#HEIST BUDDIES HEIST BUDDIES HEIST BUDDIES

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

With a friendship score of 39 and no romance, Piper is the lucky sim! And since we owe Pauline for ending the night at the karaoke bar with the highest level of singing skill, she will go on her date after Piper's.

I wanted Lilac to be in a better mood than she was for most of yesterday, so she took a relaxing lavender foam soak.

Possibly it worked a little too well.

Romantic Aura, says Spencer? Yes please! He starts the day by giving a rose to Lilac… who responds by scaring him (yup, definitely way too much time spent around her good buddy Dodo). Fortunately he seems amused by her silliness. Perhaps it’s a Harper thing?

Everyone is happy because it’s Some Day Or Another that they will never get to celebrate. (Neighbourhood Brawl, it turns out. But while Agnes Crumplebottom will likely be celebrating, we will not.)

Pauline made breakfast, while Spencer made an observation.

Looks like his preferences are closer to Leo’s than to Dodo’s.

Last night was the first that the sims slept over, and Caden reveals a surprising... what Agnes may call a 'youthful indiscretion.' It's just a tattoo, Agnes, but I likewise concur that he didn't seem the type. Does our corporate shark has a creative side? Well, he does have 'piano' as one of his likes, and recently took up knitting.

Avery - go piss girl! Literally no one is stopping you. They take the very long route to the party bush outside, when there's a toilet right through the wall from them. Never change, Sims.

With the lot traits it was only a matter of time, and Lilac did not disappoint.

Lilac and Spencer sojourning upstairs means that as per usual, it’s time for chore montage hour. Which may be less interesting than whatever's happening in Lilac's bedroom, but it's also less likely to get me banned from Tumblr.

Caden and Piper were our gardeners, but as Piper twice refuses the Watcher’s request to do some work, they’re sent to sleep on the couch. Instead Pauline (who has been the MVP of this household so far) takes their place, while Avery becomes our piano sim and Aubrey grinds through handiness.

Aubrey grows tense over last night's failed Graffiti Heist (any one of us could have told you why that wouldn't have worked) so she is the latest pixel to take up yoga.

As we see, some sims are definitely taking more advantage of the lot traits than others, but with a date scheduled, will Piper be able to push through their UNFLIRTY nature?

Since a little bikini time never hurt the mood, the date takes place on a Strangerville community lot. (I wrote down who it was by but can I find it in my notes? No, I can't.)

A moment to appreciate Piper’s merfolk form.

As with the first household dates, Lilac performs one friendly and one flirty interaction, then the pair are left to their own devices. It’s not a bad time by any means, but both she and I get the sense that friendship is enough for the other sim (for now, at least).

Piper then goes downstairs to swim and with our time almost up, I don’t see the need to continue the date to its full three hours.

Pauline arrives and the mood is instantly more charged. They make their way to the hot tub and Lilac makes some moves.

And yes, woo hoo was had.

The pair are home for all of a hot minute when NOSY Sim Spencer spies on Pauline, and attempts to dish for dirt.

Things continue to improve between Caden and Lilac. Today his attempt to embrace her is successful, and they even sit together for dinner.

More singing about yet another holiday that the Watcher really should have removed from this household's calendar had she a single organized bone in her body, then it's time for bed.

@plasmafruittree @x-digitaldollhouse-x @mdshh

@invisiblequeen @sleepyselkiesims @akitasimblr

[crossdressingdeath]

[Notes from Himberloo, a street beggar employed by the Guild as a spy, on activity at the Devil's Fee antiquities shop. The report concludes with the following.] Though the majority of my report concerns the visits of well-known patriars to Helsik's establishment, aristocrats who might be blackmailed to keep such visits secret, there was another visitation that I feel should not be overlooked. The arms dealer Gortash, along with a known Bhaalist leader, met yesterday with Helsik for a considerable period. Upon leaving the shop, I overheard Gortash to remark, "What did I tell you? If Helsik can get us into the House of Hope, she can get us into Mephistar, too."

The first thing I notice about this is that apparently Durge was a known Bhaalist leader. The Guild at least knew who they were. Imagine you're chilling in your tavern and a well-known (at least in the city's underbelly) associate of Enver Gortash and leader of the murder cult in the sewers just walks in casually. Possibly with a Harper in tow. How do you even respond to that. Where do you start. I choose to believe Nine-Fingers recognizes Durge and is just like "You know what? I don't want to deal with this right now, if they're going to pretend they're no one important I will go along with it."

Also, this suggests that Gortash and Durge went to the House of Hope at some point before the Crown heist. Is this a third heist that they did? Did they rob Raphael? Was their test run for Helsik's abilities stealing from Raphael? I love the idea of Gortash getting some revenge on Raphael by testing out his and Durge's ability to steal from devils on the House of Hope. And I kind of love the implication in "What did I tell you?" that Durge didn't think Helsik would actually be able to get them to the Hells, I bet they and Gortash bickered about that constantly until they actually went to Helsik and she proved she could do it. Maybe that's why Durge growled at her the first time they were there, they were just mad about being proved wrong. Although the two of them maybe shouldn't be openly discussing their plans in the middle of the street. This Guild spy is just sitting here like "These cultists are up to something" and they have no idea how right they are.

[redgana]

haha what noo diomedes, odysseus wasn't trying to kill you. that was just a huge misunderstanding. trust me

[wildlife4life]

WIP Wednesday

Tagged by @spotsandsocks (who just posted the final chapter of her amazing werewolf fic!) @hippolotamus @tizniz (who has posted several new fics!) @devirnis @exhuastedpigeon @cal-daisies-and-briars @disasterbuckdiaz @wikiangela @theotherbuckley @aroeddiediaz and @diazsdimples (who has also posted a new fic!) Thank you all so much! Super excited for all the new works and the ones in progress!

Let's say it all together now... NFL BUCK! Shorter snippet today, but I'm trying to share less because I feel like I've shared almost the whole fic already (lol I haven't). Previous NFL Buck postings here. Enjoy!

"Okay I am so confused. Can you explain it all again?" Buck asks once Eddie finishes the whole bank robbery/framing debacle. Eddie chuckles and gently tugs at the blond curls beneath his hand, earning a pout from the younger man, "Baby I am not going through all of that again. If you really want to get a better understanding, just talk to Athena. I'm sure she would love to regale you with her side and the investigation." Buck tightens his arms around Eddie's waist, snuggles deeper into his chest, then peers up under his eye lashes, baby blues wide and pleading, "But she doesn't have your beautiful voice seeped with southern annoyance." He gives in immediately (has been since their first meeting) and brushes off the southern annoyance remark (no matter how true), "Fine, but just a basic run down okay? Any other questions get directed to Athena." His boyfriend hums in agreement, eyes sparkling with giddy, and his pout replaced with small, but pleased smile. Eddie quietly laughs, god he loves this man, and cranes his head down. Evan meets him halfway, lifting his own head from Eddie's chest and pressing their lips together in a soft kiss. Eventually, Buck pulls aways first and settles himself once again on Eddie's chest, his head resting on the three dashes and three words inscribed on fireman's pec. Eddie could feel the press of the quarterback's ear over his heart and his smiles broadens, knowing how Evan likes to hear not only Eddie's words, but the vibrations of his voice alongside the beat of his heart. Pressing one last kiss to the top of Buck's head, Eddie settles back against their plush head board, returns his fingers to Buck's curls, and begins the tale of the failed heist for a second time, "So we get this medical call out to a bank..."

Some domestic fluff at the end of the Ocean's 911 arc of this fic. Hope you all enjoyed!

Tagging (no pressure): @lemonzestywrites @malewifediaz @watchyourbuck @lover-of-mine @hoodie-buck @elvensorceress @rogerzsteven @gayedmundodiaz @daffi-990 @giddyupbuck @jesuisici33 @glorious-spoon @bekkachaos @buddierights @try-set-me-on-fire @jeeyuns @rainbow-nerdss @thewolvesof1998 @eddiescowboy @eddiebabygirldiaz @spaceprincessem @athenagranted @evanbegins @911onabc @911-on-abc @ladydorian05 @bigfootsmom @thekristen999 @spagheddiediaz @honestlydarkprincess @doublecheekeddiaz @buck-coded @prosperdemeter2 @transboybuckley @nmcggg @monsterrae1

[animatedjen]

So photomode lets you toggle NPC categories (friends and enemies). Maybe this is old news but - the person getting harassed by Imps in the opening scene is labeled “friend” but so is one of the troopers??

[illgetmerope]

Oh no I'm writing again

This time it's a heist crew fic!

Which will, I promise, be shorter than the last piece!!

[carefulfears]

i like it when we all stop to acknowledge that mulder and scully are both, above all else, deeply embarrassing people

[chronurgy]

I think part of the reason people struggle with act 3 (other than the actual computer load) is because act 3 is very much Durge's act, so if you're not playing as Durge you miss a lot of the impetus to act. Seeking out Orin isn't just tracking down the macguffin, it's finding your old home and position, your sister and usurper all in one. Rivington isn't just an entryway to Baldur’s Gate and a review of the refugee crisis, it's the site of a major revelation about what you are, and Orin's taunts are gloats about what she did to you. The meeting with Gortash isn't just for plot, it's a dark mirror homecoming where you can't remember the home you're coming back to and where you learn exactly what sort of person you used to be and just how much of this situation is your fault. Act 3 is packed with thematic and emotional resonances for Durge, and full of people and locations that will help elucidate Durge's past. That's part of why Orin falls so flat on a Tav (or other origin) run - so much of her story is tied up with Durge's.

I'm not saying that act 3 isn't massive (it is) or that it doesn't drag at all when you're playing Durge (it does), but I think it drags significantly less and feels significantly less disconnected than it does for Tav. I think when the decision to split Tav and Durge was made Larian probably should have reviewed what the third act of the game would feel like from a non-involved character's point of view and made more changes to help better tie them to the main plot. Orin, for example, absolutely could have used way more development generally but especially on a Tav run the game really needed to give the character more connection to her. Her abducting a companion was likely an attempt at that, but there was nothing you could do about it and no time limit on rescuing them so it fell pretty flat.

[quilttrek]

New Hobby Lobby heist challenge just dropped, and my house could use a pair:

Who wants to be my heist buddy?

[angry-moon-delusion]

Ay, Make an assumption bout me based off Some of my comfort characters (or something)

( I wanna thank @rhodeybugg for giving me the ida with their own comfort character post) :)

[crossdressingdeath]

Going back to the thought of Durge in their pod in the mind flayer colony breaking enough to beg Gortash to find and save them: AU where by sheer luck Gortash happens to be in the colony at the time, hears them, and comes running. Somehow this ends in the two of them travelling with the party, which is extremely awkward even before the "Oh yes this entire situation is our fault" thing what with Karlach being there.

[xiphosuras]

More D&D drawings! These are from a very fun one-shot a friend of mine ran.

I played Mischa the hagfish rogue, Roshambo the beast barbarian is @anq-art's, Greg the sailor is Jan's and the punk rock bard who's name I'm blanking on is @mooralltach's.

[impertinentfiend]

Writing prompt:

You’ve been stuck in someone else’s time loop and you can’t stand it anymore. You have to get out. You confront them, but they don’t want to leave.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for a way out, but it’s impossible. It all leads back to you.”

[berlin-daily]

[illgetmerope]

Heist fic to help me think about... anything else.

[thisisnotthenerd]

since i saw a comment about level 20 stoats:

we're up to 10 dnd sidequests at the moment, which is exactly enough for a full poll.

the magical misfits (jammer, dream/k, sam, & evan), creepy co-eds (terry, megan, tuti iv, & seven), and prefrontal p.i.s (conrad, anastasia, hunch, imelda, dan, & the fix) are not in this poll because they do not have leveling systems, let alone one that reaches level 20, so if you want to vote for them, please vote other and give your reasoning.

feel free to leave your choice and reasoning in the tags and/or comments! i'd love to see your thoughts.