#in game it functions as an interior so.... it counts

[lionlena]

I can't be everywhere (No outbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader) ANGST! Part 3

Summary: You knew Joel was a busy man, but you never thought that when you needed him most you would hear, "I can't be everywhere." As if your pain meant nothing. So you decided that you couldn't be everywhere either… You couldn't be in his heart anymore.

Warnings: NSFW, self-harm (something like that), rough sex, p in v, unprotected sex, ANGST, miscarriage, misunderstanding, loss, mourning, broken heart, age gap (17 years), Joel is 45, depression, Joel tries hard, but… He can't show his true emotions…

Part 3

You thought being away from Joel, away from the place that reminded you of the loss of your baby, would help you, but it didn't. You felt like you were starting to get depressed, and living with your friend wasn't helping you at all. Maddie was sweet, but she tried too hard. You felt like she was taking on the role of your mother. She was worried that you weren't eating enough, that you weren't going out enough, and her attempts to talk to you about going to therapy only made you angry.

Deep down you knew she wanted good for you, but in your emotional state, you just had the desire to reject her. And that's exactly what you did. You found an apartment to rent and two weeks after you first entered her apartment, you moved out.

After finding a new apartment, you didn't feel any better. You tried to occupy your mind, find a new hobby, work more, but… You ended up sitting in the corner of your bedroom and crying. You processed thousands of scenarios in your head. Maybe you should have had an abortion? Then it would all be over before it began. Maybe not? Maybe you would suffer more and hate Joel more. Maybe you had a bad diet? You didn't take folic acid before pregnancy because… You weren't planning a pregnancy. Thousands of thoughts that did not allow you to sleep and function normally. Being able to work from home didn't make anything easier either, because you didn't have to go outside. You always had a tendency to overthink and get anxious, but when you were with Joel it was easier for you. He always knew how to put your mind at ease. He wrapped his strong arms around you and pulled you to his chest. He kissed your head and murmured sweet things. Joel wasn't a man of many words, but his embrace was enough. You felt then safe and surrounded by a protective cocoon of love. But you weren't sure if it would help you now. * Joel hated the emptiness that filled his house. The emptiness that reflected his interior. He slowly realized how much he should have changed in his life and himself. He didn't know if this would get you back, but he had to do something because he felt like he was going crazy. He started by renovating the house or rather building another room… A children's room. He decided to tear down the wall and enlarge the room that had once served as Sarah's dressing room and storage room for her toys. He knew it was crazy, and Tommy didn't hesitate to say it to his face when he visited to watch a game and drink beer.

"Are you crazy? Let me understand this correctly. You are building a children's room now, for a baby who…"

Joel grimaced. When he heard it out loud, he realized how stupid it was, but he was going to defend himself.

"No. Look, I'm not crazy, I know it won't bring this baby back to life, but… I should have started doing this as soon as I found out about Y/N's pregnancy. I know it seems crazy now, but… I have to do this and… It doesn't have to be the nursery. When Y/N comes back… If she comes back, she'll decide. It could be her office, guest room, home gym… Whatever."

Tommy took a sip of his beer and nodded.

"Okay… Now that sounds a little more reasonable. Shall I help you?"

Joel smiled a little. Sometimes his younger brother was very annoying, but he could always count on his support.

"Sure."

The younger Miller looked at him and asked quietly:

"Has Y/N spoken to you?"

Joel reached for another beer and shook his head.

"He replies to my text messages, but as briefly as possible. Usually, it's just a dry: okay, I'm fine, don't call…"

Tommy sighed and nodded.

"So for now, no chance of her coming back."

"No, but… If this is your way of trying to get out of helping me with the renovation, it's too late."

Tommy laughed softly.

"Not at all… I promised it, so I'll help you." * A month and a half had passed since you left and Joel was losing hope of any reconciliation with you. He felt lost and maybe a little disappointed. He just wanted a chance, one little chance. He was ready to do anything, to fall on his knees in front of you and beg for forgiveness. He would promise you everything.

When he got your text message with the address of the new apartment and the request to send your things, he felt his heart break once again, and then… He knew that what he wanted to do was crazy, that you would be furious, but it was his last hope. *

When you heard the doorbell, you were sure it was the courier with your things. From what Joel wrote, everything was fit into four boxes. You walked across the living room and kicked the pizza box under the couch. You didn't care that your hair was messy and you were wearing Joel's old t-shirt that you took before leaving him. You couldn't even explain why you were wearing it. You told yourself it was comfortable, but you knew it wasn't everything. You opened the door and your heart sank.

"What the fuck…"

That was the first thing you managed to say when you saw Joel with a bouquet, his hair slicked back and looking too good for your opinion.

Joel expected such a reaction, so he didn't lose his confidence and gently said:

"Hey, Y/N…" He looked you up and down. He saw that you didn't look your best. The fact that you were wearing his t-shirt made him feel both happy and melancholy.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" you hissed.

You wanted to slam the door, preferably to hit him in the nose, but you knew it was pointless. Joel would probably be banging on the door anyway. You would never think that he would take time off work and drive so many miles to see you. This seemed out of character for him. So he must have been desperate.

"I brought your things. I thought it would be better if I did it myself, just to… To make sure they reach you."

You huffed and looked at him disapprovingly. It was such a pathetic excuse.

"Yeah, of course."

Joel lowered his head and scratched the back of his neck.

"I wanted to see you." He said contritely. "Call me an idiot, an asshole… A motherfucker, but… I miss you."

Something about his voice and attitude made you soften. This wasn't the same Joel who hurt you in the hospital. It didn't mean you forgave him, but… You missed him too. You missed his body, the grip of his hands on your hips. You felt yourself getting warm. You had this sudden need to replace your emotional pain with a moment of oblivion. You grabbed Joel by his shirt and dragged him inside. You grabbed the flowers he was holding for you and tossed them aside.

"I missed…" You growled and started to undo his belt. "…for this."

Joel's eyes widened and he gasped in surprise. His hands were shaking as he grabbed yours and tried to stop you from what you were doing.

"Y/N what are you doing… I… That's not what I came for."

You felt like laughing. You knew perfectly well that he wasn't here to have sex. Joel might be an asshole sometimes, but he would never do something like this. You didn't care, you were going to push him over the edge. Use him like a fucking toy.

"I want you to fuck me! Hard, fast, rough… So I can feel it in next day…"

Joel's face turned red and he swallowed hard.

"But… I… I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't give a damn what you want!"

Joel swallowed. Part of him wanted to push you away, beg you to come back to your senses. He didn't come to make love to you. He wanted to talk to you and beg for forgiveness, but on the way to you, he promised himself that he would do whatever you wanted. And you wanted rough sex. So he put aside morality and common sense and turned on his animal instincts. He thought it was too simple, but the truth was that you always turned him on, even in his stretched-out t-shirt. He grabbed your buttocks and picked you up onto the kitchen counter. You smirked. You had him exactly where you wanted him. You saw the bulge in his pants. Joel grabbed your thighs and said:

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

He didn't need more, he took off your shorts and panties in one move. His hand went to your pussy, but before he could touch your clit, you grabbed his hand.

"No… Without preparation."

Joel looked at you with dark eyes and growled.

"I won't fuck you when you are dry! You want me to hurt you. I'll do it the way you want… Hard… Rough, but…" He sighed and his gaze became pleading. "Please."

You wanted to continue arguing with him, but you knew he was right. He was capable of fucking you so hard that you would feel it the next day, even if he prepared you. You nodded, and his thumb immediately began rubbing rhythmic circles on your clit. His free hand reached for his cock, which was already half-hard.

You tilted your head back and moaned softly as you felt him insert one finger into you.

He too made a few grunts as he stroked his cock, which was already standing proudly.

When you felt yourself getting closer to climax, you grabbed his wrist and growled:

"Enough! I'm ready…"

He looked at you in surprise and grimaced. You knew what he meant. He was a master at preparing you, and he never stopped stretching you with just one finger.

"Are you… Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Joel sighed and shook his head, but he was already aroused and saw that there was no point in arguing with you. He pulled away for a moment and lowered his pants and boxers. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and went to pull out a condom, but you stopped him again. This time there was anger in his eyes.

"Y/N…" he growled warningly.

But you weren't going to take a step back.

"I'm not making you finish inside me… You'll take out before you come."

You saw the moment he gave up. He simply didn't have the energy to fight you as his erect cock twitched with anticipation, wanting to feel your warm core.

"All right."

He grabbed your hips and pulled you to the edge of the kitchen counter. You felt his cock head against your pussy. You bit your lip and nodded slightly at him. You knew it would hurt, but you wanted it.

Joel pushed into you with one brutal thrust, causing the air to escape from your lungs. You dug your nails into his shoulders and gasped. Joel moved closer to you. His lips were on your neck as he growled,

"This is what you wanted…" And then, more gently, he added, "Should I stop?"

"NO." You hissed.

And that was it. He figured you got a chance earlier to back out. He wanted you in that animalistic way, even though he knew how wrong it was. He gripped your hips tightly and that was his only warning before he started pounding into you.

He didn't even give you a moment to adjust to his thrusts. You held onto him tightly, completely at his mercy. You had no control over the speed or force of his thrusts. You screamed as the pain mixed with pleasure.

Joel got lost in your body and he couldn't think straight. He finally felt your warm body, and your scent, and heard your voice. For a few seconds, he could forget everything that had happened. He could pretend you never broke up.

He just came home from work and you greeted him in his t-shirt and soaked panties and offered him your pussy instead of dinner. So he accepted it happily and took you here and now.

You moaned louder and louder as you felt your climax getting closer. Your thighs were trembling, your breathing quick and shallow.

"Jooo… I…"

You dug your nails deeper into his flesh as you climaxed. Joel grunted as he felt your vaginal muscles tighten around his cock. He knew he had to get out of you… Quick.

You hissed in pain when he pulled out of you without warning and with a decisive movement. He leaned back and grabbed his dick. A few movements of his hand were enough for him to come. His cum landed on your thighs and the kitchen counter.

Joel pulled up his boxers and pants. He moved closer to you and rested his head on your shoulder, breathing heavily.

You raised your hand, wanting to do what you always did, which was to run your hand through his hair, but in the end, you stopped yourself.

After a few moments, Joel controlled his breathing and pulled away, and then… He grabbed you and held you in his arms. You didn't expect this. He carried you to the couch and carefully laid you down.

"Bathroom?"

"In the hall on the right…" you muttered.

Joel nodded and when he was gone you closed your eyes and sighed. You still felt the pain from his strong thrusts, but it finally made your mind go blank. There were no unnecessary thoughts, just a feeling of fulfillment and pain mixed with pleasure.

You didn't even notice when Joel came back. When you felt the wet, warm towel between your thighs, you yelped in surprise and jumped. Joel immediately placed his hand on your belly and said soothingly:

"I'm just going to clean you up… How are you feeling?"

You blinked in surprise. It's not that Joel was never tender and caring, and yet… He was never that caring. You cleared your throat and muttered:

"I'm okay…"

Joel nodded and placed a soft kiss on your thigh.

"Do you need anything? Water? A painkiller? A warm compress?"

You frowned and shook your head.

"No… I just want to take a nap."

"Of course."

Joel immediately got up and lay down next to you, wrapping his arms around you. Well… that's not what you wanted. But when you felt his warm, strong body pressing against your body, you gave up. When you felt him kiss your head, you allowed yourself to relax. You haven't slept well in weeks. Before you thought twice, you fell into a deep sleep. * In the morning you woke up in bed. You slowly sat up and blinked in surprise. You looked around confused, thinking maybe it was all a dream, but then you moved your hips and felt yourself sore. You looked at your watch and realized that you had slept for over twelve hours. Your eyes widened in surprise. What added to the shock was the fact that there was a glass of water and Advil on the bedside table. After a while, you heard a noise coming from the kitchen. You carefully got out of bed and put on a clean T-shirt and shorts. You slowly moved towards the kitchen. You smelled food, which made you feel hungry. You noticed boxes of your things in the living room. And then Joel standing at the kitchen stove caught your attention. His back was turned to you and you could admire his broad shoulders and muscular back.

Joel turned around and smiled warmly when he saw you.

"Hey… Did you sleep well?"

You frowned, wondering if maybe you were sleeping. You ignored his question and sat down at the kitchen table.

"What happened?"

Joel sighed, the smile disappearing from his face when he noticed that you weren't happy at all.

"You fell asleep… You slept so soundly that my attempts to wake you up were useless. I moved you to the bedroom, brought your things, slept on the couch, and… Now I'm making you breakfast."

You snorted, wondering if he was serious.

"You're making me breakfast? Wow. Where did you get the idea that I wanted that? Where did you get the idea that I wanted you to stay here for the night."

Joel cocked his head to the side as if he didn't even understand what you were saying.

"But… I thought that… We… You…"

You felt irritation rising within you.

"That what? That I forgave you because you fucked me? No, Joel… I just needed it, that's all."

Joel felt like you hit him in the chest with something heavy. Yes, he knew he deserved it. He nodded and looked at you sadly.

"Do you want me to…"

"To come back to Texas. Now."

You were a little afraid that Joel would start arguing with you, that maybe he would say something that would hurt you, but… He just walked to the couch, gathered his things, put on his jacket, and then walked up to you and kissed your head. He took you completely by surprise and you couldn't even push him away.

"Let me know if you need anything, I'll fly to you… And remember that I'm waiting for you. And I will wait as long as you need."

When he left, you realized you had been holding your breath the whole time. You took a shaky breath and felt tears streaming down your cheeks. You couldn't move. You looked at the cup of coffee and cheese toast that Joel had left on the counter. You wrapped your arms around yourself and allowed yourself more tears. *

A/N 1) Before you comment, please bear in mind that I want to show that depression sometimes comes in many forms. Depressed people are prone to dangerous behavior, such as sex with strangers. Unfortunately, I myself found out in the past that physical pain brought me relief from mental pain. If some people are dissatisfied with the reader's behavior, I'm sorry, but no one is forcing you to continue reading.

2) I watched scenes from episode 6 hundreds of times and concluded that Joel is an emotional orphan. Joel cannot express his own feelings, so he adapts to the feelings of others. In the first conversation with Tommy (the one in the bar), Tommy is a bit pushy, tense, and rough, and… Joel reacts with exactly the same emotions. In their second conversation, Tommy shows much more empathy, compassion, and calm, he is more open, so Joel opens up to him. In turn, in a conversation with Ellie, who attacks him (which, by the way, is normal for teenagers), Joel obviously takes on her emotions. And that's why when Y/N throws herself at him and encourages him to have rough sex, he naturally picks up on her lack of control and unbalanced attitude.

Part 2

Part 4

Tag list: @fahemzzz @picketniffler @elliaze @txtattoostark @this--is--music @anavatazes @simplyreading96 @o-sacra-virgo-laudes-tibi @southernbe @sarahhxx03 @noisynightmarepoetry @jasminedragoon @pedromousposts @joeldjarin

Permanentny tag list: @harriedandharassed

[cityof2morrow]

Bella Brand: Bella's Beauties 005 - Signature Collection

Published: 11-7-2023 | Updated: 11-20-2023 SUMMARY “Inspired by the wealth of Bella Goth lore from the Sims/SimCity franchises (aka the “simsverse”), the Bella Brand Series includes more than a dozen sets and 230+ new business-themed items. Lore suggests that the wealth/influence of the Gilman, Crumplebottom, Bachelor, and Goth families increases considerably under Mortimer and Bella Goth, especially the latter. So, this series imagines what a prestigious Bella-based brand might look like…” For the Bella brand’s most loyal customers - a special edition hosiery/display rack and several recolors of the functional hosiery from the Bella’s Secret Remix set (Simmons, 2023).

DETAILS Requires ALL EPs/SPs. You need Mesh Set 001 (Simmons, 2023) and the Display Counter (BellasSecret_Counter_Somedaythesun)from the TS2 Maxis Match Lingerie Store Set (SomedayTheSun, 2023). This set includes a hosiery rack linked to Marble Display 001 from Bella’s Beauties 003 (Simmons, 2023) and recolors of the hosiery apparel items from the Bella’s Secret Remix set (Simmons, 2023) – all of these items are required for all textures to display in-game. Optional recolors of items from the Bella Brand Gift Set 001 (Simmons, 2023) are included as well. The counter uses recolors from the Bosenklavier Model B grand piano (Bon Voyage EP). Find recolors for the counter interior in the Bella Brand: Retail Floor Set (Simmons, 2023). Recolors may include swatches for items in other Bella Brand sets such as signs, packages, cosmetics, etc. Objects in Sims 2 are limited to two recolorable parts, so not all items are recolorable in the same way. Find additional recolors for Bella Brand sets on this site under #ts2recolors, #co2recolors, and #co2bellabrand.

ITEMS Bella Brand Legs & Heels Mannequin (1735 poly, HIGH) Bella Brand Signature Hosiery Rack (788 poly) DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA

*A known game bug may disable some shelf slots. If you cannot access more than 2 slots on the hosiery/lingerie racks (the ones with 4 or 6 bars), download ONE these fixes: MORE_Custom-objects-placeable-on-shelves (Numenor, 2006) MORE_Custom-objects-placeable-on-shelves+LOCKEDTILES (Numenor, 2006) Object Freedom 1.02 (Fway, 2023)

Functional Apparel Objects Apparel objects are debug items and show up as “clothing pile” in the catalog (Misc > Dressers). They must be placed on one of the DEBUG displays/shelves or they’ll float. Once purchased, take them out of the sim’s inventory and choose from one of the following: Purchase Clothing. Select an outfit (or several) of any type. Each apparel object is worth §100 towards the TOTAL cost. Sims save more money (and your businesses make more money) if they use one apparel object per new outfit. Sell. Recycle the object for §100 simoleons.  If you exit the Buy Clothing window without adding anything to your shopping cart, §100 will be added to the sim’s household funds instead. Apparel objects are worth §100 regardless of how much sims pay for them on OFB/community lots. Pricing an item below this amount can function like a discount sale (i.e., pay $75 in-store and §100 towards the purchase or a 25% “discount/rebate.” You can decide whether this counts as cheating). Pricing it above this amount is not recommended since sims will end up losing extra money. Debug objects have slots which “catch” fellow clones if you place them too close. To prevent this when trying to clutter them close together, turn “snap objects to grid” OFF and “move objects” OFF.

CREDITS No copyright infringement intended. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. CCA = Creative Commons Attribution. Thanks: @catherinetcjd, @gayars, @gummilutt, @haziewhims, @kashmiresims (Rach’), @somedaythesun, whoward, Easy Shine Removal Kit (PF Forest, 2023), Reducing GUIDs/OBJs Tutorial (HugeLunatic, 2022), Sketchfab and Blender Communities. Sources: SEE CREDITS (ALT).

[silverstream2]

Things I would add to Fortuna city and Fortuna castle:

-Ballista and crossbows for the Order to use. Not sure if canons would be breaking the whole "no guns" rule, but they could AT LEAST have crossbows for personal use. The ballista would be mounted on the city walls, and possibly some within the town as well. Which was always a thing that bugged me that we never saw; Fortuna is a town constantly dealing with demon attacks- why WOULDN'T they have wall defenses?

-Sparda's bedroom in Fortuna Castle being at the top floor, in the highest tower. iirc, it was like that in the novel, but it's placement in the game makes no sense. It's right next to the graveyard, and you can't get to the other rooms in the castle without crossing through that bedroom. Which is stupid, because if it's a room leading into the interior of the castle from the outside, then there shouldn't be a bedroom in it.

Also, Sparda's room should have a balcony on it, because Sparda had wings and could fly, so why wouldn't he have a way to fly up to his personal chambers, in his own goddamn castle?

-A larder, ice house, forge, and kitchens. And bathrooms. And a laundry room. Because these are things that a castle NEEDS in order to survive, and it always bugged me that we never see them in DMC4. The sewers I could forgive skipping, but the rest? You need to at least add it to the castle design.

-Strawberries being a big thing in Fortuna. I'm not sure if they could grow in... where ever the fuck Fortuna is supposed to be located, but if they CAN grow in Fortuna, then they should be a big thing there. Since Sparda probably liked them, when he was alive.

-A training ground for the Order. In the DMC4 novel, it says that the old training grounds and Order HQ are in Fortuna city, while the new Order HQ and training grounds are off the coast, through the Mitis Forest. But we only ever see the new stuff- which doesn't make any sense.

-Better pathways around the place in general. There isn't even a decent path down to Fortuna Castle from the mountainside, and the castle was supposed to be a tourist attraction.

-Better use of the mining town and iron mines. Do people still live and work in the town we see Nero and Berial raze in their fight? If not, and the mine is shut down and out of iron, then wouldn't that negatively effect Fortuna city? Hell, wouldn't that negatively effect AGNUS and his research, since the Angelo armors tend to take a lot of metal?

-I'm not sure how to balance the more realistic design of Fortuna Castle actually looking like a functional castle (and also, as it is in Nero's time, a museum) with the demonic puzzles, but maybe have it where the Order redecorated things? I mean, I could see Sparda having SOME demonic puzzles in the place, since this would be his castle/home while he lived in Fortuna, and its always good to have a way to get around that not everybody knows about; and also, demons seem to love ridiculous, elaborate puzzles and weird architecture, even in places where they live. But it should be clearer what's there because the Order (under Sanctus) put it there, and what was there originally. According to the novel, the cages and the torture chamber are there because the Order added them, not Sparda or a later castle owner (not counting Sanctus). That's not clear in the game, which leads to some nasty implications, because why would SPARDA need or want a torture chamber?

-Every Order knight should have a side knife. And probably a crossbow. There should be a range of weaponry, too- not just swords, but polearms and other weapons as well. They're supposed to fight demons for a living, and you never know what you'll need. If they're supposed to be a sort of army, then all the more reason for variety.

[storyspinner91]

Twenty Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @littleblackraincloudofcourse

Tagging @lowkeyed1 @evodevo-geekmonkey @dianels @bisexualshakespeare @spybrarian @blackdalek

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

7 (3 are WiP)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 

186,452

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Willow! ...Technically other things too but really it's just Willow with playful skins.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Red Embers: dark alternate future AU, resistance fighters against the Wyrm's tyranny, grim & gritty

Like Constellations, a Million Years Away: sprawling mecha sci-fi AU set in the world of the Lancer tabletop roleplaying game. The Questies all pilot giant mechs; four books (2 done), one focused on each of Jade, Kit, Graydon, and Elora (in that order). Posthumanism, anticolonial to the extent a fanfic can be, utopian, dramatic.

Soft Blazing Crowns: Tanthamoretober one-shot. Modern AU. Elora helps Jade with a sexy photoshoot for a gift for Kit.

Full: (E-rated) Tanthamoretober one-shot. Modern AU. Straight-up smut drabble, 100 words on the dot. Extremely funny to me that this is in the top 5. :P

The Loving Hurt: Canon-set one-shot digging into the violence implied by the canon against the Bone Reavers, Scorpia's backstory, how Jade got her name. Dark, grim, not pleasant to write and in some ways probably not to read TBH. I was in A Mood!

5. Do you respond to comments?

Religiously! Sometimes it takes me a while, but I do.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? 

Hmmm. I mean I think it's gotta be The Loving Hurt. Like I said. Dark. Blame the show's writers, I do. :P

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Gonna resist the temptation to say Full and instead say I think that it'll probably be Flawless Five vol. 1 when it's finished in a few weeks!

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Not so far!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

The only thing I'd consider smut is Full. Otherwise, not anywhere that you can see. ;)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

No true crossovers, though Like Constellations is set (loosely) in the Lancer Universe.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so! They're too weird!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

No but I'd be so honored.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Nope!

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I am a Tanthamore diehard, what can I say.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

If you'd asked me recently I'd probably have said "all of them." Fortunately I'm feeling a little better lately! I hope to finish all of the current ones; Constellations is a slow, weighty project, F5 I hope to have done very shortly, Embers...we'll figure that out after F5.

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I think I'm pretty good at dialogue, and I'm decent though not incredible at humor (especially character-based humor). I'm also a decent mimic - though this can feel a little clunky sometimes, I think I'm able to adjust my voice pretty easily to suit a situation, genre, or style. My unhinged and unpopular fic Excerpts from a new translation... is a pretty good example of that, lol. And on that note: I have a lot of fun with wacky metatextual stuff.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Taking the wacky meta stuff too far; not being bold enough in straying from the established character arcs/plots in canon; I don't think I'm great at writing really juicy interiority. Starting very large projects that will take forever to finish. ':)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

I'm comfortable enough in Spanish to write simple dialogue in that language. I've done one line in Latin (which I'm comfortable with since it's functionally a dead language) and made up some words in a conlang for Constellations. Wouldn't try anything via Google Translate though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Willow! At least if we count conscious fanfiction. If we're going back to the Days of Yore probably Animorphs when I was a wee one.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? 

Difficult to pick...but Like Constellations is the baby, the one I'll finish come hell or high water (I hope). On the other hand, Flawless Five is probably the most fun (to write, and maybe to read if you like that sort of thing) and Red Embers is the one that in many ways I find most exciting. Like I said - hard to choose!

[nicascurls]

Breaking The Dollhouse - Chapter Seven

Word Count: 3.3K

Summary: What would have happened if Junior survived and was taken by Tiffany from the hospital? What would that mean for Junior and Nica over the next year?

Notes: Yes, I know. I'm awful at consistent updates, these may be slow but i promise i will not be stopping for good any time soon. There is still a lot of this story to go. Also, it's GG's birthday today, so this chapter is dedicated to them!

Tags: @barclaysangel @streets-in-paradise @fairchilds-glasses @high-functioning-fang1rl

“I win.” Junior announced once again with a triumphant smile.

“Again?! I knew I was out of practice but this is just embarrassing!” Junior had stumbled across a pack of playing cards as he was ‘exploring’ the week before, Tiffany had grown used to Junior being more fidgety after having to stay hidden when the twins visited, since Tiffany still seems to think that it isn’t the ‘right time’ to introduce them. It certainly isn’t a lie, Junior still dreads being cooped up in his room for multiple days as the twins visit, he doesn’t blame them, only Tiffany. If Tiffany is so focused on keeping him and Nica for that matter, hidden from them, maybe they are actually pretty decent people, he’s never heard them mention Chucky. Maybe they disowned him or something and are being fooled by their mother the way he was. 

The only time Junior can leave his room during those visits is when everyone is in bed and he can sneak out to see Nica. He wishes he could do more than that, that’s the main reason why he feels the need to wonder around more after the visits. Those visits continue to remind Junior of just how trapped his mom and him are, how desperately he needs to find a way for both of them to escape. They had been there for months now and Junior had memorised almost every inch of the house's interior and is still no closer to finding a way out. 

As a small plus, Junior does at least find more things of use, even if that is just entertainment. Like the playing cards that he and Nica had made great use of over the past week. 

“Right, come on. One more game before we get some sleep, I need to redeem myself.” Nica claimed with a smile as she gathered up the cards. Junior only gave her a judgemental look in response, “Winning one game is enough to redeem yourself after losing for a week straight?” 

“Obviously! Now, you shuffle for us, I'm still kinda sluggish right now. I think Tiffany gave me a higher dose this morning.” Nica suppressed a yawn as she passed the deck over to the boy.

“Excuses, excuses.” Junior joked as he began to shuffle, “Aren’t you supposed to be the one to tell me we need to sleep as I insist on another game? You know, set a good example for me and all that?”

“Probably. But were also being held hostage by a woman who willingly married Chucky. I’m pretty sure Oogie Boogie would seem like a good influence in comparison.”

Junior let out a chuckle as he began to deal the cards once again, he knew Nica didn’t want to risk falling asleep whilst the drugs were still affecting her. He wasn’t sure exactly why, he’s assuming it’s to do with her time in mental hospitals but was never quite brave enough to ask. He didn’t want to risk bringing up bad memories for Nica, Junior just wants to make sure she’s okay. 

“Um- Mom?”

“Yeah, honey?” Nica tried to suppress the buzz of excitement at being called ‘mom’ once again. 

“Are you starting to feel better, now? With how much she drugged you? Like- do you know what day it is?” Junior couldn’t help but worry, reverting back to his early tactics when he first began talking to Nica. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay, just waiting for the last of the fog to go. It’s uh- Sunday, right?”

“Monday. May 21st.”

Something in Nica’s eyes seemed to change for a moment then, she looked distant, almost haunted. “Monday, okay…” She took a deep breath and composed herself once again, but Junior couldn’t ignore it.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Junior had noticed the way Nica’s eyes were shining with tears that had begun to well up.

She sniffled slightly before answering, “Yeah, I'm- I'll be fine. It’s just-” She took another breath to help steady her voice, “It’s Alice’s birthday tomorrow. She would have been thirteen.”

“Oh.” it felt as if that was all Junior could say. Instead, he opted to gather up the cards and quickly set them aside before moving to sit next to Nica, gently resting his head on her shoulder as a form of comfort. It managed to pull a small smile to Nica’s face as she wrapped an arm around Junior’s shoulder and held him closer, brushing her thumb against his shoulder.

They’re not sure how long they stayed like that, Nica couldn’t focus on much at all. Her mind was consumed by different scenarios and ‘what if’s, all the things she could have done, even slightly differently, that just might have saved her niece's life. 

Nica could remember joking with Ian about how he and Barb would cope when Alice became a teenager, if they would struggle, especially with Barb's constant claims of Nica already being a ‘bad influence’ on Alice. Nica herself could just never picture it. Not then, or now. She couldn’t for the life of her imagine Alice as a teenager, that was part of the pain. Something she once thought she would get an answer to without even realising it would now never be answered, Alice would never change from that cheerful, curious, little girl that lived in her memories. She would always be that innocent little girl who would run to her Auntie Nica’s arms every time they were reunited.

The same one that was scared of ya.

Stop it. You manipulated her!

She had already decided when I found her again!

She was confused because of what you did!

“Mommy and daddy are dead. Auntie Nica killed them.”

“Just shut the fuck up!” Junior instinctively flinched and Nica’s tone and it suddenly sunk in that she had spoken out loud.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry honey. It- I didn’t mean to snap, it wasn’t directed at you.” She wanted to reach out, stroke his hair or pull him close but was also terrified of frightening him again. She had scared him, she knew that, and hated it.

“I know… It’s okay, it just startled me. What was he saying?”  She took a deep breath. “Just- a whole load of bullshit. You know how he is…” 

With that, Junior decided it was best not to pry, Nica had gotten used to dealing with Chucky’s comments, even mastered the art of responding to him without saying anything out loud. Unfortunately, that also meant that it must have been something awful for Nica to snap enough that she spoke out loud without realising it. Nica herself was still quiet, Junior could tell that she was trying to keep her emotions hidden, the same way she would stay silent around Tiffany as she rambled, fearful that if she didn’t she would drop the act of believing she was dismembered and kill her right then and there with her bare hands. She couldn’t do that, no matter how bad either of them wanted it. They would have nowhere to go, Nica could try and clear her name but she would have no chance of that if she killed ‘Jennifer Tilly’ in cold blood. 

It was strange, Junior never thought he would have wanted a sibling, sure he felt lonely growing up and he liked spending time with Jake when they were little kids, but he always knew that if he had had a sibling, it would have just been more comparisons made by his dad. More competition and training, a constant battle for validation from his father. Yet, hearing the way his adoptive mother spoke of her niece, he knows it would have never been like that, a part of him hopes that they would have gotten along. Granted, if Alice was anything like her aunt, he’s sure they would have. He can’t help but imagine how different his upbringing would have been if Nica had been found innocent in her trial and adopted her niece, from what he knows, Alice may as well have been her daughter anyway. Would he have still met Nica? A part of him wished that Chucky was lying, was it possible for Chucky to show Nica things he imagined and pass them off as memories? Maybe Alice could have gotten away, she was safe and hiding somewhere, maybe started going by a different name and is in a random foster home somewhere...

His thoughts were interrupted by Nica taking a deep breath, the kind he had grown accustomed to hearing when Tiffany would leave the room. As if her emotions that were fighting to get out had finally stopped pushing on the door, for better or worse.

“Right,” she sighed out, “Would you like one more game or would you rather just get some sleep, Junbug?”

“Uh, I think I would just like to get some sleep if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, honey.”

As he lay down and began to allow sleep to take over his senses, he couldn’t help but worry about his mom. He could ignore the feeling that she was trying so hard to avoid becoming like her own mother that she would end up hurting herself even more. She was so devoted to making sure that he was okay and staying strong for him that she was fighting all her grief and suffering on her own as well as fighting his grief and trauma alongside him. He had to do something, help her in some way, let her know that she’s allowed to struggle as well. That’s when the idea struck him, and calmed those worries enough for him to drift off to sleep. 

Where the fuck was she?!

Junior was sure he must have checked almost every room in the house by now and yet no sign of Tiffany. It didn’t make sense, she hasn’t left the house since she brought him and Nica here, and she wouldn’t have gone to ‘visit’ Nica without telling him. But the only explanation she had given was that she just had to ‘take care of something’. He half debated going to check on Nica but it was far too risky without knowing where Tiffany was and what direction to listen out for her. 

That was when he heard it, the faint noise of Tiffany’s signature cackle, he focused on the sound, following it intently to find his captor. Before he came face to face with that door, the one other door Tiffany told him to stay away from after Nica’s room. Which luckily, had stopped being off limits after it was clear to her how well he had been getting along with her ‘girlfriend’.

His curiosity got the better of him, he had to know what she was doing in there, was it more voodoo stuff. Maybe she was helping Chucky again, and decided to give him another chance considering that part of him was still possessing the woman Tiffany had ‘fallen for’. 

There was another voice, but it definitely wasn’t Chucky, it was a female voice, one too small and muffled for him to make out the words through the door. It wasn’t long before he heard the familiar clicking of Tiffany’s stilettos and he rushed, at least as quickly as his heart would let him before resuming his place on the couch as if he had never moved. 

Tiffany was already drunk, Junior figured he had half an hour tops before she passed out this time, that's when he would investigate. And like clock work, he watched as Tiffany clumsily placed her wine glass down as her eyelids began to droop. He gave it another five minutes just to be sure that she was out before retracing his steps to the room, his precious kitchen knife in hand. 

He hesitated briefly once he was there, debating whether he should knock. He doesn’t know why, surely no one would be in there unless they had to, so he decided to skip that part and start picking the lock. He soon heard the triumphant click and slowly pried the door open and to his confusion, saw a room nothing like the one Nica was placed in. Strange. He was so sure he heard a voice, he expected the same layout as another bedroom but this seemed to be no more than a storage room. Random boxes and items coated in dust was all he could see, there had to be something he was missing. 

“Hello?” Junior fought hard to keep his voice as steady as possible, if there was someone in there with him, he couldn’t let them know he was afraid. He was beginning to think he had imagined that mystery voice earlier, he was just being paranoid when there was an almost inaudible response.

“Who- who’s there?” Unlike his own, this voice had been unsuccessful at hiding the fear in it, or maybe the owner wasn’t even trying.

“Where are you?” Junior called out a little louder, still on edge but more determined now. 

“In the cage- under the sheet in the back of the room.”

Junior’s eyes instantly landed on a faded sheet covering something that, at first glance, he would have never guessed to be a cage. The shape seemed too big and an unusual size for something similar to the kind of animal cages he had seen in the past but also too small for a human to fit, except maybe a small child. Oh gods, please not a child!

Junior steadied his trembling hand as it wrapped around the sheet in front of him, and drew in one more deep breath before pulling it clean away. 

For a moment, he was frozen by the dozens of questions racing through his head, trying to settle on which one he should ask first. It was a cage, a huge, shining gold, old-fashioned bird cage and, somehow, that was the most normal thing that was unveiled. Sitting inside, on a lining of newspaper with a small desk behind her littered with letters and a cheque book was a doll. Another goddamn living doll, but this one seemed different, she looked almost the same as the lookalike Tiffany doll that human Tiffany had placed in the truck with the Good Guys last November. Except this one had a large wound on the side of her head with stitches holding it closed and an unmistakable look of fear in her eyes, the kind that could not be faked. Besides all those dolls from the truck burned up, fried by the explosion after Andy Barclay drove the vehicle off of Hackensack Gorge, taking himself with it. 

Junior couldn’t ignore the pang of guilt that took over, he had tried to warn him, and he should have listened.

“Wh- who are you?” Junior asked, desperately trying to push through the regrets that were filling his head. The doll’s eyes hadn’t left him once, still wide and afraid as ever.

“I’m Jennifer, Jennifer Tilly!” She rushed on with her explanation before Junior could respond, “I know how that sounds but the woman keeping me here, she’s an imposter! Her name is-”

“Tiffany Valentine.”

“Yes! It’s the truth, I swear it!”

Junior held his hands up in mock surrender, “I know, I believe you. She’s trapped me here too.” With that, Jennifer finally began to calm down, at least temporarily, before some mix of a sob and a laugh escaped her plastic lips, “You know who she is. You believe me and you found me!”

Junior gave a sheepish grin as he lowered himself to sit by the cage, hesitantly placing the fingers of his right hand through the gaps.

“I’m Junior, by the way. How long have you been down here?”  Jennifer took a moment to think as she reached a small plastic hand to hold his fingers as a substitute for a handshake. 

“Oh, I couldn’t tell you exactly. Since my babies were born, that's when she switched our souls. Do you know anything about them? My babies? Are they safe?”

“Glen and Glenda? The twins? I think so, I haven’t met them but they visit once a month. I think they’re doing well…”

There it was, the first smile Jennifer had given it what felt like years, maybe it had really been that long. There was so much more they both wanted to ask but they were interrupted by a distant crash, no doubt Tiffany knocking her wine glass to the ground in her sleep. Both prisoners tensed up, “Kid, you have to get out of here. If she finds you-”

“I know, but I'll come back later, when she’s asleep I promise. I still have a lot of questions.”

“Okay, be careful!”

“I will.” Junior gave her one last apologetic smile before draping the sheet back over the cage. 

Breathe, in and out. Nica had to keep reminding herself of that, to focus on that and the birds moving back and forth, taunting her from the other side of the glass. Somehow that was more bearable than her hunger, the fog around her brain from the drugs and the unbearable itching of the dress she was forced to wear. Luckily, in Tiffany’s obviously still tipsy state, she had forgotten to draw the curtains over one of the windows, so once again watching the world go by became Nica’s source of entertainment as she waited for Junior to pick the lock. 

Anything to distract her from thinking about things that should have happened on this day, including spoiling her niece rotten- No! Focus on the birds, she could just about watch them from this distance as they hop around under the glow of the outside lights. It was nice in a way, being able to see once again that there is life outside of the cage she is currently trapped in, it helps to remind her to keep going, that Junior could have a future still-

Speaking of, the familiar sound of the lock being pried open started once again. Except Junior did not confidently burst in as he had begun doing, in fact he lingered just outside of the room, almost as if he was hiding behind the door. A brief flash of terror struck through Nica as the idea came to her that maybe Tiffany had found them out and was threatening Junior from the shadows. 

However, that fear quickly evaporated as Junior gave his signature half smile,

“Sorry i’m later than usual, I uh-” He slowly entered the room carrying an unopened box of brownies with him, “I was trying to see if there were any kind of cakes in the kitchen but these were the closest thing that I could find. I just thought that, even if Alice isn’t with us, it is still her birthday. I thought you might still want to celebrate her…”

Nica couldn’t stop a few tears from overflowing at Junior’s explanation, she hadn’t celebrated her niece’s birthday since the last time she spent one with her. She didn’t allow herself to celebrate it when she was in Lochmoor, the hypnosis had started taking effect and she told herself she didn’t deserve to be involved in any way. Not that she would have been allowed to do much. 

“Yeah, I would like that…” It was barely more than a whisper, “I think she would have wanted us to as well, not to mention how happy she would have been. She preferred brownies over cake anyway.”

Junior allowed his smile to spread a little further across his face as she pulled two brownies out of the box. The whole experience was bittersweet but Nica couldn’t have been more grateful for it, Junior even had them quietly sing happy birthday and yet, something was still so clearly on Junior’s mind.

“Is everything okay, Junbug?” 

“Yeah, mom. Uh- look. I know it’s kinda shitty timing, and I don’t want to ruin Alice’s day or anything but it’s pretty urgent…”

“Don’t worry about that, honey. What’s the matter? Are you sick?” She instinctively placed a hand over his forehead.

“No, I’m fine but, remember when we were trying to figure out why Tiffany and Jennifer don’t switch like you and Chucky do?”

“Yeah..?”

“I’ve found out why.”

[hoedamn-eron]

baby, please - part 2

You've had an awful lot of wine this week, and your date with Santiago is going well. Very, very well.

Warnings: Alcohol drinking. Bad descriptions of people, I'm sorry. Terrible descriptions of flirting. Again, like one or two swear words. The ending was a little cheesy but I had to end it somehow! Proofread but lazily done. Word count: 3,704 F!Reader, no use of Y/N.

Part 1 ● Series Masterlist ● Part 3

You greeted your friends at your door with big smiles and huge hugs, ones where you were squeezing each other to death as you prattle on about how long it’s been since you last saw each other and how tonight had been a long time coming.

Obviously, you were ready on time for them after leaving work late. Your hair may still be a little damp after your shower, but you were all wearing your fancy pyjamas anyway, so it didn’t really matter. You had set out an Instagram worthy platter of fruits, cheeses, crackers, and small desserts, which you knew would be devoured before the night ends. And if not, you could use them for your lunches for the week.

You usher your friends into your apartment, practically shoving filled wine glasses in their hands as they went and sat down in your armchair by your window. It had belonged to your grandmother, once upon a time, and you’d inherited it after her death. She wasn’t the nicest person around, and you were surprised she decided to give you anything. It was a comfortable armchair, and only needed a little bit of TLC and revamping for it to make the move to Florida with you.

“How are you and Georgia doing?” you asked Elizabeth. “Have you found a wedding venue yet?”

Elizabeth, your first friend you’d made in Florida, waved her ebony hand at you as she took a big gulp of her red wine. Preferably going by Beth, you both met at your first day at the company. She exuded confidence that commanded attention wherever she went. You had taken over Elizabeth’s job when she left a year after you arrived, to move into interior design. She had her own very successful company, where she had a yearlong waitlist for clients asking to redesign their homes. She had been with Georgia for as long as you could remember, and Beth wasted no time in planning their wedding as soon as Georgia proposed. “Don’t get me started. I personally think we should do destination wedding, because how often can you go and get married in Greece? But she wants a simple wedding, just close friends and family. She wants to save money for the IVF, you know? So…we’re at a little bit of an impasse.”

“Do what I did and flip a coin. Andy won that one.” Courtney smirked. A redhead, gym nut, and overachiever, Courtney was your most down to earth friend who had once been a client for the company. She was the one you went to for sound advice, since she had no problem telling you her true opinion, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear. Recently married to Andrew, she’d made a few good-natured jokes at her wedding about your single life before you and one of the groomsmen hit it off and spent the night together. You and Courtney had ribbed at each other the day after about it.

Beth rolled her dark brown eyes. “You white people and your coin flips. I’ll treat it like my business. Focus on the pros and cons and see what flows well with our vision.”

“You could always go to Greece for the honeymoon,” Gabrielle pointed out. She was every family man’s wet dream; blonde, blue eyed, and the epitome of a ‘mom’. She married young, deciding that after working for a few years then getting pregnant, being a mother was her dream job, and you were proud of her for it. She had a four-year-old son and an eighteen-month-old daughter, and with her husband, Matthew, they made a dream team; they were at every soccer game, every play date, every bake sale, and still managed to function and pull themselves together every day. You applauded her. You’d met her on a chance meeting at your first exhibition, when she was still working as an assistant at her old job. You had immediately clicked.

Beth hummed. “We could, but we were looking at France for a honeymoon. We thought we would go to Cannes in time for the film festival.”

“You going to jump right into trying for kids?” Courtney asked.

Beth nodded. “If our plans work out, our first round will be just before our honeymoon. Georgia’s probably looking at donor profiles right now.”

Your evening went on about more wedding plans, how Gabrielle’s kids were doing, Courtney’s future plans for kids, and how her new house was getting on. It was nice, seeing your friends again. Sure, you had occasional one on one time, and you all had your group chat, although that wasn’t as prolific as it used to be, you were still in communication with each other, but there was nothing like being with your best friends all together. They really did melt your stress away. You all were three bottles of wine down and the food board was lacking before the usual topic of your dating life came up.

“So,” Beth calls your name, smirking at you. “Anything new with you?”

You shrugged at her, topping up your glass of the white wine you’d been enjoying. “Nothing much. I’ve got a date on Saturday, with Emily’s neighbour, you know, my co-worker?”

“Ooh, cute, what’s he like?”

“His name is Santiago, he’s ex-army.”

“Sounds stiff.”

“Emily said he’s nice. And good looking.”

“Have you seen a picture of him?” Courtney asked.

You shake your head and Beth laughs. “How do you know if you’re going to like him?”

“I’ll just have to go out on the date and find out,” you say teasingly, taking a sip of your wine. “You never know, he might stick around.”

You ignore the slight pang in your chest as your friends laugh along with you.

Maybe it was because all you did was spend time at the office and all your days were blurring into one, but it was suddenly Saturday, and you had to make yourself get ready for your date with Santiago (or Santi, as he told you to call him). You had both kept up with a few texts here and there during the week, the conversation not actually going anywhere other than talking about the date. That was fine with you, but you would like to have some sort of idea of what kind of guy Santi was.

You’d pondered embarrassingly long and hard about what to wear on your date with Santi before deciding to just go out and find something new. So here you were, with Gabrielle and her daughter, Luna, who had nodded off quite some time ago, her mouth hanging open from her position in her stroller as her mother slowly rocked her back and forth as you browsed through the clothes.

“So are you looking forward to tonight?”

You gave a light shrug before nodding, looking through the rack of clothes opposite your blonde friend. “I guess. Yeah, sure. It’ll be nice to go somewhere that isn’t the office, you know?”

Gabrielle gave a hum as she nodded. “I get that. I don’t get out much for me anymore. What about this one?”

You look up from the assortment of shirts you were looking at to see Gabrielle holding up a forest green, thin strapped dress. It was cute, but it wasn’t for a casual date. You crinkle your nose and shake your head. Gabrielle nodded before hanging it back up and browsing again.

Your turn back to the shirts. “Can you get a babysitter for the kids?”

“Matthew doesn’t trust anyone to look after them, and he doesn’t want to burden our parents.” Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “I tell him all the time, taking a break every now and then isn’t going to traumatise the kids, but he just doesn’t listen.”

“Can he not watch the kids?”

“He likes doing things as a family. I love him, really, I do. He’s amazing and a great dad, but he’s so…so…”

“Clingy?”

“Yes! No. More like he’s severely ‘family orientated’.” She groaned, briefly closing her eyes before looking at you. “Not like that’s a bad thing – “

“I know what you mean, don’t worry about it.” You give her a reassuring smile. “I’d offer to look after them, but with my hours at the moment – “

Gabrielle cut off your rant with a wave of a hand. “Don’t even explain yourself, I know how busy you are.”

“Maybe when the launch is over – “

“I’ll definitely take you up on that offer when the launch is over.”

You grin before you move over to the next set of clothes before a flash of deep red caught your eye. You pick up the dress from the rack, turning it around in your hands. It was cute, long sleeved, and styled as a button up shirt dress. It cinched in at the waist with a matching belt.

And it was on sale.

It would be good for the date, and for that business meeting you had next week. You were sold.

“I’m getting this,” you said to Gabrielle, putting the dress back before looking through the rest for your size. You pull it from the others, giving it a final once over before hanging it over your arm as you approached Gabrielle, who was also giving it a once over.

She nodded. “Pretty. You should get some new shoes to go with it.”

“I already have those black knee-high boots I bought last month, I haven’t worn those yet.”

Gabrielle grinned. “You’re gonna be a knockout.”

After having a quick lunch with Gabrielle and saying your goodbyes to her and Luna, you made your way home to prepare yourself for your date. You took a nice long, relaxing soak in your bath, using your favourite vanilla scented bodywash. After the water was long cooled, you climbed out and took your time to dry off, moisturising and placing on a face mask, using some of your free time to catch up on your Netflix show you had all but nearly abandoned due to your busy schedule.

Halfway through an episode, you gave Santi another text, telling him you were looking forward to your date. It didn’t take him long to text back, telling you the same and that he will see you there at 7:30pm.

After a few more episodes of your show, you had to get ready, or you’d be late. Your face mask was removed long ago, your skin was glowing, and soft, ready for your usual date make up. You chose to go for a red lip tonight, to go with your new red dress. You style your hair before finally putting on the dress and boots. You grab your bag and look at yourself in the mirror.

You’re damn hot, if you do say so yourself.

You called an Uber, intending on having some wine with dinner. You text your friends your Uber details as you got into the cab and shared your location (you’d heard too many horror stories), thanking the driver before you made your way to the restaurant, five minutes to spare for the reservation. You confirmed to your friends that you’d arrived okay and made your way into the restaurant. You smiled at the host, giving Santi’s name before being led to a table of two towards the front, by the window.

You thank the host and take a seat, placing your bag over the back of your chair as a waiter, barely older than eighteen, quickly comes over and hands you a menu. He introduces himself as Jacob, and he was your ‘server for the evening’. He spouted off the specials they had on that night. You thanked him before ordering a medium glass of wine with a smile. He walked away quickly as took a quick look around. You had to hand it to Santi, Bella Cucina was a nice place. It was dimly lit, but not so much that it was too dark; just enough to be considered cosy. The music was softly playing in the background, blending in with the lull of conversation of the other patrons.

You looked through the menu, not sure if you wanted pasta or pizza, or to try something new. You gave Jacob a thank you as he bought your white wine, taking a sip as you looked back through the menu. A mushroom and parmesan risotto sounded good, in a creamy sauce and spinach. It would definitely go well with your white wine.

The question of your name causes you to look up from the menu. Your eyes widen and your heart skips a beat as you look into the molten brown eyes of the most good-looking human being you’d ever seen, with a head of dark curls your fingers were itching to run through. He was dressed in a white button up, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, revealing his toned and golden hued forearms. He wore dark pants, which were displaying just thick his thighs were, which already had you nearly drooling. With his chiselled jawline, accentuated by a hint of stubble, he exuded a sense of rugged masculinity and confidence. You had to practically lift your jaw up off the floor.

He gives you a smile that was almost a smirk at your blatant ogling, before he holds his hand out to you. “I’m Santi.”

You blink at him before standing, reaching to shake his hand. “Sorry. It’s nice to meet you, Santi.” You introduce yourself.

“Nice to meet you too. Have you been waiting long?”

You shake your head as you both take your seats opposite each other. “Nope, not at all. Just arrived, actually.”

“Okay, good. Did you get a chance to look at the menu? Know what you’re having?”

“I was looking at the mushroom risotto, it sounds amazing.”

“I’ll be sure to take a look.”

You hummed in agreement before picking up your menu again, only to give yourself something to do as you subtly checked him out again.

Emily was right, he was really good looking. Like, just-your-type good looking. You couldn’t stop staring at him. He had a slight crease in his brow as he frowned at the menu, his full, well-defined lips slightly pouting. They looked like they held a promise of tender moments and stolen kisses. Every subtle movement and gesture projected an effortless confidence that was undeniably attractive. You made a mental note to give Emily a bunch of flowers, or a fruit basket as thanks.

Or you needed to get a grip. Although handsome, stunning, practically striking, Santi is just like any other guy you’ve dated.

You avert your gaze as he places down his menu. “I think I’ll have the spaghetti and meatballs. Keep it simple.” He gives you a closed lipped smile.

Jacob made his way over as soon as you closed your menus. After Santi ordered his drink (a standard beer), you briefly discussed appetisers and sides. You both agreed to split a few sides with your mains, giving Jacob a smile of thanks as he walked away to put in your order.

You both went quiet. It was a little awkward, as all first dates were, especially blind dates. You expected it.

“So what is it you do, Santi? Emily mentioned you were ex-army?”

Santi hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, Special Ops, actually. Now I’m just consulting.” He went quiet for a moment before lightly shrugging a shoulder. “Needed to settle down, somewhere. Did a lot of moving around, you know?”

You nod in interest, taking a sip of your almost forgotten wine. “Been anywhere interesting?”

“Mostly South America. Thanks.” Santi gave a nod to Jacob as his beer was placed in front of him. “Nowhere exciting really. Didn’t really see the sights.”

“Maybe one day, now that you’re just consulting.”

Santi hummed in acknowledgement before resting his elbows on the table, leaning forward towards you. “You work in marketing with Emily, right? What do you do in your free time?”

You give a short laugh. “Unfortunately, not an awful lot. I like reading but I haven’t picked a book up for probably a year now. I tried yoga once and hated it. I couldn’t shut off.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I get that.”

“What about you? What do you do in your free time?”

“I jog, and hike sometimes. I occasionally play guitar, but not so much recently.”

Conversation starts to flow a little easier as you wait for your food. You found out that he had a big family but due to his old job, he hadn’t been around much, so they barely spoke. Your heart broke a little for him when he mentioned his father had died when he was young, and his mother a few years ago when he was away in Colombia. You had given his hand a squeeze at that. He had said he was fine, that ‘his boys’ were there, in Florida, and they were his family really.

You mentioned that you weren’t overly close with your family either since they didn’t quite agree with your career path, and the fact you moved away as soon as you could. He got a bit of a kick from that. You talked about your college years, and Santi his early days in training. You shared a few laughs about the things you both got up to, which would make the devil blush.

Once your food arrived, you ordered more drinks, since your first ones had long been emptied. The same again, white wine and a beer.

“This is a really nice place,” you comment as you tuck into your risotto.

Santi nodded. “Yeah, my buddy Frankie brings his wife here all the time. He recommended this place to me.”

“Take all your dates here?” you teased.

He laughed, looking up at you from his food. “Just you.”

You felt your cheeks warm slightly as you smirked, taking a bite from the side of greens you’d ordered.

You talked about what movies you both liked. Surprisingly, Santi was partial to a cheesy romance movie, and a sucker for when the underdog comes out on top. But his favourite movies, unironically, where the Mission: Impossible movies. You teased him good naturedly about that, something he threw straight back at you, laughing.

You talked about your favourite music. Santi was a die-hard Metallica fan and had been since he was a kid. He it had always gotten him ‘in the zone’ back in his army days. You briefly touched upon that, but his, respectfully shot that down. He’d mentioned he’d been out of the game for a while, since he needed surgery on his back, and his bad knees. You didn’t pry, it wasn’t any of your business.

You also talked about your friends. How you had a close group of three friends, but since kids and marriage were coming into play, you hadn’t seen them as much as you used to. Which was fine, of course. Santi then told you of his friends, his brothers from the army. How they were his chosen family, and how he’d do anything for them. He mentioned Tom, someone who he lost half a year ago before he officially retired.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, that’s awful for you.”

Santi shrugged, giving a small smile that didn’t contain any happiness. “It’s okay. It’s a risk we take with the job.”

You both mentally decide to move on and change the subject. You finished your meals and opted out of dessert, ordering more drinks for yourselves instead. It was probably your fourth glass of wine, and you were feeling light but not quite tipsy. The restaurant was slowly emptying, and you found yourself feeling slightly down that the date was coming to an end. You found Santi Garcia to be a captivating paradox, a mix of strength, charm, and intellect in a way that was utterly irresistible.

At this point, Emily was getting a bouquet, and a fruit basket.

You mention getting the check, and seeing if you both wanted a coffee somewhere else. That was when Santi suddenly tensed, and you blinked at him in surprise. Had you said the wrong thing?

“I should really be getting home.”

“Oh. Sure, okay, not a problem.”

He pulled a face, squirming in his chair, uncomfortable. “Listen, I don’t want to sound rude, or anything but…” Santi licked his lips nervously before looking at you apologetically. “I only agreed to this because it got Emily off my back. Don’t get me wrong, you’re really nice, but she’s been hounding me for months about setting me up with someone, and – “

“She can’t keep her nose out of it?” you ask, raising an eyebrow in amusement as you grinned at him.

Santi sighed, his shoulders relaxing just a smidge as he nodded at you. “Yeah.”

You shook your head. “Don’t worry about it. I only said yes because she sounded really excited about setting me up. I’m not interested in anything serious, at all.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Okay. It’s just that Emily had mentioned that your friends were married, and you were – “

You roll your eyes. Fuck the fruit basket. “She was wrong. I have no desire for relationship. We can end this here. I’ve had a great night regardless, if you don’t want to see me again, that’s no problem.”

Santi studied you for a moment before he leaned forward towards you, that smirk on his face again. “In that case, I’m going to be really bold here and tell you I think you’re really attractive and I’d like to make you feel good for the night, if you’re interested?”

Your breath hitched, and you felt a shiver go down your spine. That was bold. And you were all for it.

You cleared your throat, looking for Jacob to ask for the check. You smile at your server, telling him you had a fantastic night, food was excellent, and you would be coming again. You turned back to look at Santi as the teen walked off. You smirked. “Your place or mine?”

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t get you home?” he smirked.

[yoosmekihyun]

Conversations in the Dark (pt. 6)

Summary: After a series of major personal events, you decide to move to New York (in part) so you can have a relationship with your newly discovered half-sister, Karen Page. Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson become additional important figures in your life as you navigate new relationships and figure out how to live your life.

Genre: Fluff, Angst, Smut

Warnings: mention of death, grief, anxiety, drinking, pining (so much pining), self-deprecation, chapters with sexual content will be marked with their own warnings, violence or attempted violence (i.e. Daredevil related)

Word Count: 3.8k

Part Six

Karen decided it was time for a girls’ night. You had met Marci a couple times when you’ve dropped by the office with coffee or met Karen for lunch and the two of you got along so far. When Karen pitched the idea to you, you were a little nervous but thought a fun night without the sexual tension you felt with Matt would be a nice change. You knew Marci and Foggy were serious and could tell from how Foggy spoke about her that she was end game for him. Since you’d quickly grown to adore Foggy, this was the perfect opportunity to develop a friendship with Marci.

Marci suggested a nice dinner somewhere with an excellent bar and you quickly agreed. It was a little bit of a walk from the Nelson, Murdock, and Page office but doable and you could take a cab home. This was the first time you had the occasion to dress a little nicer than usual, so you took your time getting ready, enjoying the process. You couldn’t remember the last time you wore a dress or heels and decided to go for it tonight but made sure you took a bag large enough to slip a pair of flats in, just in case. You dabbed a small amount of your favorite perfume on your wrists and throat before giving yourself a final once over in your full-length mirror.

Your burgundy sweaterdress would help keep you warm under your coat in the early December chill while your heeled ankle boots did little for warmth but looked too cute to pass up. You were grateful to Karen for the reminder to pick up tights the last time you were out, knowing you may need them to help layer as winter fully set in. You felt girly and pretty and just excited to make a new friend and have a relaxing night out.

Walking to the office to meet Karen, you reflected on the last few months of your life. While you still missed your mom and had days where the grief kept you from functioning properly, those days were happening less and less. You felt you were exactly where you needed to be at this moment in your life and you knew your parents—your mom, stepdad, and biological father—would be pleased with the close relationship you and Karen had developed. As you arrived at the office and pulled open the outer door to head into the warmth of the building, you sent up a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening.

The office was quiet for a change as you entered through the interior door, finding it a little unsettling. The lights were on and Karen’s desk looked to be in a slight state of disarray as it was typically mid-day, not how she liked it when she was about to leave.

“Hello?” you called quietly.

You heard a chair move and steps towards the open door of Matt’s office before he stepped into the shared space. “Hey, Y/N, I didn’t know you’d be stopping by today.”

“Hey Matt,” you stepped over to give him a quick hug which he reciprocated without hesitation. As you started to pull away, he held you still with his hands as his face was buried in your hair and neck.

“You smell incredible,” he said softly.

“Oh,” you blushed at his compliment as he released his hold to let you step back. “It’s my favorite perfume, thank you.” You stood staring at him, noticing a light bruise on his cheek and a cut on his lip. “Matt, what happened?” you asked as you gently stroked the bruised area to indicate what you meant. You started looking him over for other injuries, your night out pushed to the back of your mind with your concern for him.

“It’s nothing, I promise. I like to box from time to time and stopped a couple of the punches with my face. It’s no big deal.”

“Well, I disagree, I think it is a big deal,” you started, scolding him lightly, “I happen to like your face, so you need to be more careful with it.”

“You do, huh?” Matt smirked at your admission. You could have smacked yourself for confessing it so plainly but decided to go with it. You could moan and groan to Karen and Marci later over drinks.

“Come off it, Matt. You know you’re beautiful, I’ve heard the stories from Foggy about all the ladies over the years.”

“Maybe I’m just charming?” Matt countered, grinning fully now. “But we seem to have gone from you liking my face to finding me beautiful. That’s a big jump, sweetheart.”

“Ah, goddamn it,” you murmured softly as you looked up for some deity to save you from yourself.

Chuckling at your distress, Matt stepped forward and slipped a hand under your open coat to rest it on your lower back and tugged you closer to him. Without his glasses and his face so close to yours, you could see how beautiful his hazel eyes were as his gaze rested on your cheek. You were trembling slightly at the intense need that flooded your system at his closeness and touch. Matt took a deep inhale and closed his eyes as if he were trying to keep his composure. The hand on your back flexed slightly and his other hand came up to brush away the piece of hair that managed to get stuck in your lip gloss. He tucked the stray hair behind your ear and your eyes looked longingly at his mouth. As if he knew, Matt slowly licked his lips before taking another inhale and groaning softly.

“For the record, I find you quite beautiful as well.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible,” you whispered.

“I don’t have to be able to see to know that you are,” Matt responded with a slight frown.

“No, I don’t mean that,” you clarified softly, “I just mean that I’m not beautiful. I’ve been called cute, pretty on special occasions, but never beautiful. So, I think you may be mistaken.”

Matt pulled back slightly in shock at your response but before he could formulate a reply, the door burst open as Karen and Foggy rushed inside. They both froze at the sight before them, and you flushed a dark crimson at getting caught in a semi-intimate position with Matt again. You stepped away from Matt and cleared your throat, “You ready to head out Karen?”

“Um…yeah…” Karen slowly responded as she walked to her desk to drop the paperwork in her hand.

“What is happening right now?” Foggy asked, still frozen and looking from you to Matt and then glancing at Karen before moving his gaze back.

“We’re having a girls’ night with Marci. Didn’t she tell you?” You responded, keeping your eyes on Foggy and Karen, avoiding Matt’s reaction.

“I think she mentioned it but that is not what I meant.”

“Well, I just came to meet Karen and then we’re walking to the restaurant so, that’s what’s happening,” you answered, avoiding what you thought he was actually asking.

“We’re going to have to leave now to make it on time for the reservation,” Karen interjected as she observed the situation. You wore a nervous and slightly downcast expression while Matt was looking towards you with a mix of emotions and his hands on his hips as if he were going to start a cross-examination. Foggy, for his part was still rooted to his spot just inside the door with a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Right! Okay, have a good night, guys. Don’t work too late,” you said as you gave a haphazard wave and rushed out the door.

Karen followed you and whispered to Matt and Foggy as she pulled the door closed, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

The two of you walked quickly towards the restaurant in silence. Karen wanted to give you time to settle and relax with a couple drinks before getting you to divulge what she had just witnessed. You were praying that she would let what she saw drop but had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.

Marci arrived just as you and Karen were opening the doors to the restaurant. Relieved she wasn’t kept waiting, the three of you exchanged greetings and quick hugs before checking in with the host. After checking your coats, the three of you were led to a booth in a far corner.

Drinks and dinner were ordered quickly and conversation began without mention of the incident. The longer you sat there, the more you found that you liked Marci and could see how she and Foggy worked well together, even if it wasn’t quite as obvious at the outset. Finishing your second gin and tonic, you laughed at story Marci was telling about a partner in her law firm.

“And he didn’t even bother locking the door! I walked in to give him the settlement paperwork and he was standing in the middle of his office with his pants in one hand and a hair dryer in the other! I’ve never seen someone turn that shade of red!”

Wiping away a tear, you commented, “You would think after getting caught drying his pants like that the first time he’d learn to lock the door! Or keep a spare set of pants at the office!”

“Those WERE his spare pants!”

The three of you cackled and you managed to flag down the waiter to order another round of drinks. As your laughter died down, you smiled at the women across from you and said, “This was such a good idea. I can’t remember the last time I went out like this.”

“Agreed!” started Marci as she sipped her fresh cocktail, “but Foggy Bear mentions that you join them at Josie’s pretty often.”

“Well, you know, it’s different with the guys…”

Karen saw her opening and pounced, “You mean it’s different with Matt.”

You flushed slightly at her call-out and just responded, “Mmhmm.”

“I am so out of the loop!” exclaimed Marci, “What is happening between you and Matt?”

You glanced at Marci and Karen, unsure of what to say. You settled on keeping it simple, “You know, he’s my neighbor and works with Karen so I see him a lot…that’s all.”

“That is so not all,” Karen quickly responded. She turned slightly to Marci while also keeping you in her periphery. “I have walked in on them twice now on the verge of kissing and when Y/N had us over for dinner, Matt was calling her sweetheart, and you could tell they completely forgot Foggy and I were at the table by the end of the night. I thought she was going to crawl into Matt’s lap during dessert!”

“Karen!” you admonished as you placed your cool hands on your cheeks in hopes to calm your flushing.

“Am I wrong?” Karen challenged.

“No,” you answered in a quiet voice.

“Let me get this straight,” Marci started using her lawyer voice as if she were presenting facts to the jury. “There is tension, like extreme sexual tension and you two literally live across the hall from one another but based on the way the two of you are talking about this, you haven’t even kissed yet?”

“Um…maybe? I mean, I feel the tension but I don’t know if Matt does.”

“Trust me,” Karen interjected, “Matt feels the tension. We all feel the tension.”

You dropped your head in your hands and groaned as Marci asked, “Okay, I gotta know, what is the problem here?”

What was the problem? you asked yourself. Honestly, there were two main issues that held you back and you took a moment to mull over the best way to explain.

“If I’m being honest,” you began hoping to explain yourself clearly, “there are two things holding me back right now. The first is that I know Matt is a flirt so I’m not sure if he’s flirting with me because it’s fun or because he’s actually interested.”

“He’s interested, trust me,” interrupted Karen.

“Is he? Because I’ve watched him flirt with other women in front of me when we’ve picked up coffee or even at Josie’s.”

“I am seriously going to have to have a talk with that man,” muttered Karen.

“I’m going to have to withhold judgement on your first point until I can see how he is with you,” Marci said. “However, based on Karen’s description and your reaction, I have a feeling there’s a difference between what he’s doing with you and what he’s doing out in the wild, so to speak. Sometimes people flirt to smooth over interactions that might be a little prickly otherwise.”

You considered Marci’s suggestion and filed it away to give more thought when you were fully sober. It seemed logical but you knew you couldn’t trust your judgement right now.

“You said two issues, what’s the second?” Karen asked.

You blew out a breath to help steady yourself. This was the issue that was truly getting in your way. “The second point has more to do with me. The best way to explain it is just that I’m not a fan of casual dating or hookups. I’ve been told that I’m the ‘relationship’ or ‘marriage’ girl and it’s true. And honestly, at this point in my life, I don’t want to get into something if the other person isn’t also looking for something long term.”

“I’m still not quite seeing the problem here…” Marci said.

“I’ve heard the stories about Matt from Foggy and Karen and I don’t judge him, but it doesn’t sound like he’s interested in settling down. I don’t want to ruin what is starting to be a lovely friendship or make things awkward for anyone.”

“For arguments sake,” started Karen, “have you tried casual dating?”

“Yeah, before mom got sick,” you threw back the rest of your drink and contemplated another. “It was awful. I can’t tell you the number of times I came home crying because some douchebag tried to pressure me into giving him a blowjob twenty minutes after meeting or the ones who basically negged me until I left.”

Karen reached over to pat your hand reassuringly and Marci gave you an understanding smile. You continued, “The worst one was when I tried a one-night stand. The sex was mediocre and after the guy answered the phone on speaker and it was another girl he was arranging a hookup with for that night! I think I scrubbed off a layer of skin in the shower that night; the whole thing made me feel used and disgusting.”

“Matt would never treat you that way, if you guys did just hook-up, you know,” Karen said softly.

“I know, and it’s not about how I think Matt would treat me in that kind of situation. It’s more that I just can’t do it and I don’t want to end up resenting Matt because of a choice I made. At this point, I like him too much for a casual thing to be enough for me anyways.”

Marci looked at you with a shrewd but not unkind expression as she tapped the glass she was holding thoughtfully. “Based on conversations with Foggy Bear and what I’ve witnessed over the past couple years, I would say that Matt may be at a point where he’s ready to settle down. Karen, have you heard about any hookups lately?”

Karen thought for a moment as you watched her, “Actually I think it’s been several months, even before you moved here, Y/N.”

You felt your heart flutter with hope in your chest, “Really?”

Marci continued, “To be perfectly honest, I thought Karen was going to be the one to tie Matt down.”

The hope you felt fluttering in your chest sunk like a rock into the pit of your stomach. “What do you mean?”

Your question caused both Marci and Karen to freeze as you waited for an answer. “Did you and Matt date, Karen? Was it serious?”

Karen sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “We went on a couple dates and kissed but that was it. This was a few years ago, not too long after I met him.”

“Why didn’t it work out?” you asked quietly as you fiddled with the napkin in your lap.

Karen thought for a moment and you appreciated that she was attempting to give you honest answers rather than brush away the information and what you were feeling. “I think in part it was timing,” she began, “and then a lot of things happened that drove a wedge between us. We were able to come back from it all to be friends but we missed our window and the romantic feelings weren’t there anymore.”

“So,” you began nervously, “you know the romantic feelings weren’t there for you but they could still be there for Matt?”

“They’re not,” Karen quickly answered.

“How do you know? Did you two ever actually talk about it after things settled down?”

“Well, no, but I can tell it’s not there for him anymore either. If it were, he wouldn’t be flirting with you, Y/N.”

You sat quietly as your thoughts swirled in your head. You knew you couldn’t think through all of this new information logically, but it didn’t stop your emotions from swelling and a tear sliding down your cheek.

Karen panicked slightly and glanced at Marci who appeared equally as alarmed. Sliding in the booth closer to you, Karen put an arm around you to help ground you and to pull your focus. “Hey,” she said softly, “what’s going on? Why are there tears?”

“How can he want to be with me when he could be with you Karen?” you whispered. “You’re so beautiful and I know we’re sisters but we’re not physically alike at all. I know he can’t see us but the difference is going to be so obvious he’s not going to want me if he could have you.”

“He can’t have me, Y/N,” Karen replied softly.

“You know what I mean,” you sniffled.

Marci, having heard your quiet response to Karen, reached across the table for your hand. You obliged and slipped yours into her waiting one and she clutched it tight. “Why do you think so poorly of yourself, Y/N? From what I can tell, you’re a smart, driven, kind, lovely person, inside and out, and you are WAY out of Matt’s league.”

You laughed softly and wiped at your tears with your napkin. “I’m not sure about that last part,” you began, “I can usually keep the negative self-talk at bay, but it always rears its ugly head at the most inopportune times.” You sighed and decided to tell them the rest, to get it all out on the table. “I don’t want to be anyone’s consolation prize or backup plan. I’ve been that before and it hurts too much.”

“What makes you say that Y/N? What happened?” Karen asked gently.

You cleared your throat and started fidgeting with your napkin again. “The boyfriend I had in college told me when he broke up with me. He wanted to date my friend but she was already in a relationship so he pursued me so he could basically have a warm body but also to have a chance to hang out with my friend more.”

“Motherfucker,” spat Marci in disgust.

“Oh, it gets better, or I guess, worse,” you laughed bitterly. “When my friend and her boyfriend broke up, he waited just long enough and swooped in after being her shoulder to cry on. They hooked up and started dating. Only after did he tell me and break up with me.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Karen said with outrage in her voice.

“I wish I was. I wish I could say they both got their comeuppance, and it blew up in their faces but…”

“No,” whispered Marci.

“Yep, they’re married now.”

“Jesus Christ,” Karen said before finishing her drink. “No wonder you feel this way. You know Matt would never do that to you, right?”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean the insecurity and fear just goes away. I guess the surprise of this history with you two brought these old emotions back to the surface.” You ran your hands through your hair to try and shake off the baggage that decided to make an unwelcome appearance on what was supposed to be a fun night.

“I’m sorry for dumping on you guys, I think my drinks were a little stronger than I expected,” you chuckled.

Karen looked at you thoughtfully and then asked, “You mentioned a while back that no one had managed to get you off or really even turn you on much before. Is what you mentioned, the boyfriend and disgusting casual dates all you’ve experienced? Like have you ever dated anyone at least considerate and sweet to you, even if the chemistry wasn’t there?”

You shook your head sadly, “When I decided to moved here, I thought that maybe it wasn’t in the cards for me. I’ve been lucky enough to have an amazing family and the career of my dreams. Maybe it was just too much for the universe to give me a romantic love on top of it all?”

Marci’s eyebrows were practically in her hairline with the skeptical look she was giving you. “You know it’s not like a pie, right? Love and happiness aren’t finite things.”

“I get that in theory, but it hasn’t seemed to pan out in my life that way.”

“Maybe,” Karen interjected, “it’s because you weren’t supposed to meet anyone yet. So you could focus on your family like you did the last couple years. And now you’re ready to find that romantic love?”

You stared at the table with a frown on your face. You hadn’t really considered that timing may have been the biggest factor. With all the caretaking and death that happened in the last few years, along with juggling your budding writing career, you don’t know if you would have been able to give a romantic relationship the attention it deserved.

“Can we rewind for just a second?” Marci started, “Did I hear Karen right that none of these guys, even that piece of shit boyfriend in college, ever managed to get you off?”

Snapping your head up you looked at Marci and then sagged back into your seat. “Not one. Not even close.”

“This is a travesty,” Marci said with indignation. “Please tell me you’ve at least ascribed to the school of self-love?”

You laughed at Marci’s phrasing and the genuine smile on your face relaxed the two other women into smiling with you. “Oh, I am well-versed. You could say I have a double PhD—one in history and one in orgasms.”

The three of you laughed and Marci flagged the waiter for a final round of drinks. Once they arrived, she lifted her glass and you and Karen followed suit. “A toast for you, Y/N. May Matt Murdock get on his knees and atone for the disappointing past lovers! And sooner rather than later!”

Flushing from the alcohol and her toast, you clicked glasses with your friends and hoped Marci’s toast would become a reality.

Copyright © 2024 by yoosmekihyun. All rights reserved.

[delta-orionis]

Tuesday Again No Problem 4/30/24

This week's Tuesdaypost contains: electronic music, stupid youtube videos, me being tormented by spiders in Rain World, and an extended ramble about my OCs. (Maybe skip the Playing section if you don't want to hear about the spiders...)

Listening

Not much to say on this front, I've still been listening to the Rain World soundtrack. I've also been dipping back into my Repeat Rewind playlist on Spotify and remembered a couple of songs that I really liked a few months ago:

Watching

I've (unfortunately) been spending a lot of time on Youtube lately (mostly to listen to in the background while I play Rain World- more on that in the Playing section)(also yeah I guess that should technically count towards the listening section, whatever).

I got a big kick out of Drew Gooden's newest video about how the Cybertruck is stupid:

As well as Strange Aeons's new video about Blingee:

Playing

I've been messing around in Rain World's Expedition mode (basically: a challenge mode with permadeath- if your karma drops below 1 the run ends). I started a Spearmaster run the other day with a challenge to visit Looks to the Moon, which ended up being a much more difficult challenge than I anticipated.

It took me three attempts- and on my third attempt I got all the way up to Moon's Struts before I started being harassed by a gang of Mother Spiders. It was there I learned that my Switch doesn't like Mother Spiders very much.

Very very long story short- Mother Spiders kept getting into my shelter, and I was desperate enough for food to kill them and deal with all of the Coalescipedes they spawned. This meant I ended up with a whole bunch of spider corpses in my shelter, which tanked the framerate. I had to spend several cycles cleaning the spider corpses and spears I used to kill them out of my shelter. I died several times, and I did eventually start save scumming (if you close the game before the game over screen in an expedition, you can restart the cycle at karma 1). I'm not proud of it, but god damn it I was so close to Moon and I was not in the mood to start the expedition from scratch for a fourth time.

I did eventually get inside Moon's superstructure. I paid a visit to her puppet chamber before I reached the vista point and beat the expedition. It was smooth sailing once I eventually got inside, but god damn, I think I'm going to see Mother Spiders in my nightmares.

I regret not taking more screenshots of Moon's interior, but I got a couple at least. She's very pretty.

Making

I've been toying with the idea of turning some of my OCs into iterators for fun. I have a few very rough sketches, and I'm contemplating their lore. I'm really struggling with their names, though; it's hard to come up with something that sounds nice but also is at least tangentially related to their personalities. I'll keep thinking about it.

(In order: Rhode, Lilith, Theta, and Rhode again)

It's kind of fun to adapt their (admittedly messy) backstories into Rain World lore. OC rambling below:

Very shortly after Theta's activation, they developed an extreme phobia of being watched or interacted with. They subsequently put their entire superstructure into lockdown and cut off all communications with the outside world. They're completely unresponsive, and the only indication that they're even still alive is the periodic rain from their can.

Rhode is Theta's neighbor and only friend. She developed a passion for learning how to manipulate iterator software so she could circumvent some of her own taboos. She used this ability to hack into Theta's communications, and ended up being the first to successfully talk to them after they went silent. Rhode is in a relationship with Lilith.

Lilith is Rhode's romantic partner. She was built as an engineering facility and used her knowledge to restore functionality to some of her own systems after an earthquake destroyed her structure's legs. She helped Rhode figure out how to circumvent her taboos, and spends her time trying to help other iterators with their mechanical problems.

So, in short, they're a local group with two lesbians and their weird goth friend with debilitating social anxiety.

I want to try and finalize their designs and figure out canon-compliant names for them, because I have a couple of fun art ideas. I'm working on it. (It's kind of funny that the solution to my worldbuilding roadblock for my ocs was to put them in the setting of the game I'm currently obsessed with.)

--

I'll check back in next week, thanks for reading!

[variousqueerthings]

DINOSAURS! ON A SPACESHIP!

it's the episode Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and I feel like it's the best and the worst of this era in one 45min package, so let's see what it gets right and what it gets wrong

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 2/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 5/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 8/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 7/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 9/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 1/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 8/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 2/10

FULL RATING: 53/100 (if I can count….)

A note: this episode was written by Chris Chibnall and what the hell dude?

OBJECTIFICATION: so where this episode loses me is its near-constant sexual harassment of Queen Nefertiti, who is portrayed as a sultry sexual temptress in the very first scene (trying to get in the Doctor's pants -- there is no context), reacts to misogynistic commentary from a random Edwardian Gameshunter that's in this episode for no reason as if she's turned on, and is then threatened pretty explicitly with sexual assault from the episode bad guy

she then also definitely has sex with the aforementioned Gameshunter, even though - and I cannot stress this enough - almost all his dialogue is truly vile

he's introduced making a sexist throwaway comment to the Doctor about how he'd run off after their last adventure (what is the Doctor doing with a man like this??? idk) and "I had two very disappointed dancers on my hands… not that I couldn’t manage" and right upon meeting Amy and Nefertiti, delivers this banger of "I don’t take orders from females"

seriously why is he in this episode and why would the Doctor be friends with someone like him???? it's an unfathomable choice

all of this is doubly uncomfortable, because he is An Edwardian White British Big Game Hunter From Peak Coloniser Era and she is A Black Woman (who, again, is mostly portrayed as domineering but in a sultry "I want to be tamed" kind of way)

Nefertiti upon getting captured by the bad guy says some shit again about how no man will speak to her like he is, and he pins her to the wall (btw, I will note this in politics, but important to say he is an elderly man walking with a massive space-cane, very much disabled villain Trope) with his massive space-cane and says this in the most leery tone: "I like my possessions to have spirit. It means I can have fun breaking them. And I will break you in with immense pleasure"

of course she gets saved and "takes back" her power by later on defeating him by tripping up his cane, and then her last scene is her with her hair undone coming out of Edwardian dude's tent in [idk the Sahara I guess?] with the big space gun he had

PLOT-POINT: OKAY so originally I was writing here that Amy's story ended in The God Complex and that it was a good ending, and that this felt like they were rehashing old concepts that were already done with

However I do think there's something interesting in Amy being... fine... she worries about the Doctor and would like it if he checked in from time to time so she knows he's not dead or smthin, but at the end of this story Amy and Rory are like "actually we'd like to go home now pls" and the Doctor respects that wish and takes them back and sends them a postcard from his next port of call

so yeah, I think Amy's internal life does matter here, even though I do think her narrative could have all ended on The God Complex and this part of it so far has yet to justify itself (we shall see though!), and I changed my scoring to reflect it. but why isn't it highe-

QUEEN NEFERTITI THAT'S WHY!!! so consistently throughout this episode, we have Amy being quite a capable, fun person and we of course know her and her relationship with her husband and where she is at this point (forget the last episode)

Queen Nefertiti is brought into this episode in order to make a series of sex "jokes," get her kidnapped by the bad guy, and threatened with sexual assault. what does she want? she wants to F***! what's so interesting about her as a historical character? That She Was Sexy! what does she feel about things in the episode? That She's A Powerful Sexy Woman Whom No Man Will Tame And Is No Man's Possession

how did this... do this??? it feels like M*ffat gave Chibnall the note to put in one of his sexual fantasies and Chibnall rolled the dice and landed on Nefertiti on a whim OR WORSE, that he thought she'd pair up well with a British colonialist

it's literally The Thing that makes this episode -- otherwise kind of lowkey a banger -- one that I would never ever recommend, and it's very very disappointing that this kind of racism and sexism was in any draft of the story, let alone the one that got filmed and show on TV

COMPLEXITY: It's got Dinosaurs! and they're pretty great! and it all connects together pretty well -- some Silurians who were trying to escape what they thought was the impending doom of earth and brought different parts of species with them, like an arc, and at some point during the cryosleep journey a malicious exotic trader who literally killed all of the Silurians in order to sell off the dinosaurs

except he can't steer the ship and so it plotted a course back to earth and now it's crashing and they need to find a way to stop him and it!

the only downside is that they didn't make a link between "malicious exotic trader" and "edwardian big game hunter" because the latter absolutely should have been a villain to even mildly justify his presence in this story

Amy even (rightly) says, in answer to him grandstanding about his apparent historical importance: Men who hunt defenceless creatures just don’t impact on history

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: there's some cute stuff with Rory's dad and I can forgive him being introduced in this episode and never before, because it's actually showing him as active in the episode, and gives you an insight into why Rory is the kind of man he is (in a good way)

there's the aforementioned showing how Amy and Rory have kind of grown past the Doctor -- I kind of wish forever that Amy and Rory were more grounded as characters (especially Amy) but at least there's a father-in-law now. I say this because grown past the Doctor into... what? what is their life about? we still don't really know (well, lies, Rory is still nursing, which is great)

it's mainly this set-up -- that the Doctor is going to be increasingly lonely -- that the narrative serves, but it does do it by actually showing Amy and Rory being happy together

COMPANIONS MATTER: they kind of do, yeah. Amy is very competent over on her side of things, in a way I wiiiish we'd seen way back in s5 already, and Rory is the emotional tie to his dad, which makes sense

it is a very "too many characters in one episode" feeling on the whole, but that's because of Nefertiti and the Big Game Hunter, both of whom didn't need to be there, because the bad guy could have stolen the Doctor (I know, I know, the mysteriouuus Oswin has somehow "deleted" all record of him, but could have still scanned him as an unidentified alien or whatever) or the Tardis? and then had Brian and Rory figure out the solution which is what they do anyway and they all team up to save the Doctor or the Tardis....

point being, yes, but there was room for even more, easily

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: actually not! he does make the decision to let evil guy get blown up, and you know, there's trajectory here, there's precedent so to speak... how one feels about it, ehhh it's up to you, but it's not out of character for this Doctor to do

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: not much of any of that in here -- Silurians again ofc -- and there doesn't have to be

“SEXINESS”: HA. bad. ties into the above points about Nefertiti, truly heinous. introduced trying to have sex with the Doctor/seduce him against the Tardis, and it's sooort of hinted they may have already had sex before??? unclear

also here's some dialogue for you:

Coloniser Dickhead: Egyptian queen or not I shall put you across my knee and spank you [Nefertiti here replies that she will kill anyone who tries, I didn't manage to transcribe it] Coloniser Dickhead: You’re a firecracker          [Amy responds to this asking the two of them to stop flirting??????????????????????????????????????????]

later on Nefertiti asks Amy of the Doctor has a queen. Amy asks her isn't she married, to which she responds "male equivalent of a sleeping potion." Coloniser Dickhead then replies that she needs a real man with a Big Weapon, while cocking a massive laser gun

AMY THEN SAYS THAT HE'S A WALKING INNUENDO, BUT LAMPSHADING YOUR OWN SHITTY UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER OR META??? IT JUST MEANS YOU KNOW IT'S FUCKING STUPID!!!

and of course after her whole adventure being a Sexy Damsel who gets threatened with sexual violence, she's last seen coming out of Coloniser Dickheads tent with a huge gun and a "come-hither" demeanor, but get it... get it she's holding the gun now, so she... idk she doms or whatever, Sexually Confident Girl Power Get That Racist Sexist Mediocre Fuckwit

maybe she's just pretending to seduce him so she can shoot him

(he CANONICALLY kills big animals, presumably the kinds that they sell the tusks of for ivory or can hang the fur of in living rooms or whatever and it's CANONICALLY framed as bad, what is his purpose in this?????????????)

one minor shitty one with Amy (also with this guy????) is they're surrounded by dinos and need to slow them down by stunning them while other shit is happening and he says: Dinosaurs ahead. Lady at my side. Ship about to blow up. not sure I’ve ever been happier

to which Amy simply grins and goes: shut up and shoot

WHAT! IS! HIS! PURPOSE!?!?!?!?!!!!!!

INTERNAL WORLD: it's a fun spaceship that really gives little tidbits to its passengers and their journey (not too much, because they're all sadly dead, and everyone is reconstructing events best they can). nothing complicated, but enjoyable

POLITICS: so we've got a disabled villain, we've got an Edwardian Gameshunter (as a good guy), and we've got some of the most overt objectification of a Black woman I can remember seeing on this show... not a great look for an episode where the plot is simply about none of this, it's just... set dressing on top of what is actually happening

the episode just simply... I mean, look no episode needs to do these things... but this episode didn't even need two of these characters!

if you wanted to bring in Queen Nefertiti, why not do something about her history? about her reign? about her in any meaningful way? why was she here, other than for the sexual content?

why was Coloniser Dickhead here other than to be the perpetrator of most of that harassment and then get rewarded for it? what did we learn about Games Hunters in Edwardian times? what did we learn about British colonisation? and if nothing, what did he bring to the table in any other way? (not everything has to be a learning opportunity after all, but there has to be a reason for a whole fucking character to exist in a thing)

FULL RATING: 53/100 (if I can count….)

this episode could have had such a high ranking for its genuinely fun plot, and for giving us an interesting (if so far unnecessary, but We Shall See) denouement on Amy's and Rory's storyline

as it stands the rampant racist sexism makes it one I just wouldn't recommend unfortunately

[milkyymooo]

Sims 4 M.A.S.H w/ Wheels

I wanted to play M.A.S.H in the Sims while combining a gameplay and build challenge, so I created this version of the Sims 4 M.A.S.H challenge. I created a few wheels to choose your mash options. Note that I've added DLC options, I've tried to label them all for ease of use. If you do not have the DLC feel free to spin again. If there are any mistakes or suggestions on additions, let me know! Also, feel free to share your M.A.S.H results with me :P

How to play M.A.S.H

M.A.S.H stands for "Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House" which is a permanent fixture of every M.A.S.H game. Traditionally played in school and played to predict the future. To start, one would write M.A.S.H at the top of a page and an empty 3x3 grid. In the empty spaces, you would write categories, such as "Partner", "Income", Car", "Number of kids", etc. You must have a minimum of 4 categories. Under those categories, you would write 4 options, typically with 1-2 bad options to make the game more interesting. Once the board is set up, one would roll dice to get a "Magic Number" and this number would determine the rest of the game. From there, you must start on the "M" in "M.A.S.H" and move to the next letter, then the list in each category while counting to your magic number. Once you reach your magic number, cross out the option you land on. Then continue counting from where you were. For example, say I roll 6, I would count as follows:

Round 1

M

A

S

H

Category 1, option 1

Category 1, option 2

Round 2

Category 1, option 3

Category 1, option 4

Category 2, option 1

Category 2, option 2

Category 2, option 3

Category 2, option 4

And so on and so forth. Once a category is left with only 1 option, it becomes the winner of that category and is skipped in future countings. Once you have a winner in each category, you've finished the game and have all your answers to your future!

To start, make a M.A.S.H board. A template is provided if you want to use it.

You may need MCCC to play this challenge to its full potential.

Rules:

Mansion must be built on the largest lot in the world you get.

Apartment must be one story, on a medium lot, and be part of a building (the rest of the building does not need to be functional).

Shack must be on the smallest lot and count as a "Tiny Home".

House must be on a medium lot and have a backyard.

You must have at least 4 categories.

Spin the wheel 4 times to make up your list for your category.

Must start as a Young Adult.

Build the home shell, floorplan, and exterior decor in World Edit.

You may use freerealestate on to move into your home.

Your starting funds do NOT count towards building the exterior of your home, only the interior. Think of it as moving into a new unfurnished home.

You don't have to use every category I've linked wheels to, you may pick and choose which categories you want to use.

If you choose to do traits, you must add the winning negative trait to your sim.

If you choose to do hobbies, you must include it's skill building item in your build AND have that skill be the highest skill at all times during gameplay. If your starting funds cannot cover the price of your skill building object, it must be the first item you buy. Adding the hobby to your sims likes won't hurt either.

If you choose to do pets and land on a non-household pet (hamster, rat, bird, etc) you must include it in your build. If your starting funds cannot cover the price of your pet, it must be the second item you buy.

Have fun with it. No really! If there's a rule that is making your gameplay no fun, change it! The last thing I want is to make a challenge that's no fun. But if you want a challenge, follow every rule to a tee, or add harder rules. Make it fun for you!

Wheels

Dice Roll

Single Townies

Worlds

Starting Funds

Aspirations

Traits

Careers

No. of Kids

Pets

Hobbies

M.A.S.H Board

Inspired by hhalftone on MTS

[goatofgehenna]

PRIMA VISTA INTERIOR MAP

This isn't really pretty art (haha) but I figured you all might find some interest in this. It came to my attention that I had a very vague idea of how the inside of the Prima Vista's lay out was based on the game.. so I spent several hours doing research with the game trying to piece the thing together into something coherent.

As expected, there are some areas that just seem a little nonsensical from FMV to gameplay and so on.. so I had to get a bit creative. Sorry if it's difficult to read my handwriting!

The Prima Vista overall appears to be made up of four floors, five if you're counting the loft that seems to be above the ship's bridge.

Two of those floors are above deck and two are beneath. The second page, middle panel, is designed to just give a closer view on only the theater side of the ship.

I gave the ship two back up engines - they can't support the ship for a long duration without the main engine, but give it a better chance of safe landing should an accident occur.. there's also an emergency cooling system in the event that the main engine become so catastrophically overheated that it's dangerous.

Washrooms mainly would have been little more than bedpans, buckets and the one more *luxury* privacy room with non-plumbing bench toliet located on one of the larger towers on the outer portion of the ship deck - the tower opposite holding a washtub. Smaller towers appear to hold equipment pertaining to the propellers and interestingly what looks like two bells near the stage..

Most residents sleep in bunks in shared bedrooms, aside from Ruby (being the sole female) and Baku (as captain). I added a Galley or kitchen area and a food pantry. The oven would have provided extra heat to the main floor in the colder regions.

I also added a Parlour or sitting room on the top floor - a place for the Tantalus to congregate when they're not doing so in the kitchen or meeting room.

Added a dressing room on bottom floor, the theatre side, including stair access (from the dressing room to the engine level hallway) for the 'underneath the stage room' where the risers are kept (for best functionality during a performance).

[undeadorion-archive]

And people like SG will forever move the goal post so that things they don't see as "creative" will never be creative enough in their eyes to really count.

Minecraft is derided for everything from being too popular/mainstream to being "for kids." And yet the entire point of the game is to explore and to create. So many different landscapes to play with, they may as well be infinite. The sizes of which are so massive their boundaries may as well be infinite. With an option to play in god mode out of the gate just to build whatever you want. People have build mind-blowing things in the game. From full scale cities you can walk around in with building interiors to functional computers that can do calculations and display graphics.

The possibilities of what you can do in it are genuinely endless, even before you start bringing in plugins and data packs that expand the already expansive functionality. But because you used the framework of a game to build something impressive, guys like SG will still scoff and say it's just a game so it doesn't count.

Nothing is ever good enough in their eyes and they should never be listened to.

new ebbits! new site!

[cityof2morrow]

Bella Brand: Body By Bella 001

Published: 11-7-2023 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY “Inspired by the wealth of Bella Goth lore from the Sims/SimCity franchises (aka the “simsverse”), the Bella Brand Series includes more than a dozen sets and 230+ new business-themed items. Lore suggests that the wealth/influence of the Gilman, Crumplebottom, Bachelor, and Goth families increases considerably under Mortimer and Bella Goth, especially the latter. So, this series imagines what a prestigious Bella-based brand might look like…” Masterfully crafted to complement a diversity of body types, Body by Bella includes fashionable shapewear and intimate wear for all ages. This set includes decorative clothing mannequins and functional clothing items (packages and hanging clothing) which can be exchanged for simoleons or up to §100 towards a new outfit.

DETAILS Requires ALL EPs/SPs. You need Mesh Set 001 (Simmons, 2023) and the Display Counter (BellasSecret_Counter_Somedaythesun)from the TS2 Maxis Match Lingerie Store Set (SomedayTheSun, 2023) – these items are required for all textures to display in-game. The counter uses recolors from the Bosenklavier Model B grand piano (Bon Voyage EP). Find recolors for the counter interior in the Bella Brand: Retail Floor Set (Simmons, 2023). Recolors may include swatches for items in other Bella Brand sets such as signs, packages, cosmetics, etc. Objects in Sims 2 are limited to two recolorable parts, so not all items are recolorable in the same way. Find additional recolors for Bella Brand sets on this site under #ts2recolors, #co2recolors, and #co2bellabrand.

ITEMS Body By Bella Multipacks 001-002 (173 poly) Body By Bella: The AJ (620 poly) Hanging AJ Bottom (446 poly) Hanging AJ Top (469 poly) Body By Bella: The Deborah (478 poly) Hanging Deborah (526 poly) DOWNLOAD (choose one) from SFS | from MEGA

Functional Apparel Objects Apparel objects are debug items and show up as “clothing pile” in the catalog (Misc > Dressers). They must be placed on one of the DEBUG displays/shelves or they’ll float. Once purchased, take them out of the sim’s inventory and choose from one of the following: Purchase Clothing. Select an outfit (or several) of any type. Each apparel object is worth §100 towards the TOTAL cost. Sims save more money (and your businesses make more money) if they use one apparel object per new outfit. Sell. Recycle the object for §100 simoleons.  If you exit the Buy Clothing window without adding anything to your shopping cart, §100 will be added to the sim’s household funds instead. Apparel objects are worth §100 regardless of how much sims pay for them on OFB/community lots. Pricing an item below this amount can function like a discount sale (i.e., pay $75 in-store and §100 towards the purchase or a 25% “discount/rebate.” You can decide whether this counts as cheating). Pricing it above this amount is not recommended since sims will end up losing extra money. Debug objects have slots which “catch” fellow clones if you place them too close. To prevent this when trying to clutter them close together, turn “snap objects to grid” OFF and “move objects” OFF.

CREDITS No copyright infringement intended. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. CCA = Creative Commons Attribution. Thanks: @CatherineTCJD, @gayars, @gummilutt, @haziewhims, KashmirSims (Rach’), @somedaythesun, whoward, Easy Shine Removal Kit (PF Forest, 2023), Reducing GUIDs/OBJs Tutorial (HugeLunatic, 2022), Sketchfab and Blender Communities. Sources: SEE CREDITS (ALT).

[seothe]

How to Secure the Best Personal Loan in Singapore: Tips and Tricks

Why Home & Garden Essentials Count

A comfortable, designed, and curated living space reflects personal style and taste, not to mention the comfort aspect. It matters not if you are talking about a modest apartment or a spacious house; home and garden essentials can greatly transform the atmosphere and contribute towards functionality and aesthetic appeal of the space. These form the basis of achieving a warm, inviting, and relaxing space suited to a particular lifestyle.

From stylish outdoor furniture to decorative indoor plants, storage solutions to lighting ideas, everything goes a long way in changing an ordinary house into a home. In the following article, we will be dealing with some of the most imperative home and garden essentials that help uplift your living space as well as give you enough ideas on improving your interior as well as exterior decor.

A Patio Must-Haves: Some Essentials Furniture

The patio or garden area of your house is always a place for you to relax, entertain a guest, or just grab a cup of coffee while watching the sun rise. To make the most of your outdoor space, having the right furniture is important. Here are some must-haves in outdoor furniture that can turn your patio into a stylish and comfortable retreat:

Comfortable Seating Options A seating area is the heart of any outdoor space. Do you like bistro set seating, perfect for small group get-togethers, or a massive sectional to host family and friends? Comfortable seating in an outdoor area is a must. Durable, weather-resistant materials to help withstand the elements are wicker, aluminum, or teak.

Add cushions or outdoors pillows for increased comfort. Sunbrella fabric is the best for cushions and pillows, as it contains water-resistance and is UV-protected, which keeps them looking vibrant longer. Invest in a comfortable outdoor lounge chair or hammock for ultimate relaxation.

Outdoor Dining Table An eating table outside is one of the most bare essentials you should include in your patio if you will host dinner parties, have barbecues, or just do casual meals out there. Choose a wrought iron, wood, or stone table because they can face the outdoor exposure. Do the same thing to the chairs, which should serve the same purposes as the table: both style and comfort.

A folding compact table with chairs is perfect for small spaces. A bigger patio requires a table with expandable features that can accommodate more guests comfortably.

Outdoor Umbrella or Pergola The sun, during warmer months, can be overpowering, so shade in an outdoor space is quite a game-changer. An umbrella outdoors or a pergola would work well. They supply the much-needed shade but also give your patio an elegant touch.

Choose an umbrella that's large enough to provide your seating area with sufficient cover from the rain or windy days. Pergolas provide more structure to your outdoor setting and can even be ornamented with climbing plants, such as ivy or wisteria for that old world character.

Fire Pit or Outdoor Heater This can extend the use of the patio into cooler months by having a fire pit or an outdoor heater. Fire pits create such warmth in an inviting atmosphere that they make perfect features for chill evenings spent outdoors with friends and family. Whether you opt for the classic wood-burning fire pit or go for a gas one, this generates a focal point and warmth added to the patio area.

Outdoor space heaters, freestanding or mounted, are some great options you can make use of to ensure the space is warm and comfortable. Choose an outdoor heater that complements your décor; they should be stylish and add warmth to your space.

Indoor Plants: Fresh and Lush Look Indoor plants are not a fad; they are one way of bringing nature indoors. They beautify your house, purify the air, and give you a calm ambiance. For an interior design with several different species of plant, it would add a sense of vitality, vigour, and cleanliness to your home.

Low Maintenance Houseplants Not everyone has a green thumb, but that does not mean you cannot get some green into your home. There are many very low-maintenance plants that require very little care and can thrive indoors. Some of the most popular include the following:

Snake Plants (Sansevieria): Snake plants are very resilient, valued for their air-purifying qualities, but they can tolerate low light and not be watered often. ZZ Plants (Zamioculcas zamiifolia): This plant is durable and can tolerate low-light conditions with less water, so it is perfect for beginner gardeners. Pothos: Pothos is a low-maintenance houseplant that thrives in many different conditions. It's great to place hanging baskets or as something to trail over shelves.

Statement Plants If you want to make a bigger statement, go big with huge plants which will be the focal points in any room. Some of these are:

Fiddle Leaf Fig: The large glossy leaves make the fiddle leaf fig suitable for adding drama and height in your room. Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica): Adds sophisticated feel to a space with deep dark green huge leaves Bird of Paradise: If you like an exotic touch, you will love the ornamental foliage of its large banana-like leaves.

Succulents and Cacti Succulents and cacti are excellent for providing texture and diversity to your indoor plants. They are as sparingly watered and can grow quite well in bright lights. There is a great diversity of shapes and sizes in these plants, perfect for unique arrangement.

You can display them on shelves, desks, or windows for a modern minimalist style. Group a few different varieties of them together in a fashion planter for a trendy feel.

Hanging Plants Hanging plants are great when space is limited or a visually appealing look is desired for the home. They can be hung from ceilings, near windows, or over furniture. Some of the popular hanging plants include pothos, spider plants, and ivy. For an extra flair, use macramé plant hangers or decorate with planters. Style Your Storage Solutions Storage is most essential in every home, and stylish yet practical storage solutions can make all the difference in how your space feels. It's keeping it well-organized while at the same time creating that polished, welcoming ambiance.

Multifunctional furniture Consider multi-functional furniture pieces that do two things at once. For example, an ottoman with a section of storage or a coffee table with drawers can really provide a good storage compartment without letting clutter flood your room. A sofa bed or storage bench is also a wonderful idea for a room as it saves space while providing extra storage areas simultaneously.

Floating Shelves Floating shelves are the aesthetic method of book storage, decoration pieces, or plants. They are also not too difficult to put up in a room and don't waste that much space vertically. They are really practical for small apartments or rooms since there isn't much floor space available.

Decorative Baskets and Trunks Baskets and trunks are one simple way of decluttering and still creating that rustic or chic look in the house. You can make use of wicker baskets for storage purposes in bathrooms, sitting rooms, or even bedrooms. Trunks can also be used as excellent coffee tables or can be placed at the foot of a bed while providing functionality as well as style.

Under-Bed Storage Make the most of the space under your bed as an excellent bedroom storage area. Invest in stylish under-bed storage boxes or bins, and stash away extra bedding, shoes, or seasonal clothing from view but still accessible. It is great for bedrooms with little closet space.

Brighten any room with these lighting ideas: Lighting is one of the most essential elements in setting up ambiance and maximizing the functionality of a room. Proper lighting can transform the entire space inside, making it feel warmer and cozier or more vibrant and alive. Here are just a few lighting ideas that bring any room to a whole new level:

Statement Chandeliers Chandeliers are not meant only for the fine dining; they add a dramatic touch to living rooms, bedrooms, and even bathrooms. You may choose the type of chandelier which suits your taste; be it modern, vintage, or industrial and a perfectly installed chandelier can turn out to be the showstopper in any room.

Ambient Lighting Ambient lighting is essential. It is going to give a soft and warm atmosphere. Sometimes, general illumination throughout the room can be brought by floor lamps, table lamps, or pendant lights. Make sure you choose dimmable lights so that you can have different and necessary lighting levels depending on the mood or time of day.

Task Lighting Task lighting is used to light an area for a specific task, such as reading, cooking, or working. Good examples of task lighting include desk lamps, kitchen under-cabinet lighting, or bedside lamps. Consider using fixtures that create focused light but prevent glare.

Accent Lighting Accent lighting is very useful in underlining any feature within a room, such as artworks, architectural features, or even greenery. This can be achieved through wall sconces, spotlights, or even LED strip lights to highlight focal points within the room.

Conclusion

The right home and garden essentials are the keys to elevating your living space. It's maybe the perfect patio furniture for a cozy outdoor retreat or bringing life inside with indoor plants. It's really the choices you make in curating your space that'll help transform your environment into one that feels not only useful but personal and inspiring as well.

From intelligent storage solutions to ambient lighting to lush greenery, each of these details is thoughtfully put together to give you the space that reflects your taste perfectly and would help in bringing a better experience at home. Careful choices of home and garden essentials will thus provide you with a space that will be your home, wherein you can enjoy life for years to come.

[tickerplays]

IntTransforming eriors: How Indoor Ticker Tapes Elevate Information Flow

In this fast-moving world, information is the key to the success of any business, the way you present data can make all the difference. Even if it is an office, stock exchange, educational institution, or shopping mall, indoor LED tickers have become an important tool for simplifying communication. 

These extensive LED ticker displays are not only capable of effectively passing information but also embellishing the area. In this blog, we will explore how LED time tickers have developed over the years, how they can be used, and how they can benefit us in various environments. 

What Are LED Ticker Tapes? 

LED ticker tapes are digital displays that stream real-time information like stock prices, news updates, or custom messages. It comes in multiple variations such as sizes and designs, these indoor LED tickers are best for offices, financial institutions, retail spaces, etc. 

A famous alternative is the LED circular ticker, a curved display that wraps around pillars or other structures and creates a piece of dazzling, 360-degree information to stream. Whatever ticker you have straight or curved, these LED tickers can easily stream financial data, social media feeds, or motivational messages customized to your workplace requirements. 

Improving Communication with Indoor LED Tickers 

One of the major functions of indoor LED tickers is to enhance information in real time. It can be easily installed in a corporate lobby or a financial institution, making sure that everyone gets the information with the relevant updates. Here are some methods through which LED tickers improve communication: 

Corporate Offices: Big corporate offices use LED ticker displays to share company updates, motivational quotes, key metrics, or performance evaluations of teams with one another. It helps employees to be occupied, lined up, and informed throughout the day without disturbing workflows.

Academic Institutions: Institutions like universities and schools utilize LED ticker displays for showing class schedules, event reminders, and announcements. Such displays allow all the students and the staff to read the important information displayed in a rotating, scrolling manner.

Retail Spaces and Shopping Malls: In malls, you have seen LED circular tickers and linear tickers advertising deals, flash sales, and upcoming events. These tickers grab the customer's attention with limited-time promotions, improving the shopping experience and boosting sales. 

Financial LED Tickers: A Game-Changer for the Business World

Financial LED tickers are very common in stock markets, brokerage firms, and financial institutions without which they cannot run. Offering traders, and investors real-time breaking stock market news via up-to-the-minute updates on all financial and trending tickers. Bank and brokerage firms utilize these to improve customer experience by showing interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and pertinent financial news.

When things like prices are changing and volatile, then financial organizations need to get information out quickly to the trading floors where a message will light up with this new price on our indoor LED tickers so that every second counts but also when waiting in areas.

Elevating Aesthetics with LED Ticker Displays

With all these features combined, LED ticker displays can completely style your interior. Placing the indoor LED ticker somewhere in a room can draw everyone's attention to it, providing you with an eye-catching visual experience. For example, Circular LED tickers deployed over columns or suspended from ceilings can transform normal spaces to immersive futuristic world. Combining this info and style empowers businesses to truly represent their brand image by showing just how tech-forward they can be.

Conclusion

The use of indoor LED tickers in contemporary habitats is fast shifting from being an extraordinary business need to something that you must have. Whether financial LED tickers for schools or information-treated plain old round 

LED ticker, these displays are a step up in more ways than one as they not only enlighten the surroundings with real-time data but offer an interactive mode to communicate and enrich any interior. 

LED Ticker tapes are reinventing the way for information exchange in real-time, displaying visually rich luminous text that conveys more than words within a split of time. 

[rohanmohanty]

Looking for Spacious 2 & 3 BHK Homes in Hinjewadi? Here’s Why Krisala 41 Zoy Should Be Your Choice

If you're someone like me, juggling work and home life in Pune, finding a place that offers both comfort and convenience is a game-changer. Recently, I found myself in the same dilemma—searching for a home that ticked all the boxes, especially since I work in Hinjewadi's bustling IT hub. That’s when I came across Krisala 41 Zoy in Hinjewadi, and let me tell you, it has been an eye-opener.

Prime Location in the Heart of Hinjewadi

We all know how important location is, especially when commuting takes up a chunk of our time. Krisala 41 Zoy Hinjewadi is ideally located just 200 meters from the Pall Metro Station. For someone who’s been stuck in traffic jams more times than I can count, this was a huge plus. It means easy access to my office in Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, which is just 6 minutes away. Plus, the convenience of having D Mart and a variety of schools nearby made this location even more appealing. It's perfect for families who need that balance between work, school, and daily needs.

Spacious 2 & 3 BHK Homes That Feel Like a Dream

When I first walked into one of the sample flats at Krisala 41 Zoy, I could feel that this wasn’t just another cookie-cutter apartment. The 23-story tower offers both 2 BHK and 3 BHK homes, and trust me, the space is the first thing you’ll notice. Each home is designed to maximize natural light, which gives the entire space a warm and inviting feel.

I was particularly impressed by the size of the rooms and how functional the layout is. There’s plenty of space for a growing family or for those who just want to enjoy a little extra room. Whether you’re relaxing in the spacious living room or cooking in the kitchen, the apartments here are designed with real people in mind—people who want comfort without compromising on style.

World-Class Amenities to Elevate Your Lifestyle

Now, let's talk about the fun stuff—amenities! Krisala Hinjewadi doesn't just stop at offering you a roof over your head. The project comes with an array of world-class amenities that will make you feel like you're living in a resort. The infinity pool, perched over 50 feet high, was one of the first things that caught my eye. After a long day, imagine being able to unwind with a swim, all while taking in panoramic views of the city.

There’s also a yoga center, a daycare for working parents, and even an amphitheater where you can enjoy community events. It’s clear that Krisala 41 Zoy isn’t just selling homes, they’re offering a lifestyle. Whether you’re an active person who loves to work out in the gym or someone who enjoys peaceful moments in a beautifully landscaped garden, there’s something for everyone here.

A Home That Grows With You

One of the things I appreciated most about Krisala 41 Zoy is its focus on providing a home that adapts to your needs. Whether you're a young couple just starting out or a family looking for room to grow, these homes feel adaptable. The interiors are not only stylish but practical, with high-quality fittings that make day-to-day living that much easier.

What I also loved is the community vibe this place offers. It’s not just about having a nice apartment—it’s about being part of a community where you feel connected. With so many shared spaces like the clubhouse, play areas, and even a senior citizens’ area, it’s the kind of place where you can see yourself staying for years.

Perfect for Long-Term Investment

If you’re thinking long-term, Krisala 41 Zoy Hinjewadi is more than just a place to live—it’s a smart investment. The rapid development in Hinjewadi, especially with the growing IT hubs and upcoming infrastructure projects like metro connectivity, means property values here are set to rise. So, whether you’re planning to live here or are considering it as an investment, the future looks promising.

Final Thoughts: Is Krisala 41 Zoy Worth It?

In a word, yes! If you're looking for a blend of modern living, prime location, and a touch of luxury, Krisala 41 Zoy in Hinjewadi offers it all. For me, it wasn’t just about finding a house; it was about finding a home that makes sense for my lifestyle. And if that’s what you’re looking for, I highly recommend checking it out. Visit: www.krisala-41zoy.com