#i hated this suit so much i used to mod to get rid of it LMAOOOO

[koicrimes]

nishikiyama fit check- drip: n/a

original screenshot (below cut)

[boxheadpaint]

juice induced hill depression. Back on meds again and hopefully going to get in touch with a new psych who can prescribe me something else. Have been very tired and unjoyful the past week but better now and playing modded Skyrim, initially just to make my oc in it but then just kept slamming more thangs in there. Mod that puts bunny rabbits everywhere. Also is there a mod that adds cute animal ears/suits as wearables or one that even makes the girl armor less sucks. Like im either fully leaning into the immersion breaking for self indulgence sake or im getting rid of the annoying shit.

visiting mom in Vegas earlier this month was nice except for the part where I hate Vegas. I know im not great with travel and settling into places can be a tough one for my brain but also my god it’s just evil there. Brilliantly so but still evil. I would have loved to enjoy the scenery surrounding the place more as deserts are just very beautiful and fascinating places but at no point during the day was the temperature less than a full hundred degrees Fahrenheit. It barely dropped during the night either. Between that and varying physical ailments (Oof Ouch My Digestive Sensitivities Lol) (Oof Ouch My Tendons Lol) (Oof Ouch The Agony Caused By Using Stairs Lol) it was the perfect conditions to be a miserable pile when I wanted to be with my family. As sad I was to part ways again I was not sorry to leave that place. Gained a new appreciation for changing up what I eat randomly to keep my body on its toes. At one point mom brought us to a pub and her husband asked for Diet Pepsi while I asked for regular Pepsi. Visually there’s no difference so we got handed the others pepsi and swapped. And then later after he refilled his Diet Pepsi another waiter came up and wordlessly refilled mine as well. With Diet Pepsi. Wasn’t even asked. Fucking stunned. Also went to a near dead mall that was nice anyway

stuck on brain zaps as a symptom of Specifically antidepressants withdrawal. There’s some things describing them as “mini seizures” in function. To me it’s like the body noticing the usual isn’t happening for some reason so it tries to jumpstart the brain into working good like before. universities I can go to with my theories. Back in and at it this week, hopefully to remain consistent for longer than before which will also likely help with the depression and anxiety. More people should just put stuff in their blood if they can

it can be embarrassing to express your misery more clearly to someone, specifying the fact fact thoughts running through your head. But then again it’s only embarrassing because your mind convinced you so, and will convince you that holding it in is also cruel and selfish. Finding it funny that animals probably don’t have as complex spirals and bouts of depression because they dont have a language to articulate to themselves in their own heads that something is awful in a very specific and contradicting way. Or actually no because there is still pattern recognition but that’s more a paranoia learned thing. Is there an animal that can randomly, for seemingly no reason evident to anyone including itself, experience crushing dread and self doubt. Is there an animal that feels shame besides man

had a tilt table test that was embarrassing too but for much more clear concrete reasons. Somehow didn’t know about that second part, and did complain through most of the first part because Oof Ouch Everything Hurts Lol. REALLY did not know the iv thing and had to once again sadly state that no, It has to go in the hand . I will say the experience was funny in the second part from the other ways because my first reaction was literally just “Uh Oh.” The moment I realized it was going to get worse. all I know is my blood pressure stayed consistent throughout, I don’t know what else im gonna hear about it. Hopefully something helpful.

is setting up an ABLE account difficult? Can anybody do it? It’s an issue dealt with by a lot of people but I should at least try to find a way to save money from benefits for the future or in case some stupid medical shit happens that the health won’t cover. I just looked up and saw Vinny sleeping while propping lubics head up with his foot. Hoping I can enjoy things normally again shortly,

8/26/2024, Still better than july

[carryonthroughtheages]

Hello everyone!

Another year of Carry On Through The Ages is over and done! We have emotions and exhaustion, but we're so happy that this year had the hype and excitement that it did.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, to all of the AMAZING creators who spent the last several months working away at their historical content!

Thank you also to the hard-working mods: @bazzybelle, @giishu, @palimpsessed, and @xivz . This fest would not have been as successful as it has been without you!

We encourage everyone to look under the page break for all the fics and art. They're all fantastic!

Here is the link to the AO3 Collection: Carry On Through The Ages 2021!

Thank you all, and until next year! 🧡🧡🧡

MONDAY:

1) sun on the sea (T) - @trenchcoat-moth : AO3 // Tumblr

Tensions run high in England, and Malcolm decides it's for the best he sends Baz to live with Fiona, where he'll be safer.

That is, until Baz's ship is attacked.

2) The Words I Long To Say (M) - @bazzybelle : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon Snow was dead.

Baz Pitch was sure of it. Simon had gone away seven years ago to fight a war in the jungle and he hadn't come home.

So, when Simon shows up in Baz's club, investigating a string of brutal murders, all Baz wants to do is hold him close and never let him go.

But these aren't the same boys from 1960 and Baz has a lot of processing to do before he's ready to believe in Simon again.

3) we are slaves to gods, whatever gods are (M) - @wellbelesbian : AO3 // Tumblr

I don’t fully understand what plagues him, but I know it’s bad, and I know it goes deeper than guilt. He didn’t want to kill his father, not really, but we were instructed to do so by Apollo. Cleanse the house of its sins, dispose of a murderer to set things right. It was only right that I join him; he was avenging my mother as much as his. Clearly, Apollo didn’t seem to consider that such an act would make Simon a murderer in his father’s place. It seems I got off fine, but as far as Simon is concerned, the vengeful spirits that once spun and danced on the roof of the palace now hunt him down, determined not to stop until he rids the world of himself.

4) World War II Era Art - @stardustasincocaine : Tumblr

TUESDAY:

1) the art of loving you (E) - @one-more-offbeat-anthem : AO3 // Tumblr

1955. London. Young love.

Forbidden love.

A year ago, starving artist Simon Snow met Baz Pitch, son of a wealthy art patron, at a party, and their days (and nights) together have been a wonderful secret.

But Simon is tired of being a secret and knows it's time for things to end.

(Baz has other ideas.)

2) Reliquary of an Arsonist (T) - @tea-brigade : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon Snow grew up a ward of Watford Abbey, but when his magic manifested in an explosive accident as a child, he became the Abbey’s anchorite—never to leave Watford’s walls, for his own protection. That is, until Abbot David sends him on an important errand…

Basilton Pitch paints portraits for his patron, Lord Grimm. But he’s never forgotten the magic he learned from his mother—nor the men who condemned her to death as a heretic. When Simon arrives and offers Baz a commission from Watford Abbey, he sees his chance to avenge his mother once and for all...and he’s willing to burn down everything in his path to that end.

But it was no coincidence that pulled these two unlikely souls together. Something more sinister is underway at Watford Abbey, and only Simon and Baz can uncover the truth before everything goes up in flames.

3) Westward Son (E) - @aristocratic-otter : AO3 // Tumblr

Simon and Baz have found each other again, but there's nowhere in Brooklyn or Virginia where they can safely be together. So now, they venture the hazards and struggles of the Oregon trail, to perhaps find a little homestead in Oregon of their own.

4) A Way Out (T) - @lying-on-the-sofa : AO3

I frown at him..“You don’t know me.”

He offers his hand. “Simon.”

Simon. I feel the name around in my mind and assign it to his face. Simon. I don’t shake his hand. They’ve still got my arms pinned. “Basilton.”

Simon nods at me. “Now we know each other. Let him go.” Very casually, he takes his other hand from behind his back. A sword, flashing. He leans on it and smiles invitingly. “Let him go.”

This time, they listen.

--

Simon Snow has been trained for years to become a tribute—one of the fighters Athens sends every ninth year into the Minotaur’s labyrinth. He wants to know the way out, if only for Penny’s sake. Luckily for him, Prince Basilton of Crete also wants a way out—off the island, where no one will know he’s the half-brother of the Minotaur.

Unluckily for both of them, they don’t exactly form the most agreeable pair.

WEDNESDAY

1) long is the road the leads me home (G) - @wellbelesbian : AO3 (Version 1) (Version 2) // Tumblr

Baz has a rather unremarkable life, and he's fine with that. Running his late mother's beloved inn with his temperamental aunt, estranged from his father and step-siblings, he's successfully convinced himself that he's better off without attachments.

Then Simon barrels into his life, guns blazing and rapier drawn, and Baz is swept up in dramatic plot he never bargained for.

Worse still, he finds he quite likes the thrill.

2) New Romantics (T) - @ninemagicks : AO3 // Tumblr

Basilton Pitch, twenty-two years old and a famed poet of the Romantic era, has fled to the countryside. In Mummers House, the fabled haunt of literary greats, he sulks himself into oblivion and awaits a sad, disappointing end to his brief years of brilliance. The cause of his downfall? None other than Simon Snow, the so-called “bad boy of English poetry”, breaker of rules and eternal thorn in his side. Baz hopes that Mummers House might mean an escape from London, from Snow and his increasingly virulent popularity... but the rain that comes has other ideas.

3) thnétos (T) - @snowybank : AO3 // Tumblr

thnétos: subject to death, mortal

a retelling of Apollo and Hyacinthus

4) A Medieval AU art piece - @thewriterxj : Tumblr

THURSDAY

1) From Eden (E) - @orange-peony : AO3 // Tumblr

I wonder if his skin is warm or cold to the touch. I tell myself it’s simple curiosity, that I’m an artist and capturing things on paper or canvas is my way to make sense of the world. That drawing him feels so natural, so I should just follow my instincts. Ebb used to say it all the time. Follow your heart. It knows where you’re supposed to go.

I wish I could. I wish I had enough money and freedom to just draw what I want. To paint him in his unattainable beauty. To draw him the way I want to. Naked and vulnerable, raw. Without frills and expensive suits.

Just Baz on paper, my fingers tracing his delicate and beautiful lines with simple charcoal.

2) Slings and Eros (M) - @palimpsessed : AO3 // Tumblr

Young god of love Simonides is tasked by his father, the god of war, to bring about the ruin of a mortal prince to punish his blasphemy. However, once Simonides sees his intended victim, he begins to have misgivings. Prince Tyrannus might have offended the gods with his very existence, but all Simonides can see is how beautiful and lonely he is.

Or, a very loose interpretation of the Eros and Psyche myth.

3) I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire (M) - @knitbelove : AO3 // Tumblr

September 1940: Going back to Watford feels different this year, and not just because England is at the brink of war with Germany and Italy. Penelope seems unsettled by everything, and Agatha is distant, and Baz is … simply not here.

What if Carry On but during the Blitz?? Yeah.

4) A Fool's Oath (M) - @thewriterxj : AO3 // Tumblr

A simple soldier is invited to join the ranks of the royal guard. He and his appointed mage arrive at the royal city to find themselves at the mercy of an unmerciful court. As he struggles to find his place in this foreign environment, he also finds himself entranced by music that only he seems to hear that floats out about the city. He makes an oath to wed whoever makes such beautiful music.

Too bad that person is the crown prince.

FRIDAY

1) Stranger Tides (T) - @tea-brigade & @xivz : AO3 // Tumblr

“If some god shall wreck me in the wine-dark deep, even so I will endure…” Captain Simon Snow of the Chosen One is many things—cunning, handsome, ruthless. Greedy. It’s no surprise that Snow finds a way to piss off the God of the Sea, he always manages to get himself into some type of trouble. This time, however, he’s not the only one who will suffer the consequences. Poseidon promises to not stop his pursuit until Snow and all of his men are dead.

Enter Basilton Pitch—rich, beautiful, mysterious. Suspicious. He offers the crew of the Chosen One a hefty sum to take him back to Europe from the Caribbean. And who is Captain Snow to refuse so much coin? After all, Greek gods aren’t real.

Right?

2) The wayward heir [comic] (M) - @letraspal : AO3 // Tumblr

Like a folk song, our love will be passed on. Simon Snow wants to be an artist. He used to live in Fiesole where he worked in the wool shop of his good friend Ebeneza Petty. He has now chosen to return to his native Florence in order to participate in an art contest hosted by the Pitch family, the most important bankers in all the three continents and Simon’s last chance for an art patronage. No matter how much he hates them.

But being back in Florence also brings back the memories Simon wanted to leave behind : his days as an orphan, the mystery about his mother, and once more being under the inquisitive eyes of his godfather, the new archbishop Davy. The archbishop is very same man who would never forgive him for dropping out the priesthood and ruining his secret plans against the Pitches.

The last thing Simon needed was an unbearably handsome jerk getting him into trouble on his very first day in Florence. How can focus when this man is the most annoying person he has ever met and yet his major source of inspiration.

3) Prohibition Blues (T) - @heyyyandrea : AO3

Simon Snow is a baker and aspiring playwright in Prohibition Era New York City. When he meets a handsome man at Shepherd's speakeasy who is interested in his work, he can't help but think it feels too good to be true.

4) Earth Below & Sky Above (M) - @phoxphyre : AO3 // Tumblr

In the depth of the palace of King Minos of Crete lurks a creature known as the Minotaur.

Baz, prince of Athens and chosen of the god Poseidon, has heard the stories. And now he’s volunteered to come to Crete as one of the annual tributes—to dance with the king’s bulls and fulfill his destiny. He just wants to survive the bulls, protect his people, and go home.

But what if the Minotaur isn’t a monster—but just a boy? And what if instead of slaying him, Baz fell in love with him?

A Carry On retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, set in Bronze Age Crete.

5) A 1980s AU Art piece by @stardustasincocaine : Tumblr // Instagram (Slightly NSFW)

[ask-the-jazz-age-trio]

Hello, me again, hope you don't mind, there was just a storm that came threw the other day and it got me wondering you all deal with storms? There must be a lot of clean up after a bad one hits.

Yeah, things can get pretty chaotic over here.

The garden was a mess and one of our trees lost some branches. But, It’s not so bad, we just gotta clear it up. The real hard part can be keeping moral up, Romano and Lithuania really love our garden, so it was kinda my job to make sure they didn’t get too bummed out!

It was seriously hard waking up before Lithuania! He’s practically up at sunrise! So I had to wait for the storm to pass, and I snuck out to clean up, (which was difficult, but not impossible!) and I know, they would both scold me for not sleeping enough, but I don’t regret it. Hearing Lithuania laugh relived when he looked outside, and hearing him say “oh wow, I thought it would be worse!” That was worth it.

Romano even though he was still groggy in the morning seamed to stare outside the window with his coffee as if in thought. He was silent before looking back at me, his eyes when he was tired like this just felt like they were looking through me.

I smiled to him, “Haha that storm wasn’t too bad right?”

Romano frowned, he couldn’t have noticed dirt, I changed my clothes and showered-

“I couldn’t sleep last night.” Romano furrowed his brow, “I don’t think you got much either.”

My heart froze and my smile fell, “no... I had trouble sleeping.”

Lithuania looked up from making us coffee, he looked worried and I hated seeing him with that expression, it didn’t suit him at all.

“America, you... didn’t have to do all that, Bastard. Thank you.” Romano sighed and lightly in a playful way punched his arm.

I smiled, he really was getting more comfortable here wasn’t he? That’s what my home is all about! Hospitality and comfort! “It was nothing, seriously.”

Lithuania looked awfully perplexed and I couldn’t help laughing when he looked confused in his relief.

Romano explained “this idiot had been out there for at least an hour before you woke up, he kept me up after the storm was finished making a racket. He cleaned it up, clearing away the bigger branches and whatever.”

Lithuania smiled softly at me, the same way he did when he thought of a fond memory, as he handed me the coffee, “Mr. America, it was kind of you to do that, but why?”

I swallowed sheepishly as I took the drink from his hands, “I thought you might get discouraged if the garden was a mess when you woke up, so..” I trailed off and looked away from his eyes, my heart started to race, “I just thought I’d get rid of the big stuff so you both wouldn’t have to see it.”

Lithuania looked at me with a soft affectionate gaze and my chest felt tight, “then, thank you Mr. America, it was really considerate of you.”

“Just seeing you relieved was enough, you don’t gotta thank me, either of you.” I used the coffee to hide the smile, damn I was trying to be humble about it, but they’re really making it hard. My heart fluttered, Romano even gave one of his rare smiles. God, him and Lithuania had the best smiles, it was a crime they both didn’t smile more, I’ll change that.

Lithuania stepped back and looked between them both, “I slept just fine last night, so both of you should rest, I’ll take care of breakfast!”

I was going to protest, but Lithuania was determined when he sets his mind to something. Romano knew this too by now, because he just signed and said “suit yourself, I’m going to listen to the radio...” as he left the room, he looked silently grateful.

I tried to catch him before he got out, “lets all take it a bit easier today, alright? We can always get the garden cleaned up tomorrow,”

Romano nodded sleepily before vanishing, leaving Lithuania and I alone together.

The radio played some of today’s hits in the background as we stood, Lithuania grabbed the pan to cook eggs, and I sat down to keep him company as usual. I know I’m his employer, but... I just feel like there’s more here than just that, right? Lithuania sang along softly to the song and I grinned hearing him, he was so afraid to express himself when he first came here, it was a shame, he is such a good singer, Russia shouldn’t have ever tried taking so much of who he is from him. Hopefully I can keep Lithuania and Romano safe and happy here, always.

(Mod Lore Note, please send asks! I love to get them! It’s why I have a blog! Lol send as many as you like, I will get to them as soon as I can and sometimes it takes a minute, but I love answering them! Please never be shy to send them in, thank you for asking things!)

[parrishh]

i'm like, 90% sure all of the anons in my inbox right now are actually the same person so, if that's you, i'm just going to answer all of your mister impossible questions in this post since there are a lot of them and this is going to be really very extremely long

"Wait what why is Jordan awake?"/"Is the sweetmetal of declans picture helping jordan stay awake?"

i don't know why she's awake but i don't think it's the painting, because at the end of the book she's outside declan's apartment, not her own. i guess it's possible that she succeeded in making the painting a sweetmetal powerful enough to sustain her even there, but i feel like there's probably a different explanation. i've seen theories that she's inadvertently made herself into a sweetmetal by finally seeing herself as her own person rather than just a copy of hennessy, which is interesting

"And the things about the ley line Idgi? Hennessy wants to stop the power but for what"

i think hennessy thinks shutting down the ley line is the best (or even only) way to get rid of the lace. she hates herself for the lace to the extent that she doesn't even want to live anymore, so of course that's her primary motivation. she feels hopeless so long as the lace has power. she's desperate

"Why did he think adam was in on declans plan? I think the "oh" was more like oh you want to come with bryde of course...."

the "oh" is in response to ronan saying "i'm calling now. i need to see you", before there's even any mention of bryde. adam says "you're here? oh", not "you're here? why are you here?" the fact that he didn't ask why ronan was in town, the fact that he said an "oh" of realization instead, implied that he already knew why ronan was in town. and he could have only known by speaking to declan. i think it was a reasonable conclusion on ronan's part

"Ronan are you being serious????? Why should Adam/Declan drop everything and come fight with you - they didnt even know where you are, they don't know the plan. Then you accuse them of that Moderators plan without questioning them. And I mean, yes, Ronan is easily manipulated and he thinks everyone is against them and Bryde is the only one who cares but come on!!!!!!! Seriously, doesn't he get that he might be in the wrong????"

i mean, i think you hit the nail on the head when you said "he thinks everyone is against them." for a long time, he's been struggling with feeling alone, like he's a burden, like the people he loves don't really understand him. he's never had a healthy relationship with another dreamer, so it makes sense that he feels so isolated from literally everyone he cares about. and now he just found out two of the most important people in his life went behind his back to conspire against him (even if he doesn't have confirmation about adam, declan does admit to it over the phone) which is just...salt on a wound he's had since he was a kid. i'm not saying he's in the right, but i do understand why his immediate reaction was what it was. when you've been hurt like that, it takes some time before you can like, calm down and reconsider your own role in the situation

"Ronan basically dreamt Bryde in his worst dream right? Why does he still trust him"

i mean, i don't know how much we can believe what bryde says, but when he reveals himself as being ronan's dream he basically says that everything that he (bryde) wants, ronan already subconsciously wanted before he even dreamt him. that bryde wants it because ronan wanted it. to admit that bryde is in the wrong, ronan would have to admit he, himself, is in the wrong, too, and that's not easy. especially because a lot of his motivation is saving matthew and not wanting to live with the weight of matthew's life on his conscious anymore. especially because he's felt alone for so long, and now he just found out the first dreamer to truly make him feel less alone is his own creation. he's hurting. a lot. he will admit to being wrong in the third book, i think, but like i mentioned above, that kind of growth takes some time

"I think Ronan actually doubts Brydes plan too bc he thinks stuff like people built the dam, there are living things here, it cost a fortune..... and i personally never see a purpose in what they're doing bc bryde never tells them and ronan obviously doesn't know or he thinks he doesnt. I think he doesnt and he just trudts bryde blindly for now and his insecurities aka bryde take over and rule over ronan. Thoughts?"

i mean, i think ronan sees the purpose. here are his thoughts, directly quoted from chapter 17 when bryde is talking about restoring the ley lines:

"A world where Matthew could just live. A world where Ronan could just dream. A world where every dream was clear and crisp and easy to navigate, so there were never accidents or nightmares. He wanted it."

he wants, as i mentioned above, for matthew's life to not be reliant on his own (which i understand. that's a really heavy knowledge to live with.) he also just wants to be able to exist wherever he wants and with whomever he wants (thinking, for example, about how he wasn't able to get an apartment in boston in cdth), without constantly worrying that the nightwash is going to kill him. poor guy just wants a normal life

"Also did we ever actually see bryde get something out of a dream? Most work did Ronan"

this is interesting. now that you mention it, i don't think we do. supposedly he dreams the orbs, but i can't recall ever seeing that happen? i could be wrong, though

"And why is the nightwash mostly ronans problem? I mean hennessy and rhionna (?) had it very little and who knows if the other dreamers have it"

i think ronan is a much, much more powerful dreamer than any of the others. there's something...More about him. something special about being the greywaren. i don't know what it is, specifically, but i anticipate that's something we'll find out in the final book, and i expect it'll explain why the nightwash affects him more than it does the others

"Who the hell dreamt the mods"

i don't know! i think the most popular theory right now is that it was nathan farooq-lane. i'm not sure how that works, though, since they killed nathan and bryde took the sweetmetal off of lock pretty early in the book (unless nathan isn't actually dead, somehow) (or bryde is nathan, which is another popular theory). another theory is that it was ronan. like, he was feeling so alone and misunderstood that he accidentally dreamt his own persecutors? or it's possible that they were all just dreamt by random dreamers and that's why they felt strongly enough about the "cause" to become moderators, but that's kind of boring

"And why are R B and H so dangerous? Bc of what they're doing?"

yeah, and, i mean, according to liliana's visions, they have the power to end the world

"Can I point out that Idk what everyone is talking about, I dont get pynch possible breakup vibes at all from this book"/"Am I trippin or did I read another book? Because some fellas say there's no pynch"

i think when people say there's no pynch, they just mean that there's very minimal pynch interaction, specifically. because, yeah, even though they're both constantly thinking about each other, it is true that we only get one moment of them actually interacting (the phone call), and it's obviously not a positive interaction

i don't think anyone actually thinks they'll break up. at least, i haven't seen anyone say that and i've been feverishly reading everything under the mister impossible tag, so

"What struck me as really odd was that Adam bought this stupid 14$ waffle which he would have never done a few months back and I dont think he would do it now? 14$ is a lot of money esp for a waffle so why spend it on something as useless as this? And why do the others need Adams money? Are they all on scholarships? Was it just bc he had cash and the others didnt? And why is he treating them like his followers and they treat him as their guardian or whatever like he clearly needs to be honest with them"

okay, first off, i will say, as someone who grew up poor and, like adam, absolutely busted my ass in high school to get a good scholarship so i could go to college, the relief of actually getting that scholarship is...powerful. my financial anxiety definitely didn't disappear once that happened, but there was, at least in my experience, this feeling of "i made it, it's going to be okay now" that made it a little easier to spend money. i don't think it's that unrealistic that he, now having the security of a harvard education, would spend fourteen dollars on something he doesn't need every once in a while. it would be completely out of character for henrietta adam, yes, but it's a bit different now. plus, it wouldn't suit his faux Harvard Adam persona to refuse the waffle because of how much it costs

i think his friends are all a lot more well-off than he is. it was just that they didn't have any cash on them and the waffle truck didn't take card (also realistic, i never have cash on me so i always have to ask someone to spot me when a place turns out to be cash-only)

i think (a) they all look up to him because he has this really calm, cool and collected persona. more importantly, we can assume that they were all struggling with something when he met each of them, since they were all crying. now in swoops this guy who saw them upset and came to comfort and befriend them. of course they see him as something like a hero. and (b) i think he likes that. in high school, he was the one being rescued, not the one rescuing. i think he enjoys being the kind of person he used to wish he could be (ie. gansey. he's being gansey)

"I thought it a bit funny in a weird way that Declan talked about marrying Jordan…I can't imagine he was being too serious about it?"

no, i mean, i don't think he was literally proposing, not yet. he's just really happy for the first time in a long time (maybe ever) and, after a lifetime of pain and trauma and more responsibility than he ever signed up for, i don't blame him for wanting that feeling to last forever, even if he's not really thinking clearly

"Also I think it's amazing they make each other so happy but the ending makes me a bit sad or surprised bc shouldn't Matthew be his nr1 priority now?"

we only have jordan's perspective at the end, so when she thinks that it was clear declan had come out of his apartment looking for her, i don't think that necessarily means he wasn't also looking for matthew. i don't think it's fair to say that, in that moment, he should prioritize either matthew or jordan. he loves two dreams, so he can and should be concerned for both of them equally. i don't think one love is inherently more important than the other just because it's lasted longer or because it's family

[rhmg-au]

Prequel part 1.

Thinking of some endings for the final confrontation, would try to get them out once I complete the prequel first.

This AU belongs to @rhmg-au . Please follow them, reblog their art, give them fanart, support them in any way possible, etc.

TW: Torture, blood, gore, restraints

(Mod Swanno: Edited with the read more option due to length and content!)

Eyes fluttered rapidly in the dark, the aching pain ran rampant throughout his entire body, the tears in his uniform exposing his skin to the coldness in the room from the lack of heat inside. Two figures seem to be in front of him, chatting with one another.

He let out an involuntary groan of pain, causing the two to turn to them. They look familiar.

“Awake already, Price? Thought you’d be knocked out for at least for few more hours.”

At that statement, the memories flooded back to him, as if he was in the sea in the middle of a big storm, only he was alone on a boat, the lighting and crashing waves wanting to throw him off the only thing keeping him from drowning.

The fighting, the snapping, the discovery.

———

A knock was heard on his door, he was in one of the rooms made for soldiers who needed to rest after a tiring mission or just stay for a break from their duties. His mind was wandering in its own little world, trying to think of ways to get rid of that monster he calls his general, he’s not noble anymore, after what he witnessed him doing to a Toppat, though he is a criminal, it was still so cruel to strip him of his memories and forcefully turn them to their side, and how it was carried out was…too brutal to watch or even hear for that matter. How could he live with himself after such a heinous act?

Those thoughts were carried to the back of his mind when that sound caused by a hand repeatedly hitting the door from the other side to get someone else’s attention inside.

“Rupert? May I come in?”

It’s him, it’s time to play the role of the actor again.

“You may, general.”

Galeforce entered the room as soon as the request to come inside was approved by the soldier, closing it behind him. His smile looked so normal that no one would ever guess that he did so many terrible acts behind that mask.

“What is it you need, sir?” Rupert asked, straightening his posture, and making sure to wipe his face clean from any form of an expression full of hatred. He cannot reveal his true feelings towards the man, or anyone for that matter. They can be loyalists to him, blinded by their duties to ever consider siding with him. No one is safe to talk to about his issues.

“Are you…actually loyal to the government, Mr. Price? I was informed by Dr. V that you were acting quite strange these past few days, and she has a suspicion that you’re a traitor.”

These words caught Rupert off-guard. They knew? How…how could they know? He thought he hid it so well, concealed it from everyone, how, just how?! Did someone snitch on him? “I, I am loyal sir. I was just thinking about my next missions those past days is all.” He was praying that he would buy it, he couldn’t risk to be found out of his resent. He knew it wouldn’t be anything but bad.

“Then tell me…do you know about the latest piece of technology we developed?” What was that supposed to mean? Naively, he shook his head, realizing too late that he made a crucial mistake by doing that.

Galeforce’s smile contorted into a smirk, one that is full of malice. That never meant good, at all. “A device that allows us to know who is lying by just hearing their words and their tone. Think of it like a lie detector, but a better version.” He took out the little gadget, the design was rather basic, just a square shaped piece of metal with antennas sticking out, a screen was visible with lines rapidly going up and down. Such a simple yet complex device. And it’ll be used for an occasion like this. “It’s still in the alpha stages, consider yourself honoured since you’re the first one we’re using to test it.” He took a good look at the lines. “And would you look at that, judging by the way the lines are moving, it detected that you’re lying.”

“No, no sir, are you sure it’s just a misinterpretation? An error?” Rupert knew that he was screwed, yet he still tries to deny it. Anything to get him out of this situation. Anything.

“Sorry to say, Price, but Dr. V told me these lines represent when someone is lying. It is no bug for sure.”

That was the answer he was dreading to hear.

“Now, do you remember what happens to those who are traitors? Or, for you, a potential traitor? You have quite the disdain for me, and that leads to backstabbing.” Galeforce pocketed the device, that grin turning sadistic now.

There was nothing left to hide. He saw through his facade, and now he has the information that he harbours distaste for him.

“You really think I would let something like that slide? What you did was absolute torture! How could you consider yourself to be human after what’d you done?! He may have been a Toppat, but you didn’t have to go to the extreme! What the hell is wrong with you?! Did you even think about how the Toppats feel?! That you took away someone who was so valuable to them, both personally and usefully, did you ever consider that?! Tell me, was there a time you even felt some sympathy?!” He couldn’t contain his rage anymore, he had to snap. It was in there for too long for him to ever hold it back, he may hate the Toppat Clan, but even he couldn’t deny that what Galeforce did crossed the line.

Galeforce didn’t responded, instead he took a step forward. Then another one. His face blank, showing no emotion, no care, no concern, no astonishment, no happiness, only apathy. Before he eventually leapt out and attacked him, like a wild animal would when it sees potential prey.

Rupert didn’t hesitate to fight back, both of them knocked to the ground. He raised his hand to counteract the opposing one ready to strike, catching it in time before it could land a hit on his face. Immediately afterwards, he caught the other hand that threatened to finish what the other arm wanted to begin.

“You could’ve been a valuable soldier here, had you not raise this hatred inside of you.” Galeforce taunted, ripping his hand out of his grasp and grabbed his hair that still stuck out from his hat, pushing his head forward.

“What was I supposed to do? Watch you turn someone into a relentless slaughtering puppet to do your dirty work? That isn’t how anything should go!” Rupert gave him a hard punch, directly on the nose. He wasn’t sure if he broke it, but blood poured out from the openings, a good indicator to confirm his suspicions.

Galeforce didn’t get knocked out, though the sudden punch to the face disoriented him for a few seconds, giving the resentful soldier enough time to rip himself out of his grasp and push him off, making a break for it to the door.

He didn’t make it, because of course he didn’t.

He was yanked back by his uniform, the grasp so tight and so harsh that he felt the cloth made to create this suit tear, and before he knew it, he was thrown against the wall, black starting to tease around the edges of his eyes from how hard his head hit the concrete.

“It’s the least I could do, trust me, I would do much worse.” Blood dripped down from his nose, staining the floor with the crimson substance.

“I don’t need to see them to know you’re a horrible person. I’ll beat the shit out of you and I’ll expose you and your heinous deeds.” Rupert shakily got up, it was rather hard when you’re close to blacking out from a strong hit on the head, but it was manageable.

“Still being cocky as ever? That’s biggest downside to you, always so certain you can do everything no matter how impossible it may seem. How cute.” Galeforce’s smirk increased in size as he approached him, taking him by the neck and lifted him off the ground, feet barely touching the floor. The soldier threw his hands onto the wrist of the general, suffocation is very likely if he was not released soon.

“It’s…not impossible…to get you…dismissed…” With his windpipe blocked, air couldn’t get inside to his lungs, affecting his breathing and speaking abilities.

“Dismissed? Why, so many ridiculous ideas run through your mind these past few days huh?” Galeforce released his grip on Rupert, letting him fall to the floor gasping for breath for a moment.

“They’re…logical…not ridicu…lous…” Regaining his strength albeit a bit slowly, he threw his fist at the general, aiming for his chest. The sleeve on the arm of his clenched hand was caught, yanking him to his feet so violently that another tear was made in his uniform, as well as causing pain to his arm due to how hard it was pulled, almost out of its socket. It took all of his willpower and gritting his teeth to not scream from the pain travelling up the limb.

“You must be forgetting that I’m a general, the public believes me as a good-intentioned nobleman who brings criminals to justice. Nothing can ever convince them otherwise.” Galeforce brought his face close to the soldier’s, letting him see that wicked grin close up, which only succeeded in letting his glare darken. He took ahold of his arm, tightening the grip instantly, as an attempt to prevent escape.

“Not if I get evidence, your acts are inhumane, no one deserves a fate like that.” Rupert spat, bringing his knee up and kicking him right in the stomach, using all of his strength in that one blow.

This action caused Galeforce to stumble back, releasing his grip on his arm in the process. Taking this opportunity, the soldier opened up the door, running out of the room. He needed to get out of here, now.

The attempt at escape didn’t work, as the general caught up with him easily, sending him crashing to the floor as he felt a heavy weight fall onto his body, He looked up, the black around his eyes more prominent.

Before his irises could see who was there, even though he already knew who, a fist collided with his head, causing the void in his eyes to finally take over.

The last thing he remembered before blacking out were these words:

“Really thought you could get away? Now, you’ll face the consequences.”

———

Everything was made clear now.

“What is this place?” His voice sounded weak, probably from the lack of water. “Are you going to robotize me like Green? Is that it?”

“No, something much worse. But now that you mentioned it, it would be a great idea. For now though, we have something else planned.” Galeforce answered, that grin so sinister it might as well be considered taking a spot on the most evil smiles list, if one was created that is.

“I would like to turn you into walking weapon, but I still need to monitor Green for the time being. Consider yourself lucky.” Dr. V added, sharing the same smirk as the one on Galeforce.

Rupert tried to throw a fist in either of their faces, but when he did, his hand never moved. Instead, he was greeted with the coldness of a metal cuff holding his hand down on one of the arms of the chair he was sitting in. It’s likely his other wrist was also in the same state as his left one. Though it should’ve been expected, it still shocked him. He was being restrained.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that you aren’t going to be able to leave. You’ll spend the rest of your days here rotting away while we make you realize just how stupid you are to doubt my acts of protection.” Galeforce informed, as if the feeling of the bindings on his wrists weren’t made clear to him enough.

“Protection?! You call that protection?! You hurt someone beyond the point of acceptance and you call that protection?! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Despite his throat hurting after such an outburst, Rupert called him out on that statement of absurdity. Still thinking he’s a hero after everything? Even criminals don’t deserve that happening to them.

“It’s for the greater good. Besides, would you want a cyborg to be roaming free with those crooks?”

“He’s still human!”

“Criminals aren’t humans if they don’t have morals.”

“And you aren’t human if you feel no sympathy for them! Think about the hardships they went through that forced them to turn to crime and we never noticed! If anything, it’s the government’s fault!”

“…Dr. V, do your work.”

“Yes, sir.”

The blonde took out a pair of surgical scissors from her lab coat, walking over to the soldier, who is now struggling in the cuffs that held him in a one spot.

“Let’s begin the lesson, shall we?” Dr. V said, holding the surgical scissors over his face for a moment before snipping a part of his skin with them, blood immediately dripping out from where she made the cut.

Rupert grounded his teeth together, not wanting to give either of them the satisfaction of hearing him in such pain. He knew it would only bring more trouble if he gave them the reaction they wanted to hear, so no screaming. Just endure the pain all enough for something else to occur that causes them to leave. Like boredom or duties.

When no strong reaction came from the soldier, Dr. V dug the blades of the scissors deeper into his flesh, sliding it along slowly and painfully, intending to stop at his cheek if no signs of a scream comes soon. This was only the beginning. The next stages are much, much worse.

Despite the fiery pain growing inside of him from the scissors digging into his skin, Rupert still didn’t give them what they wanted out of him. His teeth were gritted so tightly together to suppress it the best he could. Blood started to leak into his mouth, that metallic taste made clear from the get go. He has to stay strong, this wasn’t the worse thing that happened to him. Seeing Dave getting fired and him going missing were much worse than experiencing torture…

Nothing, no reaction. “You’re stronger than you look. Impressive, but not too impressive.” The doctor pocketed the now bloodied scissors back into her lab coat, the remains of the crimson substance staining the white colour of the garment. She then took out a scalpel, this time instead of his face, she targeted his arm, plunging the sharp edge of the blade onto his shoulder.

The soldier bit down on his bottom lip as to let his teeth rest from the pressure they were under from grinding against each other for so long. Blood slipped out from the bottom lip due to how hard he was biting down on it, the metallic taste more prominent now.

Dr. V’s face contorted into frustration. “Don’t bother trying to hide your pain.” She advised, taking the scalpel out from his shoulder, that crimson substance affecting colour of the metal to make this surgical tool, now just like the scissors sitting inside of her lab coat. She clenched her hand into a fist and made it collide with his cheek, the one that isn’t soaking with blood from the cut. The force in the punch was hard, bound to create a bruise.

Rupert felt his head snap to the side momentarily, causing him to quickly look back to the woman in front of him. “How do you call this revenge if you only really want the Toppats?”

“Anyone who sides with Toppat Clan is called revenge.” Dr. V answered, making an incision on both of his wrists as he spoke, acting and speaking nonchalant about it. “I told you, masking your pain would make things worse. Cooperate with us.”

“You just need to give him a little push in the right direction. As I said before, he’s as stubborn as Green when he was a Toppat.” Galeforce said, his first words in a while.

“And how do you suppose we shove him where we want him to go?”

“Allow me to handle it. I’ve known him for quite a while now.”

The general stood in front of Rupert after Dr. V backed away. He leaned in close to him, whispering something in his ear, his breath causing a shiver to run down his spine. Surprisingly, his eyes widened at what was said, horror written all over his expression.

“Y-you, no you couldn’t-”

“Don’t worry, I trust him enough. But if I find out he’s been going behind my back…”

“Don’t you fucking hurt him! It’s me who you’re mad at, so just do whatever the hell you want with me but leave him alone!”

“I will take action if that’s the case, and what can you do in your current state?”

“This.” Rupert lifted his legs up and slammed them into Galeforce’s chest, the general taking a few steps back due to the impact. Man that hurt…

He looked up after a few seconds, Dr. V coming by his side to check if he had any injuries, pocketing the scalpel beforehand. “Chain his legs too. I’m not letting this happen a second time.” He checked his belt and took a pair of handcuffs from them, handing them out to her.

Dr. V nodded hastily, snatching the restraints quickly and cuffed the soldier’s ankles to the legs of the chair, despite his trashing interrupting some of the progress. “There we go.”

“Someone will find me here, and you’ll regret all of your actions.” Rupert promised, the glare so dark you could probably see a shadow brooding across his face. He’d struggled for a little bit more before giving up, the burning pain playing a part in why he stopped.

“You are in basement of lab, no one knows of this.” Dr. V said, immediately crushing any hope that he may have. Green most likely doesn’t know of this too. “Let’s continue now, shall we?”

Before she could pull out the blood covered scalpel however, Dr. V was stopped by the sound of beeping. “One sec.” She took out the communicator she brought down here, in case of the event someone made a call to her while they were doing what they were doing.

“Hello, this is Dr. Vinschpinsilstien speaking, how could I be of service?”

Rupert saw this as an opportunity, an opportunity to get outside help. It doesn’t matter who it is, the Twins, Victoria, Hayden, Charles or even Green, he can get out of here if he just yells at the communicator. He hated asking for assistance for anything, if he had to be honest, but at this moment, he needed help, he can’t escape by himself.

He was about to shout, to scream, to cause a scene to get the attention of whoever is there, but at the last second, his mouth was harshly covered by Galeforce, both hands were on him to block out his cries for help. Still, he called out anyway, muffled by the hands on his mouth, barely creating any noise.

“…Ah yes, I will be at the lab Green, just come along and I’ll attend to you.” The line cut off soon after Dr. V finished her call with the cyborg.

The opportunity passed…gone.

Galeforce released his hands from Rupert’s mouth as soon as the call was finished, allowing him to take in deep breaths and finally talk properly. “I’ll…I’ll scream down here and…Green will hear me. It doesn’t matter that he’s rewired, he will notice that something’s wrong with me down here.”

“And that is why you shouldn’t speak so soon.” Dr. V said, taking a piece of cloth out from her lab coat, using it as a gag as she wrapped it around his mouth, muffling his words once again. As soon as she finished tying the knot, she and Galeforce left for the door, opening it up to reveal stairs, his only way to freedom if he can get out from this stupid chair. Light temporarily pouring into the room as it was opened up, but soon it was closed, denying any  light from projecting itself into the room, leaving him in the darkness again.

What now?

———

Every passing day was torturous.

Literally.

Beating after beating, his blood spilling out from his system, eventually creating blood stains on the floor, chair and his uniform. The smell of the dried up crimson substance still lingered.

Any cry for help was muffled from the gag, guaranteeing that no one could ever find him here while Galeforce and Dr. V continued to teach him the lesson.

Every gash, every bruise, he even got some broken bones some days.

Whenever they went away, he cried and cried to himself, tears mixing in with the dried blood that stains his face. His spirit breaking down everyday. He still held onto hope, but it seems his grasp on it is fading away slowly.

“Someone…please…find me…I can’t hold out for much longer…”

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the announcements from Maxis Monthly? Did the Game Changers know about or have any say in the rebrand?

Ok so I’m gonna answer your last question first lol

The title “Game Changer” is definitely a little confusing because it implies that we actually change the game in some way, but we don’t. Well, most of us don’t. I think some of the bigger Game Changers have a little sway because they know the team personally and have been to the Sims Headquarters and stuff, but for the most part all we do is get early access so that we can provide our individual communities with a glimpse of the pack that goes a little more in depth than just trailers, that way people can see what’s included and decide if they want to buy it, and hopefully bring more people to the franchise in the process. And we definitely didn’t have anything to do with the rebrand, we heard about it at the same time everyone else did.

As for your first question, I’m gonna put it under a cut for a couple reasons: [a] Listen, I have opinions lol and [b] for anyone that is like me and is sensitive to colour contrast, I don’t want anyone getting a nasty headache or sore eyes if they don’t have to. Let’s do this!

So first off, LOVE that they’re adding over 1000+ decorative world objects! There have been so many things over the years in different packs that I’m sure we’ve all seen and been like “Why didn’t you let us use that!?”, and now we’ll be able to! Sucks that some creators spent so much time liberating those things for us only to now have their work be obsolete though 😕

I also think the Create-A-Sim Story Mode looks interesting. I don’t like the idea that you can’t change the sims aspiration and traits though; they’re locked in once you’ve finished answering the questions. I’m not sure how much use I’ll get out of it, as I tend to either pick specific traits based on my sim’s backstory or randomise them, but it’s nice to know the option is there and answering the questions might be fun to see what kind of sim you get!

Now, onto the rebrand.

I just don’t understand it!

Listen, I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t like change; I don’t do well with big changes at all. But this isn’t about that, this is about trying to understand why EA felt the need to rebrand The Sims 4 (which I can’t work out) and why they chose those colours, and I just… don’t understand.

I mean I understand, they’re trying to attract a younger audience with bright shiny things. But I don’t UNDERSTAND, you know? I don’t understand what prompted them to do it now, after almost five years?! Why did they feel the need to change something that didn’t need to be fixed at all? And why they went with this particular colour scheme! It’s so unnecessarily bright! As a graphic designer I’m genuinely horrified by the colours they chose and as a consumer of their product, I’m a little annoyed that they spent time and money on this when there are other things that are more important (like things that are actually broken) that keep getting the “We don’t have the resources” excuse or just flat out ignored.

Here’s the difference between the original box arts and the rebranded ones:

That blue is GOD AWFUL! It’s like Tumblr’s new blue background; I literally have a headache from looking at it! It doesn’t fit with the style of the rest of the game at all. And they claimed in the stream that the new box art designs really make the render sims “pop”… they really don’t. The backgrounds of the DLC packs are way too busy. I just I don’t understand why they couldn’t just stick with the nice clean, minimalist look they had before; it was truly a timeless design. A design that actually made the render sims pop and didn’t detract from them at all with busy backgrounds and headache-inducing colours!

Oh and can we just talk about the new base game box art render for a second? I love it, I really do. It looks cool and I’m excited to get to learn more about these new sims that are being added and according to the Gurus in the stream, all of the stuff on those sims is being added to base game (the stuff that’s not already base game that is). I’m excited about that pink hair BUT take a good look at all the other stuff… look familiar? That’s because most of us have already paid for that stuff. The jacket on the pink haired sim is from Get Famous, the beanie on the sim next to her is from Get to Work, the hair under the beanie is from Dine Out, the bracelet on the sim with the camera is from Seasons, the chef uniform in the middle is from Get to Work, the jacked on the sim up the back with the phone is from Get Together, and the sleeveless hoodie on the sim to the left of that is from Fitness Stuff. They’re all recolours of stuff from other packs. I’m all for free content, because hey it’s free, but I really wish they wouldn’t make things from other packs base game; people paid for that stuff.

Side note: I feel sorry for the people who collect the psychical copies of the games, because unless they can afford to buy new copies of all the packs, any new packs aren’t going to match their old ones now. And also the people who got tattoos of the old plumbob 😕

Which brings me to the plumbob, and yet another before and after:

The new plumbob is whatever; I don’t hate it, I just prefer the original. It matched the one in game and suited the artstyle of the whole game really well, whereas the new one looks too much like The Sims 3 and doesn’t suit The Sims 4 at all. It’s also not going to match the plumbob in-game anymore as for some reason they decided not to change that one? I mean it wouldn’t matter to me if it did because I always have my default file edited to get rid of it, but it just makes no sense to leave the original in there if you’re changing everything else.

New box art, plumbob and stuff aside, the thing that probably annoys me the most about this rebrand is that the pack icons and colours are changing. I get that they probably ran out of colours to choose from for each pack, but the fact that it’s so hard to tell the difference between the colours for the game and stuff packs is gonna be a problem for anyone who has difficulty distinguishing between different colour tones. Mr Sandwich, for example, couldn’t tell that there was a difference between the two, even after I pointed it out to him. Why didn’t they make one of them yellow?!

I personally used to find things from expansions in the catalogue by looking for the colour of each pack icon. “I know the thing I’m looking for is from Get Famous, so I’ll just keep scrolling until I see a pink icon”… well, not anymore:

All expansion packs are now teal, all game packs are now blue (a different blue than the box art blue I might add 😩), and all stuff packs are green; the only difference is the icon on them. And yes, I’m aware you can filter things by pack, that’s what I used to do for stuff and game packs because they were always the same colour, but if I’m just scrolling through say the curtains category, it’s a lot quicker to just scroll once or twice looking for an icon colour than it is to go into the little menu, click on “packs”, scroll down to the pack I want and choose it.

The new pack icons and colours also look awful on the main menu. Here’s a little before and after again:

Urgh that blue! There as nothing wrong with the original menu but now we’re gonna have the god awful blue again… not the point, sorry. Look at those icons! They’re too… saturated? busy? both? I dunno what but they look awful, especially on the blue background! At the very least they should have just made them one solid colour instead of trying to carry over the crystallized look.

And lastly the loading screen….

Again with the gross colour combinations and the background is just plain boring. The old one is much nicer and easier on the eyes.

Maybe it’s because I’m old and not the target audience for this new look but honestly I JUST DON’T GET IT! I understand that EA are trying to attract more people to the game, obviously younger people, but I really don’t think alienating and confusing the people who currently play your game in favour of luring in new people is this is the way to go about it.

Thankfully I’ve already seen a couple of the amazingly talented modders in the community say they’ll do everything they can to either give us back the original menus and loading screens or make a less obnoxious version as soon as they can, so I’m just gonna keep my fingers crossed that it won’t be too difficult for them to do and look forward to downloading those mods so I can play without getting a headache every time I have to look at the main menu and loading screen 😅

NOTE: Before anyone starts shouting at me for “being negative about a free update” just note that anon asked for my thoughts on it; these are my thoughts. If you like the new look that’s great, I’m really happy for you! But anon wanted my honest opinion and I’ve given it. Will this rebrand stop me playing the game? Of course not! The game is still the same no matter what the box art and menus look like, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them and it doesn’t mean I can’t express my disappointment about it all, especially if a follower asks for my opinion about it.

[inkribbon796]

Egoton Origins: The Silver Shepherd

Chapter 1: When the Void Looks Back

~::~25 Years Ago~::~

    Mark had been living in Egoton as far back as he could remember. He’d been born in Hawaii, but had lived his whole life here. Egoton, in the kindest regards was one of the worst places to live. It was under the heel of a creature that couldn’t die, and an equally crazy reporter who ran the news and seemed to keep everyone in line.

    His life was spiraling out of control and even at 21, he felt like he was staring at the uncaring jaws of death. He’d just come out from a surgery to get rid of a tumor a couple months ago. So after a rather terrifying existential nightmare of realizing that he’d done nothing with his life, he was trying to figure out how to fix it.

    He’d started going back to class again, probably shouldn’t be but he was so close to the end of the year and didn’t want his grades to tank.

    So he was walking from the bus stop to his apartment he shared with four other guys. He just wanted to go home and take a nap. Maybe play some Quake mods after he finished up his homework.

    “Fire!” Someone screamed.

    As if set off by some primal urge, Mark ran towards the sound, his stomach hurt a bit but after controlling his speed and movement for a bit he made it into an alleyway where there wasn’t a fire. Someone was being attacked.

    The guy looked like one of Dark’s mafia enforcers. He had some young woman that looked about Mark’s age backed up into the corner of the alleyway.

    To Mark’s chagrin, he did hesitate, but as the woman kept begging to let her go and the guy was being a creep, he finally did move. Mark crept up as slowly as possible, and carefully grabbed a nearby pipe from a bunch of trash bags near the mouth of the alley.

    He had one shot really, the guy had a knife in his hands, and Mark wasn’t in the best of shape since his surgery. The girl either didn’t realize he was there, or was doing her part to not sell him out.

    “Let me go,” she tried to push him off.

    “You’re not going anywhere,” he spat.

    Mark quickly hit the guy on the head and he just went down. “Go,” he told the woman.

    “Thank you so much,” she said, already starting to walk over the unconscious gangster’s body.

    “Just go,” he urged, and tried to leave as quickly as possible, burying the pipe he’d taken back with the others and trying to escape as fast as his body would let him. Mark didn’t look behind him or stop fleeing until he was in his apartment, deadbolting it and finally catching his breath.

    It was only then that Mark realized how much he was shaking. Carefully limping over to the couch and sitting down. He needed a nap, badly, and maybe when he woke up his body would stop shaking.

    Mark didn’t tell anyone what had happened. He didn’t want the press, and he knew his friends weren’t involved with Dark or his network, but he didn’t want to chance someone overhearing something.

    The bigger problem, at least for Mark, was that he found himself looking for trouble. It took a couple more weeks for him to figure out that he hadn’t been shaking just because of fear or because he was coming off a surgery.

    It was the adrenaline.

    Mark couldn’t quite put his finger on why beating a mafia guy was the thing that seemed to get his blood pumping. But the fact of the matter was that Mark found himself barely a month after saving the woman, who he hadn’t run into again, looking for more of Dark’s enforcers. It was dark, late at night. Honestly Mark shouldn’t be out here, but no one else was going to do anything else about Dark and his thugs. So Mark had to do something. Sometimes it felt like he was the only one who could.

    So Mark and a friend were investigating one of the warehouses that Dark was known to almost never visit. Maybe once in a blue moon, but in Mark’s paltry research he knew that there was a warehouse Dark worked out of, but which? Mark had no idea. All he knew was that it wasn’t the one he was at right now.

    “Hey, Mark,” Daniel whispered as he crept up, finally catching up to him. Daniel was one of Mark’s roommates, and so far the only of them that Mark had told what he was starting to do on the weekends. Both of them were in masks. Mark in a black and white outfit that looked more like an alien than he intended. Daniel was in a blue outfit with a cyan-colored mask and sash.

    “Not my name, Iblis,” Mark hissed.

    Even though the mask, Mark saw him roll his eyes. “Fine, Silver, whatever.”

    The two guys Mark was watching finished loading the boxes into the back of a covered truck.

    “This is a bad idea,” Daniel reminded him.

    “Go home, then,” Mark whispered, and smiled as the two enforcers left the truck alone to go back inside. “I got this.”

    Mark crept towards the truck, Daniel trying to call after him but Mark was already at the side of the covered truck and climb into the back. He was pretty sure he was alone until he heard the faint thud of Daniel climbing into the truck with him.

    “Fancy seeing you here,” Mark whispered, smiling.

    “Shut up,” Daniel scoffed. “This is dumb. We shouldn’t be here.”

    “We’ll be gone before they even know we’re here,” Mark promised, already starting to check the boxes. The first box he opened however was empty. So were the next five.

    “Why are they all empty,” Mark realized.

    Then the two heard voices as the doors locked. Plunging the two of them into darkness, but from the slightest sliver of light from the nearby street lights outside. Mark was thankful it was dark, because he could feel Daniel glaring at him.

    “Don’t worry, we’ve got this,” Mark told him quietly. “As long as we don’t get taken to the main warehouse, we’re good.”

    “What are we supposed to do?” Daniel spat. “You got us into this mess, so get us back out.”

    “We wait for them to open the door and knock them out,” Mark made sure to still talk quietly, not waiting to tip off their presence to the drivers of the truck. It took forever, enough time for Daniel to stop being so furious with him, and the last part of the trip was a steep incline.

    Finally, there was a creaking and metallic grinding sound. Then, the truck stopped.

    Mark and Daniel braced, both of them creeping towards the door.

    “Alright,” one of the enforcers groaned. “It’s late, I hate this place.”

    “Can’t believe the bastard lives here,” the other enforcer chuckled nervously. “Place gives me the—”

    The door opened and Mark smiled as he saw that the two enforcers were standing close enough. Mark and Daniel grabbed an enforcer each and pulled them into the truck, muting them and choking them out so they couldn’t raise an alarm. Mark struggled to close the door a bit to muffle the sound.

    Once they were taken care of, Mark opened the door all the way, and they stepped out in what looked like a poorly constructed hangerbay. Like it had been meant to hold horses and carriages and instead now held cars. The ground was compacted dirt, two large windows at horse height that looked like they could be opened as doors to take horses through. The place felt like it should reek of mold and old money. But it didn’t smell like anything.

    They didn’t get far before everything went south. Mark could barely take the triumphant smile from their entry off his face before the world began to turn into shades of gray. Mark froze, as a ringing echoed shrilly off every surface around him.

    Daniel cursed, immediately turning to the closest door, which was the huge garage door the truck had entered through. He barely made it two steps, Mark trying to cover Daniel’s back, but it was much too late.

    Mark would later come to his own conclusion that Dark probably knew they were there when they entered the Manor. The more they ran, the further the front door got from them. Mark finally grabbed Daniel, pinning him in place, “We’re just wearing ourselves out.”

    “He’s going to,” Daniel spat back.

    “I’d rather do this here, than half-dead in an endless corridor,” Mark looked around, trying to keep Daniel behind him.

    After a full minute, Mark felt goosebumps all over his body, and Daniel startled. Mark looked behind them, and in between the two vigilantes and the door was Dark. The creature looked more like some Eldritch monster wearing a human skin suit. Its neck gave two deafening snaps as Dark’s neck snapped from side to side.

    Mark almost jumped out of his own skin, trying to get Daniel away from the inhuman being. The realization of how human and mortal not only Mark was, but how vulnerable Daniel was hit him like a truck. Suddenly all the rumors about him seemed horrifyingly true as both vigilantes were grabbed by shadowy wispy tendrils. Both of them were painfully squeezed.

    Dark smiled, looking at the two intruders up and down before he paced around them. “Well I’m used to masks,” Dark said, surprising Mark by the low human voice that came from such a clearly inhuman creature. “Have to say, the spandex is new.”

    “What?” Mark said, Dark snapped his head to look at Mark.

    Maybe it was the shock, or the fact that his brain had processed that he was going to die and didn’t bother telling him, but he opened his mouth and said the dumbest thing ever. “What are you?”

    Even Mark was surprised by his own sudden fearlessness.

    Daniel let out a scream, as Dark began to tighten his hold on Daniel. Dark, for his part, calmly stared at Mark. Even if vigilante could see the malice and bottomless pit inside the entity’s eyes, as if bubbling just under the surface.

    “Who are you?” Dark asked. “Don’t make me kill your friend.”

    Mark felt nauseous, unable to help or protect Daniel, “You’re going to kill us anyways.”

    Dark grinned evilly, one of his fingers going to the bottom of Mark’s silver mask, “Oh, I can do far worse than kill you.”

    Then, slowly he started to lift Mark’s mask, and Mark absolutely panicked. He reacted without thought, although even if Mark had thought of the situation for longer than a second, he didn’t really know what else he could have done. In an act of terrified stupidity, Mark bit his hand.

    Two things happened. First, Mark had the sensation that he’d bitten into something akin to clay. Second, Dark looked honestly surprised for a second, before he looked absolutely furious.

    Dark threw Mark into Daniel, knocking them both down onto the ground. “I was going to just kill you two,” Dark roared at them. “But it looks like mercy’s off the table boys. I’ll let the House have you instead!”

    Mark used what little sense he had left to grab onto Daniel’s cape, the first part of him he could reach, and the whole world went black as Mark had the sensation he was falling. It felt like he was being ripped away from Daniel and Mark felt himself scream rather than hear it.

    Time seemed to unfold, as if he had lived a whole lifetime he didn’t remember experiencing, but it only lasted a second. He fell through what looked like red mist that seemed to be trying to stick to his clothing. Then, he felt himself hit the ground and he blacked out.

NEXT => Chapter 2

________________________________________________________________

Hope you guys like it.

I want to say, this one took some time to make, but I decided that this was the origin I was going with because not including Iblis would have been a tragedy and a betrayal of the lore of Silver and I refused to commit either travestry.

[metalforhands]

Companion - Lucille Garcia

tagged by: @andremarshallwhite! they tagged whoever wanted to do this... which meant me! i wanted to do this! also i really want to travel with andre now,, the second that companion mod drops hmu ;o

tagging: @marvilus73, @mars-colony, @scorpio-skies, @lothrilzul, @mcsquidder, @justaname02, @sil-ly-boy, @wastelandwandererstuff, @nukenai and whoever else wants to do this! you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to ;v; i added a few sections that you might want to get rid of though. adjust it to your liking!

PRE-QUEST (IN THE BOS)

NAME: Knight Garcia

FOUND on the Prydwen. Possible companion following the quest Show no Mercy.

WEARS a set of T-60 Power Armor with BOS Knight Paint. Wears no helmet, but has one in her inventory if the player wants to equip it. Orange BOS uniform worn underneath, and is only seen out of Power Armor on specific occasions.

COMPANION PERK: Hawk’s Eye - 10% increase in VATS accuracy, +1 to PER

WEAPON OF CHOICE: slightly modded Laser Rifle (long range), Combat Knife (Melee)

IDLE DIALOGUE:

“Hm... the Commonwealth is so different from the Capital Wasteland. I like it.”

“It’s nice having someone watch your back, huh?”

“Keep an eye out for any technical documents. Proctor Quinlan will want them.”

“You know, it isn’t easy out here. Gotta take it one day at a time.”

IF THE SOLE SURVIVOR’S RADIO IS ON: “[quietly humming to whatever song is playing]...”

I THINK WE SHOULD TRAVEL TOGETHER:

“I’m all ready to go. Lead the way, [rank].”

“Got it.”

“Alright, sounds good to me. Let’s go.”

USE MELEE:

“Really? Is there a reason why you want me to use… never mind.”

“Permission to speak freely? This is a terrible idea.”

“[muttered under breath] My funeral, I guess.”

USE RANGED:

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Let’s do this.”

“Time to burn some ozone.”

OPEN INVENTORY:

“What do you need, [rank]?”

“I can help you carry that.”

IF OVERENCUMBERED:

“I... should probably mention that you’re going over the recommended carrying capacity.”

“You’re going even slower than me… hell, and I’m in Power Armor.”

“Give me some of that, okay?”

STAY CLOSE:

“Tight formation. Got it.”

“It’ll be hard to lose me in this armor.”

“Understood.”

KEEP DISTANCE:

“Good idea. I’ll watch your back.”

“Just don’t get into any trouble. Won’t be able to get to you right away.”

“Understood.”

STEALTH:

“I’m wearing Power Armor. Do you really think… never mind.”

“Just don’t get mad if someone hears me.”

“Not really how we do it in the Brotherhood, but I’ll try.”

BACKUP:

“Oh, okay.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

BE PASSIVE:

“I knew there was a reason why I liked you.”

“Like how you think, [rank].”

"Never really liked how we’re expected to shoot first, ask questions later. But you, you’re different.”

BE AGGRESSIVE:

“Understood.”

“If you’re certain.”

“We could probably go about this another way.”

USE STIMPACK:

“I needed that. Thank you.”

“Ugh… thanks, [rank].”

“Shit... thanks.”

WAIT HERE:

"Holding position.”

“Be quick. I don’t like being out here in the open.”

FOLLOW ME:

“Understood.”

“After you.”

“Safety in numbers.”

DISMISSED:

“Only if you’re sure. I’ll see you around.”

“Be careful out there, [rank].”

“You stocked up on vertibird grenades? If not, I’ll lend you one.”

SEND THEM HOME (FOLLOWER BASE):

“Got it. See you back on the Prydwen.”

"Alright. Needed to work on a few repairs, anyway. See you around.”

“Good timing. My eye’s starting to act up again. Guess I’ll have to check in with Cade.”

ENEMIES (LONG RANGE - OR COMPLIMENTS ON PLAYER CHARACTER’S CONFIRMED KILL USING A SNIPER RIFLE ON LONG RANGED TARGET)

“We’ve got company!”

“Safeties off!”

“Time to rock n’ roll.”

“Teach you how the Brotherhood does it!”

“Nice shot, [rank]!”

“[laughs] Damn! Right on target!”

“Like music to my ears.”

ENEMIES (CLOSE RANGE)

“Shit! Safeties off!”

“[grunt] Get off!”

"Had it comin’!”

LOSE AS COMPANION PERMANENTLY:

- Lowered affinity from too many dislikes/hates: chem addictions, murder, stealing, lying, aggressive solutions, agreeing to work with Bobbi No-Nose, siding with Bobbi No-Nose, refusing to help Billy, selling Billy into slavery, siding with the scavengers over Ironsides, allowing Elder Maxson to kill Paladin Danse during Blind Betrayal, etc...

- Becoming enemies with the Brotherhood of Steel while she’s still affiliated with them.

- The Sole Survivor, not Elder Maxson, killing Paladin Danse during Blind Betrayal.

- Not evacuating the Institute.

PERSONAL QUEST - A Change in Tides

This quest will only trigger if the Sole Survivor didn’t kill Paladin Danse during Blind Betrayal. If he was spared, or if Elder Maxson killed him, this quest will pop up alongside Tactical Thinking.

Max affinity with Knight Garcia cannot be reached before completing this quest. This also blocks off her final affinity conversation. Her final affinity conversation will change depending on the outcome of this quest.

Following Blind Betrayal, Knight Garcia will question her place in the Brotherhood. Her unease with their aggressive methods is mentioned during previous affinity conversations. 

After seeing what happened to Paladin Danse, a selfless soldier she knew and greatly respected, she doesn’t know what to do. Does she abandon the Brotherhood? Or does she stay?

The Sole Survivor can help her decide. If Danse was spared, there will be no speech checks required to convince Knight Garcia to stay or leave. She trusts the Sole Survivor’s opinion, and takes their advice. However, if Elder Maxson killed Paladin Danse, the Sole Survivor will have to pass a difficult speech check to get her to stay. They won’t have to pass a speech check to get her to leave.

POST-QUEST (NOT IN THE BOS)

NAME: Lucille Garcia

FOUND at the Dugout Inn in Diamond City.

WEARS a Bomber Jacket with the BOS uniform. It’s assumed that you’ll put her in another outfit, much like you do with Curie.

COMPANION PERK: Hawk’s Eye - 15% increase in VATS accuracy, +2 to PER (Improved perk if the Sole Survivor convinces her to leave the BOS)

WEAPON OF CHOICE: slightly modded Laser Rifle (long range), Combat Knife (Melee)

IDLE DIALOGUE:

“I’m starting to like it here in the Commonwealth. Feels like home.”

“It’s nice having someone watch your back, huh?”

“Did you know Kells once caught me using my rifle as an air guitar? Had to scrape rust off the Prydwen for a week. Totally worth it.”

“You know, it isn’t easy out here. Gotta take it one day at a time.”

“I finally have some time to practice my piano. Vadim said he’ll pay me to play at his bar, so... like, I really have to brush up on my skills.”

IF THE SOLE SURVIVOR’S RADIO IS ON: “[singing along with whatever song is playing]...”

I THINK WE SHOULD TRAVEL TOGETHER:

“I was getting a bit antsy. Let’s go.”

“Got it.”

“Time to rock n’ roll.”

USE MELEE:

“Really? Is there a reason why you want me to use… never mind.”

“Damn, if only there was a weapon that shot lasers. At long range. Away from the enemy... oh, wait.”

“My funeral, I guess.”

USE RANGED:

“Don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Alright, about time.”

“Time to burn some ozone.”

OPEN INVENTORY:

“You need anything?”

“I can help you carry something.”

IF OVERENCUMBERED:

“Uh... you should probably drop some of that.”

“I mean, if you’re trying to break a record for carrying the most crap, then yeah... keep it up. I believe in you.”

“Give me some of that, okay?”

STAY CLOSE:

“Tight formation. Like the good old days.”

“[laughs] You trying to tell me something?”

“You got it.”

KEEP DISTANCE:

“Good idea. I’ll watch your back.”

“Just be safe, okay? Won’t be able to get to you right away.”

“Understood.”

STEALTH:

“I’m still really bad at this kinda thing, you know.”

“Just don’t get mad if someone hears me.”

“I mean... I’ll try.”

BACKUP:

“Oh, okay.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

BE PASSIVE:

“I knew there was a reason why I liked you.”

“Like how you think.”

BE AGGRESSIVE:

“If you’re sure.”

“We could probably go about this another way.”

USE STIMPACK:

“I needed that. Thank you.”

“[sharp inhale] Thanks.”

“Shit... thanks.”

WAIT HERE:

"[light heartedly] Just don’t forget about me.”

“Be quick. I don’t like being out here in the open.”

“Alright. You know where to find me.”

FOLLOW ME:

“Got it.”

“After you.”

“Safety in numbers.”

DISMISSED:

“Only if you’re sure. I’ll see you around.”

IF ROMANCED: “Alright... just stay safe out there, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

SEND THEM HOME (FOLLOWER BASE):

“Got it. I’ll tell Vadim you say hi... or not. Up to you. You know how he is.”

"Right. You know where to find me. Don’t get yourself killed out there, okay?”

ENEMIES (LONG RANGE - OR COMPLIMENTS ON PLAYER CHARACTER’S CONFIRMED KILL USING A SNIPER RIFLE ON LONG RANGED TARGET)

“We’ve got company!”

“Safeties off!”

“Time to rock n’ roll.”

“Shame it had to come to that.”

“Nice shot!”

“[laughs] Damn! Right on target!”

“Like music to my ears.”

ENEMIES (CLOSE RANGE)

“Shit! Safeties off!”

“[grunt] Get off!”

"Had it comin’!”

LOSE AS COMPANION PERMANENTLY:

- Lowered affinity from too many dislikes/hates: chem addictions, murder, stealing, lying, aggressive solutions, agreeing to work with Bobbi No-Nose, siding with Bobbi No-Nose, refusing to help Billy, selling Billy into slavery, siding with the scavengers over Ironsides, etc...

- Blowing up the Prydwen.

- Not evacuating the Institute.

ROMANCEABLE:

Yes, but only if she’s out of the Brotherhood.

ROMANCE LINES:

“You do something different with your hair today? It suits you. Well, I mean, any hair style suits you, but it looks extra nice today.”

“You know, after Nathan died, I was convinced I’d never have something like this again. I’m so glad I was wrong.”

“Whenever I look at you, I can’t help but wonder how I got so lucky.”

“I know I don’t say this a lot, but... thank you. Thank you for everything. I never thought I’d be this happy.”

“I really need to draw up a map... of your eyes. I keep getting lost in them. [laughs loudly] What? Too cheesy?”

“[quietly singing ‘Heart and Soul’ to herself] Heart and soul, I fell in love with you, heart and soul...”

LOVERS EMBRACE LINES:

“Hmm, mornin’...”

“Mmm… what time’d you get up?”

“You look so cute with your hair all messed up like that.”

“It’s so early. Can’t we stay in a bit longer...”

“Just admiring the view.”

AGGRESSION: aggressive/not aggressive/very aggressive/frenzied

CONFIDENCE: cowardly/cautious/average/brave/foolhardy

ASSISTANCE: helps nobody/helps allies/helps friends and allies

[my-hero-acamemeia]

Momos hero costume is waaaaaaay over sexualized but she also needs her skin to be open to use her quirk I was wondering how you would design it? I’m definitely not justifying her design I actually hate it but just curious

OKAY!

So, first of all, a little self promo but i have actually drawn a redesign of Momo’s costume before. It’s kind of old and there’s definetly some things I would change but it’s a basic idea.

Second of all, I’m going to put a readmore because BOY do I have a lot to say about this.

So, to address the first part of your message, Momo’s quirk. It’s been established that her quirk uses her body fat in order to create items, provided that she knows their physical and molecular structure. So yes, it definitely does require skin to show so that she can remove the objects. And obviously, even with the amount of skin Momo shows in canon it in no way needs to be as sexualized as it is.

Here’s why Horikoshi’s design is bullshit though. Besides obviously leaving Momo horribly exposed to the elements, it’s actually detrimental to using her quirk. The excuse for the god-awful boob slit is so that she can pull items out of her chest, but for larger items she has to physically unfasten her top, exposing her even more. The thing that really gets me about Momo’s costume though, is that the back is completely covered. It’s not that Momo can’t create things from her back, or that she can create them but won’t be able to reach them - we know that she can create things like the electrical blanket from the USJ arc, but in creating it we also see that she ripped her suit open. Why not leave the back more exposed? It’s better than the front-slit, which actually doesn’t even expose that much skin and is just horribly sexualizing a teenage girl, and it would give Momo more surface area to work with. If she really needed something in hand she could likely just pull it out of her thigh or something, and otherwise she’d be able to pop it out her back. Not to mention her costume has such little breast support it physically pains me just to look at it. Please give her a sports bra. It actually much more sense for her to be exposing her stomach and back a la crop top style rather than Horikosh’s slit leotard. It would be easier for her to reach and would actually give Momo a larger surface area in general to work with, since Hori’s slit is really not that wide and Momo has to flash the world if she needs space than the slit gives her. All of these things are much more practical given her quirk.

On a less quirk related note, there’s a few other thing’s I’d change for practicality’s sake. First of all, get rid of the heels. No. Just… no heels. They’re about as impractical as you can get. Second of all, give her elbow/knee pads. If all her limbs are going to be exposed for her quirk, at least let her protect her joints some. Thirdly I’d give her gloves, mostly for the aesthetic but also because protection while punching things. Fourth, a cape. Not even like… a long dramatic one, but one that kind of wraps around her body and maybe hits mid-thigh. It’s short enough not to interfere with her movement much, provides more protection from the elements, and it would allow Momo to cover up way more than her costume would probably allow otherwise. Fifthly, because I’m not done yet, goggles. Give the kids some eye protection. Sixthly, get rid of the weird belt-skirt plus book shelf thing she has and replace it with a smaller belt and just… either downsize or get rid of the book, or attach it to the belt directly. The shelf is dumb and impractical and in the field I doubt Momo’s going to have much time to look up whatever she has in that book, but I do understand why she would want to have it. Condensing it into a smaller one she could keep in a pouch would be a good idea though.

There’s probably a whole bunch of other great ideas out there, but these are the ones I’ve thought of thus far. I’m no costume designer and I actually have pretty terrible fashion sense irl (just sweatshirts and jeans for days) so I don’t have much to say in terms of actual aesthetics. Thank you for asking, I’ve had a lot of fun writing up this post!

-mod b

[danieledorazi]

Sustainable Fashion Practices / The Uniform

‘Colacello, who worked at Interview for years and was among Warhol’s inner circle, says his 60s look of “silvery white wig, dark wraparound sunglasses, black turtleneck under black leather jacket, black boots and, yes, blue jeans – was calculated to create a cool, hip, rebellious, even a bit sinister image. And it succeeded.” By the time Colacello met him in 1970, only the jeans remained. The rest had been replaced with Oxford shirts, conservative ties, clear-framed glasses and cord jackets. “The suit-jacket-and-jeans look became the Factory look, preppy and businesslike but more edgy than corporate,” he says. “We all found this combination comfortable because we could go from an uptown dinner party to a downtown loft party and fit in, while also being a bit different.”’

‘'Hip, rebellious, even a bit sinister': how Andy Warhol made pop art fashion’ - The Guardian

Black & White

Want to be sustainable & fashionable? Dress in black (or navy, or even white, or olive green, orange, too, why not?). Easy. Although we say “green fashion”, colours are related to season and the moment. Today is all about salmon and mustard, tomorrow it will be flaming hot whatever, and you’ll dump that mustard jersey. Stick to black, it will be forever cool and en vogue, it’s easier to keep it clean than other colours (think about white!), it makes you look good, serious, smart (and thinner).

The uniform is the game

Many great creative forces of the fashion universe dress always the same - check this article on Fashionista: ‘15 DESIGNERS WHO ALWAYS WEAR THE SAME THING’, featuring:

Carolina Herrera

Yohji

Prabal Gurung

Vera Wang

Alber Elbaz

Olivier Rousteing

Riccardo Tisci

Michael Kors

Karl Lagerfeld

Giorgione Armani

Jason Wu

Thom Browne

Raf Simons

Tom Ford

Alexander Wang

A uniform is travel-friendly

An interesting read on the topic: Jason’s ‘Travel Essentials: The Uniform’.

‘Packing light

Choosing to wear a uniform eliminates options, which reduces the number of items needed to put outfits together.

One less decision

Additionally, the simplicity removes a decision from my morning. And while I’m not making hundreds of critical decisions every day, I do want to cut down on decision fatigue as much as possible to leave that mental space available for the decisions I actually care about.

Keep it simple

The entire goal of a uniform is to simplify your wardrobe, not add a bunch of extra work to it. I should be looking at what I already wear most of the time, and putting my uniform together from there.

Keep It Flexible

Since I won’t be traveling with a full closet, my uniform needs to be appropriate for any situation I find myself in. Can I wear it to a fancy steak dinner at an upscale restaurant? A dive bar? A business meeting?

When you start putting together your uniform, consider three factors:

What do I actually feel comfortable wearing?

What type(s) of weather should I be expecting?

What kind(s) of events, venues, and situations will I find myself in?’

It’s also a branding exercise

From Forbes: ‘Steve Jobs Always Dressed Exactly the Same. Here's Who Else Does’.

‘William Arruda, a personal branding guru and author of Ditch. Dare. Do!, says this practice can be part of personal branding. “They wear what they wear because that's what they feel comfortable wearing,” he says. “When you wear something that just feels right, you are confident. And it is also great to have a trademark look. It makes you memorable and distinctive.”

“Famous business people and politicians are known to be consistent with their wardrobe because it's their brand identity,” says Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding and author of Me 2.0. “It's who they are, how they want to represent themselves and make a statement. It's not about what you wear, but what you accomplish. [Mark] Zuckerberg, for instance, wears casual clothing because he represents the entire generation of young people who don't want to wear suits to work.”

This week, the Facebook CEO told NBC's TODAY host Matt Lauer that he owns "maybe about 20" identical grey T-shirts. Zuckerberg said, "I mean, I wear the same thing every day, right? I mean, it's literally, if you could see my closet at home."

We also found a number of notable people who wear all black, all white—or a combo of the two—all the time.

Author and journalist Tom Wolfe began wearing his trademark white suits in 1962, while Johnny Cash’s all-black dress earned him the nickname “The Man In Black,” around the same time.

“Consistency of all kinds is what builds brands,” Schawbel says. “People who wear the same thing, have a catch phrase or two, and associate with the same people are more memorable than those who don't. It says this is who I am and this is what I enjoy. I think it's a rather positive thing that helps people identify with them and allows them to just be themselves.”’

Uniform vs Conspicuous consumption

We now live in sober times, where bragging is for the uncool and the nouveau riche - get a uniform, and you won’t be victim of conspicuous consumption, i.e. ‘the spending of money on and the acquiring of luxury goods and services to publicly display economic power—of the income or of the accumulated wealth of the buyer. To the conspicuous consumer, such a public display of discretionary economic power is a means of either attaining or maintaining a given social status.

The development of Thorstein Veblen's sociology of conspicuous consumption produced the term invidious consumption, the ostentatious consumption of goods that is meant to provoke the envy of other people; and the term conspicuous compassion, the deliberate use of charitable donations of money in order to enhance the social prestige of the donor, with a display of superior socio-economic status.’

Read more here.

Dystopian Fashion is lit

According to Hollywood, TV series and Netflix, zombies are coming for us - wearing stiletto shoes won’t save you, techwear will.

From Stone Island to Y-3, via Rick Owens, many brands offer a stylish yet sporty-esque approach to fashion. Some of them are blatantly into uniforms, ant the related concepts.

Kiko Kostadinov

“I want to do things that help me live in the city. You go to meetings and you need a bag that can hold a charger for your phone, headphones, a notebook et cetera. I’m not saying you need to have a hundred pockets as that’s fictional function, but it needs to be really comfortable and interesting.”

“It’s all about the cut and finishing — I hate decoration,” says Kostadinov, whose own uniform consists of Yohji Yamamoto workwear. “There’s nothing worse than finding a pair of trousers that are cut great but covered in straps and buttons that don’t do anything.”

Craig Green

“I remember at school when you had a non-uniform day, the poorer kids would feel really self-conscious because they’d have to wear normal clothes all of a sudden, compared to the rich kids who had flashy Nike trainers. I remember my mom saying it gets rid of that idea of what you have or how much money you have and it makes you as one. It can be seen as a negative thing because it’s anti-expression, maybe, but then it can be seen as a protective thing emotionally, as well.”

From Grailed: ‘Given his upbringing and personal attraction to the idea of a “uniform,” it’s no surprise that workwear and uniforms have become another recurring theme in his collections. This includes a literal take on the idea of “uniforms,” like Fall/Winter 2016’s references to hazmat suits, and Fall/Winter 2017’s riffs on uniforms of various seafaring folk. Working outside of the typical fashion cycle, Green even designed many of the military uniforms used in the filming of Alien: Covenant. If you look closely enough while watching, you can even see his now-signature vertical quilting.

There’s another, albeit more abstract sense of “uniforms” that flows throughout his collections. It’s a uniformity of humanistic bent—one that’s concerned with the democratic ideas associated with work and a shared human experience. The specifics often shift from collection to collection, while retaining a running theme. According to Green, Spring/Summer 2017 was “initially based around the Scout scarf...That symbolism of ‘belonging’ to something”.

Think back to Spring/Summer 2015 too, with its barefoot models and pure, effortless designs, takes on not-so-subtle religious undertones. Pause on that for a moment: religious officials wear codified uniforms too. It may be difficult to tackle appropriately, but season after season, Craig Green takes them on in effortless fashion, producing collections that always seem to go beyond “just clothes.”’

The uniform: a life changer?

According to this article on StyleCaster, it is - ‘6 Ways Uniform Dressing Changed My Life’.

‘Here are the six biggest ways uniform dressing has changed my life for the better.

Never Being Late

Extra Closet Space

More Free Mental Space

No Longer a Slave to Trends

Becoming a Smarter Shopper

Packing is a Breeze

Last but not least - David Lynch.

MODS MODS MODS!

Great article on mods and fashion: ‘The Mod Suit: How a Uniform Defined a Subculture’.

“In his essay “Noonday Underground,” Tom Wolfe noted, “these kids have found a way to drop out almost totally from class-job system into a world they control.”“

[enrychan]

hey can i ask you what mea mods youve installed?

sure! this list is a mess but I hope you’ll find something useful

- Frosty Tool Suite for Andromeda (install mods with the mod manager AND launch the game through it or the mods won’t work) (there’s also an editor to create mods if you want)

- Shorter landing and departure cinematics (because if they want me to bounce between planets multiple times at least i won’t spend so much time watching the same scenes playing over and over again)

- Romance for all (allows multiple romances + removes gender restrictions - and before tumblr murders me, no I’m not going to romance Gil w/ a female character)

- Faster Kadara doors (god bless)

- Turian makeover (makes them look more like the turians in the trilogy)

- Shut up SAM (WE KNOW IT’S COLD SAM)

- Dialogue annoyance removal (god bless, god bless)

- Nomad top speed increase

- Massively increased inventory size (honestly who wants to manage the fucking inventory)

- Materials for sale in the Tempest Kiosk (if you want to craft your stuff you’ll probably need this one)

- Road rage (increases the damage to enemies when you run them over with the Nomad because it’s fun)

- Better squad (otherwise they will keep making dumb choices and dying during combat)

- Addison tweak

- Lexi tweak

- Reyes tweak

- Female Angara retexture (more detailed)

- Character creation overhaul

- General augs rebalanced (if bioware insists on filling my inventory with junk at least let’s make it kinda useful)

- Remnant decryption key limit increase (no bioware i don’t want to play your damn alien sudoku)

- Jaal armor retexture (i use the one with the cape)

- Better deconstruction (increases deconstruction return from 20 to 60%)

- Research no level requirements

- We had the blueprints (makes research super super cheap. because i hate it. if it makes your game too easy for your tastes there’s also Cheap research which is a little more balanced)

- Better beards

- Femshepping’s companion face edits (i use Cora with thick brows and freckled Liam)

- Better backup life support (if bioware won’t get rid of the environmental hazard even after i activate the vaults, at least i’m increasing my resistance)

[sveasauvageon]

Yours is not to wonder why, yours is to do or die!  || GW

☾♔; March 21, 2018 ☾♔; sotd: idk ☾♔; comedian otd: JOHN FU.CKING OLIVER* ☾♔; GW NPC Audition II ☾♔; {G} https://goo.gl/XSTtMc ☾♔; mod(s): @themadmonarchist @maybones et moi

*oh yeah, he's gonna be comedian of the day all fu.cking week long. As of this moment, his book (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo) is number ONE on Amazon's bestseller's list, outselling not just the Pence's Marlon Bundo book, but James Comey's upcoming tell-all or whatever book about the crazy sh.it at the Trump white house and his firing, and the audiobook version of the Last Week Tonight book is number FOUR, the kindle edition is number FIVE, and all three are ahead on the list than the Pence's book (which is number 7). Guys, I don't have much faith in humanity, we as a species suck (case in point, Trump won the US presidency and so many other problems), but sometimes, like this moment, I love us!

Title: said by Blair Waldorf (my role model in life tbh)

Me: *petty af* Also Me: *passive aggressive af* Thus Me: *manifests pettiness in my oc's*

Preamble Ramble: FINALLY! I've finished one of my auditions! Next up, hopefully Svea, but probs Nika, I'm on a Russia kick, my Swedes will have to wait.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ஜ۩۞۩ஜ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀Vladimir Vladimirovich Sokolov, (17)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Изучаю тебя нежно-нежно ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Убиваю тебя ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Назови меня эгоистом! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀-⠀Эгоист by Дима Билан ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀(Dima Bilan, aka my one true love)   ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀https://goo.gl/VkQMN3

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ THE BASICS

Nickname: Volodya, Vova (but only people with special permission can call him either, call him "Vlad" and he'll end you) Gender: cis-male Date of Birth: May 7 Place of Birth: Moscow, Russia   Nationality: Russian-British   Ethnicity: eastern Slavic (he's also of anglo-saxon and Karachay descent) Accent: Russian   Blood Status: muggle-born

Profession: Student

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Face Claim: Jon Kortajarena

Hair: dark brown, positively luscious and better than yours could ever hope to be.

Eyes: green

Height: 1.88m

Weight: idk

Body: tol, fit, and ridiculously handsome.  

Any Scars/ Marks?: - a long horizontal scar near his right 4th rib. Looks to be from a knife wound or some other blade type weapon, but refuses to explain where it came from (was he stabbed? Sword fight? You don't know! I don't know. Mostly because my answer will be lame compared to the "cool" way he refuses to explain it)

Any Tattoos/ Piercings?: a crowned double-headed eagle on his left shoulder blade and an ouroboros, but as a dragon instead of a snake on the inside of his right arm, near the wrist, around half the length of his forearm (there's a picture of it in his moodboard).

Quirks/ Mannerisms: - uses terms of endearment sarcastically for everyone, such as "darling" or "dear" - identifies the nearest 6 exits every time he enters a room - makes weirdly, somewhat threat-like jokes like "don't move to England if you're a professional traitor, people tend be hanged, thrown out of windows or are poisoned" and "those who serve us with poison will eventually swallow it and poison themselves."

Style: expensive (of course). It's quite preppy, and classy, when not in uniform he prefers well-tailored suits, waistcoats, blazers, has a collection of designer watches. Kind of modern Victorian (well, my view of victorians is endless suits and prefect ettiquette, plus many moral values that contrast my liberal views, but their style was, eh meh. Like, their male style was pretty cool, but I'm not really into around 98% of their female style).  

Additional Information: n/a

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ PERSONALITY:

Head cannon: Vova is a rather intimidating person, in the terrifying sort of way. He carries an air of malice and death everywhere he goes, when he does act "warm and fuzzy", it's always jarring and seen as completely out of character, and possibly the sign of an illness. He is generally seen as the restrained, the quiet kid in the back with a perpetual "plotting your murder" expression on his otherwise handsome face. However, he is also seen as a rather extravagant, and somewhat suspicious person, he always seems to have access to illegal things (in both wizarding and muggle worlds), and seen as impervious to consequence, as regardless of what he does (or is suspected to have done), never gets in trouble.  

Personality (+ 5, - 5): Ruthless and shrewd, if you're not careful, he'll screw up your life. He's incredibly manipulative and self-centered, a true stereotypical Slytherin through and through (well, minus the pureblood thing. He's a muggleborn). Definitely overdramatic and decadent af. He is alluring, very much in the evil way, he's attractive, but he does nothing to hide how dark he (seemingly) is. Like, I guess you could say "bad boy attractive", but he's borderline murderous, and possibly a psychopath, so calling him a "bad boy" is not really all that accurate. He's a very proud and arrogant individual (especially about Russia), and quite malevolent, and vicious. He's patient and holds grudges for a long time, and never forgets a slight. He will legit back at you for something said years ago, he doesn't forget that stuff. He's both a great friend and not, he absolutely provides for his friends, buying them things, etc, but cross him in the slightest, he'll ruin you. And on that note, he also doesn't really have "friends", because if you're depending on him for his wealth, you're not really friends, and he's aware of that, he looks at such people more as "minions" than buddies. They're job is to agree with him and do as he commands, otherwise, what's their point. For people who hang out with him whom he doesn't support financially, it's more like tolerable existences, he's a difficult person to like anyway. However, he is capable of befriending people, usually under the guise of "I hate people, but you, you're cool", luring them into a false sense of security and making them feel special at the same time. However, having said that, he is not a pure psychopath, so he does have feelings. He genuinely cares about his family, animals in general, himself, and select few friends whom he does actually care about, but struggles with expressing that to them, since differentiating with people he pretends to befriend and actually considers friends is difficult since "I hate people, except you" is something he says to both types. It'd probably only come out in a life and death situation, since he'd put himself in harms way for people he genuinely gives a sh.it about, and wouldn't bother for the minions.  

Any mental health issues: He's probably something between a sociopath and psychopath, like, he does have actual emotions, as limited as they are, so he's not a true socio/psychopath. The argument is made (and a theory that I personally prescribe to, as a shi.tty psychology/sociology student, so don't put any weight or authority behind my opinion) that a psychopath is simply a more extreme and refined sociopath, so under that logic, Vova is basically a less extreme sociopath. (also, also, I have a problem with socio/psychopaths, I make too many of them, and they turn out to be my favourites. This is really worrying guys.) Anyway, under DSM IV (or possibly DSM III, I forgot which one changed the classification), he'd have what was called "an AXIS II Personality disorder", they've gotten rid of that classification now, but it basically listed narcissism, anti-social, sociopathic, and psychopathic personality disorders.

Favorite Quotes/ Sayings that your character would use: - "the fact that you need that explained is just so fu.cking sad." (literally said to anyone who doesn't understand any concept, whether it's something as simple as 2+2=4 or complicated as "imaginary time" -- don't ask, it's one of Stephen Hawking's theories and I don't understand it, I know my son would make fun of me.) - "what a fool" - "don't be attempt to be a comedian fool, you'll only embarrass yourself." - "darling, you have no idea what's possible." - "want to see what true power really looks like?" - "urg, don't be such a pleb/plebeian." - "of course I love Beyoncé, I'm a human being who lives on this planet." - "when better to have truffles and tiramisu than at 3am in Milan on a Thursday?" - "that jacket looks fine." - "dear, when will you learn? I know everything." - "Mudblood? Is that supposed to hurt my feelings? I don't have any of those, so what else are you going to do?"

Additional Information: - never on time. He's always late. You will literally start crying before he shows up he takes so long. - Loves crushing people's dreams (basically his hobby) - has an uncanny ability to suck the joy out of anything (his ex has said "unfortunately, he is a vampire", but in a muggle jokey way and basically the dracula stereotypical view muggles have of dracula, as in dark and not fun, and not an actual vampire) - Chess (muggle and wizard -- a proper, "normal" person hobby) - Has a bit of a smoking habit   - has an endless list of blackmail material on people (a lot of which is infuriatingly revealed by GW at various times), and also has a tendency of taping people doing various things which he uses as part of his blackmail library. Seems to have cameras' everywhere and claims to "know everything" about everyone.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ BIOGRAPHY

Relation to your OC: classmates, housemates (possibly more, formerly, I'm still developing him)  

♣️ Family Background

Vova comes from a largely muggle family, however, he is not the first wizard born into their family in recent history, so it wasn't completely a left-field shock when he started displaying magic. The first wizard in their family in the last few centuries (approximately) was Vova's uncle; Ilya Dmitriyevich Shostokov, who attended Koldovstoretz. Vova was the second in recent history, and his younger sister made third. Whilst virtually unknown in the magical world (with the exception of Ilya Shostokov, who has a rather dark reputation in the wizarding world), the Sokolov's are very prominent in the muggle world, particularly in Russia. Vova's grandfather is an Oligarch, who in Russia are effectively businessmen who run the country, the only curtail on their power and influence being the Russian President, and even then, the Russian administration is extremely corrupt, in the last presidential election, the incumbent president was able to literally choose his opponents (not a joke, btw. Putin actually did that in the recent Russian election). Anyway, the Sokolov's have a monopoly over the media industry in Russia, most of which run state-friendly stories, and shut down anything that could potentially insult the presidency. Their family, specifically the current patriarch, is also often accused (mainly in rival papers, magazines, shows, etc) of not only being corrupt, but having involvement with the Zima Bratva. As whole, they maintain an unfavourable public image (as most oligarchs do in the eyes of the Russian public), but are close with the Kremlin, so they remain influential with the government.

Family Members: - Vladimir Yakovlevich Sokolov // Marc Lavoine // Father // 47 // Politician // alive - Catherine Elizabeth Sokolova née Olivier // Emilia Fox // Mother // 46 // Socialite/House-wife // alive - Yevgeniya "Zhenya" Vladimirovna Sokolova // Antonina Vasylchenko // younger sister // 16 // student at Hogwarts // alive - Yakov Lʲvovich Sokolov // Charles Dance // paternal grandfather // 71 // Oligarch/suspected Bratva leader // alive -  Ilya Dmitriyevich Shostokov // Nikolaj Coster-Waldau // paternal uncle, once(ish) removed // 43 // dark wizard // alive  

♣️ Family Affiliation: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Slytherin House, Russian Government (the muggle one, as a fam they support United Russia, because Vlad Sr is a member. Personally? Who knows whom Vova supports), other Kremlin-close Russian Oligarchs  

♣️ Socio-economic status: rich as fu.ck. The exact number and position is actually quite shadowy though. They are amongst the wealthiest muggle families in Russia (Vova's grandfather is an Oligarch), but the retainment (definitely not a word) of their wealth also depends on how friendly they remain with the Kremlin, additionally, their family (mainly Vova's gramps) has been accused of having Bratva ties, and money from that alleged connection is definitely not counted on tax forms.

Quick facts: + Born May 7 in a Moscow Hospital, first son of Vladimir Sokolov, an emerging Russian politician (who eventually made it into the Federation Council). After his sister was born just about a year later, their mother, British-born Catherine Sokolova née Olivier, obtained dual British citizenship for them via "lex sanguinis" (which is a british citizenship law, giving to people who are born abroad is one of their parents is a British citizen by birth. I could've left this out, but I googled this sh.it and I like rambling).

+ Whilst close with his family, Vova was a solitary child, he liked to read and spend time on his own in a corner, or stay at their various Dacha's without anyone else. He never seemed to require any oversight as he never did anything bad (or least, he was never caught). However, he is closest to his grandfather, and would enjoy sitting in on board meetings, just silently observing from a corner. Some of his grandfather's employees (or Minions as Lev calls them, where Vova also got the habit from) found his silent starring creepy and unsettling.

+ Being a muggleborn, he is well-versed with the muggle world and has interacted with them from birth, his parents and grandfather all being muggles, and attended muggle private schools as a child before his letters came. Whilst they employ muggle servants (because they're muggles), his uncle (the first wizard he ever met) employs a house-elf (yes, he pays the house-elf, they might be part of an oppressive government and basically an organized crime family, but they don't do slaves).  

+ Vova first discovered magically abilities on his own, when on a trip in Australia with his mother, he discovered a large snake in their hotel room one morning whilst she was still sleeping, being around 3 and not fully comprehending the danger, he just walked up to it and started talking with it. It later slythered (see what I did there) away of it's own accord when Catherine walked in and freaked out about a massive crazy Australian snake (because you guys have scary animals) coiled near her son. As he aged, he noticed he could do other things, such as making things float or disappear.  

+ Vova first publically displayed magically abilities (as well as control over them) aged 7, when a board member of one his grandfather's companies was throwing a hissy fit about a child sitting in, and his tie suddenly tightened and started choking him. The man survived, at that instance, died suspiciously at a later date. Anyway, he survived that instance when Lev ordered the meeting to be over and broke Vova's angry glare at the dude. The two immediately then went home, and Lev called Ilya to arrive in "his" way (apparition) and had Ilya introduce Vova to magic and talk about whatever, Lev didn't know the specifics.

+ When his sister discovered powers (shattering all the windows in their Dacha in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky via screaming, she was told she couldn't keep a Siberian Tiger as a pet), he gave her the "magic talk", and they caused quite a bit of trouble for annoying students at their school, as well as a nearby "plebeian" school (who disliked the children of oligarchs, for very obvious reasons, Oligarchs rule Russia, and they kind of suck). Anyway, they would mess with their things, frame them for crimes that children their age literally could not commit. What 8 year old has cocaine their locker and why does another 8 year old know what it is?

+ He received a letter from both Koldovstoretz and Hogwarts aged 11 (because he's a dual-y), chose Hogwarts since no one in his family had ever gone there before (like, there's only one person in recent history whose ever been magical anyway, but still), also might have had something to do with the Zima bratva's recent (at that time) expansion into the British criminal landscape, who knows?

+ Although he denies any connection, Vova runs effectively a youth branch of his uncle's business, which itself is a branch of the Zima Bratva. Ilya is basically a magical fixer for the Zima Bratva, who, for a very hefty price, uses dark magic to assist/fix the problems of the muggles and magical alike. Vova does basically exactly the same, but for the students at Hogwarts, and for a different price. Instead of money, he collects information and favours to be repaid immediately at any time he demands. He also maintains an iron fisted rule over his "organization", whether they be customers or minions, snitches don't get stitches, snitches get buried 50 feet beneath the ground.

Additional Information: - he is a parselmouth, a trait inherited from a distant magical ancestor (like from back in the Kevian Rus days of his familial ancestry), his sister also inherited the trait, though their uncle did not.  

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Is your character a student of Hogwarts?: yeppers If so, which house and year: Slytherin, Seventh Year If not, which house did they belong to while they were at Hogwarts?: n/a

Best Class(s) at Hogwarts: defense against the dark arts

Worst Class(s) at Hogwarts: none

Any Pets?: an ooc, cute af owl (tawny, spotted, he doesn't know. Okay, I don't know, but as a consequence, neither does Vova), it's smol and got big round eyes, it's name is Harold and yes, it is his best friend, and yes, he did get it at diagon alley at his sister's instance, and accidentally got attached to it. He does like animals though, the Solokov Dacha in the outskirts of Yakutsk has effectively become a cross between an animal hospital and habitat for, welp, animals. Vova spends most of his holidays there (often alone, not including servants, as it's cold AF. Yakutsk is the second coldest major city in the world, after Norilsk, but it's winter's are colder than Norilsk's), he's ability to visit has increased since he learned how to apparate. He's also really interested, invested, and active in wildlife conservation, and often goes tagging Siberian tigers and polar bears etc with various animal protection organizations in Russia (the muggle ones).  

Reputation at Hogwarts: Volodya has a largely dark reputation, he's more infamous than famous. He's known for messing with people, and not in a fun way, and he's generally seen as some kind of criminal. His uncle is well known is the magical world as a "Jack of all trades of villainy", and Vova definitely fits that villain mold too. He probably wouldn't be too close to the elites, they're sort of glittering in their ivory towers, and his tower is dark and gloomy, and lacks joy because he finds it annoying. Although, he and E probs might've gotten along in her pureblood bully gang days, or actually would've been antagonistic, he's basically as evil as them, but he's a mudblood, so meh, maybe rival bullies? Idk, I'll leave that for plotting. Anyway, he's not got a "bad boy" rep so much as a "omg, he's literally the worst person alive, why are you trying to be his friend, does he have a incriminating evidence on you?" type rep.  

Additional Information: n/a

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ INDIVIDUAL MAGIC

Wand: yew Wand Core: veela hair (acquired by his uncle through unknown means, there was a report of a veela going missing right around the time Uncle Ilya got that hair so...) Wand Length: 13½" Wand Flexibility: inflexible

Patronus: Eurasian brown bear

Boggart: appears as the corpses of his family, killed via poison/nerve agent. His fear being a government revolution and his family getting caught up in that or his family losing the Kremlin's favour. The result would be the same in both scenarios tbh.

Amortentia: citrus, gun powder, and mint

Affinity to any particular magic? - I dunno if you'd call it an affinity, but he is waaaay too into the unforgivable curses and it's waaaaaay too easy for him to perform them. - dark magic/dark arts (you guys know exactly why he has an affinity for it XP)

Additional Information: - whilst he loves magic, he also has a deep fascination with muggle weapons (particularly the ones developed by his country), and has been experimenting with magically evolving them, particularly poisons and nerve agents.  

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ USER INFORMATION

Username: @drownedinmoonlight Activity Level (Scale 1-10): 8

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⚜️ OPTIONAL Playlist: Moodboard: https://goo.gl/R7DVjp Social Media (instagram, facebook, snapchat, twitter, etc): Storyboard: https://goo.gl/h6DJfB Aesthetic Collection: Wardrobe/Style Collection: Plotting Set: Story:

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

When you have completed the audition, please tag the mods: @drownedinmoonlight @themadmonarchist and @maybones and use the hashtag #GWnpc

[saphylee]

Here is the angst ficlet that I promised @leothelionsaysgrrrr staring our ME:A characters, Puck and Thelrand.

Word count: 1632 with most under the cut :’)

Puck shoved through the door into Kralla’s Song. No one barely gave her a glance as she stomped around. “That bastard better be here, or I swear to God, I’ll fuckin’-“ She cut herself short with a growl as she spotted Reyes nursing a drink in the corner of the room.

“Where the fuck is he, Reyes?”

The man glanced up, his eyes vacant. As if to dismiss her, he closed them, and raised his glass to drink. “I have many men who work for me; you’ll have to be more specific.”

Puck snatched the glass from his hand and slammed it down on the table, whiskey splashing out onto the table. “You know damn well who I’m talking about!” She pulled out a chair and sat down across from him, glaring at him through the helmet. “Now answer me!”

Reyes hardly reacted to the outburst, looking to the glass with a forlorn expression, as if more bothered that it was empty over than what Puck was upset about. He flagged the bartender for another, sighing deeply. “He’s gone,” he finally whispered. He took a long sip when his drink arrived. “Gone back to Sloan.”

For a moment, Puck saw red and clenched both of her fists in her lap. “You’re telling me that he willingly went back to her? That after everything he’s been through with the Outcasts, Thelrand would just go back to her? Jesus Christ, Reyes, she’ll kill him.” She flung her hands up. “Or worse, make him spill the beans about who you are and who works for you, then kill him. You’ve painted a target on our backs, Reyes!”

“He won’t say anything.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?”

“Because,” Reyes started, polishing the rest of his drink and again waived for another one. “He didn’t go back willingly. You know he would rather die than work for Sloan. He doesn’t want to spill more blood under her name.”

“That doesn’t make any fucking sense.” Puck grabbed the drink out of his hand, keeping it out of reach. “Why send him back if you knew all that?”

Reyes finally looked to her with some form of expression other than pathetic. There was sadness, regret, a flash of anger and… love. “He’s a dead man, either way. At least I could spare his life for a while longer.”

Stunned into silence, she handed him back his drink. “Someone was watching him.”

He slowly nodded. “And she loved him, too. Didn’t want to kill him, but would as one of Sloan’s bitches.” He chuckled bitterly. “At any rate, Thel and I both knew that our dalliance wouldn’t last. It’s better for both of us this way.”

Puck scoffed to hide the utter disappointment she felt towards Reyes. She saw how Thelrand looked at him, like Reyes was the best damned thing in Andromeda when he was far from it. “You really believe that? That’s all he meant to you?”

Reyes chuckled, a rather detached and off-putting sound. “Does it matter what he means to me now?” He downs his glass and transferred the due credits with a swipe of his hand. “Just know our secrets are safe with him and be done with this whole affair.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I thought you would be more relieved to be rid of him. Didn’t you always complain about him?”

“Fuck you, Reyes,” she hissed without hesitation and stood up to leave before she blurted out more about how she really felt. It was odd to know that goofy dumbass wouldn’t be trailing behind her, filling her precious silence with mindless chatter, trying to get in her brain and worm his way into her heart. And she hated that it took Thelrand to be gone for good to realize how normal and wanted the daily frustrations with him turned out to be, how much she was going to miss him.

He should have stayed in the Milky Way. He didn’t belong in Andromeda. He was too good for Andromeda. Just promise me that you’ll stay alive and not die on me.

Puck never saw Thelrand Keller again after that day. Most days he never crossed her mind save for those moments where the smallest and most insignificant things would remind her of him. She would reach for the last clean cup to find it was his cup: a bright blue tumbler that he brought from the Milky Way because the color reminded him of his days in C-Sec. This happened many occasions and each time she would grumble to Reyes to throw it away, but would never actually do it herself.

Or she would come across his well-read copy of A Christmas Carol, the spine broken, and pages creased and stained. The one Christmas they spent together, Thelrand had spent days trying to find a gift for her, but came up with nothing. Kadara had little to offer for such an occasion, but he had that silly Christmas tale that was older than dirt. He made her sit down with him and listen to him read the first chapter. When he unknowingly read beyond it, she didn’t stop him, and just listened to him read (though made many lewd gestures the entire time).

And don’t get her started on the Christmas songs he would sing. Constantly. For the entire month.

Sometimes, looking at Reyes would bring up memories. Most of the time, he and Thelrand were so sickeningly sweet together, she actively avoided them to have some peace. As of late, however, it bothered her more than she’d like that Reyes was so willingly to not only throw away what they had, but the man himself. If he truly regretted it, he didn’t show it after that one day.

She couldn’t believe that she actually missed the dumbass.

The bodies strewn about the badlands wasn’t a new sight. If anything, it was utterly predictable. Might as well have been driving by rocks. Reyes wanted Puck to check out a location where a supposed fight between the Collectors and the remaining Outcasts had taken place. The outcasts intercepted a weapons shipment and hijacked the modded weapons. The results weren’t pretty.

“Sucks to be them,” she muttered to herself, surveying the area for the missing cargo. Corpses clutching weapons to their chest showed the weapons were used. She noted that most of the containers were missing or destroyed. She sighed. Reyes wasn’t going to like this. She collected whatever weapons she could salvage.

When she thought she collected everything, she spotted a body laying facedown some distance away from what seemed to be the heart of the fight. Upon further inspection, her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach before hammering violently in her chest. The back of their head was shattered, exposed and bloody, but that wasn’t what terrified her the most: it was the silvery white hair that was stained a deep crimson.

For the first time, she prayed despite already knowing how useless it was, that it wouldn’t change the outcome, that it wouldn’t fill the sudden hole in her chest… but it gave her the courage she needed to flip the man onto his back, and the harsh truth slapped her as Thelrand’s vacant eyes stared back at her.

“Damn you!” she screamed, prying the rifle out of his hands and chucked it away. “Why’d you have to go and get yourself killed, you fucking useless dumbasss—motherfucker—dipshit – aauuughhh!” Her suit felt suffocating, gasping for breath even though her suit’s oxygen levels were normal.  Fumbling fingers unclasped the helmet and dropped it beside her. The first time she ever took her helmet off her helmet in front of him and the bastard was dead.

Looking at him without the helmet was jarring, perhaps because now he was lifeless, the color drained from his face. She couldn’t look at the desperation in his eyes which used to sparkle with mischief, like lightning in a storm cloud. It didn’t match the slight curl of his lips like he knew he was going to die and accepted it, welcomed it even.

Reyes’ words echoed in her mind: You know he would rather die than work for Sloan. She found him lying on his stomach with a hole in the back of his head, and she bet if she looked at his weapon, she would see that very few shots were fired from it, if at all. It seemed he tried to take advantage of the chaos and run while he still could. Whether friend or foe shot him, she couldn’t tell. Just knowing that he wanted to be free and that Reyes forced him back, goddamnit, it wasn’t fair. That it took his life ending to be free wasn’t fair.

She sniffed and wiped her tears with haste. She couldn’t mourn like this in the open especially when trouble could be lurking around the corner. A thought occurred that someone could be watching the scene. She wished perhaps that bitch who claimed to love him was watching the tragedy she and Reyes had wrought.

She shook the thought with a quick shake of her head, clasping her helmet back on. She needed to finish up and leave though she wished she could give him a proper burial. He deserved that much, but perhaps a memento would do. After loosening the armor around his neck, she grabbed the thin chain of his dog tags and yanked it off his neck. It would be enough to show Reyes without having to explain what happened.

Before she left, she closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Thelrand looked more at peace that way, as if he was simply asleep. “You really were too good for this godforsaken galaxy.”

[fatphobiabusters]

Despicable Me 3 - Some Fatphobic Moments

Hey team! Thanks so much for the response to my first ask (initials and what I said at the end may’ve exposed me but it doesn’t matter :3).

Here I wanted to give the heads up on Despicable Me 3 with what I felt was shown in a fatphobic manner when I went to the movies watching it. Not sure you guys do this too, and also I may be overanalysing too much so I apologise if I am! (Movie Spoils incoming).

First event was when the leader of the anti-villain league, (Silas Ramsbottom - first seen in the second movie of DM) was retiring and replaced with a skinny blonde woman who ends up getting rid of Ramsbottom while he was speaking, with her fatshaming and calling him out on his age (and think something else as well, I think calling him d**b too?). Also, because of where Ramsbottom departed as well (through a smallish hole in the league’s headquarters), he ends up getting stuck for a few seconds before he got through. I don’t remember seeing him again in the movie.

Second was with the main antagonist, Balthazar, who tries to steal a second pink diamond elsewhere after his first failed attempt, disguises himself in a fat suit. I know you guys call it out on live TV series, not sure if you did in animated movies/TV shows. (That’s moreso because of the fact you could use a fat actor/actress instead of a fat suit from what I remember?). I believe in context of the disguises thing, Balthazar was a pretty good actor (given he had his own TV series and started young… then being a teenager he got acne and I think braces and because of that got fired), but WHY, among all other disguises/suits, did it have to be a fat costume?

The third and probably last fatphobic event which happened was involving Lucy (Gru’s wife) trying to be more motherly like when taking the three girls out to town. There was a cheese thing that happened where one person takes the cheese of a plate the other person was holding and eats it, I think there was some dance as well?. Now there was one boy that didn’t have a partner (bit on the bigger side), and with Lucy seeing this and feeling bad for him, she ends up forcing Margo (the oldest of the three girls) to be his partner. (She denied it first before Lucy got strict about it)

The boy was lovestruck by Margo when he saw her, so after the event, he goes to visit/stalk Margo at where she was staying, and attempts to declare a marriage or relationship of sorts to her, which Lucy declined (attempting to be motherly). (I do remember hearing from Margo along the lines of ‘I sure won’t forget you too’ in a weird state after said boy was rejected). A few seconds after shutting the door, knock on the door again, Lucy sees the boy’s mother, (bigger than the son) and became threatening about Margo rejecting her son’s (proposal). To which Lucy threatens the mum, and ends up scaring her off. So… I guess it was fatphobic there?

Also to follow up, DM2 Margo fell for a guy beforehand who ended up being the antagonist’s son. And now mentioning that… didn’t the other two movies have a somewhat fat antagonist? (Vector had more of a bigger stomach, DM2’s villain was more of a sumo type).

Despite that, DM3 isn’t a bad movie, probably better than the second, except for the fatphobic events I mentioned. I apologise if I didn’t make much sense, but I think from watching the movie hopefully what I said does 🙂

To be honest, I could list a few other moments in things I watched and seen too. But I’ve typed a lot already 😅

Thanks in advance 😃

Kind Regards,

Mix Master Matt

Like if I didn’t hate that shit enough already lol

- mod Guillermo

[brightsimmer]

New Challenge: The Not So Berry Challenge

So I saw one of my favorite Simmers on YouTube (Vixella) start this new challenge and it sounded like a lot of fun! It was created by lilsimsie and alwaysimming and this is the post explaining the challenge.

Hopefully I’ll still be continuing my Ziam family but I get bored so easily and like to start new things all the time...

I’m going to skip explaining the rules of the challenge because I don’t really feel like it lol and its all there in the post I linked. Basically there’s a color for each generation and each heir has to have a specific aspiration and traits and usually a career. It’s a lot more structured in many ways than the original legacy challenge which I actually really like!

The color for the first generation (the founder) of this challenge is mint!

This is my founder, her name is Lia Berry (I copied Vixella for her last name)

Aspiration: Chief of Mischief

Traits: Vegetarian, Jealous and Materialistic

So I really wanted her hair to actually be mint colored but most of the MM CC hairs that I have only come in the base game colors and I’m too lazy to track down recolors... this teal blue is kinda close to mint lol. Her eyes are a light minty green and all of her outfits somehow incorporate the color mint. Also I found this amazing nose ring that I’m hoping will work on Zayn as well!

Although for this outfit (her third outfit), her shoes are aqua/teal... I really love the color mint but its not the easiest to find clothing/shoes in that color. Or like I said, I’m pretty lazy about finding CC so... I did just finally download a bunch of new stuff today although I had to get rid of some of my older CC because my game wouldn’t start; it said it was broken/missing files and told me to remove all my mods but I just randomly took things out my Mods folder until I got the game to start.

This is Lia’s first outfit, I’m in love with this top!! I did a lot of mint and black (or mint and white, or both) for her outfits because that’s my favorite color combination!!

Her second outfit and probably my favorite one!! I’ve been wanting the layer-able jackets/cardigans that Simple Simmer made but for the longest time I haven’t been able to download anything from Mediafire for some strange reason but I just recently got a new internet provider and now it works! So I went crazy and downloaded a shit ton of Simple Simmer’s stuff! And yes that’s the same top as before in grey... I tried a ton of different shirts with this cardigan and most of them either looked terrible or clipped.

Her formal wear. I like this dress that came with City Living but I need to find some CC dresses, for sure!

Athletic wear

One of her sleepwears (I forgot to get a picture of her second one). I know her hair keeps changing length lol.... oh well!

Party wear, another favorite! (same top AGAIN)

And finally her swimwear.

And then I decided to give her some tats! This sleeve and also stars going down her back.

So this is Lia’s house (and her going inside for the first time.) She lives in Oasis Springs (which I don’t think I’ve ever had a Sim live there before actually... but that’s kind of the point of this challenge, to do things you haven’t done yet in TS4) and I built this house myself. The rules say that money cheats are ok, so I used “motherlode” ONCE after she moved into this lot so she started with around $66,000 and after I was finished building, she was left with around $500.

So here’s the story on this house: I actually had a super weird dream last night about this house and I can’t quite remember if the house was in the Sims or in real life... but it was a suuuuper unique house and I woke up remembering it so vividly so I was like “I have to build this house!” and that was before I even saw Vixella’s video about this challenge... so I was planning on building this house anyway. Then I found out about this challenge and it was perfect so I had to do it!

Here’s a tour of this house which I’m calling either The Fountain House or The House With the Floor... “The Fountain House with *THE FLOOR*” lol

The back yard

As you walk in the house...

So... I feel like I have a lot of explaining to do lol. First off, the wall on the right is all windows but since I was on the top level so you can see the skylights (or dance floors!) its doing something weird to the windows, so just imagine the windows looking normal and clear.

Second of all... yes that’s a giant, ridiculous, over the top fountain right there taking up soooo much space. It looks completely stupid being inside a house like this but... I really love it! And that FLOOR. That floor took me like 2 years to do! Not really but I’m obsessed with how crazy it looks.

So here’s what its supposed to to look like with the windows looking normal but now it looks like there’s holes in the ceiling/roof since the dance floors are there acting as skylights (when oh when will we get actual skylights for this game?? or just transparent floor tiles?)

The bathroom that’s right off of the main entryway, to the left (the toilet’s behind the half wall)

The blue door is the bathroom door and the arch ways lead into the living room/office area

This is the kitchen, it’s at the back of the main room. That door (that you can kinda see...) leads to the bedroom

Lia’s bedroom (this is where I started to run out of money because I did her en suite bathroom and bedroom last) but I still used my favorite wallpaper! 

The en suite which is still a work in progress

The view from the kitchen (again with the windows all clouded over for some reason)

The living room/office

The same view from the kitchen island except with the windows normal and the ceiling messed up

Lots of mint in here!

The side of the house that’s all glass and hopefully the layout makes more sense... the bedroom is behind the kitchen

She’s really adorable!

So as per the challenge requirements, Lia joined the Scientist career.

Doing some reading out in her yard, trying to get a breakthrough!

First day of work at the lab!

Mixing a synthetic food serum!

Looking super cute while inventing the Momentum Conserver

I already fucked up with her Vegetarian trait and made her eat meat! I had her get a sandwich and forgot to check if it was vegetarian-safe or not. I always went with a sandwich with my Sims at the careers (when I played a ton of Get to Work) because the only other choices are a soda (doesn’t fill them up very much and it makes their bladder go down), a pre-made meal and a pastry which both have to be microwaved and then they always get Uncomfortable from eating microwaved food (which is bullshit lol) so a sandwich is the best option. So it sucks that she can’t eat them. 

Excited about admiring her new TV!

Reading some more to get more breakthroughs since she got promoted her first day!

Lia went out to visit San MyShuno and ending up going to the Fashion District where she tried some new food and met some new people, like Miko and Penny.

I also had her meet Paolo since he was there at the karaoke bar (and Paolo is one of my favorite Sims!) I don’t think he’s really her type so they probably won’t be getting together but she needs to meet someone and start having kids pretty soon! This is why I hate having the normal lifespan because it makes me rush through my Sim’s life because it seems so short!

About to freeze-ray her coworker after inventing the Sim Ray!

Look at that screenshot-taking timing!

And finally tinkering with the coffee maker. She’s already at level 3 in the Scientist career and she’s only been to work 4 times!