#especially when you live in a climate where you can only really use it by adding it into other fibers

[namelessdumbass]

Info-post

Okay, guys, i made this post because i'm honestly tired of the lack of information about Ukraine. The war isn't over and genocide of Ukrainians became normalized. Plus there are a lot of people who truly believe there's no more war because they rarely see any news! So here are a few sources you can share. Donations are optional LIVE MAPS: -Air Raid Alert Map (interactive map where you can see where air raid sirens are on, which cities are under attack, explosions etc) -DeepState map (also an interactive map with areas that were liberated or are currently occupied by russians; is updated every day) NEWS SOURCES: -GRUNT MEDIA (tweet in Ukrainian, but if you use twitter, you can always click a translation button) -United 24 Media (tweet in English!). Their official website is -> HERE -Bring Kids UA. They help locate and bring home children who were kidnapped by russians. Their official website -> HERE; their twitter -> HERE; useful links (including a petition) are HERE -Save Ukraine. Its a registered charitable organization established in 2014 that coordinates dozens of organizations, volunteers, individuals and legal entities to help those affected by war, with a special emphasis on children. Their websire -> HERE; their twitter -> HERE -TV Toronto -Kyiv Independent + their twitter -Ostap Yarysh. Covers US-Ukraine relations, tweets in ENG. His twitter -> HERE -Ukraine World. Multilingual media about Ukraine. Their website -> HERE. Their twitter -> HERE -Zarina Zabrisky. US journalist who reports from Ukraine. Tweets a lot about Kherson city, a city in the south of Ukraine that get shelled and attacked by russian drones DAILY. Recently released a film called "Human Safari" that shows you reality of the town. You can watch her film -> HERE. Her twitter is -> HERE Charities/volunteers who help AFU: -COME BACK ALIVE (a non-governmental organisation that helps strengthen Ukraine’s security and defence sector. Has been operational since 2014, when the war has started!) This organization is VERY TRANSPARENT! Their website is -> HERE. Their twitter -> HERE -Serhiy Prytula charity foundation. He also helps Armed Forces of Ukraine with trucks, drones etc. -Sternenko Foundation. Serhii Sternenko is a famous Ukrainian volunteer. He helps UA soldiers with FPV drones. Drones have been crucial weapons/helping tools in this war. They are useful not only for observing, repelling the attacks of the enemies, but also bringing food/water/medicine to wounded soldiers. His twitter -> HERE -Leleka Foundation. Medicine, tactical medicine! Lots of lives on the battlefiled are saved with the help of proper tourniquetes and equipment. This org provides it. Their twitter -> HERE -Wild Hornets. Drones-drones-drones. They make drones that are crucial for this war. Their twitter -> HERE -Project Konstantin. They deliver aid, vehicles, communications tools, and tactical equipment. Their twitter -> HERE -NAFO 69th Sniffling Brigade. They bring trucks for Ukrainian defenders. Those who read the news at least a little bit, are aware how important 4x4 trucks are. Especially for evacuation. Their twitter -> HERE -World Central Kitchen. International organization who provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises. They work with locals and really there for those who are affected. A soon as territories in Ukraine were liberated, they were there to help. Unlike OSCE, the UN, Red Cross etc, WCK truly help people. They keep working in Ukraine despite the shelling. By the way, they work all over the world and helped people in Gaza too! Their twitter -> HERE THANK YOU to everyone who shares this! Please amplify Ukrainian voices, talk about Ukraine, support those who were affected by war... unfortunately it's closer than you think.

[xqueen-of-disasterx]

Congrats on 1k! Absolutely love your work, especially the darker fics.

Can I request step-sis intersex!Nat walking in on reader as she's asleep and deciding that she's finally going to take her for herself? Nat starts eating reader out to get her wet and the reader moans Nat's name in her sleep, so Nat wakes her up so she can really enjoy it.

Thinking that maybe Nat ties the readers hands above her head, as Nat forces her huge cock inside the readers tiny body, creating a belly bulge. Finishing inside her to breed her and then making the reader cock-warm her so that she can stay full. Belly rubbing because Nat is obsessed with the sight of her cock inside her innocent little step-sis.

Kinks: bondage, breeding, dub-con that turns consensual, somnophilia, belly bulge, Daddy kink and thinking cock-warming too.

Thank you!

Closer

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: fem!reader x step-sis!Nat

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲: Having your beloved step sister back home for the summer turned more pleasant than expected.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: SMUT, DUB-con, but the reader is very into it, amab!Nat, dom!Nat, sub!reader, age gap (legal), taboo relationship, kinda mean Nat, tattooed Nat (Nat is just the stereotypical bad boy), innocent!reader, Daddy!kink, alcohol use, bondage, breeding kink, somnophila, cock warming, size kink?

!Disclaimer English is not my first language so please excuse any grammar or spelling errors. This story is completely fictional. I do not own these characters!

𝐀/𝐍: kisses from the hospital guys enjoy the first park of the 1k special I’ll post more requests soon. This request was really fun to write

𝐌.𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Natasha knew how wrong it was to feel that kind of way about her step sister, but she was only a human too. Ever since she had came to visit her father for this summer she couldn't help herself but see you in a different light.

Back when her dad first started to live with your mother, she only had eyes for the many girls tendering to her, who were in her grade or above. She never really noticed you, of course you were her annoying little step sister who could've guessed you'd turn into this?

You weren't innocent either, you were always found of Natasha. In your eyes she was the coolest person you'd know, with her blue tainted hair and fast cars, you were heart broken whenever you saw a different girl enter her room.

Natasha soon went away for college, meaning you'd only get to see her for the holidays which was still enough to keep you crushing on her. It was special that she visited this summer especially since you just turned 18.

This summer had been unusual hot for the colder climate of Ohio, but it's not like you were complaining to see Nat in all those wifebeaters and sport bras. She normally rummaged in the garden, laying at the pool, again in sports bras and swim trunks. It made your cheeks heat, your stomach feel weird, and every once in a while when you saw how she climbed out of the pool, the muscles under her wet skin flexing, it made you feel all itchy down there.

Another hot summer day, another day where you'd relax under the water sprinkler in your backyard, just like you did when you were a child. Except for a pair of eyes watching from the pool. Natasha Romanoff, your step- sister, whose eyes hid under her shades, watched every move of yours. She sat by the pool shirtless to "tan", Natasha never tanned, she had the skin colour of a porcelain doll and always used the highest sunscreen to not end up looking like a lobster. No, she was there to observe, not the local birds, or nature, no, you. How could anyone be so carless, she asked herself as she watched your white camisole top turn translucent.

Shortly after realising what she was doing she, or better what your view did to her prick, she looked back on her phone scrolling on a black screen to look less suspicious. But it's not like you would've noticed anyway, Natasha knew how innocent you were, how your mother had sheltered you in contrast to herself. God, get yourself together Natasha, she thought to herself. If she wanted she could've get a hook up here within the day, but it wouldn't help last time she tried she accidentally moaned your name while cumming. Something so utterly embarrassing the girl left immediately after.

"Natty" you ask in an innocent voice, every other person calling the other woman that wouldn't stand here today, but she let it slide. "What's up" She asked as her eyes wandered over your wet body to which your clothes clanged. Natasha never was a religious person but in this moment she thanked god for the invention of sunglasses.

"Can you get me towel from inside" you asked giving her your best bambi eyes. "Go get it yourself, I'm not your personal servant" She scoffed "Please, Tasha I'm all wet and I don't want it tripping on the floor board" She shook her head "You should've thought about that in the first place" She mumbled under her breath but still got up to get you your towel. She could never say no to one of your pleads.

"Thank you" you grinned and wrapped you up in one of this big fluffy towels. She smirked back at you her hands rubbing over your wet skin. "There you go sweetheart" She mumbled again feeling a tingle in her pants when her hands touched you.

"Where's mom?" You asked stepping into the large living area you parents had. "Out for dinner with my dad" She remarked not even looking up from the TV where some, for me, unimportant soccer game was running. "Why are you still standing there?" She asked in a dismissive tone "They'll be gone the whole night" Oh, the whole night just you and your step sister together, great. Nat chugged more of her beer side eyeing you to leave her alone, of course she wanted you close, closer than close, but you couldn't know that yet. Not to mention that with the more of the bitter liquid she had the less she could control her urges. 

It wasn't that wrong, she tried to tell herself, millions of guys before her had fucked their step sisters right? Eventually you opened your mouth again "I'll head to bed now" you started and only earned a little hum from her and some mumbled words you didn't understand before slipping on her beer bottle again. 

Her team lost, of course it did, Natasha turned the TV off rubbing her eyes before too going to her bed room but not without making another stop at your room. She slipped though the crack in the door closing it gently before taking a seat next you on the soft cushion of the bed. She always did that, making sure you were save and sound but tonight it was different. She was frustrated, and horney, one more than the other. 

"You're so pretty" she mumbled being lost deep in the haze of the alcohol and lust, she knew you couldn't hear her nor feel but she still gently wiped some lost hair behind your ear. You squirmed under her feather like touch. You rolled onto your back the blanket slipping from your body exposing your topless body. Fuck, you had forgotten to wear a shirt to bed, or had you? Nat saw it as an invitation to taste your sweet body. 

She stood up pulling her hoodie off to reveal a hard set of muscles covered in tattoos, she strangled your smaller body kissing the valley between your breasts before turning to kiss down your soft stomach. You squirmed again your hands trying to find something to grip on, Nat caught your hands bringing them above your head before using her abandoned top to tie your hands to the head board of your framed bed. 

Finally she could turn to your soaked panties tugging them off your legs, your step sister placed both of your legs on her shoulders giving you better access to your sleeping form. She kissed your pubic bone before taking a deep sniff of your glossy cunt. "let my taste you baby girl" She groaned before licking over your weeping pussy, you tasted fantastic better than any girl she had before you. 

Your clit was pulsing in need to be touched, standing proud from his hood Nat couldn't resist tasting the forbidden fruit. When she took your bubble of nerves in her mouth she couldn't believe her ears. "Nat" came a sob from your throat she let she teeth scrape over it just to check she wasn't completely mad "Natasha" now it was a full blown moan, she smiled getting more and more bold with her movements. 

She kept on licking away on your cunt and thankfully to her many years of experience with the girls in college she had you trembling towards the edge within minutes. She took your clit in her mouth again this time biting down gently, to wake you from your slumber you thought to yourself. 

"I- what" poor innocent you were to confused to even grasped what was happening to you you were lost in a haze of mind numbing pleasure until you tried to find to source of it. "Nat-?" you were interrupted by an almost pornographic moan breaking free from your throat. You winded your body on the bed tugging on the restrains before climaxing under her tongue. She made you ride out your orgasm before hushing your quiet sobs. "You're mine baby girl" she kissed your pelvis bone. "Nat we can't" you mumbled "No one needs to find out" She reassured you "Just say no and we'll forget a bout this all, but something tells me, little girl, you want me just as much as I want you"

"You’re right" you mumbled under your breath making Nat smirk she stood up again tugging off your boxers to reveal a dick of a size you had never seen before. Of course you didn't have much experience but she looked inhuman. "Nat it's not-" She hushed you "call me daddy" Instinctively you closed your legs making nat chuckle. "Too big" You mewled again "Oh bunny, I'll make it fit, daddy would never hurt her little girl" she reassured you her hands trailed down her body brushing over the small patch of her which made up her happy trail. She pried your legs open before pushing them to your chest. 

She alined herself with you before slowly pushing inside your small hole, bringing tears to your eyes. It felt like her dick suffocated by your tight velvet walls, when she finally did bottom you out she knew it was heaven of earth. She admired the small bulge forming on your lower stomach rubbing over it in an awe. 

She waited for you to at least try to adjust before setting a rapid pace giving you no breaks, it felt like she was trying to compare her performance with a machine. I string of moans and whispers left your throat as her hips kept pistoling into your tight heat. 

"Fuck" She groaned in between thrusts "I'm gonna fucking breed this little pussy. Wouldn't you like that daddy making you a mommy?" You were too dumbed down to even comprehend her words  and the self assigned title made you see stars. "Answer daddy" She commented slapping your tits which bounced with ever vigour truths of her hips. "Yes daddy" you mewl in ecstasy "make me your mommy" You moaned making your step sister grin. 

With a few more truths you were both on the edge of ecstasy, especially you saw the stars already. "Cum" she commanded "Fucking cum with me" another sting of curse words left her mouth before releasing her white juices inside of you triggering your own orgasm. After leaving your high she gently rubbed your belly again not dreaming of pulling out from your walls. "mine" she mumbled upon seeing the clear bugle she had formed in your stomach. She freed your hands kissing each of your wrists which made you giggle at the romantic gesture, as if she hadn't just fucked you into oblivion. 

She moved you to lay on top of her making you trace the fine lines of her tattoos, she was your step sister but from this night on she was much more than that. 

:)

[ekebolou]

I get that people have complicated relationships with higher education, and that's 100% reasonable, but there's something I want to point out.

when you hear a popular podcast or youtuber or history show or see a popular history book or article say it's 'revealing' or 'uncovering' or 'bringing to light' or 'reevaluating' some story of the past, it's usually doing so off of academic history work done by people in academia.

Journalists and your average YouTuber are generally the worst about not crediting this work,* but it's there in the background, nonetheless.

That work - academic research, particularly of this kind, and the articles, books, and other information it produces - doesn't get done without institutional support. That is, like with everything, sure some enthusiasts will keep at their particular interests hell or high water, and rich folks can peruse to their hearts' content - that's what fueled the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries' ever-increasing investigative output.

And that should be concerning, not comforting.

Not because all of that output was wrong or terrible or misguided - a lot was, but much of it is still essential, foundational, exceedingly rigorous and useful - but because much of modern history work, twentieth century on, has been a century-long battle to correct some of deeply culturally embedded beliefs an almost wholly dilettante pursuit of the past generated. It's kind of a joke in English-language scholarship that the Victorians ruined everything, but like, for real, y'all, the Victorians left us some BURDENS, from fake relics created for ~the aesthetic~ to defaced and destroyed historical documents.

Academic research in itself is not some kind of panacea. we're not shitting on dilettantes (I am very much a dilettante, in my way) and so-called 'amateurs', who are vital and excellent contributors to knowledge. We're also not saying institutions are always perfect and good and don't need to change. I'm saying that robust, diverse, in-depth, careful, broadly reaching, and most of all interesting and new scholarship requires something on the scale of institutional support.

This is not just because that's where your historians live, but because in a very practical sense, that's where your archives live. You do actually need a big building stuffed with Things Of The Past well-maintained and with a core of well-trained and extremely cool (like librarians, all archivists are extremely cool in my books, even if they're kind of assholes, as long as they are good archivists).

Archivists are currently doing a lot with very little support - like a lot of academics and librarians, really - because that's what people do. When they care about doing something, they get along, they scrape by, they suck it up. But they need buildings, they need climate control, they need continuing training and new people coming into the field - if the idea is that we have so many documents from the past extant today because archives DON'T need institutional-level support, then you are severely misinformed about how much of the past has survived to the present day. And if the idea is that we'll preserve the IMPORTANT bits of the past regardless then you're also sadly misinformed about how good we are at determining what's important, and how frequently (and with growing frequency) disasters of various kinds wipe places out (Lisbon 1755, for example), and how robust any of our documentation (often ESPECIALLY the 'important' stuff) is in terms of long-term survival.

There's a theory going around that THIS period - like the 2000s through today and into the future - will produce a 'dark age' for future historians because the digital infrastructure which not only underpins almost all of our day-to-day lives but is how we've decided to 'save space' - by preserving things digitally rather than in hard copy - is so unspeakably vulnerable and weak. Everyday folks have already, for the most part, lost access to things like CDs, which have a lifespan of something like 100 years at the most. Proprietary softwares, black box devices with irreplaceable parts, flimsy modern materials with difficult to preserve features mean a whole of information that drives our lives today will simply become inaccessible in, actually, a very short time.

Archives - vast storehouses under careful supervision full of well-organized stuff that might potentially be important one day - need institutional support, but also, on their own, are kind of... well, let's just say, Historians will also say shit like they 'uncovered' a 'hidden history' in a previously 'lost, unknown' document that some archivist put in a special box on a special shelf and carefully catalogued for prime findability. It's a symbiotic relationship that doesn't always get its due. An archive on its own can be very useful to a local community, an individual business, a specific family, all kinds of things - but to get History out of it, you need some Historians or suitably rabid individuals of other castes. You need both, or you end up with the pseudo-histories of nineteenth-century rich folk that then get to determine what we believe is possible for the future by what we are told of the past. It's a bad scene.

Again, there are further steps to take - not over here defending institutions as they stand. We were, at one point, on our way to accessible higher education, meaning everyone had a chance to go to pursue their interests, before we started seeing Universities not as a social good and social resource but as job training and profit centers and cut social funding as demanded by business ghouls. Higher education and academia as it functions now has done a lot of damage to people's lives.

But institutions are much harder to build than to change, and change is hard enough. Once an archive is defunded, its collections distributed or destroyed, you typically don't get it back. Like certain species of sea creatures with long gestational periods, once you destroy the mid-range of the population - the bit that raises up the next generation - your population collapses and its very hard to get things back on track (historians and other academics who require lots of investment and training and time and experience are like the sea creatures, you see).

You can, of course, start new. We've done that a lot, as a species. It's always possible. But it's a bit like running out of a fire empty-handed instead of grabbing your wallet as you go. Sometimes you just gotta go, and that's always safest - sometimes you just can't think or there's no time to think and you couldn't get to anything useful if you wanted to - but if it's matter of looking at the wallet in your pants pocket and dipping down to grab it (and maybe pants!) while you bolt then yeah, ought to try. Maybe the pants catch fire and you've got to abandon them anyway to save your life. That's reasonable. (This is just an analogy - fire safety generally says to get ye gone with your life and health intact ASAP, just for the record - don't stop for shit and don't go back in).

The point of this is that next time you're enjoying some popular history content (please save me from this word) or learn some cool fact about the past, think about the fact that none of that get down to you without a big chain of people all joined together doing different things. And that big chain needs nice big social supports to exist. The social supports are hard to change, but the chain is easy to lose without them. It's a group effort all the way, even that little fucker who didn't credit the work they used to make fun videos is important.

That content doesn't happen without the structure to support it - or even worse, that content lies to you. Makes stuff up. The stuff it makes up isn't going to be fantasies of freedom and equality, at least going by what's been made up before.

Hate the academy, want it to change, act to reform it - all very good, go for it, no desire to stop you (except maybe the hating part, try to hate more specifically, like individual actions or aspects of the academy, if you're going to hate on stuff, but, like, hate can be unhealthy, get some peace in your life if you can). Things are bad enough without also feeling like you have to take on a crusade to save archives or other institutions - though honestly just participating in your local history scene, giving them time and attention, is really valuable help - so that's not really the call to action here. The call is just asking you to notice the big structures that enable these small joys.

Don't let yourself be convinced that they somehow happen in a vacuum, that they'll just persist somehow like getting Deliveroo at your off-grid mountain cabin. A lot people helped make that stupid podcast about Marie Antoinette's toenail fungus happen - and there's way more than that waiting! If we can just keep letting people make archives, study stuff, fuck off on fruitless searches for things that were never there and instead find stuff we never KNEW was there. There's so much of that to be done! The more the merrier on who should be doing it! But if we want that, we got to figure out how to support it, to keep what we've got, build more of it, or it'll be the same shit about Marie Antoinette over and over and over and over and over because that'll all we'll have to build from.

Anyway, if you've never done it, take a ghost tour. Visit a museum nearby. Pop into an archive and just ask them some stuff. Get on these web pages that do things like recreate Angkor Wat as a virtual tour, go watch a Youtuber do a frothing-at-the-mouth defense of Charles Lightoller, or even better, read this reddit thread about whether Dua Lipa would have survived the Titanic sinking based on her music video. And just think - holy shit, isn't it cool that we have a society, a whole social structure, that could produce such a thing? And it's right here, at my fingertips, ready to disappear.

*there are reasons for this, some related to format and legibility/accessibility that still shouldn't eliminate the need to credit others' work and others cowardly excuses for parasitism

[marticoresims]

My Rotational Gameplay System

Hi! There's a video on my channel about how I play rotationally, but some info there is outdated. I figured a post can always be edited, so it's a better way to share how I play The Sims 2.

What is rotational gameplay?

Playing rotationally means that you play multiple households for the same number of days, jumping from one to the other in rounds. This way, you keep the households even, have story progression in all of them, and then you can make them interact, intertwine and merge into new families, not leaving any playable Sim behind.

If you play two-three households and leave the rest unplayed, that's also rotational gameplay. There's no right or wrong way to play The Sims 2!

Setting up the neighborhood

First of all, stealth hoods. I don't want all the same Sims appearing in my family bin over and over, so I made the stealth hoods empty. This tutorial shows how to do it, but it's actually more simple than that – just go into those folders and delete all files in 'Characters'. DO NOT do it in the Documents directory!

Second, I think of which subhoods make sense for this neighborhood. I hardly ever add Downtown. Vacation destinations depend on what I need, I usually add one during gameplay if I'm planning a vacation (which is rare). I like to have one, max two university hoods, especially if they include pre-made Sims. And Bluewater Village is completely redundant, but I sometimes make my own shopping district as an extra area. For example, in my Pleasantview 2.0 I made "Goth Square" that is kind of like a downtown district with apartment buildings, restaurants, clubs etc.

Sometimes I'll tinker with seasons, e.g. Strangetown seems like warm climate, so I might turn off winter in it. Riverblossom Hills must stay default, though.

Basics and keeping track

One round is 4 days for most of my neighborhoods. Some people do it by days of the week or seasons in-game, but I can't be bothered synchronizing my neighborhood after someone moves out and it's again a summer Monday for them. If it's Thursday in the middle of winter in another household at the same time, I really don't mind.

I'm an old school gal when it comes to taking notes to keep track of played days. I have a paper notebook with the grid pattern and mark rounds as squares – each line is one day. I have a whole list of families named by last names mostly, but if a last name repeats (which is often), I either sign them with one of the Sims' first name or their last name + initials. For example, in Riverblossom Hills I have families named Roth (for the "main" Roth family still living in the original house) and Roth LF (Roth – Larch & Fiona).

These days, I use erasable pens in my notes, so no crossing out if a family merges with another or changes its name. For marking days, I still like to use a simple pencil. For side notes (such as planning someone's career or matchmaking) I either use sticky notes or draw a special square and use the erasable pens again to take easily erasable notes. If there's no space on the page anymore, I move onto another. I always keep the old pages, though! I have them pinned in the back of the notebook. Also, I only use notebooks that have tabs of different colors and each neighborhood has its color. Blue for Pleasantview, green for Strangetown, purple for Veronaville, orange for Riverblossom Hills etc. I like to match pen colors to it as well. Yes, I do have ideasthaesia.

For more "serious" neighborhoods I have an additional document on my PC in table form where I plan out the storytelling. I pretty much only have it for my Youtube let's play neighborhoods like Townieville. Fun fact: I have two separate notebooks for "work neighborhoods" and "private neighborhoods". The work one is in smaller format 😂

Here's a fragment of my Townieville notes (the Bendett-LeTourneau family takes too much space when spelled out lol):

As for aging, I made my own custom lifespan that mimics real life years (1 day = 1 year). However, I only age up Sims at "1 day away" (aka the orthodox way) when they're babies and teenagers. Babies because I want them to be 1 year old as toddlers (only Nopke somehow figured out a way to make the baby stage actually 1 day), and teenagers to give them time to attend college. In all the other stages, I wait until the last minute for them to age up on their own. I would never remember to age them up manually or throw parties, also the 1 extra day would make it difficult for me to count their age. That results in the elder stage starting at "57 days old", but I count it as 60 years old. I like to know how old my Sims are for context, that's all.

Population

My limit for one neighborhood is 16 families. If there's more, one round takes forever and I lose interest. In my old Pleasantview, I finally managed to lower the number of families from 24 to 18 and still going. It feels great! So, as you see, I can't do an uberhood/megahood.

To stop my neighborhood from expanding too much, I simply don't make too many kids. I have pretty strict rules that are based on aspirations: Family+Family is 3 kids, Family+Other is 2 kids, Other+Other is 1 kid. If both Sims have family as a secondary aspiration (and I remember that they do), I'll make them have two. It has been working pretty well, but I'm open to changes in the future. Sometimes I will even impregnate a Sim with InSimenator instead of naturally to make sure it's not twins.

I mark every birth on a certain day as a dot and letter (B/G – boy/girl) and plan newborns in advance to have babies be born at a similar time and with balanced genders, so I can match them later. Of course I do have same-sex couples and big-age-difference couples as well. It all comes out when the babies get older, but synchronizing births creates a solid basis. Usually there are no more than 4 kids born in one round.

I love townies, but I avoid bringing them into the neighborhood as much as I can (it expands the population). If two playables are not related and have the potential to be together, I'll tinker with their chemistry to make it happen. I have this mod to help me avoid marrying second-cousins, even if it's not really that big a deal in real life. I do follow chemistry very much in matchmaking though, so if there's any decision to be made between two Sims, I'll always go for the one with the higher chemistry (sort by chemistry and choose the one that appears first – even if the bolts are the same, they are sorted by points).

Wants & Fears

I like to say that I play half-wants-based. I especially like to use wants to avoid having only wealthy families. How? Only if they roll a want of getting a skill point, I'll prioritize career skill points and let them get promoted. Otherwise, they might stay at the same level for years and do other things instead such as hobbies. Even if their lifetime want is the top of a career – the Sims are responsible for progressing in their careers. I don't lock the skill wants either, only the promotion ones if a promotion is guaranteed. But keep in mind that I use mods for no friends needed for careers and less often promotions (I changed it to 85%). That way, some Sims struggle financially, some just have enough to pay the bills, some accumulate money very slowly, and some become rich fast. It's true that it's fortune Sims that usually reach the top of their careers, knowledge Sims are second place, but isn't that actually realistic? If a Sim's lifetime want is anything other than a career, I realize they won't get everyday wants regarding that LTW (unless it's a knowledge Sim with "Max out 7 skills"), so I will push them towards it, but still, not every Sim completes their lifetime want. Also, I use 50 New LTWs and Slower LTA Gain. Homework works a similar way. Since, without mods, your Sims are either failing or having an A+, I use the School Grade Mod for more grade variations, but also base doing homework on the child or teen's wants. If they have any wants about education (private school, college, fear to go to school because of bad grades), they do their homework that day. Also, on weekends I make them catch up on homework if they're not busy.

I do like to listen to what my Sims want to do, but if the want is ridiculous (like wanting to get married to 3 Sims at once for Romance Sims on dates), I'll ignore it. I only use wants or lack thereof for more variety and less decision-making. I use a lot of mods that change wants as well, such as Fewer Hobby Wants. What about pets? If more than half of the household has corresponding wants to get a pet, I'll get them one.

Decisions

Deciding makes me anxious. I want gameplay to be fun and the Sims to be their own people. That's why I have certain rules for choosing aspirations and careers. Here's my entire calculator that saves me in choosing careers. For aspirations, I only use the calculator sometimes if I'm not sure, but usually I look at the Sim's personality and can easily see their aspiration based on traits. Obviously I make exceptions to that rule, I WILL have a grouchy Family Sim from time to time. But I do that only if I feel a certain vibe, so no decision is needed either, I just know this Sim will be the exception. Sometimes, I make exceptions to also differentiate Sims from their parents, as personality is genetic for the most part, so it's likely for two Knowledge Sims to “produce” another Knowledge Sim and I'd like to avoid repetition. Especially with Family Sims, as with my population system it might lead to one family dominating the neighborhood. Family+Family having 3 kids and all of them with the Family aspiration? Not on my watch!

In families of more than one child, how do I decide who moves out and who stays home as an adult? If there are no other factors influencing it, the youngest child stays because the older ones moving out will create the space for the next generation. But it varies based on what housing situation the potential partner has. Oh, yeah, I don't play with elders only, that's boring.

How do I decide who changes their name at marriage? These days, I like to keep the OG last names, so if there's a townie marrying into a pre-made family, I'll keep the pre-made family's name. Gender doesn't matter. If it's two pre-mades getting married, I decide based on how many other Sims there are with that last name (do the Sims have siblings?). It's real tactical work sometimes. If I want to keep both, a hyphenated name is always an option too.

Random events

Not a lot of random events happen in my game. Mostly it's just Sims cheating. I have ACR's risky woohoo set to zero most of the time. I do have some mods that make Sims' lives more risky like more dangerous fires (this version is edited to work with the fire safety skill) or death by childbirth. But if someone dies untimely, they die. Especially if they've already had kids (which sounds cruel lol, but my gameplay is based on legacy and genetic continuity). I also ignore chance cards because they make my game too hectic, and my Sims don't get promoted too much, so I don't need the difficulty. I'll only click on them (randomly without reading) if a family is exceptionally boring.

University

One round is 4 days, that means 4 years, so I guess it would make sense to play the "empty nest" once the offspring is in college. But I don't do that. College is frozen time. In my game, the teenager stage is 9 days – from 13 to 22. It would be too short if I treated university as passing time, as 22 is when US college students graduate. So, I mark a dot with the letter C whenever someone is "1 day away" and ready for college. It's often for the future more than the past, as I like to send a few Sims at once (you know, the babies marked 22 days earlier), so I plan ahead and need to know how many days left. I also send them to college according to their age (even if I don't have to do that with frozen time, it's fun to do), so if there's 2 years difference between Sims, one of them will be a Freshman when the other one is already a Junior. Also, not everyone goes to college! It's wants-based, again. If the teen has the want to go to college the very last morning of their teen stage, they go immediately. And again, exceptions. Sometimes I'll lock in the college want because I just can't imagine that Sim not going to college. I have the No Memory Uneducated mod to stop Sims who didn't want to go to college from crying about it. My university gameplay is the most strictly wants-based, to avoid having all Sims graduate with honors. Don't have a want to gain skill points, but fear academic probation? We're doing bare minimum. That kinda thing. The only want I lock in is "Make Dean's List" because it's pretty rare, and without it I was ending up with 3.2 GPA for every single Sim. This want means we're doing everything to get the highest grade possible.

Supernatural Sims

I'm not a fan of supernatural in The Sims (unless it's Planet Alades). The only occult I absolutely LOVE is ALIEN. I will have aliens in nearly every neighborhood. No Multi PT mod needed. PlantSims are cool too, but only in neighborhoods where they appear from the start. Very rarely do I let my Sims become werewolves, or especially vampires and zombies. If a Sim doesn't age, I don't see a point in playing them. Best regards to all the 'aging off' Simmers out there 😆

That's all! Now I can stop rambling about it in my let's plays and just send you guys to this post if you have questions. Phew!

[s1l]

Jackson and Holt headcanons

- they both use xenogenders. I don't care, it's true.

- Jackson constantly wishes to know what music sounds like and feels like he'll never truly live without such a grand experience. It's something that all normies and monsters alike adore, and he will never even touch.

- Jackson loves scene clothing, but he can't dress the way he wants because of anxiety. He buys a lot of scene accessories and makes kandi bracelets himself, but never uses it. Holt on the other hand will raid their wardrobe and go to concerts absolutely DECKED out in Jackson's stuff. Jackson started wearing his own stuff because Holt kept leaving him messages about how many compliments he would always get for the clothing! ❤

- even though he doesn't need to, Jackson takes way too many precautions to keep himself from transforming. He reads a lot and rarely even scrolls social media in fear because there always seems to be music in every video!

- Jackson has a lot of mental health issues, and the discovery of Holt definitely didn't help. To know that there was a cooler version of him that everyone loved that constantly replaced him? It was horrible. However, Holt isn't the type of guy to leave another man kicked down. He constantly leaves notes on the refrigerator for Jackson to cheer him up with cute doodles, and he always tells his friends about how 'awesome this one Jackson fella is!' And how 'you just gotta meet him!'

- Holt has multiple Pinterest board of tattoos he wants in the future and hair styles he wants to try out. Holt actually really enjoys fashion, almost as much as he enjoys art and rock n' roll!

- You'd think that since Jackson is the 'nerd,' he'd be doing all the work in school to keep their head above water. However, Holt makes sure to pull his weight. He's the top student in art class, music class, and doing very well in gym too!

- Not a headcanon but a question; where are their parents? Why the hell did they never tell them about the transformations??

- Jackson is only able to watch Nature Documentaries because the background music is too peaceful to force Holt out.

- they send each other stupid tweets they find 😭 they actually have a very similar sense of humor, however, Jackson's is a bit more witty and sometimes dryer.

- Jackson used to study astrology when he was younger, but eventually moved onto other things such as science and psychology. He'd love to make a blog like Spectra or even become a journalist, but he doesn't feel like his anxiety could handle it. Nevertheless, he's determined to follow his dreams. He gets a lot of help from Frankie, as well as Clawdia too! Clawdia taught him a lot about writing and even promoted him on her blog! Now, his blog is linked in Spectras bio as a recommendation and they do a lot of collabs. Jackson helps a lot with Spectra because he's good at getting the facts and preventing her from providing senseless rumors. He also writes a lot with Venus about climate change and the environment, and assists to start a lot of movements and fundraisers.

- Everyone has something they're insecure about, even Holt Hyde. You might be wondering however, what could he of all people possibly be embarrassed by? Well, since he goes to a lot of parties away from home, he likes to bring a small plush princess goblin with him to keep him company. He spends a lot of time buying little clothes for it and even makes extra food so it can have a plate at the diner table.

- A lot of things play music, but Holt definitely has a favorite. He owns his own CD player that he's decked out in colorful stickers, ESPECIALLY puffy ones. He loves puffy stickers, fuzzy stickers, glittery stickers, scented stickers, all of them!

[ducksido]

I absolutely LOVE you twst with different cultures!yuu, and I saw your Australian!yuu, and I haven't stopped thinking of an Aboriginal!yuu because I think they'd fit in really well.

You can just ignore this request if you want. I know Aboriginal culture is very difficult to remember(ゝω・´★)

(I'll try my best! ㄟ(≧◇≦)ㄏ) (A little bit about me is that where i went for primary school, we barely got taught anything about the aboriginal, we basically only learnt about some dreamtime stories, the first fleet and later on had one dot paint mural. ಥ_ಥ I had only learnt about the stolen generation in year 8 [aged 13])

Grim:

"So you’re telling me you have Dreamtime stories about creatures like me? I KNEW I was legendary!"

Super interested in Aboriginal myths, especially ones about trickster spirits.

Gets scared when Yuu tells him about the Bunyip.

Crowley:

"Ah, Dreamtime stories? How fascinating! Perhaps I should collect some for academic purposes—"

Immediately shut down by Yuu. "Dreamtime is sacred, Crowley."

Tries to make Yuu teach a lecture on Aboriginal astronomy.

Crewel:

"Traditional body paint and dot painting? Such precision and detail!"

Thinks Aboriginal fashion and textiles are stunning.

Asks if Yuu can teach him how to extract natural dyes.

Trein:

"So, your people have passed down knowledge through storytelling for thousands of years?"

Immediately respects the oral traditions.

Asks Yuu to share stories with Lucius (Lucius approves).

Vargas:

"You mean to tell me your people have some of the oldest physical endurance practices?"

Tries to make Yuu throw a boomerang for PE class.

Wants to learn Aboriginal hunting techniques.

Sam:

"Bush tucker? I like the sound of that!"

Already stocks wattle seeds, finger limes, and macadamia nuts.

Tries selling a “magic didgeridoo.” Yuu side-eyes him.

Heartslabyul

Riddle Rosehearts:

"Your people have strict rules about respect and tradition… I understand that."

Actually really impressed by Aboriginal law and how communities pass down responsibility.

Shocked when Yuu tells him about Tiddalik the Frog. "A single frog drank ALL the water?!"

Ace Trappola:

"So your people survived in the desert for thousands of years? That’s hardcore."

Wants to learn how to find water like an Aboriginal tracker.

Tries to play the didgeridoo—fails spectacularly.

Deuce Spade:

"Wait, so you guys navigate the land without maps? That’s amazing!"

Thinks Songlines (paths through the land remembered through song) are one of the coolest things ever.

Wants to learn how to track animals.

Trey Clover:

"Your people use lemon myrtle in cooking? I need to try that."

Impressed by the use of native plants in food.

Asks Yuu to help him make a bush tucker-inspired tart.

Cater Diamond:

"Aesthetic alert! Dot paintings are so cool!"

Obsessed with the colors and patterns of Aboriginal art.

Tries to take Magicam selfies with Yuu’s art.

Savanaclaw

Leona Kingscholar:

"Your people tamed fire? Smart."

Respects the Aboriginal practice of cultural burning (using fire to care for the land).

Actually listens when Yuu talks about Dreamtime animal stories.

Ruggie Bucchi:

"So you guys eat witchetty grubs? That’s wild."

Loves the concept of not wasting food.

Tries bush bread (damper) and loves it.

Jack Howl:

"Your ancestors lived alongside dingoes? That’s awesome."

Super interested in how Aboriginal people worked with nature instead of against it.

Lowkey wants to be adopted into Yuu’s family.

Octavinelle

Azul Ashengrotto:

"So… you’re saying your people have stories about great floods?"

Fascinated by Aboriginal stories of rising sea levels (one of the oldest oral histories of climate change).

Wants to strike a deal for Aboriginal fishing techniques.

Jade Leech:

"Bush medicine, you say? I’d love to learn more."

Immediately interested in Aboriginal knowledge of native plants.

Would definitely go on a walkabout (traditional spiritual journey) if given the chance.

Floyd Leech:

"You guys have stories about giant sea serpents? Nice!"

Obsessed with the Rainbow Serpent.

Calls himself "Floyd the Great Water Spirit" for a week.

Scarabia

Kalim Al-Asim:

"You guys have so many festivals and ceremonies! I love that!"

Wants to experience a Corroboree (traditional dance gathering).

Blown away by how important music is to Aboriginal culture.

Jamil Viper:

"Your storytelling traditions are that ancient? That’s incredible."

Impressed by the depth of Aboriginal knowledge.

Respects that Aboriginal people value patience and wisdom over impulsiveness.

Pomefiore

Vil Schoenheit:

"Ochre body paint? Stunning. Naturally sourced pigments? Even better."

Thinks Aboriginal clothing designs are gorgeous.

Wants to learn about Aboriginal skincare remedies.

Rook Hunt:

"Tracking animals with just footprints? You must teach me!"

Obsessed with Aboriginal survival skills.

Thinks Yuu is a true hunter.

Epel Felmier:

"Your people use plants for medicine? That’s so cool!"

Wants to try wild bush apples.

Thinks Aboriginal warriors sound badass.

Ignihyde

Idia:

"You’re telling me your people created astronomical maps thousands of years ago? Nerd respect."

Thinks it’s insane that Aboriginal astronomy predates Greek and Roman astronomy.

Loves the idea of star maps being passed down through song.

Ortho:

"Aboriginal technology is so innovative!"

Wants to document all of Yuu’s cultural knowledge for preservation.

Thinks boomerangs are the coolest invention ever.

Diasomnia

Malleus:

"Your people have stories about ancestral spirits who shaped the land? Intriguing…"

Deeply respects the Dreamtime concept of creation.

Would love to visit Aboriginal sacred sites.

Lilia:

"I’ve met warriors who could track an animal for days. They reminded me of your people."

Claims he once attended a Corroboree.

Wants to try making damper bread but burns it.

Silver:

"Your people believe in deep connections to the land… I understand that."

Feels peaceful listening to Dreamtime stories.

Wants to learn Aboriginal survival techniques.

Sebek Zigvolt:

"Your culture values elders above all? That is proper respect!"

Admires how elders pass down knowledge.

Tries to memorize Aboriginal laws.

RSA & Noble Bell

Neige:

"Your music is made with clapping sticks and didgeridoos? That’s so unique!"

Wants to hear traditional Aboriginal songs.

Chenya:

"So your people have stories about cunning animals? Sounds like my kind of tales!"

Loves trickster spirit stories.

Rollo Flamme:

"Your festivals… seem excessive."

Secretly amazed by how fire is used as a tool, not just destruction.

[icharchivist]

I often mention it in tags but i don't know if i ever did a post about it, but the thing is that the Veil in DAV, especially with the inclusion of the Necropolis as it is in game, really reeks of border control sentiments.

You have a Wall, i mean, a Veil, that keeps the Heathens, i mean, the Demons away. Those who cross the Veil through different means are usually Thugs, Criminals, and it's why we must keep the Veil up.

Doesn't matter that the Spirits get twisted into demons BECAUSE there is a Veil. That they're desperate to join back a world they belong to and it's why they Turn To Their Worst Selves.

One of the way to pass? the Necropolis where the spirits with the least free will and consciousness can be granted a place into our world past the border, but they will be doing willing work for the necropolis. That's their window into the world. As long as they don't do waves. Don't worry they keep the bad spirits away with a bell though.

Rivain is also one of the only ways for spirits to legally pass through this world. They must be accompanied by a Seer if they want to stay though :/ wouldn't want them to be kept loose after all.

the rest of the world however will always have this anti-spirit sentiment, and we're never going to address it, even when the South is destroyed by the Blight and that by all account the Veil must have thinned so badly in the South that this will become something to address.

It drives me absolutely crazy because the game's production managed to spawn two Trump's political cycle where the question of a Wall to separate from Mexico has often been brought up with the exact same arguments. And the anti-migration sentiment raising all across the world at the time the Global South is collapsing from climate change and political unrest (regularly provoked by the global North, and it pains me to even draw a comparaison to how the Fade reflects the Awakened World and the worst of the Fade is to blame on the Awakened World) that pushes more and more ruling that strengthen borders laws, even if there isn't the image of a fancy Wall to compare it to.

And I keep thinking about this one videos i watched once, about "Pixar's Coco's Feel Good Oppression", that talked about the full dystopia of setting up a border control in fiction in general and how regulated it is in real life for very specific people.

and i wonder how in 2025, so called progressive bioware studio, managed to run right into that one.

Especially since, if inspired by history, the Berlin Wall is right there to show how a Wall to divide people who have always been brethren is ultimately useless and its fall should be celebrated.

The worst part is that I don't think the Veil=Border control was THAT much put in focus in previous games, if only because we didn't know Spirits used to live with us. But the mentions of massive control especially with the Necropolis, and the desire to keep the spirits out because it'd "drown the world with demons", is fully from VG.

In Trespasser the stakes of the Veil falling where more fantasy-esque. We were teased the possibility of raw magic itself being a problem, something that doesn't have a real world equivalent. The question of keeping the Veil up were more fantasy-leaning.

But by insisting it's to keep the bad demons out, and that the time of the Ancient Elves (who were all enslaved might i add, yet the game treats them as an extension of the Evanuris' imperialism instead of its first victims) is now over.

Where the previous game centered the issue on the metaphysic dynamic of the Fade, this game talks about its people as the main problem -- and we end up with a terrible subtext for the Veil.

There is so many problems with the subtext of this game (this post is a good example of this) that raises fully from the game trying so hard to backpedal on the political themes of DA in general to be apolitical that it takes a major swing into conservative politics as a result, because trying to close your eyes to issue you've established before is the major conservative ideal of "everything is fine and if you bring up there are problems you're the problem". The Veil, and the way they refused to actually address it, reeks of this exact problem as well.

So yay subtext.

[gabriellerudessa]

I've always wondered what Lucy's reasoning for wearing her jumpsuit partly unzipped is.

I get the likely real life reason for this: the Vault jumpsuit has to be a sweatbox, and Ella Purnell needs to be able to let her skin breathe when she's filming outdoor scenes, especially desert scenes like those shot in Namibia in season 1 or in the Mojave in season 2 (and she's the only cast member wearing one of these jumpsuits for outdoor scenes; everyone else who plays Vault Dwellers is wearing their jumpsuits on indoor sets with air conditioning). So I wonder if that's also the in-universe explanation.

And maybe it also symbolically represents Lucy not exactly being pure Vault stock. Plus lets us see her white tank top get stained with blood.

I do think the main reason is how warm the suits are. As you pointed out, the Vault jumpsuit has to be a sweatbox: it was made for a controlled environment.

Before the surface, we see that she also used it down when working with repairs, so yeah, I do imagine that the jumpsuits can get quite warm, probably warmer than the clothes most people have in the surface: they all have long layers, which makes sense, to protect from the sun and sand and even radioactive particles floating about.

Some other points:

First, the jumpsuits' fabric looks artificial when compared to the fabrics people use on the surface. I think this really lends to it being warmer, maybe made to hold more heat when compared to these other fabrics. Probably the Vaults need lower temps overall because of all the equipment and this is a way to ensure the Dwellers won't go cold.

Second: It's also skintight, while the clothes the people on the surface use are looser, and this make sense: looser clothing provides a flow of air that helps cool the body, even if dark fabric; there's a whole point regarding the physics behing the long tunics used by numerous arab people that live in the desert, how it makes the cold and warm air move and flow under the fabric and thus keeps the body colder. The Vault-suit, being skintight, together with the fabric, really helps to heat more the body.

Third: well, Lucy did grow in a highly controlled environment. As someone that was born in a more chilly city with cold winters and rainy overall and lived there until I was 13/14, and then moved to a WAY HOTTER CITY, where winter is just hot and dry, I suffered the first few YEARS. I was used to a totally different climate, and was always suffering from the heat.

I imagine Lucy is going through something similar, the Vault suit added to the sheer fact that she's not used to this climate. The symbolic "not pure Vault" is a possibility, but considering the scene in the first episode, it may just be that the suit is not really good at dealing with hotter climates.

Another thing to point: the other scene we have her push the suit down to her waist is when she leaves the Super Duper Mart until she finds Maximus, when we know she has BIG radiation poisoning. It may be that the radiation poisoning was making her feverish enough to do that. After receiving the Radaway, she's back to having the Vault-suit all up, only lowering a bit during the Vault 4 ceremony, closing it again when detained. When she and Maximus find Thaddeus, she has it open again and it remains like that for the remaining of the season.

I really, really think it's more of a "this thing is too damn hot" lmao

I find more curious how she clearly refused to ditch either blood stained clothes in Vault 4. I understand keeping the Vault-Suit for Vault 33, but not changing even the t-shirt, or getting the time to clean both? THAT, I think, is more symbolic of not being pure-bred Vault than keeping it open on ocasion. Keeping the blood-stained clothes is way more symbolic of how she's changing in the surface.

Edit: Hank also has his Vault-suit partially unzipped when Lucy finds him locked in the cage. He's not pure-bred Vault, he's pre-war, sure, but considering we didn't saw him like this in other scenes, I do think it's more about feeling warm, at least at the moment.

[chronicallycouchbound]

do you have any tips for being unhoused like survival tips or even just stuff that makes life easier

Absolutely!

Before I give my advice I want to start with my most important piece of advice first: I have lots of personal experience with a few different aspects of being unhoused, I have been unhoused in frigid climates, in warmer climates, for many years, with some warning and also very suddenly, as a child with parents, as a child without parents, as an adult, couch surfing, sleeping outside, sleeping in cars, sleeping in bandos, living in a homeless shelter, living in transitional living programs, and then all of those things intersect with my various other marginalized experiences. I say all this because I want to also say that while I have extensive experiences, I don't know everything, and might miss things, or give advice that might not work in your case. So take everything with a grain of salt, including from me, for your own safety. You know your situation best, so do whatever you need to in order to survive.

Some general tips:

Aways bring extra clothes wherever you go: especially socks and underwear, they are small and light and life-savers, and homelessness often puts you in situations where you can suddenly lose everything, especially if something is left somewhere

Public libraries, churches, fast food stores and cafes are great to hang out in when it’s cold out. Unitarian Universalist Churches are (almost always) LGBTQ+ safe and affirming as well.

Shower as often as possible, the YMCA usually has cheap day passes and it’s a place to stay all day.

If you can’t shower: find a public restroom and use the sink to do a "bird bath": rinse/wash your hair, grab some paper towels or use the hand dryer to dry your hair, and use toilet paper or paper towels to rinse and dry your underarms and genitalia areas, especially when it’s hot or you’ve been sweating. Make sure you can dry off, wetness in cold is quickly life threatening, and wetness and heat breeds bacteria (which makes you stinky at best, but can also lead to skin issues)

Take extra plastic utensils, get salt/pepper packets, sauce packets, etc. as often as you can, ONLY if you have someplace to keep them (like a tent/car), small things like that can really make a difference when you're eating ramen over a fire every day, and helped keep me slightly closer to sane.

Only carry with you what you absolutely need, and always carry with you what you absolutely need.

Make friends everywhere you go, but be cautious and careful. You want to be amicable, not naive. You don't have to be trusting to be friendly.

Be friendly and overly kind to people working, they could help you later on. I have had my ass saved by so many random employees. Even if you're having a bad day, they're the people you should be kindest to. (Also be kind to service workers when not homeless, ofc)

Collect change on the streets or panhandle if it is safe and legal for you to. You can also collect bottles/cans to return, or recycle aluminum.

Look up free campsites, pantries and shelters for your area. Shelter App - Homeless Resources is a free app and website that is still kind of new, but I've seen more and more resources being added to them. Most states have a generalized hotline that's usually like a "411" or "211" or similar type phone line.

Try to always have an active phone with service, or at least a charged phone you can call emergency services on in case you need to.

Try to avoid getting into crime, drugs, alcohol/cigarettes, etc. It’s all expensive, gets you in trouble and does you no good.

However, if you are an active user: look up local needle exchanges, suboxone clinics, free narcan/naloxone, PREP and PEP (HIV prevention meds), emergency rooms, and practice harm reduction as much as possible. Try to never use alone, if using in a bathroom, keep the door unlocked. In my experience, even if you're sober or in recovery, harm reduction organizations are often amazing resources to connect you to other resources

Items I didn't realize were so life saving for me until later: blanket scarves, wool socks (natural fiber is the only thing that stays warm even when wet), baby wipes (washing body, tp replacement, etc), hand warmers, clothes that look more bougie like wearing a pea coat (stopped less by cops), carbineer clips, earbuds (for sanity), and my most prized possession to this day; my solar powered/hand crank/rechargable combination flash light, usb charger radio. Any item you need that is made for sports/hiking/etc. is often better, and any items that are multipurpose are wonderful.

And since we're headed into the colder months, here’s my advice for if you don’t have adequate heating, homeless or not:

Make soups or even just keep a pot of water boiling, and bake things if you can. I like to make teas in the morning for this purpose. Eating enough food (if you can) helps dramatically increase your core body temp.

Take a shower BEFORE the coldest parts of the day, or skip the shower til it’s warm enough to. If you absolutely need to, use warm wet washcloth and work in sections of your body so you don’t have to be fully naked and wet all at once. If you can’t be in a warm enough location afterwards— avoid getting your hair wet at all costs especially if you have thick hair. If you’re at higher risk of cold related illnesses like hypothermia and frostbite, such as disabled and chronically ill folks, I would highly recommend avoiding anything that causes you to get wet if you can’t get warm afterwards.

Make a blanket fort or use a tent indoors to spend your time in and sleep in

Drink tea/cocoa/hot beverages, avoid ice or cold drinks. Avoid alcohol specifically if you can because it lowers your body temp while making you feel warm, which can be dangerous.

Cuddle with your pets (even pets that don’t normally cuddle often are cuddly during cold spells as a survival response)

Wear thermals and layers if youre up and moving, but make sure to pre-warm any clothes you change into by tucking them into the blankets with you for a while.

If you have someone to cuddle with as close as possible, do it, also wear less clothes, thinner clothes or shorts when under blankets and cuddling, you share way more body heat that way, whereas thermals and layers will only keep your heat to yourself

If you have cold feet: take off your socks under blankets (and keep socks under blankets before putting back on) and keep a hot pad under blankets near your feet. Thick socks are great for insulation— but if your feet are cold, insulation means it’ll keep that cold in and keep the heat out. You have to add your own heat, and once they’re warm, you can put the socks back on.

Tin foil, trash bags, and blankets on windows if you don’t have plastic.

Keep doors closed and use rolled blankets or towels to stop drafts. Try to stay in one room if your whole home is cold, smaller spaces are easier to keep warm. Keep doors closed. Keep window shades closed (if you have south-facing windows, you can open t hem during the day and close them at night)

If you don’t have a mummy sleeping bag, a hoodie with the strings pulled comfortably tight can be a good substitute especially if paired with another sleeping bag.

Layer blankets for insulation. Closest to your body, have hot pads and heated blankets, then a reflective blanket to direct heat back towards you, use fluffy blankets and comforters next for insulation, and on top, have something heavy to help seal the heat in and push that heat towards you.

Blanket layers: first, heated blanket/hot pad/hot water bottle/etc, then reflective blankets/emergency blankets (there are reusable ones!)/sleeping bag, then fluffy blankets, then your heaviest/thickest blanket on top (quilt, weighted blanket, tarp, etc). If you don’t have one/multiple of these, just layer what you have following this guide as much as possible.

I like to have at least one fluffy blanket wrapped near my head/neck to keep as much warm air in the blankets as possible when I move my arms. Snuggies and blanket scarves work great for this.

If you’re on a thin bed, an air mattress, or don’t have a bed, put something below you for insulation from the cold ground. Any high quality sleeping bags temperature recommendation is always based on having good insulation below you. Cardboard, yoga mats, foam, blankets, coats, etc. all work.

Be vigilant for signs of frostbite and hypothermia, especially in children, disabled, elderly and pregnant folks. Remember to follow frostbite and hypothermia guidelines for re-warming and get medical attention for these whenever possible.

Have an emergency go-bag ready with your medications, chargers, clothes and other essentials in case you need to leave your residence.

Be sure to not accidentally give yourself CO2 poisoning or cause fires or explosions with whatever heating method you use. Anything with gasoline, propane or other fuel sources are generally not safe for indoor/closed space usage.

Don’t let yourself get so warm you sweat, you can lose a lot of heat that way and the wetness will make you cold which is hard to recover from.

When you get out of bed or from blankets, fold the blankets back over where you just laid to retain the heat for when you climb back in. Even if you have to be gone an extended period of time, this keeps the cold out. You can also preheat heated blankets for when you get back into bed (like turning on the heated blanket before you go shower)

Lights have a lot of ambient heat, as do appliances, especially larger appliances. Even having your laptop on your lap and using it can help you warm up.

If you’re able to be up and moving or do light exercise while you have to be out of blankets, thats the best time to do it. Again, be mindful of sweating.

If you’re homeless and unsheltered and don’t have a camp, sleep in the daytime in the warmest parts of the day, and walk around at night to avoid freezing to death. Savor a hot tea or hot coffee at fast food places if you can afford it.

Single use hand warmers can be saved if they still have heat by putting them in an airtight ziplock bag. When you want to use them again, you just open the bag to expose them to air. If you can and have a way to use them, invest in reusable ones (there’s electric ones and also ones you can boil to reset). Hot water bottles are another good option but often come with a higher risk of being burned.

Also, if you have any more specific situations you'd like advice for, I'd be happy to make posts for those as well, it's hard to add/think of everything that helps every situation, and a lot of my advice would change if you stay in a shelter, for example. I really hope this helps, and I hope you find safe, stable, and reliable housing soon.

[sophieinwonderland]

Ok firstly ghost, you are a cishet neurotypical white man sit your privileged ass down.

Secondly, I do think there is a genuine discussion on the censorship of fetishization. Because undoubtedly f*ta porn does fetishize real intersex people and real trans women. And we really can’t say “well people know it’s not true” because they don’t. They don’t know it’s not true.

Personally, my take on the whole thing, (as just one trans woman) is that, f*ta content is primarily harmful because it’s the only mainstream representation of the idea. Perhaps in a world that recognizes intersex people do in fact exist, the content could be seen as more acceptable. But unfortunately in the climate we live in, it’s hard to divorce the fetish from the real word fetishization.

(And also you don’t get to say anything because you exist in the second most privileged bracket)

Yikes!

Ignoring the pluralphobia, fakeclaiming and malgendering... where do you even get the idea that we're neurotypical?

I've talked a lot about us being autistic. (Especially when talking about how I don't care if some people are transautistic, and think that's yet another distraction issue wasting energy of marginalized people by focusing them inward.)

The idea that this porn somehow simultaneously fetishizes both intersex people and trans women, despite being neither is just wild!

Secondly, I do think there is a genuine discussion on the censorship of fetishization.

No! There really isn't!

Because censorship of futa porn leads to censorship of trans porn which leads to censorship of gay porn. Most on the Right think queer porn should be illegal because they hate queer people. If you could get even 10% of people on the Left to think queer porn is bad because of fetishization, the Right will have enough support to ban it.

There is no merit at all in this discussion!!!

There is no merit to pushing censorship because any attempt will be playing into the hands of the Enemy and giving them exactly what they want.

It costs NOTHING to let people make and consume their futanari porn in peace, while trying to censor it would lay the groundwork for mass censorship of all queer adult content.

Since you decided to fakeclaim and misgender me with this ask, I don't see any reason to try to be polite or respectful. So let me be as blunt and direct as I can:

The enemy is coming for your rights while you are happily handing them over and thanking them for the privilege. And you are too fucking stupid to see it!

Puritanical nonsense covering itself in a rainbow flag is still puritanical nonsense.

[litnerdwrites]

"You shouldn't criticise/analyse SJM's characters/worldbuilding because it just isn't that deep." Is a take I see a lot when someone analyses or criticises SJM, and while I get where you're coming from, I do have a couple of issues with this take.

First of all, it's important to be able to criticise all media, even your your favourites, no matter how good or bad they are. Media of all formats is a product of it's time and goes a long way into helping us learn about the sociopolitical climate of the time it was written, from the past, present or future. As a result, no piece of media can be considered 'perfect' or without points to criticise, and analysing it can give us perspective on issues we may not even realise exist. This is true for most, if not all media, from books to news channels to music or tv shows.

If you don't want to analyse or criticise it though, that's fine. Just ignore posts and videos of people who do, since there's no use in telling them that they're wasting their time. Some people enjoy criticising/analysing the media they consume, but if you don't, then just let them be.

Now, here's the bigger issue I have with this take. It might really not be that deep to you, but it might really be that deep for other people. Especially since SJM books have a pretty young fanbase. The books are YA, and are advertised as being for ages 12 and up.

Many kids, young girls mostly, that read, even just the first book, are shown Feyre forgiving Rhys at the end of the book after SA-ing her for three months or Feyre getting back with Tamlin after he watched her get tortured for three months, and romanticise it. Then there's the second book, where she ends up with Rhysand despite what he did, and even lets him do it again at the CON.

Nesta is pressured by Elain and Feyre to let her use their home for something incredibly dangerous despite her very reasonable concerns, only to then be insulted by Feyre's friends for a situation he wasn't even there for, only for some romance to between them to be hinted at. In Acowar she's further pressured by her sister, and strangers who hate her, to put her healing and coping from her trauma aside to push her clear boundaries to help her sister even more despite her and her friends not having a great track record of holding up their ends of deals from Nesta's experience.

And don't even get me started on the train wreck that was ACOFAS- ACOSF. If these actions and behaviours were acknowledged as being toxic or wrong, that would be fine, somewhat. However, the narrative paints these characters and behaviour in a positive light, despite the fact they aren't. For young readers to look at this, and to idolise these characters and their behaviours, thinking that it's what they want in a partner, is disturbing.

It's fine to not want to critique or thoroughly analyse a book, but discrediting people who do, especially if they're pointing out harmful behaviour being perpetuated in said books, is not. Ignoring the harmful behaviour these books perpetuate is making you a part of the problem, and I truly hope that your view on this behaviour would change if it was coming from a living person instead of a fictional one. Be it towards you or somebody you know.

[middlenamesage]

I’ll let you in on a little secret: “Pretty privilege” is not nearly as real as Venusian privilege. 🤫 💖

Disclaimer: I’m not speaking on the latter from personal experience, as my natal chart does not grant me the status of “Venusian” in the slightest. But Mars conjunct my Venus has made me very motivated to understand Venus; seemingly especially when I’m going through Mars transits because these two characters can not be separated in my psyche!

Before I even learned astrology in depth, I always noticed it wasn’t necessarily the physically prettiest people/women who get all the offers, praise, and support coming to them. The way I used to term it, “personality privilege” is a lot more substantial than the concept of “pretty privilege” that people like to cite. Because I always noticed the privileges were most coming to those whose vibe felt most warm and open, and/or whose vibe had an aura of knowing and exercising their deservingness when it comes to receiving support or attention.

Now I know that this is Venusian energy in a nutshell. And I’ve confirmed the presence of a strong Venus in the people I had always known that struck me as having a lot of offers and support coming to them and being well-liked and recognized by others, but who weren’t necessarily all that conventionally physically attractive.

What matters more if you wish to manifest people giving more to you is in most cases not a major physical makeover; it’s an energetic makeover. Having “I’m pretty and deserving” consciousness and feeling energetically open to people is where the “privilege” most lies!

I’m not exactly the one to give advice on how to project more Venusian energy, and frankly I’m personally not even really trying to gain more of the stereotypical Venus energy embodied by The Empress. While it would be nice to ultimately have a less conflicted relationship with my own Venus, I’m not conflicted about one thing: She’s in fire🔥♌️, so the interpersonal prowess of Venus truly isn’t my main focus with her; learning to self love and self validate has been. I’m proud🦁 of my emotional independence, even if it can be a little extreme, and the stereotype that Leo Venus needs undue attention from others has never resonated with me! Have we forgotten that fire is individuality and independence? Most of my life experiences have given me no other option than to learn how to self validate if I want more validation. This also is due to having multiple neurodivergencies and having built some walls around me due to trauma, that make me seem less open… but I think that still fits a Venus placement not most focused on social graces, and a wounded Venus from a lifetime of being conjunct a stronger Mars! ❤️‍🩹

Maybe other fire Venuses or Martian Venuses or people that have Venus in any setup where she’s not in an advantageous position to charm people with her social skills will relate. 🤗 Our paths might be different; for us embracing that we’re focusing on self acceptance in our journeys to find peace, and recognizing that we possibly also have very emphasized lessons in our journey on how to keep certain people out of our lives, is likely to be the best way to remain authentic to ourselves while helping our Venuses.

So it appears I do have advice for people who have walked a similar path with Venus as me. 🔥♂ And I have plenty of observations about the energy of Venus that can draw privileges from others to it, even though I think that for a fire Venus, continuing to focus on embracing my authenticity even when it’s in no way popular is how I’ll eventually start feeling more capable with the social sides of Venus, and feeling more others appreciating her too.

⭐️🪐 Basic astronomical fact I only learned recently: Venus has the hottest climate of all the planets! And the reason she’s hotter than the planet closer to the Sun is because Venus’s atmosphere is made up of gases that trap heat. To me this represents the way Venusians have honed the skill of radiating warmth themselves. All that alluring heat she puts off can really draw in others. But it’s also her responsibility to use the warmth to be reciprocally giving in her relations with others… if Venus doesn’t give much and just takes, her atmosphere can start to feel more like Hell than like inviting warmth.

Wishing a successful journey for all in evolving with and embracing your Venus… however that may look! We all deserve to know comfort and peace. 🌷

[xolunelle]

Personal Style: How I Cultivated Mine

AdvisorElle, Episode 1

(Find the PDF for the post HERE)

With the internet (especially Pinterest, in this context) and its many recommendations on what you should wear for the different seasons, it may seem pretty hard to cultivate your own personal style, right? There are so many options, so many things to choose from, that instead of helping us choose and define our options, we really only end up confused. This was also my situation before; however, I managed to come to a point where I believe that I've found a good point in my style, and I want to help you get here too!

The History

At first, my journey to cultivating my style was heavily influenced by popular shows and social media, meaning that when everyone wanted to dress like VSCO girl with the large shirts, Birkenstocks and Hydro Flasks, I wanted to too. When everyone wanted to dress bohemian, I wanted to too. If everyone liked bows and was coquette, I was too. This led to a constant cycle of not really knowing what I liked or aligned with, since any new trend would lead to me changing my style.

What (kind of) forced me to find my style was my recent final examinations, where I needed to pick outfits that would represent how I want to be seen, at the examination center. I realised that I enjoyed wearing really simple, yet classic and polished outfits as they truly made me feel the best.

The Steps

If a good outfit can instantly make any day better (at least for me), how much more can a closet that aligns with who you are as a person? Let's see how to get this through the steps following!

STEP 1: How do you want to be seen by others?

The inevitable thing with clothing is that what you wear reflects how you want to be seen. (A disclaimer: this is not a statement intended to claim that one should treat others the way that they view them based on their clothing, but rather that clothing one wears represents the feelings they want to give others.) So, you need to ask yourself: "How do I want others to see me?" "What sort of feeling do I want to invoke within others?" After deciding on an answer, look around for clothing that makes you feel this way. Then you'll be better able to embody how you want others to feel in the clothing.

STEP 2: Is your closet still full of items you no longer align with?

Once you've settled the previous step, you need to go through your closet and see what aligns and what doesn't. Clothing that aligns with how you want to present yourself can stay, but clothing that does not should be given to friends and family, donated or sold online (you could even reuse it for another purpose, just please don't throw it away haphazardly).

STEP 3: What's your lifestyle? What's your climate?

Now that the clothing that does not align with you is given away, you should choose clothing that aligns with your lifestyle and climate. Clothing that is not in sync with your lifestyle is very likely to cause problems finding outfits for everyday occurrences (another one of my struggles -- I only had really nice clothes for events, but nothing to wear on a quick errand or simple day out). A closet should be balanced! In addition, you need to take note of your climate. If it's often cold, you'll need clothing that makes you warm. If the heat is absolutely wild (like where I live), you'll need more clothing that is loose fitted or made out of materials that are cooling.

Closing Thoughts

In general, the golden rule is that all clothing in your closet must align with how you want to present yourself, your lifestyle and your climate. Also, although you may have a set style that you are cultivating, always experiment. This can add more depth to your personal style.

I hope this post helped! X's and O's, Elle.

[alpaca-clouds]

The Power Of Media

I need do address one thing, because I see that kinda mindset creep up again and again.

Basically, under postings about utopian media, be it Star Trek, Solarpunk, or - heck - just bare Hopepunk, sometimes people will just go: "Media does not do shit. It does not change the world."

And that just is... demonstrably fault and a very defeatist attitude.

Now, one thing first: Yes, media on its own will not change the world. It will not. If you have this mindset, you are right in so far. We can have endless amounts of hopeful media and the world will not change from it.

But...

We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words. - Ursula K. LeGuin

This quote of Ursula K. LeGuin is very powerful to me. Because it really captures the issue very well.

See. Right now we get bombarded with capitalist propaganda left and right. It already starts in school, we will often get it at home and obviously in media again and again.

It is so hard to escape, that to many it is hard to imagine that there ever could be anything else. I mean, we even have the issue within Solarpunk. When I read through those Solarpunk Anthologies, I will again and again find stories, that feature either capitalist worlds - or a world that has to be rebuild after the apocalypse. Because people really struggle imagining how it could be otherwise.

And this is why fiction is so important. Why Hopepunk is so important.

A lot of young people right now are able to see that the system is broken, that it has left them behind. Most young folks, who do not come from generational wealth, see that they will under the current system never own their own house. Their own retirement seems to be rather unlikely. And that is, if they do not die before from either the effects of climate change, from some pandemic through which we have to work because line needs to go up, or just in general because the health care system does not take care of them.

And these young people are willing to fight. They are. But right now they are only fighting against a system. They do not know what they fight for.

I know, for some this might sound like a small thing. But it is not. Especially not in a world, where more and more people are struggling with their mental health.

People need hope.

And again: No, it is not enough on its own. Just hopeful fiction on its own runs the danger of just being endless escapism.

We also need to offer mutual aid for each other. We also need to organize. And, yeah, we need to protest and actually get out there to fight.

But don't underestimate the power of fiction, when it comes to giving people something to fight for.

We know that media and stories have these powers. It is, after all, why those in powers dripfeed us the kinda stories that vilify those, who want to change the system. That tell us, that "everything is fine, okay, just trust the good billionaires" and what not. Because they understand this power.

And we should not leave this power to them along.

[eggiesins]

Any headcannons for old Sandrock? Like Martle, Howlett, B3, and whoever else you want. Since there's so little about literally any of them, just whatever comes to mind.

(Also feel free to skip. I've been microwaving Howlett in my brain for 8 months but I understand if you don't think about those guys)

Ooooo this is a good one. I got a bit rambly with it, so most of this will be under the cut, teehee

Honestly, when I think of old Sandrock, it's mostly Martle rattling around in my brain. I want her to secretly be alive SO BAD. There's just not enough resolution to her story. Did she find what she was looking for and just never made it back to Sandrock? Did she die in the attempt? How far out was she travelling? Could she have ended up in the Peripheries and taken out by a monster? It just seems too easy to think that she got caught up in a bad sandstorm, but idk.

Personally, I like to believe that she did find some way to help Sandrock, but because she was exploring alone (the game's themes focus heavily on the necessity of community and family in the face of overwhelming odds) she just never made it back, for whatever fatal reason. Maybe she found a way up to the starship ruins only to find some early Duvosians scouting the area for relics. It's the fact that she insisted on going out alone, and in her letter to Mort even told him to take Zeke and find somewhere else to live if she doesn't return. Like, even the great founder of Sandrock couldn't bring herself to believe in the strength of community and personal ties (probably jaded from watching her home be destroyed by massive communities of people) and that was the weakness that finally brought her down.

I do headcanon that Martle's spirit inhabits the Mama Tree, given that that's where Mort finds the last letter from her. It works poetically with her story too because we see Mama Tree dying, standing alone on her hilltop, watching over all the myriad life that she made possible through her strength and perseverance. And in reviving the tree, we wrap up the story of the town's revival as well. Mama Tree stood powerless, forced to watch as scores of her children were destroyed in the name of development and greed, just like Martle did, and I can only imagine the kind of toll that would take on a person.

Now Howlett is a tasty morsel to dive into because obviously, this is a central figure in Logan's life, and his death is the inciting incident for the entire plot of the game. He's arguably the most important character to the story, and we never get to meet him or know him. That said, I've seen a lot of fanworks that tackle what Howlett was like with Logan, especially after Carmen left, and they do it so well that I don't really feel like I've got anything to add that would be original or beneficial in any way, unfortunately.

For B3, I honestly think he's a bit of a Chuck Norris easter egg lol. Like, I grew up in the southern US and was always being fed stories of the super badass Texas Rangers (current political climate notwithstanding b/c highkey fuck living in Texas rn), and when Justice talks about B3 in-game, it sounds exactly like those stories. So I do choose to believe that B3 is a really lowkey reference to Walker, Texas Ranger.

[urban-fleabag]

hi!! i do feel kinda weird for asking for therian tips like right after you got an ask on the same subject but i was def wondering if i could have any feline tips? for reference i am a cladotherian (felidae) and i kinda just have felt kinda disconnected from my therianthropy so i was wondering if theres anything i can do about that? i am not comfy meditating just for personal reasons and i dont do much quads or vocals due to an unsafe environment in my home. i kind of am generally wanting tips and things that can pass as human behavior just as a heads up!! im really sorry again if this is a super picky ask / if you dont want to do another one of these therian tip posts,,, thank you in advance if you end up responding <3 (/p heart)

You're all good, and I don't mind helping out where I can! You're not being picky, you're being specific and that's totally fine.

Anything that makes your room feel more comfortable to you is gonna be a huge help, since it's your space. If I understand right, cladotherians are all of that type of animal, right? That means you've got a ton of options to try out to see what room arrangements feel like a cozy home, and which of those you can pass off as a "nature aesthetic"- when I was a little kid my room was entirely jungle themed because I was absolutely obsessed with animals, and if when I moved in with my grandma I could've kept it I absolutely would've. Having a nature theme in there that's similar to an environment you'd have lived in could make you feel more at home!

Next, birdwatching in the park or your yard can definitely feel like you're watching prey, especially if you're in a housecat type of mood, and that's easily a human behavior too! If you have a couch or chair that gets nice Sunbeam light during the day, I also recommend a nap there once in a while- therian or not that just feels good. If anyone asks, just say you got too cozy and dozed off. And, if you're the type to establish a territory, just walking in nature could really help you out here! Doubly so if you're feeling connected at the moment to a cat that suits the climate and current weather- take a nature walk and remind yourself that you're at home and you're part of all this.

All felines are obligated carnivores, so adding some extra meat (or meat-textured non meat foods if you don't eat meat) to your diet could make you feel like you're feeding your inner cat! If anyone asks, which they shouldn't, say you're just making sure you get enough protein, or if fish is your meat of choice, there are SO many good nutrients in fish that no one's going to question your uptick there.

Make the lack of vocals for you an advantage to you if you can. Many cats, especially feral domesticated cats, don't make a lot of sounds to start with! Housecats only meow as kittens and to humans for the most part, for example! So you might not be able to roar like a lion, but you can absolutely quietly stalk through your house like a panther, silent as to not alert your prey (leftovers in the fridge).

Also, if you've got a FiveBelow near you- they sell cat ear headphones! They're relatively cheap, under 15 iirc, comfortable and with decently good sound. It's gear without it being gear! If anyone questions, it's a trend to put cat ears on headphones right now, especially if you happen to be a gamer. I can personally attest to these, because they were the cheapest ones there for a while I had a couple pairs and they're super comfy.

I also recommend playing games that have you playing as different felines- it's weird to say but Roblox has a lot of these, give some a try and really get into the mindset.

I hope this helped! And remember- one day, your circumstances will change, and you'll be able to be as openly yourself as you want to be. There's a place in this world for creatures like us. ❤️