#Researcher Ambrosia

[banesberry-anomoly]

The Fruit Bearer

New scp oc just dropped! Meet Researcher Dutch Ambrosia (He/They + Neos), aka SCP-0345: The Fruit Bearer. He is literally a tree, specifically the tree of knowledge from the Garden of Eden

Playlist linked + extra info below cut

Three snakes live in his body, and his heart is an apple. He uses a breathing tube because instead of lungs he has branches with leaves and needs a constant flow of air, the Foundation also uses it to give him small doses of class a/b amnestics because they don't want him to find out that hes the tree of Eden 8⁰3c

Made to ship with the newest iteration of @ooorgeorge Gatlin Hayes who is Literally Jesus (Carpenter x Tree is really funny), and is also friends with Dr King for fairly obvious reasons. Apples, Figs, and Pomegranates are all significant fruits for various reasons, and theres more to him than meets the eye

Bonus picrew + doodle of chest cavity:

[banesberry-anomoly]

HOLY SHIT I WAS NOT EXPECTING SOMETHING OUTTA THE RENAISSANCE /VPOS

EATS IT ALL UP

Can you draw my silly Tree guy (Dutch Ambrosia) :scheming:

I am so sorry this took so long

[starsambrosia]

This is what i mean by do better research.

I want a life coach that's good what do i search?

Best life coach legit

Best reveiws life coach

Best credible life coach

Do something else.

Research requires thought and intention, like plotting a corse. More like this, ask yourself questions before you set out.

What philosophy am i looking to improve or change, and why

What needs to change in my life that caused me to look for this

Why do i need help, what exactly is wrong

Write down what youre looking for and why because that may give you more tips to finding what you actually need, rather than being fed the algorythm and whoever paid the highest / had more internet traffic. Some times real knowladge goes ignored because people value conveinence over truth.

Even more so when truth is scary.

But i digress, its fine if you don't do it every time, just be more aware that what you may think is a good search, isn't anymore. And if you dont get ahead of it, the misinformation will choke out any value of your statements.

This isn't a recipe either, what im telling you to do is sit down and think about what it is you're looking for before you search it, just a few seconds even, itll help snap you out of the haze of auto searching.

[abunnsburrow]

[madlovenovelist]

Book Review – ‘The Deep’ by Nick Cutter

Can anyone hear you scream at the bottom of the hadal zone? Genre: Science Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Horror No. of pages: 394 A strange plague called the ’Gets is decimating humanity on a global scale. It causes people to forget—small things at first, like where they left their keys…then the not-so-small things like how to drive, or the letters of the alphabet. Then their bodies forget…

[banesberry-anomoly]

THE SILLIES EVER

i caught 95 ailments and diseases because of them

other guy belongs to @banesberry-anomoly

[porcelian]

HOW HE LOVES | d. wayne | 0.4k

SYNOPSIS: how does damian wayne show his love for you?

ANON: “hi author!! wanted to just make an ask to see if you would write something with damian? if it's okay with you, may it be sfw and romantic? hc's or not, whatever you prefer!!”

A/N: i did some research about his culture and found some interesting facts about how love and endreament is shown in the arabic languages. if i made any mistakes while turning the gendered phrases gn, please let me know.

✹ ꕀ MLISTS . NAV.

REDAMANCY: The endless labyrinth of your minds has been unlocked and explored by both of you. Words are unnecessary for Damian to understand what you want and need. Your presence has left an indelible mark on his heart. It’s the way the two of you gradually reshape your speech, crafting a language of your own—how a glance across a crowded room signals that you want to leave, and he’s at your side in an instant. Your hand finds his. Together, you’re out the door. He knows your routine by heart. He knows you’ll come home tired, so he’s already queued up your favorite show on the DVR, snacks spread out on the table.

ACTIONS FOR YOU: In the beginning stages of your relationship, Damian doesn’t express his love through words or elaborate phrases woven with sophistication. His love shows in his actions—the subtle ways he tries to brighten your everyday life. It’s the way he washes your hair when you’re too exhausted, how he wakes up early to prepare you something to eat, how he ties your shoelaces when they come undone, how he straightens your outfit with care.

“I’ll do it. Only because you asked me to.”

ONLY YOU: Damian only sees you. The crowd fades to a dull blur, while you stand out like the sun. You’re his choice, the one he wants to share every moment with. Waking up, getting ready, cooking, strolling to the grocery store, wandering through the park at dusk—all of it is with you. He can’t imagine it any other way.

“You—you are the exception, ya hayati.”

THE DETAILS: Nothing escapes his notice. It’s the way he brews two cups of coffee for you both, the way he listens to every word you say as though it’s etched in his mind, even if it’s as simple as how your day went. After particularly hard days, he stays close. He peels a piece of fruit, splitting it in half to share, because everything tastes better when it’s with you. Damian cares for the small things.

“You’re definitely the only person I’d do this for.”

WORDS LIKE AMBROSIA: As your relationship deepens, Damian’s promises become like whispered prayers on an altar—a vow etched into his soul. With his words, he assures you that he’ll be by your side, if you’ll have him. Softly, he tells you, “Bahlam feekum”—I dream of you—each night, a phrase that carries weight in its quiet way. To dream of someone is no small thing; it’s a gesture of devotion.

© PORCELIANq﹕ I do not give consent for my writing to be posted or used on any other platforms without my permission and proper credit.

[ubercharge]

marcille's pokemon team! i imagine she's acquired a variety of mons over the years but some of them have been with her longer than others, like the dragonite she raised from dratini. azumarill is from before going to magic school. she got braixen as a fennekin for research purposes, and evolved it during the school period. cherrim is the newest of this bunch, caught and evolved during magic school.

(if you’re curious about why i picked certain pokemon for marcille, and names i gave her team members, it’ll be in the readmore!)

BRAIXEN (Ignis): an easy nod to magic school and her wooden staff. i wanted a straight-up fire type since marcille uses a bunch of explosive magic in the dungeon. i went with braixen instead of delphox because it has more of a youthfulness like marcille herself.

CHERRIM (Pom/Pomegranate): i definitely wanted a grass-type to reflect her staff being made of wood (with little green sprout), her green eyes, and her love of vegetables. cherrim having a bit of a food (cherry) element is a nice plus, and like braixen, it has a yellow colour like marcille’s blonde hair. i think marcille would also love cherrim’s cuteness, and its red accents match marcille’s own red accessories. it being flowery also matches marcille’s floral-enjoying aesthetic sensibilities. on top of that, i imagine it switching to its overcast form after marcille becomes the lord of the dungeon to reflect her mental state.

AZUMARILL (Tsunami): i wanted a more whimsical-looking pokemon to show off marcille’s cuteness, and a fairy-type adds to the magical feel. but even if azumarill looks silly and marcille can be silly, they really pack a punch. scarvi raiders will appreciate this beautiful round friend with a nod.

DRAGONITE (Stratus): rather than just have marcille’s team reflect her cuter aspects, it was important for me to include a member with competitive viability (which generally means the mon itself has a bunch of strengths). before i considered that aspect, i thought about including dragonair as a reference to marcille’s coatl monster, but i went with dragonite in the end for a cute-looking friend with a lot of strength. marcille has, after all, studied magic for a long time and is really good at it. It’d certainly make sense for her to have an objectively strong mon like dragonite on her team, especially considering the position dragons have in dunmeshi’s world and culture (and they were once at the top of the food chain in pokemon too...).

not pictured:

ALCREMIE (Nectar): a suggestion from my friend i really liked, partly because it’s food. and that’s obviously funny. a sweet-looking pure fairy-type (red accents too!) ties into marcille’s enjoyment of sweets and adds more of that fairy/magic feel. as for which colour variant hers would be, i’ll leave that up to you guys to decide. and a funny little sidenote: marcille wanted a fairy for herself like the canaries, but was daunted and disgusted by the requirements to create one. the homunculus the fairies start out as looks like a little blob of a guy, and alcremie’s pre-evo milcery is... well.

because of the homunculus stuff, i imagine she hatched Nectar from an egg and evolved it before magic school!

GOURGEIST (Ambrosia): while braixen works as a cute magic school reference to magic, gourgeist has more of a witchy, spooky feel. marcille isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, after all. but since this is her team from the start, gourgeist is a nice way to wink at a darker witch aesthetic compared to her other mons without fully giving away marcille’s eventual transformation. it still has a fitting whimsical design, plus its broomstick likeness can be seen as another nod to ambrosia.

Ambrosia would, of course, have been obtained as a pumpkaboo and raised until evolving in line with marcille's staff creation in dunmeshi

honorary mentions: ponyta/rapidash (for her horse love), milotic (for the quetzalcoatl), rotom (suggested by my friend who likes the mental image of her putting senshi in rotom wash), arboliva (italian), liligant (floral + grass-type), foongus (grass-type, reference to walking mushrooms), deerling (grass-type, cute, a deer is vaguely horselike), morpeko (silly/cute, has a “dark” form like cherrim)

dungeon lord: she would have control over all the mons in the dungeon without them being “hers”, so i didn’t plan for her team to change upon her becoming dungeon lord.

[starsambrosia]

I've seen this post a few times and I gotta say, cultural lense (as some one newly studying) is so fucking important, I've looked into the culture for only like two years consistently and even with just that I have such a better veiw on the gods and hellenic paganism than I ever had before.

History is important but specifically cultural history for cultural practices ESPECIALLY GREEK. Goes so unnoticed and uncared for because greece and the people there are being and have been picked appart by everyone who wants a piece for literal centuries.

I’m not a classicist, but I suspect one of the reasons so many of the Greek gods are portrayed so unflatteringly was less because they were seen as villains than because they represented their domains.  Of course Zeus sometimes misuses his power, that’s what a king does.  Of course Artemis’s wrath is wild and painful, that’s what nature can be.  Of course Hades snatched away a young girl from her mother’s arms, that’s what death does.  This is one of the reasons callout posts for some gods comparing them negatively to ‘nicer’ gods are kind of missing the point.

[fics-by-noworriesifnot]

Chapter 10/19: "Undeniable Chemistry." now up on AO3

Hermione poked her head around the corner of the sitting room to observe Draco on the couch watching television with a glazed over expression. He’d been sat there for the past several days now, consuming the episodes of Charmed she’d painstakingly downloaded for him. 

Hermione took a deep breath and approached, channeling all her positive energy into her next sentence. “I have some exciting news that might cheer you up!” She announced, leaning with both hands on the arm rest, her leg kicking up behind her in the momentum of it all. Draco looked at her askance, raising a single brow before his eyes flitted back to the screen. “Is it about whether Piper and Leo develop chemistry at any point in this show? Because I’m struggling to believe they like each other at all… Charmed?” He said. “Hardly.” “No…” Hermione said, battling a grin. “It’s about the potion.” Draco sat up, his eyes brightening. “Oh, you’ve made a break-through to revitalise the wizarding world already?” He asked, as Hermione plopped into the couch beside him. She hadn’t meant to sit so close, with his arm still resting over the back of the couch, she felt enveloped in him. “Erm-” she swallowed. “No, not that potion… your father’s Ambrosia Elixir.” She said, shrugging her shoulders in anticipation of his annoyance. 

Draco sighed and brought his hand to his temple. “Not this again.” He said. “I told you not to waste your time on it.” Choosing to ignore his petulant response, Hermione continued to explain her discovery. 

“I’ve figured out what I need to complete it -well- your father did most of the leg work, I just connected the dots really.” She said, punctuating the air with her finger. “All we need is ash from a resurrected phoenix.” Draco visibly recoiled, but Hermione continued, undeterred. “Proteins found in phoenix ashes will bind to the reactant molecules in the elixir and catalyse the reaction. Usually catalysts only accelerate the reaction, and wouldn’t contribute to it- but this is where magic comes in! After the reaction the properties are extracted; phoenix proteins are just built differently to regular proteins. Currently the reaction is happening too slowly, but with a catalyst, this magical catalyst… Malfoy, I really believe it will work!” Draco merely blinked in response, chemical equations might well have been floating around her head for all he could make of what she was saying.

“Essentially your father has synthesised phoenix resurrection magic!” Hermione exclaimed, simplifying her explanation. “Very clever Granger, but when was the last time you saw a phoenix? Let alone a recently resurrected one.” Draco replied, guilt spiking as he watched Hermione deflate. “Well-” she sputtered. “I know they’re incredibly rare, but-” “There hasn’t been a phoenix sighting since Dumbledore's hen flew off, and before that, who knows how long?” Draco said, folding his arms over his chest. “Sure.” Hermione countered, willing herself to keep her voice level. “But I’m speaking to someone in an online forum who says they have some ashes and they’re willing to share them with me to support my cause!” “An online forum?” Draco blinked, feeling, not for the first time in this short conversation, completely out of his depth.

“A chat room on the net. They say they’re located in Egypt and if I were to visit, they’d be more than happy to help! I was thinking that perhaps I could plan a trip after Christmas?” Hermione said, her excitement building at the prospect of an academic research adventure.

‘Ah.’ Draco thought, recognising some of the lingo he’d learned over the past few months, used in association with Hermione downloading television periodicals for him to watch. “So you’re talking to a complete stranger on your computer who is promising you, what could possibly be, one of the rarest magical items in the world- for free mind you- if you just hop over to the transcontinent real quick on an international portkey? And there is nothing suspicious about this to you?” He said, raising his hands in question at her. “Erm…” Hermione shrugged, her eyes rolling backwards as if just realising this for the first time. Draco could not understand how she figured out how to synthesise phoenix resurrection magic, but remained completely obtuse to matters of her personal safety. Sighing and closing his eyes, he asked. “What about your real research Granger? Are you just abandoning it?” Hermione felt a prickle of annoyance at that, but tamped it down. She was desperate for Draco to understand her point of view, but didn’t want to descend into a chaotic bickering spiral that came so naturally to them.

“Of course I’m not abandoning it… but I can do both,” she said. “You know I can practically multitask in my sleep. Besides-  phoenixes are endemic to Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula; it makes sense someone there might have some ashes.”

“What do Potter and Weasley think of this plan?” Draco asked. Mumbling, Hermione replied, “I haven’t exactly told them…” She said, avoiding his eye. Suspicions confirmed, Draco turned to her in full, trying to appeal to her sense of reason. “Granger. I want you to stop. This is going too far.” He said, any sense of agitation leaving him as he looked at the witch now kneeling before him on the cushions, her eyes wide and slightly crestfallen. “You don’t owe this to me.” He continued. “My death is entirely Bellatrix and The Dark Lord’s doing. We’ve talked about this.” He said softly, wishing he could take her hand.

Hermione turned away from him slightly, resting on one leg while the other swung over the edge of the couch. She took a deep breath, not wanting emotion to get the better of her. “You stopped Bellatrix when she had me under her knife... I just wish I could have done the same for you.” She said, blinking against the memories of Bellatrix digging a blade into her throat. “So that is what this is about?” Draco replied. “It’s not just that, Malfoy…” Hermione said, chewing her lip. “Am I another project then? Another problem for the brilliant mind of Hermione Granger to solve?” He asked, his voice solemn. “A problem? No, how could you think that? It’s not that I couldn’t save you at the battle and I’m certainly not in this to give myself more work to do... it’s more than that.” “Then what is it?” “I- Well-” Hermione felt heat blooming in her cheeks. “I’ve grown rather fond of you.” She blurted and immediately wished she could take it back, as the corners of Draco’s mouth pulled up into a smirk. “You’ve grown fond of me?” He said, his voice carrying a note of disbelief, as he sat straighter, taking in this surprising tidbit.

“Don’t preen for Heaven’s sake!” Hermione said, her cheeks brightening further. “I care for you, and I think you’re accepting your death too readily. I just don’t understand how you can be so blasé about your circumstances when the opportunity to change them is within our reach.”

“If you do care for me, you’ll respect my wishes and autonomy over my own life, or as it currently stands, death.” Draco said.

“Why won't you let me do this for you?” Hermione asked, as Draco felt his stomach backflip, knowing he’d have to confess to the same feelings if he was going to get this witch to relent. “Have you thought that perhaps I care for you too? And that I don’t want to see any harm befall you on your feckless mission to finish my father’s potion? If you can find a solution that doesn’t jeopardize your own life or career, then by all means, carry on.” He said in one breath.

“I do think you’re overreacting about my meeting this person from the forum…” Granger pouted, her arms folded over her chest. Emulating her pose, Draco replied curtly. “I think I’m reacting perfectly reasonably… you’ll simply have to find another way if bringing me back is so important to you.” “But there is no other way!” Hermione said. “You’re Hermione Granger. There is always another way. Now. Promise me you’re going to drop this travel nonsense.” Hermione inhaled sharply, about to fight for what she wanted, to push further and make demands, knowing he couldn’t really stop her. But she felt the strength of her convictions leave her as she looked at Draco. He was smiling for the first time in days. Perhaps he was right, it was his death, as much as she wished she could change things, it wasn’t for her to decide. “Fine.” She acquiesced. “Good girl.” Draco said, stretching his arm out behind her on the couch and turning back to the television. Hermione felt her heart rate spike at his words and proximity; even though she knew she couldn’t touch him, she had the sudden urge to bury herself in his jumper. 

“Now, turn the sound back on.” Draco said, gesturing to the remote. “Chauncey has queued up Buffy for us. Even though these muggle directors got the wrong end of the stick when it comes to vampires, at least they have undeniable chemistry.” Hermione’s heart clenched upon a realisation as she unmuted the television. “Undeniable chemistry.” She repeated under her breath, feeling that she’d just understood how it felt.

[banesberry-anomoly]

old trees want to hurt you. It doesn't matter if you're snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or just taking a walk in the woods. Old trees want to hurt you, and I think they'd kill you if they could.

[dreamyyesenia]

Always Keep Simming Legacy - Visiting the Specter Household and a visit from the Grim Reaper…

Aileen drove the long way to Ravenwood, as the Specter’s had invited her over. She had a day off, while the kids and Colin were at school/work. Olive Specter seemed to be very interested in Aileen’s scientific research. She’d heard about her success cloning sims and objects and there were rumors she could even revive a sim. Olive, being the black widow that she was, was, of course, more interested in unaliving sims… but the concept of bringing someone back to life brought up a new question for her: If someone knew how to revive someone, they could possibly also make someone immortal? (Yes, again the immortality conflict but I believe it’s a topic human and sim beings are most interested in. Who doesn’t want to be invincible?…). Aileen and Colin hadn’t talked about her going even further in her research, as immortality was a sensitive subject for Colin, understandably so. His grandmother had ordered him to make an immortality potion for her and kept him hostage in the Realm of Magic for that... Colin hadn’t tried working on his alchemy skills since her demise, so Aileen wasn’t eager to delve deeper into Life and Death issues either.

“Can you at least give me the recipe for Ambrosia?”, Olive demanded. Aileen was unsure whether she could trust her. So, she declined. It was clear Olive was trying to form some kind of relationship with her, which made Aileen slightly uncomfortable. They got to talk about their children next, Olive had a son named Nyon. He wasn’t going to a normal high school, not even an occult school, as Aileen and Colin were planning to send their twins to. He was attending exclusive classes at the Grim Reaper’s Academy for Young Reaper’s, in Ravenwood. The teens going to that school were mostly spellcasters or vampires but humans were allowed in as well. As Gemma was very interested in all things “Death”, Aileen considered applying for her. Her head full of thoughts and possibilities, Aileen arrived home that evening and was surprised to find Grim already present…

He accepted Gemma into his Reaper’s Academy and invited Gavin as well! Regarding the topic of ambrosia… It was a complicated matter. “For centuries, sims have tried to find ways to trick death. I’m not the Lord of the Underworld, in fact, I have to report to them about the Reaping Business. At the end of the day, I don’t care who makes it to the Underworlds. As long as I fulfill each week’s quota, I’m good”, he explained. Gemma listened to every word with fascination. “The Underworld”, she asked, “Are there other creatures? Demons? Angels?”. The Grim Reaper chuckled. “There’s all kinds of creatures there, miss, but you won’t live to tell anyone about it. If you’ve made it to the Underworld, you can’t come back, ever.” Gemma eyes were big as saucers and Gavin was complaining to his dad about his overly curious twin… All the while, Aileen was lost in her thoughts. She came to the conclusion, to keep her recipe for ambrosia to herself, as well as her cloning business. And she would definitely not concern herself about immortality matters - that just sounded like a recipe for disaster.

And so, the twins would attend the Grim Reaper’s Academy for Young Reaper’s starting fall. First, they’d get to enjoy one last week of childhood and the summer ☀️.

~

Tbc next season!

~

Note:

Switching to the postcard legacy next, we’ll continue this legacy with the twins birthday (and a quick recap of their summer vacation in Tomarang) ❤️

This absolutely breathtaking build for the Specters is by @sosimsy (YT and Gallery ID). Their builds for ravenwood are perfect imo and I used almost all of them for my renovations!!

[liketolaugh-writes]

So, lore in the Good GIW AU:

A good amount of my Danny Phantom ghost hunter lore - in all my fics, not just this one - is rooted in the assumption that pre-portal, all the Fentons and the GIW (and all other researchers) had to work from was a slightly more concrete version of the stories we have in the real world. They don't know about Nocturne and Vortex and Pariah Dark; they know about the Bell Witch and Alcatraz and Mary King's Close, and some historical journals/records that they believe are ghost sightings.

(Ignore all debunking that's happened in the real world, let's not be pedantic here.)

'Guardian spirit' is an obsession category; we'll elaborate on this later. There are multiple subcategories, but the GIW hasn't finalized those yet because of their vaguely inadequate sample size. (Ghosts don't use subcategories but the original obsession categories come from them.) (We'll actually see this either next week or the week after in The Life and Death of Danny Phantom.)

'Death-bound' is the term for a couple that died together and whose main obsession is to be together forever.

Newly dead ghosts (usually five years or less) retain their human appearance. They start to shift to a more ghostly one after that, and that can take another five to ten years.

Angel's Ambrosia is, unbeknownst to Danny, a god-tier offering. You could give three of these to Pariah Dark and he would consider it an acceptable gift. At some point, the GIW managed to get one of these by sheer happenstance and cultivated it into a fruiting tree with an elaborate setup of ecto-projectors and filters.

The main reason they're so valuable is because they grow only in areas with a very low ghost population, making their ecto very 'pure.' If a ghost goes to pick one, their aura sullies the taste, and if lots do it, the tree dies. Their best bet is to hover way, way below and hope a fruit falls off, or maybe throw something.

'Liminal' here is a term used by spiritualists, while the ectology term is the standard 'ectocontaminated.' Ghosts don't have an equivalent term because they don't care about ecto-infected humans lmfao.

Summoners get one warning and after that they need a license to summon anything.

I spent way too much time on this.

[starsambrosia]

I ran into a Wiccan today who was telling people to research more thoroughly...if that's not the funniest joke I've heard all day idk what is lol

[thatfreshi]

I Want to Mean It - Astarion x Reader

Your wedding is fast approaching, and you have one last preparation to make.

Recommended Song: Sick of Losing Soulmates - Dodie

You and Astarion are set to get married tomorrow evening. After nautiloid crashes and illithid parasites, you never really thought you'd get to do some romantic ritual like this. After all, both of you should have been long gone by now, yet Lady Luck stuck around.

Despite how soon the ceremony is, you've been quite busy working with Gale, who just so happens to be your best man. A powerful wizard like that is good to have on your side, especially when marrying a vampire. After yet another long day of perfecting spells and testing magical methods, you return home to your lover, who is making last-minute stitches into his wedding outfit.

"If it isn't my soon-to-be spouse, come here my love."

Despite his cold skin, it's a warm embrace. You're tense though, and he can sense it.

"What's the matter darling?"

You try to swallow the nervousness, but it sticks in your throat.

"I'm sorry I've been so busy this week. I just wanted to make sure everything was perfect for us."

"Why of course. It has to be a night to remember after all. Wouldn't be our wedding if it wasn't."

You go to grab something out of your pocket, wrapping your hand around a small vial, almost shattering the glass with your grasp.

"What have we here?"

He slips his hand past yours, easily removing the vial from your hand. To his surprise, it's empty. There is a slight coating of what used to be a liquid inside.

"Astarion, I love you so, so much."

He investigates the vial further, almost ignoring your sentence.

"Well of course my love, I know that."

He uncorks the vial, and is immediately hit with a sickeningly sweet smell, a scent he can't quite place.

"My god, what is this. Or better yet, what was this?"

You're shaking, unsure of what he'll say if you tell him. Instead, you move to your other pocket and grab a rolled-up piece of paper from Gale's journal. Putting it in his pale hand, you go to sit on the bed, head in your hands. He begins reading.

"On the sixth day of attempting to perfect my spell, I have confirmed the following:

It was successful

The research I found was accurate and correctly documented

The subject has gained immortality."

There is more listed below, but he doesn't read it.

"Tav, you idiot. You absolute fool I-"

Astarion is unable to speak, both dumbfounded and emotional.

"Ambrosia, you're playing dangerous games. Games you don't know the rules to."

He's angry, you expected him to be. As someone who has lived for centuries, he knows what you've asked for, what you've done. Ambrosia, a liquid of pure joy, one of the only things that can grant immortality. You spoke to Gale for weeks on end, trying to figure out the safest way to live forever. Turns out, there are very few, and this one was quite difficult to perform.

"Astarion I-"

"No, we have to reverse it, we have to go to him right now and figure out how to stop this."

"Aster, my love, you know as well as I do that's not possible."

"Well damn it he'll make it possible!"

You shudder a little. He doesn't raise his voice often, usually only ever out of fear. Then the tears roll.

"Why would you do this to yourself."

You get up from the bed and wrap your arms around his shoulders. He turns away, almost as if he's ashamed of your choice.

"Because when we say our vows tomorrow, and I tell you I want to be yours forever, I want to mean it."

You begin to sob too, not out of fear, but out of how much you love this man. Years ago you never would've drunk something like Ambrosia, you never would've asked to live forever.

"But you'll be stuck with me forever. Hells, I'm stuck with me forever and sometimes I wish I wasn't."

You don't know what to say, how to tell him you knew this was right, how you and Gale fought about what you were asking for, how he said that Astarion would react this way. While you try to gather the words, he turns to look at you again, still overwhelmed by this information.

"What if... what if you get sick of me?"

You wipe a tear away from his eye, and give him a bittersweet smile.

"You know damn well we're already sick of each other."

You chuckle, he does too.

"You should've told me."

"Well, I wanted my wedding gift to be a surprise."

While the mood lightens, he loses some of the tension, all of the anger dissipates. He realizes he's not alone anymore, that he won't have to watch you pass on into the afterlife without him.

"Well, it's a phenomenal gift my sweet."

You both become enraptured in a deep kiss, something ravenous behind his lips, something relieved in his heart. That kiss multiplies, until you're both out of breath.

"Save some of that for after the ceremony dear."

You wink at him, and you both burst out laughing. The hysteria in the air, it's something you've never quite felt before, and you'd get every chance to feel it again, alongside with Astarion, and you realize you've never felt more sure about anything in your life. This is one decision you'll never question, as long as he's yours, and you are his.

[abbysimsfun]

Sims In Bloom: Generation 2 Pt. 89 (Reanimating a New Friend)

content tease: at least one pic of Lavender, at pretty much her cutest yet, is hidden below the cut.

The sun hadn't come up when Conrad heard Lavender babbling in her crib upstairs. Heather dozed peacefully at his side but he hadn't slept, staring at the ceiling with his mind clouded by stress. He got up quietly to greet his daughter, passing a sleeping Felix Psyded, Esquire, on the living room sofa.

"Daaa baaa," she cooed, and Conrad took Lavender downstairs to fill a bottle for her. When he reached the landing, the apparition in their living room was already awake.

"Morning," they said to each other. Polite, succinct. Once the bottle was ready, he took Lavender into the bedroom to feed her. Conrad didn't know whether infants could even see ghosts, but he wasn't about to introduce her to one, anyway.

He left the door open for their pets, and Felix approached cautiously. Conrad nodded, barely turning his attention from his little girl, and Felix slowly floated inside. Heather stayed sound asleep and the ghostly apparition glanced away from her with a start. "I'm sorry, I should not see your fiancee in bed."

"This is our bedroom. What did you think you'd see, Felix?"

"Esq-"

"Don't."

Felix sighed, glancing warmly as Conrad fed his daughter. "I want to apologize for my behaviour last night. It was unbecoming and the truth is, I acted that way out of jealousy. I told you last night how hard it was to lose the woman I loved, and you're a very fortunate man with a beautiful family. I thought you seemed ungrateful."

"I'm not ungrateful."

"I know. I may have misread you."

Conrad smiled at his daughter as she finished her bottle and he held her up to burp her. "It's alright. I wasn't really myself last night, anyway."

"I would like to start over. If everyone you know speaks so highly of you, you must be a good man, and I don't want my... overconfidence ...to get in the way of making a friend. That's been a problem of mine for over one hundred fifty years."

Conrad put Lavender in her toasty unicorn onesie before setting her down to practice tummy time. As a wiggly baby who could already roll over to her stomach, she loved to practice on her own, and would try to pull herself up to greet their pets.

"I'd be happy to start over," said Conrad. "But I'm only ever calling you Esquire if we're in a courtroom."

"Once I've eaten the ambrosia, if it works I'll head back to Britechester and not impose further. I think I'm just about ready to retake the modern bar exam. I've tried to stay current and I know quite a lot already, but when I get back, I'll study up! If you and Heather need an attorney on retainer, I'd be happy to offer my services free of charge. As my first clients this century, and the ones who helped me live again, you'll never owe me a penny."

"Is that how you plan to live your second chance at life? As a lawyer?"

"I've loved exploring the world as a ghost, but there's something comforting about returning home to live my life again - like I'm picking up right where I left off. But I've never been able to work just one job, and moonlighting as a ghost historian suits me just as well as legal work. I'll make most of my income from law, but I know the historical research will be equally fulfilling."

"Sounds like a pretty good plan, Felix."

Ash came bounding down the stairs then, heading toward the kitchen to get breakfast. "Did you say you're a ghost? Conrad, is there really a ghost in our house? Wow! Arron Kalani will never believe this!"

"Hello, young child. Felix Psyded, Esquire, at your service."

"I'm Ash and I'm six! How old are you, Mr. Esquire? Are you over a hundred?"

"Not really. I've been dead that long, but I was born in 1879, died in 1915."

Genius Ash needed less than a minute to do the math, joining Felix in the living room with a breakfast burrito. "So you've been 36 for one-hundred forty-one years? What's that like?"

"It's not as fun as being alive," said the ghost. "I miss it, so your parents agreed to make me a food called ambrosia."

"Conrad's not my dad. When he and my mom get married he'll be my stepdad, but I call him that already. My dad lives in San Myshuno in a big penthouse. What will ambrosia do?"

"If it's made correctly, it will reanimate me. I'll rejoin the living and be skin and bones again, just like you."

"Food can do that?"

"This is a very special food." He stood respectfully when Heather finally roused herself from the bedroom. She'd slept in a bit after their late night at the bar, trusting her techs to manage the clinic while she rested.

"Will you be skin and bones again when I get back from school later?"

"I think as soon as I'm corporeal again, I'm heading straight back to Britechester. Home is where the heart is, after all. But I'll see Conrad and your mother again. They've put me in charge of a little research project on some town history."

"I hope I'll get to see you again, too, Mr. Esquire. I've heard about ghosts and some are really scary, but you're a friendly ghost! Like Casper, but you're not a little boy."

Felix smiled. "I should hope we'll meet again, young Ash."

"Can I stay home from school and watch the ambrosia work?"

Conrad shook his head. "Not a chance, buddy. We'll let you know how it goes."

Ash moaned, but he took his empty plate to the kitchen and left for school on time.

Meanwhile, Heather prepared ambrosia to the exact specifications in the newsletter. One angelfish purchased by Conrad from the Magic Realm. One death flower grown in their backyard from a seed her astrobotanist mother had cultivated the previous winter. And two ounces of a silver-tinted Potion of Youth they'd received from the Ambrosia Society as they marked off tasks in each newsletter.

She watched the fish cook slowly over the stove, finally plating the finished dish as Felix waited in anticipation.

"It smells nothing like I imagined. This is so exciting! I can only hope to repay this kindness by learning everything you want to know about your old man at the museum."

Felix pulled out a fork to dig in as Heather's phone rang. "That's work. They need help with a surgery, but I can drop Lavender at daycare on my way. Will you help Felix before you leave for work? And be nice?"

"We made up this morning," said Conrad. "We'll be fine."

He stood to kiss her goodbye, returning to the kitchen as Felix finished the entire plate of ambrosia. Staring at the empty plate, he smiled as an ethereal glow seemed to burn off him. The apparition stood as his body warmed. A force lifted him in the air, as a bolt of energy shot through every inch of his spectral frame.

The force let go and his body spun toward the earth, so fast he thought his head might swivel off entirely. But he looked down at his hands; they were as flesh and bone as the day he died. He touched his face in awe. "It worked! It actually worked!"

Conrad smiled. "Congratulations."

"My debt to you and Miss Heather can never truly be repaid, but I assure you I will try."

"We appreciate that, but just restart your life for now. Get used to living in Britechester again, and let us know when you're settled in."

"I did want to ask a few more questions about your man before I go, if you have the time. But you mentioned his appearance last night and I couldn't help but notice some of your beautiful family photos hanging around the house. The photos of you as a younger man, your father is with you, I presume?"

"Yeah, that's my Dad. The old man sorta looked like him, but more from a distance than up close."

"And you said he offered to show you around the lighthouse after hours, but he walked out of the museum?"

He nodded. "Are you trying to track his movements?"

"Well, Sargent, ghosts don't move like people do, so not exactly. But if he's a ghost, where you met matters. It could be a clue to his identity, or have something to do with the message he's trying to send."

"What message?"

"Older ghosts' unfinished business is less about sticking around, and typically more about making sure the people they love have what they need to go on without them. Sometimes the messages are about lost heirlooms worth thousands, and sometimes it's just to let their loved ones know they'll be okay, since Grim doesn't pass on last words. When he wouldn't tell my dear Maude my last message to her, it hardened my resolve not to cross over."

"Did you ever get to tell her?"

Felix frowned. "I did...But a new chance at life beckons! No sense dwelling on the last one, now."

The new man had no suitcase and Conrad sent him on his way. But as he dressed for work, there was a knock at the door. ->

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