#but my new year's resolution is to commit and at least complete one of them as I have not done animation in almost a decade

[depresseddepot]

weird thing about me is that I am so serious about new year's resolutions that the last week of december feels like I'm in one of those "preparing for war" montages (but in a good way)

[securi-tye-blankey]

So the sonas got a makeover! My fiance's sona, Arc is a Ryhnoc. He's witty, but doesn't show that too often as he's very shy. However, he will often attempt to make friends with others. Given the right environment he proves to be a very honest and reliable companion to those he considers close.

Though the Ryhnoc race isn't very fleshed out, I like to believe that the Rhynocs hold a lot of pride in the professions they choose. It's how I can justify they're jump from the Sorceress, to Grendor (canon?), to Ripto. Anyway, at some point a group of Rhynocs got sick of the cycle and branched off and advanced on their own. We have a little headcanon that the Rhynocs managed to advance themselves enough to travel to other planets and dimensions to find work after the events of "Year of the Dragon". But we haven't really figured out how Arc would meet Pockets yet. That's not too important at the moment.

-----

Pockets is a retcon of my Fenomenan sonas Blankey and Jack. Their personality is a mix of the two. Pockets can pass for your average social person, but in reality they really would prefer to keep the conversations short when talking with someone they're not familiar with. Brief interactions are their preference, but will hold the communication if it's absolutely required. To friends, this is the exact opposite. They love to communicate and Pockets is more likely to reach out. Funny noises and mild pranks are their bread and butter. They stand at 4'10".

The headcanon that I have on Fenomenans is that they are a species of slime folk who's culture is mainly based around the clown, mime, jester, joker, etc(yes, juggalos count) stereotypes. Be it the good, bad, and the ugly. (Utopias are hard to come up with) Depending on the culture, they will dress in the race(?) attire while either sticking to the traditional look or adding to it, depending on family groups.

-----

Fun past headcanon: The original headcanon was a bit more sad for the Fenomenans and the Norms. My idea for why there were no Fenomenans (at the time) was due to an event that caused Fenomenon to suffer distortions in space/time on parts of the planet. The "Nitro Fueled" track "Out of time" is the main inspiration. Originally, it was supposed to be wumpa fruit but, when out of time came out, I had changed it to be caused by a very bizarre purple fruit.~

Small Norm was affected by said event, leading the unintended creation of Big Norm and his hoarding/protecting of books. It's the final records of his species, and he's attempting to keep the culture alive through himself. However, through his interactions with Emperor Velo, he gained a strong distrust of outsiders and refuses to share what knowledge that is currently left. (I'll type a whole thing on it eventually.)

N. Fo was a bit of a foil to Small Norm in the story, being fascinated by the possibility of bettering the tech that caused the event to further advance other civilizations, but also doing it out of his own arrogance of wanting to achieve something to advance the galaxtic technologies and make a name for himself. (This is the brief outline btw)

I'm considering just making this it's own separate AU as I think the story I had was interesting, but a bit too much for the tone of the Crash Bandicoot series. I literally stopped with the comic because it was getting a bit too dark as I got too invested in these characters.

All this over rerolling in the shop to do story mode with Moe, just to discover the Norms... Just to never beat all of story mode with Moe.

[soclonely]

My R2, welcome back!!! What do you think the 501st would do to celebrate the New Year? And what do your family do if you're comfortable sharing? My family have curry and play games

HELLO! I AM BACK AND WELCOMES ILY FRIEND! Uhh for my family we normally go skiing! This year though I just took it easy, binged watched some shows, and had delicious snacks all day long!

HOW THE CLONES CELEBRATE NEW YEARS

Rex- The Man is in bed at exactly 8:30 pm. He normally hits the rack at 8, but allows himself an extra half hour, as a treat.

Echo- curls up with a nice book on the couch while some quiet music plays in the background. He has a small tray of snacks out for the evening. Will turn the TV on for the countdown

Fives- Live streaming from the top of the ball as security chases him

Jesse- Hanging out at a small party with his friends! Just small, intimate gathering with those he is close to

Kix- Is the one throwing the new years party that Jessie attends. He is the host with the most and every year its a gathering to remember

Tup- Is making his final decision to adopt the tooka he had brought home to foster temporarily over the holiday season. He is ringing in the new year with the newest member of his family at home.

Dogma- Playing DD for his friends. Very responsible and acting like its a hassle. But really, he doesn't mind because at least he knows they will be getting home safe

Hardcase- committing racing across the country/planet to try and beat the time change so he can celebrate new years in at least 2 time zones

Coric- The man works in the ER. He put in his time of for new years 11 months prior and is off duty, with his comm off, sitting on a beach somewhere and sipping a cocktail while enjoying the peace

Bly- Desperately clinging to Aayla so she can be his smoochy kiss at midnight

99- is having a party with all of the young cadets. he helped them make hats and little homemade confetti poppers. Sure, he will have to clean it all up later but its worth it to see them all so happy and celebrating

Cody- Chaperoning his men around town. KILLS it at new years karaoke at the bar

Waxer/Boil- Just a quiet night at home, creating vision boards and swapping memories of the last year

Wolffe- Also chaperoning his men, but has Plo Koon tagging along. They lose the general somewhere in the crowd at the city center where everyone is gathered and Wolffe efficiently (chaotically) and calmly (panicked) found the general (he hollered and yelled until the crowd parted and Plo was spotted ahead)

Boost/Sinker- Spend the whole night gaming and sipping on mountain dew. they completely miss midnight and don't realize it until they look at the clock and its 2 in the morning.

Hunter- complete self care night where he stays in. He has headphones on, all communication capabilities off, and just decompresses from all the stress of the last year.

Wrecker- hosts an amazing and cool fireworks show!

Tech- is the unofficial manager for Wreckers firework show and party. Has everything coordinated to start EXACTLY at midnight. Researches and knows all of the local rules and regulations so if they are visited by local law enforcement he can argue inform them that despite complaints, they are clearly within the legal limits of explosives for entertainment purposes

Crosshair- acting hammered on what he things is booze (tech only told him that, its really just extra tangy grape juice that they found in the back of the fridge)

Omega- creating vision boards and resolutions and cleaning her WHOLE room in anticipation of the new year.

Howzer- Didn't even realize it was new years until the next morning when he shows up for work only for no one to be there.

Fox- BLESS THIS MAN. He is pounding caff left and right, having meltdowns between arrests, dealing with so many dumb people all night. Yeah, he could have went the easy route and worked in supplies or records like his other batchmates but nooooo he wanted to be the cool one. He wanted to be a peace officer. Looking at help wanted ads first thing in the morning.

Gregor- Sitting behind bars in the overnight cell in Fox's office. He isn't in any serious trouble he just wanted a reason to not go out in the crowds so he picked an argument with Foxy to get put in a 12 hour hold.

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 26: WE SAY GOOD-BYE, SORT OF

Let’s all just pause and take a moment to exult that I’m done with one set of books! This is an accomplishment I will never fail to revel in no matter how many more I have to go! It’s been a ride I wouldn’t trade a word for!

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Alex, who had started all of this by picking up the first book she remembered fondly, took it from Magnus casually with a hopeful smile as she read, "We Say Good-Bye, Sort Of. That's just like you Percy. Gods forbid you commit to anything."

"I commit to important things," he promised with a casual kiss on his girlfriend's temple.

Camp went late that summer. It lasted two more weeks, right up to the start of a new school year, and I have to admit they were the best two weeks of my life.

Alex couldn't help but read that with a tinge of confusion to her voice though. She had about as much clue to that idea of a solid length of time being happy as Percy had to a normal life. She liked it better when he was killing math teachers, at least that she could wrap her head around.

Of course, Annabeth would kill me if I said anything different, 

"For just a moment I thought you were done holding people hostage at knife point Annabeth," Thalia said with, wagging a 'for shame' finger at her. "Let the poor boy go this instant!"

“I’m relieved, can’t let her go getting soft now that she’s in love,” Jason snorted.

"A lesser person would hold you to saying that as some kind of blackmail Thals," Annabeth chuckled.

but there was a lot of other great stuff going on too. Grover had taken over the satyr seekers and was sending them out across the world to find unclaimed half-bloods.

Jason felt a giddy sense of pride that his reaction all the way back at the beginning of this hearing how unorganized they were had been given its own resolution. Gods he wanted to shake Grover's hand and meet him so bad to see what his chart looked like covering all of this.

 So far, the gods had kept their promise.

"For all of two weeks," Will nodded seriously. "Yeah, we were shocked too."

 New demigods were popping up all over the place—not just in America, but in a lot of other countries as well.

"We can hardly keep up," Grover admitted one afternoon as we were taking a break at the canoe lake. "We're going to need a bigger travel budget, and I could use a hundred more satyrs."

Alex resisted the urge to joke about an orgy with great restraint. Grover was a real person to Percy, not just an abstract joke.

"Yeah, but the satyrs you have are working super hard," I said. "I think they're scared of you."

Grover blushed. "That's silly. I'm not scary."

"You're a lord of the Wild, dude. The chosen one of Pan. A member of the Council of—"

"Stop it!" Grover protested. "You're as bad as Juniper. I think she wants me to run for president next."

"And I'd vote for his hindquarters!" Nico snorted. "He'd do wonders for environmental issues."

"Given you and Thalia are the only one's here old enough to vote, I guess we'd just help put up campaign signs," Percy chuckled.

He chewed on a tin can as we stared across the pond at the line of new cabins under construction. The U-shape would soon be a complete rectangle, and the demigods had really taken to the new task with gusto. 

Nico had some undead builders working on the Hades cabin. Even though he was still the only kid in it, it was going to look pretty cool: solid obsidian walls with a skull over the door and torches that burned with green fire twenty-four hours a day. Next to that were the cabins of Iris, Nemesis, Hecate, and several others I didn't recognize. They kept adding new ones to the blueprints every day. It was going so well, Annabeth and Chiron were talking about adding an entirely new wing of cabins just so they could have enough room.

Jason felt like getting up to high five Chiron. Of course Percy had been right, change was happening!

The Hermes cabin was a lot less crowded now, because most of the unclaimed kids had received signs from their godly parents. 

"What a concept, all the kids having a bed and a whole foot of space for themselves," Nico said dryly.

"I hope you're not expecting a thank you card," Percy rolled his eyes.

It happened almost every night, and every night more demigods straggled over the property line with the satyr guides, usually with some nasty monsters pursuing them, but almost all of them made it through.

'Almost all of them,' Magnus shook his head sadly he couldn't even feel real surprise and shock at how casually that was just put down.

"It's going to be a lot different next summer," I said. "Chiron's expecting we'll have twice as many campers."

"Yeah," Grover agreed, "but it'll be the same old place."

He sighed contentedly.

I watched as Tyson led a group of Cyclops builders. They were hoisting huge stones in place for the Hecate cabin, and I knew it was a delicate job. Each stone was engraved with magical writing, and if they dropped one, it would either explode or turn everyone within half a mile into a tree. I figured nobody but Grover would like that.

"Define, everyone?" Alex asked clinically, wondering if it would work on the cyclops, who were already nature spirit adjacents.

"Been there, done that, don't recommend," Thalia huffed.

"I'll be traveling a lot," Grover warned, "between protecting nature and finding half-bloods. I may not see you as much."

"Won't change anything," I said. "You're still my best friend."

He grinned. "Except for Annabeth."

"That's different."

"Yeah," he agreed. "It sure is."

"I miss him," Percy needlessly told her. "We need the three amigos out in the world!"

"I have a feeling you'll get your wish soon," Annabeth promised, but with the kind of smile that at least made him hope it would be fifty fifty on the fun/ death scale.

In the late afternoon, I was taking one last walk along the beach when a familiar voice said, "Good day for fishing."

My dad, Poseidon, was standing knee-deep in the surf, wearing his typical Bermuda shorts, beat-up cap, and a real subtle pink-and-green Tommy Bahama shirt. He had a deep-sea fishing rod in his hands, and when he cast it the line went way out—like halfway across Long Island Sound.

"Hey, Dad," I said. "What brings you here?"

He winked. "Never really got to talk in private on Olympus. I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? You came to the rescue."

"Yes, and I got my palace destroyed in the process, 

Percy sighed loudly, he just knew that was going to come up again!

but you know—palaces can be rebuilt. I've gotten so many thank-you cards from the other gods. Even Ares wrote one, though I think Hera forced him to. It's rather gratifying. So, thank you. I suppose even the gods can learn new tricks."

"Yada yada old dogs," Magnus nodded.

"I'd leave at least half of them at the pound," Thalia smirked, causing Percy to laugh hard in agreement.

The Sound began to boil. At the end of my dad's line, a huge green sea serpent erupted from the water. It thrashed and fought, but Poseidon just sighed. Holding his fishing pole with one hand, he whipped out his knife and cut the line. The monster sank below the surface.

"Not eating size," he complained. "I have to release the little ones or the game wardens will be all over me."

"Little ones?"

"Game warden?" Jason felt he was asking the far more important question.

"I'll bet it's Grover," Will smirked.

He grinned. "You're doing well with those new cabins, by the way. I suppose this means I can claim all those other sons and daughters of mine and send you some siblings next summer."

"Damn," Alex snorted, "your dad is ice cold for that joke."

"He had to have that side of him somewhere, the ocean isn't all dolphins and maytai," Annaebth shrugged without surprise. Percy was to busy sitting in nervous silence to answer.

"Ha-ha."

Poseidon reeled in his empty line.

I shifted my feet. "Um, you were kidding, right?"

Poseidon gave me one of his inside-joke winks, and I still didn't know whether he was serious or not.

"He, wouldn't, have," but Jason sounded as confused and unsure as Percy did, and when this guy was on the same page as him, they were all in trouble.

Percy loved his little brother in Tyson, but a small, secret part of him had also kind of enjoyed the idea his mom was special. That it was Sally Jackson herself that had made Poseidon break his oath and sort of regret him being born until he proved otherwise. 

...besides, no way could other half-blood siblings have been out there all this time, still alive and awaiting to be discovered. They were supposed to be extra monsterlicious or something. Right?!

"I'll see you soon, Percy. And remember, know which fish are big enough to land, eh?"

With that he dissolved in the sea breeze, leaving a fishing pole lying in the sand.

"Did you keep it?" Alex asked casually.

"It was probably cursed," Percy said like that was an answer.

"And?" Alex spluttered in disappointment. Percy gave her a tragic look that he felt spoke all he needed to about enticing such ideas.

She turned grumpily away and muttered some more curses, though Percy wasn't quite sure if he meant the artifact kind or the cussing him out kind. He had a feeling Alex could manage both equally well at any rate.

That evening was the last night of camp—the bead ceremony. The Hephaestus cabin had designed the bead this year. It showed the Empire State Building, and etched in tiny Greek letters, spiraling around the image, were the names of all the heroes who had died defending Olympus. There were too many names, but I was proud to wear the bead. I put it on my camp necklace—four beads now. I felt like an old-timer. I thought about the first campfire I'd ever attended, back when I was twelve, and how I'd felt so at home.

That at least hadn't changed.

It was one of those things Percy hoped never did. His love of the color blue, how much he loved going fast on his pets, how much he looked forward coming to camp every year. He expected his feelings for Annabeth to change and reform, he accepted he'd keep feeling like a freak in his own head around all these different people who saw him as something special, but it felt good to fall back on simple things too.

"Never forget this summer!" Chiron told us. He had healed remarkably well, but he still trotted in front of the fire with a slight limp.

"Errr, Percy, he's always had that limp," Annabeth told him kindly.

"What? No he hasn't," Percy frowned. "I'd notice that."

"Yeah, sorry Perce," Will agreed. "It's not super obvious, but it's there. He got it from that Hercules incident."

Percy looked at them dumbfounded and was pretty sure they were pulling his leg...but he also still couldn't prove there wasn't some secret play they put on every year he'd never heard of so he was kind of at a loss.

 "We have discovered bravery and friendship and courage this summer. We have upheld the honor of the camp." He smiled at me, and everybody cheered. As I looked at the fire, I saw a little girl in a brown dress tending the flames. She winked at me with red glowing eyes. No one else seemed to notice her, but I realized maybe she preferred it that way.

"Yeah, I think Hestia is my spirit goddess," Magnus grinned. 

"We can throw you in the fire?" Alex asked with mild excitement.

"You're going to save the world by being handed a jar?" Percy asked blankly.

"Screw both of you," Magnus chuckled.

"And now," Chiron said, "early to bed! Remember, you must vacate your cabins by noon tomorrow unless you've made arrangements to stay the year with us. The cleaning harpies will eat any stragglers, and I'd hate to end the summer on a sour note!"

"Do we taste sour?" Nico asked, unimpressed.

"Don't say it like that," Will whined. "Chiron doesn't join in them eating us!"

"Well I'm so sorry I didn't get the correct interpretation out of that death threat," Nico rolled his eyes. He'd left this night, it had been the last thing he heard Chiron say. It had been a pretty memorable last stance.

The next morning, Annabeth and I stood at the top of Half-Blood Hill. We watched the buses and vans pull away, taking most of the campers back to the real world. A few old-timers would be staying behind, and a few of the newcomers, but I was heading back to Goode High School for my sophomore year—the first time in my life I'd ever done two years at the same school.

"In the sea of your life, that is a particularly depressing statement my friend," Jason said with a strange feeling of not being able to relate to Percy on that one. It was nice, he supposed, not to have a deep rooted parallel lodged in him about such a sad thing to hear, but somehow made Percy's life even more tragic than his own blank one for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah, news flash at ten, traffic or whatever," Percy shrugged, but it was still a good feeling. To smile and hope that they were just on winter break and he'd be able to actually continue this trend. The world wouldn't end because he'd accomplished something, it was all he'd wanted once upon a time.

"Good-bye," Rachel said to us as she shouldered her bag. She looked pretty nervous, but she was keeping a promise to her father and attending Clarion Academy in New Hampshire. It would be next summer before we got our Oracle back. 

"You'll do great." Annabeth hugged her. Funny, she seemed to get along fine with Rachel these days.

"Very, very strange, yes," Alex said in a posh, scholarly voice. "Next he'll sit around and ponder the existence of bread or something."

"Well documented history of something all human civilizations create," Annabeth helpfully said to his blank look.

"Ah, thanks," he said.

Rachel bit her lip. "I hope you're right. I'm a little worried. What if somebody asks what's on the next math test and I start spouting a prophecy in the middle of geometry class? The Pythagorean theorem shall be problem two. . . . Gods, that would be embarrassing."

"I think that would make her the most popular girl there though," Thalia grinned. "Teachers would never understand how the kids keep cheating, she wouldn't charge anyone for free answers to the test, just works out for everyone really."

"Don't get me started on how our education system is trash," Annabeth said with a sharp look at the book like Rachel was in front of her to debate this with on whether that would be of any help.

Annabeth laughed, and to my relief, it made Rachel smile.

"Well," she said, "you two be good to each other." Go figure, but she looked at me like I was some kind of troublemaker.

"You can't say anything Percy, you called yourself a trouble maker first," Thalia grinned.

"It was shocking I tell you, I'd never been labeled as such before," Percy insisted wide eyed, causing them all to laugh lightly again.

 Before I could protest, Rachel wished us well and ran down the hill to catch her ride.

Annabeth, thank goodness, would be staying in New York. She'd gotten permission from her parents to attend a boarding school in the city so she could be close to Olympus and oversee the rebuilding efforts.

"Guess that living in Cali. thing didn't stick?" Magnus asked, one part nervous for her, one part hopeful she'd just finally decided where she wanted her home to be.

"Not so much," Annabeth agreed, but the sad smile didn't linger as she turned back to the book casually. She'd keep in contact with her dad as long as he wanted to. She'd even offer to say hi to her step mom if she wanted to stop and chat on the phone. She'd come around for holidays or birthdays even. It just wasn't a necessity to her. She finally had her question answered of her place in his life.

"And close to me?" I asked.

"Well, someone's got a big sense of his own importance." But she laced her fingers through mine. I remembered what she'd told me in New York, about building something permanent, and I thought—just maybe—we were off to a good start.

"Well the bones of your relationship are at least well set in good sediment," Nico tried to say that in a complimentary way, but Percy just got another 'over my head' look and Nico shrunk in his seat rather than admit he'd spent hours in a museum once looking up niche facts of where dinosaur fossils were usually discovered.

The guard dragon Peleus curled contentedly around the pine tree underneath the Golden Fleece and began to snore, blowing steam with every breath.

"You've been thinking about Rachel's prophecy?" I asked Annabeth.

She frowned. "How did you know?"

"Because I know you."

Annabeth gave a mock, tragic sigh. "Am I already that predictable?"

"I don't mind a little calm and steady see-thoroughness right now," Percy promised. He could see that feeling hadn't faded at all with time too. She hadn't stopped studying Jason with those intense gray eyes every time she was sure he wasn't looking. A lesser guy would have been jealous. Percy was secure enough to know better it wasn't that blonde hair and blue eyes holding her attention after quoting that prophecy.

She bumped me with her shoulder. "Okay, so I have. Seven half-bloods shall answer the call. I wonder who they'll be. We're going to have so many new faces next summer."

"Those poor suckers have no clue what they're in for," Magnus said with experience.

"I'm still trying to hold out hope it won't involve us," Percy groaned.

"Well then, don't give the jar to Magnus," Alex reminded with an impish grin.

Annabeth chuckled along quietly, her eyes still darting between Jason, her cousin, and Alex. To much of what Artimes had said made sense with her dreams.

"Yep," I agreed. "And all that stuff about the world falling in storm or fire."

"You don't get a choice about the world ending that time," Jason agreed sadly. "You pick your poison and you like it."

"Bet I can find a loophole where one of the poison's tastes like blue-raspberry at least," Percy offered half-heartedly.

She pursed her lips. "And foes at the Doors of Death.

"Which is a particularly strange line," Nico nodded. "The Doors of Death are always moving, they're set in no spot, in Tartarus! No half-bloods would survive down there to bare arms against each other long enough."

"Not a theory I'd like to start beta-testing," Annabeth reluctantly agreed, though it was a soothing feeling for a moment to have a niche expert on at least one line at minimum.

 I don't know, Percy, but I don't like it. I thought . . . well, maybe we'd get some peace for a change."

"What on earth gave you that strange thought?" Thalia asked her in concern.

"My recent visit to the delusional land of Olympus where everything was sunshine and rainbows by design," Annabeth sighed.

"Wouldn't be Camp Half-Blood if it was peaceful," I said.

"I guess you're right . . . Or maybe the prophecy won't happen for years."

"Could be a problem for another generation of demigods," I agreed. "Then we can kick back and enjoy."

She nodded, though she still seemed uneasy. I didn't blame her, but it was hard to feel too upset on a nice day, with her next to me, knowing that I wasn't really saying good-bye. We had lots of time.

"Race you to the road?" I said.

"You are so going to lose." She took off down Half-Blood Hill and I sprinted after her.

For once, I didn't look back. 

Alex smiled as she closed the book to finally indicate she was done, this one was done. It was a strange feeling of relief and accomplishment when it had nothing to do with her in particular, just one that always came with finishing a new story. Having someone else's life given a tangible place in her world was usually such a fleeting thing.

Percy jumped up and did a lap around the room, arms up in a delirious victory. He would have been shouting like a loon at the top of his lungs if he wasn't worried about drawing the cranky Titan back.

The others couldn't blame him in the slightest, letting him work off his energy as they waited for Jason to stretch and offer, "don't worry, I can wait one more day to deal with the next stretch of my mess. We can all hit bed for the night."

"Thank you," Annabeth said politely, though she and Thalia exchanged almost disappointed looks. They almost didn't want that. They'd known everything of their past, but there was a hunger in them to get a look at the other side of a gods face and see just what Jason had gotten up to. 

Alex, Will, and Nico were already walking off however, talking about death auras and color theory in a disturbing crisscross conversation, and Percy was starting to slow his frantic run and rubbing his stomach, so they weren't going to argue the point tonight and let it go to take a breath at minimum.

Magnus lingered on the couch where he'd been sitting by Alex, head tipped back and staring at the ceiling with a forlorn expression.

Annabeth sunk down uneasily beside him and asked, "thinking about Hearth?"

He nodded, an uncomfortable position for his neck for sure at the awkward angle as he didn't look around. "I feel like such trash, he's my friend, and here Percy just went and made sure the world was safe for all of his, and I waved mine goodby on the word a Titan wouldn't just chuck him off the planet by accident."

"Percy isn't perfect," Annabeth corrected with a fond smile. "I know you know I once jumped on the back of a manticore, and he beat himself up over it too."

Magnus finally turned to face her, waving his hand around in the water to show how much that comparison didn't work.

"I know," she agreed. "Just, I know you're going to beat yourself up, but try to leave some skin unbruised too. If Hearth left of his own accord, I can't see him blaming you."

Magnus sighed and nodded in agreement. He wanted to believe that, at any rate.

Annabeth watched, seeing him now studying the empty seat with a faraway look in his eyes she knew all to well, the lost expression of not knowing what to do about a situation wasn't just for his friend.

"You like her," Annabeth said astutely, tucking her legs underneath her and studying him, "I could tell that after being here half a day. Have you said anything to Alex?"

Magnus bit his lip and wasn't sure how to say it.

"Is it because you're only attracted to her, half the time?" She kept fishing.

"No, no," Magnus quickly corrected. "I, find her just as intriguing on her he days. I mean, I've never been attracted to a guy before, but it's not, I mean, I like Alex, no matter what gender she or he is."

"So what's the problem?" Annabeth repeated, pure sympathy in her tone.

He clasped his hands and tapped his fingers against his chin, there was no nice way to say it. "Not sure what's going to happen when we get back. I'm still, I'm not sure if you're camp, well, up there-"

His cousin's eyes filled with regret, she leaned forward in her seat, feet spilling back onto the floor to support her weight as she automatically went in to hug him, before she hesitated and leaned right back. He smiled at her in relief and forced himself to relax, not even realizing he'd tensed up until she'd sat back in her seat, but still leaning on the edge.

"You're homeless." She said it as a statement, not a question. He didn't bother to deny it. What would be the point when she'd find out the second they got out of here? Her face flooded with the one thing that didn't send him running away though. Understanding. "Magnus, I am so sorry about that, if I'd known-"

"How could you," he brushed off any responsibility on her part. "As bad as things apparently are between your dad, if he even knows, you've had your own troubles going on-"

"I asked about you though," Annabeth insisted, she was twisting her hands up in her lap and he smiled to imagine her Yankees cap there. "When he told me about Aunt Natalie, that first summer I'd seen him in so long, I cried all night. He said he tried to find you but the system had no record of you, and my step-mom was just in the kitchen the whole time making her kids lunch like nothing was wrong, well, it didn't set a good precedent for that summer. I just thought, I don't know, you were living with Uncle Randolph, safe, I was still fighting with them so much-"

"I don't blame you," he insisted to her guilt ridden face. 

"I should have looked for you," she insisted too. "You could have been at camp with us all along."

"I don't know about that," he frowned and looked up at the ceiling again, then reluctantly, the door. "That's why I'm, well it doesn't help I'm a tongue tied idiot around her, but I don't know what's going to happen when we get back. The last thing I should be worried about is a crush when, well I have no clue about my parentage and," he trailed off with his face burning red and his own hands gripping painfully tight to each other.

Annabeth bumped their knees together as she leaned forward without being forceful about it, her tone dead serious. "Chiron will not turn you four away. You'll have somewhere safe to be Magnus." Then she looked over her shoulder, and back to him with a promising smile. "I can tell you really have feelings for Alex, and you shouldn't wait on something like that."

He was blushing again even as he answered, "it's not like it's just me. Alex is, so confident, about everything! I still think she's just been messing with me! If she did like me, I think she'd say something about it, she's so bold." He was smiling by the end, he could hear to his own ears how gently he spoke of her and couldn't even find the blush to be embarrassed about it anymore, even as Annabeth's smile increased.

She still spoke candidly, but there was a hint of worry for the first time. "Maybe, well, she has feelings for somebody else up there right now."

Magnus's heart plummeted, he hadn't thought of that.

"Maybe there's, other things going on in her circumstances," Annabeth relentlessly went on, "but Magnus, you'll regret it if you don't at least ask. Trust me."

He did trust her. He didn't envy the two living through the end of the world before finding peace in each other. He didn't want total destruction to get up the courage to say something to Alex and wondered what other obstacles between near constant death by monster and kidnapping's might circumvent them giving each other a chance. 

Magnus knew the moment Percy must have walked back in the room by watching her face light up, shifting around in her seat as if her first reaction were to go to him. She stopped herself and smiled back at him.

He nodded to be left alone,  so Annabeth just gave him a promising smile as she stretched and stood up, going over to Percy and putting her hand in his like it was the most natural thing in the world as they discussed what they wanted for dinner with Thalia.

His mind was so preoccupied trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say to Alex on the way to her door, he had no clue how long he was standing in front of it only to see it was open. Wrapping his knuckles sharply on it anyways and very cautiously easing his head around, he called out for her with no answer. 

It was as bland as everybody else's, if he hadn't subconsciously noted which one she'd come out of yesterday he'd never have guessed who's it could be, but there was also something so uniquely Alex about it he was sure he wasn't wrong. The smell of wet clay lingered in the air, there was a sewing kit resting beside the pillow, and a plate of Hershey's Kisses on top of the fridge, all unwrapped and arranged in a nonlinear way. 

His first impulse was to swipe them into his mouth and book it, but this was Alex's room, and he'd never stolen from someone he wasn't pretty convinced didn't deserve it, so he instead opened up the door below.

Instead of food, what he found was a bowl. A beautiful work of pottery with intricate, almost 3D looking designs all along the side of a caterpillar weaving itself into a cocoon and coming out, only for its wings to beat for all of one image and begin withering in the very next to turn to dust, a telling story all the way until he spun it back around to start. 

The kind of thing he would have scoffed and been disgusted at the price of, only someone living the lap of luxury could afford in a window. His hands felt grubby holding it.

He swiftly set it on her bed before the worst could happen and bumped into the fridge door, closing it to hide the evidence he'd found such a thing while the chocolate all moved around on the plate.

Then his mind seized in a panic, wanting to put it back before she found he'd saw it, and he had to grab something else out to prove he hadn't of course! But what- his eyes darted to the chocolate, and he frantically slammed and yanked the door too quickly, the universe glitched as it delivered so fast, but a bag of Kisses fell onto his shoe. He ripped the bag open and hastily shoved one in as he kicked the door back shut, feeling the strange crinkling sensation on his tongue and realizing he'd forgotten to unwrap it- 

"Magnus?" 

He choked, his hands fumbled, and for some reason his brain screamed at him to hide the evidence. The rich chocolate fell to the floor, scattering to every corner as the half-unwrapped one sat on his tongue as he whirled around to see her dark brown and amber eyes were glittering at him from across the room as she sauntered over. She stopped right in front of him, eyeing his lips clinically.

Magnus swallowed and knew he should open his mouth, say something, like why he was invading Alex's privacy and something else very important, he was sure he'd come in here to say something but really couldn't remember right now as Alex leaned in.

Alex planted a hand firmly on his shoulder and kissed him.

It was not gentle, but neither was the way Magnus's knees literally gave out on him and he fell back against the wall, his hands had pulled Alex's shirt with him, so that Alex was fully pressed into him and her lips were still a tantalizing breath apart.

She braced her other hand against the wall right by his head, he felt her shift her weight and his eyes snapped open as he began to apologize and let go only to see her nose to nose with him and smiling, not leaning back an inch. "I'm homeless," he blurted out, and gods he was the most idiotic person on earth as he licked his lips. He was surprised he wasn't choking on that wrapper and probably dying and hallucinations all this.

"I guessed that, I am too," she nodded. Some of her hair had fallen out of the updo, curling back around her shoulders. They were so close, his golden strands were twining together with hers. "I'm a child of Loki."

Judging by her reserved tone, how she was still shifting her weight around, he probably should have had some revelation to that. Even he'd heard of that god. "The god of trickery? Thor's brother?" He was running his tongue over his lip still where they tingled and had never wanted someone to move away less. Maybe he had a chocolate allergy he'd never known of.

She gave him a joyless smile, the nails on his shoulder digging in just a bit, for all the world like she was still fixing to lean back but had yet to do so. "How those Greek kids speak of children of Hades, as outcasts, untrustworthy, that's how our kind will see me Magnus."

"You're not seeing anyone else are you?" He blurted, again. He wasn't touching her anywhere but where his fingers were still holding onto the edge of her odd shirt, the material crinkled like she’d wrapped herself in foil, just the tips of his fingers.

Her smile was very sad as she leaned in and kissed him again, fully capturing his lips. The world might have actually ended by the time she leaned back again, his protection had possibly evaporated into her he was left breathing so shallowly like all the oxygen had been deprived from him. "No," she finally answered in the gentlest voice Magnus had yet heard from her. Her eyes were closed as she stayed right where she was. "Give me time to tell you about Adrian." Her breath caught on the name. Then she opened her eyes, and finally pushed off him and took a step back.

There was chocolate smeared across her lips now and he found himself swallowing none left in his mouth.

"Okay," he promised, thinking Percy would have to come in here and pry him off this wall before he figured out how to move again. "I, um, you're gorgeous," he finally, stupidly, remembered what he'd wanted to come in here and tell her, and the compliment seemed very underwhelming now.

She laughed, that same crooked smile playing across her lips he didn't think he'd ever want to look away from. "And you're an adorable goof."

"I can work with that," he nodded so much he may or  may not have broken his neck.

***

Percy finally held her tight that night.

“All coming back to you?” She couldn’t even put a tease in her voice as she lovingly curled into his chest without hesitation and his arms just circled her tighter.

There was comfortable silence for a while. But they both knew. It was a pause of their earlier fight, and they were both testing the waters to see who would break it first.

Percy did, cutting right to the heart of it. He’d seen that look on her face and known what it was. “I got lost, and it wasn’t your fault.”

She said nothing, her nails digging tight into his back. He could feel the hitch in her voice as she fought back a sob.

“The day you can tell a god or goddess or Titan what to do with me is the day you get crowned Queen of Olympus, and Zeus is doing a shit job too, so, I actually like your odds better,” he concluded with the contemplative simpleness she adored about him so much. He had a very black and white view of the world, one she didn’t share but admired.

“I think what’s killing me is, that Artemis had to help,” she admitted. She could only admit this to him, since she was being honest here. 

He nodded, because he understood that too. “I’m sure your mom would say good counsel isn’t unwise?” He tried and failed to offer, knowing the answer. “Your mom might never have liked my help, but she can’t claim to have never needed it. She has demigods to do her bidding too.”

“Her counsel, perhaps, but I, I don’t know Percy. I hate the idea, of not knowing what they have planned for you. Of what they’ll ask you to do before this is all over.”

“What they’ll ask us to do,” Percy reminded, she could hear the grin of his voice from the comfort of his beating heart in her ear. “Oceanus might be an idiot, but he made it pretty clear he didn’t pull all of them in here by mistake. Now, you are a part of it, and we’ll make the right call.”

“I hope you’re right,” she murmured. Her mind was on Jason, and her cousin and Alex. Her mind was on those books, and how no god’s gift came without a price. Her mind was on Artemis still, and what she’d ask of them too when they got out of here.

And that would only be the beginning.

PJOPJOPJO

I don’t want to promise when I’ll start the next set of books. I want to get into a new fandom I’ve never explored before and really get invested without fretting in the back of my mind about writing. I want to say I’ll start posting the first chapter around the end of December with a possible first bonus chapter early that month, but if I wait a bit into New Year’s don't be alarmed either. My heart is SET on finishing these, I just don’t want to force it when I’m still playing around with a few ideas.

I will give the minor spoiler and promise I’m kicking around some new characters to bring in, but I would have to take some out too, I won’t go over my limit of eight. 

Tell me which you’d prefer? I’m angling to bring in Leo and Piper or Reyna and Frank, both have merits, but I know you all have your own ideas.

[woklaza]

Mafia Soukoku Headcanon: They make New Year Resolutions together but never do them (usually).

Dazai: Hmmm... let's see... 1) die, 2) have crabs at my grave 3) commit shinju with a pretty lady- Chuuya: Who am I to you then? Dazai: I am not committing suicide with you. Chuuya: Why? Dazai, with a serious face: I don't want you to die. Chuuya, blushing: Well-uh... I- Dazai: You need to deliver crab to my grave every day- Chuuya: *punches Dazai in the face*

~

Bonus:

The wind blew gently, Chuuya's hair fluttering along with it. On the little hill was a graveyard. That suited his partner. Maybe as a ghost, he would annoy his neighbouring dead bodies, and that would pass the time for him. But in some way, Dazai's grave seemed to be separated from the other ones. The name on his stone was clean. Never lined with moss.

"At least you completed your resolutions for this year..." Chuuys nodded at the grave in front of him, pouring a rather expensive bottle of sake onto the soil over his partner's probably decaying body. Hopefully, that alcoholic wouldn't suffer too much from alcohol withdrawal.

Chuuya opened a can of tinned crab, the brand Dazai always ate without cooking. Chuuya placed the can in front of the gravestone without any sort of utensils. That mackerel can eat like a savage for all he cares.

"Well...uh... dig in!" A pair of lips touched the headstone and parted. Red hair danced in the wind. "Bye."

The trashcan near the graveyard was full of empty cans, Chuuya batted an eye at them and smiled.

Chuuya managed to stick to his resolutions too: to feed Dazai crab at his grave.

[holocene-sims]

simblr new years resolutions 2024!

thank you @stargazer-sims so much for tagging me!! ❤️✨🌟

not sure who has done this one yet but i'll tag 💌 @seyvia @simmersofia @mangosimoothie @minty-plumbob @queeniecook @dandylion240 @mmmatchasims @thebramblewood @aheathen-conceivably @nectar-cellar @igglemouse & anyone who sees this and wants to do it!

honestly, i have never made a new years resolution in my life, so this is a fun exercise to try out for once!

what's your resolution for your simblr?

this is VERYYYYY ambitious but i want to fully complete the core "everything the stars promised" and move on to doing side content and MOST IMPORTANTLY the more loosey goosey fun epilogue :)

april 15th of this year will mark the second anniversary of the story! i've done so much and yet at the same time, so little in the grand scheme of the plot i have in mind. i randomly checked today to see how many pages on my blog the story takes up and we're at 31 pages! so, uh, about 15 pages a year - not sure if that's good progress or not but oh well! we are getting close to the extra exciting parts of the story, and i would love to finish it all up this year, you know? finish on a nice round even anniversary number and with a bunch of plot point bangers lolol

but we'll see! it's possible, maybe, since i'm graduating college this semester and will have more free time for a while, at least i as figure out the work situation and probably even while working whenever i do get a job since nightly homework will no longer exist LMAO, but even if it's not possible, i am definitely promising myself to work harder on the story! i really do love this thing despite it all and i'm proud of it, and i want to see how much i can keep improving it so that the ending is truly the best part <3

what do you want from the sims franchise?

a sale on kits lmfaoooo!!! (which will never happen) i have exactly 5 dollars left over from an old gift card someone gave me for ea app when it was still origin. it's exactly enough for a kit except that sales tax adds on 7 cents and the gift card leftovers don't cover that.

yeahhhh...i'm neither charging 7 cents for sales tax nor 5 bucks for a second kit to my credit card. no, ma'am. i want that shit for FREE

any other new years resolutions?

don't become incredibly depressed by the shock of leaving the school system after almost 23 years of life and the horrors of figuring out the whole...life and career...thing

lol this resolution will be broken

so, how about an achievable one? read more books and write more actual prose, whether for my sims story or for something else. i've been so burnt out from academia that it's all stopped being fun. like even my sims story has been such a drag to create because i just have zero desire to write, to work on the outline, or find inspiration.

and that really sucks. writing and reading have been a huge part of my life for so long and they mean a lot to me, but right now they do feel exhausting. i'm tired of looking at a word document and wanting to bash my head into the keyboard because it reminds me of writing project proposals and boring shit instead of good fiction.

but i'm hoping the freedom from academia will spark joy in my literary hobbies again, and i'm going to try and bring back my love for them myself :) not sure how but aside from finding a way to work on the sims story more, i'm thinking maybe i'll commit to trying out more short-form writing prompts.

[elementary-my-dear-daddy]

Resolutions

Chapter One: Countdown

Pairing: Analoceitmus

Content: Orgasm Denial, Cock Cages, Chastity, Dom/sub, Hardcore Dominance and Submission, Boot Worship, No-Touch, Bondage, Sensory Deprivation, Watersports, Omorashi, Piss Play, Degradation, Humiliation, CBT, Gags, Handcuffs, Sounding, DubCon

Summary: Logan tasks himself with a full year of denial under a BDSM dynamic with Virgil, Remus, and Janus. Will he make it all the way to next year enduring all of their teasing? Who knows~

Read it on AO3!

A Foreword:

I am going to say this one time. This. Is. Fictional.

That means IT’S NOT REAL.

I’m using this fic to explore what a 24/7 dynamic looks like in a FICTIONAL universe. I don’t intend for this to be an accurate portrayal of BDSM and kink at all. Yes there’s safewords, but they’re rarely used, BECAUSE I’M WRITING ABOUT HOT FICTIONAL MEN THAT DON’T EXIST. AND I DO WHAT I WANT.

So be warned. Check the tags thoroughly before reading. I give a special warning to use of degradation and humiliation in this fic. It gets pretty intense and there won’t be a ton of written aftercare scenes. It is NOT nonconsensual, I assure you that Logan is loving every minute of what’s being done to him and it is to be assumed that everything done happens consensually.

Again. Just wanna reiterate, this is not how real BDSM and kink dynamics work, those require intense discussion and communication which isn’t seen much in this fic. Please take it at your own pace or skip chapters or don’t read the thing if it makes you uncomfortable in a way you can’t handle. 

There will be content warnings with what each chapter contains in the notes beforehand, but take them to heart before reading.

If you enjoy it, thanks! Consider leaving a kudos, like, reblog, or comment!

If you don’t, keep that shit to yourself!

Thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoy the story xx

New Year's Eve brought up many traditions for Logan and his partners. He was partial to reflecting on how he’d grown in the past year over a glass of wine, himself. Virgil took to sleeping in extra late so he’d be wide awake for the clock striking midnight. Remus bought fireworks of questionable legality. Janus used the holiday as an excuse to commit any sins to be atoned for come morning. In a way, this year’s celebration would prove no different to the ones before it, but after thorough discussion from all involved parties, it would certainly be one to remember.

December 31st, 11:04 PM

“Last chance to back out, Lo.” Virgil stated as he attached the restraints to his lover’s wrists, “You’re sure you’re still up for this?”

“First of all, this is hardly my last chance.” Logan countered nonchalantly, “I feel comfortable knowing if I safeword, that this will end and you all will care for me accordingly. Second of all, I am certain I want to go through with this. Not only do I want to challenge myself with this as a yearly resolution for personal growth regarding my own sexual boundaries, but also to flesh out the dynamic which we’ve found ourselves in.”

“Put so eloquently for a man about to cry for mercy.” Janus hummed from beside him, stroking the exposed flesh of Logan's thighs.

“I believe I can save it at least until next week.”

“Careful, Logey-” Remus grinned from behind the tripod he was setting up, camera pointing towards his partner spread out on the bed, “Or we might just not let you come at all tonight!”

Logan shot him a look, “Remus, that is not the plan.”

“I know, I know, I just like to make you squirm.” He turned on the device, hitting the record button when he found the perfect angle to do so at, “Why don’t you recap the plan for the camera?”

After a steady breath while Virgil continued to restrain him to their bed, he turned towards the lens,

“Today is day zero of my journey through orgasm denial. I will be having one final orgasm tonight before a year of celibacy.”

“Ah ah-” Janus corrected, “Not complete celibacy. We still get to play with you as much as we want.”

Logan just rolled his eyes, “Correct. You three will be able to copulate with me as a means to your own end, but I will not be allowed to climax, myself.”

“Or touch or pleasure yourself in any way unless we allow you to.” Virgil added.

“Yeah so you better enjoy this one while you can~” Remus moved to sit on the bed, scooting to be in between Logan’s legs.

On the nightstand, there was already a variety of objects waiting to be used that night. The first of which was a bottle of lube, which was promptly passed down to Remus. He grabbed Logan’s legs and threw them over his shoulders promptly, wasting no time spreading the lube over his fingers and pressing them against his hole. Being restrained, he couldn’t shy away from the touch, not that he wanted to, but Remus was a bit rough with preparing him.

“Why don’t you go ahead and say all your rules while we get you ready, baby?” Virgil softly stroked his hair.

Logan sighed as two fingers were thrust into him and a hand was wrapped around his cock, Janus and Remus co-opting his pleasure. 

“I-I’m not allowed to come.”

“That’s right, what else?”

“I’m not allowed to touch myself- ah!” Logan shouted as Janus’ hand twisted over his dick at the exact moment Remus forced in a third digit, “in…in any way that brings me pleasure~!”

“Good boy, keep going.” Janus hummed as he continued to stroke him.

“I-I’ll let my dominants, mmh, know when I’m close.”

A wicked smile spread across Remus’ face as he spread his fingers to stretch him further, before pulling them out entirely, “You’re gonna be so cute when you’re begging us to come and we refuse. What’s your last one, Lolo?”

A whine left his lips, bleeding into words, “-I’ll follow all orders given to me without argument or hesitation!”

Virgil suddenly pulled at his hair, eliciting a sharp gasp, “Only four rules, this should be a piece of cake for you, L.”

“And we know how much you just adore following rules. If anything, this is a treat for you.” Janus pulled his hand away as well, leaning closer to his face to kiss his cheek, “What do you say when someone gives you a treat?”

Logan wanted to chase the sensation of Janus’ hand, but with an ungodly amount of self control forced himself to stay still. “Thank you.” He managed.

After a bit of shifting around and stripping, they settled into their proper positions for the night. As previously discussed, Virgil would be fucking him, Remus would be riding him, and Janus would be using his mouth. He couldn’t think of a better place to be than in between all his boyfriends, giving and receiving an almost incomprehensible amount of pleasure. 

Remus was quick to straddle him, not wasting much time before slicking up his dick further and pushing it against his hole. The both of them let out moans as he took him fully, relishing the feeling of being filled again. Logan didn’t typically top, so he welcomed the rare warmth wrapped around his length.

Virgil was next, spreading his legs once Remus was settled and lining up to fuck him. He could be slow and teasing when he wanted to be, but for now he slid in at a steady pace. He wanted to get to fucking him, but also make sure that Logan could feel every inch inside him. Once the tops of his thighs rested against the other’s, he shifted forward further to share a deep kiss with Remus. 

“How does he feel, babe?” Virgil questioned, pressing his lips down the side of his lover’s neck.

“Not quite as big as you or Jannie, but I guess he’ll be enough to get me off.” Remus returned cheekily.

Logan let out another weak moan as he felt the two of them shift. That earned a couple chuckles from his three partners.

Then, Janus knelt up by his head, “You poor thing, I don’t think you even realize what you’re getting yourself into.” He cooed, “Are you really ready for one last orgasm before a whole year of nothing but denial?

“Yes, yes Master, I promise!” He said, sounding completely pitiful.

“Don’t worry, darling,” Janus stroked himself a few times before pressing the head of his cock to Logan’s lips, “We’ll make sure you enjoy it.”

Logan opened his mouth for the other, who in turn slid into the warmth with a sigh. With everyone officially settled, they could begin to move.

Naturally, Remus lifted his hips up and down a few times, until he found a good angle to pleasure both himself and Logan. He ground down, holding onto Virgil for support as he did. He was never quiet in bed, proving true now even with them just beginning. Moans left his mouth as he sank down repeatedly on his length and used a hand to jerk himself off in the process.

Virgil gave a few thrusts into Logan then, savoring the way he felt around him. He adored having the man beneath him and fucking him, no matter if he wanted it sweet and tender or rough and fast. He groaned, biting his lip as he built up a steady rhythm.

“Fuck, I don’t know how he stays so tight with how much we fuck him.” He commented.

“Because he’s a natural slut!” Remus added, sliding down his length once again.

“He certainly is, why else would he want us to have this much control over him? He must need it.” Janus said, gripping Logan’s hair and thrusting down his throat. 

Logan was in heaven. Remus clenching around him forced shocks of pleasure to course through him. Virgil picked up his pace and aimed to find his prostate with each thrust. Janus occupying his mouth made his mind float into the thick fog of subspace, making each and every sensation feel even more pleasurable than it already was. He wasn’t going to last long like this.

They moved rhythmically, almost as one being. When Virgil slammed their hips together, Janus would force his cock deep into Logan’s mouth, and Remus would grind down against him repeatedly until he was seeing stars. Every touch added to his arousal, and it hardly took any time before he was itching for more.

Logan’s hand formed a loose gesture, with two fingers sticking out from his fist. It was his non-verbal sign that he was getting close.

“I can feel him leaking inside me.” Remus groaned, “Can’t wait for him to fill me up!”

“So soon? You better enjoy it.” Janus looked down at Logan still eagerly sucking him off through the feeling.

Virgil aimed directly into his prostate with every thrust, “C’mon, we’re close too baby, come for us one last time.”

Logan couldn’t focus on any individual sensation with the assault on his body, all he knew was that the pressure was building fast. It could have been the way Janus was pulling at his hair, or the way Remus was riding him like his life depended on it, or the way Virgil sunk his whole length into him as he gripped his hips, but it was too much to hold back.

With a choked moan held back by the dick in his mouth, Logan toppled over the edge with wave after wave of blissful release. His muscles spasmed with the force of it, with his arms pulling at the restraints above him and vision going white from every sensation. He filled Remus, screamed around Janus and contracted around Virgil, triggering their approach to climax as well. 

It was Remus who came next, stroking himself as he aimed for his own prostate with a final slam of his hips and riding out his orgasm as he spilled over himself and his partners. Virgil followed soon after, coming into Logan’s twitching hole and working himself through it. Janus climaxed last, rapidly thrusting into Logan’s mouth before pulling out and spilling over his face ceremoniously. The room was filled with the sounds of four panting men and the lingering smell of sex.

Remus hopped off of Logan and fell beside him, Janus following suit after glimpsing down to see his lover’s fucked out and come-covered face. He smirked, going to untie the restraints on his wrists. Virgil eased himself out of him carefully, debating whether or not to plug him up and keep him full of his seed just a little bit longer. Ultimately, he decided against it and went to grab a few things to clean up.

“You still alive, Logie?” Remus nuzzled his head against the man’s shoulders.

“Mhm.” Logan managed to get out, before a yawn overtook him, “ ‘was really enjoyable.”

“We’re glad.” Janus reassured him while easing his arms down from the headboard, “Let’s take care of you now and we’ll talk about what comes next tomorrow.”

As Virgil returned with some towels and water, he stopped to click off the camera recording them. Logan was cleaned by the three of them and cuddles ensued shortly after, with many words of reassurance and kisses in between.

At one point, Janus picked up their phone from the night stand and showed it to the other three, “12:06. Happy new year, my loves.”

“Anyone have any resolutions they wanna share?” Remus smiled down at Logan knowingly.

“Hey, don’t tease him.” Virgil chided, “That’s what tomorrows for.”

“It is tomorrow!”

“Sleep first.” Logan sighed, snuggling deeper into the arms of his lovers.

He didn’t know how to feel about the possibilities of tomorrow morning. Scared? Excited? Impossibly aroused at the thought? Yes, yes, and yes. But those were thoughts for tomorrow. For now, he would happily rest in satisfaction. 

The rest of the year likely wouldn’t provide the same respite, though.

[echoweaver]

New Year's Resolutions 2024

Thanks to @nocturnalazure for tagging me!

Also, anyone else I might've missed. 😢 I don't know if there's a way to distinguish being tagged on a post vs on a comment in tumblr, but it would be helpful when I know I was tagged a bit ago, but I don't remember by whom.

What's your resolution for your simblr?

OK, I guess I have some categories of goals.

Modding resolution: Release the Warriorcats Mod.

This mod is really close to done, but I'm in animation muck. I both hate seeing animations look bad AND I'm not an animator. For training interactions, I need multi-sim animations where one sim observes while the other acts, and when I tried to do this, I realized that I have a lot to learn before I can make this do what I want. I need one more good run in a geeky minset, and this thing will be read to at least release as beta.

This thing is bottlenecking other smaller mod ideas. I'm proud of it, and I want to finish it. But the turn of the year has been really bad for high-effort hobby energy.

For those who have sent me asks about this mod, I am going to say something that you should absolutely not apply any other modder, including me, for anything else. Bugging me about this (in a nice way!) is probably the best way to get it finished. Hearing from folks who use my pets mods makes my heart sing. Knowing that someone cares is the best source of positive energy I have.

It's a new year, and some very high-stress stuff in my personal life has improved. I know can do this in 2024.

In my points of low mood, I have wondered if there's even any point to finishing something this high-effort for a game this old. But, like Minecraft, TS3 never seems to die. 2022-3 was actually a modding renaissance. I have built some interest in TS4 at the end of this year, but it hasn't made me even a little bit interested in abandoning TS3. So I'm going to do my best to set that demotivating nonsense aside.

Gaming resolution: Finish the Samples.

I can't believe I actually wrote that, but it could happen in 2024. Generation 8 is starting in gameplay, and in a 10-generation legacy, this is the last "complete" generation.

I will never do another 10-generation anything. There are two many different and interesting

Blogging resolution: Catch the Wonderlands up to the present.

I stopped playing halfway through Gen 3. I originally started posting this challenge on tumblr during Gen 2 when I created this simblr some horrifying number of years ago. Gen 1 was all on Wordpress and is new to the simblr. I've been reluctant to play forward on the challenge until I can bring the simblr with it.

2. What do you want from the sims franchise?

Haha. That's a complicated question. I think I may always be a TS3 player at my core. I send retroactive apologies to every TS2 players I looked askance at ten+ years ago. With that in mind, I can't reasonably expect much of anything from EA on my core hobby.

My pie-in-the-sky dream would be a 64-bit update for TS3 on Windows. That's not completely impossible, but it doesn't look likely to happen.

I'm keeping an eye on Project Rene. EA has given a good sense that they learned from the player response to TS3 & 4, and 5 could be a good synthesis. OTOH, the PRIMARY ask I have from them is 100% offline play, and I don't have a lot of hope. Though EA made the commitment to offline play for TS4, they've been clawing it back by inches over the years, and they even quietly made it impossible to install fresly-downloaded TS3 store content on 1.67. I'm fighting hard to keep my TS3 game at 1.67 because I want to be able to play on airplanes and in places I simply cannot log in. I don't give a !@#$ whether EA can validate my license. They're making enough money. They can stuff it in their butts. So, with that said, I am just assuming that TS3 1.67 is going to be the core of my fandom for the forseeable future, but my mind isn't closed. If TS5 is otherwise awesome, I can branch out.

My biggest hope for the franchise is from the fandom -- that the TS3 modding renaissance will continue. We keep renewing this old game, and as it continues to be renewed, there continue to be amazing fun new ways to play it. Thank you folks so much.

3. Any other new year's resolution?

Getting my Hobbit fanedit accepted by the Fanedit Academy at fanedit.org.

Heh. So, I have a very long drama story about my fanediting hobby. I flamed off the fanedit.org community when I attempted to submit my first edit years ago (The Hobbit, which should surprise exactly nobody who has looked at fanedits). I was floored when, in 2023, I was contacted by the head of that site to apologize for that situation and ask me to resubmit. It appears that my treatment by the reviewers prompted him to clean house and build a more welcoming community. Wow.

So, now my very first edit is under review by the "Faneditors Academy," which is the primary way to reach new viewers and gain feedback in this hobby. The site leader is involved in my review, but one of the reviewers is one of guys who treated me badly the first time, and he's complex to work with -- there's an undercurrent of him trying to justify rejecting me without a review the first time. I am determined to see this review through to the end. I am very proud of this edit. Also, the feedback is definitely leading me to take it the next level.

But I'll be honest -- working through the criticism and revisions is one reason I haven't touched the Warriorcats mod in months. I need to clear my mind and my plate to really focus on addressing feedback, and the criticism level makes that draining.

[Sharing from personal life -- another reason my modding dropped off is that this winter my trans wife came out to my socially conservative parents. We are not disowned, but it's been complicated and emotionally draining. Lighthearted play with stream-of-consciousness commentary is about as deep as I've been able to go for months.]

[hobbymommy]

New Year.

There’s always something uniquely refreshing about the first month of the year. It’s like a moment of pause, a soft cleanse, as if the universe is offering us a fresh slate. An opportunity to write a new chapter in the story of our lives. To begin again. Some would jokingly say it's a "free trial month" which is pretty funny but also a bit true. Who doesn't feel like they’re testing out new habits before committing to them long-term?

While I’m not typically one for New Year’s resolutions, I’ve come to appreciate the gentle pull to reassess, realign, and set intentions for the year ahead. It’s less about making resolutions I might abandon in a few weeks, and more about consciously choosing the direction I want to go in, even if some of those choices are things I’ve carried with me for a while.

So, as I reflect on the past and look forward to what’s ahead, here are a few plans and goals that I’ve set for myself—some old, some new, but all meaningful! <3

Have a healthy relationship with God and the people around me. This has been on my list for a while, but if I’m being honest, I’ve neglected it a bit in recent years. Life gets busy, and sometimes it’s easy to forget to prioritize what matters most. This year, I’m making it a priority to create more space for prayer and reflection. I want to be more intentional about prioritizing the people who matter most in my life.

I want to reunite with people I’ve encountered in the past who have helped me evolve into the person I am today. To forgive, start fresh, and let go of any lingering negativity. This goal is an old one for me. I’m not angry or holding any grudges against anyone from my past. Instead, I want to reconnect with those who have shaped who I am. Whether it’s friends I’ve lost touch with, relatives who may not always see eye-to-eye with me (or relatives who voted for the wrong person haha, I kid!), or even acquaintances whose paths have crossed mine. I want to bury any traces of resentment and embrace the people who have been part of my journey.

Surround myself with people who can lead me to the direction of my dreams and at the same time make new friends. For someone who can easily drain her social battery, this one’s a bit challenging! 😂 I love connecting with people, but I also need my downtime to recharge. This year, I’m focusing on being more intentional with the people I surround myself with. Those who inspire me, challenge me, and support my growth. At the same time, I’m open to making new friends, but I’ll be mindful of my energy, making sure I nurture quality connections over quantity.

Have more courage to pursue my dreams no matter how absurd they are. This year, I want to push past any doubts and take bold steps toward my dreams, no matter how unconventional or absurd they might seem. *crossed fingers*

Less buying stuff, more adventures and collecting moments. The first part is definitely a challenge for me... kaya I decided intentional buying nalang hehehe! 😂 Kidding aside, this year, the focus is on collecting experiences instead of accumulating more stuff. Less impulse buys, more spontaneous adventures. We’re cutting back on buying toys (because honestly, the house is overflowing! I’ve already donated some of them, though). Instead of adding to the toy pile, we’re putting our energy into creating real moments together—fewer toys, more trips, more quality time, and more memories that’ll last way longer than any gadget or plastic toy ever could.

Find an unwavering time to learn new things, try something different, and acquire more skills. This goal is an old favorite, and it’s always evolving. Over the past few years, I’ve made some good progress...like learning to cook some pretty decent meals! Not gourmet, but hey, at least they’re edible haha! And my family loves it. *Rai pats herself on the back

This year, I’m kicking things off with something new: archery! I tried it on the very first day of the year, and now I’m completely hooked. Thanks to Reddit and YouTube University, I’m diving deep into all things archery.

Cultivate in me a thankful heart. Taking time to notice the small blessings, appreciating the beauty of everyday moments, and fostering an attitude of gratitude.

Lastly, I’m making health a priority. Taking care of myself means taking good care of my family. For me, it is no longer just about appearance, it’s about how I feel, how strong I feel, and having the energy to keep up with the busy days ahead. I want to feel my best. I'm also being more mindful of the meals I prepare for my family. It’s not just about feeding them, but nourishing them with food that fuels our bodies and helps us thrive. It’s a lifestyle change I want to make for myself and my loved ones.

These are just a few of my goals. Of course, I won’t lay all my hopes and dreams on a platter and serve them up for everyone to feast on. Some things are best kept under wraps, right? 😉 But I hope these goals also inspire you to take steps toward becoming the best version of yourself.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to take these steps with intention and a bit of heart. Here’s to facing new challenges, growing along the way, and making this year the most meaningful one yet!

[pqrachel]

2024/2025 Resolutions

Okay so before I get into my new resolutions let's see how I did with 2024's.

Do Patreon for a bit.

-I failed this, but that wasn't a I forgot or lost motivation type of thing but rather it was getting in the way of my art, so I'm okay with failing this one. I am on Ko-fi now though.

Do 4 days of art every week.

-I took a couple weeks off and I missed the 4 arts once or twice as well so I didn't fully do this but ultimately this was a huge success as far as I'm concerned.

Do one of the NSFW OC Strip Games for Bluesky.

-Ultimately I just forgot. I did get to over 100 followers on there which is more than any other art platform I've been on, which is super cool. I might still do one next year???

Get an actual job.

-I managed to get lucky enough with all my side things to make it a full year away from the worst bits of capitalism and it's been incredible. My savings are starting to get a bit low tho so I'll prob need an actual job in 2025. (It's been fun while it lasted.)

Don't get majorly scammed again.

-While I did make some dumb purchases (Shout out to staying up too late and buying stuff I prob shouldn't at like 3am. /s), I didn't get actually scammed this year.

Visit friends more.

-Oh you poor thing. In 2024 both of my local friends moved pretty far away and I've been left kind of alone, at least irl. Online I've been trying a bit harder but it's really not easy for me.

Get better at Trackmania.

-This one's arguable. I'm probably a little bit better overall, but I really wanted more. I don't mind that I focused on other games personally, but at least for this resolution I failed.

Beat Terraria Expert Mode

-Success

----------

Now for my 2025 Resolutions:

Definitely starting with the 4 days of art every week again. I might not hit it every week, but just having this as a visible easily trackable goal is really gonna keep me motivated.

I'm doing a Word of the Day thing on my Bluesky alt, that should be fun. First post in a couple hours!!

Release 2 more full comics. Not counting the 2 I've mostly finished and will be starting the year with. I don't know what these will be yet but comics have been fun to do. And if I find a decent flow for making comics I'll be so happy.

I want to read more. I finished 2024 reading a couple of books and I've kinda been getting back into it, so I'm gonna give myself a pretty easy goal of reading 5 books. I'll be nice to my future self and say I don't have to finish them but I do have to give them an honest chance. My Goodreads I guess.

I'll one up last year's Terraria goal and try to commit to beating Terraria Master mode this year. (I've technically already started this but I'm nowhere near done.)

And Rivals 2 has been fun. Right now I'm stuck around silver 800-850 rank, I've peaked at gold 911, but I think if I really tried I could maybe get plat. But that seems like it could get grindy and unfun quick, so let's say gold 1000 rank. Not quite plat but let's go for mid-gold at least.

Let's finish off with a weirder one, how about doing a cosplay of some kind. (Halloween doesn't count.) Jinx is probably first on my list especially her S2E9 fit, but I might get inspired by something else in 2025.

EDIT: I'm gonna add one more. Release at least one game / game update. I may not have motivation for it right now but I don't want it to die out completely. So whether it's a game jam game, a major update for Rach Quest, or something entirely new, as long I do some game dev project this year, that'll be good.

EDIT2: Fucking finish Outer Wilds dude. It was really good, why'd you stop playing??

[grahamstoney]

What is a Life Coach?

New Post has been published on https://grahamstoney.com/life-coaching/what-is-a-life-coach

What is a Life Coach?

The goal of a life coach is to help you to have a great life. This involves a sense of meaning, purpose and fulfilment, along with liberal doses of happiness and the ability to deal powerfully with things when they go wrong. As humans we get bored if we feel like we’re not moving forward, but the big question often is which direction to move in. To establish this we need to understand our core values, and set a continual stream of achievable goals based on those values. Setting goals gives us something to focus our efforts on, and achieving goals builds our sense of life satisfaction and self-esteem, and inspires us and the people around us on to further goals. It’s important that the goals we set are achievable, consistent with our values, and allow us to use and develop our personal strengths.

The coaches I know use a structured set of exercises sent to you via E-mail in order to guide the coaching process and ensure that you get the maximum value out of it. The exercises start by examining your sense of purpose and mission in life, your values and your big-picture life goals. They then expand into more specific areas that you’d like to work on, such as self-esteem, relationships and financial goals. As you complete each exercise, you discuss what you have discovered with your coach, who gives you feedback on the intermediate goals that you have set, and then send you the next exercise as you work towards your big-picture goals. The aim is to implement the ideas that you come up with in your life so that you get to achieve the goals that you have set for yourself.

A good coach acts as your impartial but supportive sounding board. You can bounce ideas of them, talk about your goals and why they are important to you, and about the process you want to put in place to achieve them. They’ll be supportive and straight with you about how you’re going and about any areas which you may have overlooked. They can help you identify problem areas, like instances where you’ve set goals which appear to be incongruent with your own values. Everything is structured around your personal values, rather than theirs, so that you get the most out of your life. Often in life we spend a lot of time and effort trying to live according to other people’s values, and this is a recipe for lack of fulfilment, despair, burnout and ultimately depression. I know from personal experience what that feels like, which is why a good coach doesn’t force their values down your throat. They get you to come up with your own values and then use them to support your goal setting and achievement so that you feel maximally fulfilled.

Having a coach to offer encouragement and accountability ensures that our good intentions actually get acted out so that we can have more powerful results in our lives. Back when I was coaching, one of my clients commented to me:

I was reading an article in the paper on the weekend. It was talking about how people make new years resolutions and then don’t follow through with them. One of the suggestions to staying on track was to not go it alone. I can now definitely see how feed back, support and motivation from an external source makes things a bit easier and also gives you someone to be accountable to. I’m also finding it good to sit down and actually think about what my values are to actually verbalise them and see them written.

The whole process is directed by what you want to get out of life, and you can proceed at whatever pace you like. You need to commit to spend an average of at least an hour a week working on the exercises. Of course as soon as you do this, something is bound to come up; the process is flexible, so if there are some weeks where you’re flat out dealing with immediate crises and can’t do the exercises, that’s OK. You may end up doing some work on why your life operates in crisis mode more of the time than you would like. To stay on track with your coaching, you need to put some time aside to do it, and this will invariably mean giving up something else, but the cost will be worth it. Being coached means making a serious commitment to your own personal growth and development. Your coach can guide you through the process, and making yourself accountable to me will help with your motivation, but ultimately the willingness to be coached needs to come from you. Your biggest breakthroughs will come in the areas where you currently have blind spots in your thinking, so there will be some adjustments to be made in the way you think. Change and growth can be difficult on your own, but the net gain will always outweigh the pain and you can expect to get a buzz out of the coaching process. When you are in touch with your personal strengths and using them to work towards goals that are set in accordance with your values, you can expect to have greater energy and motivation because you’re getting what you really want out of life.

Since most of the action happens via E-mail, you don’t need to be geographically close to your coach. I’m currently exploring other avenues in my own life, so I’m not taking on any coaching clients right now, but I know a network of coaches I can put you in touch with. So if you’re interested in taking your whole life to the next level, contact me.

[hiiragi7]

Hi there - Have been successfully fusing individual parts for years so I feel pretty comfortable talking about this and my experiences with it.

We've gotten our process with fusion pretty ironed out by now. Most of the time and work put in is in the preparation stage. We have our active parts mapped out pretty extensively, and if "new" ones pop up from dormancy we spend quite a bit of time getting to know them and how they fit into our life story and system functions and what memories they hold as well as how they interact or view other parts.

We then look at overlapping traits between parts and how similarities fit together, as well as any basic differences or conflicts that need to be addressed. We also talk about any concerns regarding fusion. At this stage we also often do blends (temporary fusions) so that parts can safely explore what it would be like to be fused without having to commit yet. Blends also help aid conflict resolution and point out any unaddressed issues.

We then make notes on the deeper roots of what keeps these parts seperated and work through that until they no longer have that barrier. For example, if two parts hold similar memories and emotions (ex. Anger from abuse), they may be seperated by specifics (such as the age it happened or the abusers involved) and the two parts may hold conflicting goals or beliefs despite similarities on the surface (ex. one part liking mom because they remember heavy abuse from dad and vice versa for the other part, so they struggle to understand the other). These two parts need to be able to at least understand the other in order to proceed.

After this, we do trauma processing with these parts and any others who might be involved with holding related memory fragments. Often we have already done quite a bit of work on it, so this late-stage trauma work focuses on resolving any residual emotions or trauma that was missed in the initial work. Sometimes we do most of the trauma work while the two are seperated and then complete it post-fusion because in some cases it is easier to finish up work on the memories when they are pieced together more fully, other times we complete trauma work entirely prior to fusion, it's case-by-case.

As for the fusion itself, both parts agree to it when they are ready and it is decided that the new fusion will be able to safely hold both individual parts' memories and emotions without risking re-splitting. If the new fusion would not be able to comfortably hold the memories, experiences, emotions, interests, and personality of both parts, then more work needs to be done and we go back a step.

If it is safe then we go ahead with fusing, which we utilize visualization techniques for. Personally we imagine it as a hug, and the two parts overlap each other until they become one fused part.

The final result of the fusion depends on a lot of factors for us, such as if it was between a fragment and a more developed part or two very active parts, sometimes there will be a new name and appearance and sometimes the fusion resembles one part more than the other, but both traits are still there.

In the days following the fusion, we also regularly check up on how they are doing and if things are going well. This is to make sure the fusion is stable and that no new issues or overlooked issues have come up. We've never really had any major issues following fusion, but if there were this would be where we give ourselves opportunities to work on it and see what went wrong.

I hope this helps - Feel free to ask if you have more questions on it, I'm happy to talk about it.

has anyone who's achieved fusion between two or more alters able to like respond with their experiences? like how the process worked, some challenges, ect

weve got 2 alters in our system whod be great to fuse. itd help us so much, theyre similar enough, both want to, ect

but its like

not exactly the clearest thing as to how that all works? were gonna talk to our psych about it and stuff, but any words of wisdom from the people whove done it would be great!

[late-to-the-party-81]

One of the guys

AN: Yet another ask that's been a long time in the answering. My new year's resolution is to be quicker with these things! Hope you like some baffled Bucky, Em.

Unbeta'd ramblings

Masterlist

Relationship: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: Approx 700

CW: None - it's Fluff

“So, if you really want to compare the Mark 3 and the Mark 4, you gotta look at the injectors, because more efficient fuel transference means more horsepower…”

Your friend Rory was chatting to Bucky about his favourite subject. Cars. Bucky was trying not to let his eyes glaze over.

“Do you think we ought to rescue him?” You leant over, and stage-whispered into Kate’s ear. The dark-haired archer covered her giggle with her hand, but both of you caught Bucky’s slight side glance toward where you were both sitting, enjoying your cocktails. 

You’d decided to hold a cook-out for your birthday so there was a mix of all of your old friends, and all of the new friends you’d made through Bucky.

Growing up you’d had more male friends than female, a cabal of honorary brothers, so you’d always known that when you finally settled down your boys would have to at least partially haze your chosen partner, and then once accepted he would be absorbed into their group, whether he wanted to be or not.

‘Love me, love my bros.’

When you’d first introduced them to Bucky they’d been sceptical. You couldn’t blame them. Firstly, he was actually the only boyfriend you’d made ‘run the gauntlet’ so they knew you were serious. Secondly, it was James ‘Bucky’ Barnes. A man born in 1917, held hostage, tortured and brainwashed into committing heinous crimes for decades, before breaking free, becoming a fugitive, and then, finally being deprogrammed and pardoned. There was a lot to unpack there.

However, it seemed that he’d passed whatever test they’d put him through, because as soon as they’d arrived today, Rory, Jerome, Lee and the others stumbling out of an SUV, they’d practically kidnapped Bucky away from you and the rest of the Avengers.

And bless your guys, it was sweet. They wanted to include Bucky in all of their conversations about cars, computers, hockey and football. He could join in, obviously. He wasn’t completely clueless about those topics, but having grown up in the Great Depression, those sorts of things hadn’t been the focus of his youth. A different time, a different place.

“I saw a flying car once.”

“Bro! Really?” Rory stopped his rambling at Bucky’s statement and you felt the smile creep over your lips.

“Yeah, the 1944 World Expo. Howard Stark was showing off the car of the future. It was shiny and red. Oh I wanted a car like that, so bad, even if the prototype had a few bugs.  Still pissed when I found out that neither Howard or Tony had been able to make it a reality.”

“So this Expo was full of, like, futuristic shit?”

You watched them over your sunglasses, the boys all leaning in now, hanging on Bucky’s every word.

“Well, for 1944 it was definitely futuristic. But if you really want to talk futuristic, you gotta know about some of the tech they have in Wakanda.”

For emphasis, Bucky straightened out his left arm, wiggling his fingers and your friend’s mouths all dropped open as they watched the plates shift and heard the servos whir.

“You gotta tell us about Wakanda, man.” Jerome pushed himself slightly forward. “I can’t believe you’re tight with the royal family. Is Princess Shuri as hot in real life?”

Uh-oh. You winced internally. Bucky just raised an eyebrow, before speaking again.

“You know how you guys feel about Angel-face over there? About how if I’d disrespected her you’d all try to take me apart? Well that’s how I feel about Shuri. So you wanna ask me another question?”

Jerome had the good grace to look embarrassed and suddenly find a burning interest in his shoes. There was an awkward silence for a moment, before Lee leant forward.

“They’ve got some kind of Mag-lev trains haven’t they? Faster than the Japanese ones?”

You let out the breath you’d hadn’t even realised you’d been holding, as Bucky’s mouth broke into a broad grin. 

“Anyone got a pen and paper. I’m gonna need to do some visual aids for you chumps.”

They all broke out into peels of laughter and you turned back to Kate.

“Scratch that. I think he’s gonna be just fine.”

Taglist: @christywantspizza @jobean12-blog @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky @tuiccim @sidepartskinnyjeans @maladaptivexxdaydreaming @krissy25 @bodeckersdiamonddoll @goldylions @ohsymphony @luxeavenger @wheezy-stucky @doasyoudesireandlive @seitmai @poppunksnowwhite

[leafbatraccoon]

monday's child legacy challenge

judging by the influx of addams on the gallery lately, by now i'm sure ~everyone~ has seen the new WEDNESDAY series.. i loved seeing all the creations, be it households, builds or cc - but what i was inspired to do was create my first game challenge; it's not particularly inspiring and i'm unsure if it's doable at all, i suspect i'm mostly putting it on proverbial paper to direct this nursery rhyme somewhere concrete, since it insists on lingering in my mind

i know in the ocean of challenges there is a days-of-the-week challenge already but i don't think their similiar, feel free to check for yourself

i considered making GEN 1:MONDAY > GEN2:MONDAY'S-CHILD/TUESDAY and so on, to extend it to one more generation, but prefered to keep it faithful to it's origins instead

s o   w i t h o u t   f u r t h e r   a d o....

⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️

RULES standart legacy rules apply; play in extreme if you'd like succession laws: gender - strict equality preferences and trait discovery: spin wheel for yes or no

NOTES this hasn't been play tested - yet ; so for now I sugest playing at the normal or long time span - change it with mccc if you'd like, the goal is to have fun, even tho it's a challenge i really have no concept of how doable it was designed to be since i usually drag out my sims lifes for pretty long

REQUIREMENTS Spa Day | Parenthood | Seasons | Island Living | Discover Uni | Snowy Escape | High School Years

SUGESTED MODS more traits in cas chingyu traits {100-traits, seasons-traits} & holiday tradition override {for said traits} kuttoe traits & PIZZA PREFERENCE :D {the pizza is just me missing favourite dishes} more odd jobs I use simrealist's SNB mod that overhauls the bill system but I've heard lot 51 also has some mods that bring more realism to services like plumbing & internet; I haven't tried them because I'm afraid they'd conflict I also love love love lumpinou's relationship and pregnancy overhaul, check it out !!

⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️

GEN 1 | MONDAY "monday's child is fair of face" self-assured + family-oriented {chingyu's pretty trait if you have this mod} aspiration: soulmate reach level 7 in any career max out cooking skill + complete 2 collections at some point be a part of coffe fanatic OR health food nut lifestyle

GEN 2 | TUESDAY "tuesday's child is full of grace" proper + loyal max out manners + conflict resolution values close nit lifestyle {adhere to and maintain} maintain a good rep {if you have Get Famous}

GEN 3 | WEDNESDAY "wednesday's child is full of woe" gloomy + loner or socially awkward aspirtation: inner peace self-employed artist

GEN 4 | THURSDAY "thurday's child has far to go" perfectionist + overachiever complete 5 aspirations {1 in childhood, 1 as a teen, 1 as YA - must relate to uni, 2 after that - one of which must be big happy family OR successful lineage}

GEN 5 | FRIDAY "friday's child is loving and giving" good + romantic voluteering {5x if playing short life span, otherwise once per season} max out empathy value / achieve compassionate trait have {at least} 2 children, maintain a positive relationship with them

GEN 6 | SATURDAY "saturday's child works hard for a living" ambitious + materialistic aspiration: fortune {pick one} workaholic lifestyle {adhere to and maintain} achieve 3+ stars in odd jobs

GEN 7 | SUNDAY "and the child born on the sabbath day is bonny and blithe, good and gay" cheerful + non-commital people person lifestyle {adhere to and maintain} max out charisma skill + achieve level 5 in 5 creative skills {3 if playing short lifespan}

[discoblocks]

Yknow what I’m also getting kind of sick of people being like “actually the lore never died out and dsmp is actually active but just because it isn’t your faves on the server you haven’t been paying attention smile” like actually yes I have!! I watch foolish like every single day he streams, when Hannah and boomer log on I do my very best to check up on them and see how it’s going. Nearly every one of eryns streams on the server I have been there for at least part of it, and when Michaelmcchill logs on I am in that guys chat, and the only person who still streams dsmp often that I don’t regularly check up on is Ponk bc he’s usually live wildly outside my time zone. If someone is on the server, I know about it! And I’m very lucky to have a schedule that lets me keep track of that, not a lot of people do! But fundamentally their time on the server is very different from Tommy and Wilbur’s and Ranboo’s and Quackity’s and etc!!! And it certainly is nothing like how the server used to be, with just crowds of people live for most of the day, on the server, and lore practically every day. I have been paying attention, and the fact of the matter is, the content that people are talking about when they say they miss lore and talk about the lore drought isn’t the content that is currently being put out.

The people that are active on the server right now are lovely people and good streamers, and they deserve success, but they are all every single one of them lacking the same amount of time and emotional commitment that has been invested by fans and ccs over a full year towards the storylines being done by “bigger” streamers. I fully respect the new lore and content being produced and I’m very excited to see what will happen with it, but it’s very much in its beginning stages, and straight up is not in the same scale yet. It could! Later down the line if it becomes it’s own big storyline with the same level of character analysis and theories and canon-life-losing levels of drama, then I will one hundred percent be onboard with people saying it should be considered equal with the storylines from “their faves”. Like, egg lore, that certainly reached the same scale and it’s unfair to try and claim it’s not real important plot lore. But in regards to the lore currently being done by “smaller” streamers that are active, truthfully, right now it is not at that scale, and it honestly strikes me as so disrespectful to try and claim these two things are the same.

The whole reason why people are saying that there is a lore drought is because their faves aren’t doing lore and aren’t active on the server. They have invested months into this storyline, agonizing over fanworks and filling up the tags with character theories, so excuse them if perhaps they would like a little catharsis for all of that emotional investment.

Imagine for a moment a hypothetical murder mystery series that has been strung out over the span of a year but the killer still hasn’t been revealed. The identity of the killer is the light at the end of the tunnel, by finding the killer you come to the resolution of the story and finally have all the puzzle pieces to solve all the mysteries, but it hasn’t happened yet, so you are paying a lot of attention to see when it finally gets revealed. You are emotionally invested in seeing this story through, in seeing this murder solved. Now imagine another new murder mystery series starts coming out that is completely unrelated to the first except for it shares a few characters that were not key players in the first series. It might seem interesting! But it is still very much in the introductory and exposition part of the story, and is not tied to the first series plot wise. And at the same time, the original mystery series you were invested in seems to drop off the face of the earth. You hear rumours of more coming out soon but never definitive and never the killer reveal you have been waiting for. Are you really surprised when the second series doesn’t get the same attention as the first?

TL;DR: the reason people are sad about the lore drought even though there is still lore happening isn’t because they’re ignoring these smaller streamers, it’s because they’re still seeking emotional catharsis from the storylines that they originally joined the fandom for, and those storylines have disappeared, even if other streamers are introducing new ones

[presidentkamala]

Ok 2022 wrap up. First the good:

* killed it at work and on schedule for a huge jump in salary in january 2023

* finally let go of the worst years of my life by *gasp* leaning in2 and committing to my present self???

*moved to a banging new apartment WITH kitchen island

*volunteered for midterm campaigns

*went to chicago, cincinnati, honolulu and st. louis

*READ like 80% more this year than last year (the bar was the like 2 books i picked at and didnt finish last year but still improvement)

*more consistent with skincare routine

*hit 50k in my one savings acct in accordance w financial goals

THE BAD:

*didnt learn a new language, instrument, to code, pottery, or anything. Was grinding at work and not much else

*health took a backseat: too much doordash no fitness plan or even much activity

*didnt make any new friends

*stagnated in other areas. No volunteering for causes i care abt or even at community garden. mUST CHANGE THIS IN 2023

*struggled to stay consistent with much of anything. Scatterbrained for most of the year

THE UGLY:

*lost all muscle tone due to nothing other than lack of care

*no motivation. No real direction. No real sense or vision of the future i want and am working towards. No effort in the places where it counted

*phone and screen addiction. BIG TIME. losing hrs to this that i should be using to get out there and meet ppl and actually improve my quality of life LOL.

*deep-seated suspicion that im not well-liked at work bore out late this year. Not super pleased since that's been my main focus. Probably connected to this other stuff.

*loss of basic intellectual curiosity. In complete survival mode for the first 8 months of the year. Self is almost unrecognizable in many ways.

THE RESOLUTIONS:

I've spent the month of december devoting myself to prepping for the big three resolutions that i feel will have the biggest impact on my immediate health and wellbeing. I did a recipe plan for every day of december and gave myself a zero doordash/restaurant rule but no other real restrictions on what recipes i make and that's gone super well in terms of re-integrating cooking regularly back into my life and even enjoying it! I think in february im going to start paying more attention to making sure im incorporating the plate method to ensure im getting the right proportion of protein veg and carbs into my diet but for now its all about finding recipes that taste good and that i can sustainably replicate etc. I've been doing a lot to make sure im brushing my teeth and doing my skincare routine at least every morning so im going to start bumping up my evening care in January as well. I also downloaded the none2run app to get me up to a 5k which at least lays out the calendar of what i need to do and im on week 2?? I think of the beginner exercises before starting the runs in earnest. I've deep cleaned my apartment and kitchen and have been regularly washing my clothes and doing the dishes instead of letting it all pile up. All of these changes in routine have been gradual over the last 5 weeks or so but its already paying dividends and i love the idea of prepping for resolutions and planning them out so i don't lose track as the year progresses:

*Journal at least once a week (minimum 52 entries by this time next year)

*Develop nourishing recipes you actually enjoy and can replicate. Limit restaurants to once a week (non-holiday) or 3 times a week (with holidays)

*complete none2run 5k.

*sign back up for barre classes at least once a week (non-travel)

*on work travel, complete youtube pilates vid at least twice a week

*this is the year to tackle skin texture and pores. Set up derm appt in January

*complete liftoff program for beginner weightlifting beginning in June.

*volunteer for minimum 2 hrs each week. For anything.

*volunteer for dems at least once this year.

*SEE A FUCKING PSYCHIATRIST

*take one extra-curricular class

*check in quarterly on goals

*take one international trip

2023: We are being specific and intentional!!!!!