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felassan · 2 years

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New BioWare Blog post.

🔊 BIOWARE COMMUNITY UPDATE: WRITING OUR WORLDS

by BioWare on September 29 2022

"Hello, everyone! And welcome back to another BioWare™ Community Update. It’s been a little while since we last spoke, but our work continues—as does the storytelling.

So far, years of effort have gone into our next game, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf™, with hundreds of people working to bring this shared vision to life. We’ve been quietly building it behind the scenes for a while now, so we wanted to give you a look at some stuff we’ve been working on! But let’s start with a little recap for those who might be new around here.

Dragon Age is a series that puts you in the heart of a magical world, but what happens while you’re there—who lives and dies, who rises and falls, who loves and loses—that’s up to you. There are no right choices… only those you make.

At the heart of every one of our games are our stories and characters. Each tale is told by the people who live in them—companions who fight at your side and foes who challenge your every move. This is core to the experiences we craft and is what we believe makes a “BioWare RPG” what it is.

Each character has their own motivations and goals that influence how the story plays out, but so do you. The Hero of Ferelden. The Champion of Kirkwall. The Herald of Andraste. Each of them marked their legacy in the annals of history, but time marches forward and the age of these heroes cannot last forever. As a friend of ours once said, “it’s time for a new hero.”

Making a game that carries forth the stories that came before it while still being a starting point for someone brand-new can be tough—deep lore can seem daunting to new players—but it’s also an exciting challenge! The development process is iterative and dynamic. Ideas get concepted, tested, thrown out, brought back, and changed constantly during early stages, all in the pursuit of getting things just right. And it’s very collaborative, too! Everyone helps each other to build something we hope will excite you.

So, let’s talk about that.

As we said, storytelling is at the core of what we do. Our writers helm the creation of your narrative experiences and work as part of a talented team with editors, producers, and quality verifiers to build out the story, characters, dialogue, and more. And that’s not even getting into the other teams who work so closely with them to bring these tales to life!

But what does working on the writing and editing teams entail? And how are we going about writing for Dreadwolf? It’s not like writing a book where everyone has the same experience on the page. Each player interacts with the team’s work differently based on the choices they make, how much of the game they interact with, and the kind of character they want to play. Here’s how our team is thinking about that, but first…

Please enjoy this sneak peek at writing for Dreadwolf, directly from the game’s codex!

(Codex assets are not representative of in-game format.)

Written by Sylvia Feketekuty; edited by Cameron Harris

Hey! Care to do us the honor of introducing yourselves and telling our community a little bit about what you do?

Ryan Cormier: Hello! I’m one of three narrative editors on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Our job is to ensure BioWare’s stories are told with clarity, consistency, and accuracy. That might mean correcting comma splices in a codex entry, deciding if a hero’s dramatic speech carries on one line too long, reviewing plot points, or helping a writer choose which scene to tweak without impacting the overall arc. Somewhere in between, we’re spell-checking some ridiculously long elven word or standardizing a character’s voice.

Sylvia Feketekuty: Hi, I’m a senior writer on Dreadwolf. I wrote of one of the codex entries here, “Misconceptions about the Necropolis” (as well as the character who “penned” the entry). These codices are just a tiny snippet of the game, but we wanted to share them as a springboard for talking about our writing and editing process.

Sometimes, when I tell people I write for games, they politely try to figure out how to ask, "But writing dialogue doesn’t take up your entire day every day, does it?" Truthfully, no. I'm responsible for coming up with plots, characters, and dialogue, but also for designing missions with our level designers. I work with them on pacing, information flow, and addressing many, many revisions as feedback comes in.

We're also responsible for a lot of non-voiced text: codex entries, notes in the world, item descriptions, weapon names, etc. A huge part of my job is just explaining the narrative needs of my characters and missions to other departments and coordinating it all with them.

It sounds like you two do more than the average person might expect an editor or writer to do. How do you two work together, then?

Sylvia: Way early on during the concepting stages, the editing team gives their feedback with the rest of the narrative team on high-level stuff like the new characters, plot, and themes. Once first-draft writing for a character or major mission is complete, we also have editors give us their formal feedback during our big peer reviews.

Ryan: At this stage, as we near preproduction, editors talk with writers about big-picture topics like characters, lore, and themes. These elements need the most time. Editing starts broadly and becomes detailed later in the process because it doesn’t help a writer to hear, “This is a run-on sentence,” when we’re still five drafts away from final. We save line edits for last. Until then, editors try to hold their tongues on grammar and punctuation.

Sylvia: After the peer review, when revisions are done and we’re in a position to start recording voiced dialogue, I work more closely with the editing team. Editors will suggest better ways to make one sentence flow into the next, spot inconsistencies, and point out when I’ve written something nonsensical. Every editor also “owns” certain character voices, just like writers do, and I’ll often go to them to hash out something for a particular character or to get a second opinion.

Ryan: Here, in the final drafts, no edit is too picky. This is where editors tweak the writing with changes to grammar, punctuation, and flow and where the passive voice dies a swift death. We read lines aloud at our desks while examining lore, tone, voice, and other details that change how a line reads in the recording booth or appears in the subtitles. Voice-recording notes and plot summaries are finalized, too. All this fine-tuning involves close work between a writer and editor while we pass edits back and forth, fix this, change that, change it back, debate, agree, and finally send it off for recording and translation.

So from the very beginning to the very end, our editors and writers are in lockstep with each other. What about the rest of the devs and other teams?

Ryan: Editors are the bridge between the writers and out-of-studio partners like actors and localizers. Once final drafts are complete, our game dialogue is sent to our in-house performance team, voice actors, and translators, all working in numerous languages. Editors work with those teams daily and are the troubleshooters when technical or cultural concerns arise. Sometimes, an English joke just doesn’t land in the localized copy, or maybe we learn that a name we chose for an idyllic village in Thedas has an inappropriate meaning in another language.

Sylvia: One of the best Dragon Age: Inquisition™ translator questions I ever saw was from a German translator who wanted to know what one character meant when he talked about “dancers with tassels.”

I mentioned this above, but most of my cross-team work is keeping up communication. Does the audio team have all the context they need? Does Character Art know a plot point requires an alternate character outfit? People often compare narrative games to movies, but a lot of them are nothing like movies, structurally speaking. RPGs the size of ours are more like a full season of a bizarrely nonlinear television series with so many mutable, moving parts.

That definitely paints quite the picture. You mentioned your work on DA:I just then, too. What about on Dreadwolf? What’s it like writing for the next game?

Sylvia: It’s been eight years since our last DA game came out. I’ve seen a lot of adults fondly reminiscing about how they played it as teens! Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has been a balance of providing answers to long-standing questions for veteran fans while making a game that new players, or someone who only played DA:I years ago, can also get into.

Ryan: Unlike the vast galaxies we explore in our other franchises, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf returns us to Thedas, where we can revisit friends and places that are familiar. Some fans haven’t spent time with Dragon Age since the 2014 release of Inquisition, while others have read every comic and story published since. Others never played a Dragon Age game at all and have no idea who the bald guy is (he’s Solas).

It’s a varied audience, and development for Dreadwolf has included conversations about how the team can simultaneously reward our returning fans and welcome new ones.

Sylvia: There are other things, of course, but we can’t really get into that until the game comes out.

Well, we’ll see what the future holds, then. If you were speaking to a fan, new or old, what would you tell them makes a Dragon Age game unique?

Sylvia: To me, BioWare has always carried the old-school D&D legacy in its veins. I try to inject some of what I love about tabletop roleplaying into my work: bizarre encounters, prideful villains, adventurers thrust together, arcs with big stakes that retain a sense of playfulness or adventure. It’s everything I’ve liked in the best fantasy tabletop games I’ve played in.

Ryan: For me, it's the characters. A Dragon Age story is full of heroes you want to visit a Kirkwall tavern with, or at a stylish Antivan party; travelling with friends whose witty banter makes the time fly by. The greatest compliment fans give our characters is the years of art, cosplay, and fan fiction that Dragon Age has inspired. That’s a sincere connection between our audience and our creations. And a villain who makes people want to spit on the ground at the mention of their name? Even better.

Though we can’t yet show our community our characters acting in-game, dialogue isn’t our only option. What about these codex entries? Is that something you could talk about?

Ryan: Yes! Codex entries are valuable because they provide information that might otherwise disrupt the flow of the game. For example, players might want details about the Grand Necropolis in Nevarra, but characters shouldn’t sound like tour guides. Before any writing, the narrative team discusses which entries are required and which aren’t. It’s crucial to properly time codex unlocks with player progression. No one wants a dozen entries only ten minutes into the game, but interested players shouldn’t have to wait long to learn more about the people, places, and concepts introduced. Does a codex unlock when something’s first mentioned? When a related character appears? Is the entry only required if they actually interact with said thing?

Sylvia: Making all our codex entries “in-world” (letters, books, notes, etc.) gives us ways to play with information. I chose the “Misconceptions about the Necropolis” codex to show everyone because it was really fun to write. I wanted the in-game author to be frustrated with Brother Genitivi’s portrayal of the Necropolis while also trying to deny the depth of his irritation with said world-famous scholar. It’s a diary, yet we see the author still feels obligated to exercise a measure of decorum in his private writing. And the micro-revelation at the end is that it’s someone he knows in real life, not far-off Genitivi, who is needling the poor guy about Nevarra’s death rituals.

It’s fun to layer things like this, and players are savvy about those layers. They pick up (and I think appreciate) the character coming through. It’s also a collaborative creative process. My Necropolis codex entry, like many others, was edited by Cameron Harris, another of our editors. In this case, Cameron caught that I had set file information incorrectly and also adjusted the overall stylization for consistency

Here are a couple more codex entries for you. Let us know what you think of them!

Visnomer entry written by Patrick Weekes | Dowager entry written by Lukas Kristjanson Both edited by Ryan Cormier

We hope you enjoyed this first discussion about how our writing and editing teams are thinking about Dreadwolf! Every step of the way, we’re working together as a team, even in ways you might not imagine. From integrating written materials into the engine itself to our devs doing placeholder dialogue for characters, it’s a process that evolves over time.

But your efforts never stop, either! Naturally, when Solas shows up, so do many of you, and with incredible creations, no less. So in honor of the Dread Wolf himself, we wanted to showcase some amazing pieces we’ve seen. [please see source link for these] Oh, and we absolutely could not leave out Handsome Solas.

Every day, the game gets one step closer to our next big development milestone—and one step closer to where it’s going to be when you play it. But these changes don’t just happen. They’re being worked on by the teams of people shaping this next adventure for you—carrying the vision together on our road to launch.

We want to keep showing you what we’re up to, so let us know if you like what you’re seeing! We have some fun stuff planned, so be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming BCUs, one of which will include a look at what our designers are working on!

Until next then, may the Dread Wolf take you.

—The BioWare Team"

[source and full post, tweet source, tweet source 2]

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #video games #long post #longpost #solas

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tabithatwo · 11 months

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“Why do you keep watching the show if you hate it so much?”

Not publishing one of the asks because I’m not rewarding the bad behavior lmao but this is such a consistent refrain for me (still!) in asks AND reblogs AND comments etc and I’m gonna get real with you in hopes people chill out (not just in my inbox but in others), because last time I answered one of these it did slow for a while. This is going to be my don’t make me point to the sign post, I’m not going to talk about it again but I will likely reblog when it comes up.

I’m a nurse and I worked through the worst of covid. I’m not going to get into the details of that because ifykyk and if you don’t I can’t begin to describe how fucking horror movie trauma fest it was. Take whatever you’re imagining and multiply it by a hundred. I was working constantly in horrific conditions being retraumatized daily and having no way to deal with it AT ALL. I’ve had addiction issues in the past. I started smoking again. I could feel other shit trying to creep it’s way in.

Enter: yellowjackets. I hadn’t hyperfixated on a show or movie or book in years (since childhood really) but it CLICKED into place for me. So this show (plus writing for it—learning to write, having something to think about that was creative and not destructive because when you’re surrounded by death you start to feel destructive, practicing hours and hours a week) actually stepped in and took that place. I even stopped smoking cigarettes eventually.

Then my other favorite comes in: “actually you can enjoy things more if you stop obsessing over them”

I have adhd. My brain goes HARD. That’s literally NOT how my brain works. I LIKE obsessing over details. I don’t CARE if it’s meaning making from nothing. I intellectually UNDERSTAND when it is. I interact with the world this way. I promise you that I know the limitations, but I also promise you that it doesn’t ACTUALLY make my experience negative. I don’t think having critiques of things I’m obsessed with hurts my experience and quite honestly, I don’t have a BRAIN that has EVER allowed me to not think critically and analytically about ANYTHING. So I don’t know what I’m missing out on and I can’t just make myself experience it lmao like this is who I am! I’m used to operating this way and it’s my only setting tbh.

I DONT hate the show. I LOVE it. Like so very fucking much. I see a stark difference between s1 and s2, I personally liked the things in s1 that are not present in s2 more, I personally hope that s3 ties in some of the old theme, vibes, editing styles, and narrative build of s1. You do not have to agree, you can think they’re the exact same or even that s2 is 100x better. But I’m probably going to continue being hyperfixated on this show. I’m going to continue caring deeply. I’m going to continue analyzing deeply.

Is that healthy? I don’t care! I would rather be addicted to a tv show and writing about my little lesbians than actual substances! It positively impacts my life, even if I’m feeling a lot of disappointment right now. I’m upset because I care, I care because that’s how my brain is hardwired, and I wouldn’t want to change that if I tried because this show and learning to write and actually sticking to a healthy hobby for once in my life is really fucking amazing to me.

If you don’t like ever seeing any criticism of this show, I would invite you to ask yourself why it upsets you so much that you need to try and push someone into leaving their own space. If nothing comes to your mind or your heart or you simply don’t want to reflect, block my fucking blog. It’s a fucking button. Press it. You’re not going to make me shut up lmao trust me, I don’t function like that <3

#yellowjackets blogging #yellowjackets #cw addiction

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digitalenergy001 · 8 months

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Week 8 Blog

Reflection

This week unfortunately I was not able to make it to the classes as I was unwell. I worked on getting used to the navigation of the demo version of Mad Mapper and working on my after-effects timeline in my own time. I test-sprayed one of the foam core that I got with the mattifying spray to make the light from the projector reflect the video. The process of setting up a safe space was my main issue as I had to get old bed sheets and a space that I could spray onto the foam core without damaging anything else.

Research

Academic

A major factor in my work is keeping it constantly engaging. The end goal is to create exhilaration within the audience, and the furthest emotion I want them to feel is boredom. In Medvedskaya E.I. research piece Features of the Attention Span in Adult Internet Users, they go into discuss “ the problem of changes in the functioning of cognitive processes in the context of digitalization.” Especially within the digital sphere people are used to short-form quick content so I need to be expected to deliver quick fast content to engage the audience.

Creative Practice

A lot of the work from here on out in filling out and polishing my After Effects compositions will be the final project I project onto the constructed triangular shape. I created a written shot list originally in week 5 for the clips I was going to edit to place in my master timeline. However, after feedback about the cohesive transitions between clips within the whole piece, I changed the plan and planned to focus more on the seamless movement throughout. Due to this, I have been watching a lot of other movement-based projection mapping pieces such as MediaCraft’s projection mapping in a church in Poland smooth and effective journey through the multiple changes of light and multiple special effects.

Technical

The main issue I have been tackling is the seamless transition within my work within my after-effects compositions. I have been attempting to achieve this by seeing the spaces where a composition finishes and making the next one start in the same space. I have been working with a lot of moving lines to create a fast sense of movement to push the viewer to feel exhilarated. As a continuation of last work, I have been demoing Madmapper. I have been able to map out the triangular shape and import my draft master timeline, which I am going to try on Monday before the week 9 milestone presentation and film for feedback.

Progress

This week consisted of a lot of gaining inspiration for my final master's within After Effects and finalising the construction of the triangular projector screen.

Bibliography

Medvedskaya, E.I. and Медведская Елена (no date) Features of the attention span in adult internet users, RUDN Journal of Psychology and Pedagogics. Available at: https://journals.rudn.ru/psychology-pedagogics/article/view/31393 (Accessed: 14 September 2023).

Historic buildings come alive with 3D projection mapping at 2021 Glow Festival (2022) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWeB0AWATIs&ab_channel=ChristieDigital (Accessed: 15 September 2023).

3D projection mapping by mediacraft.video - church (2018) YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6pYSwKeGEA&ab_channel=MediaCraft-3DAnimationStudio (Accessed: 14 September 2023).

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bitterarcs · 1 year

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I’ll spare you anything long winded though these are definitely subject to change and certainly up for lengthening in the future.

— ( ➊ ) I run a mutuals only blog. If I follow you, I want to WRITE with you. I don’t collect followers and like to keep a tidy blog of people who interact with me. Since you’re reading this, that means you care enough to do so. I won’t bite your head off; please feel free to send memes or hit me up for a thread idea. I often clean up my follow list through soft blocks.

— ( ➋ ) I don’t write one liners or semis. The more you write, the more I’m inclined to reply rapidly. Quality and quantity fuel my muse! I truly enjoy world building and scene progression, so novella length threads are sought. Plotting and winging things are equally enjoyed, however for lengthy and detailed threads, plotting is preferred.

— ( ➌ ) This is an 18+ blog as I am over twenty-five. I don’t intend to post NSFW images, but I write heavily graphic scenes and don’t feel comfortable writing with minors. Any NSFW content, be it aesthetics, writing, whatever will be tagged as [ ; HOLIER ] I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, and I don’t want to make any of my followers uncomfortable.

— ( ➍ ) I do moderate edits and formatting. Formatting isn’t a deal breaker with me to be honest. I prefer length over pretty aesthetics. I do ask that you cut posts; I won’t be following if you don’t cut your posts or fail to tag your posts; all of your posts especially your ooc ones.

— ( ➎ ) I don’t have any triggers and don’t tag any triggers. Threads are generally rated M, but I can go PG-13 depending on who I am writing with. I do not shy away from violent and graphic scenes fyi; I really enjoy writing them actually! I encourage you to message me if you would like to write out something extremely graphic ( please do; nothing will gross me out!). This is a smut approving blog, but it’s not my only goal. Smut will only occur with male characters as I am gay and depict Reno as gay, albeit closeted to some regard.

— ( ➏ ) Crossovers are loooooved from the extended FF universe, to other video games, to shows and movies. Do not be afraid to reach out with crossover ideas.

— ( ➐ ) If you’d like to continue an ask response into a thread, please ask me ahead of time. It really bugs me when people turn every ask into a thread only to drop it a few weeks later. I know, I know — this is a stress free hobby. You do you, BUT please tell me if you want to drop a thread. I will unfollow those who constantly drop threads; I do not want to waste my time.

#[ ⁰⁰² ; WHATDDYA MEAN RULES? ]#ffvii rp #final fantasy rp #manga rp #bleach rp #ff rp #reno rp

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studyingenvironments · 2 years

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12 April 2022

The readings for the week of April 12th, 2022 cover Environmental hazards and Human Heath, as well as hazardous waste. Risk Assessment and risk management of toxic substances are described in terms of human health; risk assessment calls for hazard identification, the probability of risk, and consequences of risk. Risk management uses comparative risk analysis and risk reduction strategy. Potentially harmful chemicals in homes are depicted in Figure 17.19. We are constantly exposed to toxins.

In order to reduce mercury pollution, society must phase out waste incineration, remove mercury from coal before it is burned, and switch to natural gas and renewable energy resources. To control mercury pollution, government enforcement of the labeling of products containing mercury, and the proper disposal of all products containing mercury is required (“Environmental Hazards and Human Health”, Miller)..

The supplemental text for this week are the first three articles preceding Rachel Carson’s 1962 publication of Silent Spring. I covered this extensively in my individual presentation, so I thought more of a personal reflection on the text would be more fitting for this blog post. Rachel Carson never got to see the true impact of her work. She died of cancer just two years after the publication in 1964, and her writings regarding carcinogens are revealing morbid. I wonder if Carson’s diagnosis encouraged or guided her investigation, and the overwhelming question is if Carson forsaw her own illness (“Silent Spring”).

Solid and Hazardous waste includes both industrial solid waste and municipal solid waste, as well as distinguishing hazardous waste. Waste Reduction can be achieved through an integrated waste management system. Plastics are made up of large polymers, derived from oil and natural gas.

Primary recycling is the process in which materials are recycled into new products of the same type. Secondary recycling is a process in which waste materials are converted into an entirely new product. I have observed this to be a very popular trend, likely as a result of the surplus of second-hand clothing available at present. Influencers get millions of likes on Tiktoks for altering thrift dresses into matching two-piece sets; it’s cool to be creative.

Despite the benefits of recycling, responsible waste management is incredibly expensive; it can be more cost-effective to bury waste, and waste-to-energy incineration facilities are costly to build, produce hazardous waste, emit CO2, and encourage waste production. Sanitary landfills, as well as deep-well disposal, are practices with incredible environmental risk as they continue to be practiced as solutions to waste management (“Solid and Hazardous Waste”, Miller).

Word Count: 446

Citations:

Carson, Rachel, “Silent Spring.”Miller, “Living in the Environment,” Miller. 20th Edition.

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koutarostiddies · 2 years

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I Hate You...

Oikawa Tooru x F!reader Reader. Friends to enemies to lovers-ish.

A/N: This is the editted version of the original one I posted on my main blog. I’m hoping this one is much better, but I’ve worked on this piece so much that I don’t know for sure.

MINORS DNI there be smut in these here parts.

CW: Oiks calls reader sweetheart, fingering and oral f! receiving. Protected vaginal sex. Hickies. Lots of swearing.

Pt. 2

You hated him, in fact you thought hate wasn't a strong enough word to describe that visceral feeling in your stomach when you saw him. If it wasn't for your shared friend group there would never be any reason to see him. Why did they even bring him when you hung out? Were they hoping for some reconciliation or did they just enjoy watching the abuse you inflicted upon each other?

"I'll grow on her," he said smugly as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yeah, like mold." Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as he looked over at you while you ordered your food. "I don't get why you pester her so much. You’re not in grade school you know."

"I think she likes the attention." Oikawa smiled. "I think she likes bad boys.”

"Even if she did, that's definitely not what you are. You're a total ass to her. You do know there was a time you guys were friends. I have no idea why you decided to ruin that."

"She's just upset that I'm the best person in this friend group." It was Oikawa's confidence that turned you off from the friendship–maybe confidence wasn't the word, his arrogance. He had his moments when he was amusing, when he still managed to get a smile or chuckle out of you, but that was it. It was the way he thought he was better than anyone – including your ex, who was one of his close friends, that ate away at you. You wondered how the other guys managed to tolerate him for as long as they did. Was it your break up with Makki that triggered it? It wasn’t like it was a bad break up, you just both wanted different things. And it was most likely due to that that occasionally you had both found yourselves in each other's beds every so often.

"Welcome back," Oikawa rolled his eyes as you sat across from him. "Oh, you must want to stare at my handsome face.” He puckered his lips at you and winked. You could feel your rage building up, but before you managed to do anything, Iwaizumi kicked him from under the table. "Can you just shut up for once?"

"She likes it,” he crossed his arms and smiled at you. Your bottom lip trembled as you held yourself back. It took so much willpower to not just pour your food over his head, but you didn't have that sort of willpower. You stood up abruptly, your chair scraping the ground as it nearly fell back. "I fucking hate you," was all anyone heard before you dumped your lunch over him. You didn't care that you didn't eat, to you it was money well spent if it meant making him look bad. You grabbed your bag and stormed out of the restaurant, bumping into Makki on your way out.

"Hey, y/n are you ok?" Makki asked as you continued down the street without acknowledging him. There was only one person that could upset you that much and he was nearly ready to chew his head off. As he turned to the table where he sat, Makki couldn’t help the smile that spread when he saw Oikawa trying his best to remove the food that now decorated him.

"I see you and y/n had another disagreement." Makki sat in the chair where you had been seated before you took off. "I don't know why you have to rile her up like this."

"I kinda like seeing her get upset."

"You're an asshole." Iwaizumi snapped.

"I agree. She never did anything wrong to warrant such behavior from you. Fuck, we broke up and I still consider her one of my best friends."

"You guys broke up, yet you’re still fucking her.” Oikawa spit back.

“You’re walking on thin ice, Oiks,” Makki warned.

“Besides, she was the one that started hating me first. All her snide remarks about me being arrogant and constantly needing to one up people. Of course I'd respond aggressively towards her." He continued.

“It’s not like she’s wrong you know,” Iwaizumi frowned as he watched his friend dab at his shirt with a napkin.

"You should really apologize to her." Makki leaned back.

"Yeah, you never know, she may even decide to give you a second chance." Iwaizumi snorted knowing that there was a very slim chance of that ever happening..

"Well I'm definitely not apologizing to her right now. I need to change out of these."

"I think you should apologize to her now. She may be willing to listen if you at least look like you mean it." Makki watched Oikawa mull it over. Although there was that part of him that hoped you wouldn’t and just kick his ass instead.

Oikawa took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I should go. But if this stains, I'm making you guys replace it."

"Yeah, because it's so expensive." Makki huffed.

"So, what's her address?" Oikawa stood up and took out his phone. Makki gave him the address and directions and watched as his friend left the restaurant.

"You think he'll fuck this up?" He looked at Iwaizumi.

"Most likely. In fact, I kinda hope he does.”

Oikawa drove for what seemed like hours, mostly because he got lost and the other part because he was genuinely nervous. He didn't have his friends as a buffer. At best you'd slam the door in his face, at worst you might actually kill him.

He pulled up to your apartment complex. It was large, intimidating even. He once more looked at his phone for your apartment number. "She sure likes to have people work to see her. Better have an elevator."

Oikawa tried to avoid everyone's stares as they whispered while looking at his now stained shirt. They were definitely going to buy him another one. He stood at the complex’s doors and realized that Makki never told him that he had to be buzzed in. Of course, Makki did it on purpose. "Fuck, she's not gonna let me in." Oikawa fiddled with the directory until he saw your name. His chest tightened as he selected your name. Maybe you weren’t at home, that's what he hoped until he heard your voice over the intercom.

"What the fuck do you want, asshole?"

"To apologize."

"Well, do it from there."

"No, I want to do it in person."

"And you think I'm just going to let you up? You really are full of yourself."

"Please." He sounded remorseful, but that meant nothing to you since you knew he'd just start shit with you again. The intercom disconnected and with it he let out a dejected sigh. Well at least it wasn't a door slamming in his face. As soon as he started to turn to leave he heard the buzz of the door. He smiled and took it as a win.

Lucky for him the elevator was empty so he didn't have to deal with any more inquisitive stares. Once the doors opened he walked down the hall until he reached your door. In front of your door was a mat that read, "go away".

"Typical," he mumbled. He raised his hand ready to knock but you opened it before he had a chance.

"Hurry up."

"Can I at least come in?"

"You said you wanted to apologize in person. We don't have to go inside to do that." You were definitely pissed at him. He had never seen you this upset with him. He had to admit it almost made him proud that he got you that worked up–that was if he wasn't wearing your lunch.

He stayed quiet, just staring until you said something.

"Of course you'd fucking lie to me. Get the fuck out. I don't ever want to see you again. If that means I have to stop hanging out with the guys I will."

"And you think you could find anyone else that would tolerate you?" Oikawa wasn't thinking of the consequences that would arise from his remark until your fist made contact with his face.

"What the fuck?" He covered his eye as he looked back at you.

"What do you mean what the fuck?" You hissed. "I'm done with you and I'm done with everyone." Oikawa could hear your voice crack. He knew he pushed you too far and knowing you were about to cry made him feel guilty. He watched as you turned around and without thinking he reached out for your arm.

"Wait!"

"Listen, asshole, if you fucking touch me I'll break every one of your fingers. I'd like to see you play after that." You hated him.

"I'm sorry. I'm an asshole I know. I shouldn't have said that. That was low, even for me. If you didn't hate me before I'm sure you do now." You only nodded in response. "Can I at least get some ice for this?"

“You most definitely can. There is a konbini downstairs, I’m sure you can find what you need there.” You started to close the door but he stuck his foot in the way. You looked as if you were ready to give him a matching set of black eyes before he opened his mouth again.

“No…I just–can I come in?” You clenched your saw, but relented. "Fine," You huffed as you held the door open for him.

"Wait here." Oikawa nodded as he sat on the small bench in the genkan. On the wall across from it you had pictures of you and the guys. Some pictures of you and Makki from when you were dating and some when you were just hanging out. None of him.

"Hey, Oikawa?"

"Yeah?"

"Guess your shit out of luck. I have no ice. My fridge doesn't have a dispenser and I forgot to put water in the tray."

"Do you at least have a bag of frozen vegetables or anything?"

"No." You walked back to the genkan with your head down. "Do you mind waiting a couple of hours? I can wash your clothes while you wait. I still have some of Hiro's clothes here so you have something to change into, if you don't mind."

"You know you could always just go grab an ice pack from the konbini."

"And what was wrong with my earlier suggestion of you doing the same? Is oIkawa Tooru too good to be seen at a konbini to buy a bag of ice? Has Argentina changed you that much? Besides, if you think that I’m leaving you in my apartment alone, you’re sorely mistaken.”

"This is going to bruise, y/n. I'm too beautiful for a black eye." He whined like a petulant child.

“Then why don’t you go and grab one?” You snapped.

“Because everyone will stare,” he grumbled.

“Well you’re ‘beautiful’. Isn’t that what you want? Attention?” you had to just kick him while he was down. It was only fair for all those times he had done it to you. You hated him, but that didn’t mean you were downright heartless.

"I can always wet a rag and freeze it. It may be quicker," You offered.

"Yeah, fine."

"You might as well come in since you'll be waiting a while. Do you want anything to drink?"

"Water I guess." Oikawa wandered into your sparsely decorated living room and noticed a small frame that seemed hidden behind the others. When he pulled it forward he smirked a bit. It was a picture he had sent you from Argentina, back when you were still friends. As soon as you walked into the living room he hid the frame behind his back.

"Are you going through my shit now?"

"No, I mean not on purpose."

"What are you hiding?"

"I should ask you the same thing. He held out the picture and you looked away.

"I thought I threw that in the trash," You grumbled.

"I knew you still liked me." Ugh you just wanted to smack that smug smirk off his face.

"Hey idiot, did you forget the part where I punched you?"

"And that was because you cared." He was pushing your buttons again. You hated him so much. You put the cup down and stormed past him. A few minutes later you returned with some clothes and threw them at him. "Get changed so I can wash your clothes."

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, first door on the left."

"Thanks, sweetheart."

"Go die in a fire, Oikawa."

Before he got to the bathroom he decided to test your hospitality a bit more, "Hey, if it's not too much to ask, can I shower here?"

"You're really pushing your luck."

"Fine, sorry I asked."

You pinched the bridge of your nose, "Just leave your clothes outside of the bathroom." Might as well let him shower since he'd be there for a while anyways. You hated him…right?

"Got it!" He beamed as he walked towards the bathroom. You waited a while until you heard him open and close the door. You grabbed his clothes and put them into the washer that was across the way. As you loaded the machine you could hear him start to sing in Spanish. You shook your head and started the washer. Loser.

You went to check on the rag, still not frozen. You wanted him out of your place as soon as possible. Maybe you should head out while he’s showering, but that small picture that you never actually intended on trashing, changed your mind. He was bound to snoop some more.

“Y/N,” he whined from the bathroom.

“What?” you sighed loudly.

“My eye is totally black and swollen.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Yours. You punched me.”

“You fucking asked for it.” Yeah, you hated him.

“I hope you’re proud of yourself,” he grumbled.

“Not until I see the damage.”

“I’m not letting you see.”

“So you’re planning on staying in the bathroom?”

“If I have to.”

“I have milkbread.”

“You do?” His mood quickly changed.

“Yeah, but if you’re planning on staying in there you’re not getting any.” You lied, you just wanted to see the damage, maybe even take a picture and send it to the guys.

The door of the bathroom swung open and he stepped out. Before he was able to register anything you had snapped a picture.

“Oh come on, what the Hell?”

“I’m going to make this my home screen,” you teased.

“Please don’t.” He reached for your phone but you moved too quickly. But instead of making it your home screen you sent it to the group chat.

“Why did you have to send the pic to them?” Oikawa pouted. He never pouted around you. Was he trying to garner pity? It didn’t matter; you hated him. As he stepped closer you saw just how bad his eye was. You didn’t expect it to bruise that quickly or badly for that matter. A sudden surge of guilt washed over you. Were you really going to put the final nail in the coffin of your old friendship? You absentmindedly reached up to trace the outline of his bruise. He winced in pain but never pulled away.

“I’m sorry, Tooru.” Without thinking he leaned his face against your hand.

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it.” He grabbed onto your hips and pulled you in closer. “Can you ever forgive me?” He brushed his lips against the palm of your hand, his chocolate eyes searching yours for any semblance of forgiveness. Your chest tightened, this was an unfamiliar feeling when it came to him.

“What are you doing, Tooru?” You whispered.

“I’m asking my old friend to let me back into her life.” He reached up and cupped your face before leaning in. “Will you please let me in?”

“Fuck, Tooru,” you couldn’t look him in the eyes, not because of what you did, but because you knew if you did, you’d lose all sense of self control. The overwhelming feeling of panic took hold of your body as the reality of what could happen next settled in. Your chest tightened and goose pimples spread all over your arms as he continued to lean in.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” you said with zero hesitation. The kiss wasn’t aggressive or frenzied; it was slow and sweet. His hands moved back to your hips as he pulled you flush against his body. Your kiss only deepened when you felt how hard he was. You pulled away to catch your breath. “Tooru, what are we doing?”

“Burying the hatchet.” He smiled as he brushed his lips against yours.

“I don’t think that’s how people generally do it.” You panted. Your body was on fire and for a brief moment you didn’t even know where you were. You couldn’t begin to put a coherent thought together before a simple stroke from his finger sent your mind into another tailspin.

“Well, it’s how I do it.” His lips were once more on yours. Before you knew it your fingers were tracing the waistband of the sweats. You felt his abs twitch as you slipped your fingers just beneath the waistband, tickling the soft hairs leading down to his cock.

“We should probably head to your room.”

“Why? Expecting something?” You teased.

"Not if you don't want to." His sudden tone shift was enough to pull the rug from under you. When did he become such a gentleman? You swallowed the lump in your throat, "I-I want to."

"Where's your room, sweetheart?"

"Down the hall."

"Hold on and don't let go."

"What?" You looked at him in confusion.

"I said hold on." You felt his hands slide down your ass just before lifting you up. You squealed as you wrapped both your arms and legs around him. With little effort, he carried you the whole way to your room, occasionally pressing soft kisses against your neck.

He nudged the door open with his foot, only opening up enough space for him to slip through. You expected him to drop you onto your bed, but he was just too desperate for that. He pushed you up against the wall, kissing you furiously as you gripped his damp hair. His fingers pressed against your soft ass as he moaned into your mouth. He bucked up against you; he craved the feeling of your wetness around him. His tongue slid along yours and all he could think about was how stupid he was for pushing you as far as he did.

"I'm going to let you down, is that ok, sweetheart?" You nodded as he placed you back down on your feet. He knelt down in front of you and started to undo your pants. You smiled down at him as you raked your fingers through his hair. He slid your pants down your legs, kissing his way down as he did. As he got close to your pussy he inhaled your scent. He looked up at you and bit his lip repeating the question he wanted to ask you in his head.

"Tooru?"

"Can I…can I taste you?" You tilted your head back not even knowing if you heard him correctly. Of course you did, you wouldn't have been in that position if you didn't.

"Yes, Tooru." He lifted your leg over his shoulder and pushed your panties aside. It was everything he had imagined and more.

He pressed a soft kiss to your clit before he began to suck on it.

"Shit, Tooru."

"Hm?"

"You're so good." You bit into your lip so hard you could taste blood. His eyes never left you, he watched as you panted and squeezed your eyes shut. Wonder what she's like when I put my fingers inside? And so he did just that. You moaned out his name as you bore down on his long fingers. He didn't even get far before your plush walls were twitching around them. He pushed them deeper inside until you were begging him to just take you to bed.

"Tooru, I know you want this just as much as I do."

"You're right, but why not savor my meal?" Why of all times was his smugness so sexy? Oikawa let your leg slide off his shoulder before standing up. His face was wet with your essence, his lips swollen from the sucking. You couldn't bear it, you needed to taste him. You pulled him towards you and shoved your tongue into his mouth. He leaned into it as your arms tightened around him. You were the one to break the kiss, but it was only to take another breath before you pulled him back in and started to suck on his tongue.

"Shit, sweetheart. Thought you wanted to go to bed. If you keep this up I might just cum right here."

"Maybe you should. I promise I'll clean it up for you."

"Fuck what are you doing to me?"

"Forgiving you." Oikawa knew if he didn't take you to the bed soon he'd collapse. He was nothing short of a gentleman as he led you to bed, going as far as holding your hand the whole way there. You were the first one on the bed, joined by him only moments later. He laid down next to you and stroked your hair gently before straddling you. He traced your lips with his thumb as he started to lean in for another kiss. For the first time in a long time you didn’t feel seething anger towards him. For the first time in a long time you felt something gentler and more affectionate. Was it just that easy to forgive all his indiscretions? Was he really that charming that despite the distance you put between each other and the vitriol exchanged, you were so easily swayed into forgiving him as if nothing had ever happened? You hated him. You could still hate him despite forgiving him, right?

You reached up tracing the planes of his chest. His breath hitched as you traced small circles over his nipple. He caught you licking your lips, but he knew better than to call you out on it. This was definitely not what either of you were expecting when Oikawa apologized.

"Can I see yours?" He asked as he gently squeezed your tits through your shirt. You nodded and made quick work of removing both it and your bra. Oikawa bit his lip when he finally saw you lying mostly naked on your bed. He toyed with the waistband of your panties until you finally said something.

"Can I see it?" You slid your fingers down his chest and rested them on the bulge beneath the sweats. Even with the pants he could feel the heat of your hand. Man did he ever want your hands around his shaft.

"Of course, sweetheart." He smiled as he removed the grey pants with as little movement as possible. His heavy cock rested against your stomach as he leaned in to kiss your neck. Your body was set ablaze by the small bites he started to place on your neck.

"You know I still hate you, Tooru."

"Mhm" he hummed in response knowing you'd never let him this far if you truly did. But if it made you feel better he wasn't going to tell you otherwise. He also planned on never telling you that he had feelings for you before Makki started to date you. He felt guilty for looking at you the way he did. He figured it would be best if you just hated him. That it was the only way to get you out of his life. His plan clearly backfired, but in the best way ever.

He moaned against your neck as you gently wrapped your fingers around his cock. He sucked on your neck harder as you tightened your grip and pumped faster. He wanted to be inside you so badly. He grunted as he thrust into your hand, he was about ready to cum all over you.

"Condoms?" He looked into your lust blown eyes waiting for a response that came almost too slow.

"Top drawer over there." You motioned to your bedside table, grumbling as he moved out of your grip. As he rummaged through your drawer he noticed another picture of him when you were still friends. A picture of you both in an embrace. He smiled to himself wondering how many times Makki had to come face to face with that picture when grabbing condoms. Almost as if it was Oikawa’s own little win against his friend.

He pulled out a few condoms and you laughed. "How many do you honestly think we're gonna go through, asshole?"

"As many as we need." You rolled your eyes as you shimmied out of your panties, something he wanted to have the honor of doing. He watched you as you brought your fingers down to your slick. His cock twitched in response. Oh how desperate he was for this moment. He wanted you so badly that he was willing to push you away. Only Oikawa Tooru could be that stupid.

"Can you put it on for me?"

"Have you gone that long since getting your dick wet?" You teased.

"No, it's just I want to feel your hand again." He couldn't believe he'd let that slip, but at least he wasn't the only one blushing. He handed you the condom and watched as you opened the wrapper. He sat back down on you, his weight was comforting and even if you didn't do anything, you'd love nothing more than to snuggle with him. But you hated him. Absolutely despised the man whose cock you were now rolling the condom over.

"There. Are you happy now?"

"Not until I'm inside you." You looked away. How was he so disarming? There was no way in Hell that you'd ever let him know just how weak he made you at that moment.

He moved off of you only to spread your legs open. He smiled as he ran his finger along your slit, stopping at your swollen clit. He gently rubbed it with the pad of his thumb until you were lifting your hips.

He grabbed your legs and placed them on his shoulders and lined himself up with your wet cunt.

"So wet for me already."

"Shut up, asshole." But he only smiled as he pushed himself past your folds. He pushed down against your chest as he buried himself as deep as he could go. Fuck you felt so good. No wonder Makki still liked fucking you; his stomach churned at that thought. He only hoped that he'd be the only one you summoned to your bed from now on.

He leaned in closer, pressing your legs to your chest and crashed his lips against yours as he fucked you into the mattress.

"Tooru, fuck you're amazing."

"Of course I am."

"I swear to God now's not the…" your back bowed off the mattress as the head of his cock kissed your cervix. You screamed out his name as your nails bit into his back.

"Fuck, baby you're so tight." He sucked on your neck as he pounded into you. If you left his eye bruised it was only fair that he left your skin just as bruised.

"Tooru, don't leave marks."

"Hm," he furrowed his brow as he traced the marks he had left. "Too late for that, sweetheart."

"I'm going to kill you."

"Are you though?" He smirked as he returned back to your neck. You fisted his hair only keeping him in place. If you truly didn't want him leaving marks you sure were going about it the wrong way.

"Fuck, 't's so good. Harder, Tooru. Please."

"Better than Makki?" He couldn't resist.

"Why do you have to be such an ass, Oikawa?"

Shit. He pushed you too far. It was shit like that that turned you against him in the first place. His constant need to one up his own friends, especially Makki.

"Sorry, force of habit." He stilled himself and caressed your cheek. "If you want me to stop, I will."

"Stop being an ass or stop fucking me?"

"Being an ass, fucking you. Both?" You looked up at him with such a sad look that he began to pull away, but you held him close.

"Just stop being an ass." You pulled him in for a kiss, one he gladly returned. He was willing to make that sacrifice if it meant he’d get to be with you. He hummed into your mouth as you brushed your tongue along his.

He started moving his hips again, this time he wasn't as brutal, although it's not like you were complaining. He never broke the kiss as his cock pushed in deeper. Your plush walls squeezed around him as the coil in your belly snapped. Fuck, you hated him so damn much. Hated him for being so good, hated him for making you squirt all over your sheets and especially hated him for making his way back into your life.

He gave you a series of small pecks on your lips before he slowly pulled out. "Shit, it really has been a while.” He looked at the condom before rolling it off. “You got a trash can in here?"

“Do you seriously want to throw that away in my room?”

“Bathroom it is.” He tied off the condom and started to get up when you grabbed his arm. “Um,” you looked away as soon as his eyes met yours, “Stay.”

Tooru let out a laugh. “Y/N, how do you expect me to get rid of this if I stay here? Besides, you won’t even let me throw it out in your trash in the room.” He was right and you hated that he was. What you hated more was that you just wanted to sleep in his arms; wanted to trace small circles onto his biceps as he pulled you closer while he slept.

“How about I grab you some snacks and water on my way back?” He leaned back down to kiss the corner of your mouth.

“I guess,” you looked away again.

“You’re so beautiful, you know.” He chuckled as he saw your face redden. “Aw, are you blushing, sweetheart?”

“Why do you have to ruin the moment, Tooru?”

“Because I like you.” His nonchalant confession went by unnoticed and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t hurt. He had this foolish idea that once he finally confessed that you’d forget all your troubles and fling yourself at him. He wasn’t in high school anymore or in a shoujo manga for that matter.

"Hurry up and grab the snacks, dumbass.” You pushed him off the bed.

As Oikawa walked into the bathroom he couldn’t help but look at his bruise one more time. He’d be upset if it didn’t end up the way it did. He did deserve it though. Hell, he didn’t deserve your forgiveness, but you always tended to immediately regret it when you lashed out on people. Would you regret sleeping with him too? Was this all a lapse in judgement for you? Even if it was for you, it wasn’t for him.

He grabbed a glass and filled it with water. He began to open all your cabinets in search of snacks. He was far from quiet about it too. You groaned and slipped out of bed, slipping on a robe before meeting up with him in the kitchen.

“I keep the snacks here,” you opened up the pantry and smiled as his eyes lit up. “You do have milkbread. Why?”

“I developed a taste for it after a certain someone kept sharing his with me.”

“Hm, he must’ve really liked you if he was willing to share his precious milkbread with you.” He grabbed it and handed it over to you as he searched for more snacks to take back to the bedroom. He was really adorable when he was excited.

“You wanna head back to the room?” Oikawa smiled, arms full of snacks that neither of you would finish.

“We, uh, we already made a mess on the bed. How about we just head to the living room instead? And maybe you should,” you gave him the once over, “you know, get dressed.”

“Oh, yeah” You took the pile of snacks from him as he made his way back to the bedroom.

"Hey, the load is finished. Do you want me to take out the clothes and hang them?"

“Just leave it, Tooru.”

“But what if they get moldy?”

“Another hour won’t matter.” Oikawa grumbled defiantly as he walked back to your room to grab the sweats.

“Allergic to shirts, Tooru?”

“Are you complaining?” He sat down next to you.

“You’ll get cold, is all.”

“Uh huh. Maybe you can help warm me up again.” He tugged on the tie of the robe, smiling mischievously as it started to come undone. He licked his lips as he looked at all the marks he had left on your smooth skin. You’d kill him for sure, but it would be worth it.

"Eat first,” you shoved a roll of milkbread in his face hoping he didn’t notice how flustered you were getting.

You spent the better part of an hour listening to him apologize and recalling all your fond memories. The more he talked the more your chest tightened. What was happening? The last time you had felt that way was before… “Makki,” you snapped out of the daze you had just been in. “What about Makki?” You looked up at him nervously as if he had been made privy to what you had just been thinking about.

“Don’t be pissed at him. He gave me your address, but he also made me come here to apologize. I mean they both did. So you know, when we get married we have to thank them.” His cheshire cat grin was not helping the crisis that you were having at that moment.

“I think we should watch some TV,” you quickly grabbed the remote and struggled with it until Oikawa was kind enough to do it for you.

The both of you watched TV joking around every now and then until Oikawa felt something on his shoulder. He looked over and you had ended up falling asleep on him. He turned to grab the blanket that rested on the back of the couch and wrapped you up in it before he pressed a kiss to your head and whispered, "Do you still hate me, sweetheart?"

You did; at one point. Pure unadulterated hate for the smug pro volleyball player that used to be your friend. Now, well now it was safe to say you liked him; maybe even more than that. "Mm, like you," was all you managed to mumble as you snuggled closer to him.

"Me too, sweetheart."

***

"Oikawa Tooru! What the fuck did you do to my neck?!" You furrowed your brows as you looked at your reflection. "I don't have anything to cover this up."

"Why bother covering it up?" Oikawa peered into the bathroom smiling as he looked at your expression.

"What am I supposed to tell the guys when they ask about this?" Oikawa came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist. He looked at your reflection once more before he started to kiss your neck.

"Tell them you had the best sex of your life."

"Hm, debatable," You laughed at his adorable pout.

"I thought you liked me." You looked at his reflection for a bit longer before you admitted defeat. You held his arms that were wrapped around your waist and sighed contently. "Don’t remind me."

#oikawa tooru #oikawa x reader #tooru oikawa smut #tooru oikawa x reader #hq #hq x reader #hq smut #hq x reader smut #oikawa x reader smut #hq oikawa tooru #oikawa fic #haikyuu oikawa

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xpao-bearx · 2 years

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NSFW UNDER THE CUT!!! 18+ only, minors please DNI 🔞

《Original Post HERE》

《EDIT: Updated Post HERE》

My Fourth Kinktober 2021 Prompt: MORNING SEX

Fandom: Haikyu!!

Pairing/s: Tetsuro Kuroo x Shoyo Hinata x Lev Haiba

On an early morning during the Tokyo training camp, Lev accidentally discovers a titillating secret shared between Kuroo and Hinata that whets his appetite for the tiny giant...

NOTES: As I wrote this, it's finally the last day of October 2021 and when I posted this it's midnight of November 1 (so it technically still counts as Kinktober). I hope to those who celebrate Halloween, you had a very happy and safe one~!! 👻 Anyhoe, as stated this is the fourth prompt on the Kinktober list that I'm doing and it's also the final one I'm able to write. As much as I'd fooken L O V E to write the rest of them, sadly I just don't have enough time since October's clearly over ;-; BUT DON'T FRET!!! I DO hopefully plan on writing the other prompts at *some* point, most likely in a much shorter kinda bonus style type of fics if that makes any sense. And please keep a lookout cuz I will eventually be editing this post and my other oneshots with the link to all the Hinata harem prompts I wrote so y'all have easy access to read 'em plus keep in mind about any other possible updates on my blog if you're interested! 😄 But enough rambling, here's the latest and final story featuring our fave rooster daddy and the dorky lion with our lovable ball of sunshine~ \(♡o♡)/ I feel like Lev has more of a spotlight in this story and I may have been rushing to finish this, but it's okay! I also read a ✨spahcy✨ HQ doujin before that I think helped inspire the plot of this story a lil bit, but unfortunately I can't remember its title or the source :'(

The early morning breeze was chilly and biting, Lev's skin breaking out in goosebumps even as he wore the warmest hoodie he owned. His ragged breaths came out in visible puffs, his heart racing a mile a minute as he jogged.

From beyond the horizon, he could make out the sun peeking out just barely. Teasing him, making him crave the sweet relief only the heat could provide him as he internally wished over and over again for the great big ball of fire to just rise already.

If it were up to him, Lev wouldn't even be awake at this ungodly hour. But Kuroo was a resolute and, at times, merciless captain. It was no secret that Lev was new and he still had much to learn about volleyball, but was it really necessary for him to be constantly picked on by his own team?

And now, as decreed by his oh so fantastic captain, Lev was required to arise at 6:00 a.m. everyday for the whole duration of the Tokyo training camp and run a lap or two around the entire perimeter of the grounds until 6:30 a.m.

It was just SO unfair! How come everyone else still got to sleep in while he was the only one being bullied like this?! But Kuroo merely smirked at him when Lev complained, Kuroo claiming that if Lev wanted to be the next ace then he needed to put in the extra effort.

Lev let out a frustrated yell before his long legs came to a stop. He leaned his hand against the wall of the camp's school building for support, head hanging low as he panted heavily.

Lev was many things, but he wasn't a liar. Despite absolutely despising his task, he was dedicated and will see through it until the end. But it wouldn't hurt if he just took a break for a few minutes, right?

He then slid down to the ground, or more like plopped on it as his tired body completely gave away. His back was against the wall, shutting his eyes as his heart slowly calmed to a regular rate again. He threw his head back, pulling up his knees to his chest and propping his elbows on it as he let out the longest exhale of his life.

As he basked in his bittersweet short time to unwind, picking up on the faint caws and chirps of birds from afar, he was just about to stand and continue his jog before he'd inevitably drift into unconsciousness until his ears perked up upon suddenly hearing a familiar noise.

"Ah, Kuroo, g'morning!" Lev's eyes shot open, instantly recognizing that chipper voice from anywhere. Hinata was already out and about at this godforsaken time? Then again, Lev wasn't that surprised. Hinata was full of unbridled energy, after all. Most likely he was going on a run, too.

"Morning, Hinata." Came the response from the Nekoma captain, his voice even deeper and huskier than it already was. It sounded like Kuroo just woke up, and that shocked Lev. Lev didn't bother seeing who was in their futons or not when he took off that morning, far too sleepy and eyes bleary to even care. But why the hell was Kuroo awake instead of enjoying a few more blissful hours in Dreamland? Kuroo didn't have any prior commitments, did he?

The murmurs of their two voices overlapped with each other, Lev not being able to make out their conversation. From his impression, though, it seemed as if this wasn't their first instance meeting like this.

Lev knew that he should just leave. After all, it wasn't any of his business and the sooner he could finish his exercise then the better it was.

But...his curiousity was piqued. And how could he ever let go of this glorious opportunity?

Slowly and silently, like a lion stalking its prey, Lev crouched down and carefully crawled over to where Hinata and Kuroo's voices were talking. And if anyone else saw, it would definitely have been an interesting sight; a giant like the Nekoma team newbie looking like he's about to pounce on a tiny mouse as he tried his best to appear discreet.

Finally, he reached the end of the school building. He then took a deep breath, poking his head out just a little bit and then turning it around the corner to catch a glimpse of the other two boys.

His eyes widened, almost popping right out of his sockets. He felt his chest tighten, astonishment and disbelief clouding his mind.

There was Hinata, pinned against the wall by none other than Kuroo. At first, Lev thought that Kuroo might have been threatening the short player and Lev was actually going to spring into action and push Kuroo off of Hinata. But he was abruptly halted when Hinata let out a small moan, his arms wrapping around Kuroo's neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

Kuroo rolled his hips against Hinata's crotch, making the ginger whimper. One of Hinata's hands then trailed down, palming the obvious bulge in Kuroo's sweatpants. They were kissing each other sloppily, their tongues dancing lewdly with each other and some saliva dripping from their mouths.

Hinata clung onto Kuroo like his life depended on it, wrapping a leg around Kuroo's waist and Kuroo grabbing the back of Hinata's head and yanking it to expose the redhead's neck.

"You never fail to get me going, short stuff~" Kuroo hummed, smirking lopsidedly as he peppered butterfly kisses along his neck. "If only you were in Nekoma, then we'd have fun like this every. fucking. day." He emphasized each word with a smack to Hinata's ass, making Hinata cry out.

"I-I can't go to Nekoma, I live in Miyagi!" Hinata replied, ever oblivious. Kuroo only chuckled at his slow wits, finding it amusing yet strangely adorable.

"I know, that's why we gotta enjoy this time together as much as possible." Kuroo sank his teeth into the flesh of Hinata's collarbone, eliciting a sharp gasp from the boy. Kuroo growled, a possessive tone overtaking him, his strong arms holding Hinata tightly as he licked the mark on Hinata's fair skin. His mark.

"K-Kuroo..." Hinata leaned in, nibbling lightly on Kuroo's earlobe. "Fuck me. Please? Fuck me hard, I can't take it anymore..!"

Kuroo's heart swelled with both pride and delight, his smirk widening even further. He was just about to so happily grant the shortie's wish when he heard a 'crick'. The sound of someone's weight making contact with the ground, like when someone is trying to be as quiet as possible in the forest though makes a wrong step and ends up crunching a piece of leaf beneath them.

Lev's blood went cold. He was so enraptured by the captivating sight before him that he found himself unconsciously leaning forward to see more, and as a result his right foot slipped from underneath him causing a slight disruption when his sneaker scratched against the ground.

He cursed to himself, and his body moved of its own accord as he bolted as fast as he could as if escaping from a crime scene.

"W-What was that?!" Hinata panicked, searching around frantically.

But Kuroo remained cool, his scheming smirk still etched upon his face.

Oh, this will be fun...

{•••♡•••}

The rest of the day, no matter what Lev did, he could not fucking forget what he saw that mortifying morning.

He was unforgivingly harassed by constant images of Hinata. How he looked downright tempting being pinned against that goddamn wall, and how Lev wished it was him who was in Kuroo's place instead.

Lev was a simple enough man. He's heard various stories about Hinata before which made him drawn to Karasuno's famous Number Ten, but when he actually finally met the redhead then nothing could compare. Hinata was truly something else, and Lev knew that he's quickly formed a crush on the feisty shortie.

But... What about Kuroo? Was he and Hinata in a relationship? Were they keeping it a secret?

Lev knew he shouldn't pry. It was totally inappropriate of him and whatever the hell was going on between Hinata and Kuroo, then that was their own issue. Still, he couldn't help the burning feeling of envy that made him fucking sick to his stomach.

Hinata and Kuroo acted normally, though. Outside of practice and volleyball matches, they didn't interact much with each other. And it was the same as any other day; Hinata being pissy with Lev for making fun of his height and Lev enduring harsh treatment from Kuroo and his other teammates.

Honestly, Lev would've just passed what occurred that morning as a weird daydream that his muddled brain randomly made up.

...If not for the bite mark on Hinata's collarbone that Lev noticed when Hinata briefly grabbed the hem of his shirt to wipe off the sweat on his forehead.

The days that went by were like a blur. As if his body was on autopilot, Lev found himself in the same corner behind the school building. And, as he suspected, there was Hinata and Kuroo.

Every single time that Kuroo fucked Hinata senseless, Lev repressed the overwhelming urge to just jump out from his hiding spot and seize Hinata for his own. What did he see in that rooster head, anyways? Sure, Kuroo was a skilled volleyball player, but Lev was so much bigger and taller than him. Lev also knew that he was very attractive and he was actually quite popular with both girls and boys.

And, most of all, he was 100% positive that he could fuck SO much better.

But then again... Who was he to judge? Kuroo was the fucker who had and very much enjoyed Hinata's attention, and Lev was only the perverted loser who was secretly jacking off as Hinata's moans and cries filled his ears like the sweetest fucking music while another man took him to the highest peaks of pleasure. Pleasure that Lev could only dream of giving Hinata.

But on the last day of the camp, as Lev was hiding as per usual, only Hinata appeared. Hinata shoved his hands inside his hoodie's pockets, bouncing on the balls of his feet as a way to warm up. But Lev didn't miss the way Hinata's eyes would dart around, looking anxious as he assumedly waited for Kuroo.

Lev gulped thickly. He didn't want to come off as such a creep, but it wouldn't hurt if he just talked with Hinata...right? Lev wasn't expecting anything. This was just a great chance as any to spend some time with his crush and not have to worry about that cunning bastard.

Steeling his resolve, Lev rose to his full height and approached Hinata.

"Oh, Hinata!" Lev greeted as if he wasn't expecting to come across the redhead, grinning brightly. He felt so shitty lying like this, but his blood was pumping from the adrenaline of simply being alone with his crush. "You're up early. Were you going on a run, too?"

Hinata flinched, making Lev raise a brow. Did he say something odd?

"L-Lev!" Hinata beamed, though his smile seemed to falter. "Y-Yeah, I was on a r-run."

Now Lev was really intrigued. Why was Hinata stuttering so much? And upon closer inspection, it looked like his entire body was shaking.

"Hinata, are you okay?" Lev asked worriedly. "Are you cold? You can have my jacket, too, if you want. I'll just grab another one."

"N-No!" Hinata immediately interjected. He then paused, his face growing hot as his eyes dropped and he fidgeted in his spot. "I-It's...not t-that..."

Lev's brows furrowed. What the actual fuck was happening? He then followed Hinata's gaze, blinking dumbfoundedly at what met him.

There, clear as day, was Hinata's cock pressing against his joggers. The front of it was also completely wet from his precum, and Lev felt like such a moron for not having noticed it before.

"H-Hinata... W-What are you--"

"Lev." Hinata cut him off, peering up at him with teary eyes. "C-Can you help me...please? I-I need you, Lev, please."

And that was all the words Lev needed to hear. He was already standing on the very edge of his restraint, and hearing Hinata say what he's always yearned for was all he needed to jump off his metaphorical fucking cliff.

Without wasting another moment, Lev practically ripped the joggers off of Hinata and discovered that he was going commando. Lev groaned, seeing that a mini vibrator was attached to Hinata's cock.

"Did you do this to yourself?" Lev breathed, completely under Hinata's spell and unable to look away.

"K-Kuroo did." Hinata replied, making Lev growl. "B-But... It's only 'cause I l-like you."

Lev froze, eyes blown wide. "What?"

"I-It's true..." Hinata looked down again, heart pounding hard against his chest. "I-I've liked you since the first time we met! You fucking p-piss me off, so I d-don't understand it! But I fucking l-like you, okay?!"

"But... What does that have to do with Kuroo?"

"I-I... Well..." Hinata gulped, blushing darkly. "Kuroo found out about my feelings a-and, well, I dunno... He t-told me he can help me out with y-you, and one thing led to another and h-here we are." Finally, he managed to lift his head and meet Lev's eyes. "He also told me that y-you were...w-watching us."

Lev's breath hitched, and it was his turn to blush. Fuck. Kuroo really was a sly motherfucker. But then again, he also kind of had him to thank for this...wonderful predicament. Lev honestly still didn't understand it, but he was with Hinata and that's all that mattered to him at the moment.

"I-I don't mind that you were w-watching us..." Hinata proceeded. He then reached forward, placing a hand against Lev's chest. Hinata could feel the thrum of Lev's rapid heartbeat, and he was somewhat relieved that Lev was just as nervous as he was. "Honestly... I kind of l-liked it." He admitted, smiling sheepishly. "Do you...like m-me?"

"Hinata..." Lev's voice was nothing more than a whisper. If this was a dream, then it was much too cruel. But even if it was, he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy it to the fullest. "I like you, too. So fucking much. Since the very beginning." He leaned down, and any other time he would've poked fun of how small Hinata was compared to him. But all the jokes he said were nothing more than petty ways to get Hinata's attention, like a childhood bully teasing the person he likes. "H-Hinata, can I..?" Now it was his turn to stumble over his words, face scarlet as he could only glance down at Hinata's erection.

Hinata giggled cutely, lips quirking up into a dazzling smile. "Y-You can do whatever you want to me, Lev."

Lev smiled back at Hinata, leaning ever closer. They stared deeply into each other's eyes for a few moments, their lips only a few inches apart as their warm breaths fanned against each other. It was Hinata who broke the spell first, going up on his tiptoes and connecting their lips.

Lev's smile only grew bigger, Hinata's soft lips confirming that this was indeed reality. Sweet, amazing reality. Lev deepened the kiss, one arm snaking around Hinata's waist while his free hand gently took off the vibrator from Hinata's cock. It clattered onto the ground, useless and forgotten.

Hinata wrapped his arms around Lev's neck. Or, at least, he tried to. Hinata let out a frustrated little huff as he could only lay his hands on Lev's shoulders, making Lev burst into laughter.

"Shut up, stop being so damn tall!" Hinata snapped, before gasping when he was suddenly easily hoisted up by Lev. He instinctively wrapped his legs around Lev's waist, Lev pinning Hinata up against the wall.

"This better?" Lev smirked, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.

"Well... I'll forgive you for now." Hinata grumbled, pouting cutely. His hands then made quick work of Lev's sweatpants, untying it as it fell to his feet and Lev eagerly pulled down his boxers as well.

Hinata's eyes widened as he saw the sheer size of Lev's cock. He was definitely much bigger than Kuroo. And he should feel intimidated, but instead his cock twitched in anticipation.

"Lev..." As he spoke, his lips brushed against Lev's. "Y-You can fuck me. I'm all ready for you. P...Please don't keep me waiting any longer."

Lev sighed deeply, nuzzling into the crook of Hinata's neck. It was more so for him, too embarrassed to let Hinata see his pleased and flustered expression. "Just...tell me if it hurts, okay?"

Hinata nodded, and Lev gladly seized the moment. He positioned himself at Hinata's entrance, slowly pushing in. His tip was just barely in when Hinata whined, throwing his head back and Lev could feel Hinata's nails scratching incessantly at his back like a cat.

"Breathe, Hinata. I'm not even fully in yet." Of course Lev wanted Hinata to be comfortable, but he also couldn't keep the smugness out of his voice. He knocked his forehead lightly against Hinata's and made eye contact as he penetrated the redhead deeper, deeper, deeper.

They both let out a guttural groan at the same time, Hinata feeling so fucking full as Lev buried himself completely inside of him. Hinata leaned in, licking Lev's lips sensually and nipping at his bottom lip. Lev moaned, his tongue darting out to play with Hinata's.

Quite unexpectedly, it was Hinata who began to take the lead. He grinded his hips against Lev, a broken cry escaping him as Lev's huge fucking cock hit just the right spot. Lev soon followed, moving his hips in sync with Hinata. Hinata gasped and panted, calling out Lev's name as he was continuously impaled oh so perfectly.

"Lev, Lev, LEV..!" Hinata screamed, tugging needily on Lev's grey hair. "F-Fuck, yes! You fuck me so good! M-More... Please, more..!"

"Hinata..!" Lev moaned loudly, uncaring if they wake up the whole damn camp. He grabbed Hinata's chin before he tipped it up, revealing his neck. Lev has completely lost all control, his green eyes flashing possessively. "You're mine, you got that? All mine. Kuroo can never make you fucking feel this way. You're my slut." He bared his teeth like a starving lion, sinking it into the crook of Hinata's neck. Hinata whimpered, and once Lev drew away he smirked triumphantly at the prominent bite mark he inflicted.

Lev then flipped them over so that his back was against the wall. Hinata's legs continues to be wrapped around Lev's waist, and Lev supported Hinata's body with his hands firmly holding onto Hinata's hips.

"You're not fucking answering me, Hinata." Lev growled, his tone more authoritative than before. "Who do you belong to, slut?"

"Y-You..!" Hinata yelped, bouncing on Lev's fat cock. "I-I belong to you, Lev!"

"Good. Fucking. Boy." He enunciated each word with a thrust, recoiling his hips before slamming his cock back roughly into Hinata. Hinata's walls clenched like a goddamn vice around Lev, the both of them knowing that it wouldn't be long for them to come undone.

Lev then enveloped one of his hands around Hinata's cock, stroking it in time to his swift thrusts. He was pretty much jack hammering into Hinata by now, Hinata nearly going cross eyed and lips forming into an 'O' as incoherent babblings and desperate moans violated his body.

"L-Lev, please..!" Hinata begged, tears springing to his pretty brown eyes. "L-Let me fucking cum! Please..!"

"Then..." Lev panted, never ceasing his thrusts as he chased his high. "Fucking CUM..!"

"AH!" Hinata cried out, his back arching as he came. Spurts of cum smeared Lev's hand, and Lev soon followed with his own release. He pumped his cock relentlessly even as he exploded, gasping and grunting as if he was in heat.

It took a good couple of minutes for them to collect themselves, Hinata laying slack against Lev just as the sun rose and casted its ethereal glow upon them. Lev slowly pulled his cock out of Hinata, eyes darkening at the fucking erotic sight of his seed spilling excessively from Hinata's anus.

"Shit..." Lev chuckled breathlessly. "I fucking love mornings."

And neither were aware of a certain captain hiding around the corner of the school building, his ever devious smirk unfaltering from his lips.

'Lev's a fucking idiot if he thinks I'll give up on Hinata that easily.' Kuroo thought to himself, snickering softly.

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pixxiesdust · 3 years

Text

Hello everyone! I think the banner kind of explains everything that’s going to happen in the post, so let’s get right to it!

I've been talking about this for a couple of weeks, but it’s finally time to make the move and switch over to a new blog. Over the past couple of years that I’ve been on tumblr with my Narnia blog (alwaysinnarnia, which became highqueen), and the months I’ve had pixxiesdust, I was always supported by so many followers and friends, who liked, reblogged, and commented on my creations. Through these two blogs, I became friends with people halfway across the world, people I’m attending college with, people who have as much skill as published writers and professional artists. People who make me laugh, people who I recognize from their url constantly popping up in my notifactions because of their continuous support, people who have comforted me when I’m not feeling my best.

If you’re reading this, you’re one of those people who helped to shape my experience on Tumblr, and I thank you so much for that.

There are some in particular that I’ve become wonderful friends with, so I’d like to thank them. I’m sure that some urls have slipped my mind, and I’m not able to get to everyone, but please know that I love you and appreciate you so, so much!!

below the cut, find: thank yous to wonderful friends, a goodbyes to all my lovely followers, and a link to my new blog—a new beginning. i hope to see you there >u<

✧ narnia (highqueen) ✧

@lucypcvensie ✧ Eysha, you’ve been with me basically since the beginning, and you are one of the closest friends I’ve made on here. I love talking to you about basically everything, even beyond Narnia and other fandoms. Love you lots!

@hauntedthief ✧ Moh, you’re also someone that I’ve had the pleasure of being friends with for a while now. I love being in all these different networks with you, even as we branch off into anime and manga. You’re always so supportive and friendly, especially on gifs and edits!

@ohboywonder ✧ Liv, I’m so glad that we started talking. We may not be in contact that often, but I enjoy every conversation that we have. You always lift my mood and are so kind and encouraging.

@bilbos @stormbreaker @calormen @quecksilvereyes @radiantsusan and the other wonderful members of narnianetwork ✧ I love you all so much! You build up the network and the fandom, and every one of you are so inspiring and creative. You all are amazing, and I’m really happy to have gotten to know you all!

✧ multifandom (pixxiesdust) ✧

@ererokii ✧ Aimee, ily so much!!! You’re such a fun person to talk to, and I love all the chats that we have. You’re so creative and come up with amazing stories, and I’m honored that you let me beta for them. I’m so glad you invited me to work on AoA with you!

@taiyaaki ✧ Mio, you’re such a sweet person who I’ve had the pleasure of becoming good friends with. Your drabbles and fics are always enjoyable to read, and I love that you write for such a wide variety of characters.

@jojosmilktea ✧ Jojo, you bless my dash every time I see a post from you on there. Your writing is spectacular (even the a-angst, which is saying a lot), and I know you put a lot of hard work into them. You’re always so kind and friendly, and 我很愛跟你聊天。

@cellotonin and @sipsteainanxiety ✧ I am so, so glad to have met you both! I never expected for things to turn out the way they did, but!!! I’m still so surprised and happy. I love you both so much, and I hope that we’ll continue being friends for a long time to come.

@lirinstaalem ✧ Life, you are such a wonderful friend and I love talking with you in asks and in discord servers, even though 20% of the time is me telling you not to drink a packet of hot sauce. Your writing is getting better and better all the time, and I love the ideas you bring to life! (hehe)

@kingtamakimurder ✧ Shan, you’re such a wonderful, caring, cute, talented person and I’m so grateful to have you as a friend. Thank you for getting me to watch some new anime! I love all the movie nights we’ve had together, and I hope we’ll have more in the future!

@etegomanere @tspice283 @byougen @jaegerbomb20 @dokidokielle @pat-writes-stuff and the other wonderful members of attack on academia ✧You all make the server so lively and fun. Thanks for accompanying me on sprints—I do so much more writing with you. I love talking to everyone so, so much!

@shinsotired @tamcitrus @writeiolite and the other wonderful members of haikyuucreations ✧ From watching SAO together, to chatting about Haikyuu and other anime, to sprinting, I love all the conversations we’ve had together. And I’m really happy to have met so many new people in the Haikyuu fandom!

@tamasoft @spike-this-ass @chocoboba @ramelanin and the other wonderful members of pocuties ✧ You all make this such a safe space, and I love you all for it. Thanks for shouting Sasageyo in the voice chats, for always greeting everyone good morning, for making jokes about characters that we like. You all are amazing, love you!

@hawks-senseis @prismatales @teaspoon-hey @shoutogepi @simplybakugou @wakaoujisenhime @knifeewifee @todoscript @fanfic-me-up @leviskokoro @savagetrickster @shoutodoki @vixen-scribbles @soniatera @zuura @meximorrita @birinboom @unbreakableeiji @hanniejji ✧ There are so many things I could say for all you talented, kind, amazing individuals, and I honestly could turn this into an essay. I’m so happy to be friends with you, and I really hope that we’ll continue to chat and get to know each other more in the future. Love you all so much!

✧ now, travel to reddriot and explore the galaxy! ✧

#type: text #misc: zebra speaks

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felassan · 3 years

Text

BioWare Blog post: Gary McKay Confirmed as Studio General Manager

Posted on June 14, 2021

We’re delighted to announce that Gary McKay, formerly the Interim General Manager of BioWare, has been confirmed as our permanent GM!

Gary joined BioWare in January of 2020 as the Head of Development Operations before being tapped to be the Interim GM in December. He brings with him more than 20 years of industry experience. “I started my career in the industry with EA back in 1998,” he says, “and it was so exciting to see the studio and company grow in the early days. I spent the next seven years with EA before moving on. But now you could say I’ve come full circle.”

“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” he continues. “When you spend over 20 years in the industry, there are a small handful of studios on your bucket list in terms of teams you’d want to work with — and BioWare is at the top of my list. This studio is unique in that it has an incredible history of building critically successful games and universes that are truly beloved by so many fans. For me, success is all about rebuilding that reputation, and delivering on that promise of quality.”

In the time between his first round at EA and now, Gary served as General Manager of a number of other studios. And while each studio is different, he tells us the core role of the GM doesn’t change much from place to place. “At the heart of the role, you’re setting a vision for the business, and then enabling the creative developers to do their best work as we come together as a team,” he says. “So it’s a blend of operational decisions and creativity, working together to build the best possible experience for our players. There aren’t many roles out there where you’re constantly balancing those things, but that’s what I enjoy the most.”

Gary moves into this position at a particularly exciting time for BioWare, and not only because we’ve just released the definitive version of the original Mass Effect trilogy in the form of the Legendary Edition — though that’s certainly part of it! “The last year was a challenging year for everyone,” he says, “but the team never lost focus on delivering a game that lived up to expectations. I’m so proud of what they accomplished.” And even more exciting things are coming; when discussing the future of the studio, Gary is unabashedly enthusiastic:

“We’re laser-focused on releasing the types of games BioWare has built a reputation on,” he says: “high-quality console, PC, and online RPG games with rich stories, unforgettable characters, and vast worlds. We continue to work on the next Dragon Age and Mass Effect — and this is a milestone year being the 10th anniversary with more to come from Star Wars: The Old Republic.”

We’re excited to have Gary in this GM position. “I could not be more excited about the future of BioWare,” he says. We couldn’t agree more.

-The BioWare Team

[source]

(emphasis mine)

#dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #mass effect #next mass effect #sw:tor #video games #longpost #long post #covid mention

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thoughtsonhurtandcomfort · 3 years

Text

12C, part 12

Tag List: @deluxewhump @whumpinggrounds @yet-another-heathen @its-mysweetlittlesecret-blog @killtheprotagonist

Content Warnings: immortal whumpee, lady whumpee, captivity, lab whump, dehydration, starvation, exhaustion, temporary character death, sort of dehumanization? or perhaps better stated as disregard for ones humanity

Author’s Notes: I call this chapter ‘I have no clue what I’m doing but I’m trying’. Brought to you by 6 lovely souls. :) Usually I do a deeper edit of these but I’m feeling lazy tonight and really want to get this one up so I can move forward. I was also a little writer’s blocked this week so apologies if it’s not my best work. :\

Also, I think I might post the next set of parts under a new title...picking up where this leaves off, of course! But there’s something nice and complete about there being 12 ‘chapters’ to this, and as you’ll see, the title being named for the room might not apply anymore. ;) So if you’re on this tag list or watching this series don’t be alarmed if suddenly a new title is there when the next part pops up.

----

Emmeline has been gone before - taken away for testing or left somewhere overnight so they can check for results in the morning.

But this is different.

Everything is gone. The table, the equipment, everything except the camera in the corner. The room is completely dark and empty.

Liv pulls out her clipboard and flips to her page for the room - or, she would, if it was there. She hasn’t been given any checklist, any notes, anything for room 12C. It’s as though no one was ever there.

Slowly she backs out of the room and shuts and locks the door. In her mind she begins frantically skimming through every moment of the day she can remember. Did anyone look at her differently? Say something to her?

This has to be my fault somehow.

Right?

And yet, no one called her to an office or confronted her in the hallway. She came in to work and went about her day as usual. Surely if they suspected her of tampering with a subject, or any other violation, they would take action immediately?

Unless Emmeline is being punished instead of me.

But where is she?

Liv goes through her final routine tasks of the night on autopilot, her mind turning over every worst possible scenario.

Maybe Emmeline was taken to another lab. Maybe there’s an even more top-secret level to this lab that she has no idea about. Or maybe...maybe that bastard Dr. Crafton did something with her…

An additional thought creeps in that Liv refuses to dwell on.

What if she died for good this time?

But that can’t be true. Even at her most fearful and cynical, Liv can’t comprehend the tragedy of Emmeline’s light being snuffed out in this prison after hanging on so long.

She has to be alive somewhere. Suffering, scared, but alive.

But where?

----

In the days that follow Liv performs her magnum opus of pretending things are fine.

On the surface she’s as calm, quiet, and moody as always. Inside she’s constantly paranoid, expecting to be confronted at every turn, pulled into an office and questioned. She’s wary of the researchers and of security, even of her own boss. She over analyzes every look and interaction.

But one, two, three days into the week and nothing has changed except Emmeline being gone and, as of Wednesday evening, a new resident in room 12C. The balancing act in Liv’s mind between ‘I’m so fucked’ and ‘where is Emmeline’ tips in favor of the latter. It’s not as though she can ask someone. So she starts simply...listening.

Her late hours are an obstacle; most of the researchers have left by the time she starts cleaning. But the ones that sometimes stay over tend to be the chattiest when they believe no staff - at least, in their mind, no staff worth acknowledging - are present.

It takes caution and patience, but soon from observations and overheard conversations with her headphones in, Liv manages to piece together what happened.

There are whispers of new subjects, more than they have room for. Frustrated complaints of how the ‘research’ with Emmeline was going nowhere, of failed blood transfusions and transplants. ‘Fascinating but useless’ was how one of them put it. Without results the funding would soon dry up, but selling her to a competitor would be disastrous if the competitor had success where they didn’t.

But that’s as far as Liv gets. A why without a where. They don’t have a room for her or funding to continue research, but they won’t sell her. In a better world they’d let her go, but Liv doesn’t humor that idea for a second.

Her suspicions still linger on Dr. Crafton a little while longer. Considering his newfound enjoyment of torture, she wouldn’t put it past him to ‘volunteer’ to move Emmeline to a private lab of his or something.

This soon disproves itself for her. In the fleeting moments she sees Dr. Crafton he seems irritable, not at all like a man who got exactly what he wanted. Then one evening she overhears him griping about the ‘wasted potential’ of the former subject in 12C and Liv is sure he doesn’t have her.

Any satisfaction she gets from these discoveries is quickly dulled by still not knowing where Emmeline is. Liv keeps showing up, keeps hoping, does her work in spite of the gnawing ache of Emmeline’s absence. All this time Liv was trying to help and comfort her, she didn’t realize how much of a help and comfort Emmeline was in return.

I just want to see her again...

----

A week passes, and then another. Liv still listens, still keeps an eye out, but her hope is fading. No one notices, of course. She was always a little sullen, always kept to herself. As long as she continues to be a good worker, no one bothers her or questions her.

That night is particularly quiet. Most subjects are asleep or keep to themselves. Even the chatty guards in Hall A are bored and end up listening to a sports radio show rather than talk to each other or Liv.

Near the end of her shift Liv makes her way to that floor’s storage room. It’s a small, dingy room with a single lightbulb that barely illuminates all of the shelves that line the walls. Nothing important resides here - not samples or expensive medical equipment. Only cleaning supplies, tools for maintenance, a handful of basic first aid, and obsolete equipment gathering dust, some of which might be older than the building itself.

Normally Liv prefers the supply room on the floor above; it’s a little bigger, a little cleaner. But tonight she’s feeling lazy and settles for this one.

As she’s putting things back on the shelves, she notices something pushed back against the far wall that wasn’t here before. It’s just a crate, long and sturdy but unremarkable. But what piques Liv’s curiosity is its presence here at all. No one uses this room except her, the janitor who fills in on nights she’s off, and sometimes maintenance. Maybe one of the researchers might come looking for something they need, but more often than not this room sits neglected.

Liv kneels beside the crate and feels around for a way to open it. She finds a latch and unclasps it easily, then manages to wiggle the lid up enough to get her fingers under. It isn’t even on that tight, and it only takes a couple pulls to lift it open.

What the fuck?!

She gasps and recoils, falling back and scrambling away from the crate, breathing quickly. Not much gets to her around here, but she was not expecting to open that thing and find a dead body.

Once the initial shock subsides she sits up and brushes her hands on her jeans. This doesn’t make sense. Subjects that die are given autopsies and then incinerated. If it’s here in the facility, why isn’t it in a lab room?

Shaken but determined, Liv scoots closer to the crate and peers in again. It’s hard to make out much in the dim light, but she can tell that the body is...fresh, for lack of a better word, and padded with some kind of loose packing material. She moves up along the box, having to tilt a little to keep her own shadow from blocking her view so she can see the face -

For several long, silent moments, Liv just...stares. She blinks against the darkness, trying to process what she’s seeing.

“Emmeline?” she says aloud, barely recognizing her own voice. Hands shaking, she takes out her phone and turns on the flashlight.

The face illuminated by the light, gaunt and lifeless, is unmistakably Emmeline’s.

Liv quickly turns off the flashlight and puts her hand over her mouth to suppress a sound of...of…

Of what?

Relief that she found her, or fear that she’s dead dead, or disgust that they stuck her in a box in a storage room like nothing more than a piece of old equipment.

There are too many questions going through her mind and she pushes them all aside. She reaches a shaky hand down and cups Emmeline’s face. It’s cool to the touch, but Liv has seen her share of dead bodies before and something about this is...different. Like her body is lingering in some state between life and death, simply dormant. It’s just a half-assed theory, but it gives her hope.

Liv brushes her thumb over Emmeline’s lips, finding them chapped. There isn’t a mark on Emmeline’s body, and any drugs to put her under would have worn off by now. The most obvious and awful conclusion is that they simply let her die naturally of dehydration, alone in the dark.

A tear slips from Liv’s cheek onto Emmeline’s neck and trickles down out of sight. Liv sits back with a loud sniff and rubs at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Fuck,” she whispers. “You deserve better than this…”

She slips her hoodie off and leans forward again, draping it like a blanket over Emmeline. Like this, it’s almost easy to believe that she’s just sleeping.

“It’s going to be okay,” she says numbly, “somehow.”

Then she puts the lid back on, stands, and leaves the room.

----

In the time between when she leaves after discovering Emmeline, and when she returns the next day, something shifts in Liv.

The sight of that drawn, still face haunts her dreams. And when she wakes all she can think about is the notion of Emmeline being stored like a piece of furniture only for them to take out and hurt again someday when they have funding or whatever the fuck.

When Emmeline was in one of the lab rooms the idea of trying to help her with guards and cameras around felt impossible. But the storage room...that she can work with.

She waits until the end of her shift before going to the storage room again. She doesn’t even have to act differently or come up with an excuse; she has plenty of legitimate reasons to be in there.

As soon as the door closes behind her she grabs her water bottle from her cart and goes right to the crate. She opens it cautiously, as though not wanting to startle its occupant. But Emmeline hasn’t moved an inch or changed in the slightest since last night.

“Hey,” she says quietly, just like she would when entering room 12C. It feels natural even if Emmeline doesn’t answer.

Liv leans over the crate and tips the water bottle to Emmeline’s lips. She lets just the smallest trickle of water slip in at first, then another, then another. Nothing happens right away, but Liv isn’t deterred. She has no idea how her immortality works, but Emmeline has been ‘dead’ for days now, surely it will take more than a couple sips of water for her body to heal.

She leans one arm on the edge of the crate and rests her chin on her arm. With the other hand she continues slowly pouring water down Emmeline’s parched throat, a little at a time. Pour. Stop. Wait. Look for signs of life. Pour again.

It feels a bit like watering a plant, and also not at all like that. Emmeline is not nearly so replaceable.

When the bottle is empty, she caps it and sits up with a sigh, stretching her stiff shoulders. She can’t help feeling disappointed. She was expecting something to happen. But it’s okay - if it takes time, so be it.

Just as Liv is reaching for the lid, she hears a soft sound. She freezes, arms out, listening intently. It wouldn’t surprise her if it was a rat or something, with the state of this room…

Several silent seconds tick by and she’s starting to believe she imagined it when the sound happens again. A little louder...and close…

Heart pounding, she looks down into the crate. At first glance nothing has changed, but the longer she looks...yes. Yes, she’s sure of it - her hoodie, still draped over Emmeline, is moving ever so slightly with barely-there breaths. When Liv presses her fingers to Emmeline’s wrist, she finds a weak pulse.

Oh my god. Oh my god, it worked.

The soft sound comes again and it is now clear that it’s the sound of a sighing breath. Triumphant as she feels at having done something right for a change, Liv knows things are far from good. Emmeline is in bad shape. This is going to take time.

Liv touches Emmeline’s arm for a moment, watching her face. Little changes apart from the puffs of breath that now escape her chapped lips, but it feels like a victory. Not to mention a big fuck you to the researchers.

“Hang in there,” she whispers. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

It kills her to have to put the lid back on and leave Emmeline in the dark like that. The best she can hope for is that she remains unconscious a little longer. Liv is impatient, she wants to make this all better right now. But for both of their sakes, patience is necessary.

Hang in there, she tells herself, as well.

----

Part of being patient means not going back to the storage room every night. She used to barely use it at all, and she fears too sudden a change in her behavior will draw unwanted attention. It’s one of the hardest things she has ever done, to walk past that room knowing Emmeline is inside and then keep walking.

Still, Liv manages to hold out for a few days before returning. She parks her cart just inside the storage room door; she doubts anyone will enter, but if they do, the obstacle might buy her some time to quickly close the crate.

Emmeline is no longer breathing. Liv expected as much, but it hurts all the same. This time, though. This time will be different.

Once again she feeds her sips of water and soon enough there are signs of life. This time, Liv is prepared with another bottle - this one filled with apple juice.

She cups Emmeline’s head and lifts it a little to give her a sip of the juice. Another, then another. Slow, patient, hopeful. Emmeline’s pulse grows stronger, her breathing more steady.

And then she moans, and it’s a weak, pitiful, broken sound, but Liv is so damn relieved to hear it, because it means she is that much closer to waking.

Liv continues giving her sips of juice, watching her throat bob as she actively swallows it. Suddenly she begins to cough and it startles Liv so much she nearly spills the juice all over her. She quickly pulls the bottle away and sets it aside, her eyes fixed on Emmeline.

Emmeline’s coughs fade into raspy breaths. She groans and shifts uncomfortably. Then finally, finally, her eyes slowly open.

She’s frail and shaky. Her glazed-over eyes flick around, uncomprehending. Her mouth opens as though to speak, but when she tries nothing comes out.

“Emmeline?” Liv says, very quietly.

At the sound of her name, Emmeline’s eyes land on Liv. The recognition on her face is immediate, and Liv can’t help but smile.

“Hey. It’s just me. Here...”

She holds the bottle to her lips again and Emmeline drinks eagerly.

“Careful, not too fast...that’s better...okay I’m going to take it away again, I don’t want you to overdo it…”

She sets the bottle aside again while Emmeline gasps for breath after practically chugging the whole thing down. Liv can’t blame her, and hates to deny her what she so desperately needs, but she also doesn’t want to make her sick.

“Just breathe. You’re okay.” Relatively. “I’ll give you more in a minute.” She reaches down and takes Emmeline’s hand.

“Where…” Emmeline’s voice cracks. She pauses, swallows, starts again. “Where am I?”

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

“...good.”

“The good news is you aren’t in the lab.” Liv gives her a moment to process that before regretfully adding, “the bad news is that you’re still in the building. In...a storage closet.”

Emmeline blinks slowly up at the ceiling, her brow pinched. “What?”

She shifts again and Liv realizes that she’s trying to sit up. Liv instinctively reaches to help, putting a hand on Emmeline’s back - only to withdraw when Emmeline gasps.

“S-sorry, I was just - “

“No,” Emmeline interrupts. “Please - put it back, it was warm…”

Liv remembers how cold Emmeline’s skin was when she found her like this, and this room is just as chilly as the lab. She slowly settles her hand on Emmeline’s back again and helps her ease herself up. It’s hard to resist the urge to touch more - a hand in her hair, an arm around her shoulders - but she doesn’t know whether it would be welcome.

But Emmeline is shivering and she has to do something.

“Here…” she takes the hoodie that has been acting as a blanket for Emmeline these past few days and slips it around her shoulders. “Arms.” Emmeline obediently slips her arms through the sleeves.

When Liv zips it up Emmeline curls her arms up to her chest and presses her face into the cuffs of the sleeves. “Thank you, this is - oh - “

Emmeline’s eyes flutter shut and she sways, nearly dropping back into the crate. Liv steadies her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Shit...hey, breathe, you’re okay…” Maybe sitting her up so quickly wasn’t the best idea.

Taking slow breaths, Emmeline opens her eyes again. She looks so tired in spite of being under for so long. But then, she’s been denied food, water, warmth, proper rest, safety, and the type of weariness living like that brings is bone-deep and not so easily solved.

Her eyes dart around the room - from the old metal shelves to the dim lightbulb to the concrete floor, and heartbroken understanding falls over her face.

“When they put me in this box,” she whispers, looking so empty, so resigned, “I thought they were moving me somewhere. Maybe another lab. I thought within a day or two the lid would come off. But it never did. It was so dark and cold and...and you weren’t there, and…” her lip quivers and she clutches at the cuffs of the hoodie. “I was scared…”

Liv swallows around the lump in her throat, feeling her eyes burn. Those fucking bastards. “I thought they took you away too, at first. Finding you was...kind of by accident. But now that I have...” she steels herself, knowing once she says this, there’s no going back. “...I’m getting you out of here.”

Emmeline looks to her, eyes wide and tentatively hopeful. “You are?”

Liv chews her bottom lip and nods. “I have a plan. I just need you to hang in there a little longer…”

“I can do that,” Emmeline replies, voice wavering. “Please just be careful…”

“I will.”

Emmeline looks half about to cry, half about to pass out. Liv gently nudges at her shoulders, easing her back down into the crate.

“Please don’t take the shirt,” Emmeline whispers as her eyes close.

“I won’t,” Liv promises. “It’s yours now.”

“Thank you…”

A tear slips down her cheek and Liv brushes it away with her thumb. She leaves her hand there a moment for Emmeline to lean into, seeking out every small bit of comfort she can get. Liv wants to give her more, so much more, but she can’t. Not here. Not yet.

“I’ll be back,” she promises as she reaches for the lid. “Just hang on a little longer,” she adds as she lowers it, cloaking Emmeline’s sleeping form in darkness once more.

#immortal whump #lady whump #female whumpee #lab whump #lab experiment #captivity #dehydration #starvation #exhaustion #temporary character death #emotional whump #angst #comfort #whump #whump writing #my writing #my ocs #emmeline #liv

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battiesart · 3 years

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How do you feel and what is ur opinion on people saying Kazuya is irredeemable for having killed people n such? since i've seen alot of people say that kazuya liking kaiji and being nice somewhat is unrealistic and ooc and saying he's violent and evil and will never became a decent human being

Uhmmm I'm gonna go ahead and answer this since I was talking about it the other day on twitter, but I should preface this by saying that questions like these feel a bit out of place for my art blog 😅 I'm not mad at you for not knowing, since I don't advertise it much, but you can always send questions like these to my main blog or my CuriousCat (I'll probably edit my sidebar on this blog with those links)

Anyway long-winded answer below the cut, since I love to talk about Kazuya

Whether or not you really believe Kazuya is redeemable or not comes down to just personal opinion. At the end of the day he's a fictional character. Me interpreting him as a redeemable person isn't me justifying or defending a murderer. If you disagree with me then it's fine because the whole point of fiction is facilitating different interpretations. It really doesn't bother me if people dislike my boukai works or how I depict him.

I've reread parts 3-5 about 3 times in the last year and I believe that despite Kazuya having killed people, the narrative makes it apparent that it's something he's never taken pleasure or joy in doing. In a lot of ways, I think his violence is a symptom of his upbringing, especially considering who his father is. But, having people grovel for him, having to push them to do violent things in his gambles, it's never something he seems to enjoy -- instead, I think it's him trying his hardest to be vindicated for his twisted worldview, wanting to be confirmed that his nihilism is justified and that he's correct in thinking people are irredeemable.

This scene in particular towards the end of part 3 I think is really telling towards his feelings, his anger prompts this response from Muraoka and he's clearly sick of people kissing up to him.

A lot of the violence in his gambles serve as motivation for the players to act out of "true human nature," AKA what Kazuya believes to be the truth, not necessarily because he wants to see people suffer. Kaiji immediately refutes him in this scene anyway, which you agree with as the reader.

As the Friendship Game progresses without issue, Kazuya loses motivation and interest to continue. He literally slumps over lmfao.. but I think it's indicative of the fact that these life and death gambles are just methods to affirm his own beliefs (especially when you consider how much he messes with the actual game to get the result he wants through the interviews, extending the time limit, etc etc).

As a character, Kazuya's whole schtick is that he hates his status and wants friendship. It's not even subtext, Kaiji literally says this to him towards the end of One Poker. It's mentioned constantly beforehand, too.

Much like Kaiji, Kazuya is a victim of violent & predatory capitalism, but in a different way, where his upbringing in the Hyoudou family has resulted in his inclinations towards violence and distrusting others (though I doubt sadism, considering he doesn't seem to enjoy the actual acts of violence, more just proving himself right when people start going insane).

Towards the end of One Poker, Kazuya begs for someone to rescue him, thinks back on his life with regret, and fully drops his confident persona as he fears for his life. He pushes back against Kaiji's claims that he's lonely (he is), refuses to back down even an inch and claim defeat, and it results in what would have been his actual death. In his final moments, all he can do is think about the love his mother showed him, realize he closed himself off from affection following her death, and sob.

So, I think that experience, his complicated feelings towards friendship and love, and realizing someone like Kaiji saved him just because he's a person, and not despite his cruelty or status, would really shake him to his core. He loses for the first time, is proven wrong entirely by Kaiji's resolve, and he'd probably reflect on everything and realize how wrong he's been about other people. Of course, that's what I think would be the natural course of events for his character -- especially considering his cruelty is a symptom of capitalism, and transcending what the system does to us is a core theme for all of FKMT's works. I think having a character who embodies predatory capitalism itself learn to trust others, abandon cruelty, and heal from his past is extremely powerful and what the story of Kaiji as a whole is about, in a lot of ways.

Anyway thanks for letting me write all this out LOL I love my insane little maniac and his struggles ❤️ Again, this is my interpretation of a fictional character, if you disagree, it's fine!

P.S. "kazuya liking kaiji and being nice somewhat is unrealistic and ooc" The man builds a grave for his gambling rival and people think he's not nice? Have we no chivalry? He reserved the entire restaurant that night just for them! 🙄

#kazuya hyoudou -#tumblr is great I can write my insane Kaiji thinkpieces under one post #anonymous #asks #2021

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kettle-on · 3 years

Text

(Oh woops, this is a lot longer than it was supposed to be, but I got carried away. Still not super happy with it, but I figured I'd post it sooner than later, before I changed my mind completely!)

Monty Python and the Barbados Fic

Eric x Michael x OFC

Chapter 4

attn: @jessm78 @coincidence-ithinknots-blog

Evenings at Heron Bay were lively, silly, rowdy, and populous. The Pythons had decided they would have guests to dinner every night, and surprisingly this proved not too difficult. Apparently Barbados was hopping with friendly famous faces at this time of year.

Mick Jagger continued his regular visits with Jerry on his arm, and one or two pairs of glamorous mystery Misters and Misses. It was revealed through many rounds of Charades that the Rolling Stone had an extraordinary talent for both miming and deciphering interpretive dance. His rendition of “the eruption of Mt Vesuvius” was met with roaring applause, and his “Sex Pistols” brought the evening to an un-toppable peak.

Things would take a turn, however, when an entirely sober Graham introduced a favourite game of his called “Poor Pussy” in which the chosen “pussy” approaches guests and, through meowing and distinctly feline behaviour, must make the guest laugh whilst they attempt to pet pussy’s head and say with a straight face three times: “poor pussy.” When one does laugh, they become the new “pussy.” This last rule changed quickly when it arose that multiple “pussies” had taken over the room, and hardly a word could be spoken from the guests through their laughter.

Perhaps the most uncommon news, however, came from casual chat. A visiting Keith Moon explained his plans for a new house in Malibu, anxious for acres of privacy and leaving behind his celebrity neighbours. Jagger the Charades king told of all-night New York City parties, to which Graham countered: “At least in London, one has the good sense to wrap up before sitting down to breakfast.”

Y/N was sure that, had she been keeping a list, she’d have been privy to the business of every star in modern comedy and rock and roll.

The next morning came too early once again, but Y/N was this time drawn to the bedroom window. From here she could see the team of gardeners hired to keep Heron Bay looking lush and groomed. She couldn’t help but feel that with each day that passed she was floating further and further away from what she remembered normal life to be like.

Not wanting to disturb a sleeping Eric, she made her way to the morning room that looked out to the curved courtyard. At one end of the room was a large painted screen of columns in some beautiful ancient scene. Each table surface in this room was topped with a floral arrangement, antique candlesticks, and photographs of visitors and houseguests. Decades of beautiful faces and elegant dresses, men in uniform, and posed portraits looked back at her from their frames.

What was this world? she had long wondered. Painted screens, stone pediments, beaches, house staff, tennis courts, and private ponds. Marriages, affairs, and cover-ups. Churchill, the Duke of Edinburgh, Lord and Lady Something of Somewhere Unpronounceable, and movie stars and rock n roll gods. And who was she in all of this?

From the near distance, she heard puffs of exertion and approaching steps. Michael had committed himself to continuing his disciplined daily morning jog and here he was returning.

“Ah,” he panted, “Morning.”

“Good morning. Nice run?”

“Well,” puff, “it’s not Holloway, but it’ll do.”

When he caught his breath, he noticed her uneasiness. With a smiling face and a tone he’d learned from his mother, he suggested:

“Tea?” --

It was much later that night that Y/N found herself again wandering the corridors alone. The afternoon had passed with a visit from Eric’s friend Ricky Fataar with whom he’d made The Rutles the previous year, and his wife, Heron Bay’s proprietress Penelope Tree. The couple had dropped in for what they called a “business luncheon,” and extended an invitation to the Python household out for a “business dinner.” The two Terrys and Eric accepted, (the Terrys hoping they might throw in a bit of “money talk” regarding their upcoming film budget) and by the time the day’s activities had come to a close, the outward dinner guests had yet to return.

In the rare quiet of the late-night, Y/N knocked on the door to the room where Michael was staying, and a friendly hum invited her into the room. A single lamp lit up the walls and floor, and a Michael in repose who was making edits to his well-kept journal.

“Do I recall correctly you said you’d brought a small library with you?” asked Y/N from the door.

“I did, indeed!” he responded, setting his journal on one of the nightstands next to the bed. “What’s the matter – can’t sleep?”

Y/N shook her head with an apologetic smirk.

“I see, and what sort of thing are you after?”

“Something, uh... gentle, I suppose. Something to escape.”

“Escape? From here? A tropical island and you’d like to escape – now that’s puzzling.” He drew back the thin blanket that covered his lower half, and swung his mostly bare legs over the side of the mattress.

“No, no,” she started, “Just something to, y’know, get out of my head for a bit.”

“Mm, is there something troubling you?” Michael eyed the three stacks of books casually adorning a side table, and inspected the choices of titles.

“Just feeling a little…” Y/N searched for a believable excuse, “homesick.”

He was not convinced. Putting his book task on pause he raised his eyebrows, requesting her further explanation. Y/N both appreciated and hated this look. Michael, though the gentlest and kindest of the troupe, would not let anything go unexplained or hidden for long, and his generosity and patience invited her to open up.

“I’m not really sure what I’m doing here,” she confessed. “I feel like I’m just getting in the way, y’know? You’re all working hard on what I’m certain will be a brilliant film, and what am I here for?”

“You’re on holiday,” he declared with what he hoped was an assuring smile.

“A holiday from what? What do I even do?” She felt the agitation rising in her voice. “It’s like I just exist day in and day out with no purpose or point. No goals and no…”

Michael’s stare was intense and he waited for her to continue.

“…future.” Her voice dropped to almost a whisper when she noticed she’d drawn his undivided attention. A quiet Michael was a rare thing, and the silence stilled the air between them.

“So, I thought... maybe a… a book might help,” she attempted, but Michael was already smoothing down the bedspread, offering a space beside him which she gratefully filled.

“Is this what it’s like being famous?” she asked heavily, taking a seat. “Always surrounded by extremely talented, important people, and constantly comparing your own worth and accomplishments?”

“I suppose it is, yes. Sometimes.” Michael was usually very good at telling the truth in a palatable way.

Nevertheless, this acknowledgement only supported her anxiety. Her face fell and she closed her eyes, sensing exhaustion was on its way. She silently prayed for one of Michael’s rambling speeches, and he intuitively delivered.

“But it doesn’t have to be,” he began. “None of this comes with the expectation that you’ve earned your right to enjoy things. You don’t need to have won a Nobel Prize or sold a million records to deserve fine cutlery. But when you’re well-known, everybody wants to know you and bring you lovely things, whether or not you think you deserve them. When that happens, I think what helps is to recognize what’s there for you, and appreciate that there are all these things you can access if you’d like to. What’s important to remember is that you have options, and lots of good ones, too.

“And as far as goals and a future, well… I can’t tell you that. All I can tell you is that you’re already building a future just by living. And learning, and asking questions, and thinking, and wondering, and loving, and caring.”

Y/N had stayed quiet. The past few weeks of indulgence, creativity, and celebrity drama had left her feeling in a way excluded, and far away from herself. It wasn’t something she found she could explain to Eric without seeming ungrateful.

Michael continued:

“So right now, you’re on holiday somewhere you’ve never been, and learning how the other half lives. And what am I doing? Well at the moment I’m enjoying a few weeks on a beautiful island, with marvelous weather, with my wonderful friends. Together, we’re finishing up a script for a film which, if all goes well, we’ll be making later this year. That’s my job, and it keeps me working, but I’ve got the rest of my hours and days, too, and that’s when I’m living. That’s when life happens, you see, in the in-between time.

Y/N had secured a point of focus on the floor, and found it fitting that Michael’s was one of the few rooms in the building with wooden floorboards instead of the palatial stone. In this room she could be almost anywhere in the world, and at this moment she was happy to be somewhere closer to home.

“There’s no rush,” Michael added, noting her half-daze. “Life is short, but... there’s so much of it. You can stop and start and chop and change as many times as you like. It’s all life,” he slowed his pace, carefully observing her softened expression, “and it’s all yours.”

Y/N leaned back onto her elbows and contemplated her bare knees.

“I don’t think I’ve heard that one before,” she mused. “Hm. I’ve got a lot of time to fill, haven’t I?”

Michael gave a warm hum of agreement and joined her sideways, propping his head on an elbow, attentive as ever.

“And what are you going to fill it with first?” he asked.

This prospect was suddenly overwhelming, and it showed in her eyes. She took a breath and decided to choose levity for a change.

“I could work on this tan, I guess,” she playfully suggested, kicking a leg up and indicating her knees, “What do you think?”

“Very nice,” he approved. In fact, he had long admired her knees, and was grateful to the January Barbados weather for getting them out of trousers and wool tights. The previous summer at many a pub garden evening, he’d envied Eric’s long fingers resting atop Y/N’s knees, giving an occasional squeeze, and more than once catching sight of a slow glide up a thigh, disappearing under a skirt hem.

“Looks like you’re off to a good start there,” he said, allowing himself an extra-long, fully permissible eyeing up of her legs.

“And you?” she asked, “What’s next in the in-between time?”

“Well, I thought I might see what life by the ocean is like. I don’t see it very often. They’ve got waterskiing down at the bay - I might give that a go. I doubt I’ll be any good, but at least then I can say I’ve done it. Obviously a very valuable skill in London. I can see it: there I am, shooting across the lakes of Hampstead Heath. Or better still, an aquatic commute! I could start off from Blackfriars in the morning, and be in Molesey by tea-time, how’s that?”

Y/N laughed, tired from the day but grateful for Michael’s silliness. She liked this. Why couldn’t Mike be around more often? Or could she have a mini-Mike to keep in her purse and take out for impromptu pep-talks and compliments, please?

“I wonder,” he said carefully when her laughter died down. “Rather than in the way, do you think perhaps you might be feeling a bit overlooked?”

This caught her off guard. Overlooked? She never felt ignored or unappreciated. On the contrary, Eric’s attention and gestures of love came in spades. But what was it for? What really did she have to offer? She hardly expected to stand out next to her accomplished and celebrated partner and his career, nor did she wish to dull his accomplishments or stifle him. Stability would be very nice, but so too would making a name for herself be. So what did she want – life or recognition?

“Maybe,” she finally said in a small voice, too tired now to analyze any further.

How fragile she now seemed to Michael. She had opened her heart to him, and the sense of duty and the care with which he held it felt so natural. He wished he could hold it for a little longer.

Stroking kind fingers down her forearm, he took her hand, willing her out of her trance. With a closed-eyed focus on her hand, he drew her knuckles to his lips.

“So I’ve got options,” Y/N re-stated.

“Mhmm,” sounded Michael, whose lips were still appreciating her fingers.

“And I’m building a life every day,” she continued.

"Every day,” he repeated, his thumb now taking over addressing her knuckles.

“And mine is no less important than anyone else’s?”

She knew the answer, but the question brought their eyes to meet, and he held her gaze with tenderness.

“I think anyone who meets you feels lucky that they did. I know I do.”

Y/N felt whatever was left of her distress dissolve with a heavy breath. She had been heard, and she knew with certainty that her cares were safe with him.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his torso, and he enveloped her shoulders with a tight grip. His voice was low in her ear:

“You know, if it was a book you were after, I rather thought you’d have asked Terry.”

Y/N wasn’t going to bother mustering the energy to protest or to come up with a nonsense reason why she’d chosen to see Michael. She was here now, and she was perfectly content with it.

“I’m very glad you didn’t,” he confessed, and having exhausted all words, he began a slow exploration of her neck, starting with nuzzling the delicate space beneath her ear. Sensing no resistance, and hearing her approving sigh, he continued down to her shoulder, leaving soft, open-mouthed kisses as he went.

He was kind and patient and open, Y/N remembered as she felt herself giving over to the moment’s tenderness, her curiosity duelling with her fatigue.

With restrained eagerness, he moved along the underside of her jaw before,

“Stop stop,” she hushed.

She was fighting with her enjoyment, but this was not a good time to discover feelings. All she wanted now was comfort and sleep. She looked at her kindred Michael half-apologetically, and he shifted aside, making a space for her to lie down and sleep. He reached over to switch off the bedside lamp, and gently pulled the sheet up to cover their spooning bodies.

Out on the patio under the moonlight, Eric lay on a lounge chair, gazing into the sky and contemplating several things: Ricky and Penelope’s marriage, Mick and Jerry’s affair, and the concept of unfaithfulness. And the very nature of frivolity, and luxury, and everything he learned from the swinging sixties of liberation and self-indulgence. And, unexpectedly, Michael.

He wriggled in his spot, unable to relax. I need to write this, he thought. He worked most things out through writing, and now he would turn to his typewriter, get his musings out on paper, and try to make some sort of sense of his brain soup.

#cinnamon levels of spice #Mike Palin chatterbox #monty python fanfic #eric x michael x reader #eric idle fanfic #michael palin fanfic #barbados fic #jenny's writing

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rurpleplayssims · 3 years

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7, 13 and 33 for the storytelling questions please!

Storytelling Simblr Questions (see my re-blogged post here as questions weren't made up by myself!) Thank you for asking the questions! Here are my answers! :D

7. What's the biggest risk you’ve taken with your story? Did it pay off?

As yet the biggest risk I took was deciding to do a Build A City Challenge (BaCC) when I've only read a couple of them!

In all of the years I have played the Sims 2, I've never actually played a challenge before. I'd heard of them but they'd not interested me before.

Then I read Walden BaCC by @pixeldolly and I fell in love with the idea for a plot device! (I will continue to tag this story because it's so good!)

I'm still constantly going over the rules for the challenge and I'm always checking that I'm not cheating! I've played the first week of my Founder (Althea Campbell) and I'm just putting the posts together now in my queue.

In regards to PEA, I didn't want to copy other's plots/stories as I know I've read MANY versions of the Pleasantview neighbourhood.

13. From basic planning to a finished post, how long does that take you?

It depends on what post I'm doing.

If it's a Blogger page/chapter for my Pleasant(ly) Ever After..? series, then these take the longest from start to finish.

Normally I decide the sim/character who will be the focus of the chapter, then write the script/chapter text. If I'm happy with it then I film and take the screenshots in game.

Then I edit the pictures to size, cropping and sometimes adding filters if it's a memory. I'm still getting used to editing pictures and I want to get better with basic photo editing on here. (if anybody has any suggestions for easy tutorials, please tag me!)

Once I have the pictures and text finalised, I do the long but fiddly process of assembling the Blogger page. I paste the text, space it out and then add the best pictures to see if that's the best picture to tell what is not being written/said in the text. Hence why I have LOADS of photo leftovers!

For my gameplay series DesValley, VeronavilleRound1 and my CampbellQuayBaCC tagged series) these are a similar process but quicker to do. I take the pictures in game, crop and edit and then assemble smaller posts which I often write the text/speech as I go along. This is normally less edited than the PEA series.

33. Recommend another creator’s story!

I already have - NUMEROUS TIMES - and I will continue to do so! If you see any Sims 2 stories/machinima please tag me so I can review!

If you want to see what I've read and reviewed, click here is a link to my recommendations page!

Thank you @coriel-muroz for the asking! Hopefully my answers weren't too long!

#simblr storytelling questions #tag someone else #keep asking questions #the sims 2 #sims 2 story #sims 2 questions #sims 2 storytelling

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sunsetcurve · 3 years

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so...the last year has been rough. for everyone. but i’ve been lucky in a lot of ways, especially with the people in my life, and i wanted to take a second to thank some people on here. because genuinely, you guys mean so freaking much to me. i’ve had a lot of online friends in my life but none that feel so much like family. these are the people who have carried me through the last year, who’ve made me feel seen and heard and supported me in all my endeavors and just been wonderful to me all around. i love you guys, and happy new year <3

i’m about to get into it now. and i’ll try not to cry too much along the way.

@neshatriumphs nesha, when i say that you’re our fandom mom i mean that you’re my family, i mean that you’re my biggest supporter, my inspiration, my rock, the person who makes me want to be my best self, all the time. i can’t explain to you what your support has meant to me over the years. whether it’s leaving me incredibly kind notes on my fics that make me want to write more just for you, or sending me asks when you know i’m feeling down, or just making me laugh with your hilarious takes, you have always, always been there for me. you’re the toughest person i know and you make me want to keep pushing every day. you’re so incredibly talented; your ideas are just always stunning and inspired and despite being humble about it you’re amazing at everything you do. your art, your writing, your aesthetics, all of it. loeg and share-a-lair were just spectacular and such a show of how complex and original and smart your writing is. barring just your talent you’re also an inspiration in how passionate and kind and dedicated you are. you care for others everywhere you go. you come on here and constantly make me want to be a better person. it’s not just me, either—you’ve taken on the role of helping all of us in any way you can, and you just make us feel loved and supported and give us someone to always look up to. i love you. plain and simple, you’re my family, and i’m so, so grateful to have you in my life.

@juliesdahlias you know when you meet someone younger than you and you’re like how do they have this much talent in their body? and you can’t even be mad about it because you just want to root for them and you want good things for them and you think of them like a little sibling? that’s me around you all. the freaking. time. pearl, i’m constantly blown away by how smart and driven and passionate you are. you have so much talent to offer the world and i love seeing you thrive more than anything. you inspire me every freaking day; i mean, your tiara thief drabbles literally made me pull my fic out of my drafts for the first time in months. every time you post it’s something iconic and beautiful, whether its your fics or your edits or your headcanons. and not just that, but you’re so incredibly supportive of everything i put out there. like with ths, the way you latched on to it and are one of our biggest fans and made content for it literally as soon as we started!! that was amazing!! you’re just such an incredible person in every sense of the word; you’re talented and hilarious and kind and passionate and i love you so so much. i cannot wait to watch you do amazing things because i know you’re gonna be one of the greats. ily.

@ciara-knightly i can’t even put this into words. i’m sitting here trying to say it right and every time i start i just turn into “!!!!!!!!” cause i love you so much. i know i’ve said this before, but shona, you’re honestly like my older sister. this whole year of just, really getting to talk to you beyond tumblr has shown me how honestly kind, passionate, smart, and supportive you are. talking to you is one of my favorite things in the world, whether it’s rambling about tiara thief, or discussing feminism in media, or just getting life advice. you always know what to say to lead me in the right direction and reassure me that things are gonna be okay. i look up to you more than i can tell you; i’m constantly inspired by your talent and your drive. you’re endlessly supportive and you make me laugh all the time, and i hold literally every convo we have close to my chest because it means so much to me to just be able to have them with you. i’ll never be over the fact that you basically discovered jatp, or us talking and making predictions for weeks before it aired, or us plotting out the whole dystopia novel together—which, even though it didn’t really pan out, was such an amazing experience because i got to do it with you. and i absolutely scroll back through our convos on a regular basis to scream over our tiara thief headcanons. everything i’ve done with you has been incredibly fun and meaningful, so what i’m trying to say in this very long winded way is that i’m so, so glad i know you, and i can never thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.

@bitchmilsky lizzie, i literally think of you like you’re my little sibling. my weird, crazy, hilarious, incredibly kind and supportive and creative and amazing little sibling. ever since i met you you’ve been nothing but fun and friendly and wonderful to me. your posts never fail to make me laugh and i love seeing whatever you’re up to, even if it’s video games that i understand nothing about. you have so many fun ideas and you’re so freely yourself, it’s honestly inspiring. the things you make are always adorable and every time we go live together and chat i always have so much fun, and talking and i just want to meet you in person so badly because i know we’d be an amazing, unstoppable duo and that you’d make me laugh until my sides hurt. i’m still waiting on that cross-country road trip. we could roll the windows down and belt our way through the entire hd musical soundtrack, and it would be epic. for real, though, you’re one of my favorite people ever, and i hope this year brings you nothing but fun and good things because that’s what you deserve. i’m sending you a million virtual hugs and also booty shorts that say poggers on the ass. i love you <3

@zackmartn i know i’m gonna start crying right now because i love you so much and i’m trying not to because i just did my makeup but dammit, nikki, i just love you so much. i remember when i first came on here and was afraid to talk to you because i was like “ohmygod she’s so cool she’s the king of this fandom she’s amazing” but i thank god that you reached out to me every day. i honestly can’t imagine my life without you; you’ve been such a presence in it for so long that you’re inseparable from it. even the times i’ve gone on hiatus i’ve been stalking your blog from a distance like “i just wanna know what she’s up to...”. you’re honestly like an older sister to me and you’re one of the people i admire the most; you’ve been through and continue to go through so much and yet every day you come on here and decide to be a freaking light to all of us, to make me smile, to support me literally endlessly. like, the amount of times you’ve driven me to near tears from your reviews of my writing is ridiculous. the freaking umana fan club?? the way ths is one of your top tags??? it’s just...insane and such a show of how boundless your support is. and that’s not even getting into how freaking talented you are!!! i stare at your gifsets all the time!! and your fics like....holy shit you literally created this whole universe that i’m so freaking invested in and is better than literally anything that canon could ever do, and i know i’m honestly terrible at responding to messages but i hope you know you never have to start holding back with me. most of the time when i get stuff you send i have to sit there and get my thoughts together and that takes forever, but i love love love reading it anyway. the way you get excited about the things you love is everything, it’s something that i really really love about you, and i hope you continue to keep that passion and love for everything. and i hope that this year brings you nothing but good things, because you deserve that more than anyone. i love you.

@willexs eliza, babe, i know we joke all the time that we were put on opposite sides of the ocean because we’d be too powerful if we were together but i really think it’s true. imagine us meeting. the universe just wouldn’t be able to handle it; it would implode. listen, you’re literally like my twin, my other half. we have so much in common that it’s honestly ridiculous. we operate on the same brainwave, and every time we talk i’m blown away by how easy it is and i honestly love it so much because i could not have picked a more talented and creative and fun person to work with. writing ths with you has literally been like...one of my favorite writing experiences ever. i can’t believe that it started on such a whim because it’s such an important part of my life now and getting to have you next to me while we figure this whole thing out is honestly the best part. it’s not just all the characters and dynamics we’ve created, it’s the fact that i can send you incoherent ramblings at ungodly hours and you’ll pick them apart, it’s the 3-hour phone calls to make playlists, it’s you always making me feel heard and inspiring me. it’s this like...excitement of building towards something amazing with someone i love. you understand me on this crazy and fundamental level, and sometimes it blows my mind how similar we are and how well you know me without us having even met. i feel like we’re the embodiment of “nobody gets me like you”. and i know i’ve said this before, but i really do think you make me a better writer. i love how you make me laugh, i love that you always have the best takes and i love how talented you are with your incredible adorable art and your fics and your gorgeous edits and i love that we egg each other on and hype each other up. i love that, despite being on opposite sides of the ocean, we’re still best friends. and i love you <3

@cactus-con lou!!!!!! i literally just...ahh i love you so much!! i know i’ve said this before but you were the first person i talked to in this fandom, and you made me feel so freaking welcome. and that has never changed. talking to you is so easy and natural, and you make me feel loved and heard all the time. i love getting to share stuff with you because you always always always hype me up. not just that but like...your talent?? literally unmatched!!! you’re amazing at everything you do it’s ridiculous. i love love love all your artwork, i could stare at it literally all day. you have so much talent and i literally cannot wait to watch you do such great things with it. i just...you’re such a wonderful person to everyone around you. you spread all this love and support and kindness and i think you’re one of the most genuine people i know and i’m so so glad i know you. i hope this year treats you so well because you deserve nothing but good things. i love you. <3

@owenjoyners where do i even start?? brooke, you’re like my other twin. i know i’ve said this before but it’s literally insane to me that we’ve known each other for less than a year because it feels like i’ve known you my whole life. you are such an incredible freaking person. you’re funny and you’re kind and you’re talented and you make me smile every damn day. i love getting post notifs from you because i swear to god i light up every time. your gifsets are always gorgeous, and i’ve watched you learn and improve and you’ve gotten so good, it makes me so happy every time. your art??? you say you’re just starting out but i can’t even tell you how much i love it. your fics!!! you’re good at everything and it’s honestly ridiculous. and it’s not even about your consistently amazing posts, i also just...i love talking to you more than anything, even if we’re just simping over owen together. you make me laugh all the time and you always hype me up; you’ve let me ramble about my fics and helped me get my ideas together, you’ve talked stupid life stuff like school and college with me, and you’ve given me someone to go to whenever i need it. i think of you as one of my best friends and i can’t get over how fast we clicked or how easy it is to talk to you. i need you to come visit me so i can give you so many hugs and we can have a sleepover and talk for literally hours on end. in the meantime, we need to call again sometime because that was honestly so much fun. i love you with all my heart.

and some people i want to say thank you to, because even though we don’t talk as often as i’d like you’re still amazing, and you make me smile all the time, and i love seeing you on my dash or in my notes: @taylorswiftrulestheworld @onplanetmars @dr-rigatoni @swellviews-finest @symphonic-concert @molinasmercer

#nikki tag! 💛#lizzie tag! 💜#nobody gets me like you tag ❣️#nesha tag! 💟#brooke tag! 💙#lou tag! 💚#shona tag! 🌟#heather tag!#otter tag!#jamie tag!#k tag!#faith tag!#monisha tag!#pearl tag! 💖

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