#frugal toddler

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Strays AU

Who are Lizard and Doll? What the hell is the Strays AU? Finally there is an easy way to answer these questions without going through 100 memes to figure it out.

Who is Lizard:

Lizard is the reader from Was It Worth It?

She is 14 pre-timeskip

After Crocodile is defeated, Robin brings Lizard with her when she joins the Straw Hats

Usopp, Chopper, and Zoro are all highly suspicious of her, the rest of the crew is more willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

She gets a bounty poster immediately after Alabasta because she is VERY wanted by the marines. Due to how dangerous her father was, her starting bounty is 50,000,000 berry.

She feels horribly guilty over what Crocodile did and spends her every waking moment trying to make up for it. Examples include: selling all her jewelry to help buy things for the crew/ship, doing everyone’s chores whether they asked her to or not, never asking for help, etc…

Possesses Armament Haki, it awakens from how stressed she is in Skypeia with Enel attacking the Straw Hats. It’s pretty weak, but is enough to shield Nami from Enel’s Observation Haki.

Everyone fully accepts Lizard post Skypeia, but it takes her a while to realize that because she’s so lost in her own head.

Luffy’s talk of freedom really rubs off on her, and she wants to save others from being in the situation she was in with her father.

The Straw Hats are normal, but Robin is a little yandere for her because she got attached to her over the years. Lizard finally gets to experience what normal familial relationships and friendships are supposed to be like.

As she gets more comfortable and confident, she goes from a sweet, mild mannered teenager to a take-no-shit pirate that will jump anyone she has a problem with.

Now that she’s no longer under her dad’s control and is truly seeing how money and finances work, she becomes extremely frugal as a result. She thinks her dad was insane for wasting as much money as he did.

Despite all of the resentment, she doesn’t actually hate Crocodile. She’s furious with him for starting a war and trying to kill Robin, but a part of her does still care for him. She was a daddy’s girl her whole life, that doesn’t just go away overnight. There is a lot of guilt stemming from this because she feels like she should hate him but just can’t.

She has a crush on Koby because he’s the only marine who doesn’t assume she’s just as bad as her father.

Who is Lady Camorra?

Lizard’s pet bananawani. She first got her when she was a toddler, and Lizard was the first person Lady Camorra saw after hatching. They’ve been inseparable ever since.

She is a juvenile, but is already 20 feet long (about 6 meters)

Lizard likes to tie bows around her head crest and color coordinates them with her own outfits

She’s a chonky girl from how well fed she is

Only takes commands from Lizard but is friendly enough towards the rest of the Straw Hats (except Sanji because he beat up her entire extended family back in Rainbase and she is NOT over it) 

Who is Doll?

Doll is the reader from Better Left Unsaid. She is gender neutral in the fic, but got labeled as a girl as the Strays AU developed because I forgot that the reader was GN in that fic. Oops.

She is 13 pre-timeskip

While she is reasonably confident around Shanks and his crew, she is a nervous wreck around literally anyone else due to how severely under socialized she is. She’s terrible at making eye contact and shakes like a leaf around new people.

Lizard catches wind of her existence and immediately decides she needs to be rescued (she does). 

Doll bounces between reveling in her newfound freedom and having panic attacks because she’s afraid Shanks is going to find her and murder all of her new friends.

Now that she’s gotten a taste of freedom, going back to Shanks is her worst nightmare. If she so much as thinks she saw him she is screaming and crying because she knows he isn’t going to change. She dislikes Shanks more than Lizard dislikes Crocodile.

She is an expert at lockpicking, being able to break into any treasure chest helps endear her to Nami.

While Nami is unhappy about having an emperor hunting them down, her and the rest of the crew are quick to take Doll under their wing.

Uta is her older sister, but she doesn’t remember her at all and only has photos to go off of.

What is the Strays AU?

This is an AU where Lizard, Doll and Lucky (from Lucky Break) are all a part of the Straw Hats at the same time.

Lucky is a big sister to both Lizard and Doll.

Rumors start to speculate that Lucky and Lizard are actually siblings, and they both go with it because it’s funny.

Lizard gets very protective of both Luck and Doll and sicks Lady Camorra on anyone who bothers them.

I'll add more to this as it develops

[lorei-writes]

Confession

Chevalier x Esther (Various Works: Esther x Chevalier) // Impromptu Drabble // ~300 words // Warnings: pregnancy mention

At first it was supposed to be just another "OC Brainrot" post, but it got a little out of hand... It is a glimpse into the situation shortly before Chevalier and Esther got married.

I hesitate to even tag anybody, since it is so rough... But so be it. It wanted to get out, so out it is. Best to accept it with all the implications.

-----

It isn't common for Esther to sit in complete darkness. Yes, she is frugal, often annoyingly so, but never stingy. Not when it is about just a single candle.

Chevalier closes the door.

She does not respond.

The carpet is littered with toys, from stuffed bears and cats to Clavis-made blobs of various kinds and patterns, dolls, building blocks... He does not remember where any of them lie. Chevalier merely steps carefully and hopes not to fall prey to the most unpredictable of things: his toddler's mind. The windowsill is both far away and close enough. He approaches it wordlessly.

Esther does not look at him, not even when his hand drops onto her shoulder. Her attention is anchored firmly in the gardens, her eyes drifting from a twig to a branch, to even the smallest of leaves, clearly searching for something they may hold captive. Whether she finds it, that he does not know.

"I didn't get the absolution," she says eventually, rather strained. "I've confessed my sins, but the father didn't reply. So I asked, I wanted to know what it was."

Esther breathes in deeply and she sighs, her frame trembling underneath his fingers. Her kindness has boiled down to anger, and she is seething, hands gripping at her skirt. Nevertheless, Esther still turns to face him, illuminated only by the dim light of the garden lanterns. Shadows obscure her face.

For the better.

For the worse.

"I'm never saying that Rosalie was a sin nor that loving you is one, Chevalier." Her hand falls to rest over her belly as he draws her into an embrace. "And I am not sorry for carrying our second either."

Politics make marriage complicated, Chevalier has been painfully aware of the fact. The church, however, has made an enemy of the wrong man.

---

Tag List: @lancelotscloak @violettduchess @pathogenic @fang-and-feather @tele86

@rinaririr @keithsandwich @cheese-ception @bis-enti @claviscollections

@queengiuliettafirstlady @sh0jun @lucyw260 @solacedeer @bicayaya

@faustianfascination @m-mmiy @starlitmanor-network

[alice-in-adventureland]

🌈 TS3 ARCHETYPE LEGACY CHALLENGE

to celebrate 100 followers (thank you!!) i’m sharing this 12-generation legacy challenge i created based on the 12 jungian archetypes where each generation represents one of the archetypes. it’s mostly trait-based with some requirements for each generation. feel free to tweak them however you want–these are guidelines, not strict rules, it’s meant to be fun after all! the challenge is completed once the 13th generation is born (or once you’re bored 🤷)

credit: quotes and inspiration taken from this article

the set-up:

start by creating your founder (a YA sim) that represents one of the archetypes described below. for this challenge the order doesn’t matter, choose based on what makes the most sense storytelling-wise or use a number generator for extra randomness

the founder and each heir must all have a primary trait that corresponds to their respective archetype as well as a secondary trait selected from a given list (see archetype rules below). the remaining 3 traits are up to you except for the ones that aren’t allowed for that generation (we’ll call them “conflicting traits”). if a child is born with a conflicting trait they may not become heir unless you replace that trait via alchemy/cheating. to make the trait assignment process easier i highly recommend downloading the mod that enables all traits for all ages

lifetime wishes are up to you

there are no rules for other sims in your household, only for your founder and heirs (but there are some requirements that may involve their spouses/children in some way)

...now for the archetypes!

the 12 archetypes:

1. THE INNOCENT 🐣 “free to be you and me”

primary trait: GOOD

secondary trait (choose at least one): absent-minded, easily impressed, excitable, friendly, loves the outdoors, family-oriented, over-emotional, childish, hopeless romantic

conflicting traits: mean-spirited, snob, evil

may be employed in any career except crime, politics and scam artist branch of fortune telling (no place for pure innocent souls like them)

every time sim wishes to donate to charity, they must fulfill that wish

may only woohoo on 3d date

may not cheat or have multiple romantic interests

may only try for baby with their spouse

if an innocent heir receives an imaginary friend doll as a toddler, it must come alive and they must remain good friends till the end of the run

must pet a unicorn at least once

2. THE EVERYSIM 🤝 “all sims are created equal”

note: most of the time it’s impossible to prevent your sim from becoming at least a 1-star celebrity, so personally i would play an everysim by opting the household out of the celebrity system in the gameplay options menu.

primary trait: FRIENDLY

secondary trait (choose at least one): easily impressed, excitable, frugal, good sense of humor, workaholic, green thumb, handy, schmoozer

conflicting traits: snob, rebellious, avantgarde, star quality, natural born performer, loner

may not be self-employed (freelancing is too lonely for someone who wants to belong)

may be employed in any career except those that are supernatural-related or feature being in the spotlight (showtime careers, singer or band, actor etc.), but they may only reach level 5 of any career track. they may change careers as many times as you wish

must have one “normal” hobby (e.g. gardening, fishing, horse riding etc.)

must fix every appliance on the lot by themselves

must be friends with their neighbor(s) or/and colleagues and invite them over for dinner at least once a week

must always do the suck up to boss interaction for at least 2 hours every work day

may not accept opportunities that increase celebrity points (or any opportunities at all, if you want extra limitations)

may not be friends with sims who have rebel influence (unless colleagues or neighbors)

may not cook ambrosia or use other “magical” ways to control their aging

may not interact with supernatural or magical things (e.g. alchemy, woodoo dolls, bonehilda coffins, imaginary friends, unicorns etc.)

may not become a supernatural

may not socialize with supernaturals, unless they are your colleagues/neighbors OR unless your sim was born a supernatural

if your sim was born a supernatural, there are 2 ways of developing the storyline:

i. find the cure asap and prove that you renounce your past by gaining an enemy among the members of the appropriate occult and winning a fight against them ii. find a community of members of your occult type. group up with at least one fellow supernatural every week, marry and have children only within your occult type (if needed, you can be the one to turn them). however, you can’t be the leader of this community (e.g. the leader of a werewolf pack, the king/queen of the fae etc.)

must only marry or have children with a person from their community: either a colleague, a sim who lives nearby, someone who shares your sim’s traits etc. if your sim was born a supernatural, their spouse must be the same type of occult as your sim

if the sim’s child receives an imaginary friend doll you may not allow them to interact with it unless it’s the heir who was rolled as the innocent (in which case they must befriend the doll) 

3. THE HERO 💪 “where there’s a will, there’s a way”

primary trait: BRAVE

secondary trait (choose at least one): athletic, disciplined, friendly, good, adventurous, daredevil, lucky, star quality, social butterfly

conflicting traits: snob, proper, loner, coward

may be employed in the following careers: law enforcement (special agent), military, professional sports, firefighter, ghost hunter, lifeguard

must reach level 10 in the selected career track

must reach a 5-star celebrity level

may not have burglar or fire alarms on their home lot and must always fight the burglar or extinguish the fire by themselves

must explore at least one rabbit hole (e.g. masoleum, haunted house etc.)

must perform the “promise to protect” interaction with every new sim they meet (aim to have the “protector” moodlet at all times)

must drive a motorcycle

4. THE CAREGIVER 🧸 “love your neighbor as yourself”

primary trait: FAMILY-ORIENTED

secondary trait (choose at least one): frugal, neat, natural cook, animal lover, nurturing

conflicting traits: commitment issues, dislikes children, slob, evil, mean-spirited

may be self-employed or work in the following careers: medicine, culinary, education, daycare

may not try for baby until they have acquired the fertility treatment lifetime reward

once the fertility reward is acquired, you must try for baby each time instead of woohoing (but you can change the chance of pregnancy via nraas/use risky woohoo)

must always dance to kids music for a couple of hours during each pregnancy (to increase the chance of triplets)

may not hire a babysitter–they must care for their toddlers themselves

all toddlers must learn the 3 basic skills (walking, talking & potty). other members of the household may help, but your sim must take part as well

may not go to work when there are toddlers on the lot. they may work from home if they’re self-employed. once all toddlers have aged up to children, the sim may travel to work if there are other sims in the household who can watch the kids (not special services)

must teach teenage children to drive

must be best friends with all their children by the time they reach teenagehood

may not send their kids to boarding schools

must help every child with homework at least once

if pets ep is installed: must have at least one pet. another idea you can play out is start a pet legacy that will continue on together with the main legacy

if a member of a household is deceased while playing the caregiver, you must leave their tombstone on your home lot and let the ghost roam freely

5. THE EXPLORER 🧭 “don’t fence me in”

primary trait: LOVES THE OUTDOORS

secondary traits (choose at least one): adventurous, lucky, rebellious, brave, commitment issues, gatherer, athletic

conflicting traits: couch potato, coward, hates the outdoors

may only be self-employed as only freelance works for explorers who need as much freedom as possible

must move to a different lot every week until they have children who live on the same lot as them, then they can build a legacy house and settle down

must visit all 3 countries, explore at least one tomb in each one and befriend at least one sim from each country

may not try for baby until they’ve visited all 3 countries

each time your sim woohoos, they must do it in a different location. try to woohoo in as many different spots as you can!

may only marry/have children with sims who are different from them in some way (an opposite trait, appearance, an occult, a foreign sim etc.)

when the successor reaches childhood stage, your sim must travel with them to a country of your choice to “show them the world”

when they settle down and get married, every week you have to roll a number to determine whether the union is going to survive (if it’s 1 keep them together, if it’s 2 break them up). the exception is when the spouse is pregnant, in this case you may wait until they give birth and then roll. keep doing this until you switch to the next heir

must complete at least one collection (gems, rocks, butterflies etc.) 

must fulfill all midlife crisis wishes

must accept every opportunity they get

must take at least one picture a day (to remember all the majestic experiences)

must attend every seasonal festival

6. THE REBEL 📣 “rules are made to be broken”

primary trait: LONER or REBELLIOUS

secondary traits (choose at least one): artistic, daredevil, hot-headed, inappropriate, kleptomaniac, rebellious, loner, avantgarde, charismatic, dramatic

conflicting traits: proper

may only be self-employed or work in the following careers: criminal (thief), journalism, music (rock), politics. can also be a band member

must organize protests every week

teen must pull a prank every day

teen must skip school at least once

teen must stay out past curfew at least once

must get at least 3 tattoos (may not ignore any tattoo wishes)

must write at least one satire book (you’ll need to write 4 humor books for that, but you can also do it with lvl. 4 in writing skill if you have the avantgarde trait)

if the sim is a politician, they must write a political memoir, too

may not have a baby until their rebel influence is level 5 (try to max out the rebel influence)

7. THE LOVER 🌹 “you’re the only one”

primary trait: FLIRTY

secondary trait (choose at least one): friendly, good sense of humor, party animal, star quality, charismatic, great kisser, hopeless romantic, social butterfly, irresistible

conflicting traits: loner, shy, socially awkward, unflirty

may be employed in any career that features being in the spotlight (e.g. music, actor, showtime careers etc.)

must always use “talk to colleagues” interaction at work for a couple of hours (if working at a rabbit hole)

must try to impress every celebrity they encounter

must become a 5-star celebrity

must reach level 10 of charisma skill

must have their first kiss as a teen (unless it’s the founder)

teen must have a partner to go to prom with (aim to become prom queen/king)

must accept every party invitation

must host a party every week

must go on a date every week. every date must result in woohoo or makeout (if there are no places available for woohoo)

must have someone stay over every week

must create an online dating profile and accept all messages they get there

may not try for baby before they’ve gone on 5 dates with different sims

must only get married after they’ve reached adulthood. after your sim gets married they don’t have to go on dates/have someone stay over anymore

must have a blog and post every day (unless they have a “blogged out” moodlet in which case you might wait till it passes)

must send at least one text every day

if you wish your sim may use life fruits or other ways to slow down aging as they are afraid of it, but only after reaching adulthood. you may not use the age freeze potion reward

8. THE ARTIST 🎨 “if you can imagine it, it can be done”

primary trait: ARTISTIC or VIRTUOSO

secondary traits (choose at least one): eccentric, artistic, virtuoso, ambitious, perfectionist, rebellious, photographer’s eye, avantgarde, savvy sculptor

conflicting traits: can’t stand art

may be (self-)employed in any creative career or profession (culinary, music, film, architecture, band, stylist, painter, photographer, writer, game development, artist, inventor, sculptor)

must paint a portrait/make a sculpture of every sim in their household

must reach level 10 of their career

must reach level 10 in a creative skill of your choice as well as complete at least 1 skill challenge

must have an art gallery at home filled with their creations (alernatively could be a separate lot that you own)

must have a muse (or several of them), a sim who inspires them to create art

9. THE JESTER 🃏 “you only live once”

primary trait: GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR

secondary traits (choose at least one): friendly, insane, inappropriate, rebellious, star quality, charismatic, childish

conflicting traits: snob, proper, no sense of humor

may be employed in any career or profession, but they may only reach level 3 before “getting fired” for improper behavior. they may also be self-employed, in which case there’s no limit to how high they can score. if you chose a showtime career for your sim, there are also no limits

child sim must skip school at least twice

teen sim must pull every existing type of prank. that includes booby traps, neighborhood pranks and school pranks

teen must stay out past curfew at least once

must write a best-selling humor book (you’ll probably need to write several of them to reach the best-selling status)

must write at least one satire book (you’ll need to write 4 humor books to be able to do that)

must troll on forums at least every other day (you’ll need the inappropriate, mean-spirited, evil or grumpy trait to perform this action, so if you really don’t want your sim to have one of these traits you can ignore this rule)

every time the sim swims, they must skinny dip (unless there are children on the lot)

10. THE SAGE 📜 “the truth will set you free”

primary trait: GENIUS

secondary traits (choose at least one): loner, perceptive, ambitious, bookworm, computer whiz, perfectionist, workaholic, brooding, shy

conflicting traits: party animal, social butterfly, couch potato

may be (self-)employed in any career or profession that requires logic or creative skill

must always keep their nerd influence at the minimum level of 5 and win at least 3 trivia challenges

must visit the library/comic store every week

must get on an honor roll as a child and teen

must go to university and get an “a” degree

must reach level 10 of logic skill by adulthood

must max out 2 other skills of your choice

must complete at least one logic skill challenge (grand master, celestial explorer, teacher extraordinaire or skill professor)

must unlock and test all potions on chemistry table

must have at least one child via a non-conventional method (alien abduction, wishing well, plantsim, engineer a baby)

11. THE MAGICIAN 🚀 “i make things happen”

primary trait: BOOKWORM

secondary traits (choose at least one): eccentric, genius, perceptive, ambitious, supernatural fan, charismatic, gatherer

conflicting traits: couch potato, supernatural skeptic 

may be self-employed or employed in the following careers: science, education, fortunetelling (mystic), magician

must reach level 10 of selected career

must be an occult or reach level 10 of alchemy skill. (alternatively: if you don’t have supernatural ep your sim must create ambrosia and master gardening skill)

if your sim is an occult, they must learn all the skills connected to their life state

must use an elixir on themselves/other sims at least once a week

must write at least one horror book (if you have the supernatural fan trait you’ll only need to have lvl 2 writing skill)

must visit the graveyard and talk to ghosts at least once a week

must achieve at least one “unbelievable” thing (example: create a simbot, resurrect a dead sim, clone yourself, cause a utopian future, befriend a unicorn–up to you)

this is the only archetype that’s allowed to be immortal

12. THE RULER 👑 “power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing”

primary trait: AMBITIOUS

secondary traits (choose at least one): evil, family-oriented, mean-spirited, perfectionist, snob, workaholic, charismatic

conflicting traits: couch potato, good, shy, socially awkward

must reach level 10 of criminal (evil), politics or business career

if your sim is employed in politics, they must write a political memoir

must reach level 10 of charisma skill

must establish an inner circle and invite them over every week to discuss their plans for world domination

must get married before reaching adulthood. the marriage must be arranged (the criteria is up to you, an example would be choosing a wealthy spouse or a vampire if your sim is also one)

once the sim gets married, their spouse must quit their current job and get employed in the same career track as your sim

must drive an expensive car

must purchase at least 3 properties

must accumulate at least 50,000 simoleons of wealth

once the household is worth more than 50k, they must donate 1,000 simoleons to charity every week (to avoid paying taxes and improve public image). this option will be available once you reach level 3 of charisma skill. if it’s worth more than 100k simoleons, it should be 5,000 simoleons per week

if sim is a supernatural, they must be the leader (e.g. leader of the pack, king of the fae) and must turn all their colleagues and friends into this type of occult. their spouse must belong or be turned into the same type of occult, too

p.s. this challenge is a work in progress. if you have any suggestions/ideas, feel free to message me, i would appreciate your help A TON. rn i feel like some archetypes are lacking compared to others, but i’m all out of ideas–hoping to update it in the future. and, finally, if you decide to play this challenge and post your gameplay–tag me, i would love to see what your sims are up to! 

@simschallenges​

[altocat]

Hehe, I'll be bold today.

Can I read headcanons about Angeal in a romantic relationship? For myself :3

angst during CrisisCore time are welcome!

I'm such a strange person ~

Always room for a bit of Angeal!

Angeal has an active indoor garden he tends to. And while most of it is harmless plants for the sake of decoration, he might try his hand at fresh flowers, if only so that he has something he can bring to his s/o every now and then as a gift.

Angeal is very active, though he isn't AS hyperfocused on maintaining a set schedule as someone like, for example, Sephiroth. So while he has a lot of chores and responsibilities, he'll gladly switch things around to spend time with his special person.

Cooking for his person is MANDATORY. Angeal is constantly shoving food at them, asking if they ate, if they want a snack or some dessert.

Angeal snores and is extremely embarrassed by it. He buys his partner special nighttime earbuds out of shame. That's the tradeoff for bedtime cuddling.

Angeal is a dog person and, unfortunately, has a bit of a cat allergy. BUT with that said, he will tolerate his partner's cat as much as he can. The man is a pile of runny eyes and snot, all while giving you a thumbs up.

Angeal can occasionally be a frugal asshole, but that's only because of his impoverished upbringing. He's scared of spending money because he wants to make sure it's always there for an emergency. His partner has to coax him little by little into using it for some actual fun.

Speaking of his background, Angeal likes to bring his partner home to meet his mother every now and then.

Talking about his dead dad is....hard for him. Angeal loved him more than anything and it was the death of his father that inspired him to follow his code of "dreams and honor". He never brings up his father to his partner, and whenever it DOES come up, Angeal gets kind of teary about it. More gentle coaxing is needed. He's still not completely over it.

Angeal's #1 house-rule is that if Genesis is at your doorstep, DO NOT ANSWER THE DOOR. Under any circumstances.

Sephiroth is allowed inside, though he's not great company. He mostly just acts cold and aloof around any of Angeal's romantic partners, detached and unfriendly.

Zack is to be trusted, but also monitored like a grabby toddler. You never know what he's up to. And Angeal isn't taking any chances.

[annahesmondhalgh]

SIMS 4 ALPHABET CHALLENGE

Hello! This is the first challenge I have ever made, and yeah, it’s a lot. Basically it is every single trait, along with every single skill and aspiration and world etc etc etc, turned into a challenge based on the letter it starts with.I included every expansion pack, game pack and so forth, but of course you can just limit it to what packs you own yourself, even I don’t have them all so I’ve been playing it slightly different to how it is presented here.

Basically, the first two letters, A and B, are partners and then they have four kids, any of those four kids can be picked as the leader of the next generation, therefore having four kids of their own. So on and so forth until the last child who is simply an amalgamation of all the last letters. 

For this challenge, one must complete every aspiration (child, teen and adult) associated with their letter. They must complete all the aspirations, all the skills, all the careers, and buy the corresponding reward traits. As well as this, if they have a character value trait then they must have that by the time they are an adult. Also, all of the worlds corresponding with their letters must be lived in for at least some period of time throughout their life.

I know this must look super overwhelming, especially for some letters like M or S, but don’t be too harsh on yourself and just have heaps of fun! Tag me if you end up doing this, I would love love love to see xxoxoxoxoxoox

First Gen Host: A

Teen Aspiration: Admired Icon

Child Aspiration: Artistic Prodigy

Aspirations to Complete: Academic, Archaeology Scholar, Angling Ace

Traits: Active, Art Lover, Adventurous

Toddler Trait: Angelic

Character Value Trait: Argumentative

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Always Welcome, Antiseptic

Skills to Master: Acting, Archaeology

Careers to Master: Astronaut, Athlete, Actor

First Gen Partner: B

World: Britechester/Brindleton Bay

Aspirations to Complete: Bodybuilder, Bestselling Author, Big Happy Family, Beach Life

Traits: Bookworm, Bro, Any

Skills to Master: Baking, Bowling

Character Value Trait: Bad Manners

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Brave, Beguiling

Careers to Master: Business

Part Time Jobs: Babysitter, Barista

Second Gen Child 1: C

World: Copperdale

Child Aspiration: Creative Genius

Aspirations to Complete: Chief of Mischief, Computer Whiz, City Native, Country Caretaker, Cure Seeker

Traits: Cheerful, Creative, Cat Lover

Infant Trait: Cautious/Calm

Toddler Trait: Charmer/Clingy

Character Value Trait: Compassionate

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Cold Acclimation, Creative Visionary, Carefree, Connections, 

Skills to Master: Charisma, Comedy, Cooking, Cross stitch 

Careers to Master: Criminal, Culinary, Critic, Conservationist, Civil Designer

Second Gen Child 2: D

World: Del Sol Valley

Teen Aspiration: Drama Llama

Aspirations to Complete: Any

Traits: Dance Machine, Dog Lover, Any

Skills to Master: Dancing, DJ Mixing

Careers to Master: Detective, Doctor

Part Time Job: Diver

Extra: Drama Club as a Child

Second Gen Child 3: E

World: Evergreen Harbour

Aspirations to Complete: Extreme Sports Enthusiast, Eco Innovator, Enforcer of Order, Emissary of the Collective

Traits: Erratic, Evil, Any

Character Value Trait: Emotional Control

Skills to Master: None

Satisfaction Reward Trait: Entrepreneurial

Careers to Master: Entertainer, Education, Engineer

Extra: E-Sports Competitor in University

Second Gen Child 4: F

World: Forgotten Hollow

Aspirations to Complete: Friend of the Animals, Fabulously Wealthy, Freelance Botanist, Friend of the World, Fabulously Filthy

Traits: Foodie, Freegan, Family Oriented

Toddler Trait: Fussy

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Free Services, Frugal, Fertile, Forever Fresh, Forever Full, 

Skills to Master: Fabrication, Fishing, Fitness, Flower Arranging

Career: Freelancer

Part Time Job: Fast Food Employee, Fisherman

Generation 3 Child 1: G

World: Granite Falls/Glimmerbrook

Teen Aspiration: Goal Oriented

Aspirations to Complete: Good Vampire, Galactic Privateer

Traits: Genius, Gloomy, Goofball

Character Value Trait: Good Manners

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Great Storyteller, Gym Rat, Great Kisser

Skills to Master: Gardening, Guitar, Gourmet Cooking

Careers: Gardener

Generation 3 Child 2: H

World: Henford On Bagley

Aspirations to Complete: Hope vs Order 

Traits: High Maintenance, Hot-Headed, Hates Children

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Heat Acclimation, Heatproof, Hardly Hungry

Skills to Master: Handiness, Herbalism

Career: None

Generation 3 Child 3: I

Aspirations to Complete: Inner Peace 

Traits: Insider, Any, Any

Infant Trait: Intense

Toddler Trait: Independant/Inquisitive

Character Value Trait: Irresponsible, Insensitive

Satisfaction Reward Trait: Ice Proof, Incredibly Friendly, Independent, Inspired Explorer

Skills to Master: None

Career: Interior Designer 

Generation 3 Child 4: J

Aspirations: Joke Star, Jungle Explorer

Traits: Jealous, Any, Any

Skills: Juice Fizzing 

Career: None

Generation 4 Child 1: K

Aspirations: Any

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Any, Any

Skills: Knitting 

Career: None

Generation 4 Child 2: L 

Teen Aspiration: Live Fast

Aspirations: Leader of the Pack, Lord/Lady of the Knits, Lone Wolf

Traits: Lazy, Loves Outdoors, Lactose Intolerant

Skills: Logic

Career: Law

Part Time Job: Lifeguard

Generation 4 Child 3: M

World: Magnolia Promenade/Moonwood Mill/Mt. Komorebi

Child Aspiration: Mind and Body

Aspirations: Musical Genius, Master Actor/Actress, Master Mixologist, Mansion Baron, Mt Komorebi Sightseer, Master Maker, Master Chef, Master Vampire

Traits: Maker, Music Lover, Materialistic

Character Value Trait: Mediator

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Mentor, Morning Sim, Marketable

Skills: Media Production, Medium, Mischief, Mixology

Career: Military

Part Time Jobs: Manual Labourer

Generation 4 Child 4: N

World: Newcrest

Aspirations: Nerd Brain, Neighbourhood Confidante 

Traits: Neat, Noncommittal, Any

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Never Weary, Needs No One, Night Owl

Skills: None

Career: None

Generation 5 Child 1: O

World: Oasis Springs

Aspirations: Outdoor Enthusiast

Traits: Outgoing, Overachiever, Any

Satisfaction Reward Trait: Observant

Skills: None

Career: None

Generation 5 Child 2: P

Child Aspiration: Playtime Captain

Aspirations: Painter Extraordinaire, Public Enemy, Perfectly Pristine, Purveyor of Potions, Paragon of Hope

Traits: Perfectionist, Paranoid, Proper

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Professional Slacker, Paranormal Investigator

Skills: Painting, Parenting, Pet Training, Photography, Piano, Pipe Organ, Programming

Career: Painter, Politician

Miss Q

Generation 5 Child 3: R

Child Aspiration: Rambunctious Scamp

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Traits: Romantic, Recycle Disciple, Any

Character Value Trait: Responsible

Skills: Research and Debate, Robotics, Rocket Science, Rock Climbing 

Career: None

Part Time Job: Retail Employee

Generation 5 Child 4: S

World: Strangerville/Selvadorada/San Myshuno/San Sequoia/Sulani

Child Aspirations: Social Butterfly, Slumber Party Animal

Aspiration: Soulmate, Serial Romantic, Successful Lineage, Super Parent, Spellcraft and Sorcery, Strangerville Mystery, Self Care Specialist 

Traits: Self-Assured, Slob, Squeamish 

Infant Trait: Sensitive/Sunny

Toddler Trait: Silly

Satisfaction Reward Traits: Super Green Thumb, Seldom Sleepy, Savant, Steel Bladder, Shameless, Stoves and Grills Master, Storm Chaser, Speed Reader, Speed Cleaner

Skills: Selvadoradian Culture, Singing, Skiing, Snowboarding 

Careers: Scientist, Secret Agent, Social Media, Style Influencer, Salaryperson

Part Time Job: Scouting Career Scout, Simfluencer

Extra: Soccer Team Player in University

Generation 6 Child One and Only: Left Over Letters

World: Tartosa/Willow Creek/Windenburg

Child Aspiration: Whiz Kid

Aspirations: The Curator, World Famous Celebrity, Villainous Valentine, Vampire Family, Zen Guru, Werewolf Initiate, Wildfang Renegade

Traits: Unflirty, Vegetarian, Any

Infant Trait: Wiggly

Toddler Trait: Wild

Character Value Trait: Uncontrolled Emotions

Satisfaction Reward Trait: Waterproof

Skills: Vampiric Law, Veterinarian, Video Gaming, Violin, Wellness, Writing

Careers: Tech Guru, Writer

Part Time Job: Video Game Streamer

[cloudberry-sims]

The Bramblethorn family: Yeoman farmers 🥕

The Bramblethorn family is a large one , so large in fact that there were 16 different households all with the last name of Bramblethorn. Knox being the youngest male in the Bramblethorn brood of his generation had little land and no prospects to fully support his family as humble farmers , he jumped on the chance of owning a bigger piece of land in Hopebury. 

Will the Bramblethorns grow and prosper? 

🥕 Knox Bramblethorn

Adult

Athletic/Frugal/Childish/Light sleeper/Ambitious 

🥕 Solaine Bramblethorn

Adult

No sense of humor/Sailor/Perfectionist/Heavy Sleeper/Coward 

(Potential midwife)

🥕 Udele Bramblethorn

Child

Family Oriented/Ambitious/Angler 

🥕 Zedric Bramblethorn

Child

Night Owl/Neat/Frugal

🥕 Ywain Bramblethorn

Toddler 

Brave/Couch Potato 

[babblingstacey]

Gerdie the Super Sim

I've found myself not keeping with my storylines and getting stressed out over taking screenshots the past few months - also my computer has been in use for other things so I couldn't play. But I decided to do a chill Super Sim challenge and I've brought back Gerdie to do it. And it worked - I had fun playing this so I'm going to continue. I'm using James Turner's Super Sim tracker (yes, I link to his site a lot, but I really like the tools he has set up).

I thought about using a totally new Sim for it - getting all the infant, toddler, child & teen milestones - but honestly, that didn't sound much fun so...it's Gerdie, since she had a lot of things out the way all ready. With that thought process, I probably could have gone with one of my Globetrotter Sims since they completed a lot already. But honestly? I missed her. I moved her to a completely new save so I don't have to worry about her past story and her skills/traits would carry over. My plan is also to move her to different worlds and build her a new house, since I really like building and I'll get bored if she has to live in the same place all the time.

No idea how much I'll be screenshotting/posting, but since I finished a season, I thought I'd start keeping track here of all of her accomplishments.

Gerdie Visser-Pancakes

Traits: Genius, Loves the Outdoors, Socially Awkward Outgoing, Clumsy, Lactose Intolerant (Had 2 popups if she wanted to change her trait from Socially Awkward to Outgoing so I decided to go with it. I decided that's my rule)

Current Residence: Mt Komerabi

Likes: Idealist Sims, Homebody Sims, Gardening, Black, Purple, Handiness, Cooking, Dancing, Knitting, Skiing, Rock Climbing, Fitness, Photography

Dislikes: Yellow

(I say yes to any new like - except music genres, because they annoy me with the wants. I don't remember why she dislikes yellow and I haven't received any other dislike requests)

Progress under the cut.

End of Summer, year 1

Current Completed Aspirations: Nerd Brain, Mt Komerabi Sightseer. (plus Whiz Kid as a child).

Aspirations In progress: Extreme Sports Enthusiast, Lady of the Knits, Curator, Fabulously Wealthy (passive), Renaissance Sim (passive)

Current Career: Scientist (level 8)

Completed Careers: Scout, Chess Team Member.

Current Completed Skills: Handiness, Logic, Skiing (plus all toddler and several child ones, but I can't find that info)

Very Close to complete: Rock Climbing (level 9), Cooking (level 9), Fitness (level 9)

Reward Traits: Always Welcome, Gym Rat, Observant, Speed Cleaner, Great Stoyteller, Heat Acclimation, Cold Acclimation, Waterproof, Morning Sim, Night Owl, Speed Reader, Strom Chaser, Free Services, Entrepreneurial, Frugal, Independent, Steel Bladder, Carefree, Savant, Brave.

On to fall - need to work on snowboarding before we move - and get that last animal attack to finish the Extreme Sports.

[rockethorse]

Day 3: Four fully-furnished starter tiny homes at varying budgets!

Most starter homes are meant to be blank canvases, but I wanted some that already had personality so you could jump right into playing. I was also inspired by “smallest home possible for X Sims/Y budget-” YouTube videos for TS4 and wanted to try it in TS2! Edit: I forgot to mention- as usual, these are CC free.

§20k Starters for up to 8 Sims

The first two are both your average 20k starter designed to house large families. The blue house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and is furnished for four Sims by default, while the red house has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and is furnished for eight Sims (!) by default.

Both have a whole 10x10 worth of backyard space, because that's kind of important when things are so crowded - but if you want to shave off even more space or money, the actual houses are built such that the lots can easily be shrunk with the Lot Adjuster to just 10x10 total.

§19,650 - 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom

§19,952 - 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom

Both lots have the same downstairs layout, while the red house has a smaller upstairs landing to facilitate an extra bedroom. By default, the red house assumes two baby/toddler residents, but you can sell both cribs and the potty to afford two more beds whilst staying under-budget.

The back yards are half-”paved” in free-to-own terrain paint in preparation for any outdoor furniture you might want to place. I recommend making use of neighbourhood decorations for free landscaping! Obviously they look boxy and a bit funny on their own, but they look good placed in a row, or squeezed into a small space in an already-populated suburb.

BE AWARE that neither house includes burglar or fire alarms/sprinklers; however, the blue house will leave you with enough Simoleons to afford both. You could also choose to buy enough supplies for a cat and/or a dog with the budget left over.

The staircases have been placed with Nopke’s mod which allows Sims to pass underneath spiral stairs, functionality which should stick even if you don’t have the same mod (unless you buy new stairs). However, the house still functions even if Sims can’t pass underneath the stairs.

The little 2x1 space by the back door ended up being quite useful in such a tight layout, especially the 4-bedroom, like so:

But if you use an open staircase mod, feel free to consider this alternative layout:

§10k Starter for Single Sim or Couple

This one is perfect for newcomer Sims saving up for a bigger house, retired Elders who want to leave the family estate to their adult kids, or frugal Sims who simply have no desire to start a family.

§9,919. The layout is not so large as to feel lonely but not too small that Sims can’t entertain a guest or two. No backyard to this one - it’s a true 1x1 lot.

§2k Shelter

And the ultimate budget challenge - trying to make a decent shack for Sims under 2k. I actually love how it turned out; it looks so cute and cottage-y from the outside and feels so cozy and safe on the inside.

§1,956. No shower, but Sims can sponge bathe in the sink if they get desperate. The toilet is outside but that’s honestly preferable in such a small space. Most of the walls are actually made from roofing to keep the price down but the house is fully weather-proof.

This looks a little silly - but it works! Sims can access the toilet through the cutout provided under this extra roof. Put some neighbourhood deco trees around for privacy and for the woodland fairy cottage vibes. This lot was mostly just a fun challenge, so it’s not super practical, but I do think it could be useful for down-on-their-luck Sims who need a place to crash in a hurry.

Download 4 Budget Starter Tiny Homes @ SFS

[guessimate]

Today we are visiting the Tias. And because the ROS I rolled was more for their servant than for the actual household, I rolled again, and got a potentially deadly ROS, but everything is fine. The teen heir, Zephaniah, is on bedrest this round, however.

A side quest this round is to have Peregrina make friends with her sister and teenage niece. I also decided to get her pregnant with her lover's child just because I wanted him to leave something on the Earth... If I haven't made it clear yet, Camillus Fortunatus is probably going to lose his head pretty soon. Camillus met Peregrina in Sim Asia, because they both happened to be there at the time.

Also there's a random thing I just realized - Mnevis Bruni, the young emperor, needs to be wed to Sen Siew, Lovi Tia's daughter. All other patricians are considered his family. After all, the young emperor is Mutneferet Tia's son, and Mutneferet was Zet's sister. Sen is Zet's grandchild, but the game doesn't see any relation between Mnevis and Sen, so that's not blood-related enough to count... I think that's really the only choice the ToT challenge allows for, and I'm trying to go by the rules. Sen has to max out Creativity and Charisma as a teen and get married to a slightly older man. They were both children when they met after her brother brought Mnevis home from school, so they are close enough in age.

~*~

I went to the Siew household for a second just to give them traits, because they will probably be relevant now that they will be distantly related to the imperial family. I decided not to touch the monks for now since they are not really a part of the family. I will probably just let them die traitless.

Granny Saku is a Dramatic, Family-Oriented Born Salesperson, Virtuoso, and Animal Lover.

Aunt Yune is a Born Salesperson, Virtuoso, and a Diva, with a Green Thumb. Diva would be Extravagant with the medieval trait replacements.

Zet Tia is an Athletic, Unflirty, Frugal Bookworm, and Technophobe. Technophobe would be Superstitious if I got the medieval traits.

Zephaniah Tia is an Artistic, Family-Oriented, and Frugal Technophobe.

Rana Tia is an Athletic and Perceptive Genius. Her One True Hobby is Arts&Crafts.

Tane Siew is an Equestrian, Virtuoso, and a Coward. He might want to get a horse or a carriage some day. His One True Hobby is Games.

Sen Siew (future empress) is Nurturing, Charismatic, and Brooding.

~*~

Zet wanted to learn Anger Management, perhaps because he was recently mad at his daughter and now she's deceased, and he wasn't even there to witness her death. He probably wants to be on better terms with his descendants, and he's taking the best care he can of his granddaughter. He's feeling guilty.

I left this family with 20.000$ (gentry level money in MCC). Before I got rid of their money, I renovated their house by dividing one big room into a couple of smaller ones. Both children and grandchildren of Zet reside here, so they needed their own spaces, especially that there are both boys and girls in the house.

I decided to assign Zet a job, and I gave him the Courtier (Show Business default) career. I thought it fit him perfectly, since he would like to secure good marriage prospects for his granddaughter. I find it quite funny that Zet wanted to teach ONLY Sen all of her toddler skills. She's definitely his favourite.

He happened to have the right set of skills for the first promotion, so he got promoted immediately, but he needed more Charisma to further climb the career ladder. Later he wanted to gain a skill point, so he was able to climb one more step of the ladder and he's now the Royal Page.

He earned 4450$ total because of all the promotion bonuses. He currently earns 714$ per day. The money cap for patricians is 1000$, so I'll probably give him the job stopinator at level 5. For the purpose of taxation I am treating patricians as gentry. So they are paying:

3000$ - rent

445$ - tax (10%)

445$ - tithe

~ 3900$ total

There's 22,380$ in the town's funds. I'm not sending the tithe to any specific person yet, because I don't really have a church for my European sims yet. There is only a monastery meant for the Asian part of my sim world.

~*~

Before I infected Zephaniah with the flu, I let him finish maxing out his Creativity skill and he sang the nursery rhyme with Sen. Then I put him on bedrest. Unfortunately, Tane got infected with the flu right when he aged up, probably because Zephaniah brought him to the birthday cake. I didn't expect to deal with the illness spreading, but I really should have anticipated that, because there was a birthday party.

Peregrina threw the birthday party for the older toddlers (Rana and Tane are almost the same age, while Sen is a bit younger). She invited her sister and her niece. Even the evil witch agreed to come... But maybe it wasn't the best idea to invite the evil witch... She was laughing at the future empress who fell asleep on the floor during the celebration. Zet probably didn't like that fact, but on the other hand he would like to become a warlock, so I think he enjoyed the witch's company.

I also invited Peregina's crush and she instantly fell in love with him when they danced. Camillus Fortunatus didn't fall in love with her, even though he agreed to go steady, he hapilly WooHood her and made out with her. I pretend that this lover's meeting happened when they were both in Sim Asia, I really just forgot to do it from Camillus's perspective.

It's quite funny to me that the hottest gossip of the town is that Camillus went steady with Peregrina. It makes sense because he isn't on good enough terms with the imperial family to start his own household. Peregrina could become a free woman and marry, since she has a great relationship with her master.

~*~

Both mom and baby girl survived the birth. I just called the baby Camilla so that everyone would know whose daughter she is. She has the green eyes and skin 1 of her dad and the black hair of her mom. She also has her dad's nose and brow genetics according to simDNA cheat, so I think she's really going to look more like her dad except for the hair colour.

I think I have 2 eligible wet nurses in the neighbourhood now - Peregrina Flori and her sister Titia. They both have very young children - a baby, and a toddler. I was trying out BabyToddlerMod from here and it lets not actually related females feed babies. However, you do need to set the baby as their child on sim blender.

I will be using wet nurses' services from now on if there is a single dad taking care of his kids. Wealthy families will automatically hire wet nurses. From what I've read wet nurses were actually quite huge in Rome, because the legendary founders of Rome were nursed by the She-Wolf.

BTW I also use a mod now so that family members can classic dance, for parties, because I absolutely hate vanilla TS2 dance, especially smustle... Really only classic and slow dance make sense historically, I think.

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

Trick and Treat

Pairing: Sam Abrams x Nic Blake

A/N: Happy Halloween!

Warning: brief depiction of nudity and sexual acts (not explicit but implied)

“Let’s do this last street and then we can go back home. She’s getting tired,” Nic told her husband, readjusting their daughter in her arms. Despite Joan’s drooping eyes she still managed to drum the side of her mother’s head with a glow stick they got from a particularly frugal neighbor a few houses down.

“You’d never be able to tell from the way she’s acting,” Sam replied, amused at Joan’s obsession with the glow stick. It was going to be impossible to get it away from her come bedtime.

“And whose fault is that?” Nic gave him a pointed look. “You let her have candy.”

“It was a few M&M’s. I finished off the bag.”

“Still, you’re on bedtime duty tonight.”

“Sam? Nic? It’s good to see you two,” a familiar voice said, and they looked back to see Natalie walking up behind them, her son holding onto her hand.

“Hey, Natalie. Owen, nice costume! Captain America is always a great choice,” Nic greeted.

“Thanks!” Owen gave a toothy grin.

“Sam, I didn’t expect to see you in a costume.” Natalie had a look of amusement on her face. “Are you supposed to be Doc Brown?”

“Frankenstein, actually,” Sam replied, thankful that the dull street light was able to hide his red face. The last thing he needed was people at work learning he wore a wig with his Halloween costume. Or that he dressed up.

“I'm the bride,” Nic added. “And Joanie here is our little monster.” She tickled Joan’s stomach and made the toddler giggle.

“Aw, a family costume. How cute.” Natalie grinned.

“Do you and Owen want to join us? We’re just going down this last street,” Nic offered.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude–” Natalie began, but Nic shook her head.

“I insist. It’ll be fun. Right, Sam?” Nic looked to her husband who sighed.

“As long as you promise not to tell anyone what you saw,” he said to Natalie.

“Your secret is safe with me,” she assured him. Sam gave a nod as a silent thanks and Nic gestured to the street filled with parents and children going door to door.

“Shall we?”

The group began walking down the street, Owen leading the charge excitedly. As they approached the first house, porch light on and decorated like a graveyard, Nic handed Joan to her husband. The toddler wasted no time smacking Sam in the face with the glow stick. Natalie and Nic both laughed.

“She really likes that glow stick huh?” Natalie asked as Owen followed Sam up to the house through the yard.

“Oh yeah.” Nic nodded. “She got it about three houses in and refuses to let it go.”

“At least it’ll keep her entertained.”

“I give it a few days. It reminds me of when she was obsessed with Sam’s work badge.”

“Is that he was late every day for a whole week?” Natalie asked.

“Yep. She refused to give it up every morning. I think it was her way of trying to keep him from leaving.”

“That’s so sweet. I have to say, since Joan was born Sam’s been a lot more mellow at work.”

“Mellow?” Nic snorted. “I never thought he’d be described as mellow.”

“Mom, look at the candy I got!” Owen shouted as he ran up to them with his bucket. Sam followed behind, Joan’s hand tugging at the crazy gray wig.

“Wow, that’s a nice one!” Natalie beamed as Owen showed her the full sized Hershey’s bar.

“Let’s get to the next house before Joan rips this thing off my head,” Sam said tiredly, gently pulling his daughter’s hand away from the wig.

“Trick an’ treat!” Joan shouted, holding the glow stick up above her head. “Trick treat!”

Walking a bit further down the street, Natalie and Nic stopped at the driveway of another house. This one was decorated like candy land. Not exactly scary, but the kids were delighted by it. Sam headed up the driveway with Owen and Joan, and Natalie looked at Nic.

“Is there a reason Sam is the one going up with Joan and not you? I just thought you’d be trading off.”

“Oh.” Nic shook her head. “I haven’t been trick or treating since I was about Joan’s age. Some jerk down the street from where I grew up thought it would be funny to scare a toddler. So I’ve sort of been scared ever since.”

“I had no idea.”

“It’s not something I really advertise. Besides, it’s always more fun handing stuff out to kids. And whatever’s left over we get.”

Natalie nodded. “Yeah, Sam did mention you guys were just going to leave a bowl on the porch with a note.”

“I doubt there’ll even be a bowl left.” Nic chuckled. “Where’s Will? I thought he’d be out here with you and Owen.”

“He’s working the graveyard shift.”

“Oof, Sam’s told me those on Halloween are the worst. He did everything he could to avoid it tonight.”

“Mommy!” Joan called out, giggling as she ran down the driveway towards her mother.

“Joanie, careful.” Nic scooped up the toddler as she reached her mother. She looked up at her husband as he approached with Owen. “What are you wearing?” Nic asked her husband.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied seriously, though trying to keep a smile from forming as he stopped in front of her, wearing a pair of plastic glasses with fake eyeballs dangling at the ends of springs.

“Oh my god.” Natalie laughed, then Owen appeared.

“I got some too!” He said excitedly, wearing the same glasses as Sam.

“Uh oh, one of us is going to have to change,” Sam joked. Nic and Natalie rolled their eyes in amusement before heading further down the street.

By the fifth house Joan had fallen asleep, head resting on her father’s shoulder as she drooled on the costume scientist coat. Sam and Nic bid Natalie and Owen a happy Halloween before quietly heading home.

The candy bowl was still there, along with the note. Nic grabbed it as they headed inside and Sam went up the stairs to put Joan to bed. When she was finally in bed, out of her costume and into pajamas, Sam headed towards the bedroom.

“I’m glad to finally get that damn wig off.” Sam walked into the bedroom, looking through the open door into the bathroom. Nic had changed into her night clothes and was in the process of brushing her teeth. “It itched like hell. Reminded me of when my brother brought home lice and gave it to the whole house,” he mumbled, peeling off the layers of costume.

Nic laughed through a mouthful of toothpaste before spitting it out. “You should’ve let me do your hair with that spray and some gel.”

“And risk residue staying in my hair and outing to my colleagues that I dressed up for Halloween? I’d rather die.”

“Either way, you look good with gray hair,” she teased. After rinsing her mouth out, she began to floss, and when she did she felt a pair of arms on her waist before she was pulled against Sam’s chest.

“Y’know, Halloween isn’t over yet. There’s still time for you to have a treat,” he whispered into her ear.

She hummed as she continued to floss. “What kind of treat?”

“Your favorite.”

“Ooh, Twix,” she joked, throwing the floss away. “What about Joan?”

“Already in bed deep asleep, so that means I’m all yours tonight,” he told her, kissing her cheek and trailing down to neck. “And you’re all mine.”

Smiling, Nic bit her lip and tilted her neck to the side. “So that’s the kind of treat you had in mind,” she teased.

“These night shifts have been killing me. I’ve missed you.”

“I can tell.” Nic grabbed his arms and unwrapped them from her waist before facing him. “Show me how much you’ve missed me,” she said, pulling him into the bedroom.

“Sam?” Nic prompted as she rolled on top of him. She kissed him lazily, feeling his fingers run through her hair.

“Hmm?” He hummed in response.

“Would you do anything for me?”

“Anything,” he responded, free hand grabbing her waist to pull her closer.

“Anything?” She smirked. “Even buy that Christmas tree I want?”

Sam paused, opening his eyes to look at her. “What?”

“You know I’ve been bugging you about it,” she chuckled. “Was that not what you were expecting me to say?”

“I thought you were going to ask about renovating the kitchen,” he replied. “Or doing the thing. Not the tree.”

“So you’re more okay with me asking to spend possibly thousands on renovating the kitchen than you are spending a hundred dollars on a new Christmas tree?” She quirked a brow, pushing up to rest her forearms on his chest.

“I thought it would be something we need.”

“Oh you don’t think we need a new Christmas tree?” She challenged. Nic began to move off him to get out of bed. “Let me show you how un-tree-like our current one is.”

Before she could get out of the bed, Sam already grabbed her waist and pulled her back in. She fell back onto the mattress, her husband on top of her.

“You can get the tree,” he told her.

“Really?” Her brows perked up.

He nodded. “If we can do the thing.”

Nic grinned, threading her fingers through his hair. “Sounds like a deal, Dr. Abrams.”

Tags: @hyperionshipping @the-dark-fae-and-her-fos @canongf

[eddathegreat]

I Went To Comic-Con 2024

Things I liked:

Seeing some celebrities. I honestly wished I had done more of this, I didn't think it would be my thing but Robert Kirkman was a delight to see in-person.

Kind of connected to the above, I really liked being able to talk to successful creators and get advice from them.

San-Diego food.

Lots of dogs.

New media recommendations. Panels, exhibits, and just talking to friendly strangers, not to mention the freebies.

Awesome cosplay! Special mention to the toddler sleeping in a stroller dressed up as Frieren.

Being able to strike up conversations with random nerds and just talk about anything. Made a couple of friends there.

Being in an accepting space away from the rest of the world. Nice to not have to go by my deadname for just a couple of days.

Things I did not like:

The cost. Jesus fuck, my parents were paying for the basics of the trip and I tried to be frugal and my wallet still hurts. Every meal is exorbitantly expensive, and I had to be choosy with what merchandise I bought.

The walking. There was so much walking. And it was so hot.

This year specifically, they decided to have some panels, events, etc take place off-site, meaning basically nobody went to go see them because nobody wants to try to navigate to a whole other building that is at least a fifteen minute walk away even if you know exactly where you're going. I wanted to go to some of these events, and had them on my schedule, only to realize that going to see them would mean skipping 2-3 other things.

A lot of the progressive-minded panels, talking about inclusivity and diversity, were hilariously pretentious, and populated with people totally out of touch with the communities they serve. Special shout out to a panel that didn't even talk about what it said it was about and cut the only black panelist's time short.

I liked it, and I'm glad I went just for knowing what such a huge convention is like. I am still reluctant to go again, most of the things I liked I could honestly find online with less of the hassle due to the things I didn't like.

[looloolooweez-sims]

At the start of Round 4,

The Huntington-Zest family:

Lives in the Parched Prospect neighborhood of Oasis Springs; with N.A.P.s Clean Energy, Eco-Friendly Appliances, Rock Your Body, Self-Sufficiency

Has about § 24,155 in the bank

Owns a house worth about § 67,350; with lot traits Convivial, Penny Pixies, Sunny Aspect

Personal details under the cut!

Johnny Zest:

Is an adult

Has the traits Ambitious, Goofball, Outgoing; plus the aspiration trait Gregarious, plus the reward trait Frugal

Has the Popularity aspiration Joke Star, at level 4 "Joke Star"

Is in the Entertainment - Comedian career, at level 7 “Rising Comedian”

Is working on the skills Comedy (level 7), Guitar (level 7), Charisma (level 4), Parenting (level 4), Dancing (level 2), Fitness (level 2), Mischief (level 3)

Has developed the lifestyles Indoorsy, Workaholic

Is celebrity level 1 "Notable Newcomer"

J. Huntington III:

Is a YA

Has the traits Active, Bro, Noncommittal; plus the aspiration trait High Metabolism, plus the reward trait Gym Rat

Has the Athletic aspiration Bodybuilder, at level 4 "Bodybuilder"

Is in the Athlete - Bodybuilder career, at level 6 "Professional Bodybuilder"

Is working on the skills Fitness (level 8), Charisma (level 5), Bowling (level 3), Cooking (level 3), Handiness (level 3), Parenting (level 3), Comedy (level 2), Programming (level 2)

Has developed the lifestyles Energetic, Indoorsy, People Person

Is a member of the club Bowling Buddies, lead by Zoe Patel

Tango Caliente-Zest:

Is a child

Has the trait Hot-headed; plus the bonus trait Happy Toddler

Has the Childhood aspiration Rambunctious Scamp, at level 3 “Rambunctious Scamp”

Is going to school, with a grade of C

Is working on the childhood skill Motor (level 5)

Posie Huntington-Zest

Is a toddler

Has the trait Charmer; plus the bonus trait Top-notch Infant

Is working on all toddler skills

[anewnewcrest]

From the Payne Family Simstagram

Amongst all the joy about the new baby who will arrive soon, we cannot forget about the other happy occasions in our family! We recently celebrated Bennett and Eleanor's birthdays, and it's amazing how fast our children grow up! With frugality being much on our minds lately because the Watcher put it upon our hearts to save more, we didn't have a party, but we celebrated among our family, and really, what more does a child need than a large, loving group of siblings? Other children would only lead them astray!

Bennett is still much too tender-hearted and too obliging, he likes to help his sisters around the house, entertains the toddlers, and whenever there is a chore Joanna (who's our eldest girl and doing so much work around the house) cannot do, Bennett is there in a flash, always ready to make himself useful. We put a stop to him changing diapers because it really is not appropriate, but with me being so sick as my pregnancy progresses, it's a blessing to have such a helpful young man in the house. I particularly put him to work doing household maintenance (because that's a man's job, really), and while he is not very good at it, bless his heart, at least he does everything without complaining.

Eleanor has kept her meek and quiet spirit from her toddler years, praise the Watcher. It is so important for girls to display obedience and tender-heartedness, and Eleanor hardly needs any training in that department. Her countenance is always pleasant, she loves to help around the house, her favorite book is the Watcher's word, and she always volunteers for any chore that needs doing. What a blessing she is, not at all difficult like her sisters Cordelia and Brianna!

[haurchefantdefencesquad]

incredibly late but incredibly important WoL introduction post

this is Hyoe

I’ve been playing ffxiv for like… 3 years? at this point? healer main by preference, but tank main by necessity (static only had a tank spot open and my desire to start savage raiding overshadowed my tanxiety lol. Recently got Mentor status because I chose ffxiv over having any form of social life and so far, no regrets.)

So! A bit about my boy:

Name: Hyoe Kusakari

Age: 27

Name Day: 15th Sun of the 3rd Umbral Moon

Race: Au Ra

Clan: Raen

Guardian: Oschon

Height: 7’1’’ (217cm)

Main Jobs: SGE, GNB, DNC (everything is 90, but these are my faves)

Omnicrafter.

Now for the backstory

Hyoe is Doman, born and partially raised in Kusakari, (i did not know this was a location in game, i hit randomiser in character creation and liked the name and as soon as i hit Stormblood i was like OH HI)

Hyoe’s father Kureno enlisted with the Doman Rebellions to serve under Lord Kaien, and we all know how that ended up. Hyoe’s mother fled to the Steppe, pregnant and with toddler Hyoe in tow, and passed shortly after the birth of her daughter Kana, due to complications and a heretofore undiagnosed condition of Aetherspurn.

Hyoe and Kana were raised by a foster mother who was a member of the Qestir tribe, and due to the tribe’s non-verbal culture, were raised to communicate using Eorzean sign language. Hyoe, being a natural quiet and reserved child, took to the practice far quicker than his sister, who is loud and brash by nature.

Hyoe is AFAB, and did not transition until he was 19. He was addressed by a different name, though he made an effort to present as masculine as he was able. He found he had a talent for healing magic and began apprenticing with the Steppe healers in reunion from the age of 12.

Shortly after his transition (I know the existence of Fantasia is disputed in canon, but potion of Trans Your Gender is too good to pass up), Hyoe left the Steppe to further his education in healing, hoping to learn how to treat Aetherspurn so that no one would die untreated the way his mother had. He made his way to Gridania, apprenticing under E-Sumi-Yan of the Conjurers guild, and was present in Gridania during the Calamity.

Out of a sense of duty, Hyoe enlisted with the Twin Adder and served on the frontlines at Carteneau as a battle medic. He doesn’t like to talk about what happened with anyone, partly because even he cannot fully recall what took place that day, and partly because it was a level of destruction and death that tormented him long after the fact. Following the Calamity itself, Hyoe found himself struggling to perform even the most rudimentary healing spells, and so took up the lance out of a sheer desire to feel useful again. It would be some time before his aether and his PTSD soothed enough for him to be able to heal again.

Hyoe himself is a rather quiet, affable sort of person, fond of quiet and self-reflection. He keeps company with a select few people, preferring to exists quietly in companionable silence unless there is a pressing need for him to speak. When comfortable in the presence of trusted companions, he can be bitingly sarcastic, but strives never to be cruel. He has a very calm temper, only moved to anger when those he cares for are threatened, though he is often irritated by others with dismissive attitudes. He is a known, terrible liar, but he has a flare for misdirection.

He is fastidious, always preferring to be clean, though the adventurer’s path is a dirty one. He has two toothbrushes, one for his teeth and one for cleaning his scales. He is frugal, preferring to mend items when they break rather than purchasing new ones, though he will always prioritise purchasing soap over almost every other necessity, including food. He is a good cook, when time permits, and likes to provide for those he loves. He struggles to accept gifts and would vastly prefer never to receive them. He has a secret vain streak that usually takes precedent over things like climate and weather, preferring to look good rather than suit the climate of whatever location he is visiting. Coerthan winters were a harsh wake up call. (I like to think that Au Ra have some form of cold-blooded physiology, which means the cold weather makes their heart rate slow down. Hyoe himself could often be found as close to the hearth in Camp Dragonhead as he could get without actively setting himself on fire.)

Hyoe struggles sometimes to understand when people speak to him, defaulting to look at their hands for them to sign, which is less common than he would like. He can read lips well enough, though he prefers to try and infer through body language. He struggles when speaking with races that don’t have tails or expressive ears, he finds that most of what people are saying can be communicated through body language, but he struggles to read expressions and tone.

Hyoe’s relationship with his foster mother is tenuous at best. She is a harsh and belligerent woman, though fiercely protective of her adopted children. While Hyoe holds affection and gratitude towards her for taking him and his sister in, he keeps her at arms length and tends not to visit the Steppe unless he has to. His relationship with his foster father is better, given that the man taught him everything he knew about healing. His relationship with his sister is deep and enduring, they trust each other more than anyone else in the world, but will come to blows in a heartbeat if they get on each other’s nerves, which is often. Kana resents her brother for leaving the Steppe and, by extension, her, but she doesn’t begrudge him his freedom, knowing that he is never happier than when he is out in the wilderness treading paths no one has ever walked before.

And that’s my boy! It might not seem like it, but this is an incredibly brief summary. I have like 3 years’ worth of lore for this boy. But half of that is pretty much just incoherent screaming lmao

[adsosfraser]

I know a lot of people have probably said something similar but.

I imagine Peeta and Katniss got sort of pudgy and chubby after the war because Peeta bakes way too much and there’s such an abundance everywhere even when they’re still frugally spending their victor’s money for bare minimum supplies only. Katniss also hunts for more of the enjoyment and connection than having to survive now so she doesn’t have to put in that much work and effort so both her and Peeta live a more subdued lifestyle. They eat way too much or else they’d feel guilty and will always have that starvation mindset imprinted on them forever. Katniss is sad most of the outfits Cinna made for her don’t fit anymore but it’s a happy reminder she’s grown up into a woman who survived the reapings and war. It makes Peeta so happy to see such a stark difference between the Katniss he saw who was on death’s doorstep and barely even skin and bones the day he gave her the bread. And their babies stumble around on fat little legs with chubby toddler cheeks, which Katniss had never seen before with Prim or any of the Seam babies and it sends a pang of sorrow through her but it warms her heart all the same.

[cloudberry-sims]

The Florbottom family: Peasant Gatherers 🌿

Bildad Florbottom calls himself a lucky man for him and his family surviving the magma fever epidemic, even with his wife Valeriane getting the fever and going insane. He uprooted his family from the forest they used to live in to a new settlement with their 3 beautiful daughters. 

Perhaps in the forests of Hopebury he can find a cure for his wife madness? 

🌿 Bildad Florbottom

Adult

Shy / Gatherer / Natural Coke / Vegetarian / Easily Impressed

(He will probably be the town healer in theory) 

🌿 Valeriane Florbottom

Adult

Insane / Gatherer / Schmoozer / Frugal / Born Saleswoman

🌿 Ofelia Florbottom

Teen

Social Butterfly / Loves the outdoors / Neath / Eco Friendly

🌿 Primula Florbottom

Child

Lonor / Grumpy / Mean Spirited

🌿 Gale Florbottom:

Toddler

Good / Excitable