Don't try and force them to be still."

"Sorry.", She mumbled.

No bouncing. No stillness.

Still, she didn't know what to do with her hips.

With a hum, his hands found her hips, intent on guiding.

"Don't tease me.", She insisted, as she felt the pressure he applied, and the rhythm he applied it in.

"I'm not teasing.", He argued.

"Yes you are!"

Her face was burning again.

"No. Feel the difference?"

To her shame, she had to admit that she did. It didn't hurt nearly as much, although it broke all the rules of what was right and proper and what she should be doing or how she should be moving anywhere, let alone in public.

Even when he removed his hands, she continued the movement, rocking her hips in sync with the horse.

It wasn't made easier by the fact that he was right behind her, brushing against her, legs and hips and backs and all.

She knew she should be focussing on her hips and her shoulder and her thighs, but she couldn't focus on anything but him.

It didn't help that he didn't exactly keep his hands to himself.

Not that he was actively doing something- his hand was just resting on her thigh, as she moved the way he had instructed her to move.

With him behind her, she felt safe enough to try to go faster, and even leave the green plains to ride along the treeline. He let her, leaning into her and whispering advice and encouragements in her ear.

"Back to the stables now.", He finally said once they reached the river side.

She turned the horse around and guided Dancer back.

They rode the distance in silence, apart from whispered breaths and the clicking of hooves.

Once back there, he jumped off and took the reins from her.

"Good girl.", He praised.

"Me or the horse?", (Y/N) wanted to know.

"I'm talking English, aren't I?"

"Oh,", she mumbled as she felt her cheeks heat up for the upteenth time today.

Tommy only grinned as his hands clasped her waist, lifting her off of the horse.

She leaned into him as her legs began to quake.

"Careful now.", he warned, his arms curling around her tighter.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed.

"The things you make me do, Thomas Shelby.", She mumbled into the fabric of his shirt.

He smelled of green grass, of horse and hay.

"Well, you always enjoy them in the end.", He reminded her.

"Am I enjoying this? I can't tell.", She mused, only lifting her head be able to see his eyes, and the slight smirk he wore on his lips.

"Can't you?", He asked.

"No.", She said. "And I have the haunting suspicion that I will be very, very sore tomorrow."

Humming slightly, Tommy's hand found her chin, his thumb just barely brushing along her bottom lip.

"Let's see if I can do something about that, eh?"

The End

~

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. As always, I loved to hear from you all!

Taglist

Overall

@lilyrachelcassidy @jyessaminereads @chlorrox @watercolorskyy @books-livre @quarterpastmidnight  @lilyevanswhore  @polishcrazyone  @zablife  @just-a-harmless-patato  @stevie75 @flyingjosephine-blog @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @alex-in-the-wilderness @babayaga67 @butterfly-skinnylegend @shelbydelrey @mrkdvidal1989

Tommy

@knowledgefulbutterfly @babayaga67 @signorellisantichrist @lespendy @geeksareunique @look-at-the-soul @lothbrokcore @rangerelik

[allthefandomthings55]

Chapter 7

Y/N POV

I was in my kitchen, just making some mac and cheese when my doorbell rang. “Coming,” I yelled as I cleaned my hands. Once I ran to the door, I opened it to see Spencer, “Hey Spence- Oh my god! What happened?”

Spencer scratched behind his head, “Uh, yeah that’s what I wanted to tell you about in person. I didn’t know if you wanted to know right away or if you wanted me to tell you in person.”

I was just staring at him, “Well come in and tell me what happened. We can talk over mac and cheese.” Spencer followed me into my house and looked around. 

“Wow, this is the biggest house I think I’ve ever seen. I mean Rossi’s mansion is big, but this place is huge.”

You laughed, “Yeah. Uh- this is my mansion. I have a pool, a hot tub, a great living room and kitchen. A recording studio, five bathrooms, and eight bedrooms plus the master bedroom. All fully furnished.”

“Wow. Ok. That’s a lot. This is a lot bigger than my apartment.”

“Yeah it is. But to be honest I like your apartment. Its got this homey feel to it. My house feels so cold and inhuman. Your apartment has you written all over it and I like it that way.”

“Yeah,” he laughs, “Anyways,” we sit down at the counter in my kitchen. I dish out some mac and cheese for the both of us. As I sat down, Spencer told me all about how he pushed his coworker and friend JJ out of the way so she didn’t get shot in the heart, but then he would get shot in the shoulder. He figured it would be better than his friend being killed. 

“Oh my god Spencer, I can’t believe you would willingly get hurt for your friend! That’s so sweet. Ok, I demand you stay here so I can make sure that you’re ok.”

“Yeah,” Spencer took a deep breath and his face fell a bit.

“What’s wrong?”

Spencer took a minute to compose his thoughts, “I-I’m scared. A few years ago I, uh, I got addicted to drugs. An unsub who had split personality disorder (correct me if I’m wrong) kidnapped me and drugged me. After that, I became addicted to the drug and it took me a while to get clean. Now I’m scared to take any prescription drugs in fear that I might become addicted again. I totally understand if you want me to leave and you never want to see me again. I understand that it can be hard to love somebody with that kind of past.”

You looked at him then got up and gave him a hug. You then held him at arms length, “I am so sorry that happened to you. What do you mean make you leave? I don’t care that you got into drugs for three months straight, or how much sleep you lost in that period. I don’t care that you went home and fucked that person and woke up at 6 AM hating everything about yourself, or that you smoked so much you sounded as though your lungs were giving out. You’re not a bad person for the ways you tried to kill your sadness. You’re just human, and being human means you need to survive and you do so whichever way you deem fit, fuck everyone else.”

He looked at me and I saw tears start to stream down his face. He then pulled me into the tightest hug I’ve ever had in my life. We stayed there for a long time while he cried into my shoulder. I let him decide how long he wanted to hug. “Thank you, Y/N. I’ve never known anyone to accept my past.”

“I’ll always accept you and your past. You’re the only person that has accepted me and my history without wanting something in return. And if you ever want another hug like that, you can call or text me and I will be there as soon as I can be. Hugs are so underrated especially those hugs that are so tight you can literally feel the other person’s heartbeat and for a moment everything feels so calm and safe like nothing can hurt you.”

Spencer looked at you for a moment, “You are so wise and so intelligent Y/N. You know I’ve been listening to some of your music and it is so poetic. I see where you get it from.”

You laughed, “Thank you! I know you prefer classical music so it means a lot.”

You both laughed at that and decided to take the rest of the night chilling on the couch and watching movies. Although the both of you didn’t go to bed until well in the morning, it was well worth the wait to make sure that the both of you were in a good place mentally. 

[mklegends-smokescreen]

MK Legends: Blood Bound

Chapter 14: Somewhere Far Away

Meanwhile in Outworld, we see a familiar looking Saurian walking through a windy desert with a bandana over his mouth. By now, he’s roughly 7-8 kilometers away from the capital, as that is where we last saw him. As the wind settles down, he notices a small town, to which he responds by somersaulting forward into the sand, phasing through it and jumping back out in the backyard of a house. He walks out in the street, seeing several people walking around. Some people were giving him shady looks as he walked by, and he is a little bit scared, and quite confused. As he’s walking towards a house covered in sand, he pushes the sand off a door to enter said house. As he enter, he notices sand and knocked over furnishings everywhere. Suddenly, as he’s looking around, a shadow slithers around on the ceiling, to which Sabbia responds to by making a spear using the sand on the floor.

SABBIA: You can show yourself now, before it gets ugly…

Before he realized it, the sound of metal was heard behind him, which caused him to throw the spear in the direction of the sound as the spear hits a pot and dissolves. Sabbia would look confused for a bit, until a hooded figure would drop behind him. He tried to do something,  before he could, he was knocked down to the floor and a karambit was put to his throat.

SABBIA: Is this because I left, destroying most of the house? UNWILLINGLY, might I add!

???: How’dya know? If you didn’t teach me to fight, your only family would have been dead, now would she?

Sabbia would sigh, and she would help him off the floor. She would then remove her hood, as her Saurian head forms out of her human sized cowl with red particles.

SABBIA: It’s good to see ya again, sis–

She would tackle him in order to hug him, squeezing tighter by the second.

SABBIA: Okay, big girl, , could you maybe… let go just a little bit before you pop my brains out.

She let go of him and put away the karambit. While with her other hand pointing her finger at him.

ASTRAIA: Next time, call before you turn on your family.

SABBIA: Okay, I promise it won’t happen again.

The snake would brush the sand off his clothes, taping her shoulder.

SABBIA: Tell me, where did you go? What did you do?

ASTRAIA: Well… stuff.

Sabbia would look at her with a disapproving scowl.

SABBIA: Astraia, who did you kill?

ASTRAIA: I didn’t “kill” anyone! Why is that your third question?

SABBIA: No one know’s ya better than I do, and I know for a fact how much you thrive on justice, ranting on and on about what’s wrong with the system.

ASTRAIA: What do you want from me? I’m an angst ridden teen with a strong taste for righteousness. 

He’d sigh at his sister’s comment, patting her head.

SABBIA: Look, Astraia, you’re a good soul, but that’s no excuse to put the fear of God in the souls of bastards who hurt the innocent. We have the guardsmen for that.

Astraia would look at her brother, proceeding to be more and more aggressive with her replies, like some angsty teen rejecting their father.

ASTRAIA: Listen, Sabbia, I’m not here for your lecturing, because I’m here to do what the law wouldn’t. Since Kitana became Kahn, the law became less and less, well, lawful. And I get you’re trying to protect me, but I can fight for myself.

Sabbia would look down on the ground, with his hand on his sister’s shoulder. The Italian word for sand would open his mouth, but before he could say anything, Astraia would move his hand off her shoulder. ASTRAIA: Well, I’ve seen the way people look at you, and I’mma be honest, it don’t look pretty.

Sabbia would sigh, tapping his foot on the floor and looking at the door.

SABBIA: Right… so, we go to the market?

ASTRAIA: Oh sure, let’s go to the most crowded place in all of Outworld to hide, that’s a brilliant idea, dear brother. You’re giving one of Ermac’s souls a run for their money.

Sabbia would look at her with pure disapprovement and turn around, but as he reaches for the door knob, Astraia grabs his arm.

ASTRAIA: Wait, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. We can go to the market.

The snake would chuckle and pat her head, and the two would walk out. As the two head off to the market place, Astraia would jump on Sabbia's back, and he would carry her all the way. After a bit of a walk, the two arrive at the market. They would see people selling fruit and jewelry. As they walked, Sabbia would notice a familiar face he didn't see since chapter 10. It was Muchacha. As the two siblings walked towards her, they saw her patrolling the Market, as she's known to do to keep people safe.

SABBIA: Oi, general! How've ya been? You look cheerful as ever.

She would look at the two, and she would give him a handshake.

MUCHACHA: Hello, again, Sabbia. I see you brought company.

SABBIA: Yeah, this is my sister.

ASTRAIA: Astraia, glad to meet you, madam. 

She said, extending her scaly hand with her hood covering her face. Amara shook her hand

MUCHACHA: Please make this quick, Sabbia, I'm working. 

SABBIA: Oh don’t worry, we was just passin' by. Carry on, Ma'am.

he says as the Saurian's walked away.

ASTRAIA: You know her?

SABBIA: Apparently. Kicked her in the gut. Not proud of it. But I got a job to do as well, and I gotta get to it. You go explore the market a bit. I'll be back in a few hours. Just don't get too rowdy. And if you need anything, you'll know where to find me.

He said, walking toward a shop. Astraia would wander around for a bit, taking in the sights and the sounds for a little while. While eating an apple, she noticed that two guards were disturbing a homeless person, nudging and kicking him around. No longer able to take this anymore, she rushed in, tackling one and hitting him repeatedly with one hand. The second guard would grab her hand, but she would backhand him with her tail. She would get up, standing over the guard, leaning toward him.

ASTRAIA: Well, shite, mate. Ain’t you supposed to be the ones to protect and serve? Or are you trying to take scum off the streets? Because it ain’t workin' either way.

The first guard would get up and try to stab her with a sword, but with a quick motion, she moved the blade with her karambit and toss it to the knee of the guard, as he falls to the ground in agonizing pain. She would turn to the homeless person.  Astraia would look over at the man with the sun behind her, extending her scale-covered hand to help him up. He would grab her hand, and she would pull him up.

ASTRAIA: Get up, sir. You alright? Any injuries? Any bruises or anything? No? Good. now, if you'll excuse me...

She would walk towards the two guards, picking up the first one and pushing him up against a wall. 

ASTRAIA: Unless you want more of what you just got, you will not bother this man anymore. Understood?

The guard would nod his head.

ASTRAIA: Good. 

She would drop him to the floor, yanking her karambit out of his knee. The second guard would notice this, and look at the saurian. 

ASTRAIA: Get him a medic. Don't come anywhere near this man. And don't even think about getting me arrested, because the law will not protect you.

As the second guard was escorting the first one away, she turned to the homeless person.

ASTRAIA: Sorry you had to see that. I'm usually much nicer on a social level.

More guards would head her way. 

ASTRAIA: Whoops, got to go. See ya. 

She said, jumping around to climb up a building. The guards would chase her, but as they couldn't find her, she was already gone. Meanwhile, Sabbia is ending his shift, drinking water while telling a joke to some other people at the place he's eating.

SABBIA: …He asked the doctor "how long do I have to live?" to which the doctor replies with "five.". "Five what?" and the doctor says "Four, Three, Two..."

Everyone would start laughing at his joke, and after the laughter, he would say goodbye and pay for his meal. heading out to the door, he sees his sister.

SABBIA: I didn't know you'd back here already.

ASTRAIA: Well about that, we gotta go. Like right now.

SABBIA: Wait, wait. Hold up. What did you do this time?

ASTRAIA: Don't worry about it, we just have to get--

The door would break down, with swords and spears pointed at the saurians.

ASTRAIA: Out of here.

SABBIA: Something tells me I should worry about it.

GUARD #1: You will have to answer for your crimes, saurian.

Astraia would jump into action, slashing at the guards with her karambit, but they would all back up.

SABBIA: Oh screw this.

He said taking the sand from his pockets to make a sand knife and jumped around to block attacks directed towards Astraia.

SABBIA: What did I tell you about getting in trouble.

ASTRAIA: Hey, don't blame me. They started it.

One of the guards would try to stab her, but she would block his sword, and slice him on his shoulder, and the two would run off to the market. Walking outside, they're noticed by Muchacha.

MUCHACHA:  God's sake, I should have known.

SABBIA: Excuse me, General, could you give us a second?

MUCHACHA: Uh, sure?

Sabbia would turn to his sister, whispering to her.

SABBIA: What. Did. You. Do.

ASTRAIA: I stopped some guards from kicking around a homeless guy, okay?!

SABBIA: Astraia, why is it always violence with you?

ASTRAIA: It's justified violence if the people being violated are pieces of shit who abuse their position.

SABBIA: What the hell am I even doing with my life...?

Sabbia would facepalm, and the two would look at the guards rushing towards them.

MUCHACHA: Hey, what happened over there?

The guards would point their spears at the saurians.

GUARD #1:The small red one attacked us.

ASTRAIA: Okay, I've had it up to here with you bastards.

She said, as she violently approaches the two, but the sand bender would hold her in place.

SABBIA: No, the hell you don't.

MUCHACHA: That's not fair. If she has a reason, I'll have to listen to her.

She'd say,  holding her sword.

MUCHACHA: Guards, leave them alone. I can handle this.

GUARD #1: But, Madam, the law says-

MUCHACHA: I am the law. Now leave.

She'd say as the guards would disperse. Sabbia would let go of his sister, and she would proceed to explain her reasoning.

ASTRAIA: They were harassing a homeless man. And I couldn't stand that for more than six seconds, so naturally, I acted on it.

MUCHACHA: Well, that was a horrible thing to do. You could have talked it out, you know.

ASTRAIA: Look, miss, I'm not the type of girl to sit down and talk.

Muchacha would think about this for a second, and say the following.

MUCHACHA: Alright, I have decided to let this slide, only on the condition that you don't do it again.

ASTRAIA: ... No promises.

SABBIA: Are you serious, sis?

Muchacha would look at them with an unimpressed look, as Astraia, rolling her eyes, would respond by raising her hands.

ASTRAIA: Okay, fine, I won't do it again.

MUCHACHA: Good, now if you excuse me, I have things to do.

She said, and the two would walk away. She would head off, thinking about Sabbia’s sister, and wondering how she was able to defeat several highly trained guardsmen at once. Shaking her head, she continued her job.

[medicdoodles]

DRAtchet week 2022 Day 6: Indiscreet Photo.

(First Day)||(Day 5)||(Day 7)||(Last Day)

In which Deadlock's and Ratchet's relationship is told in snapshots but maybe they should see who behind the camera.

After all of that fighting done that night, Deadlock managed to keep Ratchet. More than that he finally, finally has Ratchet's permission to enter his home. They actually started to move in together. Even though Ratchet's house has no furnishings or even a bed, this is pure bliss.

So the first thing he moves over to the house is the bed. Not because Deadlock can't handle the floor but because Ratchet is going to have recover for the next few weeks. They found a chop shop that could fix up almost all of the damage from the muggings. Everything except his hands.

All of the technical aspects go over his head, but the jest of it is that the wiring will mimic the exoskeleton. However it will always be five nanoseconds delayed. It wasn't much and to a normal mech the difference wasn't even noticeable, but Ratchet. Ratchet notices instantly, he ran five simple tests and picked up on how much slower his new hand is.

He's grateful, none of the mechanics think he isn't. However, Ratchet asks if they could just allow him to repair his shattered hands. So coming home every night he sees Ratchet sitting down on the bed, trying to navigate fixing it.

Deadlock can really see how much those five nanoseconds matters. How much slower and sloppy his work is. Before he used to be as gentle as snow, but now he can barely hold his hand in the air.

He is proud of Ratchet, the mech might have been ready to give up on them, but he was always determined to healing. It will take a lot of work and practice to get him back in tip top shape, but Deadlock knows that if anyone could rebound it's him.

Last night Ratchet made a big break through. He got two of the fingers to work, they're still unreliable, certainly not ready for any kind of work. However, Deadlock believes this is a good enough reason to celebrate. "Trust me. This place has really good Electric Indium Rocks."

"But what if I don't like Electric treats." Ratchet hooks his new working arm his and rest his head against his chest as they walk down the street. A date, a real and honest date. While the first time at the club was nice, this one is honest.

"You can order something else. I'll just eat what you don't want." Deadlock opens the door to the and leads Ratchet to sit at the table on the back wall. Walking away to set their order was harder than he expected it to be. The Ratchet shaped cold spot makes the distance worse but it isn't long before he goes back.

Sitting to make sure that any bad actors would have to get through him before they could touch Ratchet. "There's an open seat over right there." Ratchet makes a pointed look at the sad looking barstool across from them.

"Yeah?" He laughs it off. No point in letting Ratchet convince him to switch seats. "Well since you said that you don't like Electric so I got some Lithium Ion and Battery Ooze." Placing the bag that the assistant gave him all of the treats scatter on the table.

"That looks like more than those two." Ratchet picks up the round one that is rolling towards the edge of the table. Eating the whole thing in one go, shaking his head from the strong sour taste.

"Maybe you should let me pick them." He shouldn't be laughing, it's not very romantic, but-

"I think you've done enough choosing." Ratchet moves to take the one Deadlock was starting at. Holding it up to his lips, shaking it back and forth, but his hand freezes up, dropping it. He stays still, not one word. Keeping his hand in the same position, shame seeping out of his field.

"Here." Deadlock picks up one of the cooper nuggets and feeds it to him. He can feel his chapped lips, his warmth breath, and soft gaze. "I think you'll like this one better."

That's how they spent the night. Deadlock picking up whatever snack he deemed tasty and feeding it to him. Watching the flickering of emotion as different flavors cross his tongue. The way his thoat works and the ever growing fuel filling him up. It states a more primal instinct and knowing that it was he who fills his lover. Well it's a good thing that he moded his panels to stay lockdown until he turns the code off.

"I shouldn't have eaten so much." Ratchet puts his fist in front of his mouth to keep to fuel in. "I don't think I can drive let alone walk back." Primus he is cute enough to eat.

"I don't know..." Deadlock let's his engine purr. "You can afford to eat more." He rubs Ratchet's plating. "I don't mind carrying you home."

Ratchet gives him that cute little pout. "With your weak ankles, ya right."

"The two of you were very cute. Right Deadlock?" Was the caption on the photo.

---

More time passes and Ratchet has fixed enough of his hand that all fingers are moving. He still has trouble holding things and they start to shake if they stay up for to long. It was a huge improvement, but more than that it gave Ratchet back his confidence. He even had gain that sassy sawy when he walks. The air of authority comes back to full force as he goes back to repairing mechs off the streets.

Tonight, the two of them are heading back to the shop. As Ratchet's has to go through one more exam before they clear him for duty. Bracing himself as the enter the shop, the deep smell of blood never truly goes away. "Well wer here." He bangs on the chains hanging on the wall.

"Cool your thrusters." A saw blades starts spinning, "We'll be ready in a bit." Another spark lights the corner of the room and he swears he can hear someone screaming in pain.

"Have a seat." Ratchet took his hands and drags Deadlock to the seat next to him. "We can make out while we wait."

"Huh?" He turns to face him only to get a sight full of Ratchet's smile, was he teasing him.

"Oh no you don't." The red sports car comes from the other side of the room. His paint is always emasculate, and at first Deadlock didn't trust him to be an actual doctor. "If Breakdown and I can't make out at work than neither can you." He makes his way towards Ratchet, bending down to hold up his hand and running scans. If Deadlock is jealous only Ratchet notices as he just sends him a smug look.

"What's the diagnosis, Knockout?"

"Good." He flips the hand over and starts testing his sensitivity. "In fact you fixed this to almost match the original specs. Practically made a miracle." Deadlock puts his hand on his thighs to express his pride. "Impressive."

"Let me see." Breakdown comes from upstairs and joins the three of them. "Yeah." He takes the hand from Knockout and gives it a stress test. "You may need a bit more time for all of the sensors to work but yeah great work."

"Choppshop." Knockout whistles for the owner to come over. A big mech or rather a group of mini insecticons that form the hulking mech. His two sets of eyes stare deeply into Ratchet's hand as the silicone hairs press against it. "So?"

"He'd save us a lot on supplies, and I ain't got time to reformat alloy."

"What's going on?" Deadlock takes a look at Ratchet. The exchange between him and the rest of the crew is suspicious.

"I ment to tell you." Ratchet moves to run his fingers down his thighs, comforting him. "I was thinking about joining the shop." He looks down keeping gaze away from his. "You know- to help others." It wasn't him asking permission, at least not yo Deadlock. More like he was asking Choppshop to join and is telling him as a formality.

"I get it Ratch." He links their hands together.

"Then let's update the staff picture." Breakdown pulls out a camera hands it over to Deadlock and pushes him out. The rest of the mechs pose themselves around Ratchet. Look at him with a knowing smile as they wait for him to take the photo.

"Say Gasoline."

"This is the place your Ratchet works, correct?" The caption of this group photo reads.

----

Another long, painful shift, Deadlock and the rest of the stunt crew get a half jorn break to refuel and stretch out their legs. Today has been especially tough since two of the main actors switched acts and now they have to start training all over again.

Another dent fender and a twist bumper. He is one of the lucky ones as the guy next to him as a burnt interior filters, with his tire sticking out of his chassis. The other bot in front of him has it worst as he caught the preform in root mode. His axel is twisted and his hip dislocation, he won't be able to transform until that gets fixed.

There's suddenly the crowd starts to whisper, commenting on a new vehicle that is headed this way. In fact it looks a lot like-

"Hey Drift." The mech behind him shoves his shoulder to grab his attention. "You see that bot? The alt mode looks kinda cute no?"

He doesn't get a chance to reply as said vehicle transforms in front of them. To his surprise Ratchet is here and Deadlock realizes that this is the first time he's ever seen his alt mode. It was another shock that he really was not an ambulance. "What are you doin here?"

"I had some extra time." Ratchet then pulls out a crate wrapped up in organic fabric. It was red, with gold hearts, clearly Knockout's but cute. "I figured we could have lunch together." He turns his face away from him, and Primus is he blushing. "To be honest," Ratchet keeps his head away but his eyes come back to look at him. "Breakdown suggested this, and I didn't have anything better."

Maybe it was the heat of the day, or the bruise of his battle scar, but Deadlock can feel his vents kick into high gear. "Yeah." Oh that was the wrong thing as the bot he was talking to face palms. "Here." He takes Ratchet's hands and tries to guide him to sit down on the floor next to him. That was until his bumper starts acting up and tumbles onto the ground hard.

"What happened?" Ratchet drops down to examine the situation. Putting both hands on eithet side of his shoulder to turn him over. The light of the sun makes a ring around his head, like straight out of a dream. That is palling in comparison to the genuine concern in his eyes as he waits for a response.

"Just my fender acting up." He manages to sit normally. Ratchet rushes to his side, he wraps himself around him. Deadlock closes his eyes and waits for the gentle touch. So it's a hard wake up when Ratchet digs into where his vehicle front is stored. He yanks out his fender and with his two hands untwists it. "Ouch." He tries to hold back a yell.

"Sorry." Ratchet gives him a hug, rubbing his face on his chest and planting a kiss.

A whistle brakes the moment. "What's a mech got to do to earn something like that?" Deadlock's coworker says as he continues to watch the two of them. When he coughs and the smoke from the wreckage comes out of his mouth, Ratchet is pulling away.

"What's wrong with you?"

"You tell me." The bot stands up and the rubber from the tire sticks out. No other words is said as Ratchet makes his way to the mech and starts to get to work. Unfortunately, more of the crew came to get repairs. It ate into their lunch, and by the time Ratchet was finished the sun went down and most of the circus left.

"I'm sorry Deadlock." Ratchet gives him another hug.

"It's alright. I got a nice view of you at work." A blush creep up on his face and Primus he was so cute. Cute enough to eat, and he would have if he doesn't have work tomorrow.

"Hey you two." The both of them both follow the voice that calls for them. When they both tracked it the a mech with a camera took their picture. "Here." He sent the image forward. "I figured that I should give you something as thanks." He raised his arm and bent it to show it was fixed now.

"Hmph." Ratchet steps away from him. "Just don't do anything reckless. I don't want to come back to fix it."

We wouldn't want the Ring Leader to know that his new medic is swapping paint with the Decepticon's most prominent weapon. Right?

-----

"So... Deadlock." Ratchet stands at the front of the door, ready to head out for work. They haven't had much time together, this had been the only day in the last few months. "I've been giving it a lot of thought." He lifts his head to look at him but his eyes shift elsewhere. "And maybe it's too early for you but. We should move in together."

Those words ring loudly in his head. It shouldn't matter much, the two of them sleep together here on their off days. While yeah, it wasn't often, it was just enough that Ratchet trust him to rest next to him. The idea to have him everyday, to hold him, to be able to watch him fall asleep and wake up to him. "Uhh yeah." He answers so eloquently. "I'll get all my stuff ready to your place by next week."

Ratchet gives him the most beautiful, genuine smile ever. The world turns perfectly and the sun shines ever brighter. "Okay. I'll get the house ready for you. Tomorrow I'll give you the passcode and a key."

The times the photo has no caption. It's just a grainy picture of Ratchet opening the door to their appartment. A letter behind it has today's date, a list of mechs and the bounty amount. It has no signature, no contact information. The photos were a clear sign that they have ways of tracking him down. More important, they were threatening Ratchet and once he gets out of this mess he will deal with them.

"I'll do it." Deadlock looks at the two goons in front of him. He left his blasters at home and they don't hand theirs over. "But then you already knew that." If he wasn't tied up in the chair he was sitting in he would have attacked them.

It was the first sign that his weakness would put Ratchet in danger. The beginning of the end.

[jones-friend]

I PLAYED THREE MORE GAMES TODAY

I’ve just about caught up on my Gencon list now that I’m back to more regular game nights. Today I got three games in the very solid 6-7/10 category, all things that have interesting stuff going on.

Nexus Infernum, like Eschaton later on, are by Archon Games. Archon has a very defined sense of theme with excellent presentation. Even the rules are dripping with flavor text.

In Nexus Infernum players compete to become the most blasphemous necromancer by sending their skelemans to the portals for arcane energies used to commune with demos. Commune with two matching demons of the same tier to form a pact (unlock abilities on your mat) or even find an infernal patron to lend their efforts to your cause. Battle other necromancers’ skelemans to steal their blasphemy (victory points) and gather up energy for big turns or big points.

Nexus Infernum was delightfully light. It did not overstay its welcome. For its scope the game did exactly what it needed to do and was a delightful play for the spooky month. This game is highly influenced by luck. Its a dice roll to summon a new skeleman, its a dice roll to attack, its a dice roll to gather resources, its a roll to see what resources spawn. The game doesn’t have too many ways to mitigate luck, sure you can roll again with some abilities or “roll with advantage” but there’s not much for bumping up the value of a roll. Much of the game is rolling then making a plan from there. If you don’t like games with medium to higher levels of luck this game isn’t for you. If you are enchanted by the game’s presentation I recommend it!

I’m noticing a trend with modern games where they glue together two proven games. This isn’t a bad thing! Ruins of Arnak glues together deckbuilder and worker placement. Eschaton glues together deckbuilder and a Risk-like territory control.

In Eschaton each player heads a cult during the end times. They vie for power across the land searching for artifacts and infernal allies to bolster their ranks and grow their cult as events and omens are revealed. Each turn has four parts: Zeal (draw more cards), Divine (sift through the arcane deck for artifacts, infernal allies, etc), Influence (buy step), and Aggression (board actions like amass cubes and take out enemy cubes). Each region provides points should you have the most cubes there at the end of the game. Some cards from the arcana deck give points as well. Each turn begins with some event or omen (competing goal) to play for.

Eschaton, like Nexus, isn’t the most finely tuned game but it is very fun. Figuring out how all the game pieces work together feels good and since cards don’t have individual abilities just numbers added to each phase sifting through cards to add is never overwhelming. Presentation is also very strong here, I love that if the game ends in a tie everybody loses, someone must WIN.

Its expansion adds asymmetry and a neutral or npc faction. I liked Eschaton! Very grimdark and enjoyable, good theming, and the dominance and omen mechanics force a lot of change through the game to keep people from getting complacent. Its fun!

Decorum is the most passive aggressive cooperative game I’ve played. Each player is a roommate in a shared house with their own personal goals for what the house needs to look like, with the catch being you must be vague about your personal goals. You can say if you like certain changes but you can’t articulate why, showing a clue silently to other players during “family meeting” rounds. There’s multiple colors, types, styles, and kinds of furnishings you work together to set up.

Decorum is set up in campaigns and feels good as a cooperative puzzle. I don’t think the passive aggressive response quite worked out, but as a deduction game its good. Our set had great resin pieces and the game never felt unfair, and we solved our first puzzle with 5-6 turns to spare. For more intense puzzle game enjoyers this will be on the lighter side of things. For myself I had a good time.

[ohem1111]

just sharing the new house progress where i am so far! i also uploaded the shell of the house to the gallery as well.

the build i started with was originally by silversimmer007 on the gallery but honestly i don’t know how similar it even is anymore LOL sometimes i just need a starting point even if my build ends up looking nothing like where it started, i just wanted to acknowledge that i did start with someone else’s build though and not from scratch! :)

i haven’t done any landscaping or decorating inside, simply just laying down the floor plan, lights, and doors. it has 9 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms for my gen 3 just desserts legacy challenge save. in my gameplay i’m going to use the basement level as rental space to move my (eventual) teens into so that i have more space for more children. in this gen the rules state that you need to move out your kids in order to keep having more but i still want them to be in our house, just not a part of the household. right now the household contains our current gen 3 heir, eden, her 2 children + 2 toddlers that are literally aging up in game currently, 1 toddler (who will hopefully be the gen 4 heir), a new baby on the way, and their dog nyx. they also have a butler so i wanted a space for them. once eden ages up into an adult she will be able to get married so i do want dorian to move in then as well. i might end up adding a 3rd bedroom downstairs once the twins are teens to free up more household slots.

depending on how things go when i’m furnishing there might be a few upstairs bedrooms that turn into an office or just be a guest bedroom but regardless i’m excited about this house! it’s so totally different from their last house and that’s what i was struggling with at first. i was working on a different build before this but i think i was trying to make it too similar and tooooo much bigger that i was hating it but i realllllly like where this is going. also the next gen’s color is black so i wanted to switch it up a little bit before i go back to a totalllly dark aesthetic.

i also don’t mess with terrain manipulation but i’m really liking what i did with the front of the house and the back yard. i’m hoping it will just be an easy step down back there and i won’t have to add stairs; i haven’t play tested yet. also this is in brindleton bay!

not me just now noticing the the after effects update notification in my screenshot…

previous || next

[calamari-ao3updates]

Warning! Long-ass post

SO!

Turtle Hot Pot is coming, don't worry, I've just got other things to get off my chest first.

After losing my drafts I just didn't do a whole lot in regards to that fic, but I'm getting back on it and have another chapter 7 ready to be finished up. Problem is, the drafts that got deleted had all the funnies. Now they've turned into crumbs of angst.

So yeah, very much looking forward to the reactions to that hehe

Anywho, I have a lot of hours on the Sims 4, most of it building houses as a way of literal fanfiction. This house is no different :D

Started building Aprils farmhouse from the 2012 series and that kind of spun out of control. Like, small farmhouse turned giant mansion out of control. 64x64 isn't nearly big enough...

Note: Early build/accidental screenshot of the house. I am in pain. The house is based roughly on and built most like this house but there are definitely some changes made to the final build.

I now have a 2012!FutureAU (like so many others-) and it is just Not Letting Me Go. I can't draw for the life of me so I'm writing a fanfiction to appease the turtle overlords while continuing the build. Which is actually kind of fun to have a visual of the place I'm writing about.

Anyway have Donnie's laboratory!

Completely finished with a small med bay, reinforced room for his wacky inventions and an observations/chemistry lab for all kinds of extra-terrestrial things Mona brings in. Her latest find was a weird-looking plant thing, hence the plants in there.

Some headcannons I gathered for Donnie's laboratory throughout my time being hyperfixated on turtles:

Kirby O'Neil gifted the farmhouse to the boys on one of their birthdays (idk which one, either eighteen or twenty-one) and gave them full permission to tear down the house and rebuild it. Simply because you cannot expect four mutant teenagers to live in a tiny house when their social network reaches into literal SPACE, nor did he want these kids to have families and expect all those people to move into the sewers of all places.

It's a big mansion, and took them three years to build and furnish the house alone. (I'll show snippets once it's furnished :P the backyard is a hot mess right now-). Afterwards they tore down the barn and rebuilt it, however the insides were custom-crafted with specialized materials (because labs).

All materials were procured via either Bishop or Mona.

The finished lab has a couple of different sections to it, as requested by both Donnie and his brothers.

The main area

The main area of his lab is where he does most of his tinkering. Either he's shoulders deep into blueprints or looking through data and whatnot, he's most likely to be found here right away.

Donnie's favourite nook in his lab is under the stairs. Usually the one place to find him late at night, illuminated by the one lantern on the back wall and the one desk lamp on the counter.

Casey decided it was also the perfect place for a fish tank, because it was away from his doohickeys and whatchamacallits. No one's complained and the fish are all thriving to Casey's surprise.

One of Donnie's most proudest trinkets is the portal, albeit secured and looked at regularly by both him and professor Honeycutt. It's known to boot up randomly and definitely isn't involved in bringing a past version of our 2012 boys into the future ;) hint hint

The Reinforced "Ticking Time-Bomb"

Raph loves referring to this place as a "ticking time-bomb", no matter how many times Donnie tries to tell him the walls are made from a special material scientists use for heat-resistant, explosion-resistant and all kinds of-resistant laboratories back on Mona's planet.

If you can't find him anywhere else, try your luck here. He might've bitten himself into a set of blueprints or experiments he absolutely couldn't wait to try.

The Med Bay

Note: ignore the succulent planter squares on the wall, I might change those. Don't like them a whole lot.

The only place he has to force Leo to step foot in. It's mostly used for routine check-ups or have Leo walk on the treadmill (bc his knee is a rice krispy and can crack so loud it makes Mikey think he'll start glowing in the dark).

Chloe made him the sunset painting (bc I headcannon her to be an art major) and Raph crocheted the plushies on the couch in case one of the kids ever have to come here for check-up and they need a buddy ;)

The desk has postcards stuck above them, Mikey being the cause behind it. He thought the space was too boring and "it needed some rizz" when asked why. So he one time asked Karai what he should hang up there and she's been sending them double postcards ever since. One for the kitchen on their fridge that has her message on it and another for Donnie's wall that only says "for the rizz".

Donnie has reportedly not tried taking them off or stopping them.

Also, peep Ricky in the corner. Guess who gave him that name.

The Lounge

Note: the blue line going through the wall on the right side is from a roof. Don't worry about it. It definitely isn't an overhead cover for Raphs chickens.

Where his brothers hang out if they want to hang out with Donnie :D

I don't know if you can tell from the first photos, but Donnie has stuck black and yellow security tape to the flooring leading from the door to the stairs. He decided that if his brothers wanted to hangout with him, they could do so in a designated space, reachable via a path that doesn't put them or his inventions, experimentations and research at risk.

The paintings were once again made by Chloe, waiting to be hung up somewhere. Leo and Raph collaborated on the ceiling planters (Leo brought the plants and Raph crocheted the strings) and Mikey stuck a hell of a lot of flower decals to the walls (and might have snuck in the unhealthy amount of butterflies, which Donnie definitely is pretending not to have known)

The toy bin is to keep the little kiddies busy and there's two pet beds in there in case Chompy decides to grace him with a visit.

The item display is definitely Casey's dumb idea and the sunflower rug definitely didn't come from Shinigami.

Donnie also decided to make the space functional aside from recreational and brought a corkboard up there, he might've asked Slash for help with that one. They needed to stick evidence somewhere, and Leo wasn't allowing it in the house. Raph and Donnie are found regularly up here, trying to crack cases they were given access to.

Mikey and Chloe regularly stick drawings up there, only to have them disappear. They got concerned Donnie was throwing them away until Raph showed them one of Donnie's many filing cabinets on the third floor; their drawings neatly sorted and safely tucked away in the various binders needed to contain them all.

If Donnie started finding more A4 drawings than other sizes pinned to the board, there definitely wasn't a reason for it.

There aren't cockroaches in the game, so let's pretend this spider is one.

Because of course Donnie has his little spyroaches roaming his lab, keeping an eye on things alongside Metalhead. Raph despises them, but has learned to tune them out.

If they hide while he specifically is hanging out at the lab, it's definitely not because Donnie has instructed them to do so.

The Observation/Chemistry Lab

It's mostly used for observation and testing of various subjects brought in by either Mona or Bishop.

He holds both video logs and written logs of his observations. It's also the place where he produces the retro-mutagen in small quantities.

The nozzles on the wall are a safety measure against harmful chemical fumes and are stocked with a generic neutralizer developed in collaboration between him, Mona and experts in the field from her home planet.

The Archive

Donnie's files on past projects, researches and all kinds of tidbits of information. There's a lot.

Anyone browsing and taking out random binders will find them filled with gibberish, words bordering illegible and photos of things that don't seem real.

If you find a shelf filled with binders containing art, you definitely didn't stumble upon his little treasury.

And that's about it!

I have a lot more headcannons but I've been working on Donnies lab in the Sims for two days, the story itself since the weekend. I really needed to share and remembered I had an entire blog dedicated to TMNT and my AO3.

I should really use this more often...

[reticulating-splines]

Chez Cromwell: Redux- Pt. 2

Magical Victorian Cat Mansion. Redone.

Part II: Interiors | Part I

So after the long-awaited addition of Infants and Ceilings to the game, I realized I should probably update my one furnished build (so far) for these features. Unfortunately I got carried away again and just ended up revamping the whole build from the exterior, to each individual room + some new ones! This version has also been more extensively play-tested over time with all age groups and pets, with some extra fire hazard and accessibility issues addressed.

It still has all the original Lot Features:

Victorian era historical build, fully playtested

Off-the-grid compatible

9 Bed / 6 bath

Library Greenhouse

Spellcaster's room

Outdoor smokehouse

Pleasure + kitchen gardens

Portal to the magic realm

Hidden cat room, litterroom, + catway system for Familiars

Staff/Servant's lounge w/ private stairs

Bedrooms for Butler, Nanny/Governess, and Maids

Lot size 30x40, fully landscaped

Cat Hangout, Peace and Quiet

Spooky lot challenge

As well as an extensive Changelog and list of New Features:

Revamped exteriors + interiors, roofs, and gardens

Ceilings for all rooms

Added even more windows somehow

Skylights for 3rd floor and wraparound verandah

Rooftop meditation-garden-yoga-summoning-circle

Portals! Small library located off the spell-room has been converted into the Portal Room with 3 portals leading throughout the house: one to the tower on the roof, one to the greenhouse in the back, and one to the third floor hall.

Moved Magic Realm Portal to rooftop garden

Put more cat doors everywhere, they enjoy using the catdoors and portals for zoomies

Sprinklers, alarms, and fire resistant flooring have been added around fireplaces.

Fireplace in the tower was removed for it's propensity to set the roof on fire and become unreachable and inextinguishable

Tower room has been converted into a Collections display room instead, a la sims 3

Portal in the tower/Collections room also makes potential burglaries more threatening, but if you’re an occult you’re expected to employ practical DADA techniques to avert this

Updated Nursery and Playroom for Infants

Redid terrain paint. Twice. Why tf does it just vanish randomly sometimes

NEW Magic Bean Hunt! Stump is located where the magic realm portal used to be and beans are strategically hidden around the lot. I'd love to see how long it takes for you to catch them all!

Washbasins for rooms without bathrooms now look like washbasins and are actually useable, both on and off grid

Added privacy hedges and lattices to backyard and fenced in chicken run

Potions Crafting Table added to Spell-room

Crafters Supply Cabinet added to Kitchen

Pocketed pocket doors

Secret Cat Room color scheme updated and cat-approved artwork added

Another Cat room added to 3rd floor

Magic Well has been shrunk

Rooftop area outside 3rd floor Study converted into rooftop Pavilion with chessboard and painting easel

Jack-and-Jill bathroom added for two of the third floor bedrooms

Toilet room removed and bath added for staff washrooms, for an equal 2-toilet/2-bath arrangement, which means the build now has a total of 7 full baths, and 8 toilets.

More crafting tables (fizz machine and candle maker) added to Staff Lounge

Yoga/Meditation Balcony for staff above greenhouse

Small telescope added to rooftop outside tower room’s new 2nd door

Garden lights around yard configured for power + off grid lighting

‘Bike racks’ added by front gate

New Library shelves seem to allow sims to retrieve books but not put them back. However this is actually a feature, not a bug, since now you can put the books back yourself on on the right shelves and keep things organized 🙃

Should now be consistently able to feed and be eaten by the Cowplant

Homey trait replaced by Gnome lot trait since there is a proliferation of gnomes

Requirements

Lot: 40x30, $752,005, 9 bed 8 bath, Cat Hangout, Gnome, Peace and Quiet, Spooky Lot Challenge

Packs - packs in bold are essential:

EPs - Cottage Living, University, Island Living, Get Together, Get Famous, Seasons, Cats&Dogs, Eco Living, City Living, Get to Work

GPs - Realm Of Magic, Jungle Adventure, Parenthood, Vampires. Strangerville, Spa Day, Outdoor Retreat

SPs - Paranormal, Laundry Day, Romantic Garden. Nifty Knitting, Vintage Glamour

Kits - Blooming Rooms, Desert Luxe

Patreon Download

Public Download: Available Dec 15th!

[queenmarytudor]

Mary I's Fight For The Throne

18th July - Mary is furious

Deep in preparations to fight, Mary orders a complete book of all the ordnance in camp made 1, as well as more tools from the surrounding area to build trenches against a cavalry charge. 2

Mary sends a letter to Richard Cavendish, who she had put in charge of the 6 ships at Harwich. Whilst transporting artillery back men have spotted another ship there, and she commands him to stop the crayer, the Mary Gallant, that is full of salmon “whereof one last and 3 barrels is the Queen’s proper goods, the residue belonging to a merchant of London.” 3 She orders Cavendish to take only the correct amount “so that the poor man have no aggrievance.” 4

Around this time, Thomas Poley who has arrived at The Greyhound, asks Master Hurlock what letters and writing Grice had in his chest.  All the writings are taken back to Framlingham. 5

George Howard arrives from the Earl of Warwick's camp, and likely informs them of Sawston Hall being burnt. According to legend, Mary is alleged to have said upon hearing the news "Let it blaze; I will build Huddlestone a better." 6 True or not, Huddlestone did later receive a grant of stone from Cambridge castle to rebuild his house, one which still bears the date 1557. 7

It is perhaps this attack on her supporters that prompts Mary to release a proclamation calling for the Duke of Northumberland to be arrested:

By the Queen. Know ye all good people that the most excellent princess Mary, elder daughter of King Henry VIII and sister to King Edward VI, your late sovereign Lord, is now by the grace of God Queen of England, France and Ireland, defender of the faith and very true owner of the crown and government of the realm of England and Ireland and all things thereto justly belonging, and to her and no other ye owe to be her true Liege men.’ [...] nobly and strongly furnished of an army royal under Lord Henry, Earl of Sussex, her Lieutenant General, accompanied with the earl of Bath, the Lord Wentworth and a multitude of other noble gentlemen […] her most false traitor, John, duke of Northumberland and his complices who, upon most false and most shameful grounds, minding to make his own son king by marriage of a new found lady’s title, or rather to be king himself, hath most traitorously by long continued treason sought, and seeketh, the destruction of her royal person, the nobility and common weal of this realm.  Wherefore, good people, as ye mindeth the surety of her said person, the honour and surety of your country, being good Englishmen, prepare yourselves in all haste with all your power to repair unto her said armies yet being in Suffolk, making your prayers to God for her success … upon the said causes she utterly defyeth the said duke for her most errant traitor to God and to this realm. Anyone taking him, if a noble and peer of the realm, to have one thousand pounds of land in fee; if a knight, five hundred pounds in lands, with honour and advancement to nobility; if a gentleman under the degree of knight, five hundred marks of land in fee and the degree of a knight; if a yeoman, 100 pounds of land in fee and the degree of a squire. 8

Meanwhile...

Northumberland marches from Cambridge to Bury Saint Edmunds. 9 While doing so, he finds out the Earl of Oxford has defected to Mary. 10

Jane writes to Sir John Lowe and Sir Anthony Kingston: "Trusty and well beloved, we greet you well, because we doubt not, but by this our most lawful possession of the crown with the free consent of the nobility of our realm and other the states of the same, is both plainly known and accepted of you, as our most loving subjects. Therefore we do not reiterate the same. But now most earnestly will require, and by authority hereof warrant you to assemble, muster and levy all the power that you can possible make, either of your servants, tenants, officers, or friends, as well horsemen as footmen, repairing to our right trusty and right well beloved cousins, the Earls of Arundel and Pembroke, their tenants, servants, and officers, and with the same to repair with all possible speed towards Buckinghamshire, for the repressing and subduing of certain tumults and rebellions moved there against us and our crown by certain seditious men. For the repressing whereof, we have given orders to divers others our good subjects and gentlemen of such degree as you are, to repair in like manner to the same parts. So as we nothing doubt, but upon the access of such our loving subjects as be appointed for that purpose to the place where those seditious people yet remain, the same shall either lack hearts to abide in their malicious purpose, or else receive such punishment and execution as they deserve, seeking the destruction of their native country and the subversion of all men in their degrees, by rebellion of the base multitude, whose rage being stirred, as of late years hath been seen, must needs be the confusion of the whole common weal. Wherefore our special trust is in your courage, wisdom and fidelities in this matter, to advance yourselves both with power and speed to this enterprise, in such sort as by our nobility and council shall  be also prescribed unto you. And for the sustentation of your charge in this behalf, our said council, by our commandment, do forthwith give order to your satisfaction, as by our letters also shall appear unto you. And beside that, we do assure you of our special consideration of this your service to us, our crown, and especially to the preservation of this our ream and commonwealth. Given under our signet at our Tower of London, the XVIII of July in the first year of our reign." 11

Robert Dudley declares Jane queen in King's Lynn. 12

The Imperial ambassadors hear from the man they sent to follow Northumberland that he has "about 1,000 horse, 3,000 foot, 12 pieces of artillery, such as cannons and double-cannons and thirty cart-loads of ammunition" 13 but Mary "appears to be stronger than the Duke, and every day we hear people muttering against him and preparing to declare for her." 14

Sources:

1. Acts of the Privy Council Vol. 4

2. Acts of the Privy Council Vol. 4

3. Acts of the Privy Council Vol. 4

4. Acts of the Privy Council Vol. 4

5. The Navy of Edward VI and Mary I

6. Lives of the queens of England, from the Norman conquest, Vol. 3 Agnes Strickland

7. A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Vol 6, British History Online

8. Mary Tudor, The First Queen, Linda Porter

9. Jane Grey, Tudor Mystery, Eric Ives

10. Vita Mariae Angliae Reginae of Robert Wingfield

11. Ecclesiastical Memorials

12. Vita Mariae Angliae Reginae of Robert Wingfield

13. Spanish State Papers, 19th July 1553

14. Spanish State Papers, 19th July 1553

[cacchieressa]

Eight Days in April

1. I broke a glass, got bloodstains on the sheet: hereafter, must I only write you chaste connubial poems? Now that I have traced a way from there to here across the sweet- est morning, rose-blushed blonde, will measured feet advance processionally, where before they scuff-heeled flights of stairs, kicked at a door, or danced in wing-tips to a dirty beat? Or do I tell the world that I have got rich quick, got lucky (got laid), got just what the doctor ordered, more than I deserved? This is the second morning I woke curved around your dreaming. In one night, I've seen moonset and sunrise in your lion's mane.

2. Moons set and suns rise in your lion's mane through LP kisses or spread on my thighs. Winter subsided while I fantasized what April dawns frame in the windowpane. Sweetheart, I'm still not getting enough sleep, but I'm not tired, and outside it's spring in which we sprang the afternoon shopping after I'd been inside you, O so deep I thought we would be tangled at the roots. I think we are. (I've never made such noise. I've never come so hard, or come so far in such a short time.) You're an exemplar piss-elegance is not reserved for boys. Tonight we'll go out in our gangster suits.

3. Last night we went out in our gangster suits, but just across the street to Santerello's, waited past nine for wine. We shone; the fellows noticed. "You have a splendid linen coat," Dimitri told you as he sat us down. (This used to be my local; now it's chic.) A restaurant table's like a bed: we speak the way we do calmed after love, alone in the dark. There's a lot to get to know. We felt bad; we felt better. Soon I was laid back enough to drink around the bend. You got me home, to bed, like an old friend. I like you, Rachel, when you're scared, because you tough it out while you're feeling it through.

4. You tough it out while you're feeling it through: sometimes the bed's rocked over tidal waves that aren't our pleasures. Everyone behaves a little strangely when they're in a new neighborhood, language, continent, time zone. We got here fast; your jet lag's worse than mine. I only had Paris to leave behind. You left your whole young history. My own reminds me to remind you, waking shaken with tears, dream-racked, is standard for the course. We need accommodation that allows each one some storage space for her dead horse. If the title weren't already taken, I'd call this poem "Directions to My House."

5. I'd call this poem "Directions to My House," except today I'm writing it in yours, in your paisley PJ's. The skylight pours pale sunlight on white blankets. While I douse my brain with coffee, you sleep on. Dream well this time. We'll have three sets of keys apiece: uptown, downtown, Paris on a sublease. Teach me to drive. (Could I teach you to spell?) I think the world's our house. I think I built and furnished mine with space for you to move through it, with me, alone in rooms, in love with our work. I moved into one mansion the morning when I touched, I saw, I felt your face blazing above me like a sun.

6. Your face blazing above me like a sun- deity, framed in red-gold flames, gynandre in the travail of pleasure, urgent, tender terrible—my epithalamion circles that luminous intaglio —and you under me as I take you there, and you opening me in your mouth where the waves inevitably overflow restraint. No, no, that isn't the whole thing (also you drive like cop shows, and you sing gravel and gold, are street-smart, book-smart, laugh from your gut) but it is (a soothing poultice applied to my afflicted part) the central nervous system and the heart

7. The central nervous system and the heart, and whatever it is in me wakes me at 5 am regardless, and what takes me (when you do) ineluctably apart and puts me back together; the too-smart, too-clumsy kid glutted on chocolate cakes (me at ten); the left-brain righteousness that makes me make of our doubled dailiness an art are in your capable square hands. O sweet, possessives make me antsy: we are free to choose each other perpetually. Though I don't think my French short-back-and-sides means I'll be the most orthodox of brides, I broke a glass, got bloodstains on the sheet.

— Marilyn Hacker from Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons