#how to find my computer specs

[ms-demeanor]

So You Need To Buy A Computer But You Don't Know What Specs Are Good These Days

Hi.

This is literally my job.

Lots of people are buying computers for school right now or are replacing computers as their five-year-old college laptop craps out so here's the standard specs you should be looking for in a (windows) computer purchase in August 2023.

PROCESSOR

Intel i5 (no older than 10th Gen)

Ryzen 7

You can get away with a Ryzen 5 but an intel i3 should be an absolute last resort. You want at least an intel i5 or a Ryzen 7 processor. The current generation of intel processors is 13, but anything 10 or newer is perfectly fine. DO NOT get a higher performance line with an older generation; a 13th gen i5 is better than an 8th gen i7. (Unfortunately I don't know enough about ryzens to tell you which generation is the earliest you should get, but staying within 3 generations is a good rule of thumb)

RAM

8GB absolute minimum

If you don't have at least 8GB RAM on a modern computer it's going to be very, very slow. Ideally you want a computer with at least 16GB, and it's a good idea to get a computer that will let you add or swap RAM down the line (nearly all desktops will let you do this, for laptops you need to check the specs for Memory and see how many slots there are and how many slots are available; laptops with soldered RAM cannot have the memory upgraded - this is common in very slim laptops)

STORAGE

256GB SSD

Computers mostly come with SSDs these days; SSDs are faster than HDDs but typically have lower storage for the same price. That being said: SSDs are coming down in price and if you're installing your own drive you can easily upgrade the size for a low cost. Unfortunately that doesn't do anything for you for the initial purchase.

A lot of cheaper laptops will have a 128GB SSD and, because a lot of stuff is stored in the cloud these days, that can be functional. I still recommend getting a bit more storage than that because it's nice if you can store your music and documents and photos on your device instead of on the cloud. You want to be able to access your files even if you don't have internet access.

But don't get a computer with a big HDD instead of getting a computer with a small SSD. The difference in speed is noticeable.

SCREEN (laptop specific)

Personally I find that touchscreens have a negative impact on battery life and are easier to fuck up than standard screens. They are also harder to replace if they get broken. I do not recommend getting a touch screen unless you absolutely have to.

A lot of college students especially tend to look for the biggest laptop screen possible; don't do that. It's a pain in the ass to carry a 17" laptop around campus and with the way that everything is so thin these days it's easier to damage a 17" screen than a 14" screen.

On the other end of that: laptops with 13" screens tend to be very slim devices that are glued shut and impossible to work on or upgrade.

Your best bet (for both functionality and price) is either a 14" or a 15.6" screen. If you absolutely positively need to have a 10-key keyboard on your laptop, get the 15.6". If you need something portable more than you need 10-key, get a 14"

FORM FACTOR (desktop specific)

If you purchase an all-in-one desktop computer I will begin manifesting in your house physically. All-in-ones take away every advantage desktops have in terms of upgradeability and maintenance; they are expensive and difficult to repair and usually not worth the cost of disassembling to upgrade.

There are about four standard sizes of desktop PC: All-in-One (the size of a monitor with no other footprint), Tower (Big! probably at least two feet long in two directions), Small Form Factor Tower (Very moderate - about the size of a large shoebox), and Mini/Micro/Tiny (Small! about the size of a small hardcover book).

If you are concerned about space you are much better off getting a MicroPC and a bracket to put it on your monitor than you are getting an all-in-one. This will be about a million percent easier to work on than an all-in-one and this way if your monitor dies your computer is still functional.

Small form factor towers and towers are the easiest to work on and upgrade; if you need a burly graphics card you need to get a full size tower, but for everything else a small form factor tower will be fine. Most of our business sales are SFF towers and MicroPCs, the only time we get something larger is if we have to put a $700 graphics card in it. SFF towers will accept small graphics cards and can handle upgrades to the power supply; MicroPCs can only have the RAM and SSD upgraded and don't have room for any other components or their own internal power supply.

WARRANTY

Most desktops come with either a 1 or 3 year warranty; either of these is fine and if you want to upgrade a 1 year to a 3 year that is also fine. I've generally found that if something is going to do a warranty failure on desktop it's going to do it the first year, so you don't get a hell of a lot of added mileage out of an extended warranty but it doesn't hurt and sometimes pays off to do a 3-year.

Laptops are a different story. Laptops mostly come with a 1-year warranty and what I recommend everyone does for every laptop that will allow it is to upgrade that to the longest warranty you can get with added drop/damage protection. The most common question our customers have about laptops is if we can replace a screen and the answer is usually "yes, but it's going to be expensive." If you're purchasing a low-end laptop, the parts and labor for replacing a screen can easily cost more than half the price of a new laptop. HOWEVER, the way that most screens get broken is by getting dropped. So if you have a warranty with drop protection, you just send that sucker back to the factory and they fix it for you.

So, if it is at all possible, check if the manufacturer of a laptop you're looking at has a warranty option with drop protection. Then, within 30 days (though ideally on the first day you get it) of owning your laptop, go to the manufacturer site, register your serial number, and upgrade the warranty. If you can't afford a 3-year upgrade at once set a reminder for yourself to annually renew. But get that drop protection, especially if you are a college student or if you've got kids.

And never, ever put pens or pencils on your laptop keyboard. I've seen people ruin thousand dollar, brand-new laptops that they can't afford to fix because they closed the screen on a ten cent pencil. Keep liquids away from them too.

LIFESPAN

There's a reasonable chance that any computer you buy today will still be able to turn on and run a program or two in ten years. That does not mean that it is "functional."

At my office we estimate that the functional lifespan of desktops is 5-7 years and the functional lifespan of laptops is 3-5 years. Laptops get more wear and tear than desktops and desktops are easier to upgrade to keep them running. At 5 years for desktops and 3 years for laptops you should look at upgrading the RAM in the device and possibly consider replacing the SSD with a new (possibly larger) model, because SSDs and HDDs don't last forever.

COST

This means that you should think of your computers as an annual investment rather than as a one-time purchase. It is more worthwhile to pay $700 for a laptop that will work well for five years than it is to pay $300 for a laptop that will be outdated and slow in one year (which is what will happen if you get an 8th gen i3 with 8GB RAM). If you are going to get a $300 laptop try to get specs as close as possible to the minimums I've laid out here.

If you have to compromise on these specs, the one that is least fixable is the processor. If you get a laptop with an i3 processor you aren't going to be able to upgrade it even if you can add more RAM or a bigger SSD. If you have to get lower specs in order to afford the device put your money into the processor and make sure that the computer has available slots for upgrade and that neither the RAM nor the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. (one easy way to check this is to search "[computer model] RAM upgrade" on youtube and see if anyone has made a video showing what the inside of the laptop looks like and how much effort it takes to replace parts)

Computers are expensive right now. This is frustrating, because historically consumer computer prices have been on a downward trend but since 2020 that trend has been all over the place. Desktop computers are quite expensive at the moment (August 2023) and decent laptops are extremely variably priced.

If you are looking for a decent, upgradeable laptop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

14" Lenovo - $670 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD

15.6" HP - $540 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

14" Dell - $710 - 12th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

If you are looking for a decent, affordable desktop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

SFF HP - $620 - 10th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

SFF Lenovo - $560 - Ryzen 7 5000 series, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Dell Tower - $800 - 10th-gen i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

If I were going to buy any of these I'd probably get the HP laptop or the Dell Tower. The HP Laptop is actually a really good price for what it is.

Anyway happy computering.

[molsno]

I feel like the western stigma against visual novels is rooted not just in orientalism (as many have said) but also classism. sure, you may not recognize this medium as a legitimate category of video games because you grew up playing graphically intensive AAA console and pc games, but not everyone has had that luxury. for most of my life, I've been unable to play most pc games due to never being able to afford a computer with even halfway decent specs. visual novels on the other hand? everyone can play those. find any computer made in the last 20 years, and you can almost certainly play visual novels on it! it's no surprise that so many critiques of the medium come in the form of mockery over how "simplistic" and "primitive" they are (comparing them to slideshows is a common joke). people don't see them as worthy of acknowledging because they're simply too accessible. and if you think that's a reach, I urge you to think for even a minute how widespread of a problem elitism over graphics has been in the gaming community since its very inception.

[mostlymarvelsstuff]

Reader receives Nats nudes accidentally

Authors note: Just in case you didn't see, you can now buy me a coffee/commission something. See this post for more info 🥰

Authors note 2.0: trying out a new thing with a drabble series

Word count: 803

Marvel Masterlist Natasha Masterlist How They React To Masterlist

   A while ago, Tony had been feeling generous and had offered to update everyone's personal computers. And Nat was definitely in need of an upgrade, she was still using the old laptop she was first given when she joined SHIELD years ago. It still ran, which she was grateful for, but it did lack speed and some other niceties. So she took him up on said offer.

   Which is why she now finds herself sitting at her desk with two laptops in front of her while she transfers over her multitude of files and data. It's a bit of a tedious task to go back through everything and find out what is actually worth keeping, what's important and what can be trashed before she hands it back over to Hill, but in the end it’ll be worth it. 

   She's just finishing up now, sending over the last few miscellaneous things. But what she hadn’t realized was that she had not selected her new computer as a transfer location this time, but had selected your computer. Likely unnoticed because she had forgotten about even connecting her laptop to yours during your last mission, and because her eyesight was beginning to get strained after so many hours of sitting here. Regardless, off they went, and she was none the wiser

   Meanwhile you're just returning to your desk from a much needed break when you see the file transfer notification light up. This confuses you, as you hadn’t asked anyone to send anything over, nor had anyone told you to expect anything. But since you apparently have some more things to attend to, you sit back down and open the file. This proves to be of little help however, because nothing is labeled. All you know is that it contains several documents and one picture. 

   You decide to open the picture first, as it would hopefully not require reading. It's clearly been taken in a dimly lit room so it takes a second for your eyes to adjust to the darkened screen to discern anything, but soon enough you're greeted with the side profile of a naked woman. This confuses you even more, but you find yourself unable to tear your eyes away. And that's how you spot it, a small scar to the left of the belly button

   “Oh my god!” you exclaim as you register who you're seeing, and you quickly close the tab

   Your hands start sweating as you wrack your brain for a rational explanation. You knew Nat was a playful flirt, the two of you did so all the time. But to send an explicit picture, unprompted, and by file transfer at that, just didn’t make sense. That's when you remembered the other contents of the file, and you quickly skim through them to see if they would be of any help piecing things together. When you discover that they are just after mission reports and weapons specs your hunch of it being unintentional is confirmed. Now, you just had to figure out what to do about it

   A few minutes later, you're standing outside the redhead's door as anxiety bubbles inside you. But you fight through it and knock. 

   “Come in!”

   She's turned enough in her desk chair to see who's entering and a wide smile spreads across her face as she registers that it's you. You feel guilty now, because you have a feeling your demeanor and what you have to say will cause that smile to falter, but you need to do this. Afterall, you’d want someone to be forthcoming if they received something like this of you.

   “Uh, hi Nat” 

   She notices your nervousness, but sets aside the observation for now “Hey Y/n, what's up?”

    “I think you accidentally sent me a few of your things during that last file transfer”

   “Oh, shit. Sorry about that, I’ve been at this for a few hours now and I guess I hit yours by mistake” she explains, “I didn’t even realize we were still connected”

   “Neither had I. But Nat, there was a picture of you among the documents”

   “Yeah? I hope it was a good one at least” she jokes, not realizing what you were trying to say. You're silent for a moment too long however, because she fully turns her chair to look at you, with her brows furrowed with worry, “Y/n, what's wrong with the picture?”

   “Nothings wrong with it!” you reply, a little too enthusiastically when you think about what's yet to come, “It's just that, well…. You're naked”

   Her face turns a shade of pink you’d never seen before, and her head swims with insecurities and nervousness. But she manages to bring out an air of confidence and gives you a sultry smirk

  “So, answer the question. Was it a good picture?”

Taglist:@wandaromamoff69 @mmmmokdok @nataliasknife @natashasilverfox @when-wolves-howl @danveration @naomi-m3ndez @sheneonromanoff @sayah13 @likefirenrain @nighttime-dreaming @just-a-torn-up-masterpiece @readings-stuff @chaoticevilbakugo @crystalstark02 @wackymcstupid @xchaiix @iaminluvwithnat @lovelyy-moonlight @blackwidow-3 @mistressofinsomnia @that-one-gay-mosquito @yomamagf @yourfavdummy @justarandomreaderxoxo @scoutlp23-blog @whoischanelle15 @lissaaaa145 @eline03 @wizardofstories @imthenatynat @marvelonmymind @fluffyblanketgecko @bitch-616 @dakotastormm  @zoomdeathknight @rayeofmoonlight @aeroae @sashawalker2

[hederasgarden]

Sweet Surrender

Summary: Jake’s given and taken orders a hundred times throughout his career but nothing compares to the moment he realizes you liked it.  Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x F!Reader Word Count: 2.1K Rating: 18+ only. Sexual content. Authority and sir kink, praise kink and Hangman being a cocky asshole. A/N: Thank you @wildbornsiren and @whatblogisthis216 for beta'ing and @blue-aconite for the beautiful graphic. In the future I may write part 2 if my muses cooperate. Reblogs and comments feed the muse.

Masterlist ♡ Top Gun Masterlist

Jake doesn’t pay much attention when you’re first introduced with the rest of the eggheads from the Office of Naval Research. Another one of many civilian engineers working on the new plane he’s been assigned to test. You keep things professional and polite although he can tell you find him attractive. It’s written all over your face and demeanor. You’re not the only one, several of the other engineers can’t seem to string together a full sentence around him. 

You’re pretty, he can admit that much to himself, but a sweet face has never been enough on its own to hold his interest. Especially when he’s here to do a job, one he takes very seriously. The chance to be the first to fly the latest prototype jet isn’t an opportunity that comes up often. He volunteered immediately for the assignment when it came up, beating out most of his Top Gun class for the honor.

What he doesn’t bank on is having to sit through mind numbingly boring briefings and listen to the engineers argue anytime the tiniest adjustment is made. Most of his exposure to you is during these meetings but the first time you talk to him one on one is four weeks into the project.

That’s when he notices your particular….quirk. You’re following him out after the morning briefing, yammering away about the new wing design specs. He’s read your report in detail and already familiarized himself with the changes. 

All Jake wants is a moment of silence to mentally prepare himself for today's test but you keep talking. It doesn’t help that he’s got the beginning of a headache forming behind his eyes and you’re oblivious to his attempts to cut the conversation short.  

“I got it. I know how to fly a plane,” he tells you. 

“Lieutenant Seresin,” you start but he cuts you off with a look. 

“I’ve read your briefing packet, top to bottom. It was extremely thorough. If I have questions you’ll be the first person I ask. Scout’s honor,” he adds, giving you a sloppy half salute that seems to confuse you for a moment before you start talking again. 

“I just want to make sure-“ you begin and Jake sighs, annoyed.

“I got it.  Now go sit down,” he tells you curtly. 

You step back back, brows raised. Jake almost misses the way your pupils dilate and your lips part just so. 

"I'm sorry, Sir," you reply. "I..."You stammer and tug at the hem of your shirt before hurrying to take a seat. 

You watch him from behind the computer bank as he climbs into the cockpit and fiddles with the controls. He can feel you watching him as he puts his helmet on. It’s clear to him that you want his approval, even if you don’t realize it.

Fuck, that paired with the ‘sir’ and the delicious little waver in your voice spikes his interest. He waits until you’re practically squirming in your chair before he gives you a nod. Your response is immediate, shoulders dropping and the tense lines on your face easing. 

It’s not just that he makes you nervous, he’s seen that plenty of times before. No, this is different. Special. You liked it when he barked an order at you. 

–

Over the next few weeks, he watches you closely, taking note of your responses to everyone you interact with. It’s clear you crave praise from others, perking up under any compliment you receive and deflating under criticism. However, it’s your response to authority that interests him most. You’ve got a natural inclination to listen to orders but as far as Jake can tell he’s the only one who elicits that type of reaction from you.

Each encounter he has with you is a chance to test the theory he has. He catalogs the difference in your responses; when he’s softer in his requests versus an outright order. Jake sees how quickly you obey a demand to sit next to him at the next briefing, just so he can be close to you. The speed you produce a new report just for him is a powerful thing. He especially loves the way you blossom under his praise when he compliments changes you've made to improve performance.

You’re smart, undeterred when the men in the room try to speak over you. Even though you’re quiet-natured, you’re no pushover either.  He respects your determination and hard work.

The most telling moment is one afternoon when you’re loitering on the edge of the hanger as he finishes up his conversation with the flight chief. It’s clear you need to speak to him. The fact that you won’t interrupt him is just a bonus– something he knows from experience will translate well in the bedroom. 

“Come here,” he commands, crooking a finger at you. He doesn’t even have to raise his voice to have you scurrying to him. You touch your chest and fiddle with the locket you wear, twisting the thin gold chair around your index finger. Jake’s not sure if he’s just gotten better at clocking your reactions or you’re extra affected today but whatever the reason, he’s enjoying the show. 

“What do you need?” He asks. 

“For you to sign the report,” you tell him, opening the folder and pointing to the highlighted portion. 

When he takes the pen from you he makes sure to drag his fingertips over the back of your hand, watching for your reaction behind his aviators. The soft sound that passes your lips doesn't disappoint him. He thinks about what other sounds he could drag out of you. How he could get you desperate enough to beg him to fuck you. The way you’d sigh his name and -

“Sir?” Your soft voice snaps him out of his little daydream. You’re staring up at him expectantly. “I need my pen back, please.”

When he hands it back, you smile. It makes him long to pull you against him and kiss you breathless. To test out the limits of how well you’d listen to him but he knows he has to wait until the project is over. He’s not about to jeopardize either of your careers though as the weeks drag on he certainly finds himself fantasizing about that. 

You’ve caught him staring at during the morning briefings once or twice, his chin resting on steepled fingers. It’s always the same response from you, the double blink and glance away. Sometimes you’ll bite your lips and fiddle with the pencil, tapping it in rapid succession against the table. He can feel your eyes on him too and he has to repress a smirk. These morning briefings are starting to become his favorite part of the day. 

—

Two torturous months pass before the admiral visits and the project gets wrapped up. He has some innocent fun with you during that time, nothing overly mean, just enough to get you flustered and stoke the flame. His favorite form of foreplay.

The team celebrates at the Hard Deck. Alcohol flows freely and spirits are high. It turns out engineers partied harder than pilots. You only have a drink which bodes well for Jake. He needs you sober for this and wants a clear head of his own, nursing a single beer most of the night.

While he waits for an opportunity to get you alone he formulates how he wants to approach this. He doesn’t doubt his assessment. He’s rarely wrong about these things but it’s always possible you’re not completely aware of your quirk. If he embarrassed or frightened you all his waiting would be for nothing. 

After another hour or so he senses his chance. You head outside to take a quick call and Jake follows. He waits at a safe distance to give you some privacy but once you slide the phone back into your jacket he makes his presence known. 

“Lieutenant Seresin,” you greet. You look surprised to see him but pleased too. 

“It’s Jake,” he corrects, stepping toward you. 

When he presses into your space you take a half step back and then another, letting him herd you into a little alcove out of sight. You watch him curiously, maybe even a little confused. You’re not scared to be alone with him —you trust him.  

“What’s up?” You’re trying for casual but failing adorably. 

Jake’s close enough to touch you, but refrains from it. He won’t until he has your permission and understanding. He smirks and tits his head. A direct approach might be quicker but he’s curious if you’ll figure it out on your own.

 “I know your secret, sweetheart,” he whispers. 

That gets you going. You don’t seem to know where to put your hands. Nervous laughter comes next but Jake stays quiet, letting you squirm a little longer. 

“My secret?” You question. 

“It’s compatible with mine,” he hints. 

You frown, forehead wrinkling. He recognizes the expression from countless morning briefings when you were contemplating a problem. It’s cute watching your brain work in real-time to put the pieces together.  A full minute passes before your eyes dart back to his face, surprised.

He nods encouragingly and then very hesitantly you say, “Is that so, sir?”

There’s a heavy emphasis on the last word. 

“Smart girl,” he praises. 

You grin and rock back on your heels. “Well, I did design the aircraft you’ve been flying the last four months,” you shoot back. 

He can see the struggle it is for you not to smile. You’re proud of your work and should be but he can’t have you mouthing off already. 

“Don’t get smart with me,” he warns playfully, loving the way you immediately duck your head. 

“Sorry, sir.” 

You sound appropriately contrite and he smirks. 

“Look at me.” Two fingers under your chin encourage you to meet his gaze. “I want you to be honest,” he begins, watching carefully for any sign you’re not on the same page as him. “Do you want to do this?”

“Do you mean…you mean sex, right?” You ask, looking a little unsure. 

You’re so sweet that Jake slips character briefly to give you the soft smile you deserve. “Sex and more,” he confirms. “I can help you explore this side of yourself.”

“Yeah. I want that,” you tell him shyly. 

“That’s good to hear, but that’s not how you talk to me, and I think you know it.”

“I want you to teach me, sir,” you respond. 

“Better,” he praises.

He slides a hand up your jaw to grasp the back of your neck and angle your face upward so he can crush his lips against yours. He closes the distance between your bodies, pressing you back into the wall with a groan. You make a desperate little sound that goes right to his dick and grasp his biceps tightly. 

You part your lips and fuck, he’s finally tasting you fully like he’s been imagining. He loves how soft and warm you are in his arms and the way his lips slide against yours. All of his pent-up desire is out now. The hand at your hip slides down the curve of your ass to grasp your thigh so he can grind shamelessly against you. You whimper, nails pressing into his skin. He rocks his half-hard cock into the warmest part of you, needing more friction. He wants to hear you make that little sound again too. 

“Oh, please,” you gasp when you finally part. 

You sound wrecked and he thinks you look it too.The skin of your face is warm to the touch and your eyes are a little glassy. Jake's half convinced you might let him have you here and for a moment he actually considers it. He knows how good that kind of messy, quick fuck can be but tonight he wants to see all of you. To spend his time taking you apart until you’re incoherent and at his mercy. He can’t do that here. 

“Easy,” Jake whispers, running a hand down your back. “Look at me,” he instructs, smiling when you do. You’re trembling all over and he rubs his thumb over your swollen lips as he gazes down at you. “Catch your breath.”

Once you’re calm he lets go of you and runs a hand through his hair. You’re watching him, waiting to be told what to do. “Go inside, say goodbye to your friends. Then I want you to meet me out front. Got it?”

You nod and he surges forward to kiss you one more time before stepping back to let you past him. 

Fuck, tonight is going to be good he thought. 

♡

I no longer have a tag list, please follow @hg-library and turn on notifications.

[jromanoff]

I could ask Regina and reader are dating and reader introduces Regina to Minecraft for the first time and she's like "this game is for nerds" but she ends up liking it and they play together and they're cute

An introduction to Minecraft II R. George

Pairing: Regina George (2024) x Reader

Warning(s): none

Authors note: I had so much fun writing this, thanks for the request. Sorry for taking so long to write it though, it sent me back into my own Minecraft spiral :)

Summary: You introduce Regina (and the other Plastics) to Minecraft.

Word count: 2k

The doorbell rang. Finally. You quickly ran to the front door and found a package sitting on the doorstep. Shouting an excited “Thank you” to the delivery man who walked away, you got back inside and ran up the stairs to your room.

You bounced on your toes as you tore open the package. The label confirmed your excitement: inside was the new graphics card you ordered.

Regina, lounging on your bed, glanced up from her fashion magazine, a curious eyebrow raised.

"What's got you so hyped?" Regina asked, flipping a page nonchalantly.

"It's my new graphics card, an RTX 4090! My current one is really old," you replied, eyes sparkling as you carefut took the graphics card out of its packaging to install it.

“Nerd…” Regina mumbled, watching with curiosity as you installed the graphics card in your PC.

“All done!” you grinned and closed the case of the PC. You plugged the PC in and pushed the ‘on’ button. Within moments, the computer roared to life, the sound of fans humming filling the room. Your fingers danced over the keyboard as you started your favorite game: Minecraft.

“Woah! I have like 600 fps!” you said excitedly as you joined a server. “Oh and look at the graphics- I can even use shaders without lagging”

"I have no idea what you’re talking about, it’s-“ Regina moved to look at your screen. “You seriously play that?" Regina asked as she looked at your screen with a frown, her tone dripping with skepticism. "This game is for nerds. Well- every game is, but you get what I mean,” she rolled her eyes.

You chuckled and shrugged, unfazed. "It's actually pretty fun,” you glanced over at Regina, a playful challenge in your eyes. "Wanna give it a try?"

Regina hesitated, this game was for nerds, but she was curious. With a dramatic sigh and a roll of her eyes, she slid off the bed and approached your setup. "Fine, but only because you're so excited about it," she said, taking a seat on your lap. You smirked, Regina could never refuse a challenge.

Regina turned to look at you in your lap. “Let me show you how a real pro does it,” she said with a smirk.

You guided Regina through the basics of the game enthusiastically. To her surprise Regina found herself getting drawn into the game, she didn’t let it show, though. She already had a few ideas for what she wanted to do and build in the game and it was a good opportunity to have quality time with her girlfriend.

You noticed Regina’s small smile and her attempt to hide her enthusiasm about the game, so you made a mental note to download the game on her laptop later so the two of you could play together.

The next day after school, Regina came home to find a surprise waiting for her. You stood in front of her, holding up her laptop. It was a ridiculously expensive laptop for someone who only used it for school, its specs more than enough to run Minecraft.

“I got something for you," you said, a proud smile on your face. "Minecraft is installed and ready to go, now we can play together. I already added my server to your server list.”

Regina took the laptop, her initial reluctance giving way to genuine excitement. "Alright, let’s play then," she said with a grin.

You took your own laptop out, having Minecraft installed on both your PC and laptop so you could play at Regina’s house too. The both of you sat down at the massive table in Regina’s living room with your laptops. Mrs. George was out of town for a few days for a “mental health retreat” to a spa resort, as she called it, so you and Regina had the house to yourselves. Good for her, really.

You were the first one to log into the server, then Regina followed.

QueenBeeRegina joined the game

A smug smile appeared on Regina’s face as she saw the username that you chose for her appear in the chat. “That’s just perfect, baby. Now everyone will immediately see who’s boss on our server,” she looked over at you “Speaking of which… I decided that you’re building me a castle after yesterday.”

You looked at her in surprise “A castle? Seriously?”

Regina's eyes sparkled with determination as she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “Yes, seriously,” she said, her tone leaving no room for any protest. “I want a big castle. It needs to radiate power and elegance, just like me. You need some ambition in this server of yours.”

You glanced back at your screen, looking at the blocky, green landscape with trees in front of you. Building a castle from scratch was no small task, but just like Regina, you could never resist a challenge.

“Alright, but you have to help with the design. I’m not building you a castle just for you to blow it up because it’s not to your liking,” you conceded, meeting her gaze again.

“Deal,” Regina agreed, a playful smirk appearing on her face. “But don’t think I’m going to gather recourses and all that boring stuff. I’m more of a visionary.”

As you started to gather resources by cutting trees and mining, Regina began scouting the world for a perfect place for her castle and potentially an entire kingdom.

“This has to be the most fabulous castle in Minecraft,” Regina mused as she finally found the place to build her castle. “I want a big throne room, kitchens, chandeliers and banners. I want the whole package.”

Regina’s passionate talking about the game was absolutely adorable to you. You looked away from your game to admire her. She was focused on the screen, her brow furrowed as she was figuring out the foundation of what would soon be her castle. You couldn’t help but smile at how engrossed Regina was in the game and how relaxed she was.

“Hey,” you said softly, not wanting to break the calm and quiet that had settled over the room. “I’m glad we’re doing this together and that you’re enjoying it.”

Regina glanced at you, her expression softening as she met your eyes. “Me too,” she admitted. “I didn’t think I’d actually like this game, but… it’s kind of fun. Especially with you.”

With that, she returned to the game, her usual confidence back in place as she started issuing orders. “I need like, a lot of cobblestone, wood and probably some pink stuff for aesthetics too,”. Pink. Always the damn pink with her.

“So demanding,” you muttered, which earned you a playful glare in reply. Despite Regina’s demanding nature, there was something really attractive about seeing her take charge, even in a game.

You turned your attention back to your own screen. “I’m building a storage room here temporarily to store all the building materials, then I’ll start gathering stuff again,” you told Regina as you started building something resembling a shed.

“Good,” Regina replied, looking at where you were building in-game. “And we’ll continue tomorrow after school right?” she questioned you, trying her best to sound nonchalant.

“Yes, baby. We will.” you agreed with a chuckle, looking at your girlfriend fondly. It was a rare sight to see her so invested in something she considered to be an activity for nerds.

The next day the two of you went to Regina’s house after school again to play Minecraft. You were already logged in on your server when a message appeared in the chat.

orandge joined the game

“Uhm, baby? Who is joining our server right now? Their username is orandge,” you questioned Regina as she got the two of you something to drink. You didn’t give out the IP address of the server, so it must’ve been Regina.

“I think that’s Karen. I gifted Gretchen, Karen and Cady Minecraft so we can all play together,” Regina said excitedly as she sat down behind her laptop, logging in on the server as well.

QueenBeeRegina joined the game

“You mean to tell me that Karen managed to install Minecraft and add my server all by herself?” you looked at Regina in surprise.

Regina rolled her eyes “Karen’s just… simple. Not stupid. Surely she can install a game on her laptop on her own,” she frowned “Although… on second thought... Gretchen probably helped her.”

TheFetchest joined the game

“Well, that just confirmed my suspicions” Regina remarked as she watched Gretchen’s username appear in the chat. “She’s still hung up on making ‘fetch’ happen. So annoying,” she complained.

“I don’t know, I think her username is kinda fetch,” you replied with a smirk.

Regina shot you an unimpressed look “No.”

CadyFromKenya joined the game

“That’s the lamest name ever. She could’ve literally chosen anything else,” Regina commented with an eye roll as she saw Cady’s username.

“Be nice,” you scolded her playfully. Regina only gave you a middle finger in response.

Regina then turned her laptop towards you and opened some double chests for you to see. “I gathered some more materials last night, so we can start building.”

“I thought you were a ‘visionary’ and didn’t do resource gathering?” you teased your girlfriend with a grin.

“This was an exception, a one time thing. Gathering resources isn’t really befitting of a Queen, now is it?” Regina replied confidently with a smirk.

“You’re something else,” you shook your head in amusement, returning your attention to the game as you saw Karen type in the chat.

orandge: where are you guys???

QueenBeeRegina: I sent the coordinates in the Plastics gc

The two of you continued to build the castle as Cady, Gretchen and Karen made their way to the coordinates you were at. Karen only died twice, but that meant Cady and Gretchen had to pick her up again at the spawn twice too.

At last Regina saw Gretchen and Cady walk up to her. Cady was accompanied by well over 20 tamed wolves and two parrots on her shoulders.

QueenBeeRegina: Cady wtf

CadyFromKenya: They’re so cool right??

QueenBeeRegina: …

Suddenly, you heard a soft hiss from your game, followed by an explosion.

orandge was blown up by Creeper

orandge: oops

“Karen just let a creeper explode in my storage room,” you looked at Regina in disbelief. Regina just burst out laughing “Typical Karen.”

A part of the chests were gone and materials were scattered everywhere, including several flowers that Karen had collected in her inventory.

“Perhaps we can let Karen build the big garden around the castle, it seems like she’d like that,” you suggested to Regina as you saw the flowers she collected on her way to the castle. “Great idea,” Regina smiled.

QueenBeeRegina: Karen? You can help build the garden, just make it pretty.

orandge: yay!!! i love flowers

TheFetchest: And make sure it has a lot of pink so it fits the aesthetics, Karen

orandge: i love pink

At the end of the week the castle stood proudly on the server and Regina was satisfied with the result. Her throne room was massive, just like her throne that stood at the end of the room. She was already brainstorming new ideas for the server, the castle was just the beginning. She wouldn’t settle for anything less than a kingdom.

There were also two new additions to the server that week.

PyroLez joined the game

FierceAndFab joined the game

“Baby,” Regina started, her tone deceptively sweet, “why are they here?”

You give her a calm smile despite sensing Regina’s irritation. “I thought it would be fun. The more the merrier, right?”

PyroLez: never thought I’d see the day that the Plastics would play a video game

QueenBeeRegina: Yeah. Shut up or I’ll ban you.

FierceAndFab: you can’t ban us, that’s homophobia

QueenBeeRegina: …

Regina rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the small amused smile that creeped onto her face. “They better not mess up my castle. I swear, if they touch it it’s on you,” she looked at you pointedly. “Besides, Janis is definitely taunting me with that username,” Regina huffed.

“Probably, and it’s working,” you looked at Regina’s pouty expression. “You look adorable like that.”

“Shut up.”

You were definitely curious to see how Janis and Damian would fit into this dynamic.

[vergess]

Please, please explain how to install and use linux like I'm 5 years old. I'm so sick of windows adding AI and other bullshit to my already struggling elderly laptop but I'm really not good with computers at all so I have no idea where to start with Linux.

Okay, so, I'm going to break this down into steps I would give the average tumblr user first, and then if any of them are confusing or use words you don't understand, ask me and I'll explain that step in greater detail.

Step 0) BACK. UP. YOUR. SHIT.

NEVER EVER EVER CHANGE YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM WITHOUT A COMPLETE BACKUP OF ALL YOUR FILES.

Step 1) Learn your machine. You need to know:

How much RAM you have

If your processor is 32 or 64 bit

How big your hard drive is

On windows, you can find out all of this by going to the start menu, typing "about" and opening the first result on your system instead of the internet.

For additional instructions, visit this page.

Step 2) Pick your Linux.

There's like 10,000 kinds of Linux, each tailored to particular functions that the end-user (that is you!) might want to have. The sheer amount is very daunting, so first I'm going to give my suggestions, then I'll explain how to pick for yourself.

For Mac users, I suggest Kubuntu. For windows users, I suggest Mint Cinnamon. If your laptop is really REALLY old, I recommend Sparky Stable, which is the lightest weight Linux I would ever suggest for a new user. In every case, download the version suited to your processor (32 bit can be labelled "x86" or "32 bit"; 64 bit is always labelled "64 bit").

If you want to try a different type of linux, you'll need to make sure your laptop meets the "minimum specs" or "system requirements." These numbers tell you how much RAM, processor and hard drive space the linux will use. (That's why you needed those numbers at the beginning.)

Step 3) Collect your supplies. You're going to need:

An ISO burning program compatible with your current system, like Balena Etcher.

A copy of the ISO file for the Linux you want to use.

Your laptop.

An 8gb or larger USB flash drive.

Step 3) Make a bootable USB drive

Install Balena Etcher, hitting "okay" and "next" when prompted. Last I checked, Etcher doesn't have adware attached, so you can just hit next every time.

Plug your USB drive into the laptop.

Open Etcher.

Click "flash from file" and open the ISO file with your Linux on it.

Click "Select target" and open the USB drive location. Hit the "flash" button. This will start writing all the linux installer data to your flash drive. Depending on the speed of your machine, this could take as long as 10 minutes, but shouldn't be much longer.

Step 4) Boot to the USB drive

This is, in my opinion, the trickiest step for a lot of people who don't do "computer stuff." Fortunately, in a rare act of good will, Windows 10 made this process a lot easier.

All you'll need to do is go to settings, then recovery, then advanced startup and pick the button labelled "use a device."

This tutorial has images showing where each of those is located. It's considered an "advanced setting" so you may get a spooky popup warning you that you could "harm your system by making changes" but we're not doing anything potentially harmful so you can ignore that if you get it.

Step 5) Try out linux on the flash drive first.

Linux installs using a cool little test version of itself that you can play around in. You won't be able to make changes or save settings, but you can explore a bit and see if the interface is to your liking. If it's hideous or hard to navigate, simply pick a new linux version to download, and repeat the "make a bootable USB" step for it.

Step 6) Actually install that sucker

This step varies from version to version, but the first part should be the same across the board: on the desktop, there should be a shortcut that says something like "install now." Double click it.

Follow the instructions your specific linux version gives you. When in doubt, pick the default, with one exception:

If it asks you to encrypt your drive say no. That's a more advanced feature that can really fuck your shit up down the road if you don't know how to handle it.

At some point you're going to get a scary looking warning that says 1 of 2 things. Either:

Install Linux alongside Windows, or

Format harddrive to delete all data

That first option will let you do what is called "dual booting." From then on, your computer will ask every time you turn it on whether you want Windows or Linux.

The second option will nuke Windows from orbit, leaving only linux behind.

The install process is slower the larger your chosen version is, but I've never seen it take more than half an hour. During that time, most linux versions will have a little slideshow of the features and layout of common settings that you can read or ignore as you prefer.

Step 7) Boot to your sexy new Linux device.

If you're dual booting, use the arrow keys and enter key to select your linux version from the new boot menu, called GRUB.

If you've only got linux, turn the computer on as normal and linux will boot up immediately.

Bonus Step: Copy Pasting some code

In your new start menu, look for an application called "terminal" or "terminal emulator." Open that up, and you will be presented with an intense looking (but actually very harmless) text command area.

Now, open up your web browser (firefox comes pre-installed on most!), and search the phrase "what to do after installing [linux version you picked]"

You're looking for a website called "It's FOSS." Here's a link to their page on Mint. This site has lots and lots of snippets of little text commands you can experiment with to learn how that functionality works!

Or, if you don't want to fuck with the terminal at all (fair enough!) then instead of "terminal" look for something called "software manager."

This is sort of like an app store for linux; you can install all kinds of programs directly from there without needing to go to the website of the program itself!

[fallingfor-fics]

Business Ethics- Melissa Schemmenti x Reader

Pairing: Melissa Schemmenti x fem! IT employee

Word count: 4.3k

Warnings: none, drinking, angst, implied smut. flirting

Summary: Melissa finds out you're getting fired and doesnt know how to tell you but eventually word gets out.

You had worked at Abbott for about 3 years now in the IT department and loved your job with a passion. You had skills with computers and didn't mind using those to make some good money, not to mention you got to work with good people. They never gave a shitty attitude or were sexist pigs like other places you worked. Not to mention thanks to this job you met your girlfriend Melissa. Her being a teacher here worked out well, but you haven't got around to telling anyone yet because you don't want to worry about gossip, and of course the HR issues. You were currently on your way to the break room because someone had called about the wifi not working in there. It usually is just an issue on their end, but you don't mind since it's an easy fix and you get to stop and chat with some of the other staff for a bit. You are an angel in about half of the staff's eyes since you seem to magically fix all their tech issues with projectors and what not. The other half never paid mind to you but were always friendly. 

“Hey! Got a call about Wifi?” you say walking in and Barb sticks up her hand with a finger pointed to signal you over. 

“Yeah Facebook isn't loading and it's really ruining my relaxing lunch.” she scoffed and you smiled walking over.

“May I?” you ask, gesturing to her phone and she hands it to you. You peek above her phone to spot the empty seat beside her. She notices and stares at you intensely. 

“She’s not here yet, I think she ran off campus for food today.” Barb answers and you look at her with a faux confused face.

“Um..” you pause and clear your throat before sitting up straight and handing her phone back, “You were on the guest Wifi.” you said before turning to leave. 

You are met with Melissa's bright eyes and large smirk as she looks you up and down. “Hey Wall-E what brings you to these parts?” Melissa mocks at you as she moves past to sit down.

You roll your eyes at the name she chose today, usually she goes for Specs, Droid, or Short Circuit. You turn to face her and she smiles when your eyes meet, you can tell she enjoys teasing you like this in front of everyone and you hold back your own smile. Before you can answer you get a call from another teacher to help with their computer and so you bite your tongue and walk away. Once you are gone Barb lets out a large breath. 

“Oh my god I thought I was gonna go crazy.” Barb gasps

“What? How come?” Melissa asks, confused. Barbra leans in close to whisper. 

“Ok Ava told me this earlier and you can not tell anyone, especially Y/n,” she started and Melissa nodded for her to continue “according to Ava since they have to make some departmental cuts, the superintendent said they are going to have to let Y/n go” She sits back up and looks around to make sure no one heard. 

Melissa leans up slowly with shock over her face. She feels her stomach drop and she begins to already grow guilty for having this knowledge. 

“That's crazy.” Melissa mutters with a clear upset. 

“I know and who knows what this means for the other staff and oh I feel so bad for the girl but ya know last one in first one out..” Barbra keeps rambling on but Melissa tunes her out as she thinks about you. She gets up without a word and rushes to Avas office. She knew the superintendent, Jamie, was still on campus and likely to be talking with Ava so she took this as her opportunity.

She doesn't bother knocking and just opens Ava’s door, standing in front of her desk with a tight lip and furrowed brow.

“What now Schemmenti? Did you really have to disturb my meeting?” Ava says annoyed.

“You're firing Y/n?” she says with attitude and Ava sighs, setting her magazine down.

“Um, Yes we are letting her go.” Jaime says calmly with a sympathetic smile, not allowing Ava to speak.

“But why? She has been here for three years and she has been helping us out so much she doesn't deserve this.” Melissa said with anger in her throat, she tried her best to stay calm and not yell, but she felt so much for you she couldn't not say anything.

“I don't want to Ms.Schemmenti but with where we are at it was either her or one of our Food Service Directors and that department is a complete mess so we couldn't afford to lose one of them.” Jaime says trying to reason with her by providing her excuses

“Bullshit.” Melissa scoffs

“Look I don't like this anymore than you do but at the end of the day it has nothing to do with you so just let it go Ms. Schemmenti. Understood?” Ava was now standing to level with Melissa and Melissa's arms were crossed as she shook her head and clenched her jaw. 

“And you can't tell her Melissa, it's not your place and if I find out that you even mentioned the possibility to her-” Ava began trying to sympathize before Jamie cuts her off

“We will have to ask you to resign.” Jaime finished and both Melissa and Ava’s  eyes went wide. 

“You can't fire me for telling her.” Melissa scoffed, Ava looked down. 

“We have a long list of new teachers that want to work here Ms. Schemmenti, so it wouldn't be an issue.” Jaime smirked and Melissa held back the words that were prying to pour from her mouth and just stormed out. 

--

Later that day you and Melissa were hanging out at her place and watching some random Judge show and after some comfortable silence, Melissa spoke softly and with a rather monotone voice. 

“If you had bad news about a coworker but you couldn't tell them or you may get fired, would you risk that or just ya know mind your own business?” She muttered and you scrunched your brows.

“Hmm, that's a good question. Normally I'd mind my own business, but..” You paused looking up at her from your place on her shoulder, “I think it also depends on how close you are with them you know?” you finish and then look back at the TV. 

“Yeah, good point.” she sighs as she chews on her cheek with furrowed brows.

--

You haven't seen Melissa all week and she was being super dry in text and it was beginning to worry you, she did this every now and then and it usually meant she was dealing with some personal or family stuff, but it hasn't happened in a while since she was getting really good at communicating these things to you. You finally decided to corner her during the lunch hour and see what was going on. 

You spotted her walking down the hall as you left another classroom and you walked faster to catch up. 

“Melissa, hey can I uh, talk to you?” you asked softly and she stopped to look at you. She fidgeted and looked at her watch as if she was in a hurry, but eventually nodded.

“Yeah sure.”

You looked around before grabbing her hand and leading her to one of the far stairwells you often met up in since it hardly got used. You waited for the door to shut before sitting on one of the steps.

“Mel, what's been going on? I haven't seen you all week.” you asked softly and she sighed her hands coming to cover her face in frustration before they ran through her hair and she started pacing slowly. 

“I know and I'm sorry.” she muttered, not looking at you. 

“Is it something between you and your family, or work, or.. Us?” you hesitated with the last topic and she shook her head. You stood up and grabbed her hips to get her to stop pacing and face you. You pushed her to lean against the wall behind her and she sighed. 

“I have to tell you something but if anyone finds out i'll get fired.” she said plainly.

You laughed, thinking she was joking. “Mel, come on, don't be dramatic.” 

“I wish I was Y/n but I'm serious, and it's been tearing me up all week long and I didnt think I could hold it in if I was around you.” she smiled and your own smile faded as you looked between her eyes. 

“Just tell me it's fine, I won't say anything!” you said sincerely and she nodded.

“Ok, um, I was told that due to lack of resources and financial issues, they are going to…fire some people.” she said with a worried tone and sympathetic but slightly awkward smile. Melissa did plan on telling you but she saw your worried gaze and panicked, skipping around the truth. 

“What? You’re kidding me! How do you know this? Do we know who yet?” you asked with furrowed brows.

“Um Barb told me and I got it confirmed by Ava and Jamie, but we don't know who or how many.” she stated plainly.

“Oh my gosh, I mean i'm sure we will be fine, it’ll be the last one in the first one out.” you said looking down as you shook your head. 

Melissa looked at you and felt her chest tighten, she felt panic wash over her again and pushed herself off the wall.

“Well I got to go back to class hon.” She chirped, walking over to stand in front of you. 

“Yeah I should head back too. Ill see you later tonight?” you asked and she moved her hands to your hips. 

“Umm it's maybe on tonight, I have papers to grade and stuff. Ill see you tomorrow night though, for drinks with the others yeah?” she said with a cheery tone as she lifted your chin to look at her. 

“Yeah.” 

“Great, and I’ll pick you up so you don't have to drive.” she smiled and leaned in for a kiss. You kissed her softly and slowly, you hands moving to slide into the back pockets of her jeans, her hands roamed down to your hips again to grasp them firmly and you pushed into the kiss harder. Finally you pulled away to get air and your cheeks flushed a deep red. 

“Fuck Schemmenti. Bring that energy tomorrow night.” You whispered out of breath, your eyes looking into her with heavy lids. She laughed and pulled away, kissing your cheek and leaving.

--

The group that was going to the bar consisted of Barbara, Melissa, Ava, Jacob, and Janine, and of course yourself. Gregory opted out so he could come pick the others up when we were all ready to leave. You were finishing your makeup as you waited for Melissa to get here, excitement to go out with everyone filled your chest, the only downside was having to act just friendly with Melissa after having some drinks. You were fine if you took it slow and paced yourself, but one too many cocktails and Melissa turns into a lone flame, dancing in the air before your eyes, illuminating your whole face and making it devilishly hot. She draws you in and you can't feel satisfaction or peace until you have her around you. Melissa loves this about you obviously, and nine times out of ten she gives you what you want. 

So tonight you were sticking to beer. Or at least that's what you told yourself.

You heard a car door and quickly headed downstairs, grabbing your purse and locking the door behind you. You were wearing casual yet flattering clothes, ones that accentuated your features and wouldn't make you overheat. 

“Hey baby.” Melissa smiled as she got out of the car and opened your door. 

“Hi love.” you said, giving her a peck before getting into the passenger seat. She shut the door and walked around to get back in. You changed the station as she did so and when she got back in she looked at you, your face gazing out the window. 

“Night just started and you’re already being a brat.” her tone was low and sarcastic and you couldn't help the grin that spread on your face.

“I don't know what you’re talking about.” you said slyly and she scoffed, pulling out of the driveway and heading to the bar. It wasn't far from her house thankfully, and you were able to get decent parking. The first hour went by fast, and Ava had made everyone do a shot when they got there, so you made sure to be careful. You all just talked and gossiped for most of the night, watching drunk people do karaoke at the front of the bar. You looked over and saw a pool table and got excited, you nudged Melissa and she looked over. 

“Maybe we can sneak away for a round or two?” you said looking at her, she turned to look at you, her face dangerously close to yours. 

“Damn already? I thought you were pacing yourself.” she smirked and you rolled your eyes.

“Of pool.” you remarked and she tilted her head with a teasing glance.

“Mhm. Lead the way.” she said and you got up, going to the bar to get you and Melissa another beer, and then heading to the table, Melissa took the cold bottle from your hand, her fingers brushing yours and you smiled at her. 

“Watch it.” She just shrugged in response and you grabbed a stick, handing her one after she finished setting it up. You moved aside and let her break and she looked at you with a spine chilling smirk. You watched as she bent over, your eyes tracing over her back and around the curve of her ass, her fingers delicately placed around the stick as she moved it back and forth. You took a sip to cool you down, and looked away. You looked over at the group and they were still in a deep gossip session. You looked back and Melissa was lining up for another shot and you laughed. 

“How many did you get in on the break?” you questioned and she looked up at you after hitting another and making it in.

“Two.” she moved to stand in front of you, lining up her next shot, she bent down slowly and you looked in  disbelief, looking around to see if anyone noticed, she pressed her ass into your center and right as she went to hit the ball you gripped her hips, your thumbs sliding up her shirt slightly so they could press into her skin with force, she tensed up and let out a small gasp and it caused her to miss the shot. She stood up quickly and looked at you. 

“So that's how we are going to play huh?” you smiled and walked to take a shot. You got two in before you were getting ready for your next and Melissa started to fidget with her heel, she stood across from you, her hand on the side of the table. She leaned down slightly, fixing the non existent issue and causing her cleavage to be directly in your eyeline. You looked into her eyes that were dark and secretive. You couldn't help your eyes dipping back down to her perfect breasts and you rolled your eyes, taking the shot and standing back up before the ball even made it halfway to the pocket. Of course to no one's surprise, you missed, and you went to sip your drink while Melissa took her next turn.

Eventually it was down to Melissa and you both one away from the 8 ball, you had both continued playing dirty and Melissa just happened to be better at doing that, and with assets like hers it's easier to do. Melissa paused to drink her beer as she prepared for her turn. You quickly went to the bartender and ordered two shots, heading back over to Melissa. She looked at you and raised a brow. 

“Thanks hon but I probably shouldn't drink anymore.” she said kindly and you downed one of the shots as you looked at her. Your eyes were determined and full of admiration and a hunger to win. 

“Wasn’t for you.” you said with a smile as you did the other one. She looked at you confused and you walked over to her. 

“Now, if you win, you will get to deal with future drunk me however you’d like.” you said smiling. Her jaw slacked and she looked over your face.

“And if you win?” she asked with a curious smile.

“I'm going to go home alone, and get myself off. And if you talk me through it you may get a few selfies.” you muttered softly and she felt her muscles tense up at the thought. As hot as that would be, she loves when you are drunk and needy, she doesn't want to miss out on this. 

“And we are playing clean from here on.” you added and she agreed, walking to line up her shot. You watched as you sipped your drink, the drinks finally catching up to you and your legs suddenly felt weak. You stayed standing and focused your vision on Melissa, your blood rising in temperature as your eyes looked over her. 

“That look is not playing clean.” she muttered, not looking away from the ball. You didn't say anything and she took her shot. The force of her strong arm caused a loud pop to be heard and it made your core twitch and your legs push together. She made the shot and you scoffed. Her hazey eyes met yours with a cocky smirk and you looked away, when you looked over Barbara was heading towards you and you straightened up. Melissa noticed and she smiled. 

“Hey Barb, what's up?” Melissa asked and she sat down at the high table next to us.

“Jacob and Ava are getting into it about some stupid show.” she sighed and you laughed 

“Wow you left Janine alone over there?” you looked over and she was sinking into the booth sitting between the other two.

“Mm. How's your game?” she asked and Melissa's smiled widened. 

“I'm winning of course.” she didn't hesitate to state and you rolled your eyes.

“Just go on already, Schemmenti.” She looked at you with a daring eye and you laughed. 

“I'm gonna go to the bathroom, Barb, take my shot for me.” she said, handing her stick to the woman before disappearing. You sat in shock and Barb looked at you. 

“I won't lie, Y/n, I had a lot of beverages tonight.” she smiled walking over to the table, you smiled in response hoping this would give you an advantage.

“That's okay, me too.” you laughed, the drinks were really hitting you now and time seemed to slow down as you waited. You could hear the people talking loudly over the music, and the colorful lights made everything glow.

“Yeah I don't blame you, I would in your situation. It really is just awful.” she said looking for the best place to shoot from. You furrowed your brows in confusion and looked over at her. 

“What do you mean?” you asked, your words slightly slurred.

“Well you know with the whole letting you go, situation.” she looked up at you and the loud noises along with drinks in your system caused you to have a harder time piecing it together. She noticed and pushed her own brows together.

“Wait, Melissa didn't tell you? Woah I was sure she would have.” she said shocked and you shook your head.

“Melissa?” you said at the mention of her name and Barbara nodded. 

“Yeah Ava said they had to let you go.” she said as she took the shot. You watched as she missed and you stepped back. “Damn I missed.” 

“When did you tell her?” you asked and she paused to think.

“Hmm like two weeks ago.” she said as she set the stick down. Behind her you saw Melissa walking over, she came into focus and you saw her face turn down, surely a reaction to your own stoic and melancholy expression. Your brows tight together and your eyes full of confusion. She walked closer and you sighed. 

“Two weeks you knew and you didn't tell me.” you muttered and Melissa immediately realized what happened. Barbara looked at you both, confused and unsure if her suspicions were correct. She muttered and apology to Melissa and walked back to the group. You didn't say anything else and just grabbed your purse and walked away, you paused at the others to let them know you were leaving cause you didn't feel well, and headed out the door. Melissa grabbed her own belongings and hurried to close out the tab, she told the others she was driving you home, and hurried out after you. You had already started your journey down the street, your feet hurt and your legs were slightly numb from the cold night air nipping at them. Your vision was slightly delayed, but overall you were conscious enough to make it home at a decent time. You finally realized why you were walking away and you sighed. You realized Melissa had not only not told you but had the chance and lied instead. You loved your job so hearing this information stung. Learning your girlfriend that you met here, knew before you though, that hurt worse. 

“Y/n, baby please let me drive you.” she shouted after you and you shook your head. 

“I need to clear my thoughts. I'll be fine.” you said and you heard her heels stop clicking. You figured she gave up with your stubborn attitude and went back. No more than a minute later, she was pulled up driving next to you as you walked. 

“Sweetie, I'm sorry, please get in the car and then we can talk about it.” she said, genuine sorrow and worry laced in her tone which led you to look up at her.

“I dont want to fucking talk Melissa.” you said with your voice raised, walking ahead once more. 

“Get in the car.” she demanded with a flat tone that intimidated you to your bones. You ignored her and she stopped the car, you stopped walking and looked over and she raised an eyebrow at you. “Just let me get you home safe and ill give you all the space you want.” she said softly and the amount of care that seeped out of her words made your heart flutter and you walked over and got in the car. After a few moments of silence you sighed. 

“Did you talk to anyone else?” you asked and she nodded.

“After I found out I went to Ava’s office and she was with Jamie and they told me there was nothing they could do. Trust me when I say I tried baby. Then they said I would get replaced if I told you. You nodded in shock and chewed on your lip before starting back up.

“God I mean did you tell them to cut someone else? To fire fucking Gary or something?” you asked and she nodded. 

“Yes baby I tried but they said they had no other choice.” her brows pushed together as she rubbed your thigh in comfort. 

“Fuck.” you muttered looking down and running a hand through your hair. “What the hell am I going to do, I mean finding a new job isn't hard but leaving my friends and you. Not to mention I'll have to go work at another bro-ey tech department.” you rolled your eyes and she sighed.

“I know hon, I'm sorry. I will help you find a new position and I'm sure we have time to find a good fit.” she tried her best to comfort you but you were so angry that Ava allowed this to happen and you knew you would either snap or start crying so you just turned and looked out the window.

“And you… why didn't you just tell me?” you muttered with judgment and her mouth turned down in guilt. 

“I don't know. I just panicked.” she said softly and you nodded, accepting her reasoning and deciding to just forget about it for tonight. You got to your house and insisted she didn't need to walk you to the door, so you grabbed your things and looked at her with an awkward smile. 

“I guess ill maybe, see you at work on Monday.” you joked and she just stared at you with sympathy, you kissed her cheek and she kissed yours before you got out and headed inside. 

After you got inside you immediately showered and got ready for bed, you finally checked your phone as you turned on your TV and sat on your plush comforter. There were messages from Melissa, one letting you know she made it home, and one apologizing again. As you read them she texted again asking if you were mad and you pondered for a moment. You sat up and flipped to your camera, sitting against the pillows, you held your arm out, your thighs up to your mouth in frame, wearing a sheer burgundy panty set. You looked at it before sending it along with ‘we are okay’ and then you put your phone on silent, and went to sleep. Leaving Melissa with nothing but the photo of you.

--

this was a quick little one I hope yall like these angsty fics sorry about no smut

please send int requests yall!! and feel free to ask for other characters and ill lyk if I write for em.

[wingedtyger]

How to Buy a Computer for Cheaper

Buy refurbished. And I'm going to show you how, and, in general, how to buy a better computer than you currently have. I'm fairly tech-knowledgeable, but not an expert. But this is how I've bought my last three computers for personal use and business (graphics). I'm writing this for people who barely know computers. If you have a techie friend or family member, having them help can do a lot for the stress of buying a new computer.

There are three numbers you want to know from your current computer: hard drive size, RAM, and processor speed (slightly less important, unless you're doing gaming or 3d rendering or something else like that)

We're going to assume you use Windows, because if you use Apple I can't help, sorry.

First is hard drive. This is how much space you have to put files. This is in bytes. These days all hard drives are in gigabytes or terabytes (1000 gigabytes = 1 terabyte). To get your hard drive size, open Windows Explorer, go to This PC (or My Computer if you have a really old OS).

To get more details, you can right-click on the drive. and open Properties. But now you know your hard drive size, 237 GB in this case. (this is rather small, but that's okay for this laptop). If you're planning on storing a lot of videos, big photos, have a lot of applications, etc, you want MINIMUM 500 GB. You can always have external drives as well.

While you've got this open, right-click on This PC (or My Computer). This'll give you a lot of information that can be useful if you're trying to get tech support.

I've underlined in red the two key things. Processor: it can help to know the whole bit (or at least the Intel i# bit) just so you don't buy one that's a bunch older, but processor models are confusing and beyond me. The absolutely important bit is the speed, in gigahertz (GHz). Bigger is faster. The processor speed is how fast your computer can run. In this case the processor is 2.60 GHz, which is just fine for most things.

The other bit is RAM. This is "random-access memory" aka memory, which is easy to confuse for, like how much space you have. No. RAM is basically how fast your computer can open stuff. This laptop has 16 GB RAM. Make sure you note that this is the RAM, because it and the hard drive use the same units.

If you're mostly writing, use spreadsheets, watching streaming, or doing light graphics work 16 GB is fine. If you have a lot of things open at a time or gaming or doing 3d modeling or digital art, get at least 32 GB or it's gonna lag a lot.

In general, if you find your current laptop slow, you want a new one with more RAM and a processor that's at least slightly faster. If you're getting a new computer to use new software, look at the system requirements and exceed them.

I'll show you an example of that. Let's say I wanted to start doing digital art on this computer, using ClipStudio Paint. Generally the easiest way to find the requirements is to search for 'program name system' in your search engine of choice. You can click around their website if you want, but just searching is a lot faster.

That gives me this page

(Clip Studio does not have very heavy requirements).

Under Computer Specs it tells you the processor types and your RAM requirements. You're basically going to be good for the processor, no matter what. That 2 GB minimum of memory is, again, the RAM.

Storage space is how much space on your hard drive it needs.

Actually for comparison, let's look at the current Photoshop requirements.

Photoshop wants LOTS of speed and space, greedy bastard that it is. (The Graphics card bit is somewhat beyond my expertise, sorry)

But now you have your three numbers: hard drive space, RAM (memory) and processor (CPU). Now we're going to find a computer that's better and cheaper than buying new!

We're going to buy ~refurbished~

A refurbished computer is one that was used and then returned and fixed up to sell again. It may have wear on the keyboard or case, but everything inside (aside from the battery) should be like new. (The battery may hold less charge.) A good dealer will note condition. And refurbished means any flaws in the hardware will be fixed. They have gone through individual quality control that new products don't usually.

I've bought four computers refurbished and only had one dud (Windows kept crashing during set-up). The dud has been returned and we're waiting for the new one.

You can buy refurbished computers from the manufacturers (Lenovo, Dell, Apple, etc) or from online computer stores (Best Buy and my favorite Newegg). You want to buy from a reputable store because they'll have warranties offered and a good return policy.

I'm going to show you how to find a refurbished computer on Newegg.

You're going to go to Newegg.com, you're gonna go to computer systems in their menu, and you're gonna find refurbished

Then, down the side there's a ton of checkboxes where you can select your specifications. If there's a brand you prefer, select that (I like Lenovos A LOT - they last a long time and have very few problems, in my experience. Yes, this is a recommendation).

Put in your memory (RAM), put in your hard drive, put in your CPU speed (processor), and any other preferences like monitor size or which version of Windows you want (I don't want Windows 11 any time soon). I generally just do RAM and hard drive and manually check the CPU, but that's a personal preference. Then hit apply and it'll filter down.

I'm going to say right now, if you are getting a laptop and you can afford to get a SSD, do it. SSD is a solid-state drive, vs a normal hard drive (HDD, hard disk-drive). They're less prone to breaking down and they're faster. But they're also more expensive.

Anyway, we have our filtered list of possible laptops. Now what?

Well, now comes the annoying part. Every model of computer can be different - it can have a better or worse display, it can have a crappy keyboard, or whatever. So you find a computer that looks okay, and you then look for reviews.

Here's our first row of results

Let's take a look at the Lenovo, because I like Lenovos and I loathe Dells (they're... fine...). That Thinkpad T460S is the part to Google (search for 'Lenovo Thinkpad T460s reviews'). Good websites that I trust include PCMag, LaptopMag.com, and Notebookcheck.com (which is VERY techie about displays). But every reviewer will probably be getting one with different specs than the thing you're looking at.

Here are key things that will be the same across all of them: keyboard (is it comfortable, etc), battery life, how good is the trackpad/nub mouse (nub mice are immensely superior to trackpads imho), weight, how many and what kind of ports does it have (for USB, an external monitor, etc). Monitors can vary depending on the specs, so you'll have to compare those. Mostly you're making sure it doesn't completely suck.

Let's go back to Newegg and look at the specs of that Lenovo. Newegg makes it easy, with tabs for whatever the seller wants to say, the specs, reviews, and Q&A (which is usually empty).

This is the start of the specs. This is actually a lesser model than the laptop we were getting the specs for. It's okay. What I don't like is that the seller gives very little other info, for example on condition. Here's a Dell with much better information - condition and warranty info.

One thing you'll want to do on Newegg is check the seller's reviews. Like on eBay or Etsy, you have to use some judgement. If you worry about that, going to the manufacturer's online outlet in a safer bet, but you won't quite get as good of deals. But they're still pretty damn good as this random computer on Lenovo's outlet shows.

Okay, so I think I've covered everything. I do recommend having a techie friend either help or double check things if you're not especially techie. But this can save you hundreds of dollars or allow you to get a better computer than you were thinking.

[roosterforme]

A Love You Don't Find Everyday Part 4 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Wedding planning commences, and Bradley takes his frustration of being neglected out on you by getting even in the best way possible. 

Warnings: Fluff, angst, swearing, edging and smut

Length: 3700 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

Check out my Masterlist!

You spent the entire day on Saturday with Bradley. You promised him you would be better, and he promised you he would be more understanding about your work, especially right now. As long as you were willing to be open with him about wedding plans. 

"It's only fair. You put up with my deployments like a champ," he told you, placing a kiss on your forehead. 

"How about this?" you asked, pulling Bradley over to the kitchen counter where your computer was charging. "I literally need to send an email about my lodging in Annapolis. We are all staying at the barracks to save money in our project budget, and I need to request a room. After that, we can do some wedding planning together. And then I'm yours until Tuesday morning."

Bradley stood behind you and massaged your shoulders while your computer booted up. "What happened to Monday morning?"

"We are both taking the day off and spending it together with Tramp."

Bradley tickled your neck with his mustache, making you smile as you entered your credentials. "I love you," he whispered. 

You still felt uneasy inside. You hadn't noticed how much you missed him until everything blew up in your face. But now that you were home for more than just enough time to sleep, you could feel your energy levels rising and your happiness growing. And you knew it was a direct result of being around your future husband. 

"I love you, too. Now look at this." You showed him some of your project specs, and he promised to help you work on your presentation in the upcoming days. 

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

Bradley's heart was swelling with happiness. He talked you into just ordering a pizza for dinner, because the two of you were starting to make headway when it came to wedding planning.

You were sitting on his lap at the dining room table, waiting for the pizza to arrive and jotting things down in a notebook. "I'm going to call my mom tomorrow and see what she thinks about the dresses. I guess I should make an appointment to try some on."

"I can't come with you?" Bradley asked, flashing his puppy eyes at you.

You turned to look at him over your shoulder. "Absolutely not. Maria can come with me. Or Nat. Or Jake. Not you."

"Jake?! Hell no. No," he was shaking his head. He would never let that one fly.

You started laughing. "You don't want me to get a guy's perspective on the dress?"

"Fuck, no. I do not. Especially not him. Take Bob."

You just snorted. "Jake has become my friend. You do realize that, right?"

"He's already seen enough. He saw the calendar photo yesterday! The photo with the red set. My favorite!" Bradley whined. He was entranced by the entire calendar, but that one was his favorite.

"I told you not to hang that thing up," you replied, turning back to the notebook. "So confetti cake? Yes?"

Now he was groaning. "Baby Girl, can't we do lemon?"

You abruptly stood and went into the kitchen, and Bradley tracked your bare legs as you went. You immediately returned with a tupperware container of the leftover cake and shoved a forkful into his mouth. "Get used to it. It's non negotiable."

Bradley chewed it up and sighed. "Fine. What about a venue?"

You shook your head. "I hate them all. They are all either so bland or so pretentious."

"Didn't you used to dream about your wedding day when you were younger?"

You shrugged. "Not really. Honestly? I just figured if I had the right groom with me, everything else would be good too." Bradley watched your hand glide up along his abs to his chest. "Got that part under control already."

He kissed you and pulled you against him with a squeak. "Then let's just go to the courthouse with your parents." Bradley wrapped your necklace chain around his fingers, toying with the charms he had given you back in January. 

You shook your head. "I want something unique, but not fussy. Fun, but not ridiculous."

"Sweetheart, you could have been telling me this stuff all along," Bradley whispered, pulling you closer. "I like all of your ideas so far. Even the cake flavor is fine."

"What do you want?" you asked him. "Other than a retro 80's nightmare."

Bradley was trying not to laugh, but he was so fucking happy to be spending time with you, he let you have this one. "I want an exact replica of Goose and Carole's wedding, right down to the powder blue cumberbunds, and if you won't let me have that, then I won't marry you."

You started cracking up, and the sound filled his heart completely. "Shit, Bradley, you had me at cumberbunds," you told him, kissing his neck. "Yeah, let's do that."

"You're a monster," he growled, sending you into another fit of laughter as someone knocked at the front door. 

"Probably the pizza," you muttered, standing up between his legs. But Bradley immediately stood and pulled his shirt over your head in one smooth movement, leaving you completely naked. 

"Hey!"

He slipped it on himself and gave you an innocent look. "What? I can't answer the door in only my underwear."

You couldn't move as he walked backwards toward the front door with a shrug. If you tried to make a dash to the bedroom, the pizza delivery person would see you, so you just stood still and listened to Bradley pay for dinner and bring it back to you.

He wrapped you in his arms and held you, naked on his lap while you both ate pizza out of the box. He had ordered your favorite toppings, and you listened to him humming a song for you while he pulled two slices apart. 

"Are you humming Fleetwood Mac?" you asked him. "Everywhere?" 

"Yeah," Bradley whispered before starting to sing the chorus. 

"You played that for me at the Hard Deck before. It's one of my favorites. That should be our wedding song."

Bradley dropped his pizza back into the box and wrapped his arms around you. "Yes!" he agreed immediately. "Yes, I love that."

You kissed his cheek and let him cuddle you while the pizza got cold, pleased that you were able to make a decision that made him happy, too. 

When you were finally done eating, you both fed some of your leftover pizza crust to Tramp when he sat and begged. "He really is as bad as you are, Roo."

"Nobody is worse than me when it comes to begging you for something delicious, Baby Girl. Now, will you please come take a bath with me?" he asked as he ran his fingers along your bare sides. 

You moaned softly. "You do not have to beg me for anything, Bradley. I'm sorry if I made you feel like you did." 

He collected you in his arms and carried you to the bathroom, depositing you on the edge of the tub as he got the water ready. 

"Why don't you get in and relax while I clean up the kitchen, and then I'll join you."

Bradley watched you put your hair up in a messy bun and slip into the water. You looked like a dream, and his cock was twitching for you. But he knew exactly what he wanted to do to you. So he adjusted himself and went to clean up the leftover dinner. He grabbed two beers and took them into the bathroom. He stripped down and you scooted forward in the tub so he could sit behind you and stretch out his legs. 

You turned toward him with a smile on your face, and your fingers found his cock easily underneath the copious amount of bubbles. 

"Roo," you whispered, but he reached down to move your hand, and you pouted.

"I have other plans for you, Baby Girl. Those plans will require our bed."

You shivered in his arms with an adorable smile on your face. He wasn't so sure you'd be smiling once he started, but he let you enjoy yourself for the moment. You settled back against his chest, drinking your beer while Bradley teased your skin under the water.

"Are you going to tell me what your other plans are?" you asked softly, looking up at him over your shoulder. He was entranced by your long lashes and the pretty curve of your cheeks. Had been since the moment he first saw you. 

"You want me to show you, Sweetheart?"

"Yes," you hissed in excitement. "Should we dry off?"

"Mmhmm," Bradley hummed, running his knuckles along your breasts as you knelt in front of him. "Dry off and go get in bed, Baby Girl." He watched you grin at him as you ran one of the sunshine yellow towels along your body and dashed into the bedroom. Bradley drained the tub and dried himself off as well. His dick was already hard, and he knew he would be putting himself through hell as well, but he needed to teach you a lesson.

When he found you perched hopefully in the middle of the bed, he stalked over toward you. You were licking your lips now and reaching for him. 

"Lay down," he told you, and your eyes lit up as you eased yourself onto your back. "Good girl."

Bradley took both of your ankles and spread your legs wide so he had plenty of room to work with. You were so pretty like this, needy and flushed for him. He'd wanted you like this for weeks, but you'd given him next to nothing. 

As he settled his body over your smaller one, you reached up and ran your hands through his hair. It felt amazing, and he let his lips touch yours, eliciting a soft sigh from you. As he moved his mouth to trail across your cheek and tease your ear with his mustache, he took your hands off his body. 

"You are my top priority, Baby Girl," he whispered next to your ear. "You know that, right?"

"Yes, Roo. I know," you moaned, running your hands along his shoulders. Once again he removed them, and you turned to look him in the eye, trying to figure out what was wrong.

He held your hands above your head in one of his and kissed your ear. Then he told you, "From now on, I am your top priority as well. I don't come in second or third. Ever again. When I tell you we need to talk about something, we talk about it. When I tell you something is important to me, it's important to you, too. Understand?"  

He pulled his face away from you to watch you answer him. "Yes. I understand," you whispered, your voice breaking on the last word as if you really did understand what was going to happen. 

Bradley let his lips ghost over your soft skin as he took one of your nipples into his mouth. You grunted softly as he pulled the peak between his teeth and swirled his tongue. He bit you softly, making you squeak before soothing you with his soft tongue. 

"That feels good," you told him, and when you reached for him again, he released you with a pop.

"Tuck your hands under the back of your head and don't move them again."

Your eyes went wide, but you did exactly as you were told. Then you nodded at him as he focused his attention on your other breast, giving it the same level of attention, pulling your nipple into his mouth and sucking hard. Your whimpers as he sucked and teased you were making him painfully hard, but he focused on the lesson at hand. 

Bradley eased his body further down yours, nipping and licking you along the way as your breathing got heavier. 

"I'll never hurt you," he promised when he had reached your belly button. "I'll always take care of you. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course."

He looked up your body at your already flushed cheeks as he sunk his teeth gently into the soft flesh of your belly. Then he soothed you with his tongue before moving his mouth lower.

"Bradley?" you whispered, but he ignored you. He placed one soft kiss on your pussy before running his index finger through your slit and gently swiping your clit. You were already soaking wet as he meticulously teased you with the tip of one finger. Your little huffy breaths sounded so sexy; he was dying to fuck you. But not yet. 

He slipped his finger inside you, paying close attention to the way your body reacted to him. The arch of your back, the tilt of your hips... he knew them so well. He wrapped his lips around your clit and swirled his tongue back and forth. He felt you trying to clench your legs together, but he pushed them apart, still teasing your hole with just one finger. 

You were getting worked up now, but he could tell you weren't quite to the point where he wanted you to be. So he added a second finger inside you, fucking you slowly with both digits and sucking harder on your clit.

"Oh!" you gasped, your back arching off the bed in response. Now you were getting closer. 

Bradley released your clit and withdrew his fingers, licking them clean while he pushed his cock inside you.

"God," you moaned, and he couldn't help but grunt at how perfect you always felt to him. He pressed his body weight against you, fucking you in a steady rhythm until you were humming and shaking your head, never moving your hands from where you had placed them. 

"Feels so good," you whispered, squeezing your eyes closed.

Bradley braced himself and fucked you a little harder, really making you moan. When he ran his right thumb across your clit, he could feel you squeeze his dick, and he knew he had hit the magic spot. 

He listened to you gasp and watched your legs scramble as he withdrew from you. 

"Want more, Baby Girl?" he asked, holding your thighs wide.

"Yes!" you whined like a spoiled brat. Bradley's first instinct was to fuck you good, take care of you the way you liked best, but he wouldn't do that tonight. Instead he buried his face in your pussy again, licking and sucking until your back arched off the bed.

"Please!" you cried out, but he just shook his head and counted to ten before sucking on your clit until your back left the bed once more.

"No."

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

He was punishing you. The level of pleasure you were practically drowning in was addicting, but he wouldn't take you past this point, no matter how hard you ground yourself against his face. 

"Please, please," you gasped, trying again to get him to work you to completion. But when you looked at him he shook his head.

"No." It was the only word he had been saying for what seemed like the past hour. 

And now he was slipping his penis inside you again. You felt so full, so perfect. Yes, he was going to let you come this time. He had to. You could already feel the pressure building. You were so close. You could feel that first squeeze around his cock. 

Then he slowly slid himself out, letting you feel every inch of him along the way. 

"Bradley!" You could feel tears stinging your eyes as he repositioned himself, and a moment later his tongue was lapping along your clit. Heavenly. His mouth was warm and wet and you loved it. But he was overworking you now. He was doing it on purpose. Bringing you so close over and over. Here you were again. You swore you were about to explode on his tongue, but then he removed it, placing kisses along your thigh instead. 

You took a few deep breaths, worked yourself up to begging again, but then his fingers were inside you and his lips were on your clit and his mustache was teasing your pussy, and you knew this time you'd come. 

"No!" you keened when he left you with nothing once more. Your vision was a little blurry now, but you could see him perched between your thighs, his mustache wet. He looked as exhausted as you felt, but just when you could finally breathe easily again, he fucked two fingers inside you. 

"Bradley!" you squealed. So close. So so so close. You just needed ten more seconds. Five more seconds. Nearly. There.

Nothing. He'd given you nothing again. You tried to thrash your legs, but he had a firm grip on your thighs almost immediately. You were dripping wet. You could feel your moisture everywhere along your legs and down to your ass. You were shaking now too, mouth dry and ready to cry. And then he pushed his cock inside you again with four hard pumps before stopping and circling back to your clit with his mouth. 

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

Bradley watched you cry. He wasn't sure you even knew you were crying, but you were sobbing, tears leaking from the corners of your eyes. 

You were so sweet. You were his Baby Girl. He wanted nothing more than to make you cum for him. But he wasn't going to. Not yet anyway. Not while he still had the ability to keep going. 

It had been nearly an hour, and now he was pouring sweat as he fucked you with his fingers, dragging his mouth across your beautiful tits.

"Please," you gasped, soft hiccups preventing more speech than that. 

"I would love to make you cum, Sweetheart," he growled through clenched teeth. "But I'm not sure you've learned your lesson yet."

You were shaking. You were crying and shaking, gripping your own hair now as your legs quaked. But he just pushed your thighs apart and licked you, soft strokes alternating with a little rub of his mustache. 

"Roo," you pleaded, and he almost crumbled. He'd been gone for you since the first time you called him that. But he never wanted you to hurt him like you did ever again. 

He knelt between your thighs, his dick just inches from your hole as he stroked his fingers across your clit and watched you. Your legs had given out a few minutes ago, and you were no longer arching your back when you were close. You were mewling like a kitten and squirming for him, biting your lip and shivering as you cried. 

"Daddy, please."

He stroked you softly with his thumb and leaned down to kiss your tits. "Oh, oh, oh," you gasped in time with his thumb, and he could feel your hips moving beneath him. 

"Oh, fuck!" you gasped. Bradley could feel it first, and when he looked down to where he was still stroking your clit, you were soaking him and the bed, squirting for him from your perfect pussy. 

"Holy shit," he groaned. He had actually made you squirt. His cock, his hand, and his thighs were covered in it. 

He looked up at your face, flushed and damp and perfect. Mashing his lips to yours, he wrapped his soaked hand around your neck and gave you a light squeeze. "Did you learn your lesson?" he growled.

"Yes," you promised softly through your tears. "Yes."

Bradley released you and buried his face in your pussy, licking up all the wetness and rubbing himself in you. God, you tasted so good. You were laying in a wet spot, still crying for release as he licked your thighs before ramming his cock inside you. He braced his palms on the bed above your shoulders and fucked you with a few sloppy strokes until he was filling you with his cum. 

You looked up at him with trusting eyes, whispering, "Thank you," as he felt you squeeze his already softening cock.

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

You were vaguely aware that Bradley was scooping you up into his arms. You tried to talk, but you were way too tired. So you just let him hold you.

"I got you, Baby Girl," he whispered. 

"I love you," you told him as he set you down on the couch. He had let you come. He finally let you get off. You opened your eyes as he stroked your hair away from your face. 

"You're such a good girl," he told you, and you smiled. "Relax here while I make the bed, and then we can go to sleep."

"Make the bed?" you asked, a huge yawn causing you to stretch your arms and back. You sat up on the couch and looked up at him, completely naked before you. "Why are you making the bed?"

Bradley's eyes went a little wide and he grinned. "You soaked the bedding, Sweetheart," he told you, running his fingers along your cheek. 

"What do you mean?" you asked, but you could tell what he meant by the way he was looking at you. "I did?"

"Yeah," he replied. He let his fingers trail down your neck. "You squirted all over me. Really earned that orgasm, didn't you?"

Your jaw dropped open. "That's never happened before," you said, your voice raw and harsh.

Bradley froze with his fingers tucked in your hair. "Never?"

You shook your head slowly. 

Bradley was climbing on top of you, guiding you to stretch out on the couch. "I made you squirt for the first time?"

"Yeah," you whispered. His lips found yours in the sweetest kiss as your legs tangled with his. "But you were punishing me."

He peppered kisses all over your face and called you a good girl. "I was," he agreed. "But you learned your lesson. And you gave me a nice little treat, too."

You moaned into his mouth and let him touch you everywhere.

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

Bradley led you back into the bedroom on shaky legs so you could see for yourself what you had done to the bed. 

"Oh, God," you groaned, covering your face while he stripped the bedding. 

"Yep! Beautiful, isn't it?" 

And as soon as Bradley had you in the freshly made bed, you snuggled up on his chest and started drifting off to sleep as you asked him, "Are we okay now, Roo?"

He ran his fingers through your hair. "Yes."

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

Hope you all enjoyed that edging..... thanks to @beyondthesefourwalls for proofreading this for me.

PART 5

@hotch-meeeeeuppppp

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[alexiela73]

Can I get some ramattra fluff 💛

Yes! I will do my best, as I am less familiar with this character!

Ramattra x Reader Headcanon

Ramattra had been badly hurt after having a confrontation with with some anti-omnic groups. What with his growing reputation, they had lured him in with rumors of some omnics being held and slowly dismantled

When he'd arrived to save them, Ramattra had fallen into the humans trap- explosion after explosion went off

Trapped, Ramattra had used his Nemesis form to take most of the damage in the hopes of survival- and he was lucky, because it worked

When the building came crashing down around him, he was able to pull himself from the rubble. Most of him was damaged, an arm missing, his staff almost melted

His programming was faltering- he could feel his circuits threatening to shut down

Ramattra made it about six streets away before collapsing in an alley, no longer able to move.

He laid there on his side, his consciousness flickering out, and the last thing he remembered was a voice, soft and full of worry, but he could no longer compute the words

Days later, a surge of electricity washed through him, and Ramattra sat up with a gasp. His limbs felt stiff, slightly uneven, and it took a few moments for his memory circuits and sight specs to work

He was in an unknown room but it reminded him heavily of a mechanic shop. He was sitting on a table, and sitting beside him on a stool...was a human

Admittedly, his first reaction was not the best. Ramattra snarled and moved to point his staff...only to realize he was staffless.

"Woah woah, easy there!" you'd said, as Ramattra felt himself shift forward suddenly, unable to fully sit up properly. The humans hands cupped his shoulders, seemingly unafraid. "I'd say take a breath but that's pointless. You need to relax. You're balance chip is a bit fried, and I'm still working on the repairs with your limbs-"

"Who are you?" he snarled, pushing you away, only to sway like a drunkard. "How dare you touch me? How impudent!"

Raising an eyebrow, you leaned back a bit. Grease stained your shirt and jeans, and was smudged on your arms and hair. "Excuse me, I'm trying to help you. You could at least be a little grateful," you suggested.

"Oh, how like you humans. We should be grateful for everything you do, since humans created omnics. Of course, how rude of me-" he started, voice bitter and snide, only to be cut off by you clapping your hands sharply.

Glaring at him a bit, he heard the slight ding as you flicked his forehead and he found himself slipping onto his back on the table. "Woah, you're really negative. Take a chill pill, would you? You don't owe me anything, I'm just asking you stop being a jerk so I can continue on with this- or would you rather never walk again?"

Tch- this human had some nerve, he thought, glaring at them as they started to work on his waist. Ramattra had nerve sensors that allowed him to feel pressure throughout his body, and felt uncomfortable as you reached into areas of his body beneath the plates.

Maybe ten minutes went by. "Are you almost done?" he growled, and you groaned.

"Is this what its going to be like the whole time? Really?" you asked, continuing on with your work. "I'm not almost done, okay? You sustained a lot of damage- Its amazing I got you up and running again. There are wires I have to replace, parts that are literally melted or destroyed- Look," you said, pushing your rolling stool so you were closer to his head, forcing him to look at you.

"I don't know you, or you me. I get this is really scary and uncomfortable, but I promise. I just want to help you. I'm sorry, I really am, but I need you to give me a break so I can focus on getting you into tip top shape again," you said, giving him a earnest half smile. "Okay? My name is y/n, and I'm an omnic repair engineer."

Surprise filled him- there were few of those across the globe, and hard to find as most anti-omnic groups tended to harass them or worse for being 'omnic lovers'.

Ramattra was still apprehensive. "Why...Why help me?" he asked finally.

"Mmm...because I can?" you said. "Because I want to? Do I need a reason too? Look, if your asking if I think omnics are bad, I don't. Are all humans bad? No. Are all humans nice? Also no. Why can't it be the same with omnics? I've met so many nice omnics in my time as an engineer. Now could you shut up?"

Ramattra, against all instinct, did as he was told.

Ramattra was forced to stay with you over the course of the next few months. The damage to him had been extensive, and with his model out of production, it was hard coming up with the parts needed.

First you got his balance chip replaced, and worked on getting him to be able to stand. There was a lot to work on- his hands didn't fully work, and his body couldn't move or flex the way it used to.

In order to not get caught, you had to bring him back to your bachelor apartment- being an omnic engineer rarely paid well, but you enjoyed it

Something you found out quickly was Ramattra had never watched movies before. "These are ridiculous," he said plainly after watching a few, but you saw how interested he was.

Wall-E was his favorite movie- he laughed at how fat the humans were, saying of course they'd cause their own demise. You two have watched it eight times in the last month

He came to work with you, though after the first day you told him he could talk to the omnics but not about war. It was something he had to pinky promise, though at first he didn't understand.

"This is a safe space for omnics- ones who like humans and ones who don't. They trust me- and this is their chance to feel normal. Ask how their day was, ask what they have enjoyed about their life-but don't you ever suggest violence or that all humans are the problem, or you'll ruin it for both of us."

The omnics he met were often regulars of yours- and had nothing but kind things to say about you

"I thought humans needed rest," he'd say the days where you worked long. "You haven't eaten since yesterday, and you've had two sips of water. What if your body shuts down?" he'd demanded.

"Are you worried for me?" you teased.

"I'm worried you'll die long before you fix me," he had growled, but insisted you eat and take a break.

There were days where he would sit and paint beside you at home. "Why do you do this?" he asked. "Y/n, whats the point?"

You had glanced at him and smiled. "I like to paint my dreams. It's a way to make them feel real," you'd said. "Paint something you desire, or what you dream of most." Surprisingly...he'd painted a starry sky.

You told him violence was never the answer, but punched a man who spat at Ramattra while the two of you grocery shopped together

As the time got closer to him being fixed, Ramattra started to realize...he hated when you left the room. And that he loved watching you sleep...You always wore bright and kind of busy looking pajamas, and the way you'd murmur or whimper in your dreams...

Ramattra liked making sure you ate, and began to learn how to make human food. It was hard because he had no taste buds, but he started simple- sandwiches. He made you so many sandwiches.

The way you'd smile would make his circuits burn, or the way you rubbed the side of your nose when you were lost in thought... or how much shorter then him you were

While it was hard for him to let go of his feelings about humans and how omnics treated them, he saw...a different world with you

Finally the day came where there was nothing left to repair

"I guess thats it," you said, sitting back and you smiled weakly. "You're good as new. Look's like you can finally be rid of me," you'd said.

That thought was unbearable, he found, and he knelt in from of you, gingerly taking your hand.

"...Maybe not all humans are bad," he'd said quietly. "Could I...stay with you? Please?"

"...I thought you'd never ask," you had said, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead.

[arkturusz]

@cult-of-the-eye here it is, hope you like it :3

MAG[REDACTED] - Blood in the Machine

Anonymous statement, regarding the statement maker's purchase and use of a strange desktop computer. Original statement given 4th of February 2024, recording by Arcturus Walker, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, Budapest. Put to tape on the 21st of March 2024. Statement begins:

I don't want to go into details as to why I came to make this decision. It was an offer too good to be true, just what a struggling university student needed: a cheap PC with great specs and with only 2 years of usage. I know how some sellers put enticing prices on Facebook Marketplace just to drop the real deal in later messages, but that wasn't the case. The owner got his hands on "something better" and saw no use in keeping this one around so he asked for the bare minimum that would still be a deal to him.

I went to pick up the desktop, it was a city away so I drove there. It was a bit weird how creeping closer to the destination all we had were dirt roads. I live in the suburbs, I know not all city councils pay it enough attention, but these weren't those dusty solid roads. These were muddy, the tracks barely visible and overgrown with grass. No, not grass, something more- vibrant.

The roads branched off a few hundred meters from my destination, only one going in its general direction so I followed it. I reached a house, no buildings in its neighborhood, crop fields on one side, a small forest on the other, the kind that always seems way more moist than the weather would allow it and always has that smell of thick mud and insects. I could only *enjoy* that for a moment before I got hit with something else, something fleshier. It was a stench that burnt into my nostrils. I try not to judge a house by the smell, my parents were chainsmokers and I've always been more ashamed to bring friends home than it seemed they were bothered by the odor. Assuming I just met a butcher, or really just someone that keeps their own livestock I headed inside.

It felt like a hallucination, it really did. I stepped into a corridor, my lungs full of the dull yet powerful stench that covered everything. My brain felt foggy and with a headache that felt like pressure on my skull I continued inside. I was hoping to pick up the computer and get going right away, and I did my best to accomplish just that. I lifted the PC which was rather heavy and hurried back the way I came when something caught my attention. As I was putting my shoes on my brain alerted me of movement. From all around. The walls seemed to have this rhythmic pulse to them. If I wasn't at the doorstep I would've fainted, that's for sure, but I made it out to my car, telling myself it's the headache getting to me.

The drive back was nothing out of the ordinary, but that foul smell just wouldn't leave my nose. I parked, opened my boot and to no surprise the aroma oozed out of the case like a thick invisible fog, bringing back that numbing pressure that I felt earlier. I grabbed all the cleaning chemicals and similar that I could find lying around, giving it a thorough rub on the outside. I pride myself on my expertise in software, but the hardware always confused me and I never bothered to learn it. Thus I did not want to open it up, which proved to be a grave mistake.

For 6 months straight there seemed to have been no problem with the PC. It worked as intended, was just as fast as I expected and the smell was only noticeable if you got up close to sniff the case. Which I didn't. But two days ago I didn't need to either. I woke up to a strange smell. It wasn't as strong or numbing as the one I felt at the house but it certainly wasn't pleasant. We had maintenance that night, we were notified that from 10pm we should be expecting a blackout. I didn't mind, but it seemed that whatever was in my computer did not like it. I decided to give it another round of cleaning once I was done with my cup of coffee. I dressed up and went to pull out the cables on the back, but they were a lot harder to unplug than I remembered. I ripped out the one which was most limiting length-wise and I pulled the rest of the case out from under my desk. As I saw the back of the PC I had to stop myself from throwing up.

Now I'm not afraid of gore, I grew up in a generation (and the subcultures) that made it such a commonplace it's usually unamusing. On screen, at least. But I didn't expect to come face to face with a chunk of skin stretching across where my plugs should have been. The cable I ripped out laid on the floor, a dark red liquid dripping from it, staining my carpet. Same thing could be found on the back of the case. Turns out the cable wasn't just stuck, it was *integrated* into the fleshy mess that shouldn't have been there.

That's when I got a screwdriver and ripped the case open. It seemed like the only logical way to deal with whatever infested my computer and I didn't know what else I could do. The case came away like a sticker, the inside melted to a wall of human-like skin, peeling away it left a residue of perspiration on the plastic.

The flesh monster's skin seemed to have formed a block, covering its insides from all angles, pressing against the vents and pushing out through the outlets. The cord I ripped had left a nasty hole that started to scar up, but I wanted to see what I was up against and I *didn't let it*. I scraped away the scar tissue with the screwdriver and pushed it through the wound, detaching the vein that supplied my cable from the wall of skin. The case still hugging it from the outside cast a shadow that made it hard for me to see in, so I turned on my flashlight, stretching at the hole with my tool, trying to take a peek.

I saw veins running across the surface, the inside was humid and *warm*, at least warmer than room temperature but it wasn't the heat of a working human body. It was starting to cool. In the middle of the case I saw something heavy, a huge knot in the middle of the circulatory system which kept beating in a steady rhythm. It was slow, the pulse was invisible from the outside, yet it kept pushing blood through the opening, trying to close it up, but the scarring slowed down significantly from when I first ripped that cable out. It ran on electricity, it had to have been the case, the inside had a greenish tone from what I could make out, meaning that during the blackout it started rotting. The system that somehow ran like a normal computer for months started to decay, which reminded me of the smell my brain ignored from my initial shock that once again sat heavy in my lungs.

I did not reconnect it but I didn't know what to do with it either. Who would have I called? I scoured the internet to find your institute, and I left my PC to you. Past making this statement I wish not to associate myself with this case any longer.

Statement ends. First thing after reading this statement I went down to artifact storage to ask about this curio. Turns out whoever left it to us delivered it too late, the "heart" was not beating and the thing once stretched against the walls of it's case now sat collapsed and rotten in the organic section, making any other follow-up almost impossible. Looking for the flesh house also yielded no results, meaning I will put this case to rest as-is. What does keep me wondering are the intentions of the seller. Why would an avatar of the Flesh sell a piece of itself to an unsuspecting individual? There was no mention of the *flesh block* attempting to leave its case meaning there was no intention of spreading the system either. Maybe they didn't intend the buyer to possess it for so long, maybe they tried to alert us of their vicinity. But they failed. They left us with a cold trail. *sigh* Recording ends

This is episode one of my series I call MAGREDACTED, here are all the episodes out now:

The Vast The Stranger The Dark

New episodes will be posted over on @archivus !

[ms-demeanor]

Continuing to announce the launch of my website. Hi, I made a website it's ms-demeanor.com

I want it to be an organized place where people can find things that I've written. I'm slowly porting over my useful tumblr posts so that people can view them in a more helpful format than "long thread on a website rarely used by anybody except die-hard obsessives."

So far you can see things like what specs to look for when buying a computer, and how to make your computer meaningfully faster.

The Death Book, the De-Googling pamphlet, and "how to write an essay" are linked on the PDF resources page.

The site is a work in progress that I'm continually adding to, and it's set up with the format of "ms-demeanor's blogs but make it wikicore."

I'm not going to stop using tumblr until they drag me out, but I want people to be able to find the stuff I've made on tumblr over the years without having to deal with tumblr's terrible search function.

[thecameronchronicles]

My Best Friend, The Cam Girl

TW: Smut. Masturbation. Language. 

SUMMARY: Your best friend, Rafe, comes across your secret little Cam girl account…his reaction is more than unexpected…

WORD COUNT: 1400

*Requested*

My Best Friend, The Cam Girl

Best friends tell each other everything. Crushes, dreams, ambitions, and failures. All for that promise of their comforting words and loving embraces that may even consist of that constructive criticism that was necessary for personal growth. At least this was what Rafe thought as he pulled up his computer for the afternoon, believing somewhere in the back of his mind that he knew every detail about you. Even down to how you came fastest, despite the fact you two had never even kissed. But as he slipped his lubricated hand into his sweats, the preparation of a cam girl on the other side as a pre-recording to his fantasies, a girl chosen with your specs as you were his type to perfection, he stilled in awe at details of the similarities between the two of you. 

Down to the same red comforter he sat on that very morning as you whined about some recent grade and a lack of attention from your shared peers. He continued slow strokes of his shaft as these details continued to strike him. A specific shift of color in the tint of your hair only visible when the hair would hit it just right. The snowglobe he had given you last Christmas of New York because you had always dreamed of going there during the holidays. And finally, that scar on your shoulder that he had been somewhat responsible for after playing a bit too rough when you were younger and you'd fallen off of the jungle gym you were playing on, wearing that scar as evidence of his victorious strength against you. 

A sudden rush of guilt washed over him as he convinced himself these were all coincidences. There was no way this could be you, his best friend. And yet, a continuation of details such as this popped up around him. The hue of your curtains, the way you wore way too many hair ties on your wrist despite rarely wearing your hair up unless you were alone at night, even the sound of your breathing that had been a means of solitude for him when he'd rest on your lap when his days were in need of that comfort you allowed. 

"Mmmm..." You had moaned into the camera, his hand continuing, even quickening, as he felt guilt pulse through him. You were friends. You were so close you could almost be family. And yet, he couldn't stop his hand from those motions. So much so, that he would spray himself beneath his sheets in record time at the forbidden thoughts of you. Your moaning. Your exposed chest. And more importantly, how he could make this a reality the next day. 

"Do I have to ask you again?" He inquired as you hid your blush behind a nervous smirk before rolling your eyes. 

"How did you even find it?" 

"Doesn't matter-" He spoke quickly. 

"I thought you had that girl from the pep squad taking care of you-" 

"I don't think you should be on there..." He was protective and domineering as always, offering this behind his usual reserved hostility and blazed irises darkened from their usual light blue. 

"Why?" 

"Because only certain people should see you like that..." 

"Like you?" 

"No!" 

"Yes..." You teased, editing the space between you until you could take a deep breath and touch his chest with the tips of your breasts, perked nipples at attention at the thought of his touch. 

"Why is it any different if it’s you or someone else?" 

"Because they don't care about you..." He defended quickly as you weren't in the mood for chivalry or even romance. 

"Did you come?" 

"What?!" He moved away from you as if you'd asked a ridiculous question. 

"Did you come watching me?" 

"No I-I shut it off..." He lied, eyes shifting in either direction and evading you as you closed in on him. 

"So you didn't see that beauty mark...right here?" You asked, pulling your shorts and panties low enough to reveal what you spoke of. 

"And you didn't see me..." Pulling your fingers between your lips, you carried your digits into your mouth only withdrawing them when they dripped, as his eyes followed their descent into your panties. 

"Do this?" 

"Stop..." He was weak in tone as you chuckled. 

"Are you made because it's me? That anyone else can see it?" You moved even closer to him, "Or that you paid for something you could get for free?" He cocked his head. 

"Don't say shit you don't mean..." 

"Do I ever?" You moved to the bed, legs wide for his view, as you ran your fingers in quick strides and eventual penetration as his eyes followed your motions. 

"Rafe..." You moaned his name as his jaw clenched. 

"You know I think about you when I record myself?" His eyes darkened, his chest heaved, and his palm ran lines down his shaft in the attempts to tame its newfound ache, as he was on the tightrope of his resistance to you. Now more than ever. 

"I have a picture of us at the beach...the one where your shorts are low enough that I can just imagine how big you are...the things I'd do to you...the things I want you to do to me...and your muscles..." You shuddered, a sensitive twist of your nerves making your toes curl as you watched him in awe of you. 

"I even say your name...but I always edit it out...just in case you found me...but a part of me always wished you would..." You suddenly withdrew your fingers. 

"So what are you gonna do about it since you have?" You brought your fingers to your mouth, eyes pulling into a roll as this had been enough for him. 

He pounced without a care of what it meant for your friendship. Instead, he pawed you in the attempts to leave you naked for him. Once he succeeded, he took stock of your breasts and nipples, moaning against each one as he left them dripping and and writhing, until pulling himself freely from his pants. Your brows rose in shock to how large and thick he was, a momentary regret to initiate this as you knew how painful he would be. But before you could ask him to be gentle or second guess it, he was already inside of you. 

"Fuck!" You both moaned in unison as he moved quickly. Years of sexual tension and denial of feelings had come through each reckless peneetration as his fingers ate into your hips while he lifted you further against him. 

"You're never making another fucking video...nobody else gets to see you like this..." He demanded as you chuckled. 

"Oh really?" 

"Don't push me..." 

"But it seems to fair well for me..." You were now taken away from him. Ass lifted in the air as he penetrated once more. 

"Mine. I'll brand this ass if I have to-" He smacked yourcheek, pulling your hair as you moaned to this teasing abuse. 

"Harder!" 

He obliged. 

"I'll leave you so marked up nobody will question that you have someone-" 

"Are you my someone Rafe?" 

"I'm gonna be your fucking everything!" He called behind you, hand now to your clit as you catapulted to that edge. 

"Just like you've always been mine." 

"Yeah?" 

"Fuck. Yes." He grunted. 

"About time..." 

"Shit..." He nearly whimpered, your words that further pulled to his own release. 

"Come for me, Rafe! I can feel you so deep, I can't take it!!!" 

"Take it baby...take all of it-" He growled into your shoulder, bent over you perfectly, to hit THAT spot, before you trembled in unison to his orgasm as he brought you to your own. 

"I mean it about those videos. No more." 

"Starting now?" His eyes narrowed as you but your lip and pointed towards the laptop with a lift of your head, the computer set on record, and pointed towards your bed. 

"You recorded us?" 

"I mean you did just barge in here making demands...very sexy..." He wanted to be upset, he had every right to be. But instead, he could only scoff. As he pulled you over his lap into a straddle. 

"What do you say, we make it worth their money then?" 

Taglist: @hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae

[mellaithwen]

A quick angsty buckley sibling spec fic for Mondays finale :’) 500ish words.

*spoilers / speculation for 6.18*

.

The bridge collapse brings Los Angeles traffic to a stand still, and by the time Maddie’s made it through the seemingly endless stretch of vehicles between dispatch and the hospital, the one-eighteen have beat her there by more than an hour.

In the car her hands had shook—her trembling fingers drumming out an impossibly fast beat on the steering wheel as she fought to keep the tears at bay. She knows it’s bad, but she can’t be swayed from her mission. She has to get there.

She doesn’t remember parking the car (afterwards Linda will find it in the car park for her as she brings flowers and get well wishes from dispatch). She has no memory of the elevator up to the ICU, or racing around the maze of the hospital in search of familiar turnouts.

One minute she’s praying to a god she doesn’t quite believe in anymore, and the next, she’s standing at the end of a long pale blue corridor, staring at her brothers tall body slumped over the nurse’s station. Their shared surname—usually emblazoned and bright—barely visible through the grime and detritus.

His tall body is slumped over the nurse’s station, pleading with the person behind the computer. His words are lost to the clacking of keys and a ringing in Maddie’s ears but she can guess he’s desperate for news.

But she can’t even begin to focus on any of that, because as though he’d sensed his sisters anguish, he’d turned around. Only to reveal large blotches of blood, under a layer of dust and ash, and god knows what else.

Oh my god, she thinks, her mouth opening and closing like a fish as the words get caught in her throat. The air’s thinner here, isn’t that strange? Her mind whispers as she forgets how to breathe.

Her footsteps falter but Buck’s moving to the close the gap instead—his hands are outstretched now, approaching his sister like one might a skittish animal—projecting a smooth and steady and safe situation before her.

When he’s finally close enough to reach out to Maddie, he continues to telegraph his movements, but the moment the siblings make contact, the bubble of muffled voices bursts. The cacophony of sound rushes in around her, and as suffocating as that can be, her lungs finally expand once more. She heaves in a stuttered breath, dizzy with panic as she tries to find the words.

“Is that—?” She can’t say it, she can’t.

Buck can hardly hide his crushed expression, and he adjusts his position before he speaks, keeping a gentle but firm grip on his sister’s forearms as he ducks down a little to her level.

“It’s not—it’s not mine, Mads,” he tells her, his voice hoarse and tired, close to breaking as he says the words. Their implication however, is clear as day from the misplaced guilt she can see hiding in her brother’s eyes, and the terrible twisted knot she’s felt in her stomach since Sue insisted she head to the hospital for an update.

It’s only when Maddie’s knees give way under the heavy onslaught of anticipatory grief and fear, like an albatross tied around her neck, that she realises her brother had moved in close to specifically catch her when she fell.

And as they’re joined by the rest of their family and friends—all waiting for news on Chimney’s critical condition until the early hours and beyond—Buck never leaves her side.

[andromedaexile]

The Kobayashi Alternative: A Star Trek Game for The Apple 2

A few weeks ago I was fishing around my grandparents basement, as one does, and I found my Father’s (and Uncle’s) Apple 2c. The computer had its original monitor and everything! Initially I had no intention of trying to use the computer, or even take it home-I just thought it was cool. However, buried in a box next to the computer I found this:

“The Kobayashi Alternative” (copyright 1985)

I was immediately amazed by this find and asked both my Father and my Uncle if I could have it (as well as the Apple 2c itself) luckily they both said yes! Unlike all the computer game manuals I’ve read this one focuses much more on story building and immersing the reader in said story. It is also LONG as hell. The booklet only spends a few pages on information about the software installation itself and required specs, with virtually nothing about troubleshooting. Which I think is because you just put the floppy disk in and it loads(?). I took pictures of the rest of the booklet if anyone is curious, all of those are below the cut!

If you want to zoom in and read all that-feel free! And if you got to the bottom of this post, I am impressed.

Now, as for the game itself I haven't had as much luck as I thought I would. Turns out keeping a piece of technology in a damp basement for 30+ years is not helpful for its upkeep. I am still in the process of figuring out how to get the Apple 2c to read the floppy disk and I am on limited time as I have to return to school soon. I did find an Apple 2 sub-Reddit so hopefully I can get some help over there.

As a Zoomer, this scene from TVH is how I feel trying to work with 80's technology:

[lilblucat]

I just saw the ask by slushysblog. In response you sent a gif that blew me away:

You see, I'm just getting into digital art, and my PC can only handle about 5 or 6 layers before my graphics environment crashes. (Ofc this forces me to restart my PC and lose anything not saved.)

I've learned to work around this, my art isn't nearly so complex as yours, but I know if I want to continue I'll have to get a better computer at some point.

I was hoping you could tell me a bit about the technical side of your work. What are your PC specs? What software do you use? That sort of thing.

Thanks in advance! I love your art!

My set-up is complete overkill for art. It's a heavy gaming-ready desktop PC I got a few years back that I've upgraded the RAM and storage on over the years. I was doing fine with 16GB of RAM but I always have open a lot in CSP and other stuff so upgrading was definitely something I needed to do. 16GB should be fine for most people though.

You can also see that I run Arch Linux and uh yeahhhhhh it's a long story. The short of it is that my old laptop broke its Windows install during an update and I was completely unable to fix it so I just.... switched to Linux lol. I started out on Ubuntu and switched to Arch after a while. I don't rec using Arch unless you know what you're doing, Ubuntu is way easier.

What you might find more interesting is my away from home set up on my laptop since it's an older gaming laptop.

The graphics card is actually a NVIDIA Geforce 850 or something. It's so old that you can't play some games on it. However, I have no issues with it for art. I can open my comic project files in CSP fine on it. It's also running on Linux Mint, which isn't showing up on the little image for some reason. Both of my devices run Linux, but that's a me preference/need thing and I don't rec messing with your operating system if you don't know much about computers. It gives me a bit of an edge since the system doesn't use as much RAM as Windows but yeah don't touch unless you're committed to learn. Windows will serve you fine. Or MacOS even.

As for my program, I use Clip Studio Paint EX. I bought Pro a long time ago and upgraded to EX because of the extra tools for comics and animation (I've heard animators don't like CSP though, it's the BEST program for comics however). It's a really solid program but the recent changes to pricing and updates is really stupid. Fun fact: I use only default brushes and materials because getting it to run on Linux breaks the store. I also use an older version of it because of how I got it working on this system.

For my tablet I use an XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro. It's a pretty solid screen tablet on a budget (I bought it on a sale) and I have no issues with it. I actually partly got it because I thought it was cool that XP-Pen carries official drivers for Linux too, and this helped a bit since this was before Windows bricked on me and I switched to that. It was kinda weird how it played out lol. I would heavily not rec a Wacom tablet unless it's an older one for cheap. Wacom is stupidly expensive and you can get a better bang for your buck at other companies. My first tablet is a Wacom and it's still holding up pretty well but their quality on their new tablets isn't great. Check out XP-Pen, Gaomon, and Huion for better tablet options.