#i get very attached to sims stories

[skeletalheartattack]

have you posted about gelato before :o ?

honestly, every mention ive made of Gelato in the past month or so has just been through the tags of some posts ive reblogged on here, it's only been until now that ive gotten around to showing him off!

this is Gelato, a Flamingo/Secretarybird mix that my friend @meetthehelper put together!

for a while, i've been wanting to figure out a bird fursona for myself, and i wanted one that had a similar silhouette to that of Scratch (i.e. Scratch & Grounder), and the bird that seemed to make the most sense to me was a flamingo. it was Helper's idea to mix him with another bird species, and i really like what she ended up with :)!

[leclercvsx]

Switched

CHARLES LECLERC

pairings: charles x reader

summary: Charles takes Leo to the park for a walk but doesn’t go home with Leo, the puppy he leaves with is definitely not Leo

warnings: none, also i have no idea if Leo is old enough or had his shots to be outside but for the sake of this story, let’s say he is!!

i might make a part 2👀👀

masterlist | REQUESTS

Y/n had finally finished up her work on her laptop and walked into the kitchen as she let out a loud audible groan whilst she stretched. She checked the time before contemplating what to do for the next four hours.

She turned around at the sound of little patters on the tile floor running towards her. She smiles before leaning down and picking up the small puppy. “Hi, baby. You wanna go for a walk? Let’s go to the park.”

Y/n used her baby voice to speak to her puppy, Arla, whilst the small mammal was licking her cheeks. Y/n laughed before grabbing Arla’s lead and taking her to the car. She strapped herself in before placing Arla on her lap, who just lays down and curls up into a ball.

Charles had finished his training session on his sim before deciding to take Leo to the park for some fresh air. He grabbed the small puppy’s lead and headed to his car with Leo lying in his hoodie pocket.

Once Charles had arrived at the park, he attached the lead and collar around Leo’s neck and walked him along the small dirt trail path. After about 10 minutes of following the path, Charles decided to take a small break and sit down on a bench.

He must’ve turned his attention away from Leo for a matter of seconds before he looked down where the golden puppy was, only to find out that he was nowhere in sight as he had slipped off his collar.

Charles’s eyes practically sprang out of his eyes as he jumped up and started shouting the small puppy’s name. “Leo?! Leo Leclerc, get back here!” He frantically shouted as he ran around the park like a headless chicken desperately searching for his beloved puppy.

After a few minutes of desperately searching, Charles heard a few small whines coming from behind the bush. He sprinted over to where the sound came from and let out an audible sigh of relief as he spotted the golden fur beyond the bush.

He gently picked Leo up and cradled him in his arms as he scolded the small puppy. Leo barked and licked his face in return as Charles rolled his eyes and began walking back to his car.

As he was leaving he heard a women’s voice shouting out a name, he figured she had the same problem and was about to go and help her before the shouting came to a stop. He shrugged his shoulders and got back into his car, letting Leo lay in his lap as he drove back to his apartment.

Y/n was completely over this day, not only had she tripped and grazed her knee but she also almost had a heart attack searching for her puppy, who had ran off when she fell over.

Once she found little Arla, she tried looking for her collar and lead but couldn’t so she just shrugged thinking it got caught on a bush or something. She got back into her car and placed Arla back on her lap before driving home.

Y/n had arrived home and collapsed onto the sofa with Arla lying on Y/n’s stomach. She ran her fingers through the silky fur as she scrolled through social media on her phone.

After a few minutes, she felt the small puppy roll onto her back so Y/n could pet her belly. Y/n smiled as she moved her hand to stroke her belly before her eyes widened as she let out a loud yelp, causing the small puppy to jump up and bark.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! i’ve stolen someone’s dog.” Y/n ranted as she stared at the puppy before her eyes widened even more. “Someone’s stolen my dog!”

Y/n very quickly, scooped the puppy up in her arms and practically ran to her car as she placed the puppy on her lap. She made a fast as possible drive back to the park as she had prayed that whoever had Arla had noticed that she wasn’t their puppy.

Charles was already at the park rushing around as she called out Leo’s name whilst holding the almost identical puppy in his arms. He didn’t notice he had got the wrong dog until he observed the puppy as it peed on his floor. His heart sunk and his eyes widened as he saw that the puppy he had was not a male.

He wasted no time in going back to the park and was just about to give up before he heard the familiar voice of a women shouting the same name he heard her shouting earlier. Charles very quickly but carefully followed after the voice before coming face to face with a quite attractive women holding his puppy.

“Oh, thank god. I’m super sorry about the mix up, i thought he was mine but he definitely isn’t.” The girl spoke quickly before they exchanged puppies and checked them over.

“Don’t be sorry, i also thought that she was mine. I’m Charles by the way and this is Leo” Charles responded back as he glanced down at Leo, who was already squirming in Charles’s arms trying to get out of grasp and back to the girls.

“I’m Y/n and this is Arla” she spoke with a small smile as she gently reached over and gave Leo a small head rub, causing the puppy to let out a small bark of contentment.

Y/n giggled a little as she held Arla closer to Leo, making them both sniff and lick at each other. Charles was too busy admiring the way Y/n giggles and couldn’t help but smile before snapping out of it and looking at the two puppies.

“Well, it seems they get along pretty well. Maybe we should exchange numbers to, you know, set up a play date or something?” Charles mumbled out as his cheeks turned a faint pink colour, which Y/n made a mental note of.

Y/n smiled before nodding slowly and exchanging numbers with Charles, causing the man to smile like a mad man. “That was very smooth i must admit” Y/n mumbles with a small smirk, causing Charles’s eyes to widen a little before chuckling.

“I had to shoot my shot, i guess. So, are you free tomorrow?” Charles asks, glancing at her before adding on “For the play date of course”

His flustered state made Y/n giggle before nodding slowly. “Yeah, i’m free tomorrow for a ‘play date’”

The two adults say their goodbyes and take their own puppies home as they both looked forward to the following day.

——————————

can we PLEASE talk about how FREAKING ADORABLE LEO LECLERC IS?!?!? like the way they just walk around with him in their hands or pockets😭😭😭😭😭

sorry i’ve been gone for so long, it’s been a rough few months LOL🙏🏼

[artbyblastweave]

Still playing Skyrim. And I’m interested to report that the game is actually better than I remember, on balance. But I’m kind of fascinated by what’s going on with Lydia, mechanically and narratively.

Lydia is the first follower who gets shoved in your face just by virtue of following the main quest. There are others you can pick up earlier, but not without finishing errands (for Faendal and Sven), by forking up a pretty big chunk of change for the early game by hiring Janessa, or by going out of your way in some other manner. If you’re completely new to the game and you’re just powering through the main story as it’s presented, she’s the first option for a follower that the game highlights for you in giant blinking neon lights. And as a quest reward, she’s mechanically kind of a godsend at that point in the story; a doubling of carry capacity, an excellent meat shield and distraction, a way to extract utility from weapons and armor you don’t want to use yourself. More subjectively she provides the impression of a stalwart ally or companion in what can be a very lonely worldspace to exist in. There’s very little reason not to take her with you, and once you have her, the majority of companions being equal, there’s very little reason to get rid of her until she stops level scaling.

Despite the mechanical utility Lydia provides at a crucial point, and the resultant likelyhood that you’ll haul her along for the ride, she’s only a couple steps up from the companion cube. She has no specific, non-fungible impact on the narrative beyond demonstrating Jarl Balgruuf’s favor. Her deferral to you is automatic; if someone is actively paying her a salary to help you defile graves, cut deals with every deity on the continent and invade the afterlife, it sure as hell isn’t you. It isn’t clear what her gig under Balgruuf was before she was assigned to you. She has no personal narrative. She has no personal side quest. One of her biggest inklings of personality is when she expresses vague dissatisfaction with being treated as a pack mule, but then she does it anyway.  She’s party to world-shaking events and political upheavals, but she’s present purely in her capacity as your appendix, so reality simply treats her as your plus-one. 

She’ll block doors you’re trying to get through, and she’ll get mad at you if you push her out of the way. She’ll charge into battle or set off traps while you’re trying to sneak. She’ll microaggress you with stock Nord dialogue while pulverizing your enemies, a plurality of whom are also Nords. She’ll distract bosses long enough to buy you breathing room for a healing spell or a potion. You’ll kill her by accident with an ill-timed area-of-effect spell, roll your eyes, and, ultimately, probably reload your save. Because she might only be a couple steps up from a companion cube, but the whole gag with the companion cube is how ridiculously low the threshold is for the audience to get genuinely attached to something in a video game. A thin character invites apophenia. Behaviors that are purely downstream of dev thoughtlessness will still imply character traits if taken at Watsonian Face Value. In this case, inexplicable undying loyalty, reserved comments on impressive landmarks, and comical stoicism in the face of some of the weirdest events it’s conceptually possible to encounter.  So here’s to weird, underbaked companions in Bethesda Games, and everything we can project onto the void they provide. And Here’s to that related genus of character- units in squad-based tactics or management-sim games with permadeath mechanics who last long enough and accumulate enough equipment, skill points, etc. that they become your Special Little Guy despite otherwise lacking any deliberate character traits.

[azuhrasims]

A Little Mod Showcase

Mods created by @janesimsten and @littlbowbub that add flavor to old fashioned game play. You should check out both of these awesome creators though, they have more mods than I'm showing you here!

Archery Skill by JaneSimsten. This mod comes with multiple bow options, three different target ranges, and options to compete with your fellow sims. Kids can practice their bow skills too.Also, its a 10 level skill! This is just a fun flavor to add to any country living save.

Of course if you are into archery, maybe your sims also want to go hunting? You can do that with:

Marksmanship Skill by JaneSimsten. This mod brings your sims rifles, pistols, and 3 different lengths of shooting range to practice their marksmanship. For funsies, you can also get into duels with other sims with this 10 level skill.

The cool part for archery though? This one comes with a hunting spot that works with both guns and bows! Once you reach skill level 3, you can start the hunt. Hunt for multiple critters. These animals actually show up in your inventory and your sim can place them in the world if you need something a little more gruesome for your story telling. That said, you don't actually see any animals killed with this mod - a shot is fired and an animal appears in your inventory.

If you want to use these animals that you've hunted for meat, you can do that with:

Medieval Cookbook by Littlbowbub. This one is so much more than a cookbook - but I will always stand by Jess's recipes and craftsmanship. If you have the medieval cookbook mod installed, you can click on the animal you've hunted and carve it for meat that can be used for cooking.

If you don't want to deal with hunting by marksmanship or archery, the medieval mod has a nifty sign post that comes with it that allows you to do SO MANY rabbit hole activities! Really. You can go to a rabbit hole for fishing, hunting, gathering herbs and plants - which LBB has added some custom herbs for cooking that can be gathered!

You can also go search for firewood, which you want to keep in mind if you get the add-on for this mod that requires firewood for all fireplaces and fire places to light them. You can also download a couple of fun options for custom cooking fireplaces. Using the actual cookbook then, find a variety of medieval dishes to pick from!

Going for hard mode in your sims game? Install this mod with LBB's Homestead Helper and related homesteading mods to be forced to make very part of every food item your sims want to consume.

The Functional Spinning Wheel by JaneSimsten. The spinning wheel looks awesome and the animation is flawless. You get the option to spin thread or pull yarn. With this mod installed, that thread and yarn are required for knitting and cross stitch. Fun side note, if you play as a spell caster, they can cast a spinning wheel curse on a newborn like Sleeping Beauty and isn't that just the neatest thing?

Rideable Dragons by JaneSimsten. Guys, I was not prepared for this little fire starting, flying lizard to amuse me so much. You purchase the egg and hatch the dragon yourself. They start out as manageable smallish sized child dragons and grow up into great big dragons. The dragons have behaviors attached to them like Cottage Living animals, so you can pet them, clean them, feed them, give them gifts. They stay in one spot and do not move around on the ground though. That;s a good thing, Until you train them not to start fires, these guys are hazardous to your lot!

This comes with a 10 level Dragon Rider skill. At level 5 you can begin to take your adult dragons for flights. Its fun. Watch them in Tab mode if you really want to see how far your dragon and riders are going.

Climbeable Tree by JaneSimsten. This one is a little thing that is lovely for screenshots. It will take your sims a few tries to learn how to climb the tree the first time. It appears to be related to the fitness skill though.

Blacksmithing Skill by Jane Simsten. This one is cool. The blacksmithing skill is another 10 level skill. You mine the ore you need to craft from rocks that come as part of the mod (their in the rock category in landscaping!) Then you make that ore into ingots. The ingots can be made into swords, maces, pole arms, sword racks, suits of armor, and more! This would make for an awesome way to make that medieval weapons shop that every town needs. It takes some serious time and effort to get started though!

Lute Skill by Jane Simsten. Its a lute, with custom lute noises! 10 level skill, options to write and license songs and romance other sims are here. Our bards can have lutes!

Playable Harp Skill by Jane Simsten. Guys, the animations and the custom sounds on this are so lovely. I feel like I've stepped into a lovely wonderland when my sims are playing the harp. It just feels magical. 10 level skill.

There are more and I may get to them in the future, but this is what I played with today and it was lovely. Thanks to Jane and Jess for all of their hard work to make our games more magical!

[thisdreamplace]

for those who struggle

i recently got sent an anon message about frustrations surrounding the law, and how non-dualism hasn't made it any easier for them, but actually just more frustrating to the point where they're officially walking away from everything and wanting to just go back to live as they knew it before any of this.

the truth is that, oversimplification runs rampant in this community. as well as, hiding behind the realities of how difficult it all can be, because people are afraid of affirming that it's difficult or identifying with difficulty... but when we hide from this experience and try to come off as if it doesn't affect us, while simultaneously trying to give out advice, there tends to be more damage than good happening. the oversimplifying isn't the fault of anyone, as the truth is most of this is simple. but in actually living it, it tends to not be simple at all. the ego will fight till the very end to keep things the way they are, even when they hurt us. and that is worth being honest about.

when it comes to non-identification and indifference, this is not meant to be used to as yet another way to pretend something isn't happening or push down your feelings or gaslight yourself. i see these posts like, "just ignore the 3d and don't identify with it and you would have already have what you wanted" ..... this doesn't actually really help anyone, unless you're a person who strives on that kind of mentality. but i think a lot of people need a little more gentleness and realness, otherwise this journey wouldn't have been so difficult and painful. we'd all just get it overnight, but clearly, this community stays extremely active for a reason. because the million ways its already been explained still leaves so many confused and frustrated.

indifference is a daily practice, and it is NOT one that includes pretending something doesn't exist in exchange for getting what you want. it is actually, the extreme opposite. it's by acknowledging what's there... and allowing that to be what it is. the non-identification comes in from how you choose to see YOURSELF in relation to whatever that thing is. "this is painful, this sucks, i hate it... but that doesn't mean tomorrow won't be better for me. it doesn't mean my life is doomed..." etc etc etc. it's this very small flip within yourself, that actually leads to results. not trying to force yourself into believing you aren't even who you are when you've identified as yourself this entire life. remember that god's name is I AM, and literally nothing else.

and doing something to get something else is just... not it. it's time for you to truly want to feel better, regardless of anything else. that's why so much of this starts to get trickier than it needs to be.

non-identification is literally as simple as realizing... you are bound to no past, and you have the opportunity of every future you can possibly imagine. why ? because non-identification is literally just non-attachment. when you're not attached to this idea of who you were, of the struggles you used to face, you're able to allow in different experiences. and y'all... this as simple as being able to say to yourself, "i am allowed to experience something new" and don't let your fear of the unknown stop you from experiencing something new.

here's where it doesn't feel so simple though. how can you just stop identifying with this whole human self when the traumas of the past keep coming back to haunt you ? thats the thing. you don't just stop identifying with it. you let this be a process, a non-linear path to liberation. slowly, but surely, if you keep at it everyday, even when you feel you're only going backwards... one day you will realize how much more free you are. how much more easier it is to move into a new beautiful story for yourself, one that isn't contiminated by your past. but let today be today ! and whatever may come, let it come.

this is why just focusing on yourself is so helpful because if you're simply doing the best you can for yourself and your feeling state, the daily dramas are no longer your ruler.

the gag is that, the more you just do these small daily practices of sitting with yourself, choosing to not engage in the stories you used to identify with in the past, and allow new experiences to come to you... the more easy it gets, the more the truth of yourself begins to show itself on its own. you have to realize that the days are going to keep passing by anyway... so stop counting them, and just commit to yourself.

i also want to quickly note that so many seem to leave out the fact that behind all of this, within the pure nothingness that is also everything. behind our human identifications and all the things we have experienced in our lives, there is unconditional love. and when we actually begin to stop identifying so deeply with who we thought we are, we are lead right back to unconditional love. love in its purest form. so, use love as your guide when things get too difficult. it's the truest thing to who you really are.

you have to let allow yourself to experience the beautiful, despite how strange it may feel. because it's going to feel strange if you've never really experienced it before, and the ego is going to fight because even when it's good, the unknown is still strange and scary. and you never have to be perfect at this to get to experience the things you want, believe it or not. i know that i still have a long way to go on this journey, there may be much more time before i ever get to fully experience the promise in full, but that hasn't stopped me from experiencing the desires of my heart on a daily basis. that's because i used these simple things, these small little flips in how i chose to see life. even if the anxiety never went away, or it was a more difficult day full of tears... this is way more possible for you than you realize. if only you're willing to allow your life to be different than it's always been. just that small allowance, opens up all the doors.

xo dream 🕊

[invisiblequeen]

Didn't even know this existed until one of my faves posted...

@pamsimmerstories : I've been obsessed with their landgraab gen 2 story since i stumbled upon it a couple of months ago. I'm constantly checking for updates and the one day I don't is when they upload a whole handful of posts! But I've been with them since this one couple I won't name was in teenager mode, and now that couple has three darn kids and one of them is already in child mode. I'm not ready to see time move on! I'm not ready to see their parents meet the grim reaper! I've gotten too attached!

@samssims : Yes, my contestant for the Mildred BC didn't stay long, but I love the concept of a Challenge like this for an elder sim who used to be a star back in the day looking for love after two divorces. I'm eager to see who wins!

@lindyloosims : Let's just say I'm lovestruck over luka, his personality, his rosy cheeks, his quirks and his interactions with the contestants here to win his heart. Lindyloo is great with the dialogue and narration--it keeps me engaged as hell. Also her simself is the host of the BC and I just love that detail!

@saruin : One of the first cc creators I found when i discovered cc at all. Her creativity knows no bounds, and the presets she's created have helped expand my own creativity when it comes to making sims. More often than not you'll find at least one thing of hers in any post I make. Hell, she made a set of teeth with color swatches for the TONGUE. How can I not "stan?"

@cinamun : Things Fall Apart, but not my commitment to this woman's story. I wasn't there when it first started all those years ago, but dammit, i'm here now (since dira's graduation arc) and i'm not going anywhere. From the dialogue, to the characters, to the style of shots themselves, she literally has me in a chokehold. And she's the one who was wheezing and screaming over Kendrick performing Not Like Us fifty times on Juneteenth! If that doesn't cement her as an icon IDK what does! (ironic that hers was the first tumblr faves post I saw that led to my own lol)

@cawthorntales : You all know I live for BC challenges. This man right here never, ever, EVER stops delivering on those. EVER. He always has an established storyline for the character he provides us to make a sim for, as well as a funny dialogue between said sim and the "cameraman" to start it off. I need for more people to know who he is so we can get MORE contestant for his challenges so I can witness MORE of my sims in his gameplay!!!

@akitasimblr : Found her during the Dreadful BC Challenge and haven't looked back since. She is VERY serious about this gameplay BC Challenge business. She gives you CLIPS formatted as live streams with "chat" on the side reacting to what they see. She has a leaderboard with a system to rank all contestants on friendship and romance and etc. And she's currently doing a crossover of the bachelor and SURVIVOR! go check it out!

@novapark : This one right here is a COZY Bachelor Challenge gameplay. Their shots are so deliciously saturated and warmly lit that it makes me wanna get a cup of tea and a snuggie to watch it. I like the style of a narrator popping in to watch all the ways Izan (the bachelor) wins and fails with his contestants (sims are so weird when it comes to their mood switch-ups i swear). And yours truly has a sim in there, too, so that's an added benefit for me, but just off the way they shot this challenge I'd still be checking it out regardless!

@jayveesim : You. YOUUUUUUUUUU. You have ruined me. You have ensared me. You have cost me my former life before I knew of your gameplay. You and that DAMNED BLAKE PARSONS! You've snatched my wig. You've dragged me across the floor by my eyelashes. You've scorched my edges! I have rarely been so fired up and passionate about a pixel baby the way I have been about YOURS and their DECISIONS! I won't even try to explain it to y'all, you gotta go check it out yourselves, and then we can scream about it together in this evil genius's comment section! LMFAO

This is a great chance for us all to big up fellow simblrs, so I hope to see more of these posts!

[thebramblewood]

thebramblewood's Legacy Universe: A Primer

I've never really been one for following specific legacy challenges, but I do get incredibly attached to families and love seeing genetics play out, so generational gameplay has always been my thing. Recently, I've been very distracted by Helena Zhao Is Dead, which means my long-running family of nine generations (!) has been on indefinite hiatus for most of this blog's life.

I discovered their save got accidentally deleted, which is probably for the best, considering it was the same damn save I started back in 2018. Luckily, I had the current generation in my library, and I missed them, so I decided to bring Naomi and Micah back for Life & Death. I thought it might be helpful to summarize past events for those who might be interested in their family's background. Don't worry, we're not going all the way back! I love my earlier generations, but I didn't start getting into a more story-based approach until pretty far in. So here are the relevant details from generation five on (and I really did try to be brief, I promise).

GENERATION FIVE

This generation's heir was Gaby Martinez-Jang. After saving Strangerville from the Mother Plant with her ragtag investigative team, she moved to Sulani with the hunky conspiracy theorist she met along the way, Alvin. The impetus for this journey was Alvin being adopted and deciding he wanted to learn more about his birth family. In Sulani, he not only met his biological sister, Kaimana, but also discovered and embraced his mermadic ancestry! Meanwhile, Gaby became a conservationist and even won a Starlight Accolade for her documentary film on Mua Pel'am!

GENERATION SIX

Gaby and Alvin's one child, Noelani 'Aukai, became the new heir. After struggling to figure out their identity as a teen, Noelani's love for music led them to pursue DJing and producing. They started off doing pop-up performances in Sulani that gained traction on social media and led to a record deal. Meanwhile, they were falling in love with their childhood BFF, Nani Kealoha. Eventually, the two of them moved to San Myshuno, where Nani pursued her political dreams and Noelani was thrust into stardom.

This is where it becomes really important to pay attention. Noelani's other best friend was Malia Kahananui. The result of MCCC shenanigans, she became the granddaughter of Mele and Alika Kahananui because I thought they were too old for a surprise baby, lol. She was left with her grandparents by her reckless and impulsive mother, who was always going off on grand adventures and eventually just never returned. A yoga enthusiast and masseuse, Malia discovered her talent for communing with the island spirits when she was visited by her recently deceased grandparents, who encouraged her to nurture the gift they never got the chance to tell her about.

The spirits were always cryptic, but during one visit she received a more specific warning: "One day, there will be a cataclysmic threat to the realm where all spirits go. Humans occupy this realm, too, humans with supernatural talents who coexist with us in exchange for the protection they offer. A human of modest background and raw power is the only one capable of defeating this threat. They will sacrifice greatly to save our realm from extermination." She promptly filed that information away for a decade or two.

GENERATION SEVEN

This generation's heir was Noelani and Nani's son and robotics enthusiast, Sione 'Aukai. Unfortunately for him, he was almost immediately overshadowed by his eventual spouse, Malia's daughter, Cassie. Oh, Cassie... Possibly my favorite Sim of all time. As kids, they had a long distance friendship, bonding over their love of magic and fantasy. When Cassie started having dreams of a world beyond her own, her mother remembered the warning from the spirits and, fearing the worst, tried to deter her interest, which only made Cassie more stubbornly determined to seek out magic. Malia thought her daughter's rebellious streak might be fixed by a change of scenery, so she moved in with Sione's family in San Myshuno.

Unfortunately, Sione decided he was "too cool" for their shared childhood interests and rejected Cassie's long-time crush. Even so, they agreed to share a house for uni, where he studied Robotics at Foxbury and she studied Art at UBrite. Cassie soon decided college wasn't for her, but she used her connections in the Secret Society to make her way to the Magic Realm, where she met L. Faba and finally began her magical training. A few years later, she and Sione met up again in the city, finally worked it out, and got married. (Can you tell I'm a big fan of the childhood friends to romantic partners pipeline?)

GENERATION EIGHT

Sione and Cassie have twin girls. Rowan 'Aukai is the heir of generation eight. Rowan and her sister, Sabrina, are just beginning their own magical educations when tragedy strikes. A rogue spellcaster, having acquired forbidden magic, storms the Magic Realm and kills the three Sages. As word spreads, Cassie is one of the first spellcasters to arrive. She defeats the rogue spellcaster but dies of magical overload. Overcome by grief, Sione forbids the girls from continuing their training. Rowan misses magic and her mom every day, though everyone else seems to be moving on. She starts having visions of her mom trying to communicate something important. After clashing with her dad, she runs away from home, determined to teach herself the magic she needs to bring Cassie back to life.

Rowan ends up in Evergreen Harbor, where being a homeless teen in a smog-infested city isn't conducive to developing her magical prowess. She temporarily loses her abilities but is introduced to a couple who takes in wayward teens. After a dream visit from her mom, her magic returns. She and her friend, Alejandro, research all things paranormal and find themselves in a haunted house, where she receives advice from Claude René Duplantier Guidry. Eventually, she returns to the Realm, which is shockingly still intact, and where she finally learns what she needs to do. She casts dedeathify at her mom's grave, and her family is finally reunited.

GENERATION NINE

Whew, we're finally almost finished. Generation nine is ongoing, and its heir, August Uchiyama, only just became a teen the last time we saw him (and will probably look a bit different when we see him again because I have to remake his teen version 😭). After bringing her mom back, Rowan started dating one of her friends from Evergreen Harbor, Raveena Uchiyama. They eventually got married, settled into a hippie lifestyle on a big Henford-on-Bagley farm, and had five kids. August is the middle child and only boy. He's had a rather idyllic childhood full of farm animal friends, oversized crops, and adventures with Uncle Alejandro and Grandma Cassie. He has a lot coming up for him that remains top secret. 🤐

Back to Naomi and Micah, they're August's older twin sisters. (They also have younger twin sisters, Tess and Sadie.) Since August is the heir, they've existed mostly in the background so far. But Naomi proved herself to be a cigarette-smoking rebel who frequently snuck out at night and cut class to hang out with her delinquent friends, and Micah was a reserved, rather moody teen who enjoyed painting and journaling but eventually branched out and joined the cheer team. In The Mourningvale Files, they're meant to be in their late 20s and still struggling to find their footing as adults. I'm excited to develop their characters more before I eventually (hopefully) make my way backwards to fill in the rest of August's story. This may be the final generation for how fucking long it's going to take me to finish. 😅

And that's what you missed on thebramblewood.tumblr.com!

[niphredil-14]

Hihi Renza! :D

I was wondering if I could maybe request some tmnt if that's ok! I was wondering if maybe you'd be comfortable writing a headcanon for the 2012 turtles finding out reader's secret of having an otome game obsession (me) ><

I was just kinda wondering what thier reactions would be to like...the honest to goodness library of otome routes both of us have read at some point in time! ><

Hope that's ok! No pressure to write at all! This is only if you're comfortable with it!

Hope you're having the loveliest day, and getting plenty of rest, and receiving some warm happy hugs!!!

Girl I am so sorry that this has taken me so long to get to!

Leonardo:

Leonardo has definitely dabbled in otome games, although I don't see him as having played a whole lot of them. I could see him being a huge fan of Ikemen Sengoku, though. His favorite IkeSen suitor would probably either be Hideyoshi or Sasuke, no you cannot convince me otherwise. I think he would have a loose-liking of Nobunaga but mostly just because he kinda gives Karai vibes (i do not ship Leo/Karai). I can kinda see him kinning Hideyoshi and admiring Sasuke, being more attracted to Nobu. Leo may be taken sightly aback if he realizes just how many otome games you've played. I don't think he would judge you, though. In fact, he might find it fun to play some of the routes with you and share thoughts, almost like an otome version of a book club. I giggle at the though of playing IkeVamp Leo's route and talking to TMNT Leo about IkeVamp Leo (his almost-namesake) and just how they're so different lmao. I NEED TO HEAR HIM VOICE AN OTOME MAN, HAVE YOU HEARD HIM SPEAK??? HE'S GOT THE PERF VOICE

Raphael:

As much as I hc Raph to be such a (secret) sucker for romance media, I feel like he wouldn't really understand or be interested in otome games. He wouldn't seriously judge, but he would tease you for playing so many. He'd joke, saying that you probably like your anime boyfriends more than him, but I think deep down that he would really want the reassurance. If he was gonna like any otome game, it would have to be one here the MC falls in love with a "monster," be that a literal one, in the sense of them just not being human (Like IkeVamp) or in the sense of the LI just having irredeemable qualities/being aggressive/being evil, I think that's the only kind he could really get behind. Any kind of Beauty and the Beast type of story he looovesssss. Because of that I could see him enjoying Ikemen Prince (very lightly, he just likes the comparison to beauty and the beast), but if he were going to get attached to any otome game, it would be Ikemen Vampire. I think Theo would be his kin, and his crush.

Donatello:

No matter how many otome games you've played, I guarantee that this man has played more. And not just otome games, but really any dating sim. The FNaF Dating Sim will always (ironically, mostly because of nostalgia) have a place in his heart, but honestly, I kind of see him being a big fan of MLQC (Lucien is his favorite 100% sweetheart, but also evil scientist? What do you mean it's not Don?) No matter what game he plays, he always either falls for his kinnie, or a woman way out of his league lmao. Without fail. I think he would also be a fan of the Your Boyfriend Dating Sim. It scratches the immoral, fucked up, obsessive part of his brain (my boy just wants someone to love him as much as he loves them :c)

[casual-praxis]

Adding onto the “villainess isekai” idea from a day or two ago…

I’ve thought a bit more about it, and I figured it would be even more chaotic if several other isekai victims were running around and not just Vio. So I narrowed it down to Blue and Zelda after considering what would be most interesting from a narrative standpoint.

Blue is in the role of another potential love interest for the game's protagonist, but I like to think he's the one with the most knowledge on the original game (though he does not want to admit that at first). He's played through everyone's routes, and while he has favorites, he's also the most hesitant to go against the established story, at least in the beginning. He identifies Vio as another other-worlder almost immediately on account of Vio being out of character, but neither of them figure out Zelda for quite some time.

Zelda is the one who stays most in character, though she's aware of Blue and Vio being in the same boat as her. She, like Vio, has someone specific in mind for who she wants to end up with, and as the protagonist, she has it a lot easier than the other two. She pushes the plot towards the neutral route up until the point where chapter 3 would begin, and then starts to pursue Erune, the secret love interest.

Once it becomes clear Zelda isn't going to route switch, Blue basically decides fuck it and starts up on the arduous task of romancing both Red and Green (the two he played the routes of most). Of course, Red and Green, being regular non-isekai'd people, have no idea why their teammates and friends are so fucking weird, but hey, never a dull moment.

All of them have different views of their second life. Zelda fully embraces it as a new chance, not a game, but an opportunity to find love with someone who will return it. She goes along with the established plot just so she can hurry up and start living the way she wants to. She's having a blast.

Blue is in the middle. A little unnerved that he knows so much about people who hardly know him, but willing to try once he realizes that Red and Green are so much more than their game counterparts could ever be (they're real people, not just scripted events, who would have guessed). He just hopes that means they'll choose to give him a chance, together.

Vio is the opposite of the others. He doesn't see their new life as anything more than a game. The previous life he lived was much the same, until he got bored of it and decided to quit playing. Shadow is real enough. He seems to like Vio...somehow, and that's all he really cares about for now. If all goes well, Shadow will eventually be able to change his mindset, but until then, Vio has no issue happily playing the villain role.

One last thing I've thought of is Zelda and Vio having known each other in their previous life. Vio does not remember Zelda at all, but Zelda is fairly sure Vio is the same guy she confessed her feelings to in their previous life. The one who rejected her, and caused her to give otome games a try in the first place (and subsequently get very attached to Erune). She isn't angry or bitter about it (she was introduced to the love of her second life indirectly through him after all), just a little sad, given what she knows about him.

Blue meanwhile, has no prior attachment to either of them, he just lived in the same city and played the same dating-sim.

Thoughts on naming this "The Vio-lence Route" AU? All Routes Lead to Vio-lence lmao.

Check the first post here!

[eightmagicballs]

Filthy Reins Fix

Okay nerds, here's the skinny.

(long story short yes you can have nicer reins no it's not a simple or perfect fix)

Reins ingame (kinda), yay (kinda)!

@studiosweetpeacc has been kind enough to let me upload the bridle that they made and I've been using to figure out reins since I was too lazy to make my own :') All LODS (but there is some clipping around the noseband at the lowest LOD bc I clearly can't decimate to save my life), base game swatches & gold versions HERE. You will also need the Invisible Reins fix I made for these reins HERE otherwise the default reins might clip through.

Just drag and drop both the bridle file and the invisible reins file into your mods folder, and you're good to go!

Note: These reins are always permanently visible. It does look a bit janky, but from what I've seen, it's better than nothing, and it'll do for now until I can muster the strength for the proper fix that's needed. Please bear with me until then :')

For the CC makers, read on to see how to apply this absolutely rancid addition to your fine work!

First, download this folder. It's got two packages, reinsinvisible.package (to hide the default ones) and a reinsOnly.blend file. You need the invisible reins in your mods folder to stop the default reins from clipping through yours.

Open the file, and import your finished bridle.

Delete the bone_bone_shape.001 layer and the rig.001 layer, you don't need them.

The reins UV map is sitting in the 'Bridle' section of the map, this is where they'll get their textures from, not the reins section. Make sure you move the reins UV islands out of the way, you'll be rearranging them with the bridle UV islands later.

Make sure both your reins and bridle layers are in Object Mode

Click the reins layer, and then CTRL/Cmd+Click your bridle layer (order doesn't matter)

Make your your mouse is on the view that shows the reins & bridle on it, then right click and select 'Join'.

They will now be on the same layer.

Now you can rearrange the UV islands as you see fit, and it's pretty much standard operating procedure from here on out, except you've got extra parts to your bridle mesh now.

IMPORTANT.

This here is the Rein bone that originally attached the reins to the noseband. That sticky-up bit is what keeps the reins attached to the bone. It's honestly not hugely noticeable in-game, unless you're looking real close. When you're making your own reins (which I recommend as this mesh has been beaten into submission, and it shows), use this reins file as your base for copying weights, etc. Any change will work, but your must have this sticky up bit that connects to that little blue thing as its what attaches the rest of the bridle to that bone and stops your reins from floating off when the horse turns its head to the left or right.

Okay, I think that's it.

I did say that this was a filthy fix.

If I can be of any help if you do decide to add this to your bridle mesh, please let me know. AND DON'T FORGET: you need to include the Invisible Reins package with your cc otherwise the default reins will clip through yours.

I do plan on making a better fix to this, especially since I'm after recently learning that there might be a source horse rig hidden somewhere, as there's a sim rig that is in fact capable of making overrides to every sim rig in the game (adding bones, etc). It's very exciting news if this is the case, as it means that it might be possible to add bones for things like martingales and stirrups as there are people who have added things like tails to sims already.

[thelazykiwi]

My Current Mods! 50+ 🥰

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ Hello Kiwis! I made a video showcasing these lovely mods for you all! I hope you guys like it! ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

-CAS Mods:

1. CAS Background - New Leaf - Theplumbobfairy

2. Stand Still in CAS - MizoreYukii

3. CAS LIGHTING - CITY LIGHT - SIMPLYANJUTA

4. More Columns in CAS - weerbesu

5. Tidy CAS - Yoru Queen of Night Sims

6. EA Eyelashes Remover - Kijiko

7. More Traits in CAS - thepancake1 and MizoreYukii

8. 100 Base Game Traits Pack - Vicky Sims

9. TODDLER Traits Pack - Vicky Sims

-Gameplay Mods:

1. MCCC - Deaderpool

2. UI Cheats Extension - weerbesu

3. Wonderful Whims - TURBODRIVER

4. Relationship & Pregnancy Overhaul - Lumpinou

5. Have Some Personality Please! - PolarBearSims

6. Meaningful Stories - Roburky

7. Fanart Maps - Dershayan

8. SimDa Dating App - LitteMsSam

9. Know your Co-Workers and Classmates - Phaeriia

10. Pet Frogs & Insects - KawaiiStacie

11. The Mood Pack Mod - Lumpinou

12. First Impressions - Lumpinou

13. Pregnancy Cravings - Plumlace

14. Child Birth Mod - PandaSama

15. Foster Family - LittleMsSam

16. Immersive Social Bunny - Plumlace

17. Pets Everywhere - Kuttoe

18. No Sick, Dirty, Sad and Hungry Cats & Dogs - LittleMsSam

19. Grannies Cookbook - Littlebowbub

20. «Dawning dew» DRINKS DELIVERY - CubiertoDeFlores

21. Little Chef’s Toy Kitchen - Ravasheen

22. Toddler Creativity Pack - PandaSama

23. Open Love Life - Lumpinou

24. 'No Strings Attached' - Lumpinou

25. Better Romance - Simler90

26. The One With All The Romance - katie_mods

27. Bed Cuddle - thepancake1 and MizoreYukii

28. Live in Business - LittleMsSam

29. More Buyable Venues and new Venue Types - LittleMsSam

30. ISO Love Photos - Ravasheen

31. Photographic Memory - Ravasheen

-Build/Buy Mods:

1. Better BuildBuy - TwistedMexi

2. TOOL - TwistedMexi

3. OMSP Shelf - Picture Amoebae

4. Shiftable Mirrors - Picture Amoebae

-Visual Mods:

1. Simp's GraphicsRules Override - Simp4Sims

2. No Fade On Everything - MizoreYukii

3. NoGlo - Luumia

4. NoBlu - Luumia

5. Gshade

6. Storybook Preset - Ellcrze

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

If this post makes no sense to you, you probably haven’t watched my video lol, that’s okay, I’ll link it for you!

Video Link: https://youtu.be/cNO9EN8Z2eo

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

NOTE:

Please respect these creators and the rules that they have based around using their mods. Do not reupload or claim it as your own, they work very hard and deserve the recognition that they get!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Anyway that’s all guys, check out my channel and other platforms if you haven’t already, love ya! ~ https://linktr.ee/the.lazy.kiwi

~Kiwi

[yuriririnnie]

To Hug a Porcupine

A/N: I remember getting so much hate and having to go through so many conversations about how much of a walking red flag I am literally with everyone I know and love. I know a lot of us can relate, and we get along so well with those who tolerate us so much, it’s so unhealthy. Let this story be a homage to those who have been so patient with us, and love us so dearly despite it being so difficult. The metaphor is just so beautiful and I can’t help but reflect!

PAIRING | Sim Jaeyun (Jake) x reader

WC | 3.2k (again, wth Alice?)

GENRE | angst, fluff, everything’s sfw y’all is it even me if it’s not?

WARNINGS | explicit language (pardon my French, I can’t help it) mentions of sex, alcohol consumption, attachment issues, and all that teen angst

SYNOPSIS | You’re hard to love. That’s it. That’s the plot. 

—

“That’s it?” he breathed, “two years worth of my life and you’re going to throw it all away because “you can’t take it anymore”?”

Looking around the field you finally pluck up the courage to nod. 

“Yes.”

It was about 10 more seconds before he picked up his backpack and left you sitting on the bleachers by yourself. It was the first break up of your life and you thought it would be more eventful, tearful, and painful, but the reality was that it was pretty straightforward and simple. Maybe it was the build up you’ve been feeling for a while, or maybe this wasn’t the kind of love you thought would have you begging on your knees. He was your first boyfriend and you thought that this break up would feel a lot more meaningful than this. 

You stay there alone for a while.

“So how did it go?” you finally feel the presence and warmth of a human being. “Did he cry? Oh my god please don’t tell me he cried.”

“No, Jake he did not cry.”

You moved from where you sat making room for him and his huge gym bag. Judging from his wet hair and pink cheeks, he probably just got out of football practice and just couldn’t wait to hear the news from you. 

“Man, I wish I could have made it on time before he left. The guy could have used some comforting.” 

You snorted, “You didn’t even like him that much.”

“Because he was totally jealous of me! He even asked you to avoid me at one point. He didn’t deserve you.”

“I actually think that it was me who didn’t really deserve him,” you countered albeit reluctantly, “Jay was a good guy.”

Jake could only nod slowly.

“And besides, it was me who woke up one day and realized I just didn’t like him anymore.” 

You sighed, getting lost in your thoughts trying to dig deep into your feelings to get an answer as to why you did not feel an ounce of regret or longing for any comforting yourself. It wasn’t every day you get to break up with your first boyfriend after all. 

Jake knew exactly why though. He’s been your best friend since childhood and witnessed you grow into the woman that you are now. The extrinsic changes were present and evident, but he knew who you were deep inside so everything you ever did or every decision you’ve ever made was still somewhat predictable to him. He will never tell you that, but you were hard to love, not because you were a bad person or because you treated others like shit. But because you were so fiercely loyal, strongly assertive, and undeniably rational. You wore your emotions up your sleeve but never put up with other people’s shit. This was especially because you had the patience of a driver stuck in rush hour traffic, and had absolutely no tolerance whatsoever. 

You were a walking red flag and even you knew it. And for some “unknown” pathetic reason, Jake tolerates you anyway. 

The very reasons why you were hard to love are the same reasons why it’s easy to fall head over heels for you.   

You looked at him, and he looked at you. You both smiled when he said, “Let’s get outta here.” 

—

You were now in college and you’d think that the break ups would get harder over time because you learn to understand and feel for others even more. They do still get a little difficult, especially with how invested people become when they fall in love. However, as you grew, things got a lot more complicated and the more that you’ve been pouring your feelings onto someone else, the thinner your patience got as time passed and it became easier, a lot less regretful for you to leave someone behind. 

“Heeseung told me you broke up with him.” Jake sat next to you on the couch as you mindlessly flipped through the Netflix shows you and him saved to watch together over the summer. 

You shrugged, still tapping on the remote. 

“Yeah, it was only a few months in, I didn’t think it was a big deal and— hey!!” 

He snatched the remote away and you were forced to face him. He looked at you with piercing eyes. Like, he had been angry with you before but you always hated having to confront him with these things. 

“Y/N, seriously. Tell me what happened.”

You sighed, rolling your eyes and finally caving in only because you thought that he would never let it go, and you wanted to watch your movie. 

“Things got too serious too fast. You know how easily overwhelmed I get.”

“What did he do to overwhelm you?”

“He told me that he loved me.”

You both paused. Jake witnessed the many boys that went after you but none of them had ever dropped the L-word knowing the kind of girl that you are. This was foreign territory for him too, but now that he knows what your reaction would be when someone tells you that for the first time, he suddenly felt the need to be more cautious, to be more careful of the things he might end up saying. 

“Oh.” he finally spoke. 

“I told you it was overwhelming.” you muttered, stealing back the remote from him. 

That night, he didn’t feel the need to pry even more. It was enough for him to know how sensitive you were about being told that you were loved. Nonetheless, he felt a small ache in his heart knowing that someone beat him to it. 

—

It was the night after graduation and instead of rejoicing over the milestone and celebrating with your friends and family, you were crying on the rooftop, burying your face into your arms as you wept. It was the first time you ever cried over a boy this hard, and you didn’t think it would hurt this bad. 

You heard footsteps nearby and a familiar warmth surrounded you. Jake cradled you in his arms and rubbed your sides as you continued to hide your face from the cold night air. 

“He said I was controlling and that I had too much of a chokehold on him,” you broke down, “he said that he felt like he was losing himself through the course of our relationship and that he allowed me to make all the decisions for us way too much.”

“There, there. It’s not your fault.” he whispered, “you did your best to love him in a way that you thought he wanted to be loved.”

“No, Jake, just no!” you lifted your head up and Jake swore that he heard his heart crack at the sight of your tears. “I loved him in my own way. I loved him because that’s how I wanted to love! It wasn’t how he wanted to be loved!” 

Jake felt the urge to just get up and punch Beomgyu, the boy who made you cry, in the face and make him regret that he ever broke your heart. However, he didn’t find it in him to argue, so he pulled your head onto his chest and let you cry and cry. This time, he finally witnessed you fall hard and actually admit it, and it awoke something in him. He was always on the fence about how he felt because you were best friends, but this time it’s decided. 

Sadly, he knew you weren’t in the right headspace. He knew he wasn’t ready. He will tell you when he’s ready. 

—

“You ghosted him?!” Jake put his beer down firm and loud, it made your dog jump in surprise. Poor Cookie.

“He was getting clingy, and you know that that can’t be for someone who’s struggling to obtain a law degree. School’s demanding, you know that.” 

You took a sip of your own beer nonchalantly.

So this was boy number four for you. Soobin. 

Okay, maybe number five because you couldn’t stand the guy you hooked up with twice a year back. Yeonjun was great, but he was also a law student and all you ever talked about after sex were your professors, subjects, and just law school in general. It was like sleeping with a coworker and you didn’t want that. 

“Soooo… you don’t like nice guys, you don’t like guys who say I love you too quickly, you don’t like it when they don’t allow you take control, but hate it when you have too much control.” he took a deep breath and continued, “you don’t like clingy, but you don’t like distant either.”

God he sounded like one of your classmates reciting important provisions, it almost gave you a headache. 

“I can’t help but be myself.” 

“You’re so hard to love.” he groaned.

Letting out a squeaky laugh you sang, “You love me anywaaaaayyy~!” and moved closer to him.

Jake choked on his beer and looked at you with panicked eyes. He knew that you were just playing and didn’t mean it in a way that’s past the boundary of being friendly. Well in your case, best-friendly. Still it made his heart skip a beat. 

You lift your feet up to fold your knees and made yourself comfortable on the couch next to him. It was always weird that you never felt any tension between you and Jake despite being so close to each other. You had nearly maximum skinship and spent more than half of your lives together and yet the relationship between you two was always tiptoeing the lines between romantic and just friends. It was the perfect trope, however, you knew Jake so well and loved him despite his lack of bitches and possession of so much negative rizz. 

He was so undeniably attractive yet never opened up to you about any girl. You always thought that maybe he was just picky but as the years passed you couldn’t help but wonder if he’s being too invested in you or is spending way too much time on you. Just the thought of those things being the reasons why he might not be getting any girlfriends made you cringe.

“It feels like hugging a porcupine.” he suddenly felt so confident in lecturing you.

“Hmm?”

“Like hugging a porcupine. You know, loving someone that’s difficult to love.” 

“That metaphor is so adorable, I almost feel like I am not offended.” your smile was there, but faltered when you suddenly felt the seriousness of the conversation. You don’t remember how much you two drank at this point of the night but you’re sure it has already been 6 beers in each and 6-beer Jake was truthful Jake and you’re not sure if you’re ready for it. 

You cleared your throat to ease some of the tension and scooted to the right to create some distance between you two, small enough to not be awkward, but distant enough to create a proper boundary. 

“What about you?” you finally said, “You were always at the front-row to witness my failed relationships but I have never heard you talk about your love life like literally ever.”

“You never asked.” he said.

“Never felt like I needed to ask.”

“Well I’m telling you now that you need to ask for me to answer.”

You felt a surprise chill at the change of atmosphere. If he liked someone he would have talked about her long ago, or could have at least mentioned her. You felt slightly disappointed in the newfound knowledge that he might really have had a girlfriend or liked someone before and you didn’t know why. It was unfair of him to keep that from you, but you also felt selfish in a way because you made everything seem like it was about you all these years. 

“I like someone Y/N, duh. I’m still a guy after all.” he chuckled. 

You sighed, not sure if it was out of relief or worry. “So are you gonna tell me or nah?”

He pretended to think for a while. “You’ll know.”

“Oh come on!!” you whined, “is she someone I know?!” 

“I said you’ll know her soon!” he continued to tease, “I’m actually making it blatantly obvious.”

“Fine. Though even if you don’t tell me, you know I’ll find out one way or another.”

“I hope it doesn’t drive you crazy.”

“Please. You can’t make me what I already am.” 

He laughed out loud and rubbed the top of your head. “Right. A crazy little porcupine.”

You deadpanned him and stuck your tongue out but snuggled back to him anyway, finally watching whatever movie it was that was playing in the background. 

—

The restaurant was quiet when you arrived. No one was around except for the waiter that greeted you as you walked in. You take in the ambiance with all senses, ears were surrounded by faint jazz music, everything was painted emerald and gold, roses carefully placed at the center of each table. The smell was a mixture of fresh mint and musk. Adding to it were the sounds of kitchenware clanging and chefs bickering in the background. It made you feel a little small considering you were kind of underdressed for the occasion. 

Jake told you to wear something decent and you did. You just didn’t think that decent meant extra formal. It was a little embarrassing and you make a small reminder inside your head to kill him later. 

You finally sat down on a table by the window feeling really nervous about meeting the girl Jake has been dying to introduce to you for the first time. He was extra giddy about her lately you weren’t sure how you felt about him being all worked up about some girl all of a sudden. Also, you wondered where has she been all this time. There was no build-up regarding her existence whatsoever so the whole idea of her made you skeptic. 

This whole thing reminded you of you guys’ childhood when one of your friends confided you saying that she liked Jake. It was just a small middle school crush and was meant to be a secret but it sent such a bad taste on your tongue. Granted that you were a kid back then, but thinking about it now, you knew that you still would have felt the same bad mood knowing someone else was making Jake the object of their affection. You were occupied with falling in love with other people and drowned in the flattery others were giving you, but never too distracted from the feeling of anger when you knew someone was crushing on your best friend.

It’s so funny how much you guys have been through together and how much you’ve grown. You know that a lot has changed for you and him but the dynamic of your relationship was your only constant. The idea of it changing because of this girl caused an emotional whiplash quicker than you ever imagined—and you haven’t even met her yet!

This another reason why you were so difficult. You were greedy and never swallowed your pride.

Fast forward to today. Here you are contemplating on your life decisions that involved Jake at the very last minutes of your chances of ever actually getting to be with him. How pathetic could you get picturing yourself watching him fall in love with someone else? 

The wait felt like hours and you checked your phone about 10 times within the last 12 minutes. He said he was going to be late because he was picking her up but the suspense was killing you.

You heard a bell ring from the entrance indicating that someone’s finally here. You looked up from your phone and spotted a familiar four-legged cutie walk up to you. 

“Layla?” you gaped, running towards her as she wagged her tail at the sight of you. “Oh my gosh, look at how big you’ve gotten!”

It has been ages since you saw Jake’s dog. She grew up alongside with you guys but you haven’t seen her since college and whatever Jake was up to right now made you forgive him for making you go through whatever this was. A million good girls, hugs, and slobbers later, your cute aggression subsided as you noticed something dangling from her collar. It was a locket with a picture of you and Jake back when you were kids on your first play date. You couldn’t remember taking that photo but you do remember not liking him at first. He was hugging you while you made a face. 

Were you gonna cry right now? Oh my god you are literally going to cry right now.

You stood up as the dog ran back towards the door and that’s where you saw Jake in his black turtle neck shirt, hair falling down to his eyes, just enough to cover his eyebrows, perfectly bordering his perfectly sculpted face. You always knew he was handsome but had you always known he was this handsome? He crouched down to ruffle Layla’s head of fur before walking to where you were. 

You were completely, utterly dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? Was he pranking you? If he was pranking you right now you would dump him so fucking hard both as a lover and as a best friend.

“Hi.” he smiled as if he didn’t just drop the biggest love bomb on you.

“You said you were going to be late because you were picking her up.” your voice was stern, still pretending to be your iron self even if deep inside your guts were doing somersaults. 

“Well, picking Layla up from home is a bit hard. She isn’t as light as she used to be.”

You both laughed.

You hear him take a deep breath and whispered, "I love you, Y/N."

Wasting not a second further you wrapped your arms around his neck and held him the tightest you have ever held him your entire life. You felt his hands grip your waist as he kept you guys in place. You hugged him so tight it nearly knocked the both of you down. He giggled and finally settled with rubbing your back, taking in the sounds of your beating hearts. Nothing compared to how close you were at this very moment, and you two have had your fair share of moments of zero-personal space. It wasn’t like when you sat close the day at the bleachers with his arm around you, not when you cried on his shoulder at the rooftop during graduation night, and not even like the drunken nights where you fell asleep on his chest. Nothing compared to how close you were right now.

“Did you see our photo?” he broke the silence, “I told you it was hard, but even as a kid I always knew how to hug a porcupine.”

“You’re insufferable.”

And with that, you shared your first kiss with your one true love, your soulmate, your best friend. And all it took was a leap of faith and the courage to love who was difficult to love.

[pixelnrd]

hello! ive binged your blog this past week and have been so invested and impressed with how professionally everything has been done. I particularly liked the snippets of your 'process' you've hinted at in other asks. I havent been around since the beginning so i wanted to ask what inspired you to undertake such a large project! or, rather, did you expect it to be as big as it became? each generation has 70+ daily posts, their portrait headshots, family portraits... i love it! were you trying to build an audience when you started out? was it a covid project that you had time to build a huge queue for? i think ill be starting my own narrative simblr here soon and i'd love to hear your thoughts or advice about your journey with it, if any.

Hello and thank you for such a lovely message, it's so nice to receive feedback on the quality of my Decades Challenge because I do put so much effort in behind the scenes thanks to my agonising perfectionism!

As a project it has grown beyond what I thought it would be, to a point that I had to reign it back in in early-2022 because I couldn't keep up. I'll put more detail under the cut ✨

The Langstons started as a covid project in 2020. I was an unemployed student with a lot of time on my hands. I'd done legacies before and was pretty good at getting close to the end so that was the 'project', to do the Decades Challenge. And while looking for inspiration like cc and builds etc I found simblr and discovered people were posting their Decades Challenges here with narrative attached. By this stage I'd already played a fair bit into my Langston family (they had 4 kids by that point) so I decided to start posting my sims as well, which pushed me to put a bit more effort in with shots, story, editing etc because I had imposter syndrome. I didn't intend for there to be much narrative or story, and I think that's pretty obvious when reviewing the 1890s Langstons, but it started to grow as I was posting because I wanted to give my sim characters justifications for their life paths I was sending them on... and it all kind of took off from there, as a Decades Challenge story.

Covid over 2020 and 2021 in my country forced us into hard lockdowns, and over those 2 years I had heaps of spare time for home-based hobbies - so I just kept pushing myself to keep going with my Decades Challenge for something to do. I got really into creating storylines and costuming and wanting to do the project 'justice' because of how much effort was going in and how many generations I needed to cover to finish it. Then I stared doing lookbooks, creating portraits and character pages, and then making cc (which was a fun side project).

I wanted to build an audience at the start because I wanted to gauge whether anyone was as interested in my sims as I was in others', and when I stared getting feedback and responses to my posts it was very validating and flattering, so that spurred me to keep up. I never dreamed it would get the audience it has now! It's nice being told that something you are making is good. IRL at the time, I was pretty miserable - I graduated my Masters without a job, I was trying to conceive and failing, I was lonely due to covid and lost some of the best years of my 20s - but simblr made me happy and was a distraction from those hard things and so I really poured effort into the thing that brought me happiness.

2022 and 2023 forced me to pull back from my Decades Challenge project due to pregnancy and becomming a parent. It felt very natural to drop it at the time, but since finding my groove with parenting and my new life I still want to finish this project because it's been nearly 4(!) years of effort and I'd hate to leave it so close to the end. So that's why I'm still here - in a reduced capacity to what I was in 2020 and 2021 at my peak - trying to get it done. I don't post lookbooks or do cc anymore, because I just don't have the time anymore. But everyone is so encouraging, I have made some nice friends here and I'm constantly in awe of and inspired by the sims, content and stories others are creating. There is so much more potential for historical gameplay in the years since I started my Decades Challenge - farming! horses! infants! - and I hope that my project has inspired others to have a go! That's the best legacy I could hope to leave...

[valgeristik]

'Tis the dragon age season, and i am here with a DA Oc Lore Post.

Not about every single one of them (yet? question mark?) but a general...timeline. Mostly about Zea and Lora. An explanation of why i keep saying 'its honestly a wonder Zea turned out as well adjusted as they did'

putting it under the cut 👍 it got LONG (also, Veilguard Spoilers Tm closer to the end of the text, so uve been warned)

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So basically, in my heart in my mind all three of my DAO wardens exist at the same time:

Lora (elf mage), Nikolai (dwarf commoner) and Noel (human noble)

(for those unfamiliar with DAO, each of those have their own origin story. i linked the wiki but tbh tbh tbh i highly recommend playing DAO for urself instead. is it old with old graphics? yes. is it an absolute banger regardless? YES.

I tweaked a few things here n there for each of the backstories, but maybe i'll elaborate on that in a separate post. who knows!)

Anyway. Somewhere along the way the team would come across a village in the middle of a darkspawn attack. They get there early enough to save some people, but too late to save the village itself. You know, Blight things.

This is where they'd find Zea, who survived only because, well, turns out they're a mage! and the magic got triggered by the fact that they were sosososo scared. They are also 5 years old at that point in time.

Lora is the one who finds them, which is fortunate, because they DO try to hit her with some lightning. Which she's well-practiced with redirecting. (u know those big AOE elemental spells you can get in DAO? my main tactic while playing as Lora was to just stack those three on top of each other. So.)

Anyway, she calms them down n gets them out of the building that used to be their home. Whatever family they had is dead, and Lora does realize that

1. Zea is a mage

2. and also an elf

So the chances of them being raised in a nice loving environment are pretty low. And let's be honest, Lora would feel incredibly opposed to the idea of this little kid suffering any more than they already did (<- already getting attached)

It's like finding a blind baby bird on the ground and not being able to put it back in the nest.

Zea would also immediately latch onto Lora as the first like. Adult that they can rely on now that their own mother is gone. (i have not thought about their family too much, but leaning towards the idea that they were being raised by a single mother. )

Lora would make them feel safe, even if she isn't the best parental figure, being 19 (JUST had her Harrowing) and this being her first time in her memory that she gets to leave the mage tower and travel the world. And, you know, having to help stop the Blight. She's got a lot going on.

The initial plan is to either find someone in some town who could help, or give Zea to the dalish, possibly. Wynne suggests the mage circle, but Lora is very much against it, for reasons mentioned above. (and some others. like the fact that the Fereldan mage circle was just completely fucking wrecked.)

But they don't find anyone in town, and by the time they get to the dalish everyone kind of decides that it's not been too bad, actually, and maybe the kid should stay with them. Especially because Zea would probably (definitely) cry a lot if they were to be left somewhere with yet another bunch of unfamiliar people.

Zea is pretty much being raised communally. Nikolai is actually the one who's the best at being a parental figure, as Lora...again, does not think of herself as a parent for the longest time. (Which, who can blame her, really)

And Noel is. Well. Noel.

A brief aside.

Zea, being 5, is old enough to remember things from before the darkspawn attack. They would know

their name and surname

exactly two lines from a song their mother used to sing to them when they were scared or upset

enough of their childhood for the memories of it to haunt them on n off forever ✌️

along with other things that will fade away with time, like their mother's face and what her voice sounded like. etc.

Anyway, that is to say, they will develop a habit of singing those two lines from the song to themself when they need to calm down or distract themself or the like. A self-soothing method, if u will. (<- link to a thing i drew about it)

I have this image in my head of this toddler noticing that Lora is having a rough time at some point (maybe just got woken up by one of those archdemon nightmares) and coming over to sing it to her....because even at that young age, they want to help (foreshadowing)

(the song is actually this one bcs those two lines got stuck in my head while i was playing DATV for the first time n then i was like hey. i could use that....... the specific lines are from 0:37 - 0:49, if u care)

Anyway.

The wardens do what wardens do and end the 5th Blight. Yuppie!

The group splits, with some going their own ways, and some sticking together.

Nikolai and Alistair become like the Normal Uncles to Zea, who occasionally babysit them when Lora is off in the deep roads or whatever.

As for their primary caretakers. well.

My opinions have changed many times over the years regarding the question of Who Would Lora Romance.

At first the answer was. No one.

And then i thought it would be really funny if it was Zevran.

And THEN i thought that it would be even funnier if Noel was their occasional third.

She is the cool aunt who comes over a few times a year to give Zea the most expensive ass gift and to flirt with their parents and then fuck off again.

So Zea is essentially being raised by Thedas' weirdest polycule.

No wonder they can't help but disrespect authority. And. Well. [gestures vaguely in their direction] Other Things.

Now, you can sigh with relief, i'm not going to describe every year that follows.

But there are a few Key Events.

1: The Accident

As mentioned before, Lora did not really consider herself a parent. She wasn't cold to Zea or anything, but she did not take a lot of responsibility, and also did not consider how much her actions and demeanor might influence Zea. Who, let's be honest, would kind of end up idolizing the lot of them, but Lora especially.

So, a couple of years after DAO ends (or maybe During? I haven't quite decided yet, but it's before they turn 8), Zea gets it into their head to try and imitate not-mama.

They've seen her stand in the middle of a lightning storm she summoned on the battlefield, and they were like. Well, lightning kinda comes easier than other things, so let me try that too!

And it goes terribly wrong.

They end up almost dying, but Lora is quick enough to react and get them help. (Which, it had to have been someone else. Maybe Wynne. Because I don't think Lora would know or be any good at healing magic, and I'm SURE she felt so normal about that fact in that moment.)

And this is the event that really hits her over the head with the realization of just how much influence she has on the kid.

So, when Zea recovers, Lora takes it upon herself to teach them how to use magic Properly. Which, hey, ends up working out great.

This is kind of a pivotal moment for her, because she realized just how attached she's gotten, and how easy it would be to lose them. And if she becomes a bit over-protective for the next few years...well. Who Can Blame Her.

This is the moment when she starts thinking of herself as a parent.

2: The Talk (the birds and the. archdemon blood)

As mentioned previously, and even several times, I believe, Zea would idolize Lora and the others, and by extension, would think that grey wardens are the coolest people in Thedas.

Zea is also what I would describe as a bright-eyed idealist. They want to leave the world a better place. They want to help people. And most of all, they want to prevent what happened in their home village from happening again, wherever they can.

They also think their mama is Stronger That God And Will Never Die, and they want to be just like her! 🤗

So they voice as much, when they are about 11-12. They tell Lora that they want to become a grey warden when they grow up.

Now, her plan for them was simple: she wants them to live a long and happy life. Which does not go hand-in-hand with being a warden. She also knows she won't be around forever, even if she's actively searching for a way to prevent the Calling. And also also, she couldn't give less of a shit about the secrecy of the order when it comes to her kid's safety.

So she tells them everything. From the Joining to the Calling, every little detail of being a warden, every drawback. She makes it sound as unappealing as possible, trying her best to discourage this dream of Zea's.

What she doesn't consider is the fact that...Well.

Even if they know they will suffer, they will do it anyway.

Zea has an uncommon relationship with death, lets say. They know that it will happen. To them, and to others. It's not something to be afraid of, necessarily, on the grand scale of things. Suffering must be prevented as much as possible, of course, but death itself does not bring suffering with it on it's own. And so, if they're going to die anyway, what's 30 years or so if they can help save so many more lives? To them, it sounds like a sweet deal.

Sure, they could dedicate their life to saving people in some other ways. But the topic of the blight and darkspawn is particularly personal.

And, knowing about the Calling now, they know that Lora will not be around by the time it's their turn, and so will not be hurt by it.

If they survive the Joining, that is, but eh. Details.

(Although they were fully aware they might die. And they prepared accordingly. With a letter to their family and all, in case things went bad.)

They join the wardens when they turn 20, without telling anyone.

Lora only finds out afterwards.

Obviously, she's not happy about it, but it's not like she can reverse it (yet?..).

So, they talk, they argue, they make peace, and she supports them as best she can, while also redoubling her efforts to find a way to prevent the Calling.

The events of Veilguard happen when Zea is 27.

(spoilers start here)

Lora and co. are in the south of Thedas, helping fight the blight there, and so they cannot come and help out.

And Zea doesn't want them to. They want to prove that they can handle it all on their own. They don't even tell their family that they're involved with All That until shit really hits the fan.

Even after Weisshaupt.

(They try writing a letter to Lora to tell her that they're alive, after. They can't finish it, because they hate how it keeps spiraling. They don't need her to come over and fix everything, they can stand on their own two feet, they have a Team, they WILL handle it.

But, damn, they do want that Mom Hug.)

Before all that, they never really encountered a situation in which they thought they will die. Not since they were 5.

It tests them, their bright-eyed idealism, their inherent urge towards kindness above all.

(Yes, they did punch the First Warden. And yes, they did feel incredibly bad for him once they found him in the underground Weisshaupt replica later. And yes, the memory of his death does haunt them sometimes, even if killing him was an act of kindness.)

But in the end, no matter how angry they were at Solas, or how much they wanted to punch him, too, they chose to talk him down instead.

Because, despite it all, they still want to leave the world better than they found it.

Thats it, thank you so much for attending this lecture 🫡

(and also, yes, Noel DOES teach Zea how to stab people so so so well. It's her own way of caring)

[saturninefig]

name: bri (she/her) age: thirty-something traits: bookworm, perfectionist, vegetarian aspiration: renaissance sim career: writer location: glimmerbrook style: maxis match (with a little mix thrown in for fun)

sul sul - i'm bri, a newbie simmer. nice to meet you! 👋

i've been playing the sims on and off since i was a kid – way back in the dark ages when people had computer rooms and dial-up– but i didn't get into the nitty gritty of cc and mods until covid. no surprise that i immediately fell in love with everyone's gorgeous edits and stunning lookbooks! 😍

since i'm no longer playing legacy edition on an ancient macbook, i thought it was time to stop lurking and introduce myself. i'm a pretty low-key, vanilla-ish player but i have tons of challenges on rotation, all with sims that i've grown very attached to and stories that only exist in my head.

follow along for lookbooks, gameplay screenshots, and just general chit-chat about my little families! ✨

can't wait to meet everyone – don't be afraid to drop by and say hi! 🖤

[chaoticpuff17]

Amygdala

masterlist

chapter 2

Min Yoongi was a patient man. At least he considered himself to be so. He may not have been the most charming or the most skilled, but he was patient. He’d built his empire from the ground up through sheer power of will. He’d waited six years for the woman he loved to return to him. He should be able to give her space, to allow her to calm down, but he found himself on edge in a way that wasn’t natural for him. He was going crazy knowing that she was so close and yet not within his reach. 

He’d lost her once. He wasn’t willing to lose her again, especially over something as trivial as his business endeavors. She’d understand. He knew she would, and if she didn’t, he’d just have to make her see things his way. 

She had been a stubborn woman when he’d known her, and he couldn’t imagine that that had changed much over the years. It was one of the things he liked best about her though. Despite her stubbornness she wasn’t completely unreasonable. She could be brought around to see things from a different perspective. The problem would be getting her to agree to see him at all. 

Jung Tae-il and his wife were as dear to her as any blood relative. If he’d known that one of his underlings had made a deal with the old man, he would have given them better terms simply for her sake, but that’s not what had happened. The deal had gone unnoticed by him, too insignificant in the grand scheme of things for him to pay it any mind. Why would he have? It was just one more person coming to beg for a loan when the banks wouldn’t give them one, another sob story. He couldn’t count the number of times someone had come begging for money to help a sick relative. They were beneath his notice, but this hadn't just been any other loan, and he was paying for that now. 

It wasn’t completely hopeless though, not in  his estimation. Despite the situation, despite her anger, this whole mess had brought her back to him. He knew where she was now, and there was no ocean separating them. How long had he waited to see her again? How often had he wondered if he’d ever get the chance? 

Much like his number had changed over the years, so had hers though in a different way than his had. When they’d fought all those years ago, she hadn’t seen the need to give him her American number before she left. They hadn’t been on speaking terms, and her Korean number was of no use to him when her SIM card didn’t work across the ocean. She’d slipped away from him leaving him no way to contact her, no Whatsapp or Kakaotalk, nothing. 

Seeing her again had felt like a weight had been lifted from him. The missing piece of him had come home. All of his regrets and the what ifs didn’t matter anymore because she was back, and he could fix it. He could fix everything. 

He was good at it, fixing problems. It was why he had gotten taken on in this business in the first place, and it was why he had built up an empire of his own so quickly. He was quick. He was clever, and he was very good at fixing problems. Her ire was nothing he couldn’t handle and nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. He was confident in that. 

“Boss?” Minhwan interrupted his reflection, entering his office nervously. “I have the file you requested on Margot.” Quickly, he placed the manila folder on the desk, rushing to explain himself as his boss had been in a foul mood since the woman had first been brought to his attention, and a Min Yoongi in a foul mood was an especially dangerous Min Yoongi. “I have her address, her phone number, email address, her place of work. I could probably get access to her medical records given enough time.” 

Yoongi ignored his sputterings and picked up the file, thumbing through it to ensure that all the requested information was in fact there, and pausing briefly on the picture attached to the file.

It was recent, probably an ID photo for work, but it was recent. It was the first photo of her he’d seen that wasn’t from six years ago, and while it was stiff and formal, it was her as she was now. 

“I want a security detail on her at all times. Something subtle that she won’t notice.” He ordered, eyes still fixed to the photo.

“Sir?” Minhwan asked, unsure why this woman was so important or why his boss wanted a detail on her, but it was all highly unusual. 

“If a single hair on her head is harmed, I’ll skin you all alive.” he warned, a strange glint in his eyes as he delivered the warning that made it perfectly clear that he would follow through on it. 

“Of- of course, sir!” Minhwan stuttered, unsure what to make of his boss’s sudden order, unsure of what to make of most of his behavior in the past few days. “I’ll get someone on it right away.” 

Yoongi breathed a sigh of relief as he left, leaning back in his chair with her photo in his hand. 

Even if she didn’t want to see him at the moment, he wanted her safe. She’d probably murder him if she knew, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about that so long as she was safe. If she wouldn’t let him be with her, this was the next best thing until he got the situation handled properly.

“Sir…” the man began hesitantly. “If I can ask… why is this woman so important?” 

A Cheshire grin spread across Yoongi’s face at the question. “That, Minhwan, is the future Mrs. Min.” 

—--

Saturdays, when school wasn’t in session, Margot liked to go to the hospital to sit with Maria in the mornings. Tae-il still had work, and it was nice for someone to come and keep the woman company even when she was only sleeping. It was more for their peace of mind than Maria’s anyway.

The treatments had left her more than a little worn out these days, and a good portion of her time was spent resting. Margot didn’t mind though. She was no stranger to hospitals or what happened in them. It was the reason she always came prepared with a secondary activity such as a book or some sort of craft. Today she was working on a cross stitch. It was an activity that Maria herself had introduced Margot to when she had been in college, and she still kept up with it, finding the repetitiveness of the motions soothing as she created a picture on the aida cloth. 

“You know you don’t have to come every Saturday.” A scratchy voice chided her from the bed. 

Without even looking up from her stitching, Margot replied. “Of course I do. Where else am I going to find peace and quiet and some decent conversation?” A wry grin twisted her lips. 

“Such a silly girl.” Maria shook her head fondly. “Now tell me what’s got you stabbing that cloth as though it kicked your dog.” 

Heat rose in her cheeks as she refused to meet Maria’s eyes. “It’s nothing.” she mumbled, stabbing her needle through the cloth again. 

“It’s never nothing.”

“It could be nothing.” 

“Margot.” Maria prompted gently.

“It’s fine.”

“Margot.” 

“It’s nothing.” Margot peaked up, looking to see if Maria was leveling her with that stare that demanded an answer. “Really, it’s nothing.” Maria continued to stare at her. “I saw Yoongi again.” Margot relented after a few moments after that stare. 

“Yoongi?” Maria asked, clearly trying to remember who the name belonged to. “What Yoongi? Not the one from university?” 

“That one.” she admitted, stabbing her needle through the aida cloth again so she didn’t have to look at Maria. 

“Isn’t that a good thing? You two were good friends.” 

Bitterness rose in her throat. They had been good friends, but a lot had changed since then. It hadn’t seemed like anything had changed at all when he’d first come to the restaurant. They’d slipped into old patterns as naturally as if the years hadn’t separated them, and then the bomb had dropped ,and the illusion had shattered. 

The Min Yoongi she’d been so excited to see again was not the same one she’d known when she’d been studying abroad. This was a man who she was solidly sure wasn’t involved in anything very legal when it came to business, especially if he was willing to terrorize people in the name of a loan, a loan she was also sure was less than legal after her conversation with Tae-il following Yoongi’s appearance. 

She just couldn’t wrap her head around how the Yoongi she’d known had turned into some sort of loan shark. He’d always been quite, kind of private. Some might have even described him as stand-offish, but he’d always been so sweet to her. When you got to know him there was a sweet and at times goofy guy under that hard shell. It didn’t make sense to her that he was now working on the other side of the law, that he was the cause of so much fear in Tae-il. 

“He’s not the same boy we all knew.” 

Maria shrugged. “None of us are the same as we were six years ago. Time changes people. It’s natural.” 

“Not like this. This was…” she paused, trying to think of the right words without giving too much away. Tae-il had been very clear that Maria didn’t know, and he didn’t want Maria to know. “This was something else. He’s not someone I would want to be around anymore.” 

Maria nodded in understanding. “Sometimes that happens, and you two haven’t seen each other in a long time. It’s natural you drifted apart, but that doesn’t mean it hurts any less.” Margot peeked over at her. “You and I both know you loved that boy.” Maria said, wagging a bony finger at her. “It broke your heart to leave him behind.” 

“He didn’t need to be such a jerk about it.” Margot reminded her. 

“No, but he was also heartbroken that you were leaving. That boy would have done anything to convince you to stay.”

She scoffed in disbelief. “He wasn’t heartbroken, and he knew there was no way for me to stay. I had to go home.” 

“He may have known that in here,” she tapped her forehead. “But here, that’s a different story.” she placed her hand above her heart, and Margot rolled her eyes, setting aside her stitching.  

“You’re acting like he was in love with me.” 

“He was!” Maria exclaimed with far more enthusiasm than a woman in her condition had any right to have. “Everyone could see it!” 

“He was not!” 

Maria shrugged again, pulling her robe around herself a little tighter. “Believe what you will, but that boy was crazy for you.”

“I think the meds are making you hallucinate, auntie.” Margot brushed her off, trying to ignore the heat that had rushed to her cheeks.

“Is it really as bad as all that? Can’t you two find a way to reconcile, get to know each other again?” She asked, peering at the younger woman curiously. “You two were such good friends, thick as thieves if I remember right.” 

Margot hesitated. She wanted to. She really did, but knowing what she did, she just couldn’t see a way to do that. “I don’t think so. I think that we’re both just too different now. He’s on a path that I want no part of.” 

“That’s a shame.” Maria sighed, leaning back into her pillows. “He really was such a nice boy. 

Part 3