#...even if I think the waistcoat in that one outfit could stand to be delineated from the pants a BIT more

[victorluvsalice]

VITD Sims Lookbook: Smiler

Hello all! As promised at the end of my last Chill Valicer Save update, this week I'm showing off some "Valicer In The Dark"-inspired looks for my OT3 that I made at the end of last year (on Christmas, in fact -- I was in the mood to play with CAS that day). Let's dive right into it with our favorite Slide/Leech (Sleech, if you will) Smiler, shall we?

Starting with another variant on what I consider to be their "standard" VITD outfit (as seen in previous posts like this one), this one without the hat and with belted pants instead of just button-up ones. I think I prefer Smiler having the belt to not having the belt, but *shrug* Well see what happens going forward. That yellow waistcoat and the yellow shoes are always a must, though -- thank you High School Years!

For bedtime, we have some very Smiler pajamas -- and while bunny slippers probably DON'T fit the "vaguely Victorian" aesthetic of Blades In The Dark, I had to give them to them anyway, because come on. XD Though maybe I should give them a different color of bunny -- do they come in black? I'll have to check at some point in the future.

For those parties that require at least a semi-formal look, we have this outfit! Looking at it now, I'm thinking that it may be a little too dark -- the shoes and pants together in particular look a bit too plain -- but I like that purple waistcoat on them. Nice alternative look to the yellow one!

And if you need to go full "visiting Brightstone" formal, here's Smiler in a full Victorian day suit! Specifically, they're showing off one of the outfits from the Men's Day Suit Collection by @simmerofthedawn! (Plus one of the recolored top hats they did with their first collection of men's suits.) I really appreciate that SimmerOfTheDawn made sure to include a healthy number of swatches with all these outfits -- including a few good yellow options, as you can see here. Yeah, the shade's a little darker than I'd normally like for Smiler, and I kinda wish the jacket was black instead of dark gray, but hey -- it still really works for a Smiler-about-town!

By contrast, here's Smiler's extremely casual athletic outfit, for those times when they're planning on doing something that they know is going to make them pretty sweaty. It's just something to throw on, then throw in the washtub afterward! Again, wish I could have found a proper yellow swatch for the shirt, but you can't have everything. And if this is meant as a "don't care about my appearance" outfit, it doesn't really matter anyway. :p

And finally, a Smiler for those chilly days in Duskwall (which -- is most of them, because NO SUN), wrapped up in a nice thick sweater. :) Really like the bit of yellow striping -- Smiler doesn't get enough stripes to play with in their outfits! Mostly because they're almost always the wrong colors. *sigh* We need more good yellows and good yellow stripes in this game! My roller coaster Sim demands it!

[actuallymuffet]

“I do.”

It was going to be the perfect day. A day that Muffet used to only know in her dreams, her wildest fantasies that would never come true. One part of her wishes she could go back and excitedly tell her past self what wonderful memories and events her future held, but the other part of her would hate to have spoiled the surprise.

Their wedding was going to be small, somewhat informal, attended by only a small group of their closest friends. It’s what Muffet felt most comfortable with—it was their special day, after all, and why would she want to share it with a huge crowd of people she barely knew? No, it was going to be much better this way she thought, they both thought. A small wedding held in their own mansion officiated by a friend. Not the most traditional, but not any less important for it.

And yet there were still so many details for Muffet to fuss over! She wanted everything to go smoothly, she still wanted to include as many traditional wedding things as they could, she wanted their guests to enjoy themselves, and most of all she wanted Nami to be happy with how it all went. Of course Muffet knew that Nami would be happy no matter what, but she didn’t see that as a reason to be careless.

The ceremony was set up to take place in the Great Room, with the reception in the ballroom just next door. An altar had been set up and adorned with spider silk curtains and flowers, lilies mainly as they were Nami’s favourite. Just enough chairs were set up for their guest list, which left perhaps an awkward amount of empty space in the room, but that empty space was then taken up by many spiderwebs filled with many, many spiders and one very bear-sized cupcake spider.

In attendance was Gaster, one of Muffet’s oldest and therefore best friends still remaining in the city and his significant other, Loghain. She’d also invited Rui because as far as Muffet was concerned, he was a part of her spider family, along with Kay! Kay was invited by both Muffet and Nami, though. They adored her way too much to not have her around for this.

Nami invited two of her best friends, Gin and Clint. Nami’s known them longer than Muffet’s known her, so their invitation didn’t surprise Muffet in the least and she was happy to have them in attendance. Tuyin’Asai was here as well, one of Nami’s ‘seabudz’ as Nami put it. Only for ninety minutes, though… shapeshifting limitations, or something like that.

They invited their mutual friend Crow as well, and of course Crow’s girlfriend Memo was here. Actually, Memo was their officiant! Memo was, in her own words, ‘somewhat close to a religious official, I guess, maybe?’ and so not a bad choice for an officiant, all things considered. Her offering to fill that role in the ceremony meant a lot to Muffet and was something that she would be sure to repay later whether the Jirachi wanted her to or not.

The sun had long since set by the time guests arrived…most of them. Memo and Crow arrived earlier than that, both to help set up and to be the ones to greet the rest. The latter fell more on Crow’s shoulders, something that Muffet and Nami had been assured by Memo that she’d practiced for. Kay had arrived early as well, though not by too much because Muffet didn’t want her traveling more than necessary during the day.

Muffet could hear the other guests arriving from the other room, left mostly alone for the time being with her anxieties. She wasn’t supposed to see Nami and likewise Nami was not supposed to see her, not until they were meant to walk down the aisle together. Though the tarantula she was with now (one of her oldest and most treasured spiders, a longtime family member) assured her that things were going fine, and the lovely Kay that was with her too told Muffet that she looked very pretty, Muffet still couldn’t help but fret, at least a little bit, and would probably continue to fret until she reached the altar.

There were some traditional wedding things that they couldn’t properly recreate in this city. There would be no parents walking them down the aisle. There were so few guests in attendance, there was little delineation between ordinary guests and bridesmaids/groomsmen. They didn’t have anyone to be a proper ringbearer, either. But they had a flower girl, and she was adorable.

—

Love is something that Kay will be the first to admit that she doesn’t completely understand. A lot of people have told her she’ll understand once she’s older, and she knows she loves Muffet and Nami, but it’s never been something she can wrap her head around. But more than anything, she knows weddings are important.

She fiddles with her hair clip—a mix of the lilies and spider lilies in her basket, trying it on both the right and the left. Which one would look better, she wonders? She’d seen part of the Great Room during the rehearsal, but what if everyone’s sitting in different places now? The best time to make this decision probably isn’t two seconds before heading down the aisle, but she wants everything to be perfect for Muffet and Nami’s big day! 

Kay’s taking her job as flower girl very seriously; after all, this is their wedding; the last thing she’d want to do is mess it up. She hasn’t stolen anything all day, either! (Though Muffet mentioned the silverware at the reception might be fair game, and Kay can’t help herself if that’s the case.)

Her ears perk up as she hears the music start, and she hastily decides to pin the clip on the left, grabbing for her basket. That’s her cue! She turns before the doors open, giving Muffet a thumbs-up as she moves into her spot.

The doors open in front of her, and Kay takes a deep breath, giving the brides one final smile as she walks down the aisle in front of them. It’s not a huge crowd—composed of Muffet and Nami’s closest friends, but she’s determined to do her best for all of them. She smiles at the few faces she recognizes, waving to Rui and Muffen in between tossing flower petals.

Each step is very deliberate, scattering the petals to form a pretty path for the brides to walk down. Toe, heel, toe heel… just the way Muffet showed her during practice. Occasionally she’ll pause to shoo a spider or two out from the aisle so they don’t get stepped on, but she keeps her eye on her goal—where Memo’s standing at the front. When she arrives, she thinks fast, dumping her remaining petals on the ground in the prettiest array she can manage. 

She exchanges a sheepish grin with Memo, giggling as she takes her place at the side of the hall. Muffet wouldn’t have asked her to do this job if she wasn’t allowed to have a little fun with it, right? However, once the music starts, and the doors to the Great Room creak open, Kay straightens up, gaze following everyone else’s as the brides start their walk down the aisle. They’re both so beautiful, Kay thinks, and they look so happy! 

Love isn’t always something Kay understands, but maybe sometimes it’s a helping hand (or six?), when you need a friend. Maybe it’s in the way someone helps you attach spider silk to your dress, or fusses over the lilies in your hair.

And maybe, it’s in the way Miss Muffet and Miss Nami look at each other as they stand side-by-side in their prettiest outfits. She may not completely understand it, but… when she looks at those two?

Kay thinks love might be pretty great after all.

(Big thanks to @spiderstaff for writing this section of the drabble! 💜)

—

Once the door closed behind Kay, Muffet became much more aware of how soon she would be doing the same. But before that was one more important thing, a moment shared only between her and the love of her life. Since they would be walking down the aisle together, the first time Muffet and Nami would see each other would be behind this door, out of view of the other guests, just before making their entrance.

Her SOUL had been practically beating out of her chest before she saw Nami, but when Muffet finally saw her she’d swear that it stopped.

Nami was gorgeous. Muffet had always known that, but it was more apparent now, dressed in an outfit as regal as she was. She was wearing a white waistcoat that followed the form of her lapel fins down her torso, with white detached sleeves hanging translucent pink veils. The headpiece she was wearing looked better than any crown Muffet could imagine on her, with the pink leafy stylings on the side accenting the rest of her outfit perfectly.

Muffet almost couldn’t keep herself from crying at the sight so beautiful and breathtaking, and how she did manage to keep her composure will be a mystery forever. Though they each had their own door to enter from, neither of them needed to speak to tell the other to meet in the middle first. Muffet opened with a quick kiss on Nami’s cheek, nothing too long or pressed. She wouldn’t want to leave a lipstick mark, evidence of how much she’d just bucked the tradition of saving the kiss for the altar. Rules be damned, no force in the world could’ve kept that kiss from her. Her SOUL glowed bright through her dress, evidence that her happiness was through the roof right now.

“You look more beautiful than I ever could have imagined, ma chérie,” Muffet said, lightly cupping one of Nami’s cheeks with two of her hands. “How did I ever get so lucky…?”

“Oh, hush,” Nami replied, in a voice Muffet could recognize as ‘trying not to happy-cry’ only because she was sure her voice sounded the same. “I’m the lucky one, here.”

The musical cue was their signal to go to their respective doors, and even though they both knew they would be hand in hand in just a few moments, it was still difficult for Muffet to pull herself away from her. Nami took her place in front of the door on the left and Muffet the right, with her head still turned to smile wide and bright at Nami right up until the moment they pushed open the doors.

Because there were two doors into the Great Room and neither in the center, the aisle was split, and so Muffet and Nami had to walk alone for a few slow paces before meeting in the center of the room where the aisle became one again. Every pair of eyes was on them, but Muffet, for once, didn’t mind that. As soon as she’d stepped into the room all of her worries, her anxieties, her fretting disappeared. There was no going back now, not that she’d ever want to, and that feeling of ‘this is it’ is what she’d needed to finally calm down.

Muffet linked each of her left hands with Nami’s right as soon as they got close enough, gently pulling the two of them close enough to press their shoulders together. Muffet could only hope that it wasn’t obvious to everyone else how misty-eyed she was beginning to feel as they approached the aisle. The light of her SOUL somehow managed to increase even though it was already rather bright; normally Muffet might feel self-conscious about that, but not right now.

This walk meant so much to Muffet, far more than she could ever put into words. She’s lived for many, many years now, but never did she think she’d have her day like this. Nor could she have imagined how perfect her spouse would be for her. She’s been with Nami for years now, and they’d been the best years of her life. From their first date to their first anniversary to the proposal, every mundane day or city-wide event in between, they’d been with each other. They’ve found each other in both worlds they’ve been taken to now, their love has lasted despite both of them spending time away from the city before. Nothing, not even the Stars above, could separate them.

If Muffet couldn’t call this fate, there was nothing else deserving of the word.

The two of them reached the altar and again Muffet was reluctant to want to make more space between them, but they had to leave at least some room between the two of them even as they held hand at the center of the altar, facing each other now with Memo at their one side and their friends at the other.

“Friends, family, and spiders,” Memo opened, “We’ve gathered here tonight to share in the moment the union of these dearly beloved, and be witness to an everlasting bond made ceremoniously official. Everyone here tonight has been invited because you hold a special role in Muffet and Nami’s lives, you are present to celebrate their marriage and witness their vows of love to one another. Will all of you gathered here do all in your power to love and support this couple now and in the times ahead? If so please respond, ‘we will.’”

Again Muffet found herself trying very hard to keep tears from flowing as she heard her friends, the people she considered family in their own right, repeat their affirmations after Memo.

“And Nami and Muffet, have you come here today with the intention to be joined in marriage? Do you pledge to choose respect, kindness, and compassion towards one another, to listen deeply to one another, and to speak truthfully to one another, today and always?” 

Memo, for how much she was worried about messing up, was reciting her words pretty well. She practiced. A lot.

“We do.” said in unison with wavering voices.

“Muffet and Nami, your true love is something that you both cherish, and today you dedicate the rest of your lives to giving one another happiness and support. Your marriage is based on your heartfelt and sincere acceptance of one another, as you are, in each moment. Today, in the presence of those you consider your friends and family, you pronounce your love for each other and make a pledge, a lifelong commitment to one another, and the words spoken here will support your marriage and your declarations of love.”

Nami’s vows came first, which had the side effect of being great for Muffet as it allowed her time to make sure her voice wouldn’t break as soon as she tried to speak aloud.

“In my old world I only really had one friend on the surface, we were two people at odds with… Well, at odds with a lot up there. We were the only two who really had each other’s backs and times were often hard, but when they were hardest I could always look at her and say ‘I believe in you’. It felt like I was talking to a dear friend, someone I loved who no matter what happened I knew would have my back as I had hers. Muffet, more than anyone else I’ve ever met I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I believe in you.

You are everything to me. The person who makes my heart beat the fastest, who makes me laugh the hardest and smile the widest. We met in one world and followed each other to another. They say fate moves in strange ways but I think it's acted quite clearly here.

You are my best friend. You are the love of my life. You are my partner across worlds and I’d cross countless more to stay with you. You are my muse and inspiration. You are the part of me I didn’t know I didn’t have. I love you, Muffet.”

Muffet was now more sure that she would be able to speak coherently, but she was no longer sure she could hold tears back. In fact, she was one hundred percent certain that tears were now streaming down her cheeks. She felt she could hardly be blamed for crying here, though. Her smile was still a mile wide, her fangs on full display as she felt the love behind every word Nami spoke.

“Nami, it was fate’s decision to bring you to me, but my decision to love you as I do. I’d spent centuries underground and could only ever dream of having a wedding of my own, but never did I believe I would be lucky enough, in that world or any other, to find someone I would want to plan the rest of my life with. Nami, lucky is too weak a word to properly describe how I feel with you.

I feel completed, like I’ve found a piece of my SOUL that I did not even know it was missing. You’ve helped me grow and learn to love, both you and myself, more than I thought would be possible for a monster like me. You’ve shown me time and time again that your love for me is without condition, and I can only hope that I’ve done a good enough job in returning that sentiment.

I vow to you that I will commit my life to you, whether we live it in this city or the next. I vow to you that my SOUL will never feel dimmed again, that I will always be able to smile and enjoy living so long as I may do it with you. You are the one for me, Nami, and I love you.”

Muffet could see that Memo was having a hard time not getting teary eyed too, but only because Memo was so close. She wondered briefly what the other guests were thinking, but she didn’t necessarily care. All she knew for certain right now was Nami’s love for her, and that’s all she needed. But Memo continued, because they had only just gotten started, really.

“Nami, do you take Muffet to be your cosmically fated wife?”

“I do.”

“Muffet, do you take Nami to be your cosmically fated wife?”

“I do.”

“Then may I have the rings, please?” the Jirachi said. Gin from Nami’s side handed Memo the ring he held, and Gaster from Muffet’s handed his held ring over as well. “These rings are not what hold your love for each other, but may they serve as reminders of your bond and your commitment to each other, to both you and others, to show the love between you two in a form other than words. Nami,” she said, handing Nami one of the wedding rings, “placing the ring on Muffet’s finger, repeat after me: With this ring, I give you my promise, to honour you, to be faithful to you, and to share my love and life with you, in all ways and all worlds, forever.”

Nami took the ring from Memo and took Muffet’s upper left hand with one of her own. Her touch was gentle, Muffet felt, caring, loving, and said so much in such a simple physical gesture.

“With this ring, I give you my promise, to honour you, to be faithful to you, and to share my love and life with you, in all ways and all worlds, forever.” The rest of the world might as well not have existed in that moment to Muffet as Nami repeated those words and slipped the ring onto her finger, which was made to mesh perfectly against the shape of her engagement ring that she wore. Every moment tonight was a memory she would cherish forever, but this specific instance would be held especially dear to her.

“And Muffet,” Memo continued, after giving just enough time to treasure that moment, “placing the ring on Nami’s finger, repeat after me: With this ring, I give you my promise, to honour you, to be faithful to you, and to share my love and life with you, in all ways and all worlds, forever.”

Muffet took a subtle and deep breath as she took the ring from Memo, trusting in herself that her hands would not shake too much as she took Nami’s hand in her own. “With this ring, I give you my promise, to honour you, to be faithful to you, and to share my love and life with you, in all ways and all worlds, forever.”

She brushed her thumb across the back of Nami’s fingers for a moment before sliding the ring onto her love’s finger, similarly formed to fit against the engagement ring Nami wore on the same finger. Her SOUL felt ready to escape from her chest as she looked back up to meet Nami’s eyes, all five of her own completely focused on her. Memo’s voice was there again, but it almost barely registered in Muffet’s mind.

“And now, after the exchanging of vows and the giving and receiving of the rings, by the power invested in me,” Memo said, lighting up her wish tags and streamers for added effect, “I now pronounce you wife and wife. You may now seal your bond, with a kiss.”

It couldn’t be said that either of the two of them moved first. Rather, they moved at one, closing the gap between them as they’ve patiently been waiting so long now to do. Not just waiting throughout this ceremony, but for the past many months, ever since the proposal when they both knew this time would come.

Their lips met as more happy tears fell. Muffet wrapped one pair of arms around Nami’s neck and the other two around Nami’s waist, while Nami’s arms went to Muffet’s shoulders. Muffet could feel Nami squeezed her and squeezed her in return, wishing that they could somehow be physically closer still than they already were. Muffet leaned a little more into the kiss, pushing Nami backwards so that with her grip around the Marai’s waist she could dip her and hold her at a slight downward angle.

The kiss lasted as long as it needed to, but still felt simultaneously not long enough and longer than a lifetime. The kisses that came immediately after, with Muffet seizing the opportunity to pepper Nami’s face in kisses as long as she was still dipping her, were each much shorter but no less full of love.

—

The reception may have only been for a small number of people, but considering this is Muffet we’re talking about, of course she filled the room with what was probably way too much food and drink. There were loads of freshly baked pastries and desserts, and more on demand if anyone wanted to ask her for some, and plenty of drink choices both alcoholic and not.

Muffet had a few glasses of cider herself and far too many cupcakes, but really she spent a lot of the reception talking to her different friends, and thanking them for coming. She spent some time with Rui, since she was worried he might feel awkward or out of place, but him and Muffen were getting along fantastically. She also spoke to Kay, if you count ‘picking her up in a tight spinning hug and telling her she did so good’ as speaking.

Muffet also had her dance with Nami, something you could really say she’s spent years practicing for since it was never her strong suit before meeting the Marai. But she was proud of how well she danced with Nami and how intimate a dance that was so simple and usual before felt simply because it was repeated on this night.

Muffet also made a quick trip back into the Great Room to grab a bouquet she’d attached to the altar. It wasn’t held during the ceremony nor thrown immediately afterwards, since they’d opted not to fuss about that particular tradition, but that didn’t mean Muffet didn’t have a plan for it.

With the bouquet in hand (and another cupcake in another, as she passed by the snack table again) she cornered Gaster, a smile so innocent set on her face.

“Deary, it really does mean so much to me that you and Loghain joined us tonight. I would’ve been distraught without you here, not in the least because it would mean I’d be unable to give you this.”

She held the bouquet of flowers out to Gaster, that innocent smile replaced now with a more fangy smirk.

“I told myself, why throw it when I can just give it to you directly, hm? Don’t keep me waiting too long, Gaster dear~” She finished with a triple wink before leaving him with the bouquet, off to find her wife.