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lucky-clover-gazette · 6 months ago

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prince's gambit highlights & annotations

chapter 10

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

‘It’s an independent governance. Which is absurd. On a map, it’s a speck. But I am Prince of Acquitart, as well as Prince of Vere, and the laws of Acquitart don’t require me to be twenty one to inherit. It’s mine. There’s nothing my uncle can do to take it,’ said Laurent. And then he said, ‘I suppose he could invade.’ And then: ‘His men could wrestle Arnoul in the stairwell.’

he’s talking to damen like a friend it’s so CUTE

And kissed him, a long, slow kiss with his hand cupping Aimeric’s head. Aimeric went attractively pliant, giving himself to the kiss, his arms winding around Jord’s neck; his antagonistic nature was apparently not one he exercised between the sheets. Jord, it seemed, brought out the best in him. They were occupied, like the servants, like the soldiers in the barracks. Everyone in Acquitart was occupied. Damen slipped past, and made his way to the stables.

everyone is getting laid but damen >:( anyway time to go hang out with laurent for another secret mission

Laurent had walked a few steps from the archway, crushing flowers underfoot. Now he leaned his back against one of the broken-down stones.

LAURENT LEAN #10 YAYYYY

‘I used to come here when I was younger,’ Laurent said, ‘with my brother.’ Damen went still, turning cold, but in the next moment the sound of hoofbeats had him turning, his sword singing from its sheath.

oh this is great from both perspectives.

damen pov- laurent: i used to come here with my brother damen, mentally: oh fuck i killed your brother and you don’t know and now you’re sharing this intimate detail with me and WAIT STAND BACK I’LL PROTECT YOU eventhoughikilledyourbrotherwhoyouloved

laurent pov- laurent: i used to come here with my brother laurent, mentally: this’ll make damianos uncomfortable. but also it feels kinda nice to share with damen. dude what the fuck am i even doing.

It was women.

HOORAY WOMEN

A few men, too.

Damen’s sword was taken from him, and the knife at his belt was taken too. He didn’t like it. At all.

damen ptsd hypervigilance moment (although it’s a very reasonable reaction regardless. i think the real ptsd thing here is the fact that damen doesn’t trust laurent to keep them both safe in this situation, which like, given his experiences, makes sense)

Blindfold. He barely had time to absorb the idea before Laurent acquiesced to the nearest woman.

do you think laurent is comfortable with this because he hasn’t been abused by women, and because the vaskian women don’t seem to view him as a sexual object? it’s just interesting, how every time laurent is around women he seems to noticeably relax (except vannes, although that was in the environment of the court). i can’t imagine laurent allowing this treatment from men.

Damen was a little stunned by the image. The blindfold covered Laurent’s eyes and emphasised his other features, the clean line of his jaw, the fall of his pale hair. It was impossible not to look at his mouth.

damen i don’t think this is a universal impossibility i think you just have a kink

The blindfold felt more like a requirement of submission than a precaution, because it seemed very possible to trace their steps, both for a man like himself with soldier training, and probably also for Laurent’s mathematical mind.

“there is no honor in submission” theme, but this isn’t exactly submission. they agreed to it (or laurent did for them both) knowing that it’s a demonstration of trust, rather than any kind of forced powerlessness

He thought they had shown enough trust by coming here alone, under blindfold, without weapons.

craft note (kinda): i think a lot of this situation is being used to put damen in the position akielion slaves might find themselves in. the muddy nature of submission and pacts of helplessness, being forced to lower oneself and follow commands, being used as a sexual object in a dehumanizing but not necessarily unpleasant way. there is some part of damen that takes issue—he can tell he’s being dishonored and he doesn’t like it. this is, literally, dishonorable submission. so if damen applies that new sense of empathy and understanding to akielion slaves later on... we start to see how he reaches the conclusions he does.

Halvik sat on it, watching their approach with black eyes that reminded Damen of Arnoul.

so was arnoul the child of a vaskian warrior? i guess it would make sense right? just curious why this detail was included

Laurent calmly ascended the dais and arranged himself in a languid half-sprawl beside Halvik.

laurent lean #11! love the image of this badass warrior woman sitting with like. boss ass bitch business posture. and next to her we have laurent reclining coquettishly with an invisible non-alcoholic mimosa

The liquid was milky white and harsh with the rasp of alcohol; one shallow sip, and he felt hot fire run down his throat into his veins.

me when my dad told me to try rumchata mixed with fireball christmas 2019

On the dais, he saw Laurent wave away a similar cup when it was offered to him, despite the advice he had just given Damen.

me when i tried one sip of rumchata mixed with fireball christmas 2019

Of course. Of course Laurent wasn’t drinking. Laurent surrounded himself with the opulent excesses of a courtesan, and lived in them like an ascetic. It was beyond Damen why anyone thought they were fucking. No one who knew Laurent would ever think that. Damen drained the cup.

girl what does this even MEAN. it’s so abruptly petty. i’ll take it line by line i guess??

“of course. of course laurent wasn’t drinking.” = repetition implies damen is annoyed and exasperated by laurent’s hypocrisy and immunity to social customs

“laurent surrounded himself with the opulent excesses of a courtesan [prostitute], and lived in them like an ascetic [chaste religious person].” = a previous observation damen has made. laurent can be as sexy and raunchy as he wants, but he’s also untouchable and he knows it. this probably bothers damen, whether he wants to admit it or not, because he wants laurent soooo bad.

“it was beyond Damen why anyone thought they were fucking. no one who knew Laurent would ever think that.” = “he would never want a barbarian like me. he would never want anyone at all. it’s all just an act.” (also, damen confidently asserting that he knows laurent is cute)

“damen drained the cup.” = “well if i can’t fuck him and i can’t participate in diplomacy i might as well get wasted about it”

He decided, after the third cup, that he liked the drink. It was strong and rousing, and he found himself with a new appreciation of Kashel, who was refilling his cup. She was of a similar age to Laurent, and she was attractive, her body ripened and adult.

i love how damen rarely describes someone as attractive without mentioning laurent. it’s not “she was an appropriate age for damen to court” or “she was youthful but mature in a way damen found attractive,” it’s “she’s similar in age to laurent,” which is just shorthand for “damen finds her hot” because anyone who has anything in common with laurent is therefore attractive to damen in that way. the fact that damen was doing this shit even in book 1 when laurent was actively torturing him is insane. king.

Laurent and Halvik were engaged in talk. Their back-and-forth had the rhythm of a bargain being hammered out. Halvik’s flinty stare was returned by Laurent’s impassive blue gaze. It was like watching one stone negotiate with another. He turned his attention away from the dais, and let himself enjoy, instead, the open exchange with Kashel, which was achieved without language, in a series of long, lingering looks. When she took the cup from his hands, their fingers slid together.

craft: love the juxtaposition of the two paragraphs here. two very different kinds of negotiation going on

It was Halvik who answered, in thickly accented Veretian, ‘He is smaller, and has the tongue of a cocotte. His seed will not breed strong women.’

so i googled “cocotte” and yes it’s a word for prostitute, but also for a cast-iron cooking pot. cast-iron. lmao

Laurent looked entirely undisturbed by her description. ‘In fact, my bloodline does not throw girls at all.’

laurent transcends sex for procreation to me. if he’s fucking at all, he’s doing it for the bit, for trauma recovery, or because damen did something absurdly attractive and it got him feeling amorous. it doesn’t even occur to me that this man could be involved in the process of creating a human child.

‘Is this—are you ordering me to do this?’ ‘Do you need orders?’ said Laurent. ‘I can direct you, if you lack proficiency.’

i like how he never explicitly orders it, because he doesn't have to. laurent is both doing a nice thing for damen (getting him laid) and sweetening the deal with the vaskians

also yeah laurent definitely has a thing for being instructive and condescending to damen specifically. he’s made a "i can tell you what to do" comment one too many times and now it’s sounding a little too opportunistic to be completely aloof

‘Kiss her,’ said Laurent.

freak

He didn’t need to be told what to do or how to do it by Laurent, and he proved that with a long, deliberate kiss.

so what you’re saying is that the garden scene would have been a lot more fun for damen if he was the one giving head and showing off his skills for laurent

‘You can tell Halvik that it would be my honour to lie with one of her girls,’ said Damen when he drew back, his voice low with pleasure.

HOORAY CONSENT

She was a fine, well-made young woman, and she matched him with an intensity that grew out of her laughter as she pulled at his clothes; it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a free, uninhibited exchange of pleasure.

it’s interesting to note the difference in the way damen describes this encounter to ones with laurent. he’s having fun, but he isn’t really Affected. it’s like sports. i think he has felt genuinely attached to sexual partners before, like jokaste, but this isn’t that. and the way he remarks that he hasn’t felt simple pleasure in a long time speaks to his complicated and deep feelings about his relationship with laurent.

... he roused her to the point that she became hotly, dazedly abandoned to him, which, above all things, he liked.

craft note: foreshadowing ;)

Clothes were difficult. Laces eluded him. He decided, after a few attempts, that he did not require his shirt. It was taking all his attention to hold his pants up. Laurent was asleep when Damen found his way to the correct tent, but he stirred in the furs when the tent flap opened, his golden lashes fluttering, then lifting. When he saw Damen, he pushed himself up on one arm and gave a single wide-eyed blink. Then, soundlessly, behind the press of a hand, he started helplessly laughing. Damen said, ‘Stop. If I laugh, I’ll fall over.’ Damen squinted at a separate fur pile near Laurent’s, then made his best attempt: he wove, reached and then collapsed down onto it. This seemed the pinnacle of accomplishment. He rolled over on his back. He was smiling. ‘Halvik had a lot of girls,’ he said.

craft note: i love how his drunkenness is written into his narration. the short sentences, hyperbolic "pinnacle of accomplishment" comedy. it’s great.

also, i think “laurent blinked” might be a way of pacat saying that he’s, like, recalibrating himself. it's happened a few times now. it’s adorable

When he turned his head to look, Laurent was lying on his side, head propped on one hand, gazing at him, eyes bright. ‘This is instructive. I’ve seen you put half a dozen men in the dirt without breaking a sweat.’ ‘Not right now, I couldn’t.’ ‘I can see that. You’re relieved of your regular duties in the morning.’ ‘That’s nice of you. I can’t get up. I’ll just lie here. Or did you need something?’ ‘Oh, how did you know?’ said Laurent. ‘Take me to bed.’ Damen groaned and found himself laughing after all, in the moment before he pulled the furs over his head. He heard a final sound of amusement from Laurent, and that was all he heard before sleep reached up and claimed him.

so this must have driven readers of the original livejournal serial insane. you get a chapter where damen fucks several people who aren’t laurent, and then you get this. i can still feel aftershocks from the discourse and fan response

‘Your negotiations went well?’ ‘We certainly left in possession of a great deal of new goodwill.’ ‘You should do business with the Vaskians more often.’

pffft “get me laid more often please”

Eventually, and with an odd hesitancy, Laurent asked, ‘Is it different than with a man?’

ahhh this line. i’m sensing insecurity, trauma, heterophobia, and jealousy. and he actually let himself say it out loud!

It was different with everyone. He didn’t say this aloud; it was self-evident.

i mean. maybe not to laurent

For a moment he thought Laurent was on the verge of asking him something more, but Laurent just kept looking at him, a long, unselfconsciously studying look, and said nothing at all. Damen said, ‘Are you curious about it? Isn’t it supposed to be taboo?’ ‘It is taboo,’ said Laurent. There was another pause. ‘Bastards curse the line, and sour the milk, ruin the crops, and drag the sun out of the sky. But they don’t bother me. I pick all my fights with true-born men. You should probably bathe,’ said Laurent, ‘when we return.’

actual heterophobia. i love how pacat either 1) had to ask herself what reasons a culture could have for making straightness taboo, and came up with anti-bastardry or 2) knew she wanted veretians to have the anti-bastard bias, and realized that meant they were heterophobic. it’s funny either way

Aimeric stopped short and stared at Damen. Then he looked at Laurent’s door. Then back at Damen. Damen realised he was still radiating his good mood, and probably looked as if he had fucked all night and then crawled through a passage. He had. ‘We knocked and there was no answer,’ said Aimeric. ‘Jord sent men to find you.’ ‘Is there some delay?’ said Laurent, appearing in the doorway. Laurent was coolly immaculate from top to toe; unlike Damen, he looked fresh and well rested, with not a hair out of place. Aimeric was staring again. Then, gathering his attention back together, Aimeric said, ‘The news came an hour ago. There’s been an attack on the border.’

and you know they’d do the same exact thing, and appear the same exact way, if they were actually fucking.

also!! lamen hr complaint #3, from aimeric! they were busy fucking* while the border was attacked. also, damen displayed unprofessionalism in his appearance and conduct.

*to aimeric’s understanding

#capri #sam reads capri #lamen #laurent of vere #damen of akielos #captive prince #prince's gambit

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cyberr-v0id · 1 year ago

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I should probably make a proper introduction post so here goes

Hi hey hello wassup sup howdy hola hooray

My name is Leo but I also go by *lists a ton of names because I am genderfluid as hell, can’t choose just one, have a complicated relationship with my irl name, and eventually toss aside every name I go by* here’s the link to my full name post: https://www.tumblr.com/cyberr-v0id/731097944976228352/ok-so-as-i-apparently-use-a-lot-of-names-here-are

My main blog is @cyberr-v0id but I have a ton of side blogs, because who’s gonna stop me, the side blog police? I run a ton of gimmick blogs. You might know them. You might not.

I use he/she/they/fae and occasionally it sets of pronouns, and I am a genderfluid, afab, asexual, lesbian oriented demiromantic. Deal with it or leave :)

I currently have a crush on one of my awesome friends because I only develop crushes on people I have a strong bond with and/or have know for a while . Aka: my friends. It can be low-key awkward but we roll

I am Romani but don’t travel because reasons and I am kinda detached from my culture, but heck if I won’t defend it till my last breath

Now onto what I am interested in ehhehehehe

I AM SO GOSHDARN TOTALLY BRAIN IN THE SAND EYES GOUGED OUT INSANELY OBSESSED WITH ODYSSEUS RN. ITS A PROBLEM. IT KEEPS COMING BACK. IS THIS A HYPER FIXATION??? IS THIS A SPECIAL INTEREST? I HAVENT BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH (oh wait I should probably put that down as information then come back to my interests)

Ok so, I have never been diagnosed with anything ✨brain wise✨ however pretty much every autistic person I have ever met has said that they think I might be as well, without me even bringing it up, including my AuDHD brother. My mother has said repeatedly throughout my lifetime comments such as ‘are you sure you’re not autistic’ and ‘that is very autistic or you maybe we should get you diagnosed’ but then she denies it if i bring it up

My dad thinks I am adhd, my mum thinks I would be add rather than adhd because I am, to quote, ‘not hyperactive like [brothers name] is’. He is a twelve year old boy. I am a fifteen year old girl. I also take apart all my pens in lessons if I don’t have something less destructible to fidget with. Take that how you will

I personally have done a lot of of research into the both, and feel that I could be either, but slightly more likely adhd

I have a weird issue with my feet where the bones are too close together in places, which means I have really clicky ankle joints, am much more likely to have my ankles roll, twist, or give way, and often my legs hurt pretty bad, and my feet as well, while walking or standing for a long time. But hey! They’re getting better finally :D

OK SO NOW MY INTERESTS

I AM LITERALLY SO OBSESSED WITH ODYSSEUS HE IS ALL I HACE BEEN ABLE TO THINK ABOUT FOR LIKE THREE WEEKS NOW, I HAVE BEEN HIGHLIGHTING HIS NAME EVERY TIME I SEE IT IN THE ILIAD, I HAVE LISTENED TO THE EPIC MUSICAL EVERY NIGHT FOR OVER A WEEK, AND THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR THAT MY OBSESSION HAS APPEARED. AND IT GETS WORSE BY THE DAY.

I HAVE LITERALLY SAT AND RESEARCHED HIM AT BREAKFAST, I HAVE RANTED ABOUT HIM YO EVERY MEMBER OF MY FRIEND GROUP AND MY CRUSH SO MANY TIMES, MY ENGLISH TEACHER HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO TWO ODYSSEUS RANTS THIS WEEK AND I HAD TO RESTRAIN MYSELF FROM INFODUMPING ON ONE OF MY MUSICAL THEATRE TEACHERS.

THE ONLY THING STOPPING ME FROM CREATING ODYSSEUS FAN ART IS MY ART SKILLS

Ahem

Onto other interests:

• mythology in general but the one I know the most about and am obsessed with the most is Greek mythology

• the owl house

• Percy Jackson, obviously

• amphibia

• the inheritance cycle

• the dragon prince

• miss peregrines home for peculiar children

•avatar the last air bender

•dragon age absolution

• how to train your dragon (books, films, series)

•the wizards of once

•dragons themself as a thing

•folklore and faeries

• nimona

•Dracula

•redwall

•and a heck ton more that I cannot think of. I’ll rant about it eventually if I love it that much

The main sports I do rn are archery, paddle boarding, and skateboarding, as well as dance through my musical theatre group. Also lightsaber fighting in my street

I do art and writing and reading and acting and lots more I do a lot and then I abandon my hobbies for a while, and jewelry making and sewing and

I’ll link some more posts here that may be useful to y’all:

And remember, this blog is ran by an Odysseus obsessed teen above all else

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windor-truffle · 5 months ago

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pokemans :) long ramble abt the symbolism behind the pokemon choice below the cut:

Asbel was actually a hard choice for me, his shonen-protag knight-wannabe basic bitch vibes are a little hard to pin down. I wanted to give him a normal type but also possibly a shiny one to represent how Asbel is simultaneously incredibly average (aside from the title he inherited and the powers Sophie gave him) and rather unique (personality-wise, people are drawn to his kindness and inner strength). In the end I picked Furret of the Walking Meme fame for a whooooole buncha reasons:

Firstly, though my pastel palette washes it down, shiny Furret is actually white and magenta instead of its usual brown and tan. It's actually kinda close to Asbel's ambiguous hair color and the white matches his cloak! Hooray for color coordination :)

Furret is the evolved form of Sentret, an early route normal type. Sentret is the scout pokemon and according to its dex entries it lives in groups and keeps watch over the others, akin to groundhogs or meerkats. In other words, it Proteccs(TM) (actually it only learns Protect via TM, like almost every other pokemon).

Strengthwise, Furret is... not good 😅 it suffers the gen II curse of having an abysmally low base stat total even for a fully evolved mon, with its best stat being speed followed by attack. Furret often serves as a utility or support mon instead, doing better in doubles where it can aid its partner with moves like Helping Hand (an Asbel move if I've ever seen one) and Follow Me (become a damage magnet for a round, a rather Asbel tactic). It can also run Trick, Sucker Punch, Knockoff, U-Turn, and Brick Break for more competitive settings, and its Frisk ability can scope out an opponent's held item in settings where that isn't given information. In gen IX it just recently got access to the previously exclusive hazard-removal/setup move Tidy Up (Asbel loves cleaning 😂) which could help Furret a little by boosting its attack and speed, either making its STAB(same type attack bonus) normal moves like Body Slam or Last Resort hit harder or possibly being Baton Passed onto another party member waiting in the back.

Furret has access to a shocking versatile movepool--- it can learn coverage moves for 13/18 types!--- but unfortunately lacks the stats to use them well, which lends to it being overlooked. In-game it can learn HM moves like Strength, Surf, Whirlpool, Cut, and Rock Smash, so it sometimes earns a temporary spot on the team as an HM mule 😅 (but that means it's HELPFUL! It can help its beloved partner navigate a difficult environment!) It can also set up rain or sun, it can Rest and Sleep Talk, it can run a Focus Sash Endeavor gambit, it can Toxic Orb Trick STABFacade. There's SO much Furret can do, the opponent will never know what to expect!! ...except an easy victory, because its stats are just terrible 😔

And that leads me to my final point of similarity, one that readers may have already noticed: Asbel and Furret are both SO underrated and I will defend them with my life 😤 The complaints and critiques against them are often valid, especially when compared to their counterparts like more nuanced protagonists or normal types with a BST above 415, but dammit that's my special little guy, can't you see his potential???? 😭 He means so much to me and he could mean so much to you if you could look past the initial scathing judgments of "this is silly, shallow, and not worth my time."

In conclusion, I love my pathetic little magenta guys 💜💜💜

#tales of graces f #fan art #asbel lhant #mine #pokemon au #I have many thoughts and feelings about Furret apparently #Other potential picks for Asbel include Gallade (knight-like and loyal learns a variety of Protect moves and other doubles tactics)#mons like Shieldon or Aegislash for sword and shield vibes (maybe a SWSH legendary doggo for similar reasons)#and I agree w Pancham for kid!Asbel as well for having that sort of bratty but kindhearted attitude #I'd like to make this pokemon au a whole art series but I also know I'm bad at finishing things so 😅

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mint-moon25 · 9 months ago

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sissyjerrad · 11 months ago

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Enjoy the latest Eric's Trains Video...

An Introduction

Welcome to Eric's Trains! My name is Eric Siegel and this is my 3-Rail O-Gauge/O-Scale train website. My train adventure started around 1990, when I was about 14 years old and inherited my father's old postwar Lionel set. The set had been in storage for many years in a dark and damp basement, so much of it was is pretty bad shape. However, with a little work, I was able to get the majority of the set back into operating condition. Additionally, I was able to add a large amount of new equipment to the set, resulting in decently sized 16'x8' layout.

By the late 80's and early 90's, Lionel had been reduced to making stuff that really wasn't all that great and the selection of highly detailed scale trains was fairly limited. Although several innovations had been made during Lionel's MPC years, quality and detail was still a little lacking, as was selection. All the new pieces that I bought during this time were a bit flimsy and the plastic pieces broke very easily in the event of a train wreck or even under normal wear and tear. The low level of craftsmanship in the new trains was something of a disappointment, but what could I do? The internet as we know it today was not around yet, so finding Postwar trains was both time consuming and expensive. I was forced to make do with what was readily available. This low point for Lionel was truly a time when a father could say to his son, "They don't make 'em like they used to". But that would soon change.

In 1994 I went off to college. My mother sold her house and I had to put the train back into storage in my father's basement. I took a great deal of care in packing it away, as I knew I would one day take it out again. Jump ahead to 2005. I graduated from UGA in 2000 and was living in a big loft apartment in downtown Atlanta and the arrival of my son prompted me to pull the set out and start the adventure all over again! I've since discovered that the new century has ushered in a new "golden age" for O-Gauge trains. In the early `90's, Lionel once again started to make quality products again. Additionally, serious competition entered the O-Gauge train scene and Lionel began to lose it's near monopoly of the O-Gauge train market as manufacturers like Atlas, MTH, Weaver and others brought a level of quality and realism to O-Gauge never seen before. Competition between the train makers has led to great leaps in technology and realism. Hooray for capitalism! Some of the new Lionel die-cast cars that I've recently acquired are even more beautiful than the original postwar versions! MTH and Atlas are making incredible trains and accessories that give Lionel a serious run for their money and even surpass Lionel in many areas. In addition to the return to quality construction, modern technology has taken over and completely revolutionized model railroading. Computerized train systems, such as MTH's DCS system or Lionel's Legacy system, allow train enthusiasts to control the ENTIRE train set via a single hand-held remote control! With multiple companies now making high quality O-Gauge trains again and technology taking model railroading to new heights, it's a great time to get back into the hobby! Things have certainly changed from when I was a kid and with my son now getting into the hobby for himself I can say to him, "Son, they sure don't make 'em like they used to, and thank heavens for that!"

The first new layout that I created in our old loft apartment was a modest 12x8 size. Soon after I started building the layout I decided to abandon the postwar style of train layout and go for a highly detailed scale layout. This meant shelving most of my smaller O-27 trains and purchasing new 1:48 scale pieces. I never completely finished the 12X8 layout because in late 2006 we bought our first house. Our house has a basement that's around 900 square feet (roughly 25x36) and it's 100% for the trains! You can keep up with the latest layout progress by following Eric's Triains on Facebook. My expected completion time for the new layout is now sometime in 2020, though that may change. Layouts are never really done, are they?

My current layout, which I've named The Appalachian & Western Railroad, is an O-Scale layout which uses MTH's Digital Command System (DCS) as well Lionel's Legacy command sytem. The trains all run on Atlas O 3-rail track and I use a combination of Atlas and Ross switches. The layout is, and will continue to be, a modern themed scale pike. I did not grow up in the steam era, nor did I grow up in the streamlined diesel era. I grew up in the 80's and 90's when it was all modern diesel power. Just like anyone who grew up with steam or early diesels, I too have fond memories of the trains of my era. I can remember sitting in my parents' car at a crossing and watching with fascination as those big ugly diesels thundered by with a long stretch of battered and weathered freight cars. While I have a few diesels here and there that are from the 50's and 60's, the majority are 70's and later model diesels and rolling stock. Occasionally I will also run some older steam power and rolling stock just for fun, but the layout itself is modern themed. The roads that I try to concentrate on are the ones that are still around today and that I see around where I live: Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern and BNSF. I'm also getting into some of the older roads that have been merged into the previously mentioned roads, like Southern Pacific, Conrail, Santa Fe and the like, since it's still possible to see engines and rolling stock with the livery of those older roads on the rails today. Basically, anything that might be seen on the rails today is fair game. For more information on the current layout, check out this page.

In addition to my large O-Scale layout, I also dabble in a couple other types of trains. I have a growing collection of O-Gauge and Standard Gauge tinplate trains like those made by Lionel, Ives and American Flyer in the early 20th century. I also have a small amount of On30(narrow gauge O-Scale) equipment and there is a small narrow gauge line in the mountains of the Colorado Room on my layout.

If you'd like to keep up with my model railroading adventures, check out my YouTube Channel, Facebook Page, or follow me on Twitter.

Enjoy,

Eric Siegel

This page last updated: January 25th, 2024 Contact me at: [email protected]

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mikialynn · 2 years ago

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2021 Reflection

Yet again, I am writing this reflection a bit past the New Year mark. I had told myself explicitly as the New Year approached that I needed to write this reflection promptly because of how volatile and unexpected the changes in 2021 had been…and I was right! I missed my deadline by just a month, but in that time, both my siblings caught covid, I attended my grandma’s funeral, I had surgery, my brother and his wife announced they were pregnant, my good friend visited and announced she was pregnant, I got asked to be a bridesmaid, and I put in my notice at my consulting job. So, before any other life changing things happen, let’s try to reflect on 2021.

I already know the tone that I’m writing this reflection in now will be a bit calmer than how it would have poured out of me if I’d written this earlier. Just to give you a taste of where I was emotionally as 2021 was winding down, here are some of the notes I had been jotting down for my reflection:

-The world is absurd

-I'm more serious and angry than I’ve ever been

-Loss

Clearly not a great year. It was year of highs, lows, and prolonged limbos that chipped away at my resiliency and positivity. At the start of the year, we had the excitement of a vaccine – a possible end to the restrictions on normalcy that we’d been accommodating for over a year. This enabled little changes that, because of how routine and basic life had become, added so much joy. Stewart and I stopped sanitizing our groceries and recooking take-out food, hooray! I started joining my roommates in eating out—discovering the outdoor dining experience that had established during the pandemic with its makeshift wooden booths, wind barriers, outdoor heating and QR codes. I booked a trip to visit home. For my birthday, I even dined indoors without a mask.

But it didn’t take long for the first major variant to emerge and the world to lock down again. And this time, on top of the normal covid worries that returned, there was the sinking realization that the lifespan of the pandemic had suddenly expanded indefinitely. We now understood that this was the time of variants. Of cycles with peaks and lows. Of having the opportunity to live with slightly more normalcy, but only with heightened vigilance, greater nuance, and more real-time strategic thinking in a context of rapidly changing risks. A decision to go to a family party or eat out was based on how long since you’d had a booster and where on the caseload curve of this particular variant your town stood. Trips and visits could be planned, but one had to plot out in advance the timing of potential exposure, incubation days, ideal testing windows, and cautious quarantining until the results came in. Finding testing centers and administering swabs became commonplace.

As the Delta variant was establishing itself outside of the U.S., three particularly stressful life changes were happening.

The first – my roommate Asha had set a move out date from our apartment, which triggered my other roommate Kenzie and I deciding to align our departure with hers. I loved that apartment and our little family unit. I loved our corner shops, our nearby parks, my big bay windows, the tall ceilings, the open kitchen and the soft blue and pink walls. My first year in San Francisco was one of my favorites. I felt on top of the world biking past the city capital with the backdrop of the orange sunrise, hopping on the bus and crossing over the beautiful San Francisco Bay on the fog-covered Golden Gate Bridge every day on my way to work. I lived as a young adult, fully independent and open to the world. I was going to random art events, concerts and film festivals. I went on dates just for the fun of it for the first time. I joined a singing chorus and ended up falling in love with the community center – the retired folks and young people I met looking to chase a passion like myself. It felt like I was living fully as myself.

On top of that, I inherited the apartment from its former occupants and was able to select my new roommates. I found two people who I absolutely adored. For a couple months there, Kenzie and I hung out all the time going out dancing and to secret basement music events. Her Spanish friends even commented that we did everything together. And then I met Stewart and I had that magical experience of falling in love in that city. We also started going on trips that opened up California to me—fishing adventures along the coast and backpacking trips in the Sierras. And, at the end of the day, I’d come home to my happy place, plop on the couch to download to Kenzie and Asha, and maybe end the day with a group crossword. That was me happy.

But COVID changed things—as I talked about in my last reflection—and in 2021 I had to finally accept letting go of that world completely, even though I felt like time in that phase of life had been cut short. And I was really sad. I didn’t want it to end. I think I also knew that I’d probably live with Stewart next and, while that’s an exciting next chapter in life, it is the end of living with friends and that whole roommate dynamic. I’ve been lucky in that basically everyone I’ve ever lived with has become a best friend. I enjoy that balance of having friends to come home to. That effortless way of keeping up friendships, especially since it’s not as natural for me to keep up friendships when they aren’t physically in the same space. So it was hard imagining never having that environment for forging a friendship again, and hard accepting what that indicated about my age and stage in life.

And of course, the act of moving out was also challenging. Furniture, random junk, and a whole lot of dust had been accumulating in that apartment for over a decade, and we were responsible for emptying it all. It was a constant barrage of craigslist and facebook ads and weekly filling of trash bins and dropping off useful goods on the sidewalks. Some of the things I had major anxiety about being able to lift or fit out the door (in fact, one couch required removing the door and having 3 young men assist us). The stress and the allergies that came with that process resulted in my first full-body episode of eczema. We said goodbye to Asha first, and then to Kenzie. And then finally came the day where it was just me in the apartment doing the final sweep. I walked through the empty rooms, down our stairs onto the street past the playground and the restaurants, across the civic center and into the BART station for the last time. I honestly felt heartbroken. And in the coming weeks while Stewart and I hopped between airbnbs and his aunt’s place in Mill Valley, I would feel the strange sensation as we would drive by San Francisco of no longer being a part of it and not having a home to go to in it.

The second major stressor at that time was that Stewart and I were wrestling with the commitment to and timing of our departure from WRA, the consulting job we had both been generally unhappy with. I was ready to leave and had been for over a year. I was pretty burnt out and stuck in a 9-to-5 work experience that I did not want to waste any more of my life on. Stewart’s situation was not as cut-and-dry, and he was much less comfortable with the ambiguity of the next step. The plan was to give ourselves the space and flexibility to figure out the next long-term step by working for a period of time at my parent’s fish farm. But it wasn’t easy coming up with a game plan that we both were comfortable with. And, even if I felt sure it was the right thing to do, I didn’t want to be responsible for pushing someone I loved into a situation that would make them unhappy. So all I could do was give him the space, listen to his concerns, and try to assuage them without biasing him. I experienced how complicated it is to have your life wrapped up with someone else’s.

After a couple of months of feeling it out and some second guessing, we made our announcement to WRA. In the end, they offered to keep us on part-time with the plan to check in after 6 months to see if we wanted to return as full-time employees. As an aside, one of the programs our departure most disrupted was the drone program, and the company quickly pulled together a short list of people to train as their new drone pilots. I am proud to say that I emailed the CEO and told him that I had noticed the list was exclusively male despite my understanding that several equally qualified women had applied. He responded positively saying he had overlooked that and that they were now planning to add one more female candidate (though in reality no one ended up going their drone license in the ensuing 6 months).

The third stressor that creeped up was that, during a routine pap smear, I had an abnormal result. Because I was just about to move to Hawaii and wouldn’t be able to get a follow-up appointment until after I was supposed to have already left California, I had to leave that up in the air until I was settled in Hawaii. For the most part I tucked that away in the back of my brain, but it was an underlying stress with a dash of extra worry because I was postponing follow-up and hoping that didn’t have repercussions I’d regret.

Once Stewart and I did finally overcome the hurdle of giving our notice to WRA, it felt like a weight had been lifted and for a brief period we hit another high in the year. We road-tripped across the country to make an adventure of getting to Maine, where we’d spend some time with Stewart’s family and drop off his things. Our first stop was Big Sur where I was a bridesmaid in Barb’s wedding. Then it was through the southwest to the Grand Canyon, south through Texas to the coast, along the gulf with a stop in New Orleans, and then north along the Appalachians. There was a fair bit of stress and arguing with all of the daily logistics of figuring out where to go and where to stay with a Prius stacked full of valuables. We were also juggling doing the I-Corps program with my parents for a grant and WRA work. But overall there were also a lot of cool firsts and new sights.

After a brief stop in Vermont to meet Stewart’s uncle & aunt, we finally settled in Maine for the next month. It was very pleasant time just making meals and hanging out with his parents. In particular I loved a weekend trip to Monhegan Island with its water color landscape and fairy-filled forests. We also did a road trip down to Virginia for his brother’s wedding where I met a lot more of his family. I had a lot of fun with his cousin Nan, who was crushing on Stewart’s classmate and bumbling along with her guitar drunk at night certain she’d somehow find a way home despite not knowing anyone and not able to get an uber.

I finally flew home in October to set up the living space for Stewart and I and to spend some quality time with my parents. I proudly transformed the upstairs of the two-story building into a livable space. I also made some improvements to my parent’s living situation, but ended up also fighting with them, in particular my mom, quite a bit as I took in how much things had gone so awry since I’d left for SF. The pandemic was to blame for a lot of their isolation from external pressures that kept things in check, as was some unpredictable changes like my mom’s craft’s class instructor passing away and her hula class getting more competitive and nudging her out. But still, things had gotten bad. Mom was no longer able to even go in a long walk without cramping and the house was covered in a layer of grime. Dad was limping around on crocs that were worn down to almost nothing, unable to wear shoes because of his intense swelling but also unwilling to prioritize initiating medical care, and sleeping on an uneven surface of a cot and twin mattress with a wedged pillow that his feet would slide off of. I was angry at them for not taking care of themselves, and overwhelmed with how many things I saw around me that needed to be fixed. I felt myself getting easily frustrated and triggered by their justifications, and it was still so fresh for me that I wasn’t yet able to filter out what things to react to and which to patiently work on over time.

It was within that context that Stewart arrived. In addition, at this point, we’d been working parttime for almost two months, and the awareness of feeling unemployed and the open-endedness of our arrangement was heightening. I felt a strong sense of pressure and responsibility to make sure the HFC arrangement provided a sense of stability, and that also made me very sensitive to Stewart’s assessment of our living quarters and HFC work dynamic. I was also sharing my home and my parents with him, as well as some very messy but cherished and vulnerable parts of my past with him, which made me very sensitive to his opinions. I found myself very wrapped up in his mood and very easily stressed by anything that seemed to come across as unhappiness or dissatisfaction, which to be honest is something he’s much more outwardly expressive of than I’m used to. I felt a combination of guilt and embarrassment about things he didn’t like since the farm was very much part of me and my past, and an indignant reaction to his dissatisfaction—anger and resentment for his inability to be more appreciative and positive and kind when he knew this was my special place and I was obviously trying so hard to make things better for everyone. All in all, it was not a great combination of circumstances, and I found myself very reactive to everyone around me.

During this time, I also did my follow-up to my abnormal pap-smear and found I had severe dysplasia, or pre-cancerous cells, in my cervix. It was the first time the word “cancer” had ever applied to me and, though I knew the procedure was fairly routine and my odds were good, it was a scare. Ultimately I had 1.5 cm removed from my cervix, which puts me at a higher risk for premature births. And ultimately the sample they removed showed that the dysplasia was clearing up on its own and I didn’t need to remove part of my cervix—but there was not way to know that would happen between the time of the diagnosis and the surgery, and we went with the safest option. So that’s that. I feel like I was mostly disconnected from that experience emotionally. It felt very step-by-step and I was never really scared but also didn’t try to think about it too deeply.

Also during this time, the highly contagious omicron variant began to emerge, and I watched as Covid case numbers became the highest they had ever been during the whole pandemic. And yet people did not react. Long gone were the days of taking a wide birth on a sidewalk to avoid walking near someone, or only dining outdoors. People had acclimatized to the pandemic even though it was the worst it had ever been. It frustrated me. While we were all vaccinated and the death rate wasn’t as high with this variant, I still operated under the assumption that if my mom were to get any strain of covid, even the mildest form, she would be at high risk of death. So the “mildness” of the variant doesn’t change my behavior or alleviate any of my stress over, it’s still the probability of catching covid that I track. This was also during the holidays when a number of family gatherings, including Christmas, were happening. So I had to serve as the bad guy with my family forcing people to keep masks on and hang out outside. I didn’t like playing that role and my brother even poked fun at me and sent me a photo of his covid vaccination card to ask if he had permission to visit with us. But I stand by what I did, because my parents and I didn’t get Covid, and my siblings did. And I believe strongly that every day my parents don’t get Covid—particularly if we can avoid it during peak times so hospitals aren’t spread thin—the higher their chances of survival are. Because more people are getting immunity every day and treatments are improving.

And then, out of nowhere and with no kindness or sympathy for how hard things already were or for how much I’d been looking forward to seeing her, life took grandma away. And it just seemed like – when is it enough?

I felt both that the world had let me down and I, in my failure to have achieved some societal impact or transformation of some personal passion into a professional endeavor, had somehow let the world down too. How silly to feel so self important, right? But at the same time, we only experience one life, so isn’t everything life or death? Isn’t me wasting the opportunity to utilize myself for something meaningful the most monumental failure? Life just felt too big and too fast and too disappointing. It was the first time in my life I was really struggling with the thought of ‘what’s the point?’ I know I’ve been lucky in that, for most of my life, I had the privilege of feeling amazed. Amazed at how beautiful my home was, amazed by places I had the privilege to see. I always felt a little like my life had this movie-like quality. Last year was the first year I can remember just not loving my life. And, because I felt responsible for these let downs and, on a higher level, because I was upset at myself for getting stuck in such a bad attitude and perspective, it was also my first time really not loving myself.

And then while I was lost in all that ego, to then unexpectedly lose grandma, and to feel the guilt of not having realized I should have been thinking more of her. I should have been prioritizing visiting her over everything else. I had been talking about her to Stewart, and to his parents. I had been . And yet I was so wrapped up in fixing things and getting stressed about thigs that I didn’t just visit her. I’ll never forget that the week before she passed, I had been talking about visiting her, and Stewart said “let’s just go then. We can just go for a few days”. And then the next week she died. I’ll never forget that she had called mom the month before, and I knowing it was difficult to talk with her on the phone and not having nailed down when we might visit her with mom and thinking I’d be visiting her soon, just continued walking out the door and doing something else. I should have stopped and said hi to her.

I have never felt so much anger at myself before. I was angry at myself for not being able to help my parents in a way that seems sustainable for them. I was angry at myself for putting Stewart in a position that he might be unhappy in. I was angry at myself for being so emotional, for being so embarrassingly quick to argue and lash out. And now I was angry at myself and so overwhelmingly guilty for not having visited grandma right away. For not having visited her the last Christmas in Hawaii before COVID hit.

I was also just devastatingly sad.

Grandma's house was my happy place. It is a fixture of my childhood. Sliding down the stairs, memorizing every bridge and curly fern in their anthrium patch, seeing grandpa out with his machete clearing the veg, the smells of ginger and garlic, the early morning sounds of mom and grandma sitting at the kitchen talking downstairs.

Going to grandma's was like going to camp in the summer, and it was as much a part of the winter holidays as putting up the tree. She was an anchor in my life, and as an adult a refuge where my siblings and I could live under the same house and be kids again. losing her is the the type of loss where you look forward and you're not sure what normal is supposed to be any more.

To grandma I want to say, thank you for giving me the most uncomplicated love. I thought I did, but now realize I did not grasp enough how much I relied on and cherished that love.

My previous reflections have been centered on a worry of getting older. My perspective has shifted slightly. I'm feeling older not because I'm getting physically older or feel that I no longer considered young, but because things of my past that were constant and cherished are going away. Because there is a state of things I can't hold on to, and the time has come where I am witnessing it change and disappear.

There is a sweet window of time where the constants that have been in your life are in no immediate danger of going anywhere. Where you can enjoy the new and exciting with the comfort of the existing being stable. Now it feels like the new heralds the old. That one gives way for the other. I feel myself transitioning into a life that is not like the one I grew up in. That I have to find new normals. It’s sad and scary.

I’ve found some closure in helping to accomplish grandma’s funeral—in giving people an opportunity to grieve and in pushing myself to do something uncomfortable and growth-enabling as my tribute to grandma, to show her that I’ll keep pushing forward for her. And the ability to work full days under Kupu funds seems to also have alleviated some of the stress I felt as a mediator between HFC, my parents, and Stewart.

But I’m not trying to wrap up 2021 in a tidy bow. I think 2021 will go down in my memory as a rough year, and that’s fine. Life isn’t a reasonable character. It’s not going to hold back a bad life event just because you’re already dealing with other struggles. It unfolds with no sympathy and no agency. I’ve learned that. And I also know that the hardest parts of my life are yet to come. I have underlying anxieties now that took root from experiencing this deep sadness that I don’t think will ever go away. But I do think I will continue to improve on how I cope with stress and worries about the future. I am going to actively work on being less quick to react, on misdirecting my stresses into unnecessary arguments, and on feeling less responsible for the way things happen and other people’s lives. Though at the same time, I am going to push back on the fact that I’m someone who does care about other people’s needs and feelings, and that should not be treated as a negative quality. So for now, I’m going to help my parents get through this big push on the farm, and just trust my future self to figure out the rest when the time comes.

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skyward-floored · 2 years ago

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While I get why Time has super strength in Incredibles AU, part of me is hoping Malon is stronger (she threw a grown-ass cow into a treehouse). I get that this may not work out for this AU, but let's be honest the image of Malon easily lifting her husband is both funny and precious XD

And one of my favorite gags with this that I thought up was Wars and Time struggling to lift something, Malon just walks up and deadlifts it with one arm no sweat XD

I’m finally going through my inbox, I’m so sorry this took so long to reply to 😣

And yes, while super strength is Time’s thing (I’ve actually worked out his power a bit more now hooray) that’s hilarious to imagine Malon being stronger than him.

What I think would be funny (and what I think I might go with actually) is that Malon just has lots of natural strength, no superpowers involved, which Twilight sort of inherited from her and doesn’t actually have super strength himself either. They’re both just really strong because of farmwork and genes XD

That gag is so funny too, I don’t know if I could make it work (maybe Time can’t obviously use his powers because they’re in public?) but I love the idea

#I’ve been tweaking Twilight’s powers as well as Time’s #but I think I’ve finally settled on what they’ve got #I should probably make an updated version of the powers list #answers from the floor #cantankerouscanuk #incredibles au

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imaginejamesandsirius · 4 years ago

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Hey, I love your writing! Could you please write one where it’s slytherin! Sirius and gryffindor!james. Can you make it that they find out their mates like they have creature inherences ( since their both pure bloods). At Hogwarts btw if it was unclear. Don’t feel pressured to write this if you’re busy.

((A/N: I’ve never written creature inheritance before, so it’s a little choppy))

Personally, Sirius thought this whole thing was a load of shite. Not like it was fake, because it was definitely real, but it was an absolute pain in the arse. It was going through puberty again, and he'd hated it the first time, thanks. And also? This was worse. He felt like a bloody toddler again, unable to control his magic. It's not like it was lashing out at random or summat, but his spells rarely turned out the way he wanted. Too much power or not enough, and he never knew which way it would go.

Regulus kept assuring him that he'd be ecstatic when he finally settled and got his creature inheritance, but Sirius would prefer to just be comfortable now. Besides, the only creature in the Black line was Veela. Sirius had too many people staring at him without adding a magical element to it. Did he mention the whole process was shite? Because it was. In addition to his magic not responding like it should, his entire scalp itched and his eyes responded to any big change in lighting with pain and his gums ached like a fucker. It made eating ridiculously difficult, and it had been that way for three weeks straight. It was supposed to all even out on his birthday, but that didn't make it any less miserable to live through.

He would love to commiserate about it with someone, but there were only a few other people in Hogwarts that had the possibility for a creature inheritance, and he wasn't exactly friends with any of them. He wasn't friends with anyone other than Regulus actually, so commiserating-- if it was going to happen at all-- would have to wait a few years.

When Sirius got his creature inheritance-- gasp! Veela! what a surprise!-- he walked into the Great Hall and wanted to walk right back out again. He didn't really know how to control the allure. Make that, the allure was running rampant and he couldn't make heads or tails of it-- the fire throwing part had been easy; he hadn't even had to practice-- but even that wasn't enough to make him want to leave. He took one glance at the Gryffindor Table, saw one James Potter, and realised there was a connection.

His parents had sent him a book about Veela inheritances when he started showing signs, and there had been a section on mates. Recognizable on sight. And that's what James Potter was. Sirius had two words for that: 'hell' and 'no'. It's not like Potter was bad looking or an unforgivable arse, but he didn't exactly like any Slytherins, and Sirius was one. He knew that mates weren't something that could be avoided, but how the hell did he explain that to Potter? 'Hi, I know the most time we've spent together was in detention from hexing each other for like, the entirety of fourth year, but you're bloody gorgeous and also we're mates? Wanna hook up sometime? Maybe spend the rest of our lives together?' Yeah. That wouldn't go well.

Sirius wished he could leave-- after all, who needed breakfast every single day?-- but there were appearances to keep up, and everyone would give him shite if he left right now. He was supposed to not act any different now that he had his creature inheritance. He was supposed to pretend he felt the same and didn't think he was better than anyone and all that rot. Nevermind that Sirius had thought he was better than everyone else from the age of five.

He didn't bother to keep in a sigh as he walked to the Slytherin Table.

"What?" Regulus asked, because of course Regulus was with him-- just to be clear: not complaining.

"Everyone's staring."

"Of course they are. You're the first wizard to get a creature inheritance at Hogwarts in the last decade."

"Hooray," Sirius said flatly. "I'll just pose for photos then, shall I?"

"There's no need to be a prick."

"How long have you known me?"

Regulus rolled his eyes, which was pretty much the response that Sirius had expected.

Sirius might have stared at James. A lot. It wasn't his fault, okay? There was no ignoring your magic screaming at you to go be with someone, but Sirius refused to give in so easily-- just to give him something to do, his classes were kind of boring right now.

So he stared, but he didn't talk to James. Maybe he should make friendly chit-chat between classes so that they had a foundation other than rivalry and the other person being gorgeous. And okay, it's not like they were total strangers, but being friendly with each other wasn't something they were familiar with. Like he said, rivalry.

He got caught by James one time in the corridor, but he didn't bother to pretend like he hadn't been staring. It was only the two of them, after all. An empty corridor was a rare thing this close to the Great Hall, but not so surprising this time since it was dinnertime. They were probably the only people not eating right now.

"Is there a reason you're looking at me all the time?" James asked.

"Yes," Sirius said and didn't elaborate.

As expected, James looked bewildered. "Are you going to tell me why?"

"No. What were you in the library for?"

"Books," James said. He was trying to make his voice flat, but it was obvious to Sirius that he was hiding something.

He cocked his head curiously-- an unfortunate habit he'd picked up since his creature inheritance, replacing his usual skeptical eyebrow raise. "For what?"

He shifted, holding his bag tighter like he thought Sirius would snatch them from three meters away. "Nothing," he muttered unconvincingly.

"C'mon, who am I going to tell?"

"Stop mocking me."

"I wasn't aware that was something I was doing."

James glared at him.

It was probably the mate part of him that found it attractive, but Sirius had never had the smartest taste when it came to men. "Honestly. It was an innocent question."

"So you weren't staring at me because you... y'know, know?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sirius said honestly.

James sighed, relaxing from the somewhat rigid posture he'd been holding. "That's good. Or- I guess bad? If you knew, I could ask- but no, we're not friends."

"What's got you in a spin?"

James chewed on his lip.

Sirius's heart beat a little harder in his chest at seeing that-- his imagination was more than happy to provide him with ideas about James's mouth-- but he was going to ignore that for the moment. There were more pressing matters, like what the hell James was talking about. "Honestly, who would I tell?"

"Your brother."

"Right, but who would he tell?" Regulus didn't have any friends either. Their parents had made a point to tell them that they could only trust family, and now look at them. "And who would care?"

"Most people care about creature inheritances. You should've heard the way everyone fawned over you when you presented."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, I have eyes, love; I'm well aware of how much attention people were paying me." Then, because it was more important, he said, "So that's what this is? You're coming into a creature inheritance too?"

"No," he said instantly, then he shifted. "Maybe. I dunno, that's what the books are for. I thought you could, like, tell from looking at me or summat."

"I don't have a creature sensor."

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" James asked defensively. "Nobody knows anything about creature inheritances unless they have it, and then they keep it in the family because it's personal. It's not like I could just ask you."

"Couldn't you ask your parents? Like you said, it's a family matter."

"There's no history of it in the Potter line. Whoever was a creature that married in? They never recorded it. I went over the bloody family tree with a fine tooth comb, and I came up blank."

"I don't know how much help I'd be. Different families, different creatures," Sirius said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall.

"I don't need specifics, but- Merlin, did it buggering itch like this for you? I feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin."

"Can't say that happened to me, no. Mostly it felt like my teeth were about to fall out."

"Right," James said, nodding, "Veela have fangs."

Sirius cocked his head again. "Most people don't know that."

James blushed. It wasn't very noticeable, but Sirius had eyes on him-- he had a theory that he had enhanced eyesight specifically when it came to his mate, but there was nothing to verify that; it just felt like he was capable of noticing more about him since becoming a creature. "I've done some research."

Sirius hummed, smiling.

"Nice wings," Sirius said, trying to keep from looking overly delighted.

One of James's wings snagged against a suit of armor because he'd been walking too close to the wall. "They're a pain in the arse," he muttered, flushing bright red as he tried-- and failed-- to get himself out.

Sirius walked over and stepped behind him. It was a lot easier to do it from this angle. Push, nudge, and he was free. "I kind of thought your wings would be red."

James turned to face him, and Sirius had to step back or risk getting hit in the head with a wing. "Why? Because I'm in Gryffindor?"

"That, and because you look so good in it. I'm not sure black is your colour."

"I look great in black, and you know it," James said.

He did, but Sirius wasn't about to say that. "Do these things not go away?" Sirius asked, looking at the wings curiously. This was the first time he'd seen him since his birthday, and it was no exaggeration to say that James had never looked better. Ill-coloured wings aside. It's not like the black feathers made him look bad or summat, but red would look better.

"If they do, I haven't figured out how." Then James squinted at him. "Did you change your hair?"

"No? It's the same it always is." Which is to say, fabulous. But he hadn't changed it at all. When he'd become a Veela- oh, maybe that's what it was. It had looked different to him in the mirror after that, but Regulus had said he didn't notice anything. "It did change on my birthday though. Maybe you can finally see it."

James reached out, strands of Sirius's hair sliding through his fingers. "It's beautiful," he breathed.

"I get that a lot," Sirius managed to say while sounding normal, but all he wanted to do was step closer and lean into it.

Unsurprisingly, James was the one to kiss him first. Sirius kept wanting to, but he also kept chickening out. So it wasn't really a surprise that James made the first move. What was a surprise, was about a month into their relationship-- still a month away from the end of the school year-- and James stopped a rather delightful snog to say, "Does this seem kind of sudden to you?"

"Er, no, we had to sit through like ten hours of class in order to get here."

James chuckled, pressing leisurely kisses to his cheek and down his neck. "No, I mean..."

"You mean?" Sirius prodded when he didn't continue, running his hands down James's back and into his wings. His fingers worked on straightening his feather automatically.

"I dunno. Like, I always fancied you, but after my creature inheritance, it's like I couldn't take my eyes off you."

"I know what you mean. Probably the whole 'mate' thing."

Abruptly, James stopped what he was doing and tilted his head up to look at him. "What mate thing?"

"That creatures have." When James still looked confused, he added, "Because we're mates?"

"Like... soulmates?"

"I guess? There wasn't a whole lot of information about it in the books my parents sent me. I don't think they thought I'd meet my mate at Hogwarts." Sirius snickered. "Their heads would explode if they knew it was you."

"Wait," James said, sitting up, "you knew about this?"

"Er, yeah?"

"Since your birthday?"

"Yeah."

James looked upset, which Sirius didn't understand in the slightest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sirius sat up when it was clear that James wasn't willing to let this slide. "Because we weren't exactly friends? You say that you fancied me back then, but it sure as hell didn't look like it. What was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to walk up to you and say we were destined for each other. You would've hexed me."

"I would not have."

"Sure," Sirius said flatly.

"Alright, so I might have overreacted if you told me, but it's not like you wouldn't have too in my place."

"Is there a reason this is bothering you?" Sirius asked. "It all worked out. I didn't trick you into anything by not telling you."

James opened his mouth to answer, then paused and frowned. "That's true," he said, sounding a touch bewildered. "I mean, this goes both ways, doesn't it? You didn't tell me, and I didn't tell you when I first noticed something was going on so..."

"So we can keep kissing?" Sirius said hopefully.

"You're so bloody weird."

"That sounds like a yes."

James snickered. "It's a yes."

"Woah," James said, eyes wide.

Sirius may or may not have snarled unkindly at being woken up before he was ready. "Sorry," he muttered. It was a gut reaction to flash his fangs when he wasn't happy, and when he was tired, it just sort of happened. He yawned, fangs retracting.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"Mm."

"Really though, you have to get up. You'll get caught if you leave any later."

"Don't care," Sirius said, snuggling his face into the pillow.

"You told me to make sure you get up."

"Past-me was an idiot."

"I trust past-you more than tired-you."

Sirius opened one eye to glare at him. When that did nothing, he turned to pouting. "Are you really going to throw me out?"

"Using your allure is A. cheating and B. not going to work."

"I should date someone who's nicer to me," Sirius grumbled, slowly pushing himself up with another yawn.

James snorted. "You have fun with that." He nuzzled at Sirius's cheek before giving him a quick kiss.

#fanfic #prongsfoot #marauders #james potter #sirius black #filled #slytherin sirius #getting together #hogwarts time #siriuslystarbucks #Anonymous

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betweentheracks · 4 years ago

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Updates//Recent Inactivity

Hello all! This is me finally taking some time to sit down and offer up a rundown on how life is currently going as a means of explaining my inactivity. This is a personal post that is guaranteed to be both rambling and emotional so if that is not your cup of tea, I understand and happily advise you just skip over this post as it is not relevant to the actual content this blog was intended for.

EDITED: After reading this back I now realize this is really just me spilling the tea on my own life and is laughably dishy in details which is extremely not my usual stance on my personal privacy. But idk, it was cathartic so I'm leaving it as is despite the urge to redact 70% of what I say.

I'll start with the good news that I am officially out of lockdown and have remained COVID-19 free since my return home from the hospital. This also means my son finally was allowed to come home to me which is dazzling and exciting and also a little terrible too. He's at a precocious age where tantrums are the cool way to communicate and having been gone for so long completely thrashing his established routine has caused friction. He came home and his parent was not the same as when he left; is much weaker and less energetic than before, paler and shaky - but also there's the addition of my best friend having moved in to assist and take care of me/him while we all do our best to muddle through.

The readjustment has been rough and a lot of this week has made me incredibly thankful to have practically zero memory of how I was as a child. There have been injuries: I have been whacked in the face with the metal cover for a floor vent while dozing on the sofa instead of paying rapt attention to whatever silliness he was showing off to me, there was his complete dismissal of me asking him to stay back and away from the hot oven as I pulled lunch from it's fiery jaws only to then be faced with a toddler quickly approaching with his hand raised to touch so I naturally made a move to block him and in the process I let go of the oven door which slammed upward and clamped my arm tightly between it and the inside cavern of the oven while it was set to a roasty 400 degrees Fahrenheit - earning me a mangled arm with burns of varying degrees, and then we also had that fit where it seemed like a much more grand idea to scale the babygate cordoning the stairs and I had to rush up them to stop him from tumbling face first down two flights and of course did the falling all on my own and did it backwards then slammed painfully into the wall of the landing. This all happened within a 48hr time frame and makes me wonder why I am so catastrophically inclined.

I have bruises that range the majority of my spine courtesy of the wall and stairs, two minor first degree burns on my forearm that are in the shape of an equals and quite large despite the lack of actual pain I feel from them, and the underside of my forearm was instantly blistered then popped then melted down into a horrid glob of skin mush and sticky red-orange and is a second degree burn that I have been assured is no real cause for concern as long as I tend it with care. In all, I managed to escape my momjuries relatively unscathed and with a child that was scared senseless at having hurt his momma and is quick to listen and never stops cuddling me in the time since. Here's hoping he isn't significantly traumatized from this since exactly none of this is especially his fault and is due to my clumsy, accident-prone status in life.

So yes, The Toddler has returned home to me and after some happenings we have settled and are happy. However, his blast from the past father has suddenly just decided to reemerge after more than a year of radio silence and static and has slapped me with a custody petition. Hooray. While I have no worries on this matter due to my mother working for one of the top custody lawyers in the state and snagging him as my representation, and the utter lack of competency on my estranged baby daddy's end clearly being displayed in literally anything and everything the idiot does/says, I do have to now go through the overhaul of a custody case and that is just so weak and exhaustive. Not to mention the basis of his claims that I am not fit to raise a child are founded in my health concerns and the crazy work schedule I keep; ironically, my health is making it so that I have much less insane hours and makes this fairly moot but to each their own I guess. Also worth noting on this matter is that he only did this now because he was recently placed under penalty for child support back pay and nothing in this world matters to him like his money and this is his special way of getting one over on me for tampering with his meager earnings. (He's a wannabe musician - the soundcloud rapper sort, just so we are all on the same page here). If I thought for even a second this was a genuine desire to be an active and stable parent I would be a lot less pressed to act in favor of making it legally binding that he can only see him under a supervisory condition and share time evenly, but it just is not believable in the slightest.

So the thing is - my health is actually quite dismal presently. I'm due in for open heart surgery on the 8th of April and until then I have been doing my utmost to mind all the nagging I get from doctors, PT specialists, the surgeons that will be slicing and dicing me, and my in-family medical practitioner that sometimes remembers he is also my brother and not just an MD. But like, you guys, this surgery is terrifying and technically is two surgeries rolled into one. They'll be cracking my chest open and then stopping my heart while they lift it from where it sits sweetly unhinged and lopsided in my body and very finely shave away some of the excess muscle that has built up around the wall of my heart as well as some unfriendly scar tissue that has lingered since my last surgery years ago. Granted there is no accidental slip that nicks my ugly gargantuan heart and renders me as good as dead, once this first part is finished the other surgeon will need to be deft and very quick to place this ventricular assisting piece in the valve that has all but given up on functioning altogether and do so in the time remaining before the time limit for my heart being essentially unplugged from by body is up, which would also feasibly mean my death. Lots of exciting and terrible sounding consequences, am I right?

Well let's bear it in mind that I am just below 30 in age and therefore not duly experienced in the realm of facing down my own mortality via making all necessary legal arrangements and managing my affairs and assets so that, in event of my untimely death, the custody case still doesn't stand a chance of snatching my son away to the sad misfortune of being raised by a man that has stated openly he only has interest in his kids so far as what they can do for him/get for him in terms of benefit and that he would be unwilling to be hypocritical and never deter his children from drugs and a lifestyle of extremely questionable moral integrity and hygiene alike. Eugh. But I also have had to make sure there is a DNR in place just in case things go wrong during the operation, my will has also been finalized and notarized, all my savings and financial/material assets have been squared away to come into my child's inheritance when he is of age and, most importantly, a document that states clear and direct instructions for him to be placed in care of my mother or, if she is unwilling or incapable, he will be under custodial order and guardianship of my best friend whom he has always viewed as a pseudo-dad anyway. Legally binding and even in light of the paternity petition this document supersedes parental right by way of the provided evidence I have submitted to prove a lack of parental credibility. That's right, I spent days lowkey stalking and sleuthing about to capture what I needed to show this man for what he actually is and I have precisely zero guilt or shame for doing it; this is my child on the line and that means momma doesn't have to play by the rules of snitches getting stitches or whatever other scary street rules he tosses at me as idle threats. (He's done this routinely for all the years I have known him, and it is somehow both pathetic and hilarious because he knows for a fact that, if I wanted, I could throttle him in less time than it would take for him to form a rational thought between his drug soaked braincells - I was also a person of less than savory character not too long ago and can handle myself very well. But I digress because I am losing my track of thought.

After the surgery I will have so damn much PT and rehab, all of which will be specific to varying parts of my body that will need to be reworked and strengthened. Weeks, months of it really. This surgery is major and hits heavy enough that I will be in the hospital for at least 10-14 days just recovering from it without taking into consideration any number of complications that could pop up. Hell, if they get in there and find a situation worse than they currently have an understanding of in the limited capacity of cardiology tech can provide of such a gnarled beastly heart and realize they can't really do anything with it after all, I'll be added to the transplant list. I think this is more daunting to consider than the surgery, honestly.

In that way that doctors have about them, I was "comforted" by being informed that this was an inevitability and I would have been faced with this in a matter of years - less than a handful actually - but the way COVID-19 chewed through me sped it up. I'm sure my years of substance issues were also very helpful in this endeavor, but either way I still am unsure whether I feel better knowing this or not? Mostly I think I feel conflicted and hopeful tempered with the caution of life being super shady in the ways it has often brought me to the doorsteps of dying in situations that seem like odd chance. I also am gifted with being so capable in jinxing myself that I brought myself to COVID-19 ("The way life is going I'll probably square up with Rona next week or some bullshit." Positive test flagged within the following week) and also into labor ("Watch me go into labor on Labor Day since that would be the sort of universal pun that would strike my bad penny having ass." Indeed hatched my youngling on Labor Day of that year) by saying some things within the scope of my bad humor that instantly manifested as reality so I'm not taking any risks here lol.

The gist is that life is really stirring up the winds over here and so I haven't been online and posting anything that would make my blog valid in a fat minute. I do apologize for this and also for the fact that this post took me nearly a week to type up, but when things calm a little I will be back in full. For the time being I will be sporadic and do what I can when I can!

Thanks to anyone that read this mess all the way here! And a big thank you to all of you still supporting me!

#racks chats #entirely too long and too personal

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gossipchii · 4 years ago

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The irony of the crest

FF.net: here / AO3: here

Characters: Takenouchi Sora and Izumi Koushiro

Words: 1200+

Notes: HOORAY I’M STILL ABLE TO WRITE? AND I FINALLY GOT THIS IDEA OUT OF MY HEAD?

I love this underrated duo soooooooooooo much, I hope you do as well!

Enjoy!!!!!!

Sora did not consider herself to be a nervous person, in fact most people tended to praise her calming aura. However, there she was, at the frozen yogurt shop taking a glance at the clock every five seconds. Of course, she knew she was early, which meant he was not late, he was never late, yet her foot could not stop stomping.

“I did not realize I was late, I’m so sorry,” Koushiro was carrying a backpack almost his size, Sora wondered how such a tiny human could carry so much weight.

“You’re not late, I’m just very early!” the mouth of her stomach felt as if someone was punching her, she winced in pain. This was not how she was planning on feeling at such a young age.

“I got worried for a second,” Koushiro sighed in relief, getting rid of his backpack, looking somehow taller. Sora had wanted to talk with Koushiro for a while, but she had not found the words on asking for alone time with him without it seeming off. Not that they were not close, Sora considered her fellow redhead one of her dearest friends, but she had never asked him for a one in one chat. “Are you going to order something?”

“Oh, sure!” truth was, the mere thought of eating made her sick, but it would be weird if she did not order a fro-yo, considering she had chosen where to meet in the first place.

Koushiro seemed excited, one would never guess a boy-genius could be so passionate about frozen yogurt and its toppings, he chose them so carefully, taking in fact every flavor and coming up with weird combinations, which Sora could never be brave enough to try.

They went back to their seats, and soon enough Sora realized she had to get ready to come clean and spit out the words that made her meet him in the first place.

“Thank you for taking some time off to talk with me, I know how busy you are, with the computer club and school, and your multiple projects.”

“It’s nothing! Miyako is taking care of everything today, she’s such a bright mind, I feel safe knowing she will take over the club next year.”

“Crazy to think they’re kind of our descendants, sometimes I wonder how did Miyako inherit my crest instead of yours, but then I remember how much she cares for everyone around her, and it makes sense.”

“I’m glad your crest is in her hands, it’s such power not anyone could bare it.”

“Yeah…” she had not had a single bite of her strawberry fro-yo, which was slowly melting. The Crest of Love, how ironic. “Even if I miss the Digital World all the time, I’m glad it’s not totally on our shoulders anymore, we have so much going on right now.”

“Right! You’re doing fantastic with the Tennis team, and Taichi with Soccer as usual, and Yamato is basically the local superstar!” The punch in her stomach came back, this time harder. She took a deep breathe. “Is everything alright, Sora?”

“I mean, nothing’s wrong but…” she was glad the store was almost empty, people did not really crave frozen yogurt at the beginning of December, plus she knew how much Koushiro loved it, she was in a safe space. “I’ve been thinking lately about the future and how our actions could affect it. I love the dynamics of our group, you know?”

“Yes, I’m particularly fond of them as well, but change is inevitable.”

“I know, and lately destiny has showed me this, Jou keeps getting ready to be a doctor, Mimi moved out to the United States, Daisuke and company joined our group…”

“You’re right, I hadn’t realized how many changed had happened in such a short time.”

“And many more may happen soon.”

“What do you mean?”

She took a deep breathe, leaving her untouched fro-yo in the table. “Lately, I’ve been having this annoying stomachache non-stop, it’s so annoying, I feel like throwing up half the time.”

“That sounds serious Sora, have you considered seeing a doctor? Or at least talking with Jou about it?” She scoffed, Koushiro was so innocent somehow.

“Actually, that’s the reason why I asked you to meet me.”

“But Sora, I know nothing about anatomy, and you must not believe everything you read online, you know? It may be a wonderful place, but it’s also very dangerous!”

“Don’t worry, I already know what’s going on, I just have no idea what to do with it.”

“So, you’ve seen a doctor? Didn’t they tell you if you should be taking medicine?”

“My stomach hurts, but I’m not sick, heck, I think I’m actually the opposite of sick. I think I’m in love.” She bit her lower lip, whispering the last part of her sentence.

“I…” Koushiro’s cheeks heat up immediately, that was the last subject he thought Sora would want to talk about.

“I have been trying to hide it for months now, but it’s gotten to the point where it hurts so bad, I know I have to do something about it,” she sighed, avoiding Koushiro’s dark eyes. “But if I do something about it everything will change, and it may not even be mutual, there’s so much at stake here, I’m scared.”

Koushiro left his fro-yo right next to Sora’s, clearly analyzing this whole situation. He could not believe Sora had chosen him to talk about the matter, he felt flattered she trusted him that much.

“I’m guessing it’s someone we know?”

“You’re guessing right, I wish we had the power to choose, because then I wouldn’t have to change a thing about our group’s dynamic…” Koushiro felt in his gut who she was talking about, but she clearly did not want to mention names. Maybe empathy was not his strongest quality, but he knew Sora well enough.

“I may not be the best person to be giving advice on this matter, but I’m certain you’ll be better off by telling them.” He sounded so serious, not an ounce of mockery in his voice. That is when Sora reaffirmed, she had made the right decision in confiding in Koushiro, he made her feel sane.

“I mean” he continued, “even your body is begging for you to let it out, I believe it will end up feeling free once you say it out loud.”

“I know you’re right, it’s just very frightening.”

“And by saying it you’ll be the bravest in our group.” They shared a comfortable silence, both stirring their melted fro-yos. “By the way, this person? The luckiest.”

“You really think so?” Sora’s eyes lit up, adding them a few shades of red.

“Absolutely, I know it’s scary, but no matter the outcome, you’ll come out a winner.” Sora could not resist, and she knew Koushiro was not much for physical affection, but she hugged him. Their friendship was nothing like any other duo in their group, they communicated through an unspoken language, which assured her she had made the right choice. She felt almost in peace.

“You’ll be the first one to know once it happens, I promise.” And Sora wasn’t one to break a promise, she started planning her next move that very same night.

#digimon adventure #digimon adventure 02 #fanfic #fanfiction #sora takenouchi #koushiro izumi #koura #underrated duo

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fellowstrangetownappreciator · 4 years ago

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Well, that was cold

I have mod that makes diseases actually dangerous. (actually several of them and they’re all listed here on Pleasant Sims’ modlist)

The first rotation? Everything’s fine. The only one who fell ill was John Burb and he, as a family Sim, was able to soup himself to health in no time.

The second rotation... Ajaj Loner got sick.

With cold.

I was like, “I know flu is pretty dangerous with this mod but cold should be fine, right? I mean, I used to have it four times a year. So glad it’s not flu!”

I thought I was lucky.

I wasn’t.

After Ajaj’s turn ended, he was free to wander around and spread the cold everywhere.

Because they have chemistry and she was on a prowl, I even had Nina Caliente seduce Ajaj. She got the cold but I was like whatever, she’s a strong quasi-alien, running nose for a few days won’t kill her!

How fatally wrong I was I realized during a vacation that Nina went on with her sister and Ajaj. She was just chilling, sleeping in her hotel room, when all of the sudden, Grim Reaper!

You sure, Dina?

Nina was dead. Dead from the cold. And she was pregnant, no less!

I reloaded because it was on a vacation and Nina was the only playable Sim, so I was quite worried what would become of the grave. I managed to get her home and moved Chloe Curious in, so that someone can eventually plead for her. She was lucky the second time around and survived. Chloe got infected but survived as well.

But we had an epidemic on our hands now. Ajaj and Nina have been quite successful generously sharing their cold all across the hood and I failed to keep track of who has it.

Still, I thought it wasn’t so bad. I didn’t understand the scale, I was still thinking that it was just Ajaj, Consort Capp and the Pleasants.

Again, I was wrong.

When I got in the rotation to the Capps (the Capps 1), everyone was infected. I was still optimistic, though, because we were talking about a household where 2/4 Sims are Family and one is a Family Secondary, they can bathe in the soup!

The teens ate their soup and survived.

Consort died that night. He was due to die at the end of their round anyway but because he didn’t do so of old age, his grandchildren received no bonus inheritance.

The only one who gained something from that was Olive Specter who was delighted to see Consort, her crush, perish, so she could finally raise him as a zombie.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a screenshot of her actually raising him, so here’s at the very least Olive walking menacingly to work.

Anyway, moving onto the Capps again (the Capps 2, Goneril edition), things looked bleak. Goneril was pregnant and she and all the kids were infected. Albany was immediately called to action to generate enough soup but the house devolved into utter chaos. Everybody had their soup but just as they recovered, they got infected again!

Ok, I was thinking, Consort was quite old and fragile. Nina must’ve had the cold for a long time, given she was on a vacation. There’s no way the kids are gonna die on the first day they got infected. They had the soup, so I’ll send them to beds, so they can get a good-night sleep and enough rest.

Nope.

Ariel, a child, died in her sleep.

Nobody was able to get to her in time to plead for her.

While I was contemplating an in-character way of resurrection, Desdemona, a young teen, died in her sleep just about two hours after her sister.

Again, nobody was fast enough.

Luckily, Miranda was already in college and she was roommates with Ophelia Nigmos, who was in possession of a genie lamp she was safeguarding from Olive. Hearing about the tragedy that befell her friend’s family, moved by the death of a little girl and her not much older sister, Ophelia the Family Sim offered Miranda the lamp on the spot.

Miranda rushed home to drop off the lamp and then ran off so she doesn’t get infected. Well, she did anyway but since I haven’t played the college Sims yet, I don’t know of her fate.

Hal made a good use of the lamp. He rolled the wants to resurrect both his sisters and that’s exactly what he did.

He triumphantly finished making the wishes...

And dropped dead.

Another young soul succumbed to cold.

But! Since there was still a wish left and his sisters were back alive, Desdemona swiftly brought him back.

Ariel’s and Hal’s resurrections were perfect.

Desdemona’s was faulty, so her personality got reversed.

But as long as they’re alive and preferably not zombies, everything will do.

The Capps were all cured! Hooray!

Wait. Not all Capps. There was still Regan’s branch and, predictably, they were all infected. And this time, there was no Family Sim in sight.

The only non-infected Sim in the family was a little toddler. The poor, poor child was in for a life-long trauma.

Kent went quick and quiet the first night of their round. Regan fortunately recovered. Cornwall did too. They had a very lucky start of the round all together, I may add. Kent’s tragic death was followed by Regan’s demotion that lead to her subsequent want to quit her job (...and she was the only one who was making any significant money), then Cornwall set the house on fire while cooking breakfast, then he got fired.

Poor thing. First got house-fired, then job-fired.

Regan’s LTW was to reach the top of the Law career, so she got herself a new job there. On her first day, she got promoted!

And she brought home a friend! Sweet!

No... nooooo...

It was Ajaj F*ckin’ Loner.

Both Regan and Cornwall got infected before you could say “act your surname and social-distance, you jerk!”

Cornwall died almost immediately. Unfortunately, Regan was asleep and failed to get up and ambush the Grim Reaper in time.

On the bright side, she recovered!

So I watch her go to work, the nanny arrives to baby-sit the toddler, everything seems to finally have settled down.

But then I spot an unexpected movement in the house.

It’s Titania Summerdream. Who let her in? I have no idea.

It would be quite sweet of her to check on her friend Regan after she lost two family members and to help with her young daughter.

If... if she didn’t have the fricking cold!

Regan returned from work and I rushed to have her send Titania away.

Of damn course she didn’t go before giving the cold to Regan.

Now it was the third time Regan got infected and there were no other family members to take care of the toddler if she dies. It was very suspenseful. I decided to use extreme measures and I teleported Albany in, made him selectable and had him cook the soup.

Instead of that, he proceeded to bicker with Regan.

If he got re-infected, I swear...

Anyway, after a three tries or so, Regan got her soup and Albany was on his merry way away.

What a relief! I sent Regan to sleep, trusting the soup to do its magic. The next morning her needs all looked great! No notification yet but I was sure it’s gonna arrive any second. When suddenly...

Yeap, she died.

Regan Capp died the way she lived. Paying her family’s bills.

I used Simblender again to quickly move in Hal. He was there in time to plead for Regan!

And for the first time in the Capp household, he actually made it! He pleaded!

And... and... lost.

So I had him stay to take care of the toddler until their round was over. Then I moved them both back with Goneril’s branch.

At the very least young Ione, the genius toddler with maxed Logic skill, got something resembling a birthday party with her cousin and his boyfriend Alexander Goth.

Given that Montys had their losses as well, the cold has already taken out much of the adult population of Veronaville.

The only two adults left (not counting fresh elders Albany and Goneril) in Veronaville were in fact the Summerdreams who were extremely lucky and with an abundance of soup, they survived.

To be completely honest, I’m very happy with the mod. I tend to play large hoods and although it tends to be rather tragic, the occasional epidemic of cold trims the population down a bit without me killing anybody off and it gives the game an additional bit of challenge and randomness.

...or maybe I’m just a sh*tty person to my Sims.

Bonus screenshots of the Strangetown cold outbreak:

Vidcund Curious spent two nights sleeping in a chair in his children’s bedroom because he was afraid they’re going to die from the cold in their sleep and wanted to be there to plead for them. In the end it actually happened, he pleaded and managed to save his daughter.

The Smiths had to be unfortunately visited by the Therapist. PT9 died on the day he was supposed to die of old age but hours prior, he became yet another victim of the cold. And it was very unlucky, since it meant no inheritance and by the Watcher, Jenny and their 5 kids could definitely use it. They were completely broke.

But not everything was morbid and tragic!

Lazlo rolled quite the unexpected want to get married to his girlfriend, Cassandra Goth. They weren’t engaged, she wasn’t pregnant, he’s not a Family secondary, and the date they were on wasn’t even in the stage Sims usually roll engagement wants, he simply rolled it out of the blue. And of course I went with it! (Cassandra had recently divorced Don, rolling the wish to remarry almost immediately.)

The only family in the hood that could technically mass-produce medicine so that not everyone is dependent on the soup, the Beakers, of course didn’t. Why would they risk their hides, toying with the Mysterious Disease, when they didn’t have to? Instead, they social-distanced and spent the rotation raking in promotions and taking care of their army of children. (Loki kept rolling wants to get abducted and ARC wasn’t kind to them either. But with Loki being Family secondary and Circe leaving most of the parenting on him anyway, I don’t think they mind.)

Note the alien toddler, the second youngest child. He has 10 Nice points. That’s 4 points more than all 5 of his siblings and his parents combined. He’s gonna have a rough childhood, the poor thing.

Jill Smith managed to get nibbled on by the pack leader just in time, a few days before going to college. She’s thrilled by her new wolf-y powers! And regardless of what her mother says, she knows the fur goes with her school uniform just perfectly!

Rachel Pleasant, the youngest offspring of Daniel that he knows about (the second youngest overall), aged up into a child! And judging by the look on her face, she already knows how much of a mess her family is.

Not even being brought back from the dead made Desdemona Capp immune to the Summerdream charm. Bottom, the young Romance Sim, invited her girlfriend to hang out in their hot tub. It was an afternoon to remember for both of them.

Local ageing general married a successful young athlete, Kristen Loste. Unfortunately for everyone attending the wedding, the bride’s former roommate Chloe Curious decided that flirting with her literally the next interaction after Kristen said, “I do.” was a smart idea. No need to add that the wedding cake was left to rot forgotten, never cut. It was a sad wedding cake but even though it started to stink around two hours after the wedding, it still lasted longer than the marriage.

And far away in La Fiesta Tech, two estranged siblings were talking things out and healing their relationship.

Now I lost this hood (again) and started a new one, so the next gameplay post will probably feature the same characters in completely different circumstances and nothing is going to make sense but... what does anyway?

#the sims 2 #simbrl #strangetown #veronaville #pleasantview #gameplay #ts2 #the sims

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