#I've been wanting to add something like this to my Not So Berry save

[plasma-janes]

Oasis Springs Community Center

I've been going through some builder's block the past few weeks, but was finally able to pull together the outside of this community center

[inksandpensblog]

-- Found the fiddlestickbug in the nether fortress. It was stuck in the soul sand and had been struck by a wither blade. I've brought it home. Red helped me drip-feed it enough milk to purge the wither effect. It's curled up on the table now.  It's elytra is cracked and its wing is torn. Red thinks we can still save it, now that the wither effect is cured. I didn't need to use health potion. It's so small. It still hasn't eaten the sweetberry I left for it. I don't know how I'm gonna get it to ingest a regen potion if it doesn't eat. For now I've splashed it with a drop of regen. Also slowfall because it's probably used to flying. And turtle-master so it's less likely to put stress on its injuries.

I just had an idea.  Stewing flowers with suspicions effects boosts their properties.  If it won't drink potion, maybe I can get it to drink stew. "It" being the fiddlestickbug. It should all be ingredients it likes anyway, right? Fairies like mushrooms and plants and stuff, don't they? At least bugs do.  Oxeye daisy for regen. Maybe dandelion for saturation too, since the effects still won't be as potent as with a drinkable potion. I'm gonna feed it sus-stew with oxeye and dandelion until it's back to what Red thinks is its normal energy level.

It finally ate the berry. I'll have to offer it another one to see if it'll actually eat them regularly or if it only ate because it was starving.  The fiddlestickbug, I mean.  We need a better name for him.

--  Red says Purple (that's what we're calling fiddlestickbug now) has perked up. He responds when we try to interact with him now. I don't think it likes me very much. It seems to like Red the most.  It won't drink potion. I tried just holding a bottle of splash open near it, but he doesn't seem to like the fumes either.  Guess it's just sus-stew and splash-droplets, then. He'll have to deal with the fumes. Regen isn't best as a contact-potion. Still. If he won't let potion into his gut at least some will get in his lungs.  Or. You know what I mean. Whatever sticks have for lungs.  And whatever mobs have too I guess. At least we know it does actually like the sweetberries. Red wants to try beetroot next, since he first saw it hiding among the beets. I'm gonna try beet soup first. 

--  The stews and potions are working! It's really slow but the tear in the wing and the cracks in the elytra are smaller now. Green keeps trying to play with it. Red's told him to stop picking it up so much. 

--  It's started making little quiet humming noises to itself with He's started humming to himself with his wings under his elytra. Red says it's probably safe to try solid foods now, so I'm giving it Purple the flowers and the mushrooms whole. And the beets.  It's started climbing more stuff. I may have to splash it him with slowfall again.

--  Dammit Orange if you set it back at all  He tried to give it a bath Red said it screamed so frantically it sounded like it was being tortured Poor thing must've thought it was drowning he was being drowned. I know Orange just wanted to clean the mud from outside off of it but good grief.

Doesn't look like his injuries have gotten any worse from the bathing attempt. I know we can't just let it be dirty all the time but that was too much. And I don't think Yellow's idea of automating a bath is the solution. Solution. Maybe a different soap would make it easier. Something with a comforting scent. Or something that feels different. I'll have to experiment. I haven't tried my hand at soaps again in a while. It's just potions but with slimeballs as the first ingredient in the water bottle instead of netherwart. Then sunflower, then either honeycomb or cocoa beans but not both. After that I can add whatever. I hope Purple can bear with me through enough baths. Or bear with us I guess. I guess he doesn't need to know I'm making the soap. Anyway, Orange promised not to do the bowl of water again. Just pouring from now on. He'd used my basic soap. Just sunflower and honeycomb. Or did he use the sunflower and cocoa one? I'll have to check. 

--  Okay so turns out Purple doesn't like mushrooms. Like, at all. Sorry for feeding you so much suspicious stew buddy. Maybe that's why he doesn't like me. No, he didn't like me before that. At least he seems fine with the dandelions and oxeye daisies. That's good. The effects won't be as potent with the raw flowers but he'll still get something from eating them. And he does like the beets. Maybe I'll try carrots next.

--  We're gonna start Purple on whatever you'd call physical therapy for limbs when those limbs are also a vocal organ. Red caught it Purple singing the other day, wings-out shell-up, so we've got to make sure he isn't straining himself too much and also that he's healing right. The plan is to have Green do singing exercises with him every day and monitor how he does. After each session we'll give him milk and then see what the potions and flowers might've hidden, and then do treatment. Once he's a little further along we'll switch to milk before the sessions. Green is really excited to play with his muse it Purple again. He can't fly away now. At least Purple likes him.

Carrots worked. Red suggests apples next.  I left a bunch of different flowers out for Purple, and everyone says he seemed to like the peonies and lilacs the most. Wait Orange found him in a peony back then, I remember his sketch. That makes sense. He can hide in it pretty well. I guess the lilac also makes sense. It's not exactly close to his color but it's closer than other flowers. Except maybe alliums. But I'm not putting those in a soap. Actually maybe I should add cornflower to his diet. It has jump-boost properties, maybe it would encourage him to start trying to fly again. Red says he should be trying to use his wings for flight too by now.

--  Purple likes apples. Purple doesn't like the peony-lilac soap Purple didn't seem too enthused about the peony-lilac soap, according to Orange.  Maybe I'll try again with cocoa bean instead of honeycomb. Same flowers. I've been trying to extend the duration of Purple's potion effects so he won't have to see me as often but I've run out of redstone dust. I'll have to ask Yellow for some. At least he ate the cornflower too. He probably wouldn't appreciate a potion of leaping but I may have to do one. 

--  Purple's started getting an attitude. He's avoiding me when I go to get him for potions. He climbed up high (or flew maybe) and then didn't come down when I tried to lure him out with a cookie (he got into a batch of cookies Orange and I made the other day). And then he bit Green. That was fun. Red had to calm get him down after that.

We're switching to milk before the musical exercises now.  I'm short on redstone dust again.  Orange says that Purple liked the cocoa soap even less than the honeycomb soap. What else can I try. Is it still a texture thing? 

--  Red is a lot more hands-off with Purple now. I think he's really getting worried that Purple hasn't been flying.  Or he still thinks that Green is a little too hands-on. At least he's letting me splash him without Red hanging over my shoulder now.

Purple is really taking advantage of the slowfall and leaping combined. But now Red is wondering if giving him too much protection is actually stunting his recovery. He flutters his wings and stuff when he's climbing to give himself a boost up but that's it. According to Green he doesn't show any discomfort with his wings when singing. I guess I can try weaning him off of slowfall. I feel like I shouldn't take away his flowers though. So he'll still have a bit of leaping. Just less.  Good news is, Orange said that Purple seemed okay with poppyseeds in the soap. I'm gonna try sand next.

--  Purple just jumped into the sand! He saw it and then just. Dove into it immediately.  Actually I think that's the closest he's gotten to flying. But then he started rubbing the grains all over his arms and legs, like actually scrubbing himself with them. Now he's shimmying and twisting around, probably trying to get it up into his back-fluff. Whatever Red called it. Setae, I think. He also called it a setal pile but I think that means a pile is just a type of setae. I dunno. It's all fuzz to me. Or maybe he's trying to rub his elytra against it. Anyway! I think I was right about the soap texture. Purple likes grit. Think I'm gonna try sand and poppyseeds both in the next one. Maybe charcoal too, for maximum exfoliation. Not that he'd care about that probably. He'd just appreciate the grittiness.

Ah. I will not be trying anymore soaps. Red learned that bug setae have this waxy coating, and it looks like Purple's does too. And it turns out that soap destroys that coating. So. No more soap. Geez no wonder he thought we were drowning him. I already made the new soap just for him too.

Honestly I'm not really that upset about it though, now that I think about it. I mean yeah it's a little disappointing but if it was gonna hurt him more then of course I'm gonna stop. Now I'm kinda glad he didn't know I was making the soaps. Orange doesn't wanna let him just roll around in sand though. Apparently sand-baths aren't clean enough for his standards. Green suggested an archeology brush. That actually sounds not too bad. As long as Purple knows to keep his shell closed, I'd hate to know what that might do to his wings. And I guess I did learn that I can make bar soap by adding a ball of clay at the end. 

--  Good news is, the archeology brush worked.  Meh news is, I'm not splashing Purple with potions anymore. Red said he's still not flying enough. But at least Purple seems less wary of me now that  Bad news is, I'm out of redstone dust again and at this rate I'm starting to think that Yellow is pilfering my stash.

I'll confront him about it tomorrow. Purple actually let me approach him without getting anxious today. I'm still not sure he'll let me pick him up, but I don't want to pressure him and I'm pretty sure Red doesn't want us picking him up anymore anyway. Maybe I'll try skritching his back, see if he'll let me. He seems to like it when the others do it. 

--

[youredreamingofroo]

hello to all the soupers out there, I'm Roo, not to be mistaken with my own OC/Persona, Roo.

I'm 18, go by He/They, but you can use any pronouns. I play a lot of games, but the one that I'll be posting about (the most anyways) is the Sims 4! I love a lot of other games tho, like Rain world, Project zomboid, Beyond two Souls, Detroit become human, Far cry 5, Minecraft... the list could go on. i've been playing the sims for as long as I can remember, starting with Sims 1, and working up to, now, the Sims 4, Sims 3 will always be my favorite sims game however, no matter how much I play TS4

In TS4, I primarily make sims, occasionally build, play through legacies and share the story of my sims. I love making stories, I'm not that good at writing, but I only make stories to make characters, and to convey character, not to be a masterclass writer.

I'm also a blender user, while not skilled whatsoever in it, I enjoy making simple scenes with as much emotion and atmosphere that I can convey :)

I will frequently update this as my simblr grows and I do more stuff

This section is all dedicated to my beloved OC Roo, and his family, and in general, story. If you follow me, you will get well acquainted with him, and will probably get attached to him.

[ Roo-seum - If you want to get to know Roo, this goes over pretty much every single year of his life, from age 9, to age 28.

[ Roo - Any and every post about Roo.

[ Roo's Family - If you want to get to know Roo's entire family, from his mother, to his sisters, this is where you wanna be.

[ Roo (Other) - Extra characters in Roo's story who don't apply to the above tags, this includes friends, enemies and pretty much anyone who isn't immediate family.

[ For individual characters related to his story: - Virginia, Reese, Jordynn, Devan, Deliahna, Juniper, Leo^, Hayden^, Rylan^, Sean^^, Evan^^, Josey^^, Noah^^^, Mateo^^^

No Carrot: Immediate Family ^: Directly related, affected his story one way or another, or just a character who means a lot to him ^^: Not directly related, but close to him, like a family member ^^^: Not related to his story at all, and moreso related to/affected a family member

[ Amnesia (Sharkie) 🦈 - Status : Hiatus ]

[ Not So Berry - Status : Hiatus ]

[ Not So Berry RECAP - Catching simblr up in a very scuffed three post long recap of my NSB save (which is, as of writing this, on Gen 2-3) ]

[ Heir Tags: - Coral (Gen 1^), Cataleya (Gen 2^^), Calico (Gen 3^^^)

^: finished gen ^^: gen in progress ^^^: born, haven't started/finished last gen

[ Individual characters: - Don (Lothario), Peregrine, Constance, Emmett, Callum, Malcolm (Landgraab), Alexander (Goth), Philly, Lunea, Thalia

[ roossimsoup - Just my Sims ]

[ roosmakeovers - All my townie makeovers! ]

[ Simsbingo - Not finished! 2/5 ]

this section is dedicated to my two OCs, Ithuriel and Nanel and their separate universe.

[ Ithanel - This is for posts of just Ithuriel and Nanel ]

[ IthanelUNI - This is for posts in the Ithuriel and Nanel Universe ]

[ Blender Renders - All of my renders that I've made in blender ]

This is for any other tags I may use (like reblogging)

[ rb - All the posts I've rb'd but clumped up (sometimes I forget to add the tag, but usually I rmbr and edit it in) ]

[ yapping - Posts where I just talk or where I answer something (if I remember to add the tag) ]

[ Unrooleased - This is content that I've made before, but haven't posted, from my stupid art, to sims, to blender renders and whatever else I can find ]

[fishingforsims]

If you wonder where I've been: a ramble

I've been thinking about berry sims and simblr a lot, lately. It's been years since I was regularly posting and I miss it. I don't think I'll ever really leave simblr because there's so much here I still want to see. But I've been having a lot of fun playing without posting in mind and without the restraints of picking things based on color palettes.

While I'd like to get back to berry sims (whether I post or not), my computer is truly reaching the end of her lifespan and I'm running out of space for new CC. I don't have anything even approaching enough for a new PC and set up. So, unfortunately, TS4 berries will not be in the near future. I've been considering popping into TS3 to fulfill my berry needs, but the EA app is truly testing me. I regularly open it and it says TS3 has been removed from my library. Then I have to contact support all over again.

The Sims series is without a doubt one of the most exhausting games to be a fan of. It's glitchy and buggy and broken in a thousand ways. Sometimes I spend a whole day figuring out what went wrong, and at the end of it, I don't even want to play anymore. I think that's part of why I've been spending all my time playing without posting. At the end of all that, I don't want to add more work to what should be a fun hobby.

Another reason is that I can tell stories in my head and not worry if they make sense to anyone else! I can go back and retcon things I did and didn't like. I don't have to justify story choices; if I want it, it happens. I miss sharing my sims with y'all, don't get me wrong. But I think I was just getting burnt out on storytelling, and that's something I never want to happen again.

I've taken a lot of time to play "offline" and to get into other games, too. I never posted about it here, but I got very into ACNH. In fact, I've played for over 2,700 hours and even got a tattoo of Lucky! I've decorated and torn down and redecorated my town into different themes over and over again. I also got into Stardew Valley which has taken up a lot of my time over the past few years. There were other games and hobbies I worked on and which took my time that The Sims just fell to the wayside.

However, over the past few months, I've been playing saves a little differently than my usual. My current ones are a "slow living" legacy (set to long lifespan instead of normal), a perfect sim LEPacy, an occult legacy, and the start of a Differences in the Family Tree challenge. I still take all the photos I always have, still make up all the stories. I think of simblr often when I play. Even after being inactive so long, I still find myself thinking of getting the right shot or the wording of dialogue.

I don't think I'll ever leave simblr, because there's too much of me still here. I just won't be as present as I was, and I think that's okay. It's time to stop beating myself up about it.

TL;DR: I'll probably never be a regular poster again, but I'll be here lurking just the same.

[alyssa-johaan]

NEW YORK

New York was a dream and this time around I got to enjoy the city differently. My first time to NYC was in 2018 with my mum and since it was my first time there I wanted to do all the touristy things and visit iconic movie landmarks. This time around the itinerary was different for my husband and I.

We got to take it a day at a time, visiting landmarks I've saved on my Pinterest and TikTok. We stayed on 42nd St which was directly next to Grand Central in the bustle of the city but my favourite spot from this trip has to be Brooklyn/Williamsburg.

I shared some of my recs via the different neighbourhoods we visited throughout our trip on my Instagram Broadcast channel but listing them all down below for an easier read :)

Coffee chains I visited around the city:

What I ordered -

Blue Bottle - Sweet Coffee

Bluestone Lane - Iced Honey Oat Latte

Brooklyn/Williamsburg:

What I ordered -

L'Appertement 4F - possibly my favourite and most memorable bakery spot ever. There was something about its cozy ambience as your approach their store in Brooklyn. It is the girl bakery dream. We had an Everything croissant and it was so fluffy, flavourful and the perfect type of savoury croissant.

Poppy's Brooklyn - matcha with pistachio milk! my first time trying pistachio milk and enjoyed the mix of matcha and pistachio.

Vinnies Brooklyn - come and stay for their elote pizza and add extra hot sauce ;)

Levain Bakery - a chain so you’ll find this everywhere but we went to the one at Williamsburg! Got the triple chocolate chip cookie yum.

Bakeri Brooklyn - the coziest looking bakery tucked in the midst of Williamsburg - I could imagine a cozy rainy day here. I saw a lot of people getting their soup of the day but we just got their Christmas special triple chocolate peppermint cookie.

East Village:

What I ordered -

From Lucie - oat milk latte with lavender (I’m not going to lie this may have been my favourite coffee so far) and we took away their mini carrot cake with vanilla frosting

Tompkins Square Bagels - everything bagel with cream cheese, the perfect bagel order when you’re not looking for a lot of things!

Katz Deli - some say pastrami, I say where Harry meets Sally. A wide menu to choose from, Ashwyn had their pastrami sandwich (as they’re famous for) and I had the cucumbers and pickles on the side with their house mustard which I loved.

SoHo:

What I ordered -

Eileen's Cheesecake - I don’t like cheesecake so this was for Ashwyn! He loves a good cheesecake anywhere. He got a strawberry tart and he said it was good and crumbly.

Sporty & Rich Cafe - when in SoHo and in NY, I had to… got the Smoothie #1 on their menu which was a mix of berries. It was yum and a large size.

Aime Leon Dore Cafe - also when in NY’s SoHo… known for their Freddo Espresso but we just got a cookie to go! Was caffeinated 2x by the time we got here.

Pop Up Bagels - we took away an Everything bagel and a Salted Poppyseed bagel with a tub of scallion schmear, this was soooo good.

La Cabra Coffee - took away their oat latte and it was divine.

Kips Bay:

What I ordered -

Birch Coffee - An everything croissant (you can tell that we had quite a bit of an “everything” something and all of it has been so good) and an iced honey oat latte + a hot vanilla oat latte.

Bryant Park/5th Avenue:

What I ordered -

Sweet Green - I’ve seen so much about it online, I just had to try it IRL. Loved my kale salad combo - crispy kale, miso glazed salmon, spicy cashew dressing, breadcrumbs, chilli flakes yum.

Suki Japanese Kitchen - a Japanese curry house; we both got the curry rice and tried it at different spice levels. Ashwyn got a 3 and I got a 5 ;)

Baked by Melissa - a city cupcake chain. We tried their mini Christmas sugar cookie, PB&J and cookie dough.

Magnolia Bakery - home of the best banana pudding in town and you know it.

In a New York state of mind x

Fore more of what I’ve been up to:

My Instagram

My TikTok

My YouTube

[cyprus-green]

Happy Birthday Granger!

I've missed you, Granger.

Can you believe it? You've been on the run for more than a whole year now.

And more importantly, you're 18 today. Quite the Matagot. Luckily for you, I like older women.

Do you have any plans? Will Potter and Weasle celebrate with you?

Perhaps forage you some berries? Catch a hare. Or whatever it is you scavenge for out there. Maybe they'll sing you a song? Though from what I've heard, you may want to skip the ballad.

I miss your notes, however brief and infrequent.

Now, I simply wait for Reeves to return, my letter removed, beak stained with red berries. I figure that's your call sign. Your own small way of letting me know you're still out there. Still fighting. Still galavanting around, risking your entire life and wellbeing for scarhead...

But of course, it very well may be some poor, confused sod who is receiving the enchanted letters. Or perhaps the dark lord has found you and now I write to a ghost.

Would you haunt me?

I try not to think of it.

Fuck. I'm sorry.

My apologies. The distance has been... difficult.

I don't tell you nearly enough. Some nights I lay awake till dawn, worrying if today will be the day I hear the cries around the manor. A jubilee that Harry Potter is gone for good; and if he's gone then so are you.

And I cannot begin to fathom it.

I only wish we could be together. For one day. One night, even. Just to feel your corporal form. To hear you laugh until you cry. See your smile bloom.

Would you protest if I tried to steal another kiss? Or would you melt into my arms again. Would the time and distance make it new? Or would you remember the taste of us.

Granger, you unravel me. Infuriate me. It terrifies me, just how deeply and constantly I fear for your saftey. If you dont return my letters soon, I'll have no other choice but to track you down and find you myself.

And you know how much I hate rambling about. Please save me the suffering.

Also... If safety permits, could you send Reeves with something? A leaf. A branch. A twig. Some other coloured berry. Anything to show that you live. That you're out there. Looking up at the same night sky.

I fear Reeves will complain if I add too much more to this scroll. But on your birthday, I wanted to wish you happier times. Saftey of a warm bed. A way back into my arms. I wish the whole war done.

I don't know when we'll speak next. But I have vowed to leave nothing unsaid between us...

You have my heart, little lion. Wherever you may roam. So can you at least try to stay alive? Please?

But I digress. Just be safe Granger. It's all I ask of you.

Happy Birthday, Golden Girl. Come home to me soon.

With all of my heart,

DM

[katnissmellarkkk]

Part Two of my bookcomb for every time Katniss and/or Peeta smiled in relation to the other. This post is all of Catching Fire. They never once smiled at each other in Mockingjay, ever. And yes, I’m bitter.

-

My face breaks into a huge smile and I start walking in Peeta's direction. Then, as if I can't stand it another second, I start running. He catches me and spins me around and then he slips — he still isn't entirely in command of his artificial leg — and we fall into the snow, me on top of him, and that's where we have our first kiss in months.

-

“Let's start with something more basic. Isn't it strange that I know you'd risk your life to save mine ... but I don't know what your favorite color is?” he says.

A smile creeps onto my lips. “Green. What's yours?”

“Orange,” he says.

“Orange? Like Effie's hair?” I say.

“A bit more muted,” he says. “More like ... sunset.”

-

“Want to see my talent? Cinna did a great job on it.”

Peeta laughs. “Later.” The train lurches forward, and I can see the land moving past us through the window. “Come on, we're almost to District Eleven. Let's go take a look at it.”

-

I look at Peeta and he gives me a sad smile. I hear Haymitch's voice. “You could do a lot worse.” At this moment, it's impossible to imagine how I could do any better. The gift ... it is perfect. So when I rise up on tiptoe to kiss him, it doesn't seem forced at all.

-

Peeta takes my arm, bringing me to a stop. He doesn't need to check my face to see if I'm serious. “Depends on why you're asking.”

“President Snow wasn't convinced by me. There's an uprising in District Eight. We have to get out,” I say.

“By 'we' do you mean just you and me? No. Who else would be going?” he asks.

“My family. Yours, if they want to come. Haymitch, maybe,” I say.

“What about Gale?” he says.

“I don't know. He might have other plans,” I say.

Peeta shakes his head and gives me a rueful smile. “I bet he does. Sure, Katniss, I'll go.”

I feel a slight twinge of hope. “You will?”

“Yeah. But I don't think for a minute you will,” he says.

-

When we're outside, I turn to Peeta. “You go on back. I want to walk by the Hob.”

“I'll go with you,” he says.

“No. I've dragged you into enough trouble,” I tell him.

“And avoiding a stroll by the Hob ... that's going to fix things for me?” He smiles and takes my hand. Together we wind through the streets of the Seam until we reach the burning building. They haven't even bothered to leave Peacekeepers around it. They know no one would try to save it.

-

“The slag heap next to the east entrance,” says Prim patiently.

“No. When did you say that?” I demand.

“Last night,” Haymitch chimes in.

“It was definitely the east,” adds Peeta. He looks at Haymitch and they laugh. I glare at Peeta and he tries to look contrite. “I'm sorry, but it's what I've been saying. You don't listen when people talk to you.”

“Bet people told you he didn't live there today and you didn't listen again,” says Haymitch.

“Shut up, Haymitch,” I say, clearly indicating he's right.

Haymitch and Peeta crack up and Prim allows herself a smile.

“Fine. Somebody else can arrange to get the stupid goat knocked up,” I say, which makes them laugh more. And I think, This is why they've made it this far, Haymitch and Peeta. Nothing throws them.

-

Finally Peeta says, “That force field at the bottom of the cliff, it was like the one on the roof of the Training Center. The one that throws you back if you try to jump off and commit suicide. Haymitch found a way to turn it into a weapon.”

“Not just against the other tributes, but the Capitol, too,” I say. “You know they didn't expect that to happen. It wasn't meant to be part of the arena. They never planned on anyone using it as a weapon. It made them look stupid that he figured it out. I bet they had a good time trying to spin that one. Bet that's why I don't remember seeing it on television. It's almost as bad as us and the berries!”

I can't help laughing, really laughing, for the first time in months. Peeta just shakes his head like I've lost my mind—and maybe I have, a little.

“Almost, but not quite,” says Haymitch from behind us. I whip around, afraid he's going to be angry over us watching his tape, but he just smirks and takes a swig from a bottle of wine. So much for sobriety. I guess I should be upset he's drinking again, but I'm preoccupied with another feeling.

-

I turn and put my lips close to Peeta's and drop my eyelids in imitation of Finnick. “He offered me sugar and wanted to know all my secrets,” I say in my best seductive voice.

Peeta laughs. “Ugh. Not really.”

“Really,” I say. “I'll tell you more when my skin stops crawling.”

“Do you think we'd have ended up like this if only one of us had won?” he asks, glancing around at the other victors. “Just another part of the freak show?”

“Sure. Especially you,” I say.

“Oh. And why especially me?” he says with a smile.

“Because you have a weakness for beautiful things and I don't,” I say with an air of superiority. “They would lure you into their Capitol ways and you'd be lost entirely.”

“Having an eye for beauty isn't the same thing as a weakness,” Peeta points out. “Except possibly when it comes to you.”

-

We end up on the same elevator with her, and she spends the whole ride to the seventh floor chatting to Peeta about his paintings while the light of his still-glowing costume reflects off her bare breasts. When she leaves, I ignore him, but I just know he's grinning. I toss aside his hand as the doors close behind Chaff and Seeder, leaving us alone, and he breaks out laughing.

“What?” I say, turning on him as we step out on our floor.

“It's you, Katniss. Can't you see?” he says.

“What's me?” I say.

[..]

“Yeah, but ... I mean, for the Capitol, you're pure,” he says, clearly trying to mollify me. “For me, you're perfect. They're just teasing you.”

“No, they're laughing at me, and so are you!” I say.

“No.” Peeta shakes his head, but he's still suppressing a smile. I'm seriously rethinking the question of who should get out of these Games alive when the other elevator opens.

-

After training, Peeta and I hang out, waiting for Haymitch and Effie to show up for dinner. When we're called to eat, Haymitch pounces on me immediately. “So at least half the victors have instructed their mentors to request you as an ally. I know it can't be your sunny personality.”

“They saw her shoot,” says Peeta with a smile. “Actually, I saw her shoot, for real, for the first time. I'm about to put in a formal request myself.”

-

“You'd have thought we planned it,” says Peeta, giving me just the hint of a smile.

“Didn't you?” asks Portia. Her fingers press her eyelids closed as if she's warding off a very bright light.

“No,” I say, looking at Peeta with a new sense of appreciation. “Neither of us even knew what we were going to do before we went in.”

-

Peeta walks me down to my room in silence, but before he can say good night, I wrap my arms around him and rest my head against his chest. His hands slide up my back and his cheek leans against my hair. “I'm sorry if I made things worse,” I say.

“No worse than I did. Why did you do it, anyway?” he says.

“I don't know. To show them that I'm more than just a piece in their Games?” I say.

He laughs a little, no doubt remembering the night before the Games last year. We were on the roof, neither of us able to sleep. Peeta had said something of the sort then, but I hadn't understood what he meant. Now I do.

-

No one bothers us. By late afternoon, I lie with my head on Peeta's lap, making a crown of flowers while he fiddles with my hair, claiming he's practicing his knots. After a while, his hands go still. “What?” I ask.

“I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever,” he says.

Usually this sort of comment, the kind that hints of his undying love for me, makes me feel guilty and awful. But I feel so warm and relaxed and beyond worrying about a future I'll never have, I just let the word slip out. “Okay.”

I can hear the smile in his voice. “Then you'll allow it?”

“I'll allow it,” I say.

-

I leave my weapons in the dirt as I fling myself at him. “Peeta?” I say softly. I brush the damp blond strands of hair back from his forehead, find the pulse drumming against my fingers at his neck.

His lashes flutter open and his eyes meet mine. “Careful,” he says weakly. “There's a force field up ahead.”

I laugh, but there are tears running down my cheeks.

[…]

I notice a gleam of gold on Peeta's chest. I reach out and retrieve the disk that hangs from a chain around his neck. My mockingjay has been engraved on it. “Is this your token?” I ask.

“Yes. Do you mind that I used your mockingjay? I wanted us to match,” he says.

“No, of course I don't mind.” I force a smile. Peeta showing up in the arena wearing a mockingjay is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it should give a boost to the rebels in the district. On the other, it's hard to imagine President Snow will overlook it, and that makes the job of keeping Peeta alive harder.

-

Finnick slowly begins to revive. His eyes open, focus on us, and register awareness that he's being helped. I rest his head on my lap and we let him soak about ten minutes with everything immersed from the neck down. Peeta and I exchange a smile as Finnick lifts his arms above the seawater.

-

Finnick and I fall back in the sand, laughing our heads off. Every time we try to stop, we look at Peeta's attempt to maintain a disdainful expression and it sets us off again.

-

Beetee is still messing around the tree, doing I don't know what, taking measurements and such. At one point he snaps off a sliver of bark, joins us, and throws it against the force field. It bounces back and lands on the ground, glowing. In a few moments it returns to its original color. “Well, that explains a lot,” says Beetee. I look at Peeta and can't help biting my lip to keep from laughing since it explains absolutely nothing to anyone but Beetee.

-

Johanna keeps watch while Finnick, Peeta, and I clean and lay out the seafood. Peeta's just pried open an oyster when I hear him give a laugh. “Hey, look at this!” He holds up a glistening, perfect pearl about the size of a pea. “You know, if you put enough pressure on coal it turns to pearls,” he says earnestly to Finnick.

“No, it doesn't,” says Finnick dismissively. But I crack up, remembering that's how a clueless Effie Trinket presented us to the people of the Capitol last year, before anyone knew us. As coal pressured into pearls by our weighty existence. Beauty that arose out of pain.

-

[fbwzoo]

Hello! I've seen your wonderful crab posts and figured you'd be one of the best people to go to. I've been put in a weird situation. My roommates got me a hermit crab. I'm aware that they require a lot of care; however, he is currently living in the fish bowl that they provided me with with a sponge, some shells, a little plastic house, and generic crab food. What is the most immediate way I can provide him with good housing/food/stimulation until I can save up for something better?

Ooof, that’s a rough situation, I’m sorry! :/ But I’m glad you’re aware of their care needs and want to improve things for your new crab!

Okay so housing first thing. Plastic totes are your friend! They’re cheap, easy to get, and will work great for a temp enclosure for a few months. If you can, get one that’s at least around the size of a 10g tank, but a bit bigger will be better & easier to set up - think 20-40g size. Make sure you get a lid with it, as you’ll want that to help hold in humidity for your new friend.

On the plus side, substrate is pretty cheap for these guys! Play sand is the bulk of it, and usually you can get a 50lb bag of that for $3-8 at a hardware or home improvement store (Lowe’s, Ace, Home Depot, etc.). Depending on the tote size you get, you’ll need at least one, maybe two bags. Make sure you buy it from inside the store if at all possible - outside sand is more likely to end up with mold or fungus spores in it. If you can, get a brick of Eco Earth to mix in with the sand. You’ll want to add water to expand it, let it dry out for a little bit, then mix it in. The loose stuff in the bag works fine too, if you’d prefer, and doesn’t need water added to it. You want around 6″ of substrate, at least, so your crab has plenty of room to dig.

Enclosure decor - This can be pretty cheap & easy! You can use some tupperware containers for water pools - they should be deep enough for your crab to submerge in completely. Make sure they have a way to climb in & out though. Plastic cross stitch canvas is really good for this & costs like 25 cents a sheet. I prefer to double up the bowls - this way you can leave the bottom one in place (in case crab is buried around it) and just take the top one out to change the water. 

Hides and climbing stuff can be a lot of things. Coconut hides, tupperware with holes cut in them, ceramic plant pots, etc. Climbing stuff can be  cross stitch canvas, coconut mats, fake plants, wood, etc. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ if you check out the Crabitat Conditions, DIY, and Pictures sections on there, you should be able to get some good ideas for these things! Just be careful as some things are more prone to becoming moldy, like hay/straw, twine, some types of wood, & such.

You can get cheaper fake plants from dollar stores & craft stores, just be careful that they don’t have glitter, small plastic pieces (like berries) that will come off, not painted, and the dye doesn’t leak when you clean them before putting in.

Heat & humidity - Make sure the tote is closed up & that will help keep heat & humidity in. Larger water bowls will help add humidity, and so will bowls or piles of sphagnum moss (which you can spray carefully, don’t spray the rest of the enclosure so as to avoid flooding substrate). You can add air stones/bubblers to the pools to help boost humidity as well, but the equipment for that stuff can cost a bit more unless you find it secondhand. Small fish filters can work too, but in both cases, you want to be careful that water isn’t splashing out of the bowls a lot, which is a flooding risk.

For heating, you’re really better off spending the money on something better right now. Pet store heating pads aren’t great, IMO, and most of them are meant to be stuck on & not taken off (which can break wires & turn into a fire hazard). http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads are the best heating mats IMO, and can be attached to the back of the tote with tape (I use packing tape) and then taken off to be used on another tank. They can also be safely insulated with cardboard or styrofoam to help increase temps. It’s best to use them with a thermostat, especially if your room temps vary a lot. But tbh, I don’t have mine on thermostats as crabs do okay with some temp fluctuation within the proper ranges (as opposed to other animals that need stricter temps to avoid overheating/injuries). Put the heating mat on the back of the tote, above the substrate line (or as much above as you can).

For measuring temp/humidity, these are my favorite gauges currently - https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Humidity-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Indicator/dp/B0013BKDO8/ It’s best to have it hanging from the lid or at least set in an empty bowl or something to keep it off the substrate (which can alter numbers).

Food & water - Crabs need both fresh & salt water. Both need to be treated for ammonia & heavy metals. Prime is what most people use & that little bottle will last you ages since the dosage is only 2 drops per gallon (or for less than a gallon). For the salt water, you want to get Instant Ocean salt, not the stuff sold for hermit crabs (which isn’t complete). Same thing, that box will last you a while! Word of advice, it’s worth splitting it up into single use baggies/containers when you open it, as moisture gets in immediately & turns it into a big brick pretty fast. The amount for that is ½ cup for a gallon, you can make a gallon at a time & then dose it with the Prime when you put it into the tank.

For food….Toss out the commercial stuff. You can often feed them bits of stuff you eat, with no spices/additives. Fresh/frozen fruits & veggies, raw or cooked meat (shellfish must be cooked though), stuff like that is good for them. The HCA forum I linked above has safe & unsafe food lists. I also like the Facebook group Land Hermit Crab Owners Society, and they have safe/unsafe food lists in their files as well, if you join. 

Since they eat so little & fresh foods go moldy fast in the humid heat of the enclosure, a lot of people feed dry foods, which can be left in for a week. There’s all kinds of things you can get from the pet store & grocery store, so I have a post about what you can get & where here - http://fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem.tumblr.com/post/163525780954/hermit-crab-food-shopping There’s also a post linked on that one to my nutrition post, which explains more about what they need in their diet!

Also uhhhh if this isn’t too weird, feel free to message me off anon & I can send you some food stuff if you want! I hoard crab food & have a lot of some things because I buy in larger packages (like the supplement type stuff, worm castings, green sand, etc.). I’m sending out a food package to someone else soon as well. I can’t give food to everyone (unfortunately), but I would like to help where I can! But no worries if you’re not comfortable with that!

And lastly, shells. Here’s a good post about types of shells & where to get shells - http://fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem.tumblr.com/post/135316962746/hermit-crab-shell-guide-on-shell-types-and-buying I will say that I would highly recommend going to Joann Fabrics if you have one around you, or other craft stores. You can often find cheaper usable shells there. Joann has this awesome green shell pack that has tons of green turbo shells that I’ve bought at least 5-6 of. If your crab is the right size, that could be perfect! Other than that, I really like Naples best for making sure you get the sizes you want.

I think that’s about it, just a couple other things I wanted to mention.

First, once you have things set up for your little one, it’d be a good idea to get them a friend. Crabs are social & live in large colonies in the wild, so it’s really recommended to have at least two. If you don’t want to get another one from the pet store, check Craigslist, or else check out the LHCOS adoption program - http://lhcos.org/adoption-program-beta/ 

Second, if you’re really not sure you’re able to take all of this on, that’s okay! If you’d rather see if someone who already has things set up can take your crabby, you can check the above link for someone in your area, & submit a form to place your crab for adoption.

I hope all of this helps and isn’t too overwhelming! Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions or if anything is confusing. The LHCOS Facebook group is really helpful as well, especially for new owners! Good luck!