#Looooong post

[dr-flipflops]

OOC: Will's Lonely 18th Birthday people, as per Cresent's request. - @permetutotheworld @the-eclipse-is-in-me @fukurouonthesea Here we go :) Its sooooooo long, I got so bloody carried away, sorry guys.

*Will left another tray in front of Nico's door, a yellow sticky note on the side*

(what the note said is in italics)

*I hope you've been eating all the food I'm giving you Neeks. Ew- I'm 18 today, EW!!! I'm oooooold :( . I don't have to be a functional adult now do I? Surely, I get a pass for being neurodivergent. I hope you have a nice day INSIDE, please come out. I miss you*

*It had been a week, and Nico was still holed up in the cabin. Will had been denied access, but he'd seen Cresent and Noa go in just fine, heck even CLARISSE gained entrance. It broke something inside Will, but he shrugged it off. They were his family, of course he'd let them in. Will was just an inconvenience he had to put up with, and take care of. He'd known Clarisse for years, Cresent was his sister, and Noa was like his little brother*

*Its fine Solace, come on. Its your birthday. Cheer up. Its fine. Everything's okay.*

*Will's siblings had given him a lovely morning, and the campers who remembered and were the ones who still looked him in the eye had wished him at breakfast. It was nice. But it wasn't the same. Chiron had given him the full day empty, but he had no-one to celebrate with. His siblings all had duties, and they refused to let him work on his birthday. Everyone else was busy too. Will would usually go back to Texas for the week to be with his mother, but with Nico holed up he wanted to stay here*

*Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to celebrate it anyways. The only thing good about it was that he was another year closer to the grave. He didn't know what to do, he wished he could work, that way at least he wouldn't feel so lonely and useless. At least healing gave him a purpose and he felt good after saving someone. At least he'd feel something*

*Will lazily walked through the woods, kicking his feet, cupcake with candle in hand. He made it to his special spot on the coast, where he had the shade of the trees, and a view of the sparkling lake, but could still bask in the sun's rays without it bothering his eyes, not that it had ever in the first place. Wind whistled past, and birds sang, the sun shone golden rays that illuminated the rocks, slick with crashing waves*

*The day was undoubted perfect. Will knew it was curtesy of his father, his way of saying "happy birthday". Will was grateful, but he didn't really feel it*

*The candle glowed bright, Will cupped the cupcake in his hands and held it close*

Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to meee.

*Will blew it out gently, and wished that today would be the day Nico would come out, even if it was to just say a simple hello. Tears stung his eyes and he laughed a little*

Guess I'm an adult now. huh. Never thought I'd get here.

*Will leaned back against the rock behind his perch, face tilted up as one or two tears down*

But you always knew, didn't you Lee? You said I'd make it Micheal, you were right it seems.

*Tears choked his throat, he looked up at the trees shadowing him above, and the sun softly shining through the canopies. It was like they were here, he could almost hear their voice. Almost feel the laughter of the younger ones. Gracie would've loved to meet Fay*

I wish you were here. I wish you all were.

*Something shimmer past his head and he looks to see his mother's smiling face*

*Will jolts upright*

MA!!?

Naomi: Hi Billy!!! Aw, my little William has grown up so much, 18 now! I thought you were coming home for your birthday?

Will: You-you remembered?

Naomi: no, I just happened to throw a drachma into the lake on accide- OF COURSE I REMEMBERED WILLY!!! You're my favourite son, I can't believe expect so little of your mother.

Will: Ma, I'm your only son.

Naomi: Even better! No competition. Anyways, how come you aren't home?

Will: Sorry Ma, things happened, and I got caught up in camp.

Naomi: Aw, I wanna see my son! You're officially an adult!

Will *small laugh*: Still can't drink though.

Naomi: You can drink water.

Will *groans*: Maaaaa

Naomi: Oh pish posh. Those Americanos *tuts* we're Spanish William, they don't have to know *winks*

Will *laughs fully for the first time all day*: Maaa!

Naomi *grumbles about Americans, then gives Will a stern look* : You better come home for Christmas William Andrew Solace, and you can tell that Chiron of yours to stick it where the sun don't shine if he says otherwise

Will *laughs again*: Alright, alright ma!!!

Naomi *smiles*: Seriously. Oh look at you my sweet boy. When you were taken from me, you couldn't even tie your laces, now you're 18, all grown up. *sighs*

Will: I'm still your little boy Ma, always

Naomi: Damn right you are! Don't you change a bit Billy. You've got a big heart, you dare lose it and your Abuelo will roll in the grave, and your Abuela will storm over from Spain

Will: Don't worry! I won't :) Even if the reason is my fear of Abuela's ladle.

Naomi: That woman, when she has her hands on a cooking utensil, y'all better run away or run towards the table ready to be stuffed like a Christmas hog.

Will: Yeah.

Naomi: Well, you're only 18 once Willy, I hope you have a good day!

Will *tight smile, hiding the loneliness*: Yep, terrific, look! I got the cupcakes you sent me!!!

Naomi: Aw, *someone gestures off-screen* uh huh, *back to Will* Billy, I'm so sorry, but I'm gonna have to go, there's something wrong with the sound systems, I'm so sorry. I want to talk to you more, after all, my baby is only gonna turn 18 once, its a special day! *bites lip and looks conflicted*

Will *his heart breaks. He was gonna be alone again. He makes a smile*: Its alright Ma, I've got a cupcake to eat after all! *huffs a laugh*

Naomi *blows him a kiss*: Love ya Willy! Happy birthday sweetheart.

Will: Bye-

*Naomi cuts the message*

-Ma.

*Will swallows. He was alone again. His mother had more important things to do, OF COURSE SHE DID SOLACE, SHE HAS A LIFE, grow up Will. Will took the burnt out yellow candle from the cake, and bites into it*

*It tasted like home. Tears brimmed on Will's eyes and warm memories flooded his brain at the chocolate melting in his mouth*

*Memories of Spain- the brightly coloured streamers everyone would hang around. Abuela would be cooking a feast in the kitchen , so Will would wake up to the scents of heaven filling the house and smooches from Ma. He'd bound down the stairs and promptly be told that even though it was his birthday he still had to brush his teeth. Will would get it done as fast as possible, then go and help Ma bake cookies and cupcakes. He'd go outside and immediately be pelted with shouts and cries, hugs and noogies from the neighbourhood kids. Then, after being fed like a king, at night, the family would gather and Will would blow out the candles, and cut the cake to find the clue at the center*

*He'd use the clue to find others to find his gifts, which only then he'd be able to open. The whole procedure from the candles, to the singing, to the cake, to the hunt, to the opening would be filmed. Will's beaming face photographed on his birthday every year*

*Will finished the cupcake, and found a note in the centre. Hollowness that had filled his heart swelled. It was a little heart with a smile, and a "happy birthday Billy". Will smiled through the tears, and he was almost home in Texas with his Ma. But he looked up and the empty lonely came back. He smiled a bit through the tears. At least his Ma had sent him these. Will knew he was going to find other notes in the other cupcakes, he turned the paper over and found another message: "Brush ya teeth Billy"*

*Will laughed, and no one heard*

-----

*That night, Will came back late, his siblings already fast asleep*

*He felt vacant again*

*Nico had decidedly NOT come out. He didn't see Aria's smile all day, and Noa never even said hi. Cresent, as per usual, avoided him*

*Will collapsed into bed, and curled up. Emotionally exhausted*

*He missed home. He missed his Ma. He mourned his life. He mourned the Will Solace he used to be, the one everyone sees, the one everyone wants. Campers look at him, but its not him they see, they see the Will they knew, the Will he'll never live up- hell he doesn't even remember the memories, HE DOESN'T KNOW THAT WILL. He missed Nico. He missed being loved. He missed so much. He hated this overwhelming, all consuming loneliness. It's like his life has been reset, and everyone is treading on eggshells, and he was deserted by those he loved most all over again*

*For his "special day" he sure as hell didn't feel it- DON'T BE SELFISH SOLACE. he felt nothing at all, and while that may be a blessing some days, today he hated it. Hated himself. Hated living*

*When he had gone to pick up Nico's tray he saw that Nico hadn't taken the note. He always took the note. Will didn't bother placing another one with the next tray*

*Something consumed him*

*That night, Will cried himself to sleep*

[sallymew4]

hi guys

(forever) wips below are: scene redraw (that i actually started on way before posting mobsai here. crazy !), and teru in an outfit i saw at the mall once (denim dress. dress made of NOTHING but denim. it caught me off-guard but i think i was just being too harsh <3 he was going to wear those galaxy leggings all middle schoolers wear with it as well)

originally this post was just gonna be me posting pretty old wips that i never finished cuz ive been sick (i actually feel way better now tho) and lazy but then i started perusing some more of my older mobsai doodles and unfinished arts and decided to post those alongside the ones above :) i just think its fun to see how my art has developed grown and changed over a period of time, especially with the designs of these characters

if ur interested in lookin at suma those vv

thunder claps welcome

reminder and warning that a lot of these were me still kind of figuring out how to draw them so they will NOT be beautiful picasso

i think this was the first digital mob i ever drew..... he was born august of last year..wow

i was incredibly weak for father reigen if you couldn't tell [sarcasm]

i also didnt know how his suit worked. lol

soryr i was mean 2o u serizwaw sir. anwyays

various ritus (ft teru) vv i made him very hateful because i thought it was funny

v v supa unfinished (obviously) pre-mob teru stuff, just hanging out by roof railing

and then there was a looot of what might be my favorite genre of these, which were just goofy little scribbles

that last one i made in the middle of watching the last episode. i promptly teared up in the bathroom after finishing it

anyways thats pretty much it, for digital anyways :) i like looking back on art, cuz then im like "oh wow, improvement IS real" (i always forget). ill try drawin some moar stuff 4or yalls, i already gots sumthn in the works. oka bye thank you for looking !!11!

[samssims]

Hi Sam! I was wondering if I could ask for some advice on how to make simblr fun again? I love storytelling (it's how I have fun with the game) but lately with writing posts and even in game, I just find myself stressing over if it's good/interesting enough or if I took good screenshots, if my writing is good, etc. I love this game and sharing my stories with this community, so it sucks to feel like this. Thank you sm ♥

Oh Nonny, how I feel this pain. I wish I had a sure fire answer to this but sadly there isn't just one thing that will work.

I will put some advice below for some things that have worked for me in my experience if you're interested in trying them out to try to find that spark again!

Now I have been on tumblr sharing my sims since 2013 so I have seen the community change a lot. Things change, people come and go, it's just the natural way of things. So a lot of the time your community can change around you and so a few years ago sims storytelling was really popular and it was the thing everyone was doing. And I mean everyone.

But now things have sort of fallen off or shifted and there is no shame in that for those who moved onto other things and hobbies. Sims storytelling, at it's core, is a hobby. No one is making money off of it (unless you write it all down and get it published in which case, hell yeah go you!)

That being said, finding your spark again is going to be finding what YOU like about storytelling in the sims.

So here are some tips you can try out in the game to keep it fresh and exciting:

Play the Game

The game has changed a lot and added a lot. It came out in 2014. It's about to be 10 years old. With expansions still being added. Honestly having a family where you can just play through what the game offers you can offer inspiration on how to use in game things for story related things later on.

I have found having a lowkey gameplay (for yourself or even for your blog if you are posting) is an easy way to stay active in the community while keeping things low stakes and casual for yourself while you work on finding your spark again.

Change Up your Post Style

Idk about you Nonny, but nothing gets me less motivated than having to edit photos. If I could just point, shoot, and post, I would have content coming out my ears. Which is what I started doing with my Princess Legacy. All I do is crop it. I add some things here and there but really it's all pretty much easy.

Now I have done it all.

Prose on photos.

Prose under photos:

Icons Only:

Gameplay Only:

And finally just cropped:

Now what is the best? That is personal preference especially for the project you are doing. However I have definitely discovered the crop method to be SUPER helpful.

It makes me not have to worry about the whole photo. Sometimes I have this SUPER awesome detail in the back of a photo but when I crop them I lose all that. Which is not good for storytelling lets be honest but does force me to focus on what is actually important in the shot.

Example: Here is the full cottage photo from above You can see that I cropped out a lot of the cottage in favor of being able to see the deer and swans as i thought that was more a cozy fairytale vibe than just the cottage itself. I lost a lot of this detail yet the point still came across.

TBH the paired crop photos also makes me cut out a lot of access photos if they don't have a pair. It's sort of made me realize how much I don't need to take screenshots of. Though I am definitely an overtaker of photos so I always have plenty to choose from. Sometimes I even queue them then look back and realize they aren't needed and delete. It's humbled me a bit.

I could break down every one of these posting styles but that's a whole other thing you didn't ask about.

TLDR of this section is to experiment with how you post. You can have a lot of fun with that.

If Something is Boring, Skip it.

Do you hate the infant stage? Age them past it. Do you hate the winter months in game? Set seasons to never have winter. Do you hate in game holidays ruining your plans? Delete them all from your calendar. Is it a crucial part to your story? Not anymore. Write around it. Or find some creative angles and dialogue to write over it.

Make the game fit you!

Follow the Inspo

Have inspiration to make a new sim in CAS? Do it! Want to make a whole new save? Have an idea for one scene that could start a whole story but you have nothing else for it? DO IT!!!

The game is supposed to be fun. If you have inspiration for a project, live in it. Have fun with it.

But Sam, what if only lasts 2 weeks and I never touch it again?

Me too, babes. Happens to me all the time. Own it. Keep it around in case you want to mess with it later. Have 10 million saves. It's your life and if it brings you a moment of joy to work on it, then it totally is worth it.

If you want to be like me: Be chaotic and post it too. Then private the posts later when you decide to never touch it again. Never delete tho. I always tend to regret deleted things.

Find Your Community

You should ultimately write and create for yourself, but find others who are doing it too! Lift them up as well! Use one day a week on your blog to give reblogs or shoutouts to your fellow creators and writers! It's all about lifting each other up and making friends who all have the same hobby as us.

Try New Challenges

A lot of my sims storytelling started from inspiration around legacy challenges. I loved to take challenge rules and figure out how to make a story around them. But remember: Rules are made to be broken. Especially in favor of a good story.

If you are working on a current challenge/story, find another to merge with it or to give yourself a heck of a fun plot twist. There are no rules!

Have Fun!

This is sort of the whole crux of it, right? And if you're not having fun then...

Take a Break

You are not beholden to your queue! Let it die out! Disappear for 6 months. Return when you want. Go play Animal Crossing or BG3 or whatever it is at the moment. Sims is a hobby. But it does not have to be your ONLY hobby. Let your brain rest.

In my case, whenever I leave the sims I am always filled with ideas and ready to come back in like 3 days.

This could also mean take a break from your save too. Maybe spend some time in CAS. Or in build mode. Or cleaning out your mods. You can still do sims things while letting your story brain rest.

TLDR:

There is no right answer for this, Nonny. I promise your photos are all gorgeous and your story is wonderful! But creativity like anything ebbs and flows so give yourself that grace to let yourself rest and just enjoy the game again, or enjoy time away from it! You deserve it you superstar creator!

[mossbed-roots]

LU has me by the throat again, I'm working on some drabbles right now to figure voices out but heres an au idea i NEED to get out regardless if i ever make fic/art for it

modern LU ghost hunter au inspired by the "Wind sees ghosts" tag ans the vibes of 111 Winchester

Most Links have had a brush with a "spirit world" in some way or another so i feel like this is a hobby that could bring them together. everyone brings something different to the table

Wind sees ghosts (duh), has pretty much all his life. So does Spirit cause they're like cousins or smth. Wind wants to do an investigation on a creepy old house with lots of reported activity (shit's like haunted haunted, almost no one has been able to go inside). He figures he needs a team on this one and puts out a call on a paranormal forum he frequents. you'll never guess who responds

Four is haunted by the Colors as spirits that have attached themselves to him. They are relatively harmless, though they're kinda stuck to his soul and no one's sure how to feel about this. As far as he knows he's the only one who can see or hear them. they can posses Four one at a time but he really does not like suddenly not existing in his own body. Four's not much of a ghost hunter but he does know plenty about using metals and tools to dispatch evil spirits. He's in this mostly for answers about his own haunting

Legend and Hyrule are long-distance friends and the only ones to know each other before the investigation. Magic exists in this setting, but is not widely practiced, and Hyrule is VERY well-versed in magic (im calling magic practitioners "witches". Wild is one too) Rulie's very sensitive to dark and light energies, and has honed sigil and casting skills. Legend is on the more physical side of things, wielding artifacts and cursed objects from his large collection of...stuff. He's been cursed more than a few times himself. Legend also supplies some goofy ghost hunt equipment, but Twi has most of that covered

Twilight can step into the spirit world with Midna's help, where his spirit often takes the form of a wolf to protect him. He's got a sense for dark energies and can directly confront these malevolent creatures where others might have trouble perceiving them. Aside from that hes the camera guy. He brings the flashlights, the recorders, any equipment he can carry.

Wild is their Guy In The Chair bc he insists they need someone on the outside. I've decided his presence determines whether they get the Good or Bad ending

so turns out this place is like BAD haunted and oh no! Once the boys go in they can't find a way out

the house is a nexus, drawing in as many souls as it can and just feeding on them. There's also probably demons too but like the place itself is imbued with bad evil energy. Time and Wars are here but they are ghosts, drawn in and trapped for longer than they can remember. They are pretty much the only friendly ones here

Twilight finds Sky trapped in the Spirit World side of the house. think like he entered a Silent Realm and couldn't get out. Twi is able to pull him out bc of his weird dark world shit (on the outside Sky has been a missing person for months)

That's uh enough for now I think. enough of an outline for me to come back to. i am very normal about this fledgling idea

[purplecyborgnewt]

“Hello, Barry.“

Part 1 of 6.

[originalgoodname]

this thread is a trainwreck and I love it

What does the arab in your carrd mean? Is it like afab and amab?

.. i’m palestinian

[synthwizardromance]

The song makes you feel sad. So you wonder why it makes you feel sad

And they tell you it's the minor chords. They tell you it's a predictable and replicable structure.

But this is not enough. Why is it sad? What makes it minor?

So they say it's the middle of the chord. The second note played.

They say there's a happy chord that exists. That it aligned in a specific way. That it has a predictable and replicable structure.

And all it takes to make the happy chord into the sad chord is to take the middle of it and tweak it down just a little bit. They say it makes you sad because your brain can tell it's out of shape. Bent and contorted.

And you ask what is this unseen math? Why is this structure of frequencies somehow inherently correct and "happy" but the other is not.

And then the world explodes.

Some say it's cultural. Programmed into your brain by your birth context.

You do not understand people well enough to confirm this

Some say it's neurological. That the hidden calculus of grey matter is able to tell whether the sounds are equally proportioned, aligned with the math of the spheres.

You are not good enough at math to confirm this

Some say it's religous. Spiritual. That each frequency has it's own inherent metaphysical prophecies that are being expound upon.

You are not religious enough to ever even consider this

The song still makes you sad.

[twolittledemons]

Sylvie: Pa showed us a “quote maker”–

Cecile: He said you can force people to say stuff–

Sylvie: Or something like that–

Cecile: So here’s some shit! Oh, and, sorry, there’s a lot–

——————————

Sylvie: ARE YOU-

George: Fucking.

Sylvie: KIDDING ME?! YOU-

George: Fucking.

Sylvie: IDIOT!

Laf: …What was that?

George: Cecile banned Sylvie from swearing, so I’m helping her out.

——————————

Laf: I'm cold.

George: Here, take my hoodie.

*meanwhile*

Sylvie: I'm cold.

Cecile: I can't control the weather, Sylvie.

——————————

*after George gets surgery and is loopy from the anesthesia*

Laf, gesturing to George: Sylvie, look what you did! You made Mom upset!

Cecile: Mom, please don’t cry, we’re sorry!

Sylvie: I’m sorry Mom... :(

George, near tears: I DON’T REMEMBER GIVING BIRTH TO ANY OF YOU!

——————————

Laf: Ducks are better than rabbits.

Sylvie: What? Rabbits are adorable. Have you ever been in a fight with a duck? Ducks are jerks.

Cecile: Duck is delicious! Rabbit is all gamey.

Sylvie: We’re not talking about flavour, Cecile!

Cecile: Flavour counts!

Sylvie: Who carries around a duck’s foot for good luck? Anyone?

George: You wrap yourself in a comforter stuffed with rabbit hair. I’ll wrap myself in a comforter stuffed with duck feathers! Who’s cozier?

Sylvie: Okay, but-

George: NO, NO, NO, NO. WHO’S COZIER?

Cecile: Then why don’t we take a rabbit, a duck, stick ‘em in a cardboard box and let them fight it out!

Sylvie: BECAUSE IT’S ILLEGAL, CECILE!

Cecile: ONLY IF WE BET ON IT, SYLVIE!

Laf: I- Jesus-

——————————

Cecile, Sylvie & Laf: *screaming*

George: *runs into the room* What's wrong, Laf?!

Cecile: Wait, why are you asking Pa that when Sylvie and I are also here?

George: Because Pa wouldn't scream unless it's an emergency. You two scream whenever you have the chance.

——————————

Sylvie: Pa, we're hungry!

Cecile: Pa! What's for dinner?

George: We're hungry, Laf!

Laf, frying a bottle of ketchup over the stove: *screams*

——————————

*Everyone is playing a board game together*

Laf: I will put 'A' down to make 'A'.

George: I will add onto your 'A' to make 'AT'.

Cecile: I will add onto your 'AT' to make 'RAT'.

Sylvie: I will add onto your 'RAT' to make 'BIOSTRATAGRAPHIC'.

Cecile: *flips the board*

——————————

Laf: Do you know the ABCs of first aid?

Cecile: A. Bone. Coming out of the skin is very bad.

——————————

George, throwing a pokeball at Sylvie: Sylvie, I choose you!

Sylvie, not looking up from her book and catching it: You need an Ultra ball to catch this Legendary Pokémon.

——————————

George: Laf! I can't do this stupid math!

Laf: What’s the math problem?

George: Well, we have to add the bed, subtract the clothes divide the legs, and hope we don’t multiply.

Cecile, covering Sylvie’s ears, while Laf smacks George upside the head: Not gonna lie that was hella smooth.

——————————

Cecile: My stomach growled super loud in French.

Cecile: I would like to clarify, my stomach did not speak in French. It growled during French class.

Laf: Bonjour.

Sylvie: Le growl.

George: Hon hon hon, feed me a baguette.

——————————

Laf: How late were you up last night?

Cecile & Sylvie, in tandem: Me?

Laf: No, not you two. You stay up late all the time.

Laf, to George: You.

——————————

Laf: This food is too hot... I cant eat it.

George: You’re very hot, and I still eat you.

Everyone at the table: *silence*

Cecile: YOU GUYS ARE DISGUSTING!

Sylvie: One dinner... I just want ONE DINNER!

——————————

Cecile: Good. Thanks, dad.

George: You just called Laf “dad”. You just said “thanks, dad.”

Cecile: What? No, I didn’t. I said “thanks, man”.

Laf: Do you see me as a father figure, Cecile?

Cecile: No. If anything I see you as a bother figure ‘cause you’re always bothering me.

Sylvie: Hey! Show your father some respect!

——————————

George: *tapping fingers on table*

Laf: *taps fingers back furiously*

Cecile: …What’s going on?

Sylvie: Morse code. They’re talking.

George: -.-- ..- .-. / - …. . / -.-. ..- - . … -

Laf: *slams hands on table* YOU TAKE THAT BACK!

[Translation: Yur The Cutest]

——————————

Cecile: LOWERCASE LETTERS ARE FOR THE LOWER CLASS!

George: And here we have a capitalist.

Laf: Did you just-

Sylvie: Let us all take a moment to appreciate that all of human history, human language, and the universe itself aligned to make this joke possible.

——————————

Laf: I give up. I am so tired.

Sylvie: Get the emergency supply!

George: *carries Cecile and places her in front of Laf*

Cecile: *smiles*

Laf: AND I AM BACK BABY, LET’S GOOO

——————————

*The girls are learning CPR on a test dummy*

George: So, assessing the situation. Are they breathing?

Sylvie: No, Dad. They are not breathing. And they have no arms or legs.

George: No, that’s not part of it—

Sylvie: Where are they? You know what? If we come across somebody with no arms or legs do we bother resuscitating them? I mean, what kind of quality of life do we have there?

Cecile: I would want to live with no legs.

Sylvie: How about no arms? No arms or legs is basically how you exist right now, Cecile. You don’t do anything.

George: All right, well, lets get back to it. ‘Cause you’re losing him.

Sylvie: *pumps frantically*

George: Okay, too fast. Everyone, we need to pump at a pace of a 100 beats per minute.

Sylvie: Okay, that’s uh, hard to keep track. How many is that per hour?

Laf: How’s that gonna help you?

Sylvie: I will divide and then count to it.

Laf: Right.

George: Okay. Well, a good trick is to pump to the tune of ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees. Do you know that song?

Sylvie: Yes, yes I do. I love that song. *clears throat, begins to sing* First I was afraid, I was petrified.

——————————

George: Why do you act like we’re three year olds?

Laf, exasperated: WHY?!?

Laf points at Cecile: YOU TRIED TO HYJACK A CAR!

Laf points at Sylvie: YOU NEARLY JUMPED 20 FEET OFF A CARPARK!

Laf points at George: AND YOU ATE MULTIPLE DRIED LEAVES AND ROCKS OFF THE GROUND!

Laf: AND YOU ASK ME WHY????

——————————

Cecile: *falls down the stairs*

Laf: Are you okay?

George: Stop falling down the stairs!

Sylvie: How’d the ground taste?

——————————

George: Subs are so fun to play with. All you have to do is hint at what you might do, back them into a corner with a look, or grab their wrist in a certain way and they're a wide-eyed mess.

Cecile: What the fuck kind of Subway are you going to?

Sylvie: Substitute teachers deal with so much shit.

Laf: Girls.

——————————

Sylvie: I currently have 7 empty notebooks and I have no idea what to put in them. Any suggestions?

George: Put spaghetti in it.

Sylvie: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you.

Cecile: Put spaghetti in it.

Sylvie: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you two.

Laf: Put spaghetti in it.

Sylvie: I am no longer taking suggestions.

——————————

Laf: Are you laughing at that video of Cecile and Sylvie fighting?

George: No.

George: I'm laughing at the comments.

——————————

George: Today at 7 am, Laf poured a Monster energy drink in his coffee, said "I'm going to die" and drank the whole thing.

Sylvie: I watched Pa brew his coffee with Monster instead of water. Three cups in two hours. I think he ascended into the astral realm.

Cecile: The survivability of the human race never fails to amaze me.

——————————

Laf: You were stabbed. Do you remember anything?

George: Only the ambulance ride to the hospital.

Laf: That wasn't an ambulance, I drove you.

George: But I heard a siren.

Cecile: That was Sylvie.

Sylvie: Sorry, I got nervous.

——————————

Sylvie: Time sensitive question how flirt boy.

Laf: Throw rocks at he.

George: Hot Dogs.

Cecile: Kill him.

Sylvie: Thanks guys.

——————————

George: For self defense reasons, I'm going to pretend to be a burglar and you guys have to act wisely.

Sylvie, Laf, & Cecile: Okay.

George: If you don't want to die, give me all your money.

Laf: Bold of you to assume I have money.

Sylvie: Bold of you to assume I don't want to die.

Cecile: Bold of you to assume I can die.

——————————

George: Yesterday, I watched Cecile try to eat a decorative rock from Sylvie's potted plant. Laf caught her, and told her she can't eat rocks. Cecile started whining something about no food being in the house before walking away.

——————————

Laf, watching Cecile and Sylvie fight: Are you sure they should be fighting? What if they get hurt?

George, not bothered by the chaos: It’s fine. They’re too evenly matched to hurt each other.

Laf: Then... who’s the strongest out of you three?

Cecile: Dad.

Sylvie: Dad.

George: Me.

——————————

*Laf is in the kitchen and he hears a crash from the living room*

Laf, running into the living room: WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED HERE?!?!

Cecile, looking at the broken TV screen and the remote on the floor: I was trying to throw the remote onto the TV stand!

Laf: And Dad didn’t stop you?!

Cecile, pointing at a sleeping George: He’s been asleep for the past three hours.

Sylvie, walking in, oblivious to the situation: Hey guys-

Sylvie, realizing: Wait, is the TV broken? Why?!

Laf, pointing at Cecile: She threw the remote onto the TV stand.

Sylvie: Come on! That’s the 5th time this week and it’s 2 in the morning on a Tuesday!

George, waking up to see the situation: *yawns* How long was I out?

George, seeing the broken TV: OH GOD NOT AGAIN! CECILE, I TOLD YOU NOT TO!

Cecile: You were asleep! And I always take a window of opportunity when I see it!

Laf, George & Sylvie, in unison: But you broke the-

Cecile: My work here is done. If anyone asks, I was never. *dashes out of the living room*

——————————

Police: You’re under arrest for trying to carry three people on a single motorcycle.

George, with Cecile and Sylvie behind him: Wait, what do you mean THREE?!

Police: Yes…three.

George: Oh, my God— What the fuck!?

Police: Wha-

George: Laf FUCKING FELL OFF!

——————————

Laf: You are now one day closer to eating your next plate of nachos.

Sylvie: That's the most hopeful thing I've ever heard.

Cecile: But what if I die tomorrow and never eat any nachos?

George: Then tomorrow is nacho lucky day.

[elizabethalsagacomics]

Congrats on surpassing 200K, OP.

glad that im not popular enough to have an evil shadow version of my blog that exists just to make contradictions on my posts

[duusheen]

Breaking Ties 2/3

[purplecyborgnewt]

[pjs-everyday]

lol somehowww mina convinced everyone to get cat-quirked haha

[buckydeservesthebest]

I've kept thinking about this for a while… and I realized that I theorized too much and I think I took the wrong take in some respects, so I'm essentially coming to contradict myself on a few things.

I just realized that after activating the Winter Soldier's programming, Zemo first asks Bucky about the December 16, 1991 mission report, but this is something Bucky doesn't answer and that's why instead Zemo asks him about the specific Siberian base he was imprisoned in. This means that Bucky doesn't remember or have access to past mission reports, as these are something his handlers ask him for once he returns from those missions, before he is subjected to a new ECT session, which erases all his memories, there is no way for the pre-lobotomization information to still be there afterwards. That's why we never saw any of his handlers ask him for information about past missions, because he doesn't have them.

That said, I believe that while Bucky loses virtually all of the information he experienced under the Winter Soldier's mind control, there is a very small fraction that remains, and they are the memories that had the most impact on him and his psyche: the faces of the people he was forced to kill. In fact, precisely in TFATWS, the only flashback we got to see was of the Winter Soldier's targets, not how he got to the place in question in the first place, or how his handler gave him his orders. All we got to see were the kills, nothing else. Spellman also made reference to the fact that the only memories Bucky keeps are specifically of the faces of the people he was forced to kill.

"So when Bucky enters the series, he's never ever shaken what he believes, which is, *'I remember everyone, murders,* which means that part of me was there, which means a part of the Winter Soldier is me.' And if even a fraction of Winter Soldier is you, you are an awful person."

The Marvel Studios; Visual Dictonary book also makes reference to Bucky only remembering that.

And if anything, the only thing extra that Bucky could remember was the location of the HYDRA base in Siberia where he was imprisoned, but most likely this is something he remembers because he was taken there since 1945, i.e. before HYDRA had managed to break his mind at all. And most likely also, the only thing Bucky could remember about the place is the visual description, because there is no way he could have extracted the specific coordinates of the place from those vague fuzzy memories. He just gave the location description to Zemo and he deduced the rest on his own.

I also believe that the information Bucky gave about the other Winter Soldiers was not something he remembered on his own, but something Zemo told him. And that's something Bucky vaguely remembered because he hadn't been subjected to an ETC session before the trigger words were spoken. Because it doesn't make sense that Bucky could have remembered the other WS when he couldn't remember that mission report, nor that Zemo first asked him about it, when also this would be information that would have been lost after another 25 years of ECT. Another thing that supports this, is that Bucky told Steve and Sam that Zemo could control the other Winter Soldiers when this is not true, because none of them were subjected to mind control like Bucky was. So ultimately, this idea must have been something Zemo told Bucky.

In turn, Bucky doesn't remember what he did shortly after that, which is why he asked “what did I do?” when he woke up from the blackout, and why he also didn't seem to recognize Sam, Sharon, Natasha or anyone else, nor could he even remember fighting Steve. On his reunion with Steve in Bucharest, Bucky also doesn't remember that prior to pulling Steve out of the river, the two had had a confrontation.

So my conclusion is that the only memories that remain in Bucky's mind are only the ones that left the most impact on him, which are the faces of the people he was forced to kill, and nothing else.

By the way, about the long debate among the fandom about whether it is true or not that Bucky could not fully recognize Steve in their meeting in Bucharest, the book "Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline" gives a definitive answer, Bucky was telling the truth, he recognized Steve's face but not his friendship, at least not fully. And it was with time, or perhaps thanks to the blow that caused his blackout, that Bucky began to recover more of his memories together...

“That line was an interesting moment. At the time, the choice I was making is that [Bucky] had realized there was no way he was getting out of there, and someone was gonna die, whether it was gonna be him, Steve or Tony. When he says that line, to me, it was a turning point — he was, like, ‘Okay, I know what you want me to say, and I’m just gonna say it.’ When someone comes at you over and over again, and they can’t hear you, they can’t see you’re pleading with them, you’re trying to figure out how to get through to them and they just won’t accept it, at some point you just give in, and you go, ‘that’s right, that’s what you want.’ Of course [Bucky] didn’t remember them all.” —  Sebastian Stan

[cescalovestowrite]

Penelope's situation during the years of Odysseus' absence is completely out of the ordinary and I want to discuss why:

We have a couple of examples to assume that when leaving for the Trojan War, the heads of families left the task of controlling their home and taking care of their wives and children to one or more trusted persons. The reasons for this choice are clearly the protection of the home and those who are part of it (in a society accustomed to continuous raids and enemy attacks, at least one adult male who's able to defend the family is needed in the house) and also the control of the wife's conduct.

This is witnessed in the story of Agamemnon, who entrusts Clytemnestra to a minstrel. So when Aegisthus decides to seduce her, he must first knock out her guardian. And in fact he does so, abandoning him to die on a desert island.

At first Queen Clytemnestra turned a deaf ear to his dishonourable schemes. She was a sensible woman, and besides, she had a minstrel with her, to whom Agamemnon when he left for Troy had given orders to watch over his queen. (Odyssey, book 3, Rieu)

Odysseus entrusts the care and protection of his wife to his friend and companion, Mentor. But what happens is that for some reason that is not explained to us, Mentor is unable to effectively assume this role. We do not know whether it has been like this for twenty years or not, what we do know is that when the suitors arrive, he is not protecting the house. There isn't even the need to knock him out, in fact he is still alive and well at the time the Odyssey is set. He speaks to the assembly, tries to bring the people to go to Telemachus' aid, but he is silenced and ignored.

Laertes is also in no condition to intervene. At the beginning of the Odyssey Penelope still hopes that he could help her, but it comes to nothing.

He shall go straight to Laertes, sit down beside him, and tell him the whole story. Perhaps Laertes may hit upon some scheme and come out of his retreat to appeal to the people, who seem intent on wiping out his and Odysseus' royal line. (Odyssey, book 4, Rieu)

Indeed, we know from Penelope herself that before leaving, Odysseus had asked her to take care of his parents, as she already did. This suggests that even then Laertes was considered unfit for the role of head of the family. And moreover Odysseus had taken his place on the throne at an unspecified time, even though Laertes still had quite a few years ahead of him. Everything suggests that the handover of royal power was peaceful and agreed upon.

So it's clear Mentor is not strong enough, Laertes is not strong enough, Telemachus is just a child... What happens is that Penelope finds herself accounting for her actions only to herself. I would like to emphasize once again just how exceptional this is. As long as Odysseus is in Troy the problem is relative, because he can return in case of need and there is news of him. But after Troy?

Penelope takes responsability for a series of kingly duties. In addition to managing the house:

she tries to intervene in disputes, especially when the suitors prove to be troublemakers

she interacts with her subjects (Eumaeus informs us while talking to Odysseus that this has not happened lately and that they miss it),

she tries to restore the wealth of the house as best as she can, by accepting courting gifts

she welcomes and interrogates strangers and tries to keep their house respectable.

For how are you, stranger, to find out whether I really am more intelligent and resourceful than other women, if I leave you to sit down to meals ragged and dirty in my house? (Odyssey, book 19, Rieu)

Hell, even Odysseus, the first time he talks to her after twenty years, compares her to a king:

"My lady", answered the resourceful Odysseus, "there is not a man in the wide world who could find fault with you. For your fame has reached broad heaven itself, like that of some illustrious king, ruling a populous and mighty country with the fear of the gods in his heart, and upholding justice." (Odyssey, book 19, Rieu)

What we do know is that by the time Telemachus reached full maturity, the role of master and protector of the house and Penelope would fall on him if Odysseus did not return. Telemachus' maturation is a very important theme in the Odyssey and also a source of friction between him and his mother. Although he has yet to gain full control of the house (which in fact he will not get since Odysseus returns at the most critical moment), we can infer from the text that by the time the Odyssey is set, he has the power to send Penelope back to the house of her father, Icarius. Or at least technically he should have it. Penelope tells us that he implores her to leave, so we do not understand whether he could actually send her away if he really wanted to. In any case, whether he has the power or not, he decides not to use it:

It is quite impossible for me to cast out, against her will, the mother who bore me and who brought me up, with my father somewhere at the world's end, perhaps alive, perhaps dead. Think what I would have to pay Icarius if I were to send my mother back to him. [...] And I would incur in the wrath of my countrymen. (Odyssey, book 2, Rieu)

It is also interesting that, despite Icarius urging his daughter to remarry, for some reason he does not have the authority to take her and bring her back to Sparta with him. I maintain that Penelope has an abnormal freedom and control, practically on the brink of "illegality" as conceived by the society of the time.

But how is it possible that she can do it? In my opinion what she does is a studied move: the attempt to take power for herself, using the memory of Odysseus to legitimize it. She must demonstrate that she is not a threat to the pre-established order, but rather that she acts in function of it. That there is no need to worry, because she makes all the decisions on behalf of her husband, not against him. And if she keeps things exactly as they are for twenty years (that is, without a male figure who for the time, I want to stress it, is NECESSARY) it is only for the good of Odysseus. And this is true on her part, I do not think there is malice in her. But let's realize that by serving the purposes of her husband she finds herself doing something that not even Clytemnestra did. That is, GOVERNING COMPLETELY ALONE. Without a man.

But to do that, she has to play it really well. She must always keep the memory of Odysseus alive, she cannot allow anyone to forget who the rightful king is. She talks about him constantly, and has imposed a state of perpetual mourning on herself that does not allow for interruptions.

I just want to point out that I am not arguing that it is all a show or that her feelings towards Odysseus are not true. But my point is it is not just for love, it is also to stay afloat that she does what she does.

An analysis of this kind is obviously not new, it's already very discussed by scholars. Below I cite the main sources that gave me these ideas. Obviously no interpretation is set in stone, so if someone wanted to discuss it I would be absolutely willing.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44578485?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26308152?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Penelope's Renown. Meaning and Indeterminacy in the Odyssey, by Marylin A. Katz

[spkyart]

I am so normal about them

[slutforpringles]

The thing that gets me the most is the way a significant amount of F1 fans that dislike Daniel do so because they say he's "arrogant". That one descriptor has defined so much of the online discourse about him over the last few years.

And I fully recognise that Daniel is not everyone's cup of tea, his sense of humour isn't for everyone and his brash joking cockiness could be at times mistaken in a sense as arrogance.

But I just cannot reconcile the number of people who truly seem to have this deep-seated belief that Daniel is an arrogant person, when time and time again his actions demonstrate an innate kindness and goodness, even in situations where I would wager most other drivers on the grid wouldn't be able to do the same. I'm not an athlete, and maybe this says more about me than Daniel, but I just cannot comprehend the amount of grace and goodwill it takes to reach out and congratulate the person who, through their own machinations or not, ultimately ended both your season and your career.

Maybe in some small way Daniel was a bit too kind and too nice for the cut-throat world of F1, and maybe people did take advantage of that at times. But I think he also made the sport a better place for it. I just wish more people would recognise that.