#Ro is enabling me again

[jkl-fff]

What are your thoughts on Star wars? And which piece of media is the most enjoyable/nostalgic for you?

Every now and then, I am unpleasantly surprised to discover that I am aparently both a Star Wars geek and a Star Wars nerd. In those moments, I must sigh in exasperation, try to practice self-acceptance and self-love, and just wait until the Force is done flowing through me.

Because there is a lot about Star Wars that I very much enjoy. The mythos, the diversity of species (including Droids) and locations, the combination of fantasy and sci-fi tropes, the centrality of both politics and spirituality. And a lot that peeves me. Most of which can be laid at the feet of corporate practice. Inconsistent and even bad writing, usually imposed by executives looking to maximize consumability, drag out a hit story, or hiring production teams that aren't even fans of the franchise. Pop culture homogenization that sometimes makes it hard to tell if you're engaging with Star Wars or Marvel (this since Disney took over).

Anyway, the media that I personally enjoy most are "Rogue One" and "Jedi: Fallen Order". RO because it's a compelling, poignant, self-contained story that expands and deepens both the Galaxy and the struggle of the original trilogy. It understands what it's supposed to be (a tragedy where none of the heroes make it out alive, but their sacrifice enables the heroics of the Original Trilogy to happen) and performs itself well. Compared to the Prequel Trilogy, which is supposed to be a tragedy, but mostly is a meme factory. The PT wasn't terrible, but could've been great. RO, by contrast, actually is great. JFO for the same reason, but you get to actually play as a Jedi. It's a brilliant blend of Star Wars and Uncharted (helped along by an utterly perfect soundtrack). It evokes everything that was right with the OT and the PT, and is genuinely enjoyable in its gameplay experience.

Thanks! Now, off I go into it again!

[radiokathryn-if]

this is based in England right?? What are the ros fave insults/curse words??

this is my new favourite ask. fun fact about me, my friends and I used to get in trouble bc on the bus to school (so like 7 in the morning) we would have competitions on who could string along the longest and most foul insult chain... i'll refrain from getting that bad for the ROs!

Nate──he gets harsh with his curses— "cunt" "twat" "wanker" but he uses 'swear' words all the time like "bollocks" "bloody" "fuck(er)" "shit(er)" and so on. Nate may have the worst case of sailors mouth out of all of them, uses cruder versions of words like "piss" and has called people (of all genders) "slags" and "skanks" and "whores" just because he can.

Eva──doesn't swear in English often but when she does is mostly the common swears like "fuck" and . She has called Nate a "Hijo de puta resignada" (son of a twice fucked whore) before, her more colourful language being in Spanish.

Mica──doesn't swear all to much, unless they're angry in which they tend to stick with more classic curses and insults like— "knobhead" "arsehole" "git" "tosser" or "bellend". Has called someone a "neek" before and never did again after their hilarious overeaction. (It means nerd/geek)

Detective Han──doesn't swear. They're intimidation factor comes from them not their words. Is not afraid to call someone an "idiot" though and it feels harsher than it should.

José──uses "mother fucker" so much it's kind lost its impact. Also uses "shit" all the time. Is kind of enabled by their whole family (including their parents!) but José doesn't really go further than that.

Ji Han─���doesn't swear out loud. He's a medical student and an apprentice at a hospital, he has to make sure he doesn't slip up so he doesn't swear audibly. I will say, he gets quite scary when he does audibly swear. He gets creative with insults because he's observant enough to notice what gets under the other person's skin. Doesn't use "shit" but does use "fuck(ing)" will also use "damn" sometimes.

Fauve──she has a couple favourite favourites that include— "fuckwit" "piss weasel" "wank stain" "ballache" and "bearded clam", but isn't afraid to swear in her every day language. Not afraid to call people a "nonce" or a "slack-jawed, jug-eared, mouth-breathing, bottom-feeding thunder cunt." She says "crap" over "shit" but tends to say "pee" over "piss" because it sounds too harsh... (weird hill to die on Fauve!)

Jackson──has a young daughter so actively slowed down cussing. Has called multiple people a "prat" a "prick" a "plonker" or a "pillock" and uses tamer insults like "idiot" or "muppet" around Cilly.

???──likes swearing so much but doesn't because they still feel weird about it after getting scolded by their parents for it in their youth. (typically taking the rapp for their twin). Can usually get away with less brash insults like "sod" "daft" "bloody" "damn" or "shit" without feeling guilty. Will unleash their hidden vernacular in blind anger though with things like "cack-handed nitwit" or "smeg head" or "absolute oxygen thieving cockwomble".

: )

[thecoolerliauditore]

Hey, I'm that one anon from a few weeks back who was pretty skeptical about rats 2, so i thought it would be nice to come back and share how is it going

So first of all, the negatives. Yesterday was the 1st big event of the season and I did not enjoy it too much. The story itself was okay i guess, typical halloween ghost story, but it had the minecraft server - typical problem of some people speaking way too loud and over others. I was watching from Martyn's pov and he had to mute everyone twice bc of the overstimulation, and spent lots of the event in his own or in small groups

Apart from that, honestly pretty happy with the smp? It has returned to the communal vibes of rats 1 instead of dividing everyone im groups, which is great bc it s almost imposible to log in and not meet everyone else who is logged in at the moment. That was one of pirates s worst sins imo. Also, it has small missions for the players to do, which are not that interesting tbh, but they don t take far as much time as the ones in pirates which enable the players to mostly hang out and vibe. Also the whole running away from humans is a very fun premise. The whole concept of the smp is honestly just a reprise of rats 1, which brings the question of if it is really necessary, but by now it s being fun sooo i guess it gets a pass (by now)

The environment is very chaotic, but apart from the event it doesn t usually feel like too much. The one problem is that it distracts the players from actually building lol. Talking about building, they have had lots of technical issues with the chisel and bits mod, so they have changed tl another mod which seems tl be working better, although now the players have to relearn how to build in that size. But ngl, some of them are going crazy with the building, Sniff, Eloise, Scott, Sausage and Ros mainly are CRAZY

About the players, I am only following closely a handful of them, but it s generally being a blast. Having them roleplay as rats is just silly and brings good vibes and bits. My one hot take is that although I think he's a very talented builder, I find Sausage kind of annoying in smps, and also one of the loudest during events, but that's probably a me thing. Apart from him, Tubbo and Ros have done a cult and it's delightful to watch, the Martyn and Ren duo is super fun as expected, Oli is once again the funniest fucker alive, El and Bek are amazing. A creator I didn t know too well until now is Watermunch and she's great, his laugh especially gives me seratonin

So yeah, not everything is great or super interesting but it's fun and chaotic and as much as I bash in pirates, Ros and Water were great aditions to the cast so I am glad it exists. But pleeeease someone tell them to keep calm during moments with lots of people, it's uncomfy for the watchers, some ccs get overwhelmed and others can barely speak. Another problem I ve seen is that a portion of Tubbo s chat keep metagaming, which is annoying af, but whatever ig

I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! I definitely have heard good things about treebark rats (I do think renrat having a wife is the one of. maybe the funniest things to come out of SMPs good god martyn im so. im so sorry martyn) and even though i wasn't a fan of the original i did have fun watching garbage rat clips. That impromptu music number he did with the camera angle changes is like. genuinely high art to me.

also good on martyn for knowing his limits. I can imagine it's a rough choice to make in the moment what with the pressure to perform and whatnot.

o7 hope those rats keep ratting

[kusundei]

im so fucked what the hell. i knew w dr dastvan i KNOW i know you. i know you and im fucked. no because i tried i swear i did and i am trying im sorry im not the same. im not and im sorry ive regressed a bit but isnt the road to recovery not a straight one??? theres always going to be bumps??? i didnt mean to okay. i didnt mean to get THIS bad and i forget i cant just lie my way through this. i keep praying maybe theres something wrong with me that isnt just somehting in my head like shes saying i want it to be and im praying over and over again. maybe there is something wrong w my blood and my health and my heart and its not just me. i didnt mean ro i truly didnt and i dont know why its still happening???

i dont ever really mwan to enable myself ive just made it far too normal. i know and i knew and i acknowledge it all the time but i dont know what keeps preventing me from jsut getting over it and focusing on myself. i know im not eating enough i know im sick i know i can feel it i know i know i know. i dont know why i cant just get yp and do it ESPECIALLY when im hungry. honeslty its so much worse if im not w ajax because i do feel hungry w him but at home ik myself i wouldnt even eat at all i dont think. i know most of it is still fear and i am also just trying to focus on recovery and not be evil ab it and me gaining because if i start acknowledging thay then i will tweak and i will be evil again. i cant do that i jeed to just accept it bcuz my health is important ajd its not likr anything will change ive been 150 for so so long?? more than that too??? i expected to be 160 for the rest of my life not 130. not 127. she keeps going on about how if i lose more weight (intentional or not) i will be sent inpatient. 120 is my evil evil red zone. i had to lie ab passing out i cant confess rhat. theyll be to oevil and irs not eben just them its my mom. i admit it okay maybe i am disordered. maybe the testosterone did sctually decrease my appetite but i got it to this point. i enabled mtself in the way i knew how because it csaw the opportunity and took it. i didnt intend on going this low i told myself 145 just to see. just because i was curious. now look st where i am if ive fucked up everythint ive built so far again it genuinely is so over and its all my fault again. again again again i will never win and im fucked

[ladylilithprime]

Lils's 2022 Fanfic Retrospective

Haven't done one of these in a while because something about Covid just seriously sapped my creative energies right out of me and I ended up not writing nearly as much as I wanted for 2020 and 2021. But something in Autumn of 2022 perked me back up, and here's what was accomplished:

Broken Hallelujah: My beloved non-linear narrative Archangel Samuel with Sastiel fic, with wonderful art by @jazzforthecaptain! Not a new fic by any stretch, but I did get a new chapter polished up enough to post.

Unspoken Rules Can't Be Broken: A deviation back into the Harry Potter fandom, because my fandom interests are ever-cyclical. This one was a writing prompt for Harry/Hermione with a specific prompted time-travel do-over premise. I'm not the only person to do it, but I seem to have done a few things that are unique according to my readers.

Wer zu Lebzeit gut auf Erden: More Supernatural! This one was a belated birthday gift to my beloved mutual enabler @rodiniaorzetalthepenquin, featuring a canon divergence at Swan Song where Lucifer and Michael were pushed into the Cage without their vessels, Gabriel took over Heaven, and the Winchesters were told firmly to take a few months (or years) off from doing anything that might break the world again. Very Samcentric despite being Dean's POV, and with some definite Sastiel undercurrents.

Every Time A Bell Rings: A platonic Destiel psuedo-sequel to "Wer zu Lebzeit" as a birthday gift for my bae @jupiterjames who deserved to have something sweet to enjoy. Castiel bakes a pie, and Dean has a canon praise kink. XD

Durch du Engel Halleluja: The actual sequel to "Wer zu Lebzeit" with Christmas, family togetherness, expected and unexpected guests, and Sam FINALLY gets to see the photographs Castiel and Dean keep taking. (Only chapter one got finished by midnight of December 31st, but by golly is this thing going to be finished before February!

Living, Learning, Tongue-Tied, Trying: A snippet originally written for Ro as a happy thought piggybacked off one of her fics of Team Free Will 2.0 before Chuck decided to be an assbutt with Jack going off to college. Also heavily Sastiel, because that's how we roll. XD

These Dying Embers: A contemplative Michael in the Cage watching Lucifer taking Sam apart over and over and over. I actually don't remember how long ago I wrote this one for @threshie, though if I took the hours needed to scroll back through my tumblr messaging history with Ro I'm sure I'd find a date range.

Crack Fic Hat Tricks: Also not new, these were born out of a writing challenge issued by @sageclover61 in one of the Discord servers. Despite the series name, they aren't all crack, but they were definitely all fun to write!

Diamonds Falling Down - Bela Talbot/Lisa Braeden

A Vow Unto His Own - Sam Winchester & Garth Fitzgerald IV

And I Feel Fine - Kevin Tran & Balthazar & Chuck Shurley

You Just Gotta Take A Piece Of Me - Gabriel/Donna & Anael

Let's Go Out With A Bang - Tessa the Reaper/Pamela Barnes/Ruby

Burn Your Biographies: Sabriel this time! Possibly unrequited, possibly not, I left it ambiguous because Gabriel was a traumatized little puppy for a while there.

Maybe More Than Enough: What's this? A new installment of the Something Beautiful Sastimmy Soulmate Saga?? In 2022?? Yep, apparently so! Dean gets filled in on the scoop Sam got from Castiel and sets off to get his brother's soulmate and his family some supernatural protection.

Sons of Men, and Angels: WOOOOOO! This is the original start to the Samael series, the very first work that featured Sam time-travelling back to derail the Apocalypse! I started this thing soooooo many years ago, and there's still so much in this universe that I've got written but can't post yet because THIS, this one is where it all started! If you've already read the Sam Squared series, you'll have a ton of spoilers for where this is going. And speaking of that series....

In The End We'll Surely Lose: This baby got two more chapters added to it, and the fourth is almost ready to be put up! Truly this was a good year for working with Samael's stories because...

Margin of Loss: Ouch. This one hurt to write. It was a random little thought of the canon universe that Sam left behind in SoMaA and the seasons of mess that followed and what it meant that Dean said Yes to a Michael from a completely different timeline instead of the one still trapped in the Cage with Adam. (It may also have been the jumping point of another SoMaA spin-off series like Sam Squared; there's a few of them at this point.)

The Dragon's Librarian: Another somewhat random ficlet that spawned in Discord chat with Ro-- literally, I wrote the whole thing in the chat window. Platonic or pre-Sastiel, with Prince Sam and Dragon Castiel as a hefty dose of inspiration from The Enchanted Forest Chronicles because I will probably never stop loving those books.

And last but definitely not least....

Tell It On The Mountain: A fluffy Sastiel story for @mrswhozeewhatsis for the @spnfanficpond Secret Santa exchange, featuring physically manifested wings, truth compulsions, cuddling by the fire, and mutual consideration for consent and bodily autonomy. (With some Accidentally Engaged thrown in for fun. XD)

And there we have it! Everything I wrote, worked on, and posted in the year 2022! Feel free to peruse various prompt lists I have and drop one in my ask box if you've got something you think would be up my alley to write, and let's see if we can't make 2023 even more prolific than 2022!

[wafflesandkruge]

lover, please stay (kathony)

Daphne gestures exasperatedly at him. “You taught me yourself, brother. I am not mistaken. Love is when your eyes meet and your heart begins to beat faster–”

“My heart,” Anthony snarls, “beats faster because she is aggravating!”

aka the very self-indulgent and niche bridgerton grishaverse au

a/n: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY @rietveldbrothers​ MY BELOVED MY PARTNER IN CRIME MY KATHONY ENABLER. i hope you like this incredibly niche au that probably only the two of us will enjoy lmao. anyway all you need to know is that anthony is a heartrender, kate is an inferni, and daphne is a heartrender. 

ao3

The Bridgerton manor is quiet to all but Anthony this time of night. Exhaustion weighs heavy on his bones as he treads silently through the darkened halls. Call it superstition, or perhaps paranoia, but he’s never gone to bed without completing his nightly ritual.

Benedict’s room is first at the end of the hall. Anthony pauses for a second and slows his breathing. Beyond the brightly painted door, he can sense Benedict’s heartbeat. It’s erratic from what was probably another late cup of coffee, but strong. Beside him, Eloise’s pulse thrummed at a slightly slower rate. So the two were up late, again. Anthony had once caught them still up at dawn synthesizing a new compound for Benedict’s paintings, dark smudges beneath their eyes and matching grins splitting their faces before they registered Anthony’s presence. Anthony smiles at the memory. They are lucky he isn’t in the mood to spoil their fun today.

Colin’s room is empty as he is still on his Grand Tour, so Anthony keeps moving. Daphne’s room is next. His favorite sister is quietly asleep, her heartbeat slow and steady. Something in his blood calls to her, her powers briefly brushing his own. Even in her sleep, she is a formidable Heartrender, second only to him. Anthony lingers for a second longer. He wouldn’t be able to check in on her like this for much longer, given her impending marriage to Simon.

He pulls himself away with a soft sigh and moves on. Francesca is away as well, but Hyacinth and Gregory are sleeping peacefully in their shared room, tired out by the picnic they’d had by the lake earlier. They’d driven their nanny almost to insanity with their combined energy. Anthony listens for another moment, then continues on to the last bedroom.

Violet Bridgerton sleeps alone, as she has for the last fifteen years. Anthony’s powers weren’t developed enough before his father had died, so her solitary heartbeat is the only one he has ever known. He wonders how it could still be this strong when in the days after Edmund’s death, it was so quiet he thought his powers were broken. He could never do that to someone else, to leave them behind a shell of themself. His hands clench involuntarily.

Violet is strong. She’ll manage. He sends her good dreams, then forces himself to leave.

Edwina’s pretty face breaks into a smile as she is ushered to the front of the room. Her dark hair had been pulled into an artful updo and silk flowers had been haphazardly pinned to the spill of curls. She wore a pale dress covered with sparkling beads that clicked together with every movement. There is a certain girlish charm to her that Anthony supposes is appealing, but he is hardly enraptured like half the men in the room.

At some unknown cue, the lights in the room are extinguished. A hush falls over the shadowed crowd.

Then, there is light.

Spidery sunlight pools in Edwina’s palms and catches on the beads of her dress, scattering light across the room. Her face is alight with joy as she spreads her arms wider and the light grows.

The crowd oohs and aahs at the display of power, but Anthony’s attention is elsewhere. Half-hidden in Edwina’s shadow is another woman, closer to his age than Edwina. She has the same eyes and nose as Edwina, and the light manages to catch her regal profile and render her a study in shadows. But the thing that catches his attention is that even in a room full of people, her heart seems to beat the loudest. He takes a step towards her.

Their eyes meet.

“What are you doing here?” Anthony demands, his traitorous heart leaping at seeing Kate. She’s wearing a smart blue dress today, matching silk gloves covering her arms from the bright sun. Mud-stained riding boots peek out from beneath the hem. Clearly, she intends to spend a day with the horses, which is why Anthony is so bewildered by her presence at the training grounds.

Kate surveys the area with a critical eye, her head tilted at that aggravating angle that made it look like she was looking down at him despite the several inches he had on her. Anthony’s blood boils as she opens her mouth. “I wanted to see what the big fuss was about.”

“It’s dangerous for you here,” Anthony growls. It would only take a second of distraction from any of the Grisha dotting the course, and Kate could be hurt. The thought causes his skin to itch. “If you want to observe, do it from the house.”

“Oh please,” Kate says dismissively. “How can you expect me to be frightened when I saw Mr. Levington there fall off his horse last week because she spooked at a rabbit?”

Anthony looks at where Kate’s gaze is directed, and sure enough, Levington is trying to levitate water out of the lake with little success. The front of his shirt is already soaked, and wet hair is plastered to his forehead. What an imbecile.

When he turns back to Kate, she’s still staring at Levington, a small smirk playing on her lips. Anthony scowls and steps in front of her to block her view. “Leave,” he ordered.

Kate tilts her head to the side. “Do you always expect people to jump at every order you give?”

“Yes.”

The two stare at each other, having reached a clear impasse. Anthony can’t help noticing the way the sun turns her eyes into warm honey, dark lashes blinking slowly as she glowered at him. Her heartbeat thumps steady in his ears, both a reassurance and an annoyance.

“Watch out!” a voice cries from the distance.

Anthony sees it a split second after the warning. A stream of bright fire hurtles toward them from behind Kate, too fast to be avoided. His pulse roars as he grabs her shoulders and shoves her roughly to the ground, his shoulders curved around her body. The air is unbearably hot. He squeezes his eyes shut and waits.

One breath.

Kate’s heartbeat slowing until it was silent.

Two.

Kate’s last breath leaving her body in a final gasp.

“My lord.”

Kate’s body still in his arms–

“Anthony!”

His eyes fly open. Blood rushes in his ears, everything is tinted red. Kate peers up at him from the ground, her brows furrowed in concern. Her cheeks are flushed and her eyes bright.

“Breathe,” she says as if calming a spooked animal. “Breathe.”

“You are unharmed?” he chokes out. His hands fumble at her shoulders, her arms. He cannot breathe. “Kate, are you–”

“I am fine.” Kate grabs his hand and holds it to the bare skin over her heart. Her skin is burning to the touch. “Breathe, my lord. Listen.”

Anthony forces a breath through his lungs and the fog dissipates just enough that he can remember how to use his power. Kate’s heart races, her lungs fill with air. Alive. He clings to the rhythm of her breaths like a lifeline.

“I am unharmed,” Kate repeats, more softly this time. Her other hand presses his free hand to his own heart so he can feel his own heartbeat. Warmth seeps through the thin silk of her glove.

He focuses on the brown of her eyes and slows his breaths. This close, he can count her eyelashes, each one ebony black and perfectly curved. Her heart beats on.

One.

Two.

He leans in closer. She smells like lilies, the sharp scent of char cutting through. Her breath fans across his lips as her head tilts toward him and–

“Are you both alright?”

They spring apart. Anthony scrubs the back of his hand against the lower half of his face as Kate jumps to her feet. Her dress is hopelessly stained and wrinkled, but he can’t see any other damage. She still stares at him, her eyes wide.

“I must– I will go,” Kate says firmly before turning on her heel and striding purposefully back towards the house. Anthony watches her go, still a little dazed.

“Bridgerton!” Lord Lumley panted as he finally reached Anthony’s side. His jacket was charred at the cuffs and soot was smeared across his face. “Are you alright? I lost control of the fire for a second there.”

Anthony stares uncomprehendingly at the ground. The manicured grass is singed and blackened in a perfect circle around where the both of them had been laying on the ground. Had there been a squaller around who saw and aided them?

“Bridgerton?”

“I’m fine,” he responds curtly. “Stay off the training grounds if you’re not experienced enough.”

“Of course, my lord,” he says with a low bow. “My apologies, again.”

Anthony stares at the grass and wonders.

“You’ve been lying to everyone.”

Kate laughs, throwing her head back and letting her curls tumble down her back. Anthony doesn’t think it’s a laughing matter, but he stares all the same.

“I’ve never lied, my lord. People see what they want to, and I’m under no obligation to correct them.” Her heart beats steady and strong, a sure sign she was telling the truth. But Anthony has no idea how he’s been so blind, how he couldn’t have seen what now is so obvious. Kate Sharma is flame and ash, burning everything in her path. Fire burns beneath her skin and in the curve of her smile and he suddenly wants nothing more than to touch her, to feel the heat of her skin against his.

His heart is racing and there’s nothing he can do to slow it despite his powers. He takes a step closer, relishing the warmth radiating from her. His fingers brush the side of her face. “Show me,” he says, his voice almost a whisper.

“You and your orders.” But still, she cups her hands together and a small flame appears, white hot and blinding in the dark. Anthony stares until the shape of it is imprinted into his retinas. It twines around her fingers like a ribbon before she clasps her hands together and it snuffs out. The library is plunged into darkness, but Anthony doesn’t need light to hear the thrumming of her pulse, the air in her lungs. Even with the hundreds of souls currently under the Bridgerton roof, all he can feel is Kate.

He lets his hand cup the side of her jaw, keeps it there as he matches her breathing and stares. Kate traps her hand there with her own, her palms calloused and feverishly hot. Her dark eyes are alight with the small use of her power, splinters of moonlight reflecting in their depths. He feels as if he’s drowning.

“How long has it been since you told someone?” At this point, he knows he’s only grasping at straws to keep his sanity in check. He desperately tries to focus on the rhythm of her heartbeat and not her full lips as she parts them to answer him.

“Years. Longer since someone has asked.”

Daphne gestures exasperatedly at him. “You taught me yourself, brother. I am not mistaken. Love is when your eyes meet and your heart begins to beat faster–”

“My heart,” Anthony snarls, “beats faster because she is aggravating!”

Daphne’s features shift between expressions for a moment before they settle on displeased. “Deny it all you want. But feelings like these have a way of surfacing, sooner or later.”

Anthony poured himself another generous drink. He could feel an oncoming headache. “If I wanted your advice, I would have asked. Don’t you have a wedding to plan?”

Daphne scowls and Anthony’s chest suddenly feels like it is being squeezed by a giant.

“Don’t be childish,” he rebukes, slightly out of breath. Her scowl deepens, but the pressure on his chest disappears. He sucks in a deep breath.

“I only want for you to be happy. And if that is a future with Miss Sharma, then so be it.”

Anthony slams the decanter back onto the table with a little more force than necessary. His heartbeat is deafening.

“There is no future with Miss Sharma, Daphne. Do not bring it up again.”

If he thought she looked angry before, she is downright furious now. Her brows slant downwards and her hands clench into fists. He is just beginning to seriously worry for his life when she finally nods.

“Fine. As you wish, brother.”

“It is my fault,” Anthony mumbles as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Starbursts of light erupt across his vision. “It is all my fault.”

He can feel his mother’s hand on his arm, but he feels detached from his body as if he might float away at any moment. Everything is too loud. The pounding of rain on the window pane. The creaking of floorboards from the story above. His own heartbeat, two for every one of Violet’s.

“Oh, Anthony,” Violet sighs. Her hand pats his shoulder and he slumps into her side like he is still a child. This far from the Danbury residence, he can no longer hear Kate’s heartbeat, but the slow rhythm of it is ingrained in his mind like the ticking of a clock. He wants to cry, to scream, but all he feels is a dull ache in his chest and a lightness in his head that makes it difficult to focus on anything at all.

“Cure me,” he implores. Violet had healed all his scrapes and bruises as a child, magicked it away with a warm hand and a kiss to his forehead. What is this if not another gaping wound? He puts a hand to his chest. “Cut away the part that hurts.”

“My sweet boy,” Violet says gently. She hugs him to her side.  “There is no cure for love.”

Anthony Bridgerton is an early riser, but that is something he is willing to sacrifice for the sake of his wife. He runs a hand through Kate’s curls as she dozes on his chest, her skin warm against his. There’s a furrow in her brow that does not disappear even in sleep and he can’t help pressing a kiss to it.

She shifts and mumbles something unintelligible, but soon settles back against him. Anthony has never felt so content.

Their hearts beat in synchronization, strong and steady and true.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

Thank you, that's very sweet of you to say! ^^ And enables me to do more self-important rambling. Although I would love to hear more about why some romances work for you and others don't, since I'm maybe gonna try my hand at writing an IF eventually.

Hi anon here! Thank you so much for taking the time to give your thoughts. They were really interesting to read and have definetly given me some food for thought! (is this the correct English expression? Idk but imma just vibe with it) In terms of why some romances I think it's the lack of choices when it comes to reactions idk, like you either get the choice to be full on Flirty or shy to the point where you let out silly noises and can barely speak and I think maybe fleshing out those reactions a bit more would add a bit more to the dynamic of the Romances. I also think it is because I think some ros I've seen just are their archetype and tropes in order to please readers that only want the romance aspect of the story (there's absolutely nothing wrong with that btw! im just giving my two cents) and then there's nothing much behind that, specially when there are a lot of characters this tends to become more apparent to me. I have seen some writers handle many ros really well, but I think that the Romances ends up suffering as a result. I think the main problem is when the mc is a blank slate rather than a semi-set character or a character with some things set in their background story the reactions of the mc.

For example: MC sees ROs and these are the main two options I tend to see:

- option 1 - oh ro I've never met before is so hot. I'm immediately attracted to you. So imma flirt with you in the most obnoxious way possible.

-option 2 - oh no ro is too hot what am I going to do. Mc Blurts out "You're hot ro". Proceeds to want the ground to swallow them and let's out a breath/squeaking sound they never knew they've been holding and. they start blushing furiously

I have seen a lot of ifs fleshing out their romance, but a lot of them still kind of give this kind of vibe to me. And also how the ROs are head over heels with the mc no matter what they do, there's very few ROs thst call out mc out when they do bs or say bs. But then again that's just me lol. Sorry for the rant. And good luck with your IF! I love your writing!

By the way have you read infamous by @/infamous-if ? It's so good! 👀

Thank you for the compliment!! And no, I haven't played it, but I'll give it a look now that you've mentioned it!

Ok so yeah you're 100% correct on all of this methinks. In general a lot of the romances in IFs are just kinda. Formulaic?

And? I think part of it is maybe that the writers just don't write them very well and rely too much on tropes and other romance media/fanfic, BUT I also think that the medium is part of the problem. So for once I think the writers aren't to blame, except for how they don't challenge conventions I guess, but with IF audiences being what they are I don't blame them too much for not doing that, either.

See, romances in video games tend to fall a bit on the cringe side partly because what your character says needs to be overtly romantic in order for the player to see what's going on.

Like, you need to account for every player having different experiences and approaches to romance. As many of them as possible need to understand what the PC is saying and what their intentions are, so you can't do anything more subtle even if you're capable of it, because you risk confusing or even frustrating players when they pick flirt options without realizing. (I personally hate ninjamancing, so I'm with the players on this one.)

Another issue is of course the binary choice of being flirty vs being shy, which I think is partly that way because it's an easy way of giving variation and player choice while minimizing the amount of complex dynamics a relationship can have. Like, you can easily write a horny come-on, and you can easily write a blushy response, and both will be read as romantic interactions. They work to establish the PC's approach to the romance and their dynamics with the RO while giving the player some agency.

I think this could be helped some by like, instead of writing very telegraphed pick-up lines, you could write something more subtle and then write "(flirt)" or even just a heart (personally would love to see two identical responses, but one has a heart at the end, because then the flirting becomes subtext instead of text, which is rad and more natural IMO), but that's often seen as being disruptive or taking someone out of the experience, and you'll run into the opposite problem of "Um? How is this romantic at all? This isn't flirting it's just normal conversation!" or "Ugh, I know this is flirting, why did you telegraph it like that? How pointless."

Honestly, I think there's no good universal solution for this while still keeping the conventionally accepted level of player interaction and agency. One way I think would solve this is to lock in romances much earlier, or to even pick one from the start. That way, you can more easily roleplay as your character, despite them being locked in a romance. So it doesn't matter what you say, because you're still in the romance, and maybe that feels a lot more natural as a progression.

But this approach is often seen as unnatural and is usually reserved for visual novels or dating sims, that have largely pre-written routes that offer minimal variation. Doing this in an IF would be considered restrictive (I wouldn't consider it as such, but I'm a regular VN/dating sim player who likes romances that have a clear arc and storyline and am fully willing to sacrifice my own "agency" in it), but it would mean you don't have to label every romantic interaction with a large sign. I think TWC does this quite well (shocking, I know) because it locks in a romance like midway through book 1 and everything in book 2 and 3 from then on can be roleplayed as romantic regardless of your flirt option choice. What TWC does poorly and ends up throwing this good choice in the toilet, however, is that it still locks you in the bold/shy binary, even while offering you different flirt options. I literally never pick any of the bold/shy options, and the entirely pointless bold/shy meter stays at 50% for all my playthroughs because there's always better, subtler options offered. So TWC does a good thing but then throws a bunch of rotten sausages in the mix anyway. Shocking, I know.

Another thing that could help is having a set tone for the flirting from the start, which is similar to the previous option, but instead of locking in the romance, you just offer a specific dynamic for when the flirting happens. Like if the PC romances person A they'll be bold, because A is shy, but if PC romances B they'll be shy, because B is bold. This, once again, restricts player freedom. "My character wouldn't be bold with this shy character, they'd also be shy!" And even if you do something more subtle than this example (and you should), it's still restricting player choice in a way some might find unappealing.

Finally, what you think would work (and I agree) is making the PC a more defined character, and I'm literally all about this always and forever because this would solve a lot of issues, but it's not a universal opinion. A LOT of players would rather have a blank slate, even if they say they wouldn't, and the blanker the better. Again, this goes back to player agency. Many would rather feel more in control than get a more structured story, and that's valid, and trying to accomodate this mindset is also a valid design strategy. However, because it's the most popular strategy, many authors don't make the choice consciously, so the results become tedious and unmotivated. The player must have choices, so, uh, here's a bunch that are easy to code for! But like ... must they, really?

So with all this in mind, I think it's understandable why the romances in IFs generally fall under this sort of binary and/or overly telegraphed formula.

As for why the ROs are usually tropey archetypes, well, that's just an unfortunate reality of romance media I think. Some people just do it better than others. And, ya know, some of them are just badly written and the flirt options are the most rizzless, uncomfortable, clich��d bullshit that nobody in their right mind would say. But that's not really something you can blame on the medium or fix with a different approach, is it? 😶

I do think that, in general, IFs just have too many ROs, and that it further slims down the amount and quality of content for each, and exacerbates the limits of the medium. Hunker down and write a couple or even just one and go buckwild with dynamic options instead. (I'm a liar and a fool because I have 4 ROs in my idea which IMO is too many already but I wanna keep them cuz I love them.)

Romance in general is all about characters and relationships, and when one of the characters is a blank slate and the other is an archetype, what can you do but rely on stereotypical interactions to indicate that a romance is happening? I think you need to break the formula or challenge the medium in one way or another to write a good IF romance. Or just be a very very good writer.

Anyway, I hope this doesn't come off as me lecturing or anything. I just love talking abt this stuff fhkdjhkdjkdj

[meissashush]

For Ro (to start): 2, 6, 11, 27? For the Apophasis asks?

YAY! ENABLE ME! From the Apophasis ask game, for KGLore!

Ro is Rosea Leonis, my OC. If you don't want to hear about her forever and ever, please blacklist #Rosea Leonis.

2. Age people (incorrectly) think they are

Always two years younger. Nobody knows why, but it's been consistent her whole damn life. 16? Looks like a 14 year old. 20? Gets asked why she's not in class/threatened to get turned in for cutting class. Any time she walks into a store, she just has her ID preemptively ready, she's very bored of this shtick.

6. Region they are glad they aren’t from

Duscae. This is a running joke in the Glaives that a) makes almost zero sense anymore, and b) she actually does not understand in the least. But at least she's not from Duscae.

11. What family rule do they hate?

Rosea was a surprisingly tolerant kid. She grew up with a weird combination of Citadel Rules and Dad Rules. Citadel Rules, for the most part, make sense. Don't run in the Citadel, it makes people think there's an emergency. Don't swear, it's a public place, etc. etc. Dad Rules... Look, sometimes, the Marshal isn't always right. She knows everyone thinks he is, but he's not.

And the rule about not being allowed to lock doors? Fuck that noise.

Sometimes she'd lock her bedroom door after of a fight, just because she knew it would drive him nuts. She's not above being petty.

She would immediately unlock it before going to bed, though. She's not stupid.

27. Which groups or people at work do they dislike?

PR. Public Relations has a demanding and incredibly important job, sure, but if one more amped-up low-level fuck-head in a suit tries to coach her on how to comport herself within the halls of the Citadel when she's off the clock, she will dye her hair pink again. Fuck you.

[itsstrangelypermanent]

This is an accurate representation of me rn.

Ro why do you murder me so? Car’s expression is just so done, Poke is being Põķë, and the #1 tooka dad mug with Toad on it.

I have died but shall come back to murder you likewise.

See below for the instrument of thy murder.

He tugged on the front of his scrub tunic, annoyed at the starched material around his neck.

Just because he could be.

Poke, meanwhile, was preening like a kriffing Senator in the mirror, adjusting, as they said, ‘the fall of the material to emphasize my silhouette’.

Whatever that even meant.

At least the red wasn’t Guard red.  

He supposed he should be appreciative, all in all.  The Clans had given them funding for not only the clinic, but supplies for it.

The difference between the GAR and here still blew his mind on a regular basis.

However, he was going to chase down whatever di’kut it was who had put the full-length mirror in the staff breakroom.  Poke was going to be insufferable.

He loved them regardless, but the little peacock really didn’t need any help.

He settled at the round table that had just… appeared… trying to bite back his moan as stiff muscles didn’t quite want to cooperate just yet.  

Par for the course.

He’d apparently closed his eyes to focus on breathing, because the next thing he heard was the sound of ceramic hitting solid wood.  Cracking an eye open, he found Poke grinning like a madman, shoving a caf mug at him.

A new caf mug?

He put that thought aside for a moment and instead focused on the warm steam and blessed smell coming up to caress his sinuses.  

“Just drink it,” Poke teased, though they put their own already suspiciously empty mug on the counter.  “Someone restocked the creamer you like, too.”

“Probably Omen,” he ignored the teasing and made a mental note to find some novelty for the pain in the shebs.  Maybe a package of matching hairties?  He set the thought aside.  No, that wouldn’t work.  Toad would just steal them all again, and they’d have to fish them out from under the conservator.  

Poke nodded sagely.  “Probably.”

They were lurking, clearly waiting for something.

He blinked.

This wasn’t his normal mug with the chipped rim and thrice-reglued handle.

“Number one tooka dad?”  He couldn’t help himself and snorted, the hot caf in his mouth almost making a reappearance through his nostrils.  “Poke.  Where… no, how did you get Toad’s face on a mug?”

His partner just beamed.  “Around!” they singsonged, far too pleased with themself for their own good.  “Just wanted to get you something.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“You love me.”

“Not the point.”  He took another swallow, rubbing his thumb over the colorful image of the frankly snarky looking tooka.  The detail was quite good, her disdain for anyone not in her group of “acceptable food givers” evident.  

Poke clearly noticed by the puffing up they did, but didn’t comment further.

Brat that they were.

But, they did frown.  “Sore this morning?”

He was also frankly incapable of lying to them.  “Yeah.  Feeling my age, I guess.”  

Poke snorted, tugging the bottom hem of their jacket a final time before coming up behind Car’s chair and wrapping their arms around his shoulders, dropping a kiss to the top of his hair before resting their chin on the same spot.  “My old man over here-” they teased again, giving him a gentle squeeze as they curled around him.

He snorted again, careful this time to swallow his caf first.  “I’m six months older.”  

Neither commented that six months for a CC was closer to a year for a CT, thanks to the Kaminoans muddling about in genetics, or that Car’s extra time hadn’t been precisely kind to him.

“So creaky, practically in the grave,” Poke shifted and pressed their lips to the pulsepoint just behind his ear, softening their words.  “Who will be left to care for you in your geriatric years!” he wailed, re-enacting a scene they’d watched on a horribly melodramatic Pantoran holosoap.  “Who will tend to the childrens!”

“Toad.”

Poke pulled away, spun, clutching their hands to their chest like the Pantoran (who had been played by a gray-furred Bothan) actress had.  “She will betray you!  She will sell the family jewels!”

He couldn’t help the laugh this time, full-bellied to the point he had to put his caf down.  “She’d sell anyone out for an extra bit of tooka nip, and we both know it.”

“The great betrayal comes!  She will leave you destitute and alone on the cruel streets of Mos Eisley!”

“She wouldn’t.”

Poke clearly caught his soft smile and tilted their head.  “She wouldn’t?”

He leaned forward, his back moving a bit easier now, and grabbed for their hand.  He brushed his thumb over the top, then held it to his lips as a tease.  “Not alone.  She’d dump your sorry shebs with me.”

The age difference between CC's and CT's is HUGE according to Poke.

Also yes, medics deserve to wear scrubs and lab coats, just because.

Carrion belongs to @itsstrangelypermanent and Poke to @anstarwar

[arcadia-city-stories-if]

RO routes in gifs?

Look at y'all, speaking my love language ❤

Murphy -

Shae -

Callie -

Toni -

Claude/Claudia -

??? -

[k-mxrt]

I'm thinking of scrapping this blog, tbh

I took a small trip through memory lane on this blog, and honestly? I ended up being reminded of things that I don't feel like remembering. I actually moved to this blog during the middle of a really shitty time in my life, surrounded by people who were suffering because of our group's incompatibility and being forced to stay together despite that. Not to mention the fact that I was taking someone to court at the time too, which wasn't a pleasant experience.

I don't feel comfortable spending all my time on an account that triggers me if I even look at my posts from a year or two ago. Even though I have come to term with all the shitty things that happened then, it doesn't change the fact that it happened; And now, snapshots of those moments are practically immortalized here.

I'm not going to delete this blog, since every time I've deleted a blog I've regretted losing the memories that came with them. Plus I have a few side blogs that I don't feel like losing either.

[wolken-himmel]

In which (Y/n) somehow manages to accidentally kiss Malleus. Thinking that it was a friendly gesture, he kindly demands more — and who is (Y/n) to deny such an adorable dragon fae?

Yet, enabling him only makes him greedy for more kisses.

Request by anon.

"What just happened—"

Malleus ogled you with wide eyes, his fingers having immediately shot up touch his tingling lips. You avoided his gaze while sheepishly nudging your own feet, trying your best not to embarrass yourself even further; accidentally kissing him could barely be topped by anything else.

How you had managed to accidentally kiss him? Well, you had just asked him to bend down since there were some leaves stuck on his horns, which you had intended to get rid of. Of course, he had complied easily, trusting his one and only friend wholeheartedly. Sadly, you had leant forward with too much force, causing your lips to unintentionally collide with his. Of course, you had immediately pulled away again, but the kiss had already happened.

"Oh, Malleus... I'm so sorry—" you whispered, your voice trembling under his intense gaze. "I didn't mean to—"

"Can do you it again?" he requested in a rather serious tone, which made you let out a few splutters of surprise. Your gaze immediately snapped upward to meet his, and your jaw fell down at his unexpected request.

"You—" you croaked out, disbelief filling your eyes, "want me to kiss you again?"

Malleus nodded, unbothered by the way your cheeks were red and warm. You having been reduced to a stuttering mess amused him quite a lot, but he always stayed calm and didn't let his excitement show too much. "Yes," he confirmed, which almost made you faint. Tilting his head to the side adorably, Malleus shot you a curious look. "This is what friends do after all, isn't it?"

You opened your mouth but no sound came out since you actually weren't sure yourself how ro explain this little mishaps to Malleus. For being so tall and intimidating, his innocence rivalled that of a child's. Scratching your cheek, you began, "Malleus—"

Malleus raised his voice upon noticing the doubt in your eyes. You immediately quieted down again, allowing him to ask, "Does that mean you do not view me as a friend?" He bit his lip, and you could see a sheen of sadness gloss over his eyes, unshed tears growing visible to you.

"Y-You are a dear friend to me!" you immediately blurted out upon not being able to see him so sad any longer, satisfying him again and causing a large smile to appear on his face. He quirked his eyebrow, questioning what else was stopping you from kissing him again. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you sighed and averted your gaze to the floor again. "But—"

Malleus once again interrupted you by sighing dramatically — which he seemed to have gotten from Lilia — and pressing the back of his hand against his forehead. "I shall be eternally sad now," he exclaimed in a grave tone, leaving you panicking.

Malleus sure was good at giving you one heart attack after another. Deciding that it was better than to leave the awkward air hanging around you two, you begrudgingly raised your gaze again to glare at him in exasperation. "Fine. Come here..." you hissed under your breath, causing him to immediately perk up again in a happy way — he very much reminded you of a little puppy ready to snag up its treat.

"I thank you, oh generous Child of Man," he cooed happily as he bent down, closed his eyes, and patiently waited for you to press your lips against his. Sighing, you took a deep breath before quickly shooting forward to smash your lips against his. Malleus immediately began grinning when he felt your sweet lips on his; sadly, the kiss lasted no longer than a few seconds.

His eyes fluttered open in disappointment when you retreated, your chest heaving up and down while your face was a bright red. "Is that enough?" you stuttered out, exasperated and embarrassed at the same time.

Malleus shook his head innocently. "Another one," he demanded in an adorable way that made you want nothing more than to smother him with kisses. Yet, you were aware that you shouldn't have kissed him in the first place.

"You sure are greedy, huh?" you asked with crossed arms.

Malleus let out an amused chortle. "It lies within my nature, my treasure."

"Humans are quite greedy, too," you said, clicking your tongue while huffing. Sighing, you raised your chin and rolled your eyes playfully. "But not me. How about we return to our respective homes? I sure could use some sleep..."

Malleus once again shook his head as he put on his best pair of puppy-eyes. "I want one last kiss."

A little bit irritated now, you cried out, "Malleus!"

"Fine..." He sighed, pouting. "You can give it to me tomorrow."

As you opened your mouth to say that this had been your last kiss, he had already disappeared within a blinding flash of green light. The only remnants indicating that he had been here just a few seconds ago were the fireflies that lingered where he just had stood.

Rubbing your eyes in exasperation, you shook your head. "That— That boy..."

•••

"And then— And then you said that it's normal for friends to kiss each other?" Lilia repeated while dying of laughter at the tale Malleus had told him. The dragon fae had appeared in Lilia's bedroom just a few minutes ago, startling him and interrupting the gaming session he had begun a few hours ago; yet, how could he be angry if Malleus immediately began telling of his nightly meeting with you. Lilia, rolling around on the floor, barely managed to press out coherent words. "Y-You— You're adorable, Malleus!"

"Oh, I'm not a fool, Lilia," Malleus retorted with a slightly annoyed frown on his face. "I am aware that kissing is an intimate gesture with a romantic connotation."

Gasping for air, Lilia sat up and wiggled his eyebrows at Malleus. "What a plot twist~" he cooed while putting his chin into his palms, amused by the sudden turn of events; he should have known his son better than to believe that Malleus was innocent enough to not know the implications of a kiss on the lips.

Malleus let out a little chuckle while a dreamy grin flashed across his lips. "I just wanted more kisses."

Horribly amused by his confession, Lilia jumped to his feet and proudly patted the other's shoulder. "You truly are a greedy dragon, my dear Malleus," he cooed, still snickering to himself at the hilarity of the situation. The amusement Lilia felt was accompanied by pride — pride that Malleus was such a smart individual.

Malleus exhaled in frustration. "I can't help myself," he admitted with furrowed eyebrows. "She kissed me once, and now I can't help but come back for more."

Lilia shook his head, unable to believe this situation had truly happened. He clicked his tongue and began laughing again. "And now (Y/n) has a dragon following her around that isn't ready to leave her alone anymore..." he trailed off, grinning to himself. "Oh well, she can handle it! I mean it totally is her fault for accidentally kissing you in the first place."

Malleus shot his guardian a strange look and stopped daydreaming about the feeling of your lips against his. Furrowing his eyebrows, he muttered, "I do not understand your humour, Lilia. And I never will."

[kalorphic]

I’m sorry but the mc’s sibling giving the RO’s the shovel talk is so fucking funny to me asdffghj and now I’m curious how each of them would react to it

Your sibling giving 5 killers and grumpy bastard Cody the shovel talk?? It’s more likely than you think…

K: takes it very seriously, they want your sibling to like them, so they listen with rapt attention to everything they say. They earnestly promise your sibling that they will love and cherish you for as long as you’ll allow them. Your sibling is internally squealing.

A: doesn’t get one. Your sibling started, realised that A was literally the loveliest person in the world who clearly adored you and ended up hugging them in congratulations, and giving you the shovel talk instead. A was amused, you…probably weren’t.

Reese: would be so excited to finally be in a serious enough relationship to actually get a shovel talk - they’d run to you to tell you immediately (as you’re the first person that they want to share everything with). Your sibling didn’t really expect this reaction, but it’s cute as hell so they let it pass. Expect to be given a shovel talk yourself from Reese’s siblings.

Luisa: still has her little smirk etched onto her face which honestly throws your sibling off completely. When your sibling stumbles for the fifth time in two minutes, they just give up. If you’ve managed to get through Luisa’s walls, then she must hold you in extremely high regard. Essentially, you’re on your own with this one.

Cody: and your sibling are bros(gn) now so Cody would definitely get the most casual shovel talk of them all, probably over a few drinks. Cody would swear on their uncles life to make you as happy as possible and your sibling would nearly choke because those are…pretty heavy words from Codes and something they’re not ever likely to break if they can help it.

Noah: gets the worst shovel talk, your sibling threatens physical bodily harm if Noah ever hurts you in any way. Noah then proceeds to tell your sibling that they would let them as they’d never forgive themself if they hurt you (again). Your sibling would be able to see how sincere Noah is about that and how much they love you, and from then on, they actually start to bond.

And so began the beautifully chaotic trio that is: Sibling, Cody, and Noah (+ chaos enabler Reese).

Thank you for the ask!

[agentharrisonofshield-a]

.

[shai-manahan]

Order of the stuff I’ll be doing for the next few weeks! (and months, I guess lmao)

- finish writing the last part of Chapter 1 within the month (I’m done with Owen’s route, but I decided to delay writing Jade’s until the next update so there could be more focus on their separate scenes; there are only a few more scenes to write now!)

- send the said Chapter to my beloved testers

- release the Update!!

- create full character profiles for the ROs :))))))))))

- time remains unpredictable but if I do manage to have a little free time by the end of April compared to the past few months, I will start posting exclusive  content for my Ko-Fi subscribers! I was contemplating before on making my ko-fi purely as a tip jar, but I love writing and I can’t post them all here in tumblr so djaksdjakdk I think I can make it so that one-time payments could still enable you to see the said posts.

- writing Jade’s route in Chapter 1, sending it for testing again, and another update after that!

- lore posts!!

- Chapter 2 :)))))))))))) I’ll probably start being more active again once we get to this point. I have a lot of things to share. Also, this might not take too long to upload since I’m halfway done already. The first half’s all set.

- Opening a Patreon (perhaps??) I did not believe it would be fair of me to open a patreon when I haven’t even uploaded Chapter 2 yet, so I’ll only do this once that’s done.

And that’s it! I just wanted to make a quick update on how I’m planning on proceeding with things, and I didn’t want anyone to think I’m no longer working on this (how could I ever!). I hope you’ve all had a wonderful weekend <3

[rurpleplayssims]

📋2022 Simming Goals🙄😊

I've seen a few of my fellow simmers doing this and I thought I'd give it a go!

Finish writing the Campbell Quay Masterpost. I started this on the 18th Dec and I've been doing a bit each night and I'm over 13,000 words (!) and I'm not even halfway through Round 3 yet! I wanted to have it ready by the time the 1000 post came out but sadly, I'm not there yet!

Complete the first year of Campbell Quay. This should be an easy one to do given how quickly I churn out posts! But there might be day when I don't feel like it, so keeping it reasonable here before...

Complete the second year of Campbell Quay! Which would be (obviously) Summer / Autumn / Winter / Spring which would be four rounds and it's taken me just over 6 months to do 3 and a half! 🤣🙈

Get better with photo editing. I'm not an expert with the photo editing and usually it's just to crop out the action queue and the version number (as I always play with testingcheats enabled). But I like the idea of getting a little bit more professional with it. I can just about handle using GIMP for doing some basic photo frames...I won't hold my breath on this one!

Get more comfortable with using pose boxes (eg Group Photos). It took me blooming ages to get that group photoshoot as my game decided to crash on me about five times before I got it completed! But it was very satisfying to see the end result and to see all the likes you all gave it! I have so many poses boxes and I don't know what most of the poses are!

Keep writing and keep loving it! It's as simple as it sounds - I love that this story is making me write as it is still the longest writing commitment I've kept! I'm not burnt out or have suffered writer's block (thankfully!) yet but I hope it keep it at bay by maybe not posting as many posts each day. But we'll see how I feel about it first.

Keep supporting my fellow supporters! If you or any other simmer you know/heard of has written a story or series, please tag me in it or send it into my ask box. I have a whole page of my blog dedicated to my Rurple Recomend(dation)s and I intent to keep reblogging other people's hard work so they get the credit they deserve!

Try to not get so much custom content this year Jess! Fighting a loosing battle with that one! 🤣 At the very least, as I'm writing a story I try to recycle clothing cc. Eg if Ros wears an outfit, I try not to make her wear it again and therefore chuck it out of my Downloads folder. That massive stretch where I deleted over 3GB of CC was painful and I really don't want to go through that again!