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little-star-library · 3 months

Text

Satin Sheets

Pairing: Astarion x gn!Reader

18+ only (mdni please)

Summary: This is just a short little drabble that I brewed in my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about what domestic life with Astarion would be like and I got ahead of myself with this one. Just some spicy fluff with our favorite pale elf.

Genre/Tags: fluff, spicy, little spicy anyways, soft Astarion, slight Dom Astarion, light teasing, blood, blood drinking, sexual themes

Word Count: 2,000+ words

Astarion has always had a taste for the finer things in life, vampire or not, and he has spared no expense when it comes to spoiling you absolutely rotten. And after all that you and your ragtag group of friendly weirdos have been through to defeat the Netherbrain, he took it upon himself to find the “perfect slice of paradise”, according to him, for the fresh start that the two of you so rightly deserved being the heroes of Baldur’s Gate and such. Even if he still remained to be a creature of the night after killing Cazador and refusing to fulfill the right to profane ascension, Astarion yearned for a new life with you by his side and that’s all he could ever want for as long as you’ll have him.

Now searching for your new home was no easy feat as your bosom companion was rather selective in his choices, but you both settled on a little cottage on the outskirts of the Lower City that was a bit of a fixer upper. With a little love and care, along with a generous amount of gold that may or may not have been acquired in an honest manner, your humble abode began to take shape into the ideal sanctuary that Astarion dreamed of. He made sure to include everything that you both could possibly want even if you insisted that he was all you needed to be happy and content, but he insisted on fulfilling all of your desires one way or another. So over time, you and Astarion worked together to create the perfect atmosphere that encompassed a personal reading nook with floor to ceiling bookcases to house all of the books and tomes you collected during your adventures, a small garden for you to plant and grow your favorite herbs and flowers; along with many rugs, furniture, and paintings to decorate the space. But Astarion claimed the bedroom as his domain to furnish. And who were you to deny him?

To say that he lacked any ambition for interior design would be a severe understatement and it certainly showed when it came to his plans for your shared boudoir. Out of the few rooms that were in the cottage, the bedroom would always be Astarion’s favorite. The room itself wasn’t very impressive to him at first glance, but with great determination there came even better possibilities. In the end, the bedroom felt more comfortable yet quaint in his perspective, but in more of a romantic sense nonetheless. Besides the fireplace, there were a smattering of candles placed throughout the area to engulf it in a dim glow along with furs and rugs that lined the wooden floor so Astarion could walk freely without having to dread about the cold temperature of the floorboards. However, the crowning jewel was the four poster bed that stood in the middle of the room with the fluffiest of mattresses, a canopy of crimson red velvet to shut out the sunlight when needed, and a matching set of the softest satin bedsheets that cradled you in a delicate and tender embrace you would never want to let go of.

“Now isn’t this cozy, darling? I think I would go as far to say that this room is the very heart of the house, aside from yours, of course.” His honeyed words always sent your heart a flutter no matter the subject, but he did have a point. Other than the more obvious activities that took place within those bedsheets, you both spent most of your time as of late in bed lazing around and whispering sweet nothings to each other without a care in the world. It truly was paradise to experience something like this with Astarion, to see him so at ease and be able to feel the warmth and love that you held only for him without any further obligations to chain him down. And like so many other occasions that you’ve shared in your bedroom, that is where you currently found yourself now.

The sun had begun to descend for the day and neither you or Astarion had made any motion to draw open the curtains of the canopy. Over time, you began to adjust your sleeping schedule to be more accommodating to your lover’s needs despite your ambitions to discover a way for him to be able to walk in the sun once again. But in the meantime, the two of you basked in the encompassing darkness because this somehow never bothered Astarion, not like this at least, not when he had you wrapped around his frame as he rested atop you and with his head laying against your chest to listen to the slow, rhythmic beating of your heart.

He always awoke from his trance before you so he could admire your presence while you slept and it always made him melt inside knowing that you willingly chose to be in such a vulnerable position all because you trusted him with your life. You looked so peaceful as you slumbered through the day and he looked upon you with an overwhelming amount of admiration, a soft sigh escaping from his lips at the sight. He thought it was truly selfish of him to wake you, but he yearned to hear your voice and feel your loving caress over his body. Your touch was always so gentle and he could never get enough of it.

As gingerly as he could muster, Astarion shifted his weight and started to litter kisses across your chest, starting at where your heart rested and up to the crook of your neck, nibbling gently at the marks he left behind the day before when you offered to let him feed his sanguine hunger, lingering there for a moment as you began to rouse from your slumber. He continued his trek of loving pecks across your jawline and to your cheeks and across your forehead before you puffed out a long exhale with the faintest smile that signaled his trickery at work. With one last dawdling kiss at the corner of your lips from his, you rose a hand to entwine into the crown of disheveled curls that lay over his head, lightly scratching at his scalp which resulted in him falling back into your arms to lay his head upon your chest and practically purring at your gentle affection.

“Awake already, my love? I hope I’m not disturbing your rest.” The low timbre of Astarion’s ‘morning voice’ reached your ears and it sent a shiver down your spine, but you knew all too well of his intentions as you could feel the smirk growing across his face against you.

“No, not all,” you breathed out. “But I was having such a wonderful dream.”

“Oh, is that right? Won’t you tell me about it?” Blinking away the remaining remnants from your sleep addled eyes, you peer down to find those familiar orbs of crimson gleaming in the dark already locking with your gaze that was filled with his fondness and endearment for you.

“Well let’s see,” you closed your eyes and pretended to recollect on your dreams as if they were fading away, but the truth was that you could never forget those vivid visions that your mind had conjured. This earned a playful nip at your sternum from Astarion and it made you squeal in surprise, the sound of him chuckling in response to your squirming only further tested you, but you didn’t have the nerve to complain. You loved it when he was playful with you like this.

“Don’t keep me waiting, love. The anticipation is killing me.”

You looked upon Astarion once more and smiled sweetly at the sight before you. He watched your eyes flutter with his chin resting against your solar plexus and you couldn’t help but lower your hand from his hair to cup his face, stroking your thumb across his pale cheek absentmindedly as your other hand brushed down his arm that was wrapped around your waist. His smile matched your own and let out an unneeded sigh of contentment as he grasped your hand to place a kiss at the inside of your palm, making your breath hitch slightly at the simple gesture. He truly was a vision both in your dreams and reality, a beautiful and somewhat ethereal being that you would instantly gravitate towards.

“It was much like this actually,” your voice barely above a whisper. “Our limbs entangled with each other’s beneath these sheets, gliding across the bed while we take our time caressing and kissing our bodies, mapping out the spots that made us whimper and sigh with pleasure.”

The thought alone made you squeeze your thighs together in search of friction and you could feel a blush rising from your neck to the tip of your ears. Astarion’s eyes seemed to darken in the already dim lighting at the subject of your tale and you could tell that you had his rapt attention by now as he rose from his position to lay on his side with his chin resting in his hand to stare down at you with a look of growing desire consuming his facial features. That sight alone left you breathless and you couldn’t take your eyes off his own gaze, licking your lips in anticipation of his next move.

“Go on, darling. Tell me everything.” His voice emitted a low growl at the sensation of his member hardening against the soft satin, trying to rein in his control before he lost all sense to take you right then and there.

“I-I remember you taking me into your arms,” you began, a slight chill running down your spine at the hungry look in his eyes. Oh gods, those eyes. You knew that look very intimately. It always made you weak at the knees and if it weren’t for the fact that you were lying in bed, you’d be quite sure that he would have you lying in a puddle instead. Trying with all your might to not break eye contact with him was rather difficult, but you couldn’t stand to not see his reactions. “And you devoured me in more ways than one, as if you were completely starved until I begged you to stop, making me cry out your name while you took your fill.”

Your breath was shaking towards the end of your sentence, but Astarion was quick to silence you as he cupped your jaw in both hands at a better angle and leaned down to take your lips in a tender, desperate kiss. The sensation of his mouth was electrifying to say the least and you froze up in surprise for only a second until you hastily reciprocated his actions. There was a familiar pool of warmth that sank in the pit of your core and it grew and grew into a rising flame when your beloved vampire started to tease your bottom lip with the edge of his fangs and a lick of his tongue, silently requesting your permission for entry. You complied willingly and gasped at the touch of his tongue, the two of you moaning softly as you explored each other’s mouths. He tasted utterly divine in what you could only describe as him with the slight undertone of your blood and a hint of red wine he indulged in the night previous. It was simply intoxicating and you never wanted this moment to come to an end. You were floating in a cloud of bliss with only thanks to his attentive ministrations as you held onto him for dear life, tangling your fingers in the curls that rested at the nape of his neck and tugging oh so gently to tease him even more. This earned you another bite from those gorgeous fangs, pricking your flesh until you felt a drop of blood pool to the surface of your lips which Astarion gladly lapped up, making him groan in delight at the taste of your precious essence. But before you even took notice he pulled away suddenly and rested your forehead against yours, the ghost of his cold instinctual breath entwined with your warm gasps of excitement as you tried in vain to regain your breathing. It was all for naught though as you looked up to Astarion and the oxygen left your lungs to see him panting with the pupils of his eyes blown by his carnal thirst that he only held in his undead heart for you.

“Maybe,” you wheezed. “Maybe I’m still dreaming after all.” A chuckle rumbled from Astarion’s chest at your statement and it made your blush darken at the thought of amusing him. It pleased you to know that you could have these little moments of teasing banter that came as a second nature to you both.

“Perhaps you still are, my sweet.” He quipped back, stroking a few loose hairs behind your ear and kissing you at the tip of your nose. “But if this were a dream, then how does it end?”

His smile was infectious and you were completely enamored by his sultry flirting. He knew you couldn’t stand to be teased by him for so long and he knew which buttons to press to get you right where he wanted you. It was infuriating, but you loved it all the same. Brushing your nose along his own, you leaned up just enough to kiss him briefly and wrapped your arms over his shoulders.

“What if there was no ending?” You questioned him. “What if we stay in this dream forever, in each other’s arms just like this?”

“Oh darling,” he thumbs at the bottom of your chin to catch the remaining blood that dribbled from your lips and sucks it into his mouth, licking it away as you whimpered at the sight. “You had me at forever.”

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #astarion ancunin #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #dungeons and dragons #18+ only #18+ content #fluff #smut #little star library

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tiraviarp · 2 months

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You Too, Child?

“Ser Reis, I assure you, your food has not been poisoned.”

Arden peered at Overton over the top of his dodo drumstick. In the dim light of the eatery the retainer had invited him to - some sort of pirate’s bar and fighting ring, he had to guess from the decor and the raucous laughter he knew well from Limsa’s streets -, the boy’s expression was somewhat veiled in shadows. Yet where he couldn’t see if he had a twinkle in his eye, he could see his stupidly normal smile.

Of course he could. He almost missed the brief moments where it wasn’t plastered to his face, when Leigh was threatening his life and refusing to let him run away.

“Can’t a guy be cautious?” he replied back instead of voicing those thoughts, baring his teeth in a lopsided grin. “If ya and yer Lord were plannin’ t’ kidnap or kill me, this’d be the place.”

Overton hummed to himself, his fork tines tapping lightly on the small section of his ceramic plate that wasn’t drowned in butter or occupied by lobster tails. “You think we would pay off the chefs and waiters to do such a thing?”

“Or ya own the place and ya haven’t said anythin’.”

“Make no mistake, I would love to eat here every day during my lunch breaks.” The retainer seemed more amused than anything at the accusation. Not that Arden could blame him - he’d act the same way. “Unfortunately for us, Milord’s power and wealth does not come from the restaurant business. Like any other wealthy man, he saw opportunity in providing funds for our meal tonight.”

Arden had seen opportunity as well. There was far more food on his side of the table than Overton’s: a copy of the other’s buttered lobster tail, a basket of dodo wings to accompany the drumstick in his hand, a bucket of crab legs from who-knew-where, an 8onze bison steak he was waiting to cool down to edible temperature, buttered biscuits and bacon bread pushing up against the unopened bottle of champagne they were meant to share…

Would he be able to eat all of this tonight? Of course not. But if Overton’s lord was paying for whatever he wanted to order, why not order delicious food to last him the week?

But Leigh had also told him to ‘draw him to him’. Would Overton’s lord scream at the bill at refuse to ever let his retainer see him again?

Huh. Maybe he should’ve thought this through more.

“Besides,” Overton continued when the silence stretched on a bit too long, “Milord bade me to observe you. Observing you as an unconscious body or a corpse would not be in the spirit of his request. I think both of us would prefer you to stay in good health, yes?”

Well, that was a good point. Arden gave the drumstick one last cautionary sniff, then bit down.

Chewy, flavorful, and practically dripping with juices. Yep, that was normal meat. Great meat, actually. He hadn’t had such a massive hunk of meat to sink his teeth into in a long time.

Overton watched on with a half-smile, half-grin. “...I can practically see you salivating. It must be good?”

Was he? Arden quickly wiped at his lips, and they came back wet and greasy. The urge to snap and bare his teeth in a wild grin, another chance to see that smile be wiped off the boy’s face in a fraction of a second, surged forward -

No, no, no. He can’t mess this up. Calm, Arden. Stay focused.

With great reluctance, he reached for a napkin to pat his lips dry. Faint black smears from his lipstick stained the cloth as he pulled it away. “Aye, it’s...good. Very good. What’s this place t’ ya again?”

“Oh, it is simply the place where I first met Mx Leigh. As I said, Milord bears no connection to this place. I only picked it for our dinner tonight due to familiarity.”

That couldn’t just be it. Without moving his head, Arden looked out at what parts of the restaurant their booth allowed him to see. Dim lights that created a cozy atmosphere, yet veiled secret smiles and dealings. Tables and barstools spaced just far enough apart, and booths divided by just thick enough barriers, to appear normal, yet provide privacy for their occupants. And while there were tables in the far back corners of the restaurant, Overton had picked a booth relatively in the middle of the space, in the bartender’s line of sight and near enough to the entry stairwell.

Overton wanted an escape route, maybe? And the pressure of the public view? Whatever conversation he wanted to have, he wasn’t interested in secrecy.

Interesting. Just a minor touch of interesting to retainer so stuffy and seemingly obsessed enough with him to stalk him.

But he’d need to show more than that over the course of the dinner. Satisfy his curiosity. Impress him with something he wasn’t expecting. Scratch the itch in his mind that made him wonder why him.

A sudden pop! jerked his attention back to the table. Opened champagne bottle in his hands, Overton gave him an apologetic smile and poured some into his empty wine glass. “Do you drink, Ser Reis?”

“Naaaaah, I’m too much of a lightweight. Spiced tea makes me drunk, apparently.” Arden settled back into his seat, allowing himself to be swallowed up by the cushions. Let Overton set the pace of the night and see what he wanted from him. No reason to waste the opportunity to laze about in decadence in the meantime, right? “Why d’ya ask?”

Overton chuckled softly, setting the bottle back in the back of their table without complaint. In its place, he lifted his wine glass. “I was going to offer a toast. To the start of a great evening with a great companion.”

Oh? This time, Arden let his immediate grin show through as he reached for his water glass. “Oh, ya could do with a lot better of a companion. If ya were hopin’ fer an easy night tonight, I’m not yer guy. Unless ya like trouble?”

A bat of his eyelashes, an uncharacteristic snort from Overton, and a clink! of their glasses started off what would end up being a very interesting series of events.

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

“So, what does ‘observin’ me’ mean?”

Overton glanced up from the chunk of lobster speared on his fork, taking a moment to consider. “...I was given no information other than that directive. I have to assume Milord believes me up to the task of determining exactly what he wants me to observe.”

Well, he’d been expecting a longer answer than that. Was he really going to have to prompt him? Arden had just taken a big bite of dodo, and now he had no chance to savor it. “Which is…? I hate t’ break it t’ ya, Overton,” he didn’t, not really, “but yer not gonna catch me in any illicit schemes or anythin’. If yer lord’s lookin’ t’ blackmail a Maelstrom soldier, there’s a lot more fattier fish in the sea t’ pick from.”

“Oh, I agree. If Milord’s intention was blackmail, he would ask me to observe someone in a position of power. It would need to be someone useful, yes?”

“Oi. Don’t talk about me like I ain’t useful.”

The retainer laughed under his breath, raising a soothing hand. “Peace, Ser Reis. I did not mean it as a jab. I was merely…well. From my observations of you thus far, is it not fair to say you have less power in the Maelstrom than your peers?”

Ah. That was an extremely nice way to say it. “I’m movin’ up in the ranks now, though.” Slowly but surely, as they learned to work with him rather than against him. The transfer to the stealth and reconnaissance unit was working out great for him! He almost didn’t have to think about Lieutenant Tanne anymore.

“Really? Congratulations, then.” Overton put up yet another smile. With so much of his time spent smiling, Arden couldn’t tell what smiles were genuine and which were fake. “But, to return to your question...Milord has been upfront with me before about intentions to blackmail certain individuals. As he has said nothing about his intentions for you, I assume he wants me to observe you simply to patch a hole in his knowledge.”

Arden raised an eyebrow. “Really now.” He almost had to laugh. The supposed master of knowledge that knew things that no one should know about Leigh and Alys didn’t know a thing about him? That was hard to believe.

“It is speculation on my side, of course.” Finally, Overton lifted that chunk of lobster up to his mouth and bit down. Fancy retainer as he was, he had to chew thoroughly and swallow before he continued. “So, I see my task as to learn everything possible about you. Anything that Milord already knows, he can ignore. What is new to him, he can keep, and I can keep my job. Simple, yes?”

“And ya thought that stalkin’ me was the best way t’ get that information?”

The retainer hesitated…then breathed out slowly through his nose. “...I will admit, my ability to sneak undetected was…less than I expected it to be.”

Arden grinned, twirling the remnant of the massive dodo drumstick in hand. “Yeah, ya were shite at it. I caught ya day one.”

“...Really?”

“Yup. Take it from a career sneak: ya sucked. A baby could’ve pointed ya out. I bet if they were around, my old unit would’ve spotted ya, too. And they had less than half a workin’ brain from all the cheap swill they kept drinkin’!”

For just a moment, Overton looked almost hurt, with his furrowed brow and frown. His jaw worked, and Arden waited with bated breath for the no-doubt upset and frustrated spiel he was surely about to spew.

But instead, he took a deep breath and reached down to the seat beside him. A worn, purple-dyed, leatherbacked journal landed on the table with a gentle thud, a quill and inkpot following it. Still with that furrowed brow, Overton wet his quilltip and flipped to the first non-paintstained page in the journal.

“...Let’s start with that,” he grumbled. “Likes to rub failure into people’s faces.”

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One bell into their dinner, and Arden had to conclude that Overton was boring.

Who knew that being the center of conversation would be something he learned to despise? Overton seemed to have an endless amount of questions for him, and he should be reveling in the attention! That was how it normally went: someone would decide to take interest in him for some reason, he’d respond as his usual self - truthful, sharp, maybe a little goading if he was feeling particularly stimulation-starved that night -, and their reaction would be a catalyst to keep the engine of a good night rolling.

But Overton, as he and Limsa Lominsa’s combined military force had learned, was nothing. He was simply smiles and empty air. The moments when Arden gave into his impulses and fished for a reaction cracked those never-ending smiles, and he could almost see something else on the other side; but like clockwork, the retainer simply patched up the holes and continued on as if nothing had ever happened.

The mission to ‘keep him around’ was important, yeah, but he also needed to stay sane.

Even his current topic of interest, his abilities as a thaumaturge, was utterly dry. Novice-like, but without the true desire to learn anything. Every response prompted more notes written in his journal, and he wouldn’t be surprised of those notes were as dry as he was.

So. He needed to make his own fun.

“I don’t know where yer gettin’ yer information, but yer plain wrong about a lotta things. Ya wouldn’t survive a single introductory class.” Without moving an inch, Arden extended the invisible tendrils of his own aether toward Overton’s across the table, all while responding to the retainer’s latest inquiry.

The feedback was…odd. Before he could reach any aether, his senses brushed up against something smooth and obscuring, yet fragile, like fogged-glass on a shower door, extending as far as he could feel. A barrier, maybe, or a containment spell, but a horribly ineffective one; who would make a defense like this as thin as paper? It was oh-so-easy to slip through the porosity of the ‘glass’ -

And immediately drop into what felt like a volcano’s funnel. Overpoweringly fire-aspected aether seared at his senses from all sides, threatened to scramble and melt them by submerging them in the simmer, bubbling pot of lava below. Not a single other element in sight, at least at the surface level. It was a wholly inhospitable place that would set off the fight or flight reflexes of just about anyone, save himself.

99% of people were at least a mixture of two elements. Even he himself was a part of that group. If Overton wasn’t…

“What do you mean?” Overton replied as if nothing was wrong at all.

He’d need to dig a little deeper to see if there was anything else. Arden crossed his arms over his chest and hummed audibly, putting on a show of thinking. All the while, his aether pressed further forward, searching and probing for -

There. A small, barely perceptible stream of earth aether, existing just beneath the sea of fire. Yet even particles in the stream were ‘waterlogged’ with fire-aspect, clinging to their surfaces like a tick to wolf fur. A parasite.

It wouldn’t stay as earth aether for long. With enough heat and time, they would rise and join the flow. If the fiery heat continued to melt and steam everything in its vicinity, nothing would replace it.

Was there a source of this heat? Or was Overton shifting to be like him, continually burning in the core of planet, only with no escape?

Overton was looking at him expectantly. Right, this was a conversation, not a diagnosis on potential aetherical corruption.

“Traditional guilds of magic exist,” Arden began, claws clicking on the wooden table. “They teach specific spellcasters specific elements. Conjurer’s guild teaches wind, water, and earth; Thaumaturge’s teaches fire, ice, and lightnin’. Everythin’ else is unaspected.”

Overton nodded, scratching down yet more notes into his journal. “So…you only know half of the elements, then. And can only do things within those elements?”

“If I stuck t’ only traditional thaumaturgy, aye. But why cut myself off from everythin’ else? Once I learn the rest of the elements, I can do whatever I want.”

The retainer paused his scribbling, slowly lifting his head to look at him once more. “...What do you mean?”

“Think of it like this.” Arden lifted his hand, turning it palm up. Overton stared at him with rapt attempt, quill hanging in the air above his journal page. “Everythin’s based in one or more of those elements. By usin’ them in different ratios and in different ways…shouldn’t ya be able t’ do anythin’ ya wanted? By itself, fire’s just fire.” Purple smoked up from his tail’s chain-focus, and in a rush of heat, fire gathered in his empty palm -

Immediately across the way, he felt a wave of fire surge through Overton’s aether, alien in signature and yet somehow familiar.

And then another.

And another.

Like the pulsing signal of a Garlean radio, the waves continued to wash over the boy’s aether. In front of him, Overton simply watched the flame flicker and bounce in his hand.

Now this was interesting. Narrowing his eyes, Arden focused his mind entirely on the sensation and pressed his senses onward, cutting through fiery wave after fiery wave, eventually arriving at their source:

A singular, brightly-burning ember, buried deep in that sea of fire that was Overton’s melted aether. An old, dusty mote of flame that was so dwarfed by its surroundings that it was no wonder he missed it. With the fire in his hand serving as its fuel, the rhythmic waves it unleashed into its surroundings mirrored his experiences of Gyr Abania in the summer months: suffocatingly superheated air that melted the vision, the body, and the mind without reprieve, and the whisper of heatstroke urging all trapped in the labyrinth of fire to close their eyes and rest.

“...Are you alright, Ser Reis?” he heard Overton question distantly, looking at him over the flame with polite concern. As if his melted aether itself wasn’t a concern.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” he replied just as distantly, trying to focus on that ember and figure out why it felt so familiar. As not a piece of Overton’s natural aether, it was technically a corruption - but where did the corruption come from?

And is this why he was the way he was? He seemed to be perfectly ignorant to it all, simply waiting for him to continue his lecture.

“...fire tornado, was what I was gonna say. Fire and wind.” Arden closed his fist around the conjured flame and smothered it. All at once, the waves of heat stopped running rampant through Overton’s aether, and the red-hot ember began to darken and cool. Something in his mind urged that he needed to keep talking, keep Overton’s attention diverted away from his aether or else he might lose this chance. “...Or, uh, true invisibility.”

“‘True invisibility’?” Overton echoed, his quilltip touching paper once more. “The type that shinobi utilize in their missions?”

“Yeah, the…” Perhaps he was putting too much of his attention on Overton’s aether. Even he could tell his verbosity was slipping. But it was much more interesting to investigate this corrupt aether. Like a surgeon with their fancy tools, Arden carefully plucked a strand of the melted aether from the lava and watched how liquid fire sloughed off of it like decayed skin. “The real kind. Making that work would make my work life a lot easier.”

Overton hummed amicably, fingers tapping against the back of his journal. “I imagine it would. You work as a reconnaissance unit, correct? Being able to turn invisible would certainly make infiltrating enemy encampments a lot easier.”

If the fire aether fell apart so easily, then maybe it hadn’t actually corrupted everything. Maybe a core of Overton’s original aether remained, simply covered in lava-like sludge. Yet, as the seconds ticked by, the steady molasses-like flow continued unabated.

Was there really this much corruption?

“Ser Reis…?”

“Uh,” Arden stammered, blinking back into reality for just a moment. Overton looked at him expectantly over the top of his journal, that pleasant smile still in place.

Well, if the corruption was so saturating, it was time to see if it was solid. “...Repeat what ya said again.”

“...I had said that surely, true invisibility would be a great boon to your work, because of your work as a reconnaissance unit, correct?”

Ducking his tail under the table, Arden focused on the fiery sludge coating the ‘melted’ aether and pressed it very lightly in the direction of lightning.

It refused to budge. If Overton noticed anything, he didn’t show it.

He pressed harder, molding it under his metaphorical fingers like a glob of fatty, nerve-ridden tissue. Turn to lightning, he commanded.

…It shifted, ever so slightly.

“...Have I said something wrong, Ser-”

“No, yer fine,” he snapped more aggressively than he intended. Keep him distracted, Arden. If he hasn’t noticed anything yet, you might be able to get away with this. “It’s, uh…more than that. If I can turn other things invisible, that’d help too. Got a big aethernet shard I gotta, uh, sneak into a Sahagin lair.”

If he were paying attention at all, he’d notice how Overton’s eyebrows almost shot into his hairline. “...an aethernet shard? Why?”

However, all he noticed was that Overton wasn’t screaming at him to stop. Behind closed lips, Arden grit his teeth and dug his metaphorical fingers in, squeezing it into every last crevice of the mold of lightning, forcing it to change shape.

As soon as he felt the snap of the aether complying with his demands and the zing of lightning-aspected aether touch his’, Overton suddenly stilled, the pleasant smile altogether dropping from his face as a hand came up to the back of his head. “...What’re you-”

A brilliant red light gleamed from under the table, illuminating the retainer in haunting shades of fire -

And Arden choked as a wave of old, musty, rotten, hadn’t-seen-the-light-of-day-in-years fire-aspected aether slammed into him and his extended, vulnerable senses like a tidal wave, nearly bowling him over in his seat -

A rush of blinding, dizzying-superheated desert air filled his lungs and burned the air he struggled to gasp in -

The acid taste of smoke clung to his tongue and globs of soot and ash imprinted themselves onto his skin, sunk through his skin into his flesh and bones -

The echoes of claws and teeth from a beast much larger than him rested their points against his shoulders and neck, bloodlust and superiority driving them to rip through his jugular and string him up by the shoulderblades -

And then, they were gone, and it was just him and his retainer stalker, seated at their table in the middle of a pirate-themed tavern.

Overton’s frown cut a deep groove in his otherwise-pleasant face, his quill dropping on the table and his hand reaching for his side. “...Ser Reis, are you…feeling alright?”

All Arden could manage was to grab the edge of their table with shaking hands, his body trembling as he hauled himself out of his chair. “I’ll…be right back.”

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

That was it. That was the where he recognized the ember from.

The pulse of fire-aspected aether that’d slammed all of them the first time they’d met Overton outside of Limsa Lominsa had felt odd. It hadn’t dropped him to the ground back then, but now?

Several minutes later, Arden still kept a hand on the wall outside the restrooms, just in case. The level of sheer overstimulation his nerves got in one blast of that aether rivaled the total sum of lightning aether he’d shocked himself with while testing his Manaward capabilities over the course of a week. If this were any other situation, he’d call on a chocobo porter to deliver him to an inn before he even thought about teleporting.

Lesson learned: don’t make yourself vulnerable to aetheric blasts around Overton.

But was was it? Overton hadn’t looked like he’d casted any spell: he didn’t appear to have any spell foci, including the dagger from before. Neither did his expression after the blast look like one of vengeance of smug justification, a retaliation against messing with his aether. And no spell cast using either that ‘melty’ personal aether or the aether of their current environment would feel old.

A bottled fire sprite hidden on his person wouldn’t make it feel like a beast was breathing down his neck. Unless sealed tightly with a spell or some kind of mechanism, the aether of a fire-aspected beast, whether alive or dead, would dissipate quickly into the environment. And if Overton did have the sealed aether of a beast, it certainly wasn’t sealed anymore. If that much aether was being blasted out with each breach of the seal, there wouldn’t be much aether left in it at all after long.

And nothing explained why Overton, polite and harmless retainer as he portrayed himself to be, who was now on Limsa Lominsa’s watch list partially because of these aetherical blasts, would keep the source of the aetherical blasts on his person where he could easily get caught.

He was so lucky he was suddenly more interesting to him free than he was behind bars.

Below Arden’s overstimulated nerves sat a buzzing feeling of another kind. To dig deeper, to infiltrate the retainer’s aether once again, throw all caution into the wind and investigate to sate his own curiosities. Overton certainly wasn’t going to be forthcoming with the information, if he knew anything at all - the fire corruption was layered so thick over his aether that there was a chance he was ignorant to the utter abnormality of those pulses.

But, no. He couldn’t risk getting actually knocked off his feet by another pulse. If he extended his aether further, and a stronger pulse went out, it could affect him much more severely to the point of health complications. Leigh seemed to bear the brunt of that when they were cornered by the Yellowjacket and his hirelings.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t get other information from Overton. Information that he didn’t have to ask for, and information that Overton didn’t need to know he knew.

Arden grimaced as his shot aether roiled against his magic, but he forced the nausea down and focused his surroundings. The fire aether that Overton had unleashed still flitted intangibly and invisibly about the room, so he’d need to factor that into his ratio, but there was no speck of aether in this tavern that he couldn’t read. Just because he couldn’t cast spells of all the other elements didn’t mean he needed to, at least in this moment.

He specialized in twisting aether to whatever aspect and polarity he desired more than he specialized in what the rest of the world called ‘thaumaturgy’ these days. A little bit of missing information wouldn’t hurt Overton.

As quick as he could, Arden fine-tuned every particle of aether in his body to match the particles making up the dimly-lit tavern. There was no telling when Overton would pulse again, and his invisibility didn’t need to perfectly match his surroundings this time. All he needed was just enough invisibility to get close. Only when he couldn’t see the hair lying across his face anymore did he creep forward, balancing on the balls of his feet and doing his best to muffle the sound of his heeled boots on the rickety wooden floorboards.

Still seated at their table, Overton looked perfectly at peace despite the explosion of aether just a few minutes ago. Had he really taken the opportunity to finish off his lobster while he was struggling to not throw up? No matter what would end up happening with him, Arden had to respect that at least. Now that there was no bulky buttery plate in the way (someone must have come to take it while he was gone), the boy’s journal was laid out across it. And of course, he was still writing in it.

Not that that was a bad thing. It gave him time to snoop.

Arden hovered just behind the retainer’s chair, peering at the pages visible past Overton’s bent head. Fairly neat handwriting - though not as neat as his own, he declared with pride! - covered a majority of each page, and the cycle of his thought process was clear. Start a list of notes and observations, embellish far too much and start disrupting the flow of the notes, add additional notes in a diagonal scrawl around each item, add notes on top of those additional notes to the point that a page became a cluster of words all smashing into each other, then finally go to a new page. Rinse and repeat, and Overton had a journal full of detailed notes he’d have to spend days to decode before he could actually use them.

Oh, but there were little doodles interspersed throughout the jumble of words! Little doodles of little things, like each piece of gold jewelry he wore tonight and the shape of his hands down to the perfect points of his claws. How cute.

If Overton hadn’t sought him out purely because of his aetheric corruption, maybeLeigh’s, Suki’s, and Alys’ theory that the boy had a crush on him bore some weight. Boy was he going to be disappointed when he learned the truth.

Everything else about the journal felt very mundane, though. As far as he could tell, for how complex Overton’s scattered notetaking ‘style’ made it look, all the written notes were just about the various conversations they’d had tonight. Nothing in particular stood out, aside from the confirmation that the retainer was a complete novice when it came to magic.

Except when Overton turned to the last page, and both he and Arden were faced with two things: a rather detailed sketch of Arden himself (again, cute), and a page dedicated to a different kind of notetaking altogether:

It was a code, obviously. He only had minimal codebreaking experience; this was far beyond what he knew how to solve. But why code language in his own journal in the first place? Unless he was meant to hand it over to his Lord - but why would he write his secrets in the book he was giving away?

Interesting. The more and more he looked past Overton’s normal exterior, the more interesting he got.

Slipping his hand into his pocket, Arden pulled out his tomestone and activated the aetherograph, snapping a picture of the code array -

Just in time for Overton’s shoulders to hunch protectively, and his head to turn to look directly at him. Arden froze on instinct, looking down at the rest of where his body should’ve been.

Still invisible, thankfully, but maybe not forever. Overton’s gaze may’ve been looking through him now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t realize he’d been snooped on if his just enough invisibility chose to out him.

Arden cautioned a step backward, doing his best to muffle the sound. The wood flooring forced a low thunk out of the motion anyway, and this time Overton turned his whole side to follow the sound, eyebrows furrowing together.

Shite. He was going to have to take off his boots, wasn’t he? Arden began to bend low, but paused as a glimmer of gold caught his eye.

The lapel of Overton’s jacket hung open in the way the retainer had twisted to stare right through him. Pinned to his undershirt and glinting faintly in the tavern light were two pieces of jewelry: the intricate, fragile-looking gold…no, bronze? timepiece that caught his eye, and a thumb-sized silver brooch framed in tiny emerald jewels. And now that he was close enough, he could spy a silver necklace chain looping around his neck before disappearing below his undershirt’s neckline.

Odd that he would hide jewelry. If either the timepiece, brooch, or apparent amulet were aetherically treated, they could serve as magical foci. But just looking at Overton's journal proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was a complete and utter novice to magic. And if they were magical artifacts gifted to him, like that dagger…Arden wouldn’t be able to prove that without putting himself at risk of a fire aether pulse to the heart.

As if feeling the curiosity roiling off him, Overton called out, “...Ser Reis, are you there?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Arden caught a glimpse of chain-adorned red fur streaking briefly into view. Any moment, he could get caught.

Yet, underneath the eustress that made him hold his breath tight, he also felt…something else. A trickle of sensation that wended and wound itself around and around his mind like a coiling snake, pulling his attention toward the center of Overton’s chest, where the amulet’s chain seemed to end.

Where despite a reason he could find, he felt an absence, a void.

The call of that void.

He needed to figure out what it was. Slowly, Arden stood back up to his full height and chanced to lean forward, peering down the small gap between the undershirt’s neckline and his skin.

As if swallowed by the darkness beyond, the dim light of the tavern didn’t penetrate far. But it did show him…

Deep, dark purple crystal, a starless twilight sky captured for eternity.

Grooves and facets that, when put together, produced the shape of a flame.

The familiar sign of a meteor carved into its front, only visible by the remnants of light catching in the groove.

Arden’s hand snapped forward to grab the necklace’s chain, claws tangling in its links -

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

“What,” Overton hissed angrily, “were you thinking.”

Try as he might, the bone-deep ache in Arden’s wrist from where the retainer had grabbed him refused to be ignored. In the back of his mind, he knew he should be questioning why a scrawny kid had that much strength, and why all of it would be funneled into the instinct to break his wrist. Maybe he’d circle around to those thoughts later.

Or maybe he wouldn’t. His mind was thumming with other thoughts rushing through his head, fueled by the overwhelming desire that drove him to such a reckless attempt at claiming that hidden prize. Until he got his hands on it, would he even have a mind for anything else?

“Why’d have a Black Mage soul stone,” he hissed back in return.

“Does it matter why I have one?” Overton waved him off as if it wasn’t important. As if he didn’t care. “You attacked me, Ser Reis.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So?!”

“Yeah, ‘so’!” Arden jabbed a claw in the direction of his stupid scowling face. “What ya have there is what I’ve been lookin’ fer fer years! Any smart guy would try t’ get it off ya, whether yer alive fer it or not.”

“Ser Reis, I have done nothing to warrant this kind of behavior -”

“Ya were stalkin’ me fer two sennights, and ya what ya did t’ Leigh -”

Overton’s face pinched together, and he cast a sidelong glance to the rest of the tavern. The security guard that’d pulled Arden off of him and nearly kicked them out was still watching from near the stairwell. “...I did not do anything intentional horrible to Leigh,” he said with a lowered voice. “All of my intentions with you, Mx Leigh, Miss Alys, and Miss Suki have been well-intentioned.”

Arden raised a brow. “Really now.” Oh, he wished he hadn’t eaten all of the bacon bread earlier. It’d make a great, chewy substitute for popcorn, and he needed to either get his hands on that Soul Stone soon, or else need to bite down on something to contain all this buzzy energy.

Overton nodded. “I swear it. Milord bade me observe you, and nothing more. My inclination was that you would rather not be approached by a random stranger asking to observe you like a statue at a museum -”

“So ya thought that stalkin’ me was better?”

Overton breathed out slowly through his nose at the reminder. He looked so silly when he was mad - it was as if his face was never meant to display anything other than a smile and polite happiness. “...We already discussed that, yes? But I thought it best to not impede your life, out of respect for your life as a working man. As for Mx Leigh, my warning was so that they did not waste the effects of their gift.”

His advice that night did fall in line with that, yes, but… “Are ya still not gonna say where yer lord got that information from?”

What did it take for Leigh to reveal that information to Arden willingly? Several months of getting to know them, and a few dangerous escapades along the way? It was something they’d never dare speak carelessly about, for some random lord to overhear.

This was getting away from the big point that he had a Black Mage soul stone, why was he even engaging in this -

“No, because I do not know.” Overton gave him a steely look. “I would appreciate it if you told Mx Leigh this, and encourage them to accept my request to never cross paths with them again. Lest we get derailed, what I am trying to say is that all of my actions thus far have been done out of kindness, but…my ability to continue this kindness depends on how I am treated.”

Arden gave him a flat look to compliment his steely one. “Whaddya mean?”

“Simply put: I am as kind as you allow me to be.” For this first time in quite a while, Overton smiled. “I am what you make me to be. If you make room for me to remain being kind, I shall continue being so. But if you view me as an enemy, or attack me in any way like you just did…then that is the role I shall play.

“Does that make sense?”

His tail thump, thumped hard on the cushion beside him, the chain rattling erratically. Overton was trying to threaten him?

Really?

Well, that made things easier for him. He felt his face split into a grin.

The retainer stared at him with an echo of disgust in his expression. “...Even saying that, you look like you will stop at nothing to take it from me. Whether I am dead or alive. Am I right?”

Arden simply smiled a predator’s smile. “I can’t control what my mind wants, Overton.” What he wanted, truly, but a less savage creature would surely have more elegant ways of going about it. Kill Overton, and get the soul stone that rightfully belonged to him and score some points with the retainer’s gift targets. Win-win.

For as tired as he looked of the conversation, and for as buzzy as his own mind was, Arden could almost see the gears of the retainer’s mind turn.

“...Well, I would like to continue living.” Overton said after a lengthy pause, straightening up in his seat and ooking the part of the proper retainer once more. Except for the frown replacing his usual smile, of course. “...If you are not the sadist I think you are, then I would like to propose a deal.”

Oh? He thought he was a sadist? Quite an odd observation given that he hadn’t shown any of the signs most people would point to as ‘proof’. He would’ve understood if the man called him a beast, but ‘sadist’? “Ye’ll find that I’m a far more agreeable and peaceful person than the stories make me out t’ be…”

But a deal…?

The buzz of infecting his mind and every ilm of his body intensified, and the claws of his right hand dug into the table to steady himself. “...Especially if mutual gain’s involved. I’m a team player, believe it or not. But yer gonna have t’ make the deal real enticin’.”

Overton’s head tilted very slightly. “Oh, I have no reason to believe you would refuse, Ser Reis.”

“Aye? Why’s that?”

“Because…all you would have to do is simply wait.”

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

The next morning, Arden trudged his way into Maelstrom Command with the darkest circles under his eyes yet. There was no way he could sleep after all that.

The door guard spared him and let him through easily, raising an eyebrow. The soldiers he passed in the hallway did the same, and he heard murmurs and smothered snickering in his wake.

He ignored them as always, dragging himself to the storage room rather than following the voices floating out of the mess hall. His claws rapped on the doorframe. “Hey, lemme in.”

The storage manager, a Miqo’te man who’s only trait he only knew was that he was exceptionally sleepy, only slowly blinked over the novel he was reading. “...What, you forgot something?”

Arden slowly blinked at him in turn. “Uh…yeah? I guess.”

“You only had one job, man.”

“...I still do…?”

The storage manager only stared at him with nary an expression on his face. Arden stared back.

Then, the storage manager yawned and plopped his book down, reaching for the key around his neck. “...Fine. Make sure you get all you need this time.”

Something ticked in his sluggish, yet still-buzzing brain, but he shook it off and grimaced as the world spun. Maybe he did need the mess hall after all. Coffee sounded good right now, especially if he was supposed to sneak this aetheryte in…

With a click of the lock, the storage room’s door was open, and Arden stepped into the darkness beyond. With the snap of his fingers and a light pull on his aether, a small flame lit on the surface of his palm -

And as warm light spilled across the room, he spotted something dart back into the shadows behind the aetherytes.

Even in his sleeplessness, Arden’s attention snapped forward. Now what was that? Not one of the usual rats, that was for sure. That was much too large, even for the rat lords the size of small wolves that prowled the streets at midnight.

No, that was a person.

Flame now floating gently beside him, he took staff in hand and carefully took one step forward, then another. In his wake, light flowed forward, illuminating the dark that the person dared to hide in. “C’mon out,” he called out, though quiet enough to not alert the sleepy guard outside. Maybe he was already asleep again. Maybe it didn’t matter.

When he took the third step, he felt something pull against the flame, and he paused.

Then, his flame suddenly streaked forward, against his control -

Arden snarled, charging forward after it, brandishing his staff and striking forward -

For a split second, the flame illuminated an extended, dark-skinned hand. Arden aimed the spearpoint head of his past it -

Just as the flame, aether and all, was consumed by that extended hand and the storage room plunged into darkness. The darkness didn’t stop the improvised lance, though. Arden felt a shudder rip through his staff as it made contact with -

Rock. The rock wall behind the person, behind the clump of aetherytes now separating them. In the dim light they cast off, he saw…

A pair of green eyes, identical to his own, alight with a secret fire of their own.

Arden stared down at the intruder, mind quickly putting the pieces together.

Then, he grinned. “Oh, now this is interestin’.”

#ffxiv #ffxiv rp #arden reis #story #the makings of a beast ffxiv #r'thipra tia

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ecoartlabgallery · 4 months

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✨✨✨WOW! ✨✨✨I I can't resist sharing with you the message we received from Sarah, who talks about how printable art has changed everything in her approach to interior design. Thanks to her for telling us about her experience 🔽 🔽 🔽

👉 Hi, I'm Sarah and I love decorating my home with printable art. It all started when I was looking for some affordable and easy ways to spruce up my living room. I stumbled upon a website that offered hundreds of printable art designs, from vintage posters to modern watercolors. I was amazed by the variety and quality of the artworks, and I decided to give it a try.

I downloaded a few of my favorite prints and printed them at home on high-quality paper. I bought some cheap frames from a local store and hung them on my wall. I was so happy with the result! The prints looked like real paintings, and they added so much color and personality to my space. I received many compliments from my friends and family, who couldn't believe that I made them myself.

🧲 I was hooked. I started browsing the website more often, looking for new prints to add to my collection. I discovered that I could also customize some of the prints, by changing the colors, fonts, or sizes. I had so much fun playing with different options and creating my own unique artworks. I also learned more about different styles and artists, and I developed a new appreciation for art.

I realized that printable art was not only a cheap and easy way to decorate my home, but also a hobby and a way of expressing myself. I enjoyed changing the prints according to my mood, the season, or the occasion. I never got bored of looking at my walls, because they always reflected my personality and taste.

Some of the prints that I adore are: - A watercolor of a fall mountain and forest, with vibrant colors and a serene atmosphere. It makes me feel cozy and relaxed, and it matches the season perfectly. - A vintage painting of the seasons by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, with fruits, flowers, and vegetables forming human faces. It's so creative and whimsical, and it adds a touch of humor and art history to my wall. - A painting of Spring in the Parc Monceau by Claude Monet, with bright colors and a lively atmosphere. It captures the beauty and charm of the park in Paris, and it makes me feel like I'm there. - A vintage painting of a group of birds perched on branches, with realistic details and a warm tone. It's charming and delightful, and it brings a bit of nature and life to my home.

I also experimented with different ways of displaying my prints, such as using clips, strings, or shelves. I found that this gave me more flexibility and creativity, as I could rearrange them easily and create different layouts. I also liked mixing and matching different prints, such as combining vintage and modern styles, or contrasting colors and themes. I felt like an interior designer, creating my own gallery wall.

I also shared my passion for printable art with others, such as my friends, family, and online communities. I gave some of my prints as gifts, and they were always well-received. I also posted some of my pictures on social media, and I got a lot of positive feedback and questions. I enjoyed connecting with other people who loved printable art, and I discovered new sources and ideas.

Printable art has become more than just a way of decorating my home. It has become a way of expressing myself, learning new things, and having fun. I love being able to choose and change my prints whenever I want, and I never get tired of looking at them. Printable art has made my home more beautiful and personal, and I'm so happy that I found it! ❤️❤️❤️

#ArtLovers #printable #Monet #painting #printablewallart #downloadable #forest #wallart #etsydigitaldownloads #printableart #DownloadableArt

#digital prints #instant download #impressionism #testimony #home decor #interior decor #wall art

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holmanjacobson14 · 10 months

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Home Decor Online : Purchase Home Decoration Gadgets

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eatonlindsey19 · 10 months

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Home Decor Ideas: 11 Straightforward Diy Ideas From The Professionals

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chelleztjs18 · 1 year

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Hello you Mrs. Christmas loving jambalaya making archer in training medium rare steak eating eyebag 😅

Sorry I fell asleep on you, I know it takes awhile to get back, there's so many topics in one. And I am okay to making friends with someone weird, at least it makes me not the weird one anymore hahahaha just kidding and it goes both ways, you can also back out and stop answering my questions 🥲

I love the fireplace! And the tree is so pretty. The lighting feels so homey and cozy. It's like I can actually feel Christmas just by looking at the photo. But where are the presents lol I'm surprised that you didn't put the train set under the tree like a lot of people do.

My favorite colors are black, gray, and royal blue.

Same, I mean I love burgers too but if I make it myself. But I love making sandwiches more. I really like roast beef and smoked turkey, and honey ham. I don't have a favorite cheese but I like the taste of provolone cheese with my sandwiches. How about you? What are your favorites?

Mm I love spaghetti and lasagna. I think I can eat spaghetti everyday, I just need the perfect sauce. I remember making risotto before, it was good but you are right, it can be hard to make haha

That's interesting, cashews and raisins in rice? I want to try that. I want to try new foods! I want to try Indian curry but I am scared because of the spice. So I always just make my own curry at home where it is just mild or 0 spicy 😅 they do have really good rice though, I ordered biryani one time, and the rice was amazing..spicy but amazing.

Yes I love bread! I really like fresh french bread. But I can't make bread at all. I get to scared messing with yeast. I like eating it though hahaha i like making banana bread, and zucchini bread. Do you like bread?

How do you start a space party? You planet. 🤣🤣

Would you rather be able to fly anywhere you want, or be able to swim and breathe under water?

-CuriousGeorge

Good morning.. hahhaa.. wow i bet u had to take a deep breath after u sayin my nickname, or u hv to crack ur knuckles after u typed it. Now i gotta create u some. Lol.

It's okay! I figured u fell asleep. Yeah we have lots of topic in one which is great! N i love it! Hahahha. Oh trust me, u wont be the weird one if u r friends with me. 🤣 nope, i wont back up n i will keep replying to ur asks.haha. in fact u r too late to back out now from making friends with me, u know too much now. So u r stuck being my friend, FOREVER! *laugh maniacally* 😈 hahahahaha. Jk. Dont worry, im not a maniac.🤭

Aaaw thank you!!! I love fireplace too! I love decorating it even if it's not christmas! Hahaha. Our previous house in CA has 2 fireplace (formal livin room and other living room/tv room) so i had fun decorating it.😆

Oh n guess what, few days ago was my first time have a lit up fireplace n i love it! I love the crackling sound n the smell of it when u walk into the house.. smell smokey but different smokey. When i was a kid i always dreaming to have a house with fireplace and i will get warm from the fire in it on winter, so i was so happy when it was on.lol. like i said, im easy to please person 😅

Aaw thank u.. i usually like the tree with the whitelights, but for my daughter, i picked the color ones so she will be amazed n more excited for christmas. N if u see the pictures of the decorations with the lights (carousels n the others), we started collecting it for our daughter. We try to buy one every year, so she can keep it n have it when she is older or have her own place. We also like to collect christmas ornaments from places we went to or things that we like.

Haha the christmas present, we have them all in our tornado shelters in the garage,, with her stuborness, she wont want to wait to open it n will keep asking to open it. Plus we r going to CA anyway on the 20th, so we will put it the night before we leave so when we get back it will be there n we'll tell her santa came when we were at grandma's 😅 pluuuuus she will get A LOT from her grandma's n uncle, they already put them under the tree. We just dont want to take the excitements from it with the one we got them. And mostly presents from us are big ones (art easle with table n chair, frozen themed vanity, bike, cinderella carriage toy and a mini drum set) it wont be fit under the tree 🤣🤣🤣🤣 n yes, she is one spoiled sassy princess. Lol. Mostly is my husband's doing though. I reminded him that we have to slow down on the gift, just to teach her n keep her humble.. again, i'm the no fun parent.lol

Ah yeah, bout the train, we always put it under the tree but this house is smaller n it will be on our way to the room if we put it under the tree, so we put it over there just so she can see it.

These are the picts from last year's christmas on the formal living room. N u can also see the 9ft tree we had last year. I asked them to flock it because thats how i love it.😅 n the train is under the tree.lol.

Oh those are nice colors.. mine are burgundy red, navy blue, dark green, black. Is royal blue like the dodger blue?

Ouh i love roast beef sandwich! When i was in new orleans, there is this place called parkway, they are famous with their roast beef sandwich n they put their famous gravy in it n u can also add fried shrimp to it.. it is soooo good. I love ham, roast beed, prosciutto, and spicy capicola. 😁 im not a big fan of cheese but my favorite is mozzarella, sharp white cheddar and provolone. Harvatti cheese are yummy too.

I think when u order indian curry or briyani u can ask them not spicy.. i always order them spicy hahah. Try tikka massala chicken, they r creamy curry. They usually make it either with coconut milk or yogurt it's my favorite.

I love bread. My top three favorite are naan bread, flat bread, and pita bread. Other favorite are sourdough and plain bagel.😁

Ough i love french bread with creamy soup! 🤤

Yeah the cashew nut n raisin really make the briyani rice interesting n give a lot more flavor.

Lol it took a second for me to get the joke because i just woke up when i read it..lol. thats a good one. More joke please! *clapping*

I would rather be able to fly. Deep ocean scares me.haha. what about u?

Next question if u dare..😆😅

Cheerio!

#chellez answers #ask answered #anon answered #curious george anon

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zeearchitect · 2 years

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Best Interior Designing Company in Patna - Zee Architect

Zee Architect is one of the Best Interior Designing Company in Patna. Some Interior related points are:

1. Wallpaper

Wallpapers are great, not only do they add colour and texture, but they can make any room look unique! There are so many different types of wallpapers out there from traditional to modern. But, if you want to have a wallpaper that doesn't take away from the design of your space, then I suggest using wallpaper border. These borders give extra depth to the wallpaper, by stopping the paper at the edges. You can find these at any craft store or even online.

2. Paint

Paint is definitely underrated in terms of interior designing. Paint can transform the entire appearance of a room, without having to spend loads of money on renovations. Plus, if you don't know anything about painting, it's pretty simple to learn. Just go to any store that sells paint and ask them how much each gallon costs. There are literally thousands of different colours to choose from, so you're sure to find something that suits you.

3. Wood Trim

Wood trim is always a good idea, especially if you're trying to create a rustic look. If you're looking to create more of a traditional style, wood might be just what you need. However, if you're looking for something that gives a little bit of edge, try adding some wood blinds to your window frames. Wood blinds are becoming a lot easier to buy now, making it super convenient. If you want wooden blinds but aren't sure where to start, check out Amazon.

4. Mirrors

Mirrors are great to help reflect light throughout your house, helping to brighten dark corners and create a nice and cozy atmosphere. When decorating a room, mirrors are a great way to bring attention to certain features. For example, if you have a mirror over a fireplace, people will naturally look towards the fire.

5. Plants

Plants are great for providing natural lighting and oxygen. Not only does having a plant in the corner of your room make your space seem bigger; it also helps to freshen the air. There are hundreds of different kinds of plants to choose from, so no matter what type of room you're working on, you should be able to find a suitable option.

Zee Architect (Best Interior Designing Company in Patna) website address is https://zeearchitect.in/

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crazyblondelife · 2 years

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A Magical Dance

Midlife is a time to fully embrace ourselves. It’s a time to love exactly who we are, finally figure out what we’re passionate about, travel, enjoy our families and nurture our relationships with friends and significant others. It’s also a time to speak up and share the things we’ve learned along the way.

It breaks my heart to think that there are women out there who don’t yet understand how much power lives within them. Looking back at the woman I was several years ago, I can’t imagine living in the state of chaos that I was in ever again. I went through so much to get to where I am today and I wouldn’t change a thing because I learned so much along the way. My life is amazing now and my desire is to inspire you to create whatever you want in your life.

I can remember feeling so hopeless, unloved (I didn’t love myself), sad, angry and frustrated. As I’ve said before, I took very little responsibility for the way I was feeling. I blamed it all on outside circumstances when really, it all came back to me. I thought the same thoughts every day, and created a version of the same day over and over again.

I am aware that many of the women who read this blog have amazing lives, but I also know that there are those that are struggling. Their lives may look great from the outside, but inside, it’s a different story.

Over the past several years, as I’ve been on my Journey of Becoming, I’ve felt very pulled to tell my story and to do my part to share how I brought myself back from such a dark place in order to inspire others to do the same. I’ve thought about going completely into coaching and leaving the lifestyle piece of Crazy Blonde Life behind, but for some reason, I haven’t been able to do that.

What I’ve realized is this…life is a Magical Dance and it isn’t all about sitting in meditation all day and being spiritual. It’s about Infusing your spiritual beliefs into every other part of your life! Life is so much sweeter when it’s lived with intentionality!

What kinds of foods do you love to eat that also feed your soul? What clothing makes you feel beautiful? How do you feel when you walk into your home? Can you enjoy the moments of your day without feeling anxious and stressed? Does your life naturally flow, or are you trying to control everything? Control is a form of fear and it kills passion. A life filled with passion is a beautiful dance of intentional doing and then leaning back, over and over. It’s a beautiful balance of masculine and feminine energy…giving (doing) and receiving.

How can you Infuse your life with love, passion, joy, beauty, creativity and excitement? The answer to this question comes when you feel worthy of having these things in your life. You deserve to live a life filled with love for yourself, passion for the things you enjoy doing and for your relationships with others. You deserve to feel joyful bliss every day and surround yourself with what is beautiful to you! You deserve to create a life that excites you every single day and you can do just that.

I’ve decided to enhance the lifestyle portion of Crazy Blonde Life with the healthiest of recipes, more sustainable fashion and ideas for creating your perfect wardrobe, more posts on decor…flowers, creating cozy spaces etc., ideas for travel and more fitness videos since that is such a huge part of my life. I’ll also be focusing more on programs that will help you to enhance your life and make it a magical dance!

I would absolutely love for you to join me for INFUSE starting on November 1st. In this course, we’ll explore ways to shift perspectives and live on purpose to create a beautiful life. Get ready to Infuse your life with love, passion and excitement.

I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have about this program…you can email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram or Facebook. INFUSE will be presented in 3 weekly videos and end with a Q&A. In each call I will include coaching, a powerful visualization and homework. More detailed information on sign up and exact times will be provided on Monday through an email and I’ll be going live on Instagram to talk more! Each of the four calls will be recorded in case you can’t make the live calls and you’ll have lifetime access to each recording.

***I’m still in Germany with my daughter and my mind has been spinning with ideas for this program! I’m so excited to get started! I’ll be home late on Thursday evening after a wonderful visit here. I’m sad to leave this sweet family and so very grateful to have had this time with them! We made wonderful memories that will live with me forever!

Happy Tuesday!

#INFUSE PROGRAM #live your best ive

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deerbornintuitive · 2 years

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Energy Forecast for September 2022

I created this September Energy Forecast as a way to bring helpful guidance and insight about the coming days through color! I made a 4 by 4 inch painting in acrylics, to show you what my Clairvoyance is picking up on for this coming month

To complete this reading, I started by clearing my space and meditating. I slowly painted the colors which I see incoming and moving out. In this following blog post, you will learn what the painting means for you-- information about finances, romance, socializing, creativity, mental fog, and more...

Use the below information as a helpful tool for your personal journey, to help you best plan your coming days!

Main Themes of the Month

September 2022 brings in a beautiful array of rainbow colors! This is not super common to see, so expect there to be a lot of variation in the energies you experience each day. Rainbow colors enhance adaptability.

There will be energy fluctuations, which are working to restore balance for the coming season as a whole, acting to center you. I’m seeing red, orange, and magenta as the most dominant energies through the Collective nearly every day in September.

Red comes through the strongest. It relates to the root chakra; which when balanced, bring you into a state of groundedness. This energy invites to you a renewed desire to settle your roots in. You’ll likely experience this energy as feeling like you want to stay in, to pause, and settle. The home is a large theme. Being in your space feels more comforting these days.

Being home also has you evaluating and reflecting the arrangement of your things and considering your possessions. Blue and green compliment this energy very well with a calming, cozy vibe. You will want to clean, organize, donate old items, and decorate. This energy really sets in starting September 9th; get what you can done before then, so that you can enjoy when this month's pause begins.

Relationships

Romance

Orange moves into the collective, thanks to magenta’s changes and manifestations, and has people feeling excited. Orange often appears in times of transition and can bring a feeling of newness. It’s an optimistic color with a sexual charge, corresponding to the sacral chakra. Because of this, you’re feeling a spark!

For singles, this could be a new flirty connection or things heating up with your present romantic interest.

For those in a relationship, things become ignited and adventurous. Your connection turns spicy (winky face)!

For those in a rocky relationship, expect orange and red to heighten tensions between the two of you. So long as you are both receptive to the blue energy available around us all, you will be able to have an open line of communication. Things that have needed to come out for a while are going to finally come out in the open. Embrace purple and green energies to have a healthy intellectual conversation. This can be a productive time for healing old resentments.

Social

Green, blue, and purple indicate that this month is also a lot about important connections. There’s wonderful potential for an exchange of information which is meaningful in bringing something big to reality. Green has a shimmer, indicating a strongly social vibe. There is likely to be a lot of networking occurring. There's potential for social growth which is more low-key and easier for you than usual— through media rather than in person.

Overall, you're ready for connections which are more meaningful. Find this by embracing blue energy to be unapologetically YOU! This will attract the right people which are meant for you, to your direction.

Week One

Strong, bright magenta moves through at its strongest of the month, both incoming and outgoing. This reveals that manifestations from much earlier in the year are finally coming to fruition! This color creates a helpful, much needed space for you to let go. You're enthusiastic about opening new doors, just make sure that the old ones are closed first! Orange is attracted by and drawn in by magenta.

In the first week of the month, magenta is bright and high frequency, almost too much so for many (leading to possible frustration/aggression). Due to the combination of red and magenta, you’re feeling fired up and in the mood for busywork. This is a great time for resetting your space through a solid clean and organizing. Donate old items and let go; be ready to receive after you do so in the form of positive changes.

Magenta with some blue also has you reflecting on your present path. If it no longer suits you, it’s okay to change directions; in fact, magenta and orange together brings the perfect energy for doing just that. You can make your decisions and changes in confidence this season. Old commitments from the past which no longer align with you will be cleared away for good in the coming weeks.

There is no rush; magenta stays with you through the last week of the month!

Week Two

Blue and teal energies flow through the Collective, which make you feel more like being alone. Create some time in your calendar this weekend for a solo trip. This will kickstart a healthy processing for you of all that just went on in Leo season. Any emotions and energies which have been stagnant or blocked start to flow once more. For some, this can be a bit heavy.

Teal and red present together indicate potential curiosity about ancestry. It's possible that you will learn interesting information about your family's past. Something has you wondering about your roots! You're likely to do some deep digging.

Fog

As mentioned, starting the 9th you're going to feel much more of a homebody than usual, lasting through the month. Many people are working on nesting into their home, as well as processing and taking a real pause. There's a fog moving through, which leads to things generally feeling out of whack. It's likely to lead to delays, miscommunication, and lots of rescheduling; so don't feel badly! Embrace the fog and let this be time for yourself. Look for silver linings in the mean-time!

Finances

Green has a bit of vibration to it, with yellow emanating outward from the color, which points to potential impulse spending. Be aware that you're more likely to make purchases this week which you'll later end up returning. It could be worth holding out for one more week.

Week Three

Orange and blue are swirling and mixing amongst one another, creating a harmony between what you think and how you feel. You can more clearly pinpoint your reasons for past actions and for emotions which you may not have completely had an understanding of previously. You're feeling closer to your authentic self.

Blue brings calm to the collective, and many will find it easier to keep centered and relaxed. Blue relates to the throat chakra-- there are strong energies of communication, sharing, and honesty. You're more talkative and able to express what's on your mind and heart with ease. This week is a good time for tough conversations and heart-to-hearts. Everyone will get something out of a good, quality chat.

Imagination

These very strong emotional and creative energies mingle with a touch of purple, bringing an element of imagination, of creation into reality. It's best this week to release all of you judgements, and to just go with it. Let magenta guide you into a more free-flowing, spontaneous action! This color has a wonderful free-spirited vibe, you just have to open up to receiving it. You'll absolutely benefit from using your imagination, so long as you set aside your insecurities in the process.

Week Four

Magenta and orange are present through September, which will leave you feeling generally optimistic. The Collective is moving forward with stronger faith and knowledge that things will get better.

Blue becomes a deeper hue, indicating a more developed emotional intelligence. This is a strong time for self development, as you've taken lots of time this month to pause, process, and rearrange what needs adjusting. If you haven't yet, this is when your 'aha!' moment arrives. You gain a better understanding within.

This final week opens up a new month ahead filled with beauty, art, and expression, surrounding all of us. Indulge in new art, comfort, and decoration in your home. Embrace inspiration and follow it on a whim!

Endings & Transformation

This is when we start to see black energy appear in the Collective; it is the final release of the year for so many people. Black is like a figurative death and rebirth; it could be this version of yourself that you're laying to rest, or an old relationship, career that no longer aligns, even old beliefs/ideas that no longer serve you. Black is like the final stage of magenta, bringing about changes. Take this black energy as an opportunity for releasing anything in your life which has grown stale or self destructive. Finish old projects and tie up loose ends. Magenta and green show that growth is already beginning to move in and fill this black energy, as quickly as it arrived! See the swirl to the left, which activates incoming energies and helps you move into the next chapter.

Spirituality

September finishes off with silver and mint green making an appearance. These are strong spiritual and religious colors, indicating philosophy and/or ritual. There's a calling that you may discover; a new set of goals, new mission, or perhaps a new experience or idea which will bring you into an awakening. Silver shows a connection with Soul identity and Soul path, so for some you'll be uncovering an important path or connection.

Thank you for reading!

I hope you enjoyed this forecast and beautiful energy painting for September 2022. It was a pleasure to channel this information for you! This is a wonderful example of what you can expect in my personalized energy forecasts. Expect those to be even more detailed and personal! You can find this service under Book & Shop in my menu, in the 'Auras & Energy' section or CLICK HERE.

I invite you to spend time mediating with the painting for September. Write down impressions for yourself— what emotions, ideas, and sensations come to you? What colors and features stand out most when you look at the painting? Return to this at the end of the month to affirm your insights! Please feel welcome to share any comments, feedback, or forecasts for yourself in the comments below.

Until next time,

Courtney Deerborn

#spirituality #spiritualguidance #Aura Reading #aura reader #aura colors #energy reading #energy work #energy forecast #psychic readings #clairvoyance #free readings #spiritualadvisor #spiritmessages #color meanings #psychic #reiki

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undead-merman · 3 years

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Heyo! I loved your headcanons for the brothers and Simeon as sirens, they were a truly *chef kiss*. Can we also have siren Barbatos and Diavolo? Yandere too and sfw, please!

Thanks in advance!

I'm always down to write Aquatic monsters.

🧜‍♂️Siren Diavolo and Barbatos🧜‍♂️ as a yanderes GN- reader SFW

Diavolo

Appearance

Diavolo is much, much larger than other sirens. While sirens grow to be about a foot or two bigger than humans, Diavolo is massive, fifteen feet long and with tons of bulk and muscle to match his massive size. He looks more similar in size to a giant than a siren.

Despite his size he is dazzling in the sun. When his crimson hair catches beams of light he looks divine, almost like a holy glow surrounds him as he rests on the rocks. His tail is the same stunning red as the blood red sunset and has a bright pearlescent. His scales are just as reflective and polished as a bright red sports car. His skin is deeply kissed by the sun, making his skin look smooth and shiny. His nightshade red fins are long and butterfly shaped; they trail slightly behind him like silk.

He wears all kinds of jewels and golds, all of them perfectly fit around his skull and fins. They drift perfectly around his large frame and glimmer even in the smallest amount of light.

Diavolo is the only siren able to keep his glamor up even if he’s excited, in the water, or even angry. He has full control over it and only shifts to it when he’s actively trying to strike fear into something or someone. His true form is like that of sea monsters in folktales, monstrous in size and able to take a ship down into the dark depths of the open ocean, to swallow whole crews, and create winds and storms as he lets out a devilish scream which can be heard for hundreds of miles around.

Royalty amongst Loners and Sunken Hideaway

Despite their lone lifestyles, only really enjoying the company of their mates, most Sirens look to Diavolo as more of a god than any type of king or prince despite having the title of prince. They worship his power and bow down to his whims and needs. They bring him tributes in the form of small treasures and Diavolo returns these gifts with blessings of more intoxicating songs, stronger wills, his watchful eye and protection, or just overall greater strength. Diavolo seems to freely give these boons no matter how small the gift.

Since he’s a well known and well visited siren, he’s built his home in the sunken ruins of a castle in a city whose culture and history has died long ago. It’s well taken care of by servants who have pledged their lives to Prince Diavolo and are surprisingly pleasant and tolerable with one another. They equate this to Diavolo’s power and grace but only those who are truly loyal to Diavolo stay here.

His voice can bring either madness or blessings and can be the most beautiful thing your ears could ever hope to hear or one so evil, devious, and grotesque you’re driven into a hypnotic bloodlust to those with even the strongest wills. His lullabies sound so melancholic.

He hides away in a large garden which has its own open air biosphere bathed in light by a glass ceiling which has yet to crack yet bathes the whole garden in a beautiful light. A single golden curly willow grows in the center with dozens of flowers growing around it. Here the air is surprisingly fresh and floats on the surface never touching the water around it like it’s a time capsule. He’ll lounge here to clear his head watching the butterflies that have grown here, alone and have never seen the outside.

Spending time with you

You and only you heard his song and wept. The feelings of his loneliness tugged at your heart instead of your head being filled with euphoric thoughts of power and blessings or instantly pounding through your skull until you screamed. You truly heard his song, understood the lyrics behind them and felt the way he did when he sang them. When he saw your face littered with tears and face hot with sympathy for him he felt his whole body go numb. You were something special, someone truly remarkable. He needed to know more about you.

And so started a passion in his heart to learn everything about you, your traditions, your light quirks, your hobbies and everything he could possibly learn. It sent him down a rabbit hole of studying humans that he refused to climb out of and gladly let swallow him if it just allowed him to get closer to you and understand you better.

He doesn’t mind what form you see him in, as long as he can see you he’s thrilled and happy. He’ll approach you like a dog, his tail swishing excitedly as he asks you questions he formed in his head from the day. He has to be careful in his true form otherwise he can cause a lot of damage to the nearby area and draw too much attention to you two.

He loves to pick you up and hold you, be in his true form or not and travel with you on his back, or when his true form shows in his hands or on his head as he intentionally kicks up some water to playfully mist you. Moments like these make him forget he was ever even alone to begin with.

If you ever wanted to see some kind of sea creature or visit some island he’s happy to oblige bringing the creature over with his divine rule over the ocean or happily just takes you there one day while making you cover your eyes to surprise you. The look on your face makes his heart swell so much he almost feels like it will jump out of his mouth if he’s not careful.

Dark Tendencies

Diavolo isn’t against using others to get what he wants, he'll ruin everything for anyone or anything to get what he wants. He’ll destroy small islands and wipe out ports so nothing can distract you from dates he takes you on.

If he feels like you aren’t close enough to him or are drifting away from him, for some reason or another, he’s simply going to just pluck you away from your old life so you don’t have any excuse to be away from him anymore. You're his now, you don’t have to worry about that silly stuff anymore, both of you can be together now. Why not just get married now? It would be much easier. Siren’s don’t marry, they just pick a mate but he’s willing to put the frills on it for you and your human ways. He finds it cute!

He doesn’t ever connect the dots if you struggle against him or plead for him to let you go, he’s wrapped up in his own delusions of you being a happy little couple that he’ll blame some outside force. If you go along with him he’ll remain peaceful and sweet.

He absolutely hates it when other sirens see you and while he’s not outwardly violent to them he is quite hostile. Grinding his teeth and asking them to look away from you while his tail twitches with the intent to lash out.

He gave you your own little haven to decorate, he gave you the garden all for your own. He even made sure to promise to give you your own space and privacy here, just as long as you come to his call. Don’t worry though, only you, him, and Barbatos know of this place, and you can’t run from him here!

Misc stuff

His scales shed infrequently since he doesn’t get into fights with other sirens since all of them know better. His scales are radiating with his power and are well known to bring massive good luck to all those Diavolo gives them to. He’s always giving you things made from his scales and he’s so thrilled to see you in them. He likes adding them to a circlet crown he had made custom just for you so you can match him. He plans on matching you to him with every little piece of jewelry, even down to matching rings.

He requires you to sleep with him. He can sleep out of the water perfectly fine and just pulls you into a lavish den he made for the two of you. It’s somehow unbelievably cozy sleeping with him. His body is warm and everything he set up is the best out there. He just holds you in his warm arms and nods off with you.

He’s quite a picky eater. He refuses to eat anything he doesn’t like and will only eat it if you so happen to beg him to, but only if you're insistent, otherwise he’s already slowly drifting away from it.

Barbatos

Appearance

For a siren he’s smaller than most. He’s quite slender and not much muscle to him, but despite his size, his appearance is perfect in every way, not a hair out of position, not a scale that isn’t out of polished or asymmetric, and his skin without a blemish or scar to be found. He takes a huge amount of time to groom himself perfectly.

His scales more resemble sea snakes, even having black stripes like them, though his tail is a solid dark seafoam green. He’s not especially radiant compared to others, but he doesn’t mind at all, he prefers to melt into the background more.

His tailfin is wide though, having a lyretail shape with black stripes going across it. It’s the same dark color as his scales and he has only two side fins but they look like long ribbons stretching from his hips to about halfway down his tail.

His glamor when melted away leaves behind an even darker looking creature. He looks like a stormy sea and is covered in nasty sharp thorns that don’t just stop at his elbows but lead down to his hips and thin yet long and sharp claws and stark black webbing in between without a tear or hole.

Serving Another

Serving the Royal Family was an honor his family was born with for generations and one he realizes the importance to. Diavolo is powerful enough to sink ships and cities and he provided some of that power and grace onto him rewarding him and his ancestors before him for loyalty, slowly turning Barbatos’s family into nearly just as powerful creatures as him.

He enjoys watching the whims of a child like god try to make sense of a kingdom, it's good fun to see him enjoying his life he is able to live vicariously through his high energy.

He puts his all into everything he does, he hates wasted efforts so he does everything he can into what he does but it gets tiring. Sometimes when trying to sleep, he finds himself unable. He’s always had poor sleep but he’s dealt with it for so long now that it's normal for him now. He starts his morning eating a small slice of kelp known for reducing head pain, all while preparing for the morning.

Spending time with you

If Diavolo took an interest in a human then you certainly had to be interesting. Well when he met you and saw you drinking tea with a huge Diavolo stretched around the floating garden. He just knew you were a human with a soul like no other.

He often brings you your favorite beverages and chats with you, simply at first to get to know you but he found you captivating, each word you spoke he held onto like it was the last he would ever hear and it was gospel. He smiles as you recall old memories, describing how you ended up here. The way you phrased things was unlike anything he had ever heard.

He’s taken the time to find old waterlogged books that were left abandoned in the old library and help restore them for you to read. Inside you find wondrous and fantastical stories of this old kingdom all of them enthralling, and as you read he’s happy to bring you a beverage once more and enjoy your company even if it’s in silence.

Once he’s grown closer with you he often finds himself giving you lingering touches as he pats your shoulder for your attention or grazes his hand on yours when delivering food to you. He even says the most romantic and poetic things to you without even noticing. He falls in love slowly but deeply and almost innocently. He just treasures your time and you as a person, never judging or doubting you.

There was a day when he had pulled you into a parting hug, wishing you a goodnight as Diavolo would return you to the surface but he had simply fallen asleep in your arms. Even Diavolo was shocked as he had never done anything close to something like this. It turns out Barbatos is at the most ease when he’s with you. All of his sleepless nights had just suddenly caught up with him.

Dark Tendencies

His love quickly shifts one day when he see your finger pricked by a stray thorn from a wild flower and as he wiped up the blood with a handkerchief and sees those butterflies fluttering around the wound to drink the blood he realised just how fragile you really were and how nature and life take advantage of that as soon as it could. He couldn’t take losing you. So one day he calls you and just takes you. You think it's just another visit with Baratos fetching you but he takes you to a deep and dark underground cave. Soft phosphorus moss grows all over in cushioned patches and with every step it glows brighter under your feet.

He explains it all to you, openly and honestly but no matter how you plead or try to reason with you, he believes you need to be down here forever. Away from the outside world that would care so little for the death of you and move on like nothing were to happen. He wanted you safe, around and immortalized; he'll never forget you.

He provides you with an array of pleasantries that would have no chance of harming you. He’s damn near baby proofed the small cave but he ensures it's as comfortable as it can be, bringing you three meals a day, all of your favorite drinks and snacks even if you fight him or give him the silent treatment he’s never neglectful of your needs. He believes one day you’ll come to see how much he did for you and understand he just wants you safe.

Misc stuff

He’s a clean freak and refuses to let you sleep on dirt or muck, he’ll thoroughly wash the moss through and treat it so it feels like you're walking on clouds without feeling any slime, having bugs, or being dirty. It's so well taken care of that they look fake.

He hates crabs. He hates those distasteful bottom feeders, their disgusting pinchers and empty eyes. He’s sure to keep them as far away as he can, if startled by one he slams it with his tail with enough force to turn it into little pieces and he’s still frightened by them despite the power difference.

#obey me #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me monster headcanons #diavolo x reader #barbatos x reader #yandere diavolo #yandere barbatos

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a-small-writer-in-a-big-world · 3 years

Text

A Heart to Heart: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Angst? There's some fluff in here

Words: 2,634

Synopsis: Something is bothering Bucky and you want to help...

I dropped the pillows and sheets on the floor before I cracked my knuckles. I felt Bucky’s confused eyes on me as I began to pull chairs from the dining table into the living room. After I set them in a good position I began to pick up the sheets and tie them around the chairs before he cleared his throat.

“What are you doing?” He asked and I glanced back at him to see that he was looking at what I was doing completely lost.

“I’m making a pillow fort.” I stated simply as I grabbed another sheet and draped it over the chairs. “You can help if you want. We’ll need a few blankets for the inside.”

Bucky didn’t say anything and when I looked back at him I saw him hesitate to get up from the couch before he took a deep breath and went to search for the blankets I had.

I had invited him over for dinner because it had been a while since we had seen each other. The dinner had been going well and the only thing that seemed out of the ordinary except for his strange attitude. Something was bothering him and he was trying to hide it.

Normally I wouldn’t have said anything because unfortunately I didn’t have time to. Not being able to ask him helped me learn his signs when something was wrong but it also didn’t help him. It made my heart ache when I saw that he was in distress and I couldn’t do anything, and more often than not if he didn’t say something it would eat him up worse than if he did.

This time I was determined to help.

I had tried to ask him about it after dinner but he became dismissive. He said that nothing was wrong before moving into the living room without looking at me. When I asked again he repeated himself with a little more attitude.

However, I was just as stubborn as he was. An idea had popped into my head as I put our dishes in the dishwasher. If i could create a space that made him feel comfortable and secure then he might talk about it.

I finished and stepped back to make sure that it was big enough for both of us before I realized that something about it felt empty. I studied it in thought until Bucky came back with a pile of blankets in his arms and the look of uncertainty still in his eyes.

“Just lay them out on the floor in whatever way you think is comfortable.” I gestured to him when the missing piece popped into my head. I watched as he nodded and kneeled down on the floor before I rushed over to the closet.

I searched through the boxes I had in the closet before I finally found the decorative lights tangled up in one of them. I made sure to grab the white lights and yanked them out of the box. I rushed back to the fort where Bucky sat outside of it on his knees.

He watched me with knitted eyebrows as I tossed the lights on top of the sheets before I plugged them into the wall. I placed my hands on my hips proudly when they turned and a warm glow came from them.

“Now what?” Bucky questioned when I kneeled beside him and I gestured for him to crawl inside. His face fell and he gave me a look that made me roll my eyes. “This seems childish.”

“Yeah and? Just get in.” I urged him and he huffed before he carefully crawled into the fort after him. I rolled onto my back and he mimicked me which made a smile come to my face when he situated himself comfortable enough that our shoulders touched.

The layers of blankets under us made the floor comfortable and the pillows helped with the coziness that surrounded me. The light shined through the sheets which looked like lightning bugs or stars and a content sigh left my nose as I closed my eyes.

“Now what?” Bucky had a slight annoyed look on his face that made me frown and I pulled back my lips.

“We talk about what’s bothering you. Anything said in this fort stays in this fort, not a single word is to be said about it outside.” I gave him a look when he rolled his eyes. “I’m serious.”

“Yeah and I seriously don’t want to talk about it,” he shot back with his arms crossed but I just shrugged and placed my hands on my stomach before I glared at the lights.

“Then we’ll lay here in silence.”

“Good.”

I chewed the inside of my lip as I listened to his steady breathing and fought the urge to press him about it further. As much as it bothered me to see him bottle up everything that was bothering him, I wouldn’t force him to speak about it. Instead I glanced at him at every chance I could get and hoped that he wouldn’t notice.

Bucky’s vibranium arm pressed against mine and despite that it felt cool to the touch it didn’t make me uncomfortable. However, part of me wished he could feel my shoulder against his and that I give him some kind of touch.

He didn’t know that even when he happened to brush past me with that arm that it still made goosebumps form where he had touched it yet for he wouldn’t notice at all.

I turned my head to look at him and because of the movement he looked at me as well. I stared into his eyes and watched them flicker around my face until they rested on my lips. I watched him and waited for him to possibly make a move before he looked back up into my eyes.

His eyes turned melancholic and he took a deep breath before he swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to say something and hesitated, but when I gave him a reassuring look he averted his eyes.

“What if Steve was wrong?” Bucky whispered in a shaky voice and my face fell. He cleared his throat as his eyes teared up and he shook his head. “After everything, he was there for me and...and he stood by me. He could see things that others couldn’t so I trusted him but...but Sam…”

I watched him carefully as he drew a shaky breath and stared up at the lights. I wanted to hold his hand but he kept them placed firmly on his stomach as he fidgeted with his shaky fingers. I waited patiently for him to continue while I resisted every urge to pull him closer to me.

“Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that he had to be, I didn’t deserve any of it,” he went on and a tear rolled down his face. “But now that it’s been put in front of my face I don’t know what to do.”

“This is because of John Walker isn’t it?” I asked quietly and when he nodded I watched as he wiped his face with his real hand. He refused to look at me but this time I didn’t hesitate to reach out to him.

I leaned over and cupped his face before I gently made him look at me. My touch made his eyes widened before they teared up more and I gave him a comforting smile. He finally let a few tears fall and I could see some of the tension leave his body as he leaned into my hand. Being able to touch his face made a sigh fall out of my mouth as I stared deep into his hurt eyes.

“I can’t tell you if he was or not because I couldn’t read his mind,” I began quietly and made sure to keep eye contact with him. “I can’t stress enough that Steve wouldn’t be wrong about knowing how good you are and with recent events, with him being gone, I get it. I can’t do much to help you and it won’t mean much to you but I believe the same thing he did. You’re a good person to me.”

Bucky’s breath hitched and he stared at me with serious eyes. He looked me over frantically and opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. I gently wiped away any tears he had on his face and in this moment he leaned forward.

Our faces were close to each other and I was completely drawn in by his eyes as they stared deep into mine. I couldn’t look at anything else but the blue ones that stared back at me and every part of me wanted to lean forward to close the gap between us.

Instead, Bucky shook his head and pulled away from me, leaving my hands empty as he cleared his throat and stared up at the lights again. He placed his hand over his face and took a few deep breaths.

I laid there taken back before I rolled onto my back again and stared up at the lights as well with disappointment.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled and I saw him shake his head from the corner of my eyes.

My eyes closed and silence blanketed us again. Nothing had been resolved and I wasn’t sure if I had made things better or worse. It was hard to tell if I could do anything to help him but bringing it up for him to talk probably did the opposite of what I thought it would’ve.

“You can leave if you want.” I offered and looked over to see him shake his head.

I knew that if we stayed within the fort for longer it would only worsen the problem even if we weren’t going to talk about it. At this point, I didn’t know what to do to help him even if he didn’t want to leave. I wanted to hold him close to me in a way that he would let me to show that even if Steve was gone, I wasn’t.

An idea popped into my head and I snapped my head towards Bucky who jumped with confused eyes.

“You never went to one of those ‘after the war’ parties did you?” I wondered and his eyebrows knitted together as he went into deep thought.

“No.” He stated and watched me closely when I crawled out of the fort.

I adjusted my clothes and hair before I beckoned him to come out of the fort. I searched around for my phone while he crawled out and stood beside me. When I finally found it, I quickly pulled up old music I knew that he liked, tossed my phone on the couch, and looked at him with a warm smile.

Bucky looked from my phone to me with concern as I stood in front of him with my feet planted firmly on the ground.

“How about a dance?” I offered and he scoffed as a nervous smile stretched across his face before he took a step back.

“It’s been a while since I’ve slow danced,” He pointed out and I chuckled.

“Can’t be worse than me, I’ve never slow danced before.” I countered.

“I have a metal arm.”

“Which is pretty awesome if you ask me.”

Bucky looked at me with disbelief as I deflected his excuses with a smirk which made him sigh. He looked at me with uncertainty as I stood in front of him with butterflies in my stomach. He stepped forward and carefully took my hand into his metal one which was cold to the touch before he wrapped his arm around my lower back.

“I’ll lead,” he offered as I positioned my arm the correct way before I closed the gap between us.

“Unfortunate really,” I teased and he smiled as he shook his head before he began to sway with the music.

My body burned under his touch. The arm that rested around my lower back felt secure as I tried my best to follow him without looking down at my feet. He pulled me closer to him as his arm holding my lower back fell a little lower which created goosebumps. The metal hand that held mine gave me a comfort that I hadn’t felt before despite that it pulled all heat away from my hand.

Our faces were closer than before and I couldn’t take my eyes away from his again. This time however, they didn’t hold the same seriousness and instead had a strange warmth to it that I had rarely ever seen before. The longer we looked at each other his shoulders loosened and the swaying became more natural.

“You’re not bad,” Bucky complimented lowly and I raised an eyebrow. “I’ve had worse dance partners.”

“It seems like you’re not as out of practice as you say you are. Even for someone as old as you,” I giggled and he scoffed.

I leaned my head forward and rested it on his chest comfortably. I closed my eyes when I faintly heard his heartbeat and when his head rested on mine I couldn’t help but sigh with content.

The soft 40s music filled the air as we swayed and turned in a small circle together. Neither of us said anything despite the need for words to be said.

I couldn’t find my words as the warmth from Bucky enveloped me and stole any coherent thoughts away from me. Being this close to him gave me a sort of safety that was impossible to form into words that he would believe.

“I’ll always be here for you, you know that?” I whispered softly with my eyes still closed. “I’m not Steve, but I can support you the same way he did.”

“I thought anything said in the fort stayed in it?” Bucky questioned softly in my ear.

“We can’t really dance in it and it’s important that you know this.” I pressed and opened my eyes to glance at him but he didn’t say anything back. “Bucky, I mean it.”

“I know you do.” He pressed his head against mine and sighed. “I don’t know how to tell you...I can’t…”

Bucky just shook his head and moved it away from mine which made me look up at him with concern. Before I could say anything he tilted his head and pressed his lips gently against mine.

I didn’t hesitate to kiss him back as the music disappeared and the only thing that I knew was the man in front of me. My chest felt full of warmth and love as the kiss deepened when he moved his hands to cup my face.

The contrast of cold and warm on my cheeks brought me back when we pulled apart to catch our breath. The music and the apartment came back to me and for a moment I had to gather my thoughts.

Bucky rested his forehead against mine while his thumbs gently caressed cheeks. He stayed silent until I placed my hands over his and stared at him with every ounce of love I had in my body when he lifted his head away from me.

“When was the last time you kissed someone?” I questioned and he gave an embarrassed laugh as he avoided my eyes.

“That bad?”

I shook my head with a smile and pulled him into a quick kiss. I felt him deepen the kiss but I didn’t stay nearly as long as before. When I pulled him into a firm hug, a content sigh left his mouth and hugged me back as if I would disappear.

“No, it was good.”

hope you like it <3

#bucky x you #bucky fluff #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky angst #bucky fanfic #tfaws #the falcon and the winter solider spoilers #tfaws imagine

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vennilavee · 3 years

Text

starry eyes

pairing: levi x reader (moon/stars universe) ft kaiya and rina!! summary: some moments through your pregnancy with baby Peach. warnings: pregnancy, cursing, details of a difficult pregnancy, c-section delivery, blood mention a/n: for this drabble prompt req “give me more picking out baby names, painting nurseries, and cradling their children. For moon and stars please”. but it ended up being 2.6k. i didn’t include the part about painting nurseries bc i want that to be it’s own drabble/part of another part of the story!

“Do you think we should have Peach share a room with Kaiya when she’s old enough?” You muse, “We only have our bedroom and Kaiya’s…”

Levi hums and scratches his chin. He absently places a hand over your growing belly- you’ve only started showing in the last week or two.

“Kaiya will be five years older than Peach,” Levi says, “She will need her own space.”

“Then we need more space,” You say with a raise of your eyebrow, “We only have two bedrooms, baby.”

“What shitty timing,” Levi sighs, throwing his head back against the headboard of the bed, “Is this a good time to move into another house? We haven’t even started looking-”

“We can either do it now or when Peach is a few months old,” You say, leaning your head on his shoulder, “You and Erwin spent so much time decorating Kaiya’s room and painting the walls…”

“We can do that at the new house,” Levi says, “And Kai can do it with us.” He kisses your forehead and continues rubbing your belly absently.

“Are we making this decision too quickly? Shouldn’t we think about it more,” You wonder out loud.

“We need more space,” Levi says simply, “We got a baby coming. Or did you forget?”

“How could I forget?” You roll your eyes, “You knocked me up. Again.”

“Shut up,” Levi rolls his eyes and pulls you in for a kiss. And then flicks your forehead.

House hunting was a much quicker affair than you had anticipated it to be- Levi had a sixth sense for this type of thing (and it had long begun to rub off on you, too). You had been looking at houses with Kaiya for about two months now, without any luck of a space that you could truly see yourself living in with your family.

Kaiya dutifully holds your hand as she explores the new kitchen, peering into the glossy, light green cabinets and giggling when she sees her reflection in a small mirror.

She gasps when she sees the size of the backyard, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly. “Mommy, look ousside,” She whispers, “Pwetty.”

“It is, isn’t it?” You reply, giving her a smile.

Levi has a mental checklist of questions to ask, and you do too, but he can see you falling in love with the house already. It’s cute and has charm- he can tell you’re already envisioning where Kaiya and the currently unnamed baby would play in the living room, where you’d set up your sewing materials…

Because he’s thinking about the same. He’s thinking about what Kaiya might want to paint her walls and how to set up the new baby’s room, about where his wine collection might go and his favorite leather chair.

Sometimes when you know, you just know. He has a good feeling about this place and the more the real estate agent tells you both, the more you subtly fall in love with the house. You feel like you’re a character in a small fairytale when you climb the staircase and get a view of the yard from the bedroom.

“Honey,” You say softly, tugging on his sleeve.

“Hmm,” He says and scoops Kaiya in his arms when she lifts her arms up.

“Daddy, mommy say she like it,” Kaiya whispers. Or attempts to.

“Oh, is that what mommy said?” Levi says, eyes lit up with amusement.

“Kiki, tell daddy that mommy loves the house very much.”

“Daddy, mommy say-”

“Daddy likes the house, too,” Levi says and you beam at him.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Really!” Kaiya exclaims, her arms outstretched.

And that’s that.

Moving and settling the paperwork had taken another month despite Levi’s attempts on speeding up the process. You had insisted on helping with the physical labor of moving, despite Erwin, Hange, Eren, Jean, Armin, Connie, Sasha and Mikasa volunteering to help you and Levi move.

Kaiya sat on one of the boxes that Jean and Eren carried out of the current apartment with a yellow hard hat on her head, directing them outside of the apartment to stack the boxes by the elevator.

“Baby,” You mumble, tugging Levi’s hand, “A house. We bought a house together.”

“Yeah,” Levi says, “Guess I’m stuck with you now, huh?”

You ignore him and peck his cheek. Your eyes have been watering on and off all day, memories of this apartment and of the initial stages of your relationship blossoming hidden in the spaces between the walls, between each shelf and cabinet.

“We fell in love here,” You say thickly, “We created love here.”

“We did,” Levi says softly, rolling his thumb over your hand, “Kaiya started walking right over there-” He points to the empty space of the living room, “You broke a wine glass over here-” He points to the space where the small dining table used to be, “And Kaiya’s birthdays were here…”

“Stop,” You complain, “I’m gonna cry again.”

Levi lets out a soft chuckle, “The new house is gonna have all of that and more. With this kid.” Levi palms your belly and kisses your temple.

Your second trimester, as it was with Kaiya, is relatively easy in comparison to the first trimester. You and Levi take the ease that comes with the second trimester to plan out what the nursery in the new house will look like when the baby is old enough to sleep alone.

The new house is a cozy four bedroom house (complete with a guest room) and plenty of room for play and relaxation. You had converted one of the rooms on the first floor into a small office for Levi, as he was able to work from home more often than you were.

Kaiya had demanded that her room be space themed. So you and Levi had painted her bedroom a pretty pale blue, decorated with glow in the dark stars and planets across her ceiling and the walls. A grey full moon hangs on one of the walls, along with frames of the planets, galaxies and Kaiya’s own drawings of the solar system (and really whatever else she wants).

She had even painted some stars on the side of the wall where her bed is, with Erwin’s help. Her bedding is navy blue with gold stars printed on it and of course, she has her stuffed elephant, her stuffed sun and her stuffed moon on her bed. A galaxy projector sits on her nightstand, and she loves to turn it on when Levi reads her a bedtime story.

Seeing her reaction made you cry, too.

Now was the hard part. Determining what to paint the walls for the growing peach in your belly. You and Levi go back and forth on muted yellow, olive green, and pale green-

“Do you want Peach to think they’re in a forest?”

“But green is such a calming color!”

“So is yellow, yellow is happy-”

“You think a newborn baby will know that?”

“We should create an atmosphere of relaxation and happiness-”

In the end you and Levi decide on a yellow and green theme, with accents of grey. Compromise. You both decide to hold off on painting the walls, until Peach is a little older to decide on what they want to accent the walls. Kaiya’s old crib sits in your bedroom for when Peach arrives, which somehow feels like it’s creeping up on you but still so far away.

Your second trimester is when you can’t get enough of Levi- every small action he does, whether it’s cooking dinner, putting things away from unpacked boxes or giving you a foot rub- makes you want to jump his bones every chance you get.

You’re glad your man can keep up with you. And Levi makes it well known how much he loves you and loves your body. He always has a hand on your hips, your waist, your chest whenever he can.

You bask in the attention. Your skin glows, your hair is healthy and your nails full.

And then the third trimester comes, and it’s possibly the most difficult experience you’ve ever had to stomach. The third trimester is complete with backaches, frequent heartburn, varicose veins and mood swings that give Levi whiplash.

Your mood swings weren’t this intense with Kaiya. But he knows every pregnancy is different. You’re uncomfortable in your own skin and distressed and so tired in the last few months.

In the last few months, you and Levi settle on a name- you’d found out that Peach was in fact a baby girl, and Kaiya was upset that she wouldn’t be able to refer to her baby sister as Peach any longer-

“Let’s name my sissy ‘Berry’ then.”

“That’s not any better than Peach, honey.”

In the end, after a few weeks of deliberating, you decide on Rina Ackerman. You had tossed around the idea of naming her after Levi’s mother, Kuchel, but Levi shot it down. He didn’t want his kids to have the burden of living up to a legacy that they knew nothing about.

You could understand that.

Levi and Kaiya help where they can. Levi holds you when you cry and he rubs your belly and your back when it gets to be too much. You tell him that this baby feels different, that you’re scared. So when you start having contractions about four weeks too early, you’re not surprised.

You scream and you cry, terrified that something’s gone wrong when you spot blood pooling on the bed. Levi looks at you with wide eyes before jumping into action quickly.

He holds your hand tightly, grateful that Kaiya is with his mom and Kenny for the day.

Once you reach the hospital, you’re a mess, almost refusing to let the doctors look at you. You’re terrified that something awful and terrible has happened, and Levi looks you in the eye with your hands tight in his-

“You can do this. You have to do this. For Rina. She needs you.”

“She’s too early, Levi, I can’t-”

“She’s strong. Like her mother.”

In the end, Rina is delivered via an emergency C-section. Levi only sees and holds her impossibly tiny body for a moment before she starts to cry and she’s whisked away by the nurses and doctors. You’re still sedated in the hospital bed.

He sits in the blue plastic chair in your room and holds his head in his hands.

It’s hard for Levi to believe that that melancholy morning in the hospital was a little over two years ago. When he sees his youngest little girl, strong and quick on her feet, being chased by her older sister, he can’t believe that she came out into the world in such a difficult manner.

You like to joke and say that Rina is a troublemaker and she liked causing a scene right from the first breath of air she took.

Levi feels like his heart stops whenever he sees Rina fall or nearly injure herself. It’s different than it was with Kaiya- maybe because he was the only one who saw her struggle to breathe during her first moments. It’s hard for him to lose the overprotectiveness he has with Rina that didn’t necessarily exist with Kaiya. Of course, he was protective over his oldest, but it just feels different.

He doesn’t want Kaiya to feel like Levi has favoritism over his two best girls. But he can’t shake this feeling.

You recognize it in his eyes even if he says nothing. You see it in the shine of his grey irises, the way they’re panicked only for a millisecond when he hears Rina’s first cry whenever she falls.

The Ackerman family is currently in the backyard, on a nice summer evening. You’re sitting on a picnic blanket with your legs outstretched and a small smile on your face as you watch your babies run around and chase each other. Rina is still clumsy on her feet, almost waddling after Kaiya before she gets distracted by a patch of grass. She immediately plops down and pats the grass under her and pulls at the grass as hard as she can, throwing the pieces up in the air and squealing happily.

“Kaiya!” Rina exclaims, “Kaiya!”

Kaiya sits across from her with a beaming smile and her hands outstretched and Rina gently places the pieces of grass in her hands.

“Hey, thanks, ‘Ina,” Kaiya smiles and Rina bashfully hides her face. She crawls to her big sister and sits in her lap, playing with the flowers and pointing to the small garden that Kaiya and you had been working on.

“Let’s go to the flowers,” Kaiya says and holds her hand as they both waddle to the garden patch.

“Mommy’s growin’ fruits and veggies here,” Kaiya says, pointing at cucumbers and okra, “I pretend like I don’t like them, but I do.”

Kaiya laughs and Rina giggles, too. Rina watches Kaiya with identical eyes, wide and grey and full of wonder. She catches sight of her daddy and lets go of Kaiya’s hand to waddle to Levi.

You nudge Levi’s foot and he stretches his arms out for her. Rina concentrates on Levi, smiling as he gets closer and closer as she walks towards him. But she’s small and she’s clumsy, so she lands on her fresh overalls, knees in the dirt.

Levi is about to jump to his feet but you stop him with a hand to his chest. Rina only stands up with wobbly legs before resuming her walk to Levi.

She nearly jumps into his lap and bounces in his arms when he holds her close. Levi adjusts her sparkly purple headband and Rina just beams at him, standing on her feet and tugging the strands of hair that fall into his eyes.

“Daddy,” Rina whispers and reaches into her pocket. She pulls out a few pieces of grass and shoves it in his face. “For you, daddy.”

Her fingers are dirty, coated in soil and dirt and Levi winces. But how can he focus on that when his baby is offering him the gift of the earth?

“Thank you, Rina,” Levi says quietly and kisses her forehead. Rina smiles, satisfied, before settling in his lap and giggling when you pull funny faces at her.

Levi hugs his youngest close, gesturing for Kaiya to come join him. She immediately plops down next to him and Levi wraps an arm around her shoulder.

“You’re getting too tall,” Levi says to Kaiya, who takes it as a compliment.

“My teacher says I’m tallest,” Kaiya beams at him. He pats her head affectionately.

“Come here, mommy,” Kaiya calls. Not like you were too far, anyway. Rina is busy playing with Levi’s long fingers and clutching them in her chubby hands. She gasps when she sees you approaching, outstretching her arms for your attention. You come bearing freshly cut fruit and juice before sitting down next to Levi and pecking his cheek.

“Mommy has melons,” You chirp and Levi snorts.

“Yeah, she does,” Levi says with an upturn of his lips. Only you catch the teasing bite of his tone.

“Mello!” Rina chirps happily, eyeing the watermelon in your plate.

“It’s for you Rina,” You say, and cut up the piece into smaller pieces.

Levi lives for quiet summer nights like this- nights with his girls with the setting sun and a light breeze. Nights with you in a cute sundress, Kaiya and Rina smiling and laughing.

He doesn’t think he can ever get used to how his girls’ laugh makes his heart swell.

tags: @simpingmaize @captainchrisstan @kentobean @alrightberries @puredivinity @regalillegal @castellandiangelo

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi x you #levi ackerman #aot x reader #snk x reader

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maxismatchccworld · 4 years

Text

Patch Notes

Update 11/10/2020 PC: 1.68.154.1020 / Mac: 1.68.154.1220 Console: Version: 1.33

Welcome, Simmers! A relaxing getaway sure sounds nice right about now. We’re inviting you to take a trip with your Sims to your favorite destination with the newly added ability to vacation anywhere within The Sims 4! Here at Maxis, we’ll be hitting the slopes of Mt. Komorebi with the release of The Sims 4 Snowy Escape in just a few short days. Curious how it works? Read on! We’ve got a big haul of new features and requested fixes in this major update to The Sims 4.

-SimGuruGraham and SimGuruRusskii

NEW & IMPROVED FEATURES Platforms

Platforms enable you to build rooms at varying heights within a story level. As much as we’d love to sit here and go on and on about how incredible platforms are and how they completely revolutionize Build Mode, you’ll see that for yourself as soon as you try them out in-game! Here are some basics for how they function and how you start building with them.

You either can use the new

Platform Tool

directly in or you can place preset platforms that come in various shapes and sizes. You’ll find both of these within the “Walls and Empty Rooms” section of Build Mode.

You easily can add or adjust the height of a platform in any room. Simply click on a room to select it, and the new up & down arrows in the widget that appears will allow you to add or adjust the height of a platform within that space.

Because platforms can have their height adjusted up or down, you can even create platforms that sink down beneath ground… like, really,

really

deep down. I don’t know why anyone would want to do that *

cough

* devious players *

cough

*, but the option’s there! This ability to go deep is reserved for the ground level and basements.

You can stack platforms on top of platforms, on top of platforms, on top of platforms, on top of platforms, on top of platforms… Seriously, go nuts. Get creative. Make something nobody has ever seen in The Sims before!... On top of platforms…

When a platform’s height is a single step higher or lower than the adjacent floor, Sims are able to step onto it. For anything higher than a single step, connecting a set of stairs or a ladder between the different surfaces will allow Sims to reach them. Here’s your first advanced lesson in platforming: Remember that callout about stacking platforms on top of each other? If each stacked platform is a single step in height, you could certainly make some interesting custom staircases…

One notable exception - platforms can’t connect across multiple levels. If you build a stack of platforms all the way to the ceiling, the very last step will need to be a staircase or ladder to connect two separate floors of a building together.

Platforms can be utilized as fully functional space or be purely decorative areas - the choice is yours! As you adjust the height of a platform, your Sims will intelligently adapt to that space. For example, you could create a platform with only enough head clearance for a child to enter. The possibilities are endless!

The visual look of platforms can be customized in a variety of ways. The “Walls and Empty Rooms” section of Build Mode now has a “Platform Trims” subcategory. Here you’ll find trims that match all of our foundations as well as some new trims with basic materials that look perfect in the interior of a building. Want to go even further? Try wrapping the edge of a platform with half walls and then customize the edge with any wall material. Mix and match these methods for creative results!

Even More Half-Walls

Speaking of Half-Walls, we’re pleased to share that we’ve created 12 additional Half-Wall heights to choose from, adding to the 7 heights previously available. One could factually say this is our most sizable Half-Wall update ever! Pity the poor person who was tasked with writing uniquely descriptive names for each of these 19 height variations.

Sentiments

Sentiments are those special fuzzy feelings that form between Sims when they share a memorable moment together. Shared experiences between Sims now offer the opportunity for Sims to develop long-lasting sentiments between each other, which in turn affects how they feel and act in the presence of (or the absence of) another particular Sim. Unlike relationships between Sims, Sentiments can be a one-sided affair. When two or more Sims share an experience together, you may find that all, some, or none of them walk away from that moment having formed a lasting impression of the other Sims that were involved. The base game includes a wide variety of these Sentiments and Snowy Escape has additional ones tied to experiences within that pack.

Sentiments that have formed between Sims can be viewed in two locations. When socializing with another Sim, click on the heart-covered notebook that appears in the social UI at the top of your screen. Alternatively, you can view the Sentiments that exist between two Sims at any time within the new Sim Profile within the Relationship Panel. Read on for more information on this new Sim Profile ...

Sim Profiles

Have you ever gone to check out the other Sims in your Sims’ life, only to be greeted with an overwhelmingly large tooltip that extended from the tippy top all the way to the bottom of your screen? We certainly have, and we weren’t happy with it.

There has to be a better way!

...And there is! Introducing:

Sim Profiles

! Within the Relationship Panel, you can now click on the portrait of any Sim and select “Open Sim Profile” for a full breakdown of all the info the active Sim knows about that Sim. It even includes those nifty new Sentiments everyone’s been talking about!

Skin Tone Update Console & Community Identified Issues

We saw your feedback about the October skin tones update and, to improve clarity and transparency, we shared a first look on Twitter of the fix in progress.

With this patch, the Console game gets the October fixes for texture compression, resolving the banding on the cheeks and foreheads as well as discoloration on the tip of the nose.

In addition, this patch addresses the two community-identified issues of red dots around the lips and a dark blotch between the eyes. The red dots around the lips should be completely resolved at this time. The dark blotch between the eyes was softened to remove the hard edge, but the darkening is expected as part of the shadowing around the nose.

Vacation Anywhere

Couldn’t we all use a good vacation right about now? Your Sims certainly could, and now they can go anywhere! The ability to go on a vacation to any of your worlds has been added to the game for all players along with the “Rental” lot type.

To vacation to a world, a rental lot must exist within it. Should you purchase Snowy Escape, you’ll find the residential world of Mt. Komorebi includes some pre-built rental lots - a ready getaway awaiting your Sims. If you prefer to vacation in another world (Sulani, anyone?), you’ll first need to enter Manage Worlds mode and update at least one of the lots within the desired world to become a rental lot.

During a vacation, if your Sims are lacking any necessities, they now can “Order Supplies Now” from the rental’s mailbox or from their phone. Happy travels!

Toddler Slippers

We figured it’d be nice to give toddlers a pair of slippers to wear. So we did. Cozy feet!

S-Pop Radio Station

You may remember S-Pop (short for “Sim-Pop”) as a radio station in the City Living expansion pack. While the music tracks that originally came with that station will remain exclusive to City Living, the station itself is now available for all players with five new songs for all players to enjoy:

“keep on rocking” Performed by CHAI Written by Yuki Mizutani (p/k/a/ Yuki), Kanae Obata (p/k/a Kana) and Manami Obata (p/k/a Mana) Published by Sony Music Publishing (Japan) (JASRAC) Recording courtesy of Sony Music Japan by arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment “Kanzen Houki Sengen (Simlish Version)” Performed by Nanawoakari Written by Nanawoakari & Tamaya2060 Published by Sony/ATV Music Publishing Recording courtesy of Sony Music Japan by arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment “Part. 2” Performed by SASUKE Written by SASUKE Published by Warner Chappell Publishing Recording courtesy of Warner Music Japan Inc. by arrangement with Warner Music Group Video Game Licensing “Ninhursag’s Tone” Performed by Unite Satisfy Written by Shintaro Aoki Published by Syn Songs Recording courtesy of NNN Records & Cross Groove/Syn Songs “Harujion” Performed by YOASOBI Written by Takuya Shimizu (p/k/a Takuya) and Akira Tsubono (p/k/a Akira) Published by Sony Music Publishing (Japan) (JASRAC) Recording courtesy of Sony Music Japan by arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment

And now, onto the fixes:

The Sims 4

Freelancer Sims now can complete Gigs they have signed up for and harvest the fruits of their labor. Simoleons, Simoleons, Simoooleons… SIMOOOLEOOONS.

Does your Sim look bored all the time? Even when you think they are having fun, they look bored to you? Not a problem anymore. It’s been… taken care of.

Calls Dropping? Is your Cell Phone behaving like a certain network is just not up to snuff? We have upgraded all Sims to Simgular - Llama’s Choice Network that does not allow Off-the-Grid shenanigans when your Sims are not Off-the-Grid.

The NanoCan Touchless Trash Can has been recalled and fixed so now all your trash can be cash in a flash.

Did you ever experience the Honey I Shrunk the Basil and Sage Plants issue in-game? No longer! *No Sage or Basil Plants were harmed in the fixing of this issue*.

Ever had Sims show up looking like a product of a bad makeover? Did your Debate Judge just show up to the debate wearing a mascot hat when they're not the mascot? Did your fellow Spellcasters show up in the Magic Realm wearing not so magical clothes? Say no more… We have applied a fix so that non-playable Sims can be a bit more appropriately coordinated in their outfits and per occasion.

Door lock settings now persist when Sims travel. That’s right! If I disallow everybody, it should stay that way when I travel… or when I exit the game… and the occasional restart, too... hmpf!

Sims who have passed away no longer sometimes disappear from their Genealogy. This is not retroactive, so any Sims that already disappeared will not return.

Sims no longer ignore the kitchen sink and dishwasher to wash their dishes in the bathroom sink. Okay.

Oasis Springs’ World Map now shows lots in the correct locations. I see you, Yuma Heights - don’t be sneaky now.

Sims now can propose to their beloved without rejection (congratulations!). On the same note, Sims with multiple romantic partners now can propose and marry one of them and not get sabotaged by their partners’ predicament of not being able to get married because they are employed together, even when they are not.

Sims who have finished their workday now get back to things sooner instead of sometimes staring off into space.

Ever wished your delicious food just never… ended? We thought we did until our Sims were unable to finish their meals. Now they are able to finish Eating Leftovers. They are leftovers, not leftFOREVERS.

Sims sharing double beds now can Nap or Sleep in any combination. Sim A can nap and Sim B can Sleep… or Sim A can Sleep and Sim B can nap… or they can both Sleep… or nap… well, you get the picture.

Shower Tubs now can be cleaned enough to be visibly squeaky-clean.

Another one bites the dust. The issue that generated Error Code: 110:c875d8ff on game load has been fixed.

Style Influencer Sims now perform Quick Sketch Impression without breaking the Digital Sketchpad. Be kind with your tools and toys.

Removed incorrect Moodlets such as “Awkward Hug” when Unflirty Sims hugged kids. In the same fashion, we made sure Unflirty Sims no longer receive the “Witnessed Crass Act” Moodlet when parents and children hug or kiss cheeks.

Adult Sims now Teach Blocks to their Toddlers. Learning in early life is important!

Sims on vacation now can hire a Nanny and/or a Butler to take care of things while they are away.

Toddlers no longer will show as “At Daycare” when they are taken back home via the “Care for Self” option. No Toddler clones here... you can’t be two places at once!

Toddlers left at home while the rest of the household goes on Vacation now receive proper care and otherwise can join the Vacation. THINK OF THE CHILDREN. Toddlers deserve fun and relaxation in new places, too!

Toddlers no longer get the “Silly Ocean” Moodlet from playing in rivers.

Children once again can earn Adult skills. *sniff* They grow up so fast!

Simmers in social events now get a warning when switching to a Sim in another neighborhood rather than the event cancelling automatically.

Sims with enough Simoleons now can move into empty lots.

Splitting households and then moving no longer causes an infinite load.

We told Sims that they should probably not take 45 minutes to drink a single cup of Coffee. As you guys know, I am a coffee fiend, but nursing the same cup for that long is not in the coffee lover’s manual for enjoying fresh coffee.

We met with our wonderful Sim Firefighters and came to the agreement that they now also will extinguish fires on wall objects such as paintings.

Action progress bars no longer are interrupted when a new action is added to a Sim's queue.

Sometimes items could disappear from your Sim's inventory after travelling. This should no longer happen. Where is my cup of coffee? Oh, okay, it is here….

Sims no longer have Clay Blobs, Future Cubes, and/or Sketch Pads spawn infinitely in their Inventory. This felt like grabbing something out of Felix the Cat’s bag… just a never-ending bag of Clay Blobs, Future Cubes, and Sketch Pads… what did it all mean!? We may never know.

Opening a stack of Inventory items and then going back now highlights the correct item.

In reviewing items in Inventory, we realized that some item stacks were showing the number 99+ incorrectly on Multiselect. What’s the number? - Stomp, Stomp! - What’s the number? - Stomp, Stomp! - The number of the day… you’re about to see the number is the actual number of items you have! Ah ha ha. That’s the number of the day!

Sims no longer endlessly play games such as Chess, Sabacc (if you own Journey to Batuu), Voidcritter Cards (if you own Kids Stuff), and your regular Card games. I could play with Meduso forever though… #Meduso4ever.

Page Up/Page Down and Home/End Keys now work in Free Cam Mode.

The Aspiration Panel now shows the gender of Sims regardless of whether they are active.

Now only Gardeners autonomously remove wild plants. Sims with Green Fiend Trait (if you own Eco Lifestyle) were being a bit overly eager in removing plants everywhere, so the professionals will handle it from now on.

“Listen To Together” on a Stereo no longer resets Sims.

Sims no longer get “Poorly Decorated” and “Dismally Decorated” Moodlets when decorations are in the room. This applies to new Saves as it is not retroactive, but, my, how judgemental Lots were….

Columns now can rotate 45 degrees and in Free Rotation. Spin them right round, Simmers, right round.

The liveeditobjects cheat no longer surfaces items with broken thumbnails that were not meant to be part of that cheat. Pardon our dust.

Shower descriptions in the catalog said they were “Uncomfortable.” Showers are meant to relax and be a place of meditation, so the catalog now says they provide “Discomfort Relief” unless the specific shower really is uncomfortable.

The Subtle Saucer and the Super Subtle Saucer now have images that are more distinct from each other in the catalog. Super Subtle, Super Saucer.

Removed the “Player Feats” door because it wasn’t really a door…

Dishwashers The Professional Dish Laborer, Washer Pro Free-Standing Dishwasher (from Dine Out), and Industrial Dishwasher Unit (from Parenthood) no longer have a gap between counters.

Digital World wall tiles have been polished. Shiny and new!

Career-unlockable outfits no longer show up when filtering for Custom Content.

Toddlers no longer have bald spots when zoomed out on Low Graphics Settings.

Frayed jean ymBottom_EF13JeansFrayedCrop_Black no longer clips with several tops.

Anniversary t-shirts yfTop_EF05ShirtTeeAnniversary and ymTop_EF05ShirtTeeAnniversary fit better on more body types.

Sims with certain feminine frames now look better when wearing Pants or Full Body outfits.

Fixed some Create a Sim item backgrounds.

Selecting what you want to do next at the end of the tutorial on console no longer has the mysterious word "Label" in the background.

Gallery filters no longer cut off some venue type names in some languages. This was particularly egregious for French and Brazilian Portuguese text.

Game fonts got some spiffing up to keep all characters looking their best.

As with every update, the localization team has tweaked, improved, and fixed text across all Packs and previous updates.

To explain a bit further, we created a much more robust set of internal tools that allows us to have greater control over the outfits that the Sims choose to wear in unique situations. We’ve improved a lot of the wacky townie fashion you’ve seen previously (it’s called fashion sweaty - look it up), but if you still see oddities - let us know. It’ll be an easier issue for us to “iron out” moving forward! Together, we can defeat the dreaded eyeball ring.

Get to Work

Scientist Sims placing collected crystals and metals in their Laboratory no longer crash the game. Do you ever science so hard, the simulation crashes?

The “Test Serum” action on a Scientist co-worker no longer causes an error.

Get Together

Stone Frame Window (window1x1_EP02TUDstoneFrame2Tile_set1), Holey Geometry (window1x1_EP02TUDLow_03_2Tile_set1), and King of Diamonds Classical Door (doorSingle2x1_EP02TUDHigh3Tile_set1) now place properly.

Sims in Clubs with a Read rule now finish the books they choose to read. No cheating, my friends.

Wearing their Earbuds (if you own Fitness Stuff) and participating in Club Gatherings no longer causes an error.

Club affiliation on University Housing (if you own Discover University) now persists after entering Build/Buy Mode.

City Living

Ultra Speed now works while Festivals are in progress. Some conspiracy can be said about Festivals wanting Simmers to enjoy them in all their glory… at a normal speed at every speed, but these are just conjectures… yes.

Sims no longer read their mail aloud while conversing with their apartment neighbors. Talk about rude, right?

“Read about Festival” now consistently displays festival information.

Sims from specific San Myshuno neighborhoods now have more variety on their appearance.

Cats and Dogs

Stencils in Create a Sim (Pet) now consistently paint your furry friends without crashing.

Seasons

The holiday tradition New Skill Day now focuses on starting new skills and improving low level skills so skills that are maxed out don’t count.

Toddlers who are inside during a blizzard and in a high chair no longer want to Run Inside, so their caretakers won’t take them out of the chair prematurely. You are safe little one; you are safe.

Now all onions, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, apples, tomatoes, and growfruits can be planted indoors during freezing weather.

Plants no longer change their quality or evolve on their own after Sims traveling.

Some Outdoor Plants that were stuck in summer/fall now turn brown and lose their flowers when winter starts.

Sims now can book Vacations on the computer during holidays.

Simmers who have disabled Rain and Snow no longer should see them during Mysterious Weather. Mysterious indeed.

Male Sims now wear appropriate shoes when working as a Floral Designer or Botanist.

The beanie hat cuHat_EP05BeaniePom now looks a bit better.

Sims scheduling an event in the Calendar for a Rental Lot no longer end up in a Lot where they have not been greeted.

Get Famous

Stans (“stalker fans”) and Kleptomaniac Sims no longer steal Pet food bowls or Cat litter. I have no words for this one. I have nothing.

Sims with maxed out Atrocious Reputation now maintain their reputation when traveling. Atrocious you shall be forever.

Island Living

Conservationist Sims now Write Conservation Articles at the appropriate career level (level 4). On the same note, the task for Research Conservation now can be completed.

Odd Jobs no longer get stuck in a state where Inventory and Build Mode cannot be accessed.

We had long conversations with Island Celebration Participants and agreed that no random Sims should enter a Sim’s home without permission, barging in as if they owned the place. Excuse you, privacy, and property are a thing, you know?

Discover University

We chatted with the registrar at Britechester University and got them to agree that students should receive class time reminders before class instead of after. You’re welcome. Now, make sure you go on time, alright?

School Spirit Day no longer schedules multiple instances at the same time. But… Did you know it is Spirit Day?

Club gatherings no longer have Sims with their bikes indoors in a disruptive manner.

Sims traveling long distances including stairs now properly walk the stairs and then hop their bikes and they don’t leave their bike behind. You can’t just abandon your bicycle - what about the poor bike’s feelings?

Sims now properly get off bikes while on a slope.

Lawyer Sims now File Court Documents as their tasks dictate at levels after 5. Just because you move up doesn’t mean you stop filing docs.

Students in a different neighborhood from their University now go to school instead of work when choosing “Go to Class” from the Career Panel.

Students now can receive only one merit scholarship per term.

Sims no longer are listed as being at University when they are at home.

The game no longer sometimes freezes when Sims enroll in University. We get that attending University is life-changing, but freezing a game is taking it a bit to extremes.

Students now return to Campuses in their leisure time to cloud gaze and play Soccer in the surrounding areas of Britechester University and Foxbury Institute respectively.

Sims jogging in an Exo-Mech suit no longer get fatigue-related Moodlets.

For Eco Lifestyle Simmers, “Throw Away” and “Compost” now are available on piles of discarded food. The consequences of not having these were especially egregious at University Dorms.

Sweatpants yfBottom_EP08LooseSweatpants now look better when paired with scarf yfTop_EP08SweaterScarf in Create a Sim.

Eco Lifestyle

Recycle Disciple Sims without the Kleptomaniac Trait now swipe household objects less often. We get it, we are all trying to do our best for the environment, but going after your Dumpster was a bit too far… we kinda need that.

Eco Footprints no longer change very quickly from “Green” to “Neutral.” Knox rejoices.

Eco Footprints in Worlds no longer become Neutral when entering Manage Worlds.

We had a chat with Eco Inspectors and they agreed that they should display the correct occupation from now on. And they shall be known as Eco Inspectors… forever.

Bulldozing Pinecrest Apartments now is possible without damaging the lot.

Harvestables obtained via a Dumpster no longer disappear from Inventory a few minutes later. Easy come, easy go… would you not disappear, though?

Recycling is a wonderful thing. Recycling for Inventory exposed missing text on some Grand Meals, so we filled in those names.

Toddlers living in Lots with the Reduce and Recycle Lot Trait mayyyybe were taking it a bit too far generating trash piles in their inventories. Put that down - No more trash in your pockets.

Did your floor patterns experience a glow that never went away after selecting all of them? That’s not a problem anymore.

The Wallpaper formerly known as sheetStandingSeam01GEN has been renamed to Corrugated Metal.

The Fabricator’s Fabricated Couch (no dye) recipe now creates the correct item.

Residential Wall Speaker is renamed to Venue Wall Speaker: Americana to accurately reflect its function and music.

Venue Wall Speaker: Americana now looks correct with the neutral wood option.

Women’s sandals yfShoes_EP09PlatformSandals now look better when paired with jumpsuit yfBody_EP09JumpsuitUtility.

Men’s hairstyles ymHair_EP09CurlyBun_Black and ymHair_EP09CrimpedLong_Black have cleaner hairlines now.

Dine Out

Sims no longer get up from their seats at restaurants randomly and create chaos by speaking to other patrons, grabbing food from their table, putting it somewhere else, and taking over the place by playing the piano or singing. But it was quite the show, wasn’t it?

Xbox One Simmers now can edit Restaurant Staff Uniforms in Build Mode along with other Simmers.

Vampires

Vampire Spar no longer negatively affects Conflict resolution for Simmers with Parenthood.

Realm of Magic

Spellcasters with all spells learned and maxed out no longer lose those when downloaded from the Library/Gallery Muscle memory perhaps?

Create a Sim no longer has the less-than-attractive skin type that was intended only for cursed Sims as an option.

Spellcasters have reviewed the terms of their “Always Transportalate” Spell and now can actually teleport anywhere, even places with stairs.

Journey To Batuu

Sims now are able to complete First Order or Resistance missions and then choose the Hope vs Order - First Steps Aspiration and complete all goals.

The Lightsaber Collection plaque now has a proper name and description so you can display it with pride.

The First Order sent a memo stating to change the First Order Blast Door to not accept any decals or wall decorations.

Create a Sim asset yfBottom_GP09VillagerPatchVertical now goes better with different styles of shoes across multiple Packs.

The Career Panel now displays the active Mission chosen from the Mission Panel.

The game no longer freezes when Sims “Freshen up at the Dwelling” at Black Spire Outpost.

Luxury Party

Create a Sim asset yfBody_SP01SleevesFlutter_SolidBrown fits better when wearing Get to Work’s ymHair_EP01LongWavySwept_Platinum hairstyle.

Movie Hangout

Movie night has been reclaimed! Sims now can watch complete films from start to finish without getting stuck in a never-ending loop… or I should say not in a Neverending Story? STTOOooooryyyyyYYYY.

Knifty Knitting

Create a Sim boots cuShoes_SP17BootsBuckled_SolidRedPin work better with jeans cfBottom_SP07JeansPrint_FloralBlueLt.

#s4 patch notes

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dreaming-of-assclass · 3 years

Text

AssClass Bedroom Headcanons: Part 2

Part 1 Here

Kataoka

Definitely has the neatest room.

Her room is very light-colored with a lot of white furniture because she loves how classy it looks.

Her floor has to be clear or else she’ll lose her mind.

Has pastel feminine bedspread and decor because she likes the frills and girly vibe.

Has lots of posters of her favorite swimmers and women she looks up to.

Even her books and school supplies on her desk are so organized.

Enjoys stepping onto her soft, warm fluffy rug in the mornings.

Okajima

Has a comfy bed but honestly, this boy lives on the mini couch seating instead.

Like 99% of the time, he’s crouching there doing homework or camera stuff. Or also flipping through magazines.

Has a big window with nice curtains so he can control the lighting for picture-taking purposes.

He has the most boring ass covers lmao, it’s like a thin sheet that he sleeps under. His female friends roast him all the time for it.

Has a couple bookshelves filled with textbooks and photography equipment!

There’s a couple of plants but they were gifts from Sugaya.

Overall the vibes are nice and cozy. Slightly hermit vibes but it’s all good.

Kayano

I’m sorry but this room is so gorgeous to me, I just had to give it to her.

So like she lives in an apartment as a 3-E student and she definitely would be able to afford a rlly nice one, with her money from acting.

The room has really lovely boho vibes, but it’s also rlly modern at the same time??

Has a very large window with a stunning view that she looks at often, in thought.

Keeps a couple books at her bedside, along with painkillers and manuscripts.

Tbh it’s somewhat neat because she can’t stand messiness. But it gets messy often because she has other things to focus on and she’s sad.

There’s a bunch of pudding wrappers all around on the floor.

Hayami

Her room is a little basic by these standards tbh, but it’s super comfortable.

It’s fairly spacious since she practices dancing in there sometimes.

Has a lot of windows because she likes natural sunlight. And at night, she keeps them open slightly to enjoy the sounds of the night, like crickets, cars passing by, etc

Owns so many adorable cat plushies that she keeps in her bed.

I’d say her room is pretty neat, but during her time in 3-E, I can see Hayami throwing things around more often. Like she has other things to think about.

Her furniture is all so aesthetic looking and pretty. Like the vibes are very pretty in the room overall.

Sugino

I’m so sorry y’all, but I feel like his bedroom would be plain af 😭

Like it’s Sugino lmao. I can’t see him really thinking about “aesthetic” or “decor” lol. BUT don’t fret, it’s still very charming in its own way!

It would be pretty small since in canon, his family lives in a certain type of public housing/apartments.

His bed frame would be the kind that’s very low to the ground. Which is nice so he can just flop onto there when he’s dead tired.

Has very thick black-out curtains to block any sunlight since the boy wants all the rest he can get.

Has a single desk for his PC and as a place to do schoolwork. Also where he can play some video games lol.

Would have a couple stuffed animals on his bed UwU.

Yoshida

I’m getting very suave vibes for his bedroom tbh. Like out of all the guys, he’s the best at decorating.

Given that his family isn’t very big, I wanna say he’d have a decently-spaced room.

There’s super cool lighting in the room with the lights he hung up, and his lamp. Like the ambience is just 👌

Has pictures of his family and friends framed and sitting on his dresser. It’s so sweet.

Also has a stuffed teddy bear that he got when he was kids and playing with Hara.

Tbh he’s barely in his room. He’s usually either with the class, squad, or working on his motorcycles.

Has many books on physics, mechanics engineering, etc in a single bookshelf in his room.

Kimura

Idk, my first thought was that he’d have a small-ish room that’s packed with lots of stuff.

I feel like Kimura is the type of gremlin who would lowkey hoard things lmao. Like it would sit in his drawer for 4 years before he decides what to do.

But yeah. I can see him with small shelves filled with various different things. One of them has some indoor workout equipment.

He has a desk that’s constantly cluttered, no matter how often he clears it. It also has his computer.

The only reason his room is ever clean is because his mother has cleaned it. As soon as the 3-E girls find this out, they absolutely give him a lesson on tidiness.

Has some stuffed animals that he bought to try impress Kurahashi but he ended up loving them for real lmao.

Ritsu

Ok so of course, Ritsu has probably made her own lil world and home digitally. But that means she’d also decorate/create her own bedroom!

I’m a big advocate for a Ritsu who always changes aesthetic but I think her bedroom is pretty easy to figure out.

First of all, it would be hella random lmao. Like the absolute weirdest items and decorations are just all around, on the floor, wall, etc lmaoooo.

THE BED HAS TO BE EXTREMELY COMFY WITH A CUTE SPREAD. This will be her main residing area when she binges K-Dramas and other shows she loves.

Also there’s a giant TV in the room lmao.

All of her books, games, and forms of entertainment are probably lying on the floor lolol.

Yeah it’s pretty messy. One of her classmates or teachers has to remind her to clean up.

#assclass #ansatsu kyoushitsu #assassination classsroom #post #headcanons #megu kataoka #taiga okajima #kaede kayano #rinka hayami #taisei yoshida #justice kimura #ritsu

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jeongjaebae · 3 years

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No mistletoe required

⇢ Jaehyun x reader ⇢ 9.3k | AO3 ⇢ a cute and funny holiday college AU (lowkey enemies to lovers)

To your utter surprise and dismay, there's your neighbour. The one directly across from you who keeps turning the decorating into a competition, who happens to be setting up the next batch of lights on their door at this very moment. And that kind of ruins the previously good mood you were in, so you open the door to give them a piece of your mind.

Why are you still here? Why are you still putting up decorations? Why are you turning this into a competition that I never asked to join—

"Why are you shirtless."

Or: There were three things you did not expect to encounter this holiday season. The first was to have someone else staying on campus over the winter break with you. The second, to have this person as your neighbour who tries to one-up you in Christmas decorations. The third, that this said neighbour would be hot.

Not going home for the holidays really wasn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, part of you was looking forward to doing whatever the heck you wanted without your roommates in the dorm, and not having any extended family members around to lie about having a good GPA or significant other to. Not that your GPA wasn't good, but the significant other category might need some work. Either way, you were excited to be able to finally bake Christmas cookies, decorate the entire apartment, and marathon your list of Christmas movies all while wearing your comfiest (ugliest) clothes and being sufficiently inebriated. There would be no one around to judge you while you screamed the lyrics to All I want for Christmas is You while dancing around in your pajamas. There would be no one around you for miles as even the RAs go home for the holidays.

It was like a dream come true.

"Today's going to be the day the rest of the door decorations go up," you announce to no one in particular. That's definitely another benefit of being all alone in this residence building—you could talk to yourself without sounding crazy. "They are long overdue so let's get this party started!"

There really weren't too many decorations left in your possession. You'd brought only a few things from home when you first moved in, like the cute ornament that looked exactly like your dog back home, a bow (for your hair but holiday decor takes priority right now), and a string of fairy lights that was originally for decorating your room but will now be taped onto the front door because you refuse to lose this unspoken decorations contest to the neighbour directly across from you.

This contest had begun a couple of weeks ago when you and your roommates had first put up a wreath on the door. It was already December at that point, so it wasn't exactly too early to start with the decorations, but with finals coming up none of the other students had decorated their doors. You'd thought the wreath that your roommate Rose brought was such a nice touch to remind everyone that the holidays were coming soon and that you'd all pull through with finals. Just a sign of hope and love and all the warm and coziness that you loved about Christmastime.

So when you opened the door later that afternoon and saw an identical wreath on your neighbour's door, you were stunned. You almost thought they stole it at first, but then seeing how yours was still there, that made you question some things. Maybe it was just a coincidence that they happened to have the same wreath, and they only put it up when they were reminded by seeing your wreath.

That was the first time, anyway.

A few days later, your roommates had brought out some pretty Christmas lights to wrap around the wreath. Again, it was just to lift the spirits of everyone during the dreadful time that is finals season. So you guys wrapped the lights carefully around the wreath, making sure that no one would trip on extension cords or anything like that. It ended up looking really nice and you were kind of proud of your festive door.

Until you saw your neighbour's door that also had an added string of Christmas lights.

Even worse, theirs did not simply wrap around the wreath like yours did but framed the entire door instead. It was as if they drew around the door frame with a highlighter because now all the attention would go straight to their door and leave yours completely drowned out.

The third time it happened was with the ornaments. You'd put your dog ornament on the wreath along with the other objects that your roommates had brought, some of which were pretty questionable (Rose's sparkly bottle cap, Jihyo's homemade felt gingerbread man, and Miyeon's earring?), but the overall vibe was still nice. It made the hallway feel more Christmassy than before and you knew that your copycat neighbour would not be able to mimic this.

But somehow they did.

You'd been trying to catch a glimpse of this lame neighbour through the peephole of your door all day, but the moment you stepped away for a much needed bathroom break, that's when their ornaments went up. You had come back from your under 30 seconds of a break and looked through the peephole and gawked at those twinkling ornaments—proper Christmas ornaments! The neighbour had hung them on the string of lights framing the door so that the lights bounced off and looked even brighter, shinier, warmer.

It also made you want to punch a wall.

That had been the week before finals. Your roommates were out of decorations at that point and you wanted to channel your anger into studying, so nothing had been done about the decorations. Unsurprisingly, your neighbours also did not add anything else to their door decor, which definitely squashed any chance of coincidence.

But now that everyone has gone home for the winter break, you were determined to put up the most extravagant decorations and have your neighbours come back to their defeat. The fairy lights in your room were ready for the world to see as you blasted a playlist of Christmas songs at decibels much higher than normally allowed. You had the tape in hand and were ready to go into battle. The door still had a ton of space below the wreath, so you started there and created a Christmas tree shape with the lights, taping them at every corner with the little battery holder acting as a base of the tree. Your bow hair accessory went at the very stop as a makeshift star, and you ripped out a sheet from your spiral lab notebook and cut off the ripped side to use as tinsel for this makeshift tree. It looked nice and cute and was definitely cooler than any traditional decorations.

"Okay, now that that's done I can finally get on with the Christmas cookies," you say to yourself.

The rest of the day was spent on baking some cute sugar cookies using Miyeon's cookie cutters of various non-holiday shapes, and some red and green food colouring which turned your icing into pink and green. So much for Christmas vibes. They were still cute though.

But just after you put the cookies in the oven, that's when you hear the creaking of a door and some shuffling sounds. You even turn down your music the slightest bit to hear what was going on because who could possibly still be here in this building? You had been certain that everyone would be going home and you hadn't heard a sound in days.

To your utter surprise and dismay, there's your neighbour. The one directly across from you who keeps turning the decorating into a competition, who is setting up the next batch of lights on their door at this very moment. You watch for a few seconds through the peephole as this mysterious competitor adjusts the lights on the door just slightly below the wreath, so all you could see was a hand.

And that kind of ruins the previously good mood you were in, so you open the door to give them a piece of your mind.

Why are you still here? Why are you still putting up decorations? Why are you turning this into a competition that I never asked to join—

"Why are you shirtless." You eye him up and down, the sight in front of you temporarily distracting you from the long speech you were planning on bombarding him with. "Um, that's so rude? You're basically giving everyone totally unsolicited naked pictures of you and your...abs, embedded into their minds forever."

That doesn't seem to startle him at all, as he simply stares back at you without missing a beat. "And," he looks at you up and down too, "your ugly Christmas sweater will be ingrained into my mind forever."

"Excuse you?" You weren't even wearing an ugly Christmas sweater though; this was just one of your regular cozy sweaters. "Well, is it hot in here or is it just you?" you spit out, the words dripping with sass.

Wait. What.

That came out totally wrong and was not at all how it sounded in your head.

He pauses for a second too but just breaks into a chuckle. "Why, thank you."

"I meant hot! In your apartment! You're the only one feeling the heat since you're clearly hot enough to be shirtless in the middle of winter!"

The corners of his lips raise the slightest bit along with an eyebrow, and that's when you knew he caught on to the last bit of what you said. "I'm hot enough to be shirtless?"

"You are not hot, okay? Like, opposite of hot. You're so freezing cold that I am going to leave before I get hypothermia" you lied through your teeth. Anyone who could say that he's not hot would be lying but that doesn't mean you'd ever admit it.

"So I'm too cool for you?"

"Bye, boy."

And with that you slam your door shut and collapse right against it.

That's the neighbour who's been secretly competing against your holiday decor? You hadn't pictured anyone in particular when you thought about the lame neighbour putting up decorations on their door, but this guy has got to be the farthest thing possible from anything in your realm of expectations. Even though you spent most of that interaction avoiding looking at him at all, you definitely saw enough. More like too much. But surely a guy who looks like every girl's quarterback frat boy crush with muscles like The Rock couldn't possibly be interested in being less than five feet away from Christmas decorations? And what was he still doing here anyways, away from all the friends and family back home?

On top of that, now you had to continue this dumb contest for the rest of the break since you refused to let someone like that win at this.

***

The next day consisted of waking up to a drained laptop battery, your list of Christmas movies marked as complete, and no memory of having watched any of them because you'd fallen asleep near the beginning of the movie marathon. Cookies were left half eaten on the plate with crumbs everywhere and your mug had stains from the dried remnants of hot chocolate. It takes you a minute to collect yourself and for a good while, you'd forgotten about the awkward encounter with shirtless neighbour.

Until you hear him singing.

It wasn't a song that you recognized but that didn't matter because you were dazed. Firstly, that boy could sure sing. Yesterday his talking voice hadn't left any impressions on you probably because he hadn't said much and you were too busy noticing the insults that came out of that mouth, but his singing voice today is a whole different story. It's fairly deep but somehow still soft, and its timbre fits perfectly with the smooth R&B song he's singing. Of course you'd never admit it, but this was such a turn on and you did not know how to handle this information.

And secondly, it turns out the walls were not as soundproof as you thought, which meant he probably heard everything from your high notes screaming session to you talking to yourself about beating that dumbass neighbour at this stupid decorating contest. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but on the other hand, if he'd heard you through the walls then maybe he would know better than to sing and risk having you hear. Well, unless he's turning that into a competition too which may be a good possibility given how competitive he seems.

After eating an abnormally late breakfast at 3pm, you went to take out the large pile of trash that was overflowing the garbage can. It was long overdue but had just become an object in the background as everyone went through finals in the past few weeks. In short, it stank and was ruining your holiday mood.

There was something else that was ruining your holiday mood though. The first thing you see when you open the door to go take out the garbage... was your shirtless neighbour. Only he wasn't shirtless this time; he had a tee on but was still exposing those toned arms as he was, to your disbelief, still putting up some more decorations on their door. It seems like he actually did not copy your fairy lights idea yesterday because today he's taping up Christmas gift wrapping paper on the door. As if his apartment was a gift to anyone! You were sure that was a fire hazard or something but there were no RAs around to even report this to.

He freezes when you open your door and makes the most awkward eye contact with you for a few seconds too long.

"Wow, nice to see you in a shirt today," you say with heavy sarcasm dripping off those words. "Feeling kind of cold?"

"Nice to see you too." He doesn't take the bait but entirely changes the subject, a neutral but inviting expression on his face. "Hey, are your roommates here too?" And the dimples. Ugh, you could not look away from the dimples.

"What?" You pause. "Why?"

"Oh it's nothing, but I just keep hearing you talking to someone."

That's when it was your turn to freeze like a deer in headlights.

The thin walls. The singing this morning. Was it all so that he could make fun of you talking to yourself?!

"Excuse you? Just so you know, I still have more decorations that are much better than your corny wallpaper here. You aren't a gift, boy."

He simply chuckles but then gives you such a blinding smile. You hadn't paid attention to his face yesterday but with the shirt on today, it was a little easier to observe this competitive neighbour. And his smile, wow. "I'll be looking forward to seeing those."

Then you close the door and completely forgot about taking out the trash. Not the way this happens each time because of how much he infuriates you! But now it was too late to go out there because you'd be forced to run into him again, so you decided to wait until after he was done his door.

***

The video call comes at a good time as you'd finished a couple of Christmas movies and your fancy homecooked dinner of mac and cheese. It's not unexpected as your best friend and roommate, Rose, probably has some updates for you after her wild family gatherings.

"Hey, girl! How's it going?" You pick up on the first ring. You were surprisingly glad for the human interaction after being alone for nearly a week, but you suspect that her main motive for calling was to sneak away from her family holiday party.

"Wow, look at you all dressed up in festive pajamas!" She squeals. "They're so cute!"

"Thanks girl! Gotta be festive around here." Maybe you'd be embarrassed if it were anyone else on that video call, especially if they were all dressed up like Rose today, but she's been your best friend since middle school and you've all seen each other in plenty of embarrassing outfits on the daily. "How's your holiday going?"

"It's been good but pretty tiring. You would not believe the amount of drama my cousin has been trying to start." Rose breaks out into a chuckle. "But how have you been surviving there all alone without us?"

"Christmas movie marathons and cookies all day! It's been so nice to finally get a break from school and people, you know? Oh, except there's this annoying neighbour still here who keeps trying to compete with me for best decorated door or something." You roll your eyes. "Can you believe it? Who would do such a thing?"

"Oh, he's still doing that?"

"Yeah, unfortunately? I keep running into him too, like every time I step out—wait. You know him?"

She stares at you for just a second too long before responding. "W-what do you mean?"

"You asked if he's still here, but I hadn't even mentioned this neighbour's gender or anything yet."

"Oh nah," she brushes it off, "I didn't mean anyone specific but... Y/N?"

"Yes?"

Her voice drops down to a whisper as she leans in towards the camera. "Are you talking about Jaehyun?"

"Jaehyun?"

"You know, the one who looks like he should be walking the runway even in sweats and a tee."

You don't say anything but shoot her a questioning look.

"Oh come on. Broad shoulders, toned arms, probably has abs. Dimples and a nice face to top it off?"

"His name is Jaehyun?" you say lamely. "Wow, I was expecting something cooler. Like even Jay or something."

"So he is who you were talking about? Isn't he so hot?"

"Well," you hesitate. You would never admit that you actually saw the abs that she was imagining. Or that he does indeed belong at a photoshoot way more than he does in front of his door hanging ornaments. "He's okay I guess?"

"Just okay?"

You nod slowly. "Why? Don't tell me you... like him or something."

"What? No, Y/N, of course not! He's in my bio tutorial and we happened to bump into each other while walking back to the dorm one day, but that's it. Nothing to worry about."

"Okay, sure?" you say, unconvinced.

"Seriously! He's interested in someone else, okay?"

"You guys are close enough for him to tell you that?"

"I—" Rose stops and turns around to look behind her. "Shoot, my cousin found me. Sorry Y/N, I gotta go! Bye—"

Then the call ends. Even though you definitely did not see her cousin in the background.

It was nice to talk to your best friend again, but that conversation leaves you feeling strange. You're confused as to why she would word vomit about how hot Jaehyun was, then immediately try to convince you that she didn't like him in that way. You've all had crushes throughout the years and told each other eagerly about them, so why was she adamantly denying this one? If this had been a conversation in person, you'd probably be able to tell whether she was telling the truth or not based on the appearance or absence of stars in her eyes, but it was difficult to tell since it was a low quality video call after all. Maybe you'll grill her about it once she gets back.

That wasn't all though. There was a feeling you couldn't quite pinpoint, but it wasn't positive. Maybe you were slightly bothered by the fact that Rose hadn't told you about this crush? Or maybe you were feeling left out because she somehow knew this rival neighbour really well while you were left in the dark, trying to figure out who kept copying your Christmas decorations. That's probably it—you were disappointed that Rose hadn't told you that she knew the culprit all along!

Then another thought hits you when you're least expecting it. He's single. It's something that never even crossed your mind since you just started assuming that hot people at this age were all off the market and you'd die all alone. Not that him being single has anything to do with you not dying alone, but maybe Rose has a chance now if she really liked him. Nah, she's too good for a cutthroat Christmas decorator like him.

After washing your stack of dirty dishes in the sink, you finally take out the trash but not before checking for enemies through the peephole. Luckily enough, shirtless neighbour, Jaehyun, was not there. Unfortunately enough, his door actually looked quite nice with the wrapping paper on it. He chose one on the simpler side so that it wouldn't clash with the ornaments but it matched with the lights on the doorframe so well that it made you feel warm and fuzzy inside for just a second until you remembered whose door this was.

And then you remembered the bluff you so confidently stated earlier today.

So now you find yourself staring at the storage box at the top shelf of your closet because of that bluff you'd made so confidently earlier. The reality was that you weren't sure if you even had anything useful in this storage box but had to check for the sake of that bluff. You refused to lose to him at decorating, but even more than that, you refused to admit that he was right. So up the step ladder you went, standing so carefully as to not tip over and fall while dragging down everything with you. The top shelf was still quite high despite your height boost and tiptoes were still needed to reach the big cardboard box. You hoped that it was at least light but don't quite remember what you'd packed in there, so you grabbed it by the two sides and began slowly shifting it towards the edge of the shelf.

The last thing you register was hearing your own voice. Screaming very loudly.

Adrenaline coursing, blood roaring, heart pounding. You don't feel the impact as you hit the carpeted floor, nor the step ladder and the storage box and all the other items in your closet tumbling after you. It becomes a big mess on the floor of your room, looking like the closet vomited out half its contents. Unfortunately, most of it was on top of you so the clothing did nothing to cushion your fall. You would probably be feeling the ache tomorrow but for now, there was something even worse to deal with.

"Are you okay?" a voice suddenly asks. You nearly scream again. "What's going on?"

"I—um." The state of shock was still affecting your mind, so you simply decided to point up for your not-shirtless neighbour to see. "Spider."

And there it was, all of its eight legs attached to your wall right beside the box you were getting. You could've touched it! Your hand totally could've brushed it! The thought of it makes you squeeze your eyes shut and suppress a shiver.

"Wow, a big one," he says as he looks around and finally decides on some random tissue you had lying on your desk. He kills it in one swift motion, making sure not to leave any of its... bodily remains on your wall. Then he goes to dispose of it as you sit there wondering if this was all a dream and that someone actually dealt with your spider problem and made it look so easy.

Despite the rivalry between the two of you, at that moment, there was nothing more attractive than a guy who could kill bugs for you. The abs were just a bonus.

"All gone; nothing to worry about now." Jaehyun reaches out a hand. "But are you okay? That sounded like quite the fall."

"Yeah, just fine." You gingerly take his hand as your head is still spinning and he pulls you out of the giant pile. You're thankful for his firm grip but what you notice instead is how soft and big his hand is.

He catches you when you stumble. "Careful," he puts his arm around you and guides you to the bed. "Wait, you're bleeding."

"What?"

"Stay right here. I'll go get a first aid kit."

You sigh as he leaves, suddenly feeling exhausted and actually glad to be taken care of for once. The thought of Christmas decorations leaves your mind and is replaced by the feeling of his arm around you, the faint smell of his body wash, how he reached the spider so easily without even stretching too far and certainly without using the step stool. And now he's getting a first aid kit for you? This definitely must be a dream.

"You didn't hit your head, right?"

Oh. Right. That was probably why your thoughts are all strange.

Jaehyun settles into the chair opposite you, alcohol wipe and cotton swab in hand. "This cut must've been from the corner of the box. Might sting a bit."

You hardly paid attention to anything he just said because suddenly there's the way he leans towards you so, so closely. The rest of the world starts to blur into the background as you feel his hand gently brush your skin, the worry and care in his eyes so genuine. Any feelings of self consciousness seem to melt away, the close distance between you not uncomfortable but rather perfect for slowly leaning in and—

"Ow!" you hear in your own voice again. He'd started cleaning the area on your left cheek with the alcohol wipe and it was the sting that seemed to jolt you from the strange thoughts.

Maybe you really did hit your head because what was all that?

"Sorry," he flashes a smile and has the audacity to laugh at your pain. "Need to make sure this won't get infected."

"You brought this first aid kit from your place?" you ask dully.

"Well, didn't know where you keep yours so..." He opens a tube of ointment and squeezes it carefully onto the cotton swab.

"Wait, how did you even get here in the first place? No, why did you come here?"

The smile on his face only grows. "Your door was unlocked, obviously. And I heard you scream followed by several loud thuds. Is that good enough?"

"Yeah, but why did you come here? I would've been just fine."

"I had to make sure that my lovely neighbour wasn't dead, alright? Otherwise who's going to continue our little holiday contest and lose?"

"Okay, first of all, you would lose. Second, you should've left me for dead," you grumble. "No one wants to participate in your stupid contest."

"Oh, come on. I thought you were enjoying it since you promised to show me all the decorations you still have." He opens a bandage and places it ever so gently on your cheek. "All done."

"I could've done that myself you know."

At that, he raises an eyebrow at you, grin still plastered on his face. "You really would've killed that spider that caused all of this?"

"How dare you—I might've? But you caused all of this actually. If it weren't for that dumb competition then why would I be up in my closet looking for that box of stuff?"

It was true enough. You wouldn't have looked for this box and you wouldn't have seen that spider. And he would absolutely not be here dealing with you battle scars.

"Oh." Surprisingly enough, that smile he had on disappears and he actually looks kind of guilty. "I'm sorry."

"Right."

"No, really. I feel bad that this happened because of something so silly. Let me make it up to you; no more competitions, no more decorations."

You almost heave a sigh in relief after hearing those words. It was like a dream come true as you've wanted nothing more than to have this decoration obligation off your back, though not if it was because he assumed you were going to lose.

So you're still suspicious.

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Hmm. Let me treat you to a meal?"

You look him up and down. "I'd rather stay in."

"We can stay in and get takeout or delivery?"

"I'd rather eat alone."

"Oh come on." He has the audacity to pout at you now. "What's the point of spending the holidays alone?"

"Well, actually I've been having a lot of fun on my own."

"But doesn't it get... lonely?"

Maybe. You shake your head. "Not really."

He heaves a dramatic sigh. "How about just one night? And if you really hate it that much then I won't bother you again."

You sigh too, equally as dramatic. "Fine. But only because I'll get to beat you at whatever games you have planned."

"I'd love to see that." The grin is back on his face in full force, dimples and eyes both seeming to twinkle.

"But why do you even want to spend time with me?"

"Well, we're the only two people on campus and we happen to be neighbours?"

You stifle your laugh at his goofy expression. "Okay, fine. Please don't make it weird though."

"Weird how?"

"You know, those apocalyptic stories about the last two people on earth having to do you-know-what in order to survive and procreate and all that."

If he had a drink in his mouth, you're sure it'd be sputtering out by the way he half laughs and half chokes.

"Um, no. I have not heard of anything like that, but I think we can confirm that I'm not the one making it weird right now."

"Hey, you were the one rude enough to go walking around shirtless!"

"I'm just kidding." He smiles that dazzling dimpled smile again. "No competitions, no decorations, and no weirdness. Deal?"

You purse your lips. "Deal, but also, shirts are a must. And pants. Don't you dare pull anything funny."

"Deal. Oh, but before I forget," he pulls out his phone and unlocks it. "I hope this isn't considered part of the weirdness."

"Hmm." It's the 'add new contact' page on his phone that he hands you, of course. "I'll let you off the hook just this once."

You add your name and number as well as a description of 'your amazing neighbour who's better at decorating' before handing it back to him.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm—"

"Jaehyun."

"You remem—you know my name?" His eyes widen, an eyebrow raised.

You shrug. "Yeah, Rose gave me your name."

"Rose talked to you about me?" Eyes flicker briefly and the corners of lips settle into a sort of frown. "What else did she say?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because—why were you guys even talking about me?"

"She literally called to say that there is absolutely nothing going on between you guys." You roll your eyes at just remembering that strange conversation. "But in any case, I'll have you know that I think she's way too good for you."

"And I'll have you know that there's absolutely nothing going on between her and me," Jaehyun crosses his arms, eyebrows furrowed. Yet at the same time he somehow looked relieved, body slack against the wall and not tense like a moment ago.

"Whatever you say," you shrug. "Oh, but she did mention there's someone you're interested in."

"What?!"

You definitely save his name in your phone as 'stupid shirtless decorating neighbour'.

***

The next few days consisted of some simple exchanges through text. The hangout was planned for Christmas Eve which was still a few days away, and as much as you didn't exactly want to be talking to him, you find your gaze wandering to your phone whenever it lights up with his name flashing across the screen.

Yes, it was just a hangout, not a date. You'd be staying in, acting casual, and there would be no weirdness involved as the two of you had agreed. Besides, you didn't even like him. At this point you could only bring yourself to admit that he was quite attractive and that your annoyance with him might've died just a little when you watched him save you from the spider and treat your wound. But now there was a new annoyance stemming from how rudely this guy was showing off all of his perfection (all six feet of it!) right in your face. Who does he think is he? You just know that you're lucky he isn't in any of your classes because this competition might've started way earlier with test grades or whatnot.

The point was that you couldn't wrap your head around why he would suddenly want to hang out with you. Based on his previous actions, it was to probably beat you in various video games or in something that should not even be a competition.

You decide to video call Rose to ask her for advice on how to better prepare you for this war.

"Did I interrupt?" is the first thing you say when Rose's face comes on the screen. She seems to be at the table in the middle of a meal, but it didn't look like a restaurant nor did you recognize it as anywhere in her house. "I can call back later."

"Nah, it's fine! How are things going on your side?"

Before you could answer, you see a guy walk into the frame. And recognize him immediately. You lower your voice, "Are you with our TA?"

"Um..." She only shrugs at you but you could see her flashing a smile at the guy who walks out of the frame. Who you're sure is the TA of your psychology class.

"Rose, are you on a date with our TA?" you whisper.

"Sorry, I'll be right back," she says to him, before the background changes and you could see her walking to a different room. "Okay, yes, you caught me."

"How long has this been going on for?"

"Not long at all! It's a long story though and I'll tell you in person first thing when I get back. But hey, didn't I tell you that there was nothing going on between me and Jaehyun?"

"That's the first thing you decide to bring up?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you knew." She rolls her eyes. "Anyways, how are things going over there?"

You sigh deeply, ready to launch into the drama that is your life. "I may or may not have a hangout with him in a couple of days."

"What?!" she shrieks, making you nearly throw your phone. Her loud voice also invokes an 'are you okay?' from your TA, which you still could not wrap your head around. "Wow, that was quick."

"Calm down, girl, it's just a hangout. And yes, it's way too quick because I don't even know him? Don't know why he would want to hang out but I'm guessing it's probably to turn everything in a competition."

"Just because of that thing with the door decor?" She laughs. "I think you're reading too much into it. Just enjoy the holidays with some company! Besides, how do you know he doesn't want this to be a date?"

"Well, we agreed that there would be nothing weird, and also, doesn't he like someone already? So it'll just be chill and casual."

"Where are you guys going for this?"

"Literally nowhere," you stifle a laugh at the thought, "just his place right across the hall."

She snorts, "Oh man, good luck to him cleaning that up."

"Why, is it like super messy or something?" You wouldn't be surprised as it's a boys' dorm after all.

"Y/N, it's a next level mess in there, and nothing sparks joy. Trust me, Marie Kondo would definitely lose her mind seeing that mess of a place."

"You've been over to his place?"

"For a bio project! You'd think he could've picked the library or something but no, I had to trip over multiple piles of clothes lying around." She rolls her eyes, a smile on her face. "Sorry, I shouldn't be talking to you about all this. Don't worry! It'll be fun."

"I sure hope so?" You raise an eyebrow at her.

"Well if you really want to keep up with this contest of yours, I have an idea. I mean, only if you want to get back at him for the decorating thing or whatever stunt he pulls. Just in case."

"Um. I'm listening."

She leans closer to the camera, looking ready to spill some big secret. "You guys should make it a formal event. Get all dolled up—don't give me that look; I know you've missed dressing up since before finals. Anyways, get your fancy dress and makeup on and see who can clean up better. I know you've got some skills, so this is something you'd definitely win."

"But we're not even going out," you whine, "it's literally going to be twenty feet away."

"It's just an excuse to dress up, Y/N. Besides, if it's at his place you won't be freezing in your dress."

"I don't know—I feel like this kind of violates our 'nothing weird' rule."

She shrugs, "Well, it's only a competition if you're winning." Then she flashes you one of her hundred-watt smiles. "Just ask him. Okay, I gotta go. Talk to you soon?"

"Yeah, sure."

***

Jaehyun agrees to it, to your surprise.

You're not sure what kind of reaction he had as it was all done through text, but he didn't ask anything and just went along with it.

When Christmas Eve finally comes around, you pick out the most glamorous dress in your closet with some pieces of jewelry to match with it. The silvery material shimmers and glitters, bouncing light in so many directions it seems to make you radiate a type of confidence you could only wish you had. It was something you've never even worn before because of how revealing it was, but you'd brought to college with you in case of special events. And well, even though this was definitely not a special event, it still turned out to be a good decision because maybe you'd be able to beat him at his own game of so rudely showing off.

But the moment you knock on his still gift-wrapped door is when you knew that these contests never go very well for you.

"What. Is. All. This." were the first words out of your mouth as you stood there in shock. In fear. In awe.

"Hmm? You said you wanted it to be a fancy event, so I just made it fancy...?"

"I—"

You had no words for this.

The lighting was dimmed with only the flickering candles on a tabletop and fairy lights swirling right above it creating a soft glow in the room. There was a beautiful red tablecloth with expensive looking plates ready to be served with whatever food was behind the delicious smell remaining in the air. A bottle of red wine and empty wine glasses. His apartment was spotless and not at all what you imagined it to look like, especially after Rose's spiel the other day about how messy it was. You don't doubt he spent a lot of time and effort to clean the place and set all this up, but this was way beyond anything your imagination could've thought of.

And lastly, there was him. If you'd just expected him to simply have a shirt on, he definitely went above and beyond the low expectations you had. Here he was standing in a white dress shirt tucked into black dress pants. Sleeves rolled up. Hair gelled up and slicked back. There was no ounce of imperfection in him or in this entire set up, and suddenly the outfit you picked out seems so insignificant. You could already taste the disappointment of losing a battle you'd had all intentions of winning.

Another thing that worried you was that this didn't look like the setting for a hangout. This looked like the type of place rich people eat at, where proposals happen, where anniversaries are celebrated, where you might even run into a celebrity. You definitely shouldn't have listened to Rose's advice because now it just seems like you played yourself.

"Do you not like it?"

"No, it's fine but Jaehyun, it's just—a little weird."

"A little weird? Yeah, I thought so too." He looks down, leaning against the wall as if unsure where he was supposed to go, what he was supposed to do. Not that far from your own situation.

"I shouldn't have asked for this fancy hangout," you say under your breath, then quickly change the subject before things continued down this slippery slope of awkwardness. "Anyways, I don't see a tree in here. What happened, Mr. I-have-better-decorations-than-you?"

"No tree this year, but I do have a gingerbread kit?"

"And what, were you going to put that on your door too?" You roll your eyes at him. "Let's put it together it right now."

"It was definitely an option but you're the one who wanted the fancy date." He shrugs at you innocently.

"I just wanted a chance to dress up, okay? You can't possibly comment on this," you gesture at the dress, "the way you made fun of my sweaters."

There's no expression on his face as he gives you a glance over then quickly looks away. "You look...good."

"Thanks, I know." You do a hair flip in his face just for emphasis. "Okay, let's get to it! And would you turn some lights on already?"

It turns out, decorating a gingerbread house became a lot like decorating the door to your apartment. Unintentionally. It's not like you were highly competitive by nature, but there's something about his calm demeanour, his laidback gaze, and the way his lips curl at the corners that irks you because you wanted to break down those walls and see something real. Who does he think he is, looking and acting so perfect on your supposedly casual hangout?

Besides, it wasn't your idea to see whose side of the gingerbread house looks better.

"We must look so silly doing this," you comment. "Two people all dressed up in fancy clothes just to build a gingerbread house."

"It's totally part of today's itinerary of fancy activities. Just look at how fancy my side is?" He turns the tray so you could see it. "It's looking like a mansion over here."

You resist the urge to roll your eyes at him but you'd expected nothing less. "Then I guess it would suck if someone decided to ruin it."

Holding his gaze as if a challenge, you take the tube of pink icing in your hand and squeeze it generously all over his side of the gingerbread house. It was like a thick coat of fluffy pink clouds on the roof, in the yard, and all over the windows.

His jaw drops. "You. Did. Not."

"I think I did," you tease, the biggest smile you've worn in days on your lips from just getting a reaction out of him. "And I'll do this too." He definitely does not expect it when the huge blob of the pink icing on your finger gets dabbed onto his cheek.

"You're not getting away with this, Y/N." That's the last thing Jaehyun says before he starts chasing you down with a tube of blue icing in his hands.

Then it becomes a game of running around the apartment in circles, occasionally getting close enough to place another wad of icing on him but also for him to cover you with it. Until you decide to grab the icing sugar and use that as your next weapon.

The first pinch of it lands on his face and coats it like a foundation far too light. The image of him— stopped in his tracks, lips pursed and trying to blow the sugar off, blinking with disbelief—was enough to supply you a year of happiness so that's when you let your guard down and pause to wholeheartedly laugh at him. But that's also when the icing sugar came flying at you.

In the end, both of your fancy clothes and tidied hair ended up being coated with icing sugar, as well as the apartment he'd put so much effort into cleaning. And you didn't mind at all for it worked in giving you a glimpse of someone real behind the mask of perfection that he had been wearing in the few times you'd seen him so far. Someone who isn't just abs and a pretty face, nor just competitions and winning.

Basically, someone you could like.

Dinner passes by in a breeze with delicious foods and surprisingly easy conversation. Maybe it should've felt like an awkward first date with how little you knew about each other and how you've barely seen each other before this point, but it wasn't like that at all. It was hard to define because it wasn't quite like talking to an acquaintance, yet friendship would be too tight of a term to describe this relationship. He felt familiar, like an old friend that you knew you could share everything with despite knowing him no better then a stranger. But perhaps that was from the amount of wine you both drank; while it wasn't your drink of choice, it was definitely helpful in facilitating a lot of laughter as you kept breaking out in giggles and he definitely couldn't keep a straight face.

Time was slowing as the two of you collapsed on the couch afterwards, satisfied from a hearty meal. You found yourself suddenly dreading the inevitable end to your time here, though the warmth of the wine pushes that thought away.

"If we were outside, that would've totally been a snowball fight," you mention, looking out the window where fluffy snowflakes started to float through the air. It seemed like a Christmas miracle for it to be snowing so unexpectedly but maybe this year will give you a beautiful white Christmas.

The corners of his eyes crinkle when he smiles so brightly even with the dim lighting of the room. "Then we could've also been making snow angels or a fort."

"Sorry for dirtying your floor though." You couldn't help but giggle. "It was so clean before all this."

"Don't worry, this isn't even as bad is it usually is," he confesses with a laugh.

"Yeah, Rose told me all about that."

"She did? Oh I'm so going to kill her."

The two of you burst out laughing at that, leaning over in a way that has your hand lightly brushing against his.

"It's not all terrible though. It almost looks like it snowed in here too," you say, admiring the sprinkles of icing sugar scattered all across the floor that looks nothing like actual snow, but it's nice to think of it that way. "Icing sugar everywhere."

Everything you look at seems to glow and sparkle with the heat of the wine still swirling through your body, heart racing, cheeks hot, the world spinning just slightly. And it's not like you were completely drunk, but instead it felt more like you were drunk on life with small, happy thoughts bubbling through your veins—how cozy this place was, how it's the holidays, how you actually enjoyed spending time with Jaehyun and how things turned out much better than you could've possibly imagined. It was nothing like the image of competitive gaming with the frat boys that Rose had put in your mind; this was the most romantic thing that anyone's ever done for you even if it wasn't intending to be more than a casual hangout.

Then there was how attractive Jaehyun looked as he's seated right beside you, hair dishevelled from earlier, a faint pink dusting his face, shirt unbuttoned just low enough to expose the top of his chest. Icing sugar at the corner of his lips where a faint smile rests.

When you look back up, his eyes meet yours and you have to urge to quickly look away, cheeks blazing from knowing you'd been caught staring a moment too long. But instead, a sudden stroke of courage compels you to hold his gaze, perhaps to see a reaction, perhaps as a question silently lingering in the room for much of the night.

"Mhm, it's beautiful," he says softly, still not moving his gaze from where it rests on you. "You still have some right here," he says softly, leaning in slightly as his hand brushes across your heated cheeks. Everything seems to happen in slow motion when he reaches your bottom lip, thumb grazing gently.

And suddenly it was like a repeat of what happened just days earlier. When he meets your eyes again this time, his dark pupils are twinkling in an answer to your question, luring you into their gravity until you're sinking, eyes closing, slowly getting lost in him.

Sparks fly at the slightest brush of his lips on yours and that's enough to abruptly drag you out of the moment you were swept into.

"Wait, Jaehyun—we agreed not to make things weird."

As much as you wanted to just kiss him right then and there, there was still some part of your mind that was telling you to stay away from this slippery slope. That things will be different after the rose-coloured lenses of alcohol and lust fade, that the weird that you both had tried so hard to avoid would end up happening and ending badly.

"Um, right. Sorry." He looks away, refusing to meet your eyes as his cheeks redden, unrelated from the wine. "Y/N... it's just that I've liked you for so long."

Out of all the things you thought he would say, this was nowhere near any of it. His words catch you totally off guard and seem to immediately sober you up.

"What? What do you mean?"

He sighs softly, a hand running through his hair and a hand on yours, tentatively.

"I'm not sure if you remember but we went to the same middle school." Jaehyun pauses, his eyes searching yours for a reaction but you don't dare breathe, waiting for him to continue. "I know this was so long ago and it shouldn't even matter anymore but middle school wasn't really a good time for me."

You take his hand in yours, encouraging him to go on.

"Kids could be so cruel back then, you know?" He smiles sadly. "But you were the only person who showed me such kindness. I could never forget that, Y/N."

"Middle school?"

He confirms with a small nod and that's when you think back. Middle school wasn't a good time for you either and it probably wasn't for anyone, but nothing in particular stood out in your mind. You had a small group of friends back then and got good grades. You were in the school's band and might've been teacher's pet one year. There wasn't exactly anyone bullying you, but there was one girl who was mean and made up rumours about you and some guy you didn't even know. That guy turned out to be really nice though, and the two of you ended up as good friends as a result of that rumour. But all that ended when his family moved right before high school and you never saw him or contacted him again.

"Sorry, I don't really recall. Were you in my class? There really weren't any boys in my life back then, like the only guy that I can recall is Hyunnie." You smile just thinking about the memories. "He was a good guy. Not sure what happened to him but I kind of liked him."

Jaehyun says nothing but you could see a hint of a smile that he was trying to hold back.

"What, you also know Hyunnie?"

He still remains silent, this time shrugging his shoulders the tiniest bit as he bites his lips.

"Then? Wait—" You gasp when it hits you. "Wait. We all called him Hyunnie but... Hyunnie. Jaehyun. That's—no," you shake your head, "there's no way. That's impossible."

"Y/N," he weaves his fingers with yours.

"You're joking." You stare at him to try to put the pieces together. The Hyunnie you remembered was a small, chubby boy with glasses so big they seem to cover his whole face while his bangs would cover the rest of it as if seeming to hide him from the world. Maybe initially you just wanted to support him as the rumours tied the two of your together, but after getting to know him better you realized he was very kind and genuine. And that's when your admiration for him started.

"Remember the secret code names we had? And the glow in the dark watch? And our mad minute competitions?"

"You're Hyunnie," you breathe, still shocked.

"Yeah," he whispers.

"But—why didn't you say anything at the time?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't feel the same," he looks away, not meeting your eyes. "I thought moving away would help me get rid of my feelings...but it didn't work."

"Why were you so sure about that? Why wouldn't I feel the same?"

"Is it not obvious? I—wasn't exactly someone you would be proud to be with. You were so sweet and popular and gorgeous. You had so many people wanting to be with you, and I—I was nothing.

"Don't say that! I was so happy that you were one of my closest friends." You pause. "Also, how could you be so wrong?" You roll your eyes at him, at all the silly things that once felt like the end of the world but are now so trivial when looking back.

"Was I wrong?"

"Yes! I liked you too, okay? I don't care what you look like. Jaehyun, you don't know how hard it was for me after you left without a trace."

"I'm sorry. I can only promise you that it will never happen again." Then he pouts. "Also, I worked so hard for these abs just to hear you say you don't care what I look like. Wow, I'm hurt."

That makes you burst out laughing. "They're definitely nice, but you are worth so much more than what you look like. And don't think that I wouldn't like you for who you are."

He brushes a strand of hair behind your ear, leaning in just a little closer.

"Okay."

"Never think that you're not good enough."

A hand cupping your cheek, tracing your jaw. Even closer.

"Okay."

"And don't ever leave me like that again."

His lips hesitate just for a moment.

"Okay."

Then they're crashing on yours, the electricity between you crackling so loud it blocks out the rest of the world as your mind is only filled with Jaehyun, Jaehyun, Jaehyun. His lips are sweet like the cotton candy you had back in seventh grade, lingering on your teeth at the amusement park, turning his tongue bright blue. His touch is gentle, ebbs and flows like the ocean during the eighth grade beach trip, water gently lapping at your feet, sand between your toes and between entangled fingers. His scent surrounds you like a warm hug on a cold day, like a hoodie too big to fit your shoulders while sitting outside of the school after the dance. All the memories flooding back make your mind spin; the things you've forgotten, the ones you've buried, and the fragments that he'd taken when he left, now brought back to their rightful place.

As the clock struck twelve, there were only whispered words of Merry Christmas in between lingering kisses, racing hearts, brushes of bare skin.

It wasn't weird like you were afraid tonight would go. What you once thought to be awkward and strange turned out to be so right, so perfect. Sure, it might hurt to know that there was all this lost time between you, but now you could make up for that by spending the rest of it getting to know each other again. Learning and relearning each other until there was only a seamless connection between the past and the present, an invisible red string tying the two of you together.

And maybe you did lose all these competitions to him but they never really mattered to you anyways especially when you gained back an old friend, a first love, a soulmate.

#jaehyun fic #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun scenarios #nct fluff #nct fic #nct x you #nct x reader #jaehyun au #guys i haven't written a fic in like 2-3 years #if no one reads it then it'll be 10k of practice at best LOL #me living out my holiday fantasies ok #idek how to tag or write A/N anymore #it's been tooooooo long #my fic

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