#i have very minimal cc right now!!

[thebramblewood]

Different Sims game, but I can never say no to a strong nose.

[nikatyler]

✨ Michael Fleur's Bachelor Challenge ✨

"Watcher...I almost thought you forgot." Yeah, yeah, I've been busy. "Oh, we've heard. You've abandoned the sims for another game." Dude, do you want this BC or not? "Go on."

Well, surprise surprise, it's been two years and I'm doing it again, baby! Time for a new BC.

Michael is the heir of my Showtime lepacy generation, and he needs a partner. Maybe your sim will be the one?

YA Sim, any gender, no occults

Vanilla or banilla

Please, do NOT use the Irresistible trait, as in the past sims with this trait had a huge advantage while also distracting everyone else from talking to the bachelors.

Keep the cc minimal, preferably just hair. I'm using only poisonfireleaf's retextures right now, but chazy is okay too.

No sliders.

Please, set all outfits for your sim.

I have all EPs and most SPs (all except for the Katy Perry one, Fast Lane and the movie one, iirc), so you can use stuff from all these packs. Although this is tied to my lepacy, I’ll play the BC with all my packs.

Introduce your sim, but you don't have to overthink it! A silly little blurb about them is just fine, don't waste elaborate backstories on me <3

Private download for now, please. You can make them public when they get eliminated.

Deadline: AUGUST 15, 2024.

If you want to participate but don't know how to export sims, just let me know and I can walk you through it <3 I know some people mentioned that but don't worry, it's very easy, I'll show you.

Interested? Send me an ask and I'll add you to the list! I'm thinking about going for about 8-10 contestants, but if more people will be interested, I can do more.

@moonlighthollowss - Lawrence Sallow

2. @poisonfireleafs - Elsie Noble

3. @arogaba - Sheridan Foley

4. @appellosimae

5. @palebluebutterfly - Jem Rosewood

6. @bellakenobi - Jolyne Kaiou

7. @kithlien - Kyllikki Korhonen

8.

9.

10.

[cordsycords]

been thinking more about the info about the backgrounds that we've seen, regarding Rook's past, and I really hope we get some reactivity with our companions, especially ones that are in the same faction as us:

shadow dragons - okay, from the single line we get in the prologue from Neve, it doesn't seem like she's specifically heard of/worked with Rook before. This kind of makes me wonder if the Shadow Dragons are a much more decentralized faction than something like the Wardens or the Crows, with multiple cells that are all working together towards the same goal, but keep minimal communication with one another due to secrecy. Might be cool if we have a mission that's like "find the leader of the Shadow Dragons" because no one knows who it is*. The background info from the CC kind of supports this idea, Rook is specifically said to have been "brought to the attentions of the Venatori" and put in time out because of that.

As for reactivity, I guess it would be nice if you could mention that specific mission, and Neve could "oh right I heard of that. You did the right/wrong thing." and just give her opinion on it. I can actually imagine Neve not being really keen on it, as a private investigator she needs a certain amount of discretion to be able to do her job properly, and might not appreciate Rook's brashness if it endangers the wider goal of the shadow dragons.

mournwatch - the mournwatch background is still driving me a little Insane, because what do you mean Rook was found as a baby in the Grand Necropolis. Anyways I kind of assume the Mournwatch is a much smaller faction, because they have a very specific focus, and they only operate in a specific part of Thedas. Since the info specifically says Rook was "raised by necromancers" it would be super cool to see if Rook and Emmrich had a Mentor/Student relationship at one point. Would also be interesting if Emmrich specifically was the one to tell Rook to travel after the incident with the War of the Banners. It would be great to see his response to Rook coming back and suddenly being in charge of this little rebellion, they just can't stop themselves from getting into trouble.

Also Mournwatch!Rook taught Manfred to play rock-paper-scissors. That's my headcanon and you can't take it away from me.

antivan crows - So it seems like Rook is a relatively new antivan crow, and from the little I've gleaned about Lucanis' recruitment mission, it looks like he might have been thought to be dead for the last year or so? Would be cool if Rook has heard a bunch of stories about Lucanis and has some hero worship going on. Would also be funny if we told him all that we had heard, only for him to shoot all the more fantastical elements of those tales down.

grey wardens - This one is also a little up in the air regarding whether Davrin and Rook knew each other before the events of Veilguard. Rook's faction backstory mentions them being in a group along with other Grey Wardens, so it would be nice if Davrin was also on the mission. I would also be really interested to see how Davrin got Assan, and maybe Rook played a hand in that somehow as well. Did Davrin literally find Assan in the middle of nowhere, and maybe Rook was there? Or were the eggs all found and then distributed among the Grey Wardens that were in high favour? Was Rook passed over for a griffon? I do remember one of Davrin's missions from an IGN previwe being specifically about saving the griffons, so it's probably the case that Assan is the only one actively around right now.

Either way, it would be cute to see an encounter where Rook remarks on how much Assan has grown/changed since they've seen them last, if they even know about Assan at all pre-Veilguard

lords of fortune - I think the relationship between taash and a LoF!Rook would be a good case for a slightly more antagonistic relationship. As an organisation of treasure hunters, probably focused more on profit and glory than anything else, it would be cool if Rook got in the way of taash's scores or jobs. Maybe Taash has moved up in the faction since Rook was forced to peace out, and wants to lord her achievements over Rook in an attempt to make them jealous. It could be pretty fun.

veil jumpers - I imagine Bellara and a jumper!Rook would probably be pretty aligned with one another. Reading the background info on Rook in the Veil Jumpers, i can imagine Bellara would probably approve of what Rook had done, while also being just a tiny bit disappointed that the map was lost. It would be cool to see a scene where they traded notes with one another, recounting all the weird things that they've seen in Arlathan, and then maybe trying to figure out why certain anomalies occur, or how they work. Just a bunch of co-nerding out with one another

anyways, I am definitely thinking way too much about this, but there's still 6 weeks to go, so it's not like there's much else for me to do :shrugs:

* it would be equally cool if that leader is a previous char from inquisition. I'm kind of banking on Dorian, or the inquisitor themselves considering the clothing we see them wear in that single shot of them in the CC is shadow dragons casual wear (i believe)

[gothoffspring]

Hey, y'all! I'm finally back to posting cc and I couldn't be happier about it. Expect at least 1-2 recolors a month from now on! 🌞🌴

DETAILS:

This is a recolor of @madlensims's Elin Outfit. You must download the mesh in order for it to show up in your game.

There are 23 swatches total. It comes in mostly summer themed patterns, with a few wildcards towards the end. You also get 10 of my favorite plain colored swatches from the car park medley palette by @hagsims.

You can see some more CAS previews here and a completely unedited photo (no gshade/no edge smoothing) right here. (I was using colored lighting during my photoshoot and forgot to turn them off, hence the slight purple/pink hue)

Custom thumbnail included for the first swatch.

If you find any issues with this recolor at all, please let me know and I'll do my best to fix it.

Also, just sayin', this mesh works very well on fat sims. I even tried it with larger custom presets and there was still only minimal clipping! ❤️

CREDITS:

All patterns found via vecteezy/freepik, or possibly google images. All credit goes to the original pattern makers!

Thank you to @madlensims for this lovely mesh. I could not find a public TOU listed anywhere but I have seen people recolor madlen's shoes, which is why I'm kind of assuming they are alright with recolors. If not, I'll definitely remove this.

@public-ccfinds @mmfinds 💖

DL: SFS / MF

[mysticalsoot]

goodnight, my sweet.

A/N; this is gonna be the shittiest, quickest blurb of my life but I just got out of a long shift at work and I wanted to cry within an hour of being there (also I nearly fainted but tis fine!) I could've been patient and posted this tmw but nah! when inspiration strikes- yeah idk the rest

summary; reader comes home from a long day at work just to get some well deserved kisses and cuddles from wilbur!

tw// mentions of possibly fainting, lots of kissing, all of its wholesome kissing, lowercase intentional, not proofread, reader is autistic coded but when are they not

words; 1.7k

pairings; cc!wilbur x gn!reader

pronouns; none!

masterlist

—★—

you weren't the best at asking for help or speaking up, you couldn't project your voice like you were always asked to and you went nonverbal more than you'd like to admit. all are traits others would deem negative, and honestly? they probably are. but in this moment you could care less, all you want to do is get home.

you've worked at this local coffee shop for a few months now and it's been great. its pretty calm and quiet, barely any bustling days. when it does get busy, it's pretty mild. maybe a few rushes here and there, nothing you can't handle.

yet, for some reason, today was the worst day. you didn't get a moments rest, people were lining up near the door. you blamed it on the new menu item but it could've been the holiday and your town being a tourist spot. it was hands down the busiest shift you'd have worked the entire time, and to top it all off-- you were near fainting most of it, as well as going nonverbal. you work the register. neither are very good things to have at any job but especially one that requires you to speak, process and stand.

regardless, you worked your shift and the moment your boss gave you the okay-- you were up and out of there. luckily your little cafe wasn't far from yours or wil's flat, maybe a fifteen minute walk. you pulled out your phone, scrolling through different notifications; Twitter, Tumblr, a few DMS but nothing you cared to answer or notice right away. the last thing from wil was a simple "have a good day at work, babe!" which wasn't a surprise, he also anticipated a long day at work. the boys working even more on the next EP, trying to make as many songs as they're comfortable with to counteract wilbur's perfectionism.

you pocket your phone, finding comfort in the small breeze in the air and the scent of the beach. the walk back home felt a lot quicker than usual, maybe it was your lack of perception or maybe you were just enough in tune with everything to make time to quicker. whatever it was, you didn't care either way.

you were most likely on autopilot and the way you didn't realize where you were until your hand was on the doorknob of your home, you figured that was the case. you slowly creaked the door open, trying to be minimal with what sounds you made as you shut and locked the door behind you. you undid your boots and took off your jacket, taking a moment to lean against the door before finding your composure and turning into your bedroom.

wilbur was there laying on the bed, phone in hand but the moment he laid eyes on you, his phone was on his nightstand and his arms were open wide for you, "hey, love-- how was work?" he asks softly as you slip into the bed, finding your way to lay on top of him. you slink your arms around him, nuzzling your head under your chin.

you groaned in response to his question and he chuckled, letting his hands fall to rest on your back. he drew soft circles with his fingers before moving to slip his hands under your shirt, resting them there. you sighed in content as you cuddled even closer, humming with a feeling of peace at finally being in his arms.

he let you lay like this for a good while, maybe 30 minutes, but he eventually knew he had to pry. otherwise you'd keep it locked up until the guilt of not telling him ate you alive.

"was work bad?" he placed soft kisses to your forehead, letting you lift your head and watched as you moved to straddle his hips, body still aching--but at least you could see his eyes.

"busy, mostly. tiring and- I just wanna sleep so bad." you groan softly as you move to lay back down, curling into the crook of his arm, your own arm draped across his stomach. you nuzzled your face into his side before muttering, "how was the studio?"

you yawn as you nuzzle closer to him, humming again as his hands rub up and down your back, "it was good. got a lot done.. looking at a release about two months down the line, at least we hope." he whispers softly between each kiss he places on your face and he moves to hover over you.

he smiles softly as your eyes slide shut and he begins to places kisses over your face before drawing down onto your jaw, "what are you doing, bee?" your voice is soft, almost like a purr as he kisses under your jaw and then under your chin.

"loving on my partner," he hums against your neck as he places a few kisses there, drawing back up to nip at your earlobe, earning a giggle from you--it always makes you giggle, and he knows that. he trails back down, kissing over your throat.

"why?" you question with a slight 'mm' following, your fingers finding purchase into the mop of frizzy curls on his head, sifting through them and playing with them.

"because.." he drawls out as he rests his hands on your sides, lips brushing over your collarbone, two kisses placed before he moves up to your shoulders, "you need a distraction. and my kisses are always the answer."

he shines a cocky grin to you before moving to pepper soft kisses on your upper arm, moving down onto your wrist and then your palm and fingertips. he's never skimpy with his kisses and now is no exception. he repeats the same pattern but on your other arm just a moment later.

"are they?" you smirk playfully, it isn't that much of a smirk, it's more like a small quirk of the lips but it's enough to get your point across. he moves to lift your shirt slightly, a line of kisses from your sternum down onto your belly. you feel him smirk against your stomach before he peppers kisses all over it, using his fingers to tickle at your sides. you curl over him, giggling and laughing, breathing out light no's and stop's, all through happy breaths.

"wiiiill!" you giggle through heavy breaths as he keeps kissing and tickling, his own smile wide and giggles of his own matching yours and slipping past his lips.

"what?" he quips, smirk evident as he lifts his head, fingers stopping their attack on your sides and lips no longer pressed on your belly.

"why'd you tickle me?" you ask with a playful pout and he crawls up and over you, pressing his forehead against yours as he rests his hands on either side of your head.

"do you feel better?" he asks softly, a gentle kiss to your nose placed the moment he finishes speaking.

"yes?" your tone is curious as you tilt your head to the side, your hands resting on his waist as he keeps himself above you.

"good." he smiles softly as he gently places his weight on you, his hand under your head in your hair, massaging at your scalp as they sift between strands of your hair.

"you didn't tell me why-" your tone is determined as you speak and your fingers play with his hair. he chuckles at your insistence as he shakes his head lightly, letting it fall to your shoulder.

"I did it to distract you, and it worked, did it not?" he asks almost rhetorically as he turns over onto his back, letting you lay on top of him. you yawn and begin to cuddle closer, nuzzling in the way you always do before you intend to sleep, "let's get you changed and then you can sleep, okay, baby?" he speaks softly, placing a kiss to your temple before helping you to sit up.

"do I have to?" you ask softly, getting up off the bed and walking over to the dresser. you're up before he is and he huffs at how quickly you moved, having wanted to do it for you. so he meets you over at the dresser, stopping your hands from reaching into thr drawers. you let out a dramatic whine as he points back at the bed with a soft glare of 'get back in bed'.

you made your way, begrudgingly, back to bed, settling for sitting on the edge as you watched him grab an old sweatshirt of his and some sleep pants you always found comfort in.

"yes, you have to get dressed," his response was a bit delayed but the sentiment still stood as he walked over to the bedside, and knelt before you.

"may I?" he asks softly as his fingers find purchase at the bottom hem of your shirt and you nod. he lifts the shirt up over your head and puts it aside, helping you put on the sweatshirt in place of it. he rests his hands on your sides for a moment afterward, and he places a soft kiss to your chin before helping you with your pants. the same routine of 'may I?' with a nod from you after.

once you're all changed he scoops you up and throws you both into the bed together, pulling the blankets up over you both as you settle in one another's arms.

wilbur pushes a few strands of hair out of your face before dropping his hand to rest on your cheek, smiling softly as he places a kiss to your forehead.

"sleep?"

"sleep." he answers with a kiss to your lips. its soft, sweet and short but it's nice after a very long day for you both.

"goodnight, bee." you mumble as you cuddle closer to him, humming to yourself as your arms wrap around him.

"goodnight, my sweet."

his hands run over your back as he continues to place kisses all over your face, he's slow and careful with each one as they become far and few between with every second. sleep begins to enrapture you both and before you're out, a final few mumbles of promises are whispered.

taglist; @ella-fella-bo-bella @lillylvjy @sleepyburs @lotusanonymouse @lcvejoy

[sleepless-in-southlands]

The House Always Wins (With You, I Never Lose)

Ao3

Summary: A look into both the pasts and presents of Grian, Mumbo, and Scar. Content: AU- Mob Bosses, violence, homoromanticism; betrayal, (neck) injury, trust issues, bad ways of addressing trust issues, threats, tension like you wouldn't believe, obligatory characters not CCs Pairings: Romantic scar/mumbo, fruity as FUCK grumbo + scarian they just refuse to say it Notes: Part four of the Bloody Fruits au, chapter three (scar) of The House Always Wins (chap1 grian - chap2 mumbo)

~

Past

“I think a toast is in order, wouldn’t you say, Scar? To the coming glory of the Glass Empire!”

Scar had a few choice words to say about that supposed glory, and if it weren’t for the fact he was nearly choking himself trying to keep his carotid from bleeding him dry, he might have made them known. Although he had a funny feeling his extremely fired right-hand could guess most of them.

In theory, the night should have been a celebration. The Empire had recently made a few well-placed territory expanses and suffered minimal blowback from the other organizations in town for them, their ranks had grown, their various fronts had been making more money- all good news! The perfect reason for Scar to settle down with his closest confidant for a night of light bookwork and congratulatory chatter.

And then Dolos had lunged at him with a knife, and the whole evening went downhill faster than a rollercoaster.

“Nothing to say, hm?” Dolos asked mockingly, overexaggerating a frown at Scar’s silence. “You’re usually so talkative.”

Even if he could speak right then, Scar wasn’t feeling very chatty anymore. Not verbally, anyways. But if Dolos were to just lend him his knife for a moment, Scar was sure he would be able to communicate a few points well enough.

A gun would have been helpful, but he had made the (in hindsight) poor decision to take off his holster, leaving it and its weapon hanging over the back of his chair. The only plus to this choice was the fact that Dolos had followed his lead, leaving both of them without a firearm. Technically Dolos could retrieve one if he so desired, but that would require him turning his back on Scar, and he wasn’t quite stupid enough to do that.

But he still had the knife, dripping crimson from where it had made a good mess of most of Scar’s upper half before hitting its favourite mark in his neck, and that meant Dolos still had the advantage.

“I know you might not want to see it my way, but you can understand how this is for the best, can’t you?” Dolos was steadily approaching where Scar had backed himself into a wall, unhurried. “I mean, really! Not seeing this coming? What sort of boss doesn’t even notice when their right-hand starts aiming for them?”

Scar gritted his teeth. So Dolos had been a blindspot. Isn’t that the point of a right-hand man? To take care of the threats that get too close? Excuse Scar for trusting him to do his job!

(A voice that matched Dolos’s in the back of Scar’s mind refused to do so. A mob boss, trusting someone? Had he really expected that to end any other way? He truly was unfit for his title.)

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter now.” Dolos continued, ignoring Scar’s internal debates. He paused in his advance, close enough that he could nick Scar’s chin if he fully extended his arm. “Seeing as how I’ll be relieving you of your position posthaste.”

Scar dug his fingers into his neck, as if trying to meld his palm to the wound. He wanted to snap something about over my dead body, but given that seemed to be the plan, he doubted it would have much impact.

Dolos took another step closer, twirling the blade he was about to put through Scar’s chest between his fingers like it was a dinnerware utensil. “Any final words? Or would you prefer to go with some dignity, for once?”

The thought of spitting one last curse at Dolos, however effective, was a tempting one. It would be the last thing Scar ever said, yes, but his time was already up on that front. Might as well go out with a bang.

Before Scar could settle on something even slightly clever to say, however, both he and Dolos were startled by the sound of the office door opening.

“Hey, sorry to bother you two during the celebration, but there’s-” Bdubs looked up from the paper in his hand as he entered the room, sentence dying as he took in the scene before him. Within the half second it took him to process it, the paper was discarded, Bdubs’s gun drawn before it was even halfway to the ground. He aimed it at a midpoint between Scar and Dolos, gaze flickering between the two men. “What exactly is going on here?”

Dolos recovered from his shock at the interruption too fast for Scar’s liking. “Exactly what it looks like, I should imagine.”

Bbuds’s grip tightened on his gun, adjusting his aim to point more towards Dolos. “It looks like you’re trying to kill my boss. Which isn’t going to end well for you, I should imagine.”

It was with satisfaction that Scar noted the sarcasm in Bdubs’s tone as he echoed Dolos’s words back at him. If Bdubs was on his side, he had a chance. But only if Bdubs silenced Dolos before he started talking again. If Dolos was able to convince Bdubs to help him-

“Now, now, there’s no need to be so hasty. Think about this for a moment.” Dolos’s voice was charming, his words casual despite the situation. Scar slumped against the wall he was pressed to. “This Empire needs fresh blood. The boss always has to step down at some point to make way for the future. I’m just bringing the future on a little faster.”

“And if I’m happy with the present?”

“You’re not thinking of the big picture. Once I replace Scar here, I’m going to need my own right-hand. And you, Bdubs… well, I think you could be just the guy for the job.” Dolos explained, smirking like he had already won. “All that stands between you and that position is one Scar Chronos.”

Bdubs glanced over at Scar as Dolos finished his proposition, face unreadable. Not for the first time since Dolos had begun slashing at him, but possibly for the last, Scar wished he could speak. To make his case to Bdubs, make his own offers, whatever it would take to keep the only active gun in the room on his side.

But he couldn’t, the risk of worsening his injuries past the point of recovery too great to take. So long as Scar couldn’t speak, Dolos had every advantage, including Bdubs.

Scar closed his eyes, accepting his fate and bracing himself. Maybe if he was very, very lucky, Bdubs would suddenly become a terrible shot, and he’d have a chance to viciously fling himself at Dolos one last time and try to claw out one of his eyes or give him blood poisoning. If those were his last moments, Scar could die at least somewhat content.

He flinched when Bdubs’s gun fired, less from the sound and more in expectation of the usual pain that came with a bullet wound.

…None did.

Confused, Scar slowly opened his eyes, wondering if his last minute wish had come true and Bdubs had somehow missed. His gun was lowered, his stance slightly more relaxed than it had been, suggesting he had indeed fired. But his angle was all wrong if he had been aiming at Scar, his line of sight focused on the floor across from the boss. Scar followed his gaze.

Dolos was splayed on the ground, expression still smug despite the fact that his skull was shattered and his brain was splattered across the office’s cheap tile. The knife he had been advancing on Scar with was still in his hand, but his grip on it was loose, if the slight curling of a dead man’s fingers could be considered a grip at all.

“Oh.” The sound slipped past Scar’s lips, weak and gargled, as he realized what had happened. Bdubs hadn’t sided with Dolos. He hadn’t shot Scar.

Not that it mattered, Scar considered as his legs gave out on him and he slid down the wall, given he was still going to die. At least Dolos was dead too. 

Bdubs was at his side in a moment, Scar having missed the point where he re-holstered his gun and pulled out his phone. He was speaking to whoever he was calling, not Scar, which was likely a good thing given Scar wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying. It sounded like orders.

Distracted by trying to figure out what Bdubs was saying, Scar didn’t notice Bdubs’s free hand reaching out until it was on Scar’s neck. Instinctively, Scar tried to pull back and out of Bdubs’s reach, but his employee just followed the motion through the few inches Scar managed to move. It took Scar a moment to realize that all he was doing was putting pressure on the wound Scar himself was covering, not trying to strangle Scar or cause more damage. 

“-ar? Scar?”

And in that moment, apparently, Bdubs had once again changed, phone put away and full attention directed towards Scar. He was frowning, concerned. “Scar? You with me?”

Scar managed what was less of a nod and more him bumping his head into the wall behind him.

“Alright. Try to stay conscious if you can, okay? I’ve called some of our people. Only the ones we can trust, who have the least connection to… your former business partner.” Bdubs's tone was professional and collected despite the situation, only dipping into disdain at the mention of Dolos. “I suspect the Empire may have to perform some spring cleaning after this, but that will have to wait.”

Everything Bdubs was saying made sense. Mob bosses weren't overthrown without backup, and Scar needed help, not a knife in his back. Any co-conspirators would have to be found and dealt with accordingly, but not while Scar was half-alive and weak, which was why Bdubs was focusing on deciding who could still be trusted rather than who had to go- although Scar wouldn’t be surprised if he learned Bdubs was also starting that list in the back of his mind.

What didn’t make sense was the fact that Scar was still alive for any of it to matter. The cut across his throat might not be fatal, but the person currently helping him hold it shut should have been.

After all, if Dolos would betray Scar, why wouldn’t Bdubs? Forget being a right-hand, Bdubs could take over the Glass Empire all by himself as long as he played his cards right, and Scar knew that Bdubs knew enough about their business to do so. Once again, all that stood between Bdubs and an entire kingdom to himself was Scar, and Bdubs was smart enough to know that too.

Which made it rather odd that Scar wasn’t yet dead. Bdubs wasn’t usually this bad at killing people. He took care of Dolos without any issue.

“Something you want to say, Scar?” Bdubs said his name with an unusual stress on the ‘s’ sound, the remnant of how he used to call him ‘sir’ until Scar had personally requested he just call him by his name, twice. He was looking quizzically at Scar, and it took Scar a moment to realize that he was returning Scar’s own pensive look, having got so caught up in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed himself staring. “You look… troubled.”

Scar made a vague gesture with the hand that had been holding his neck together before Bdubs took over.

“I guess you can’t really say anything, huh?” Bdubs caught on. “Well, we’ve got time, and I need to keep you awake. Is it a concern about any of your injuries?”

Scar shook his head.

“Concern about how trustworthy the people I’ve called are?”

Another shake.

“Did you see Dolos’s hand twitch and think he might get back up? I can shoot him again if you want.”

Scar managed a small smile at the lightness to Bdubs’s voice before once again shaking his head.

“It can’t be anything too pressing then, which is good.” Bdubs shifted slightly, settling himself more comfortably without taking any pressure off of Scar’s injury. “Is it about Dolos? His betrayal, what it means for your empire?”

Scar shook his head after a pause. Dolos had started this whole mess, but he was no longer the focus of it.

Bdubs paused as well, taking a moment to think before he asked his next question. “Is it about me?”

A slow nod.

“Is it about how I could kill you, right now, and have the Glass Empire to myself? And you’re not sure why I haven’t yet?”

Scar didn’t move his head, as if it was a trick question and the moment that he confirmed his doubts Bdubs would turn on him and do exactly what he had described. But his lack of answer was just as damning as a yes, Bdubs nodding to himself in lieu of Scar’s, and Scar braced himself as best he could for whatever Bdubs would do next.

“The main reason is that I don’t want the Glass Empire.”

Of all the things Scar was expecting Bdubs to say, the idea that he wouldn’t want to take over as boss of one of Heremita’s main mobs was low on the list, if it was even on there at all. For the average person, sure, it was a perfectly acceptable response. For someone like Scar and Bdubs? Not so much.

“I don’t want to be one of the bosses in general.” Bdubs went on, what Scar assumed to be a clarifying statement only confusing him more. “And if I did, I’d start my own organization to run, not backstab my way into the position.”

Given their line of business, and given the slowly-cooling corpse sitting five feet from the two of them, the sentiment of wanting to make an honest dishonest living was oddly admirable to Scar. Foolish, perhaps, but it hadn’t seemed to have gotten Bdubs killed yet.

“Doesn’t mean I want to be a lackey forever. I do have slightly higher aspirations than cannon fodder, even if I don’t want to be boss. I think I could make a good right-hand.” Bdubs’s voice got tight, and he spared a surprisingly venomous look back at the remains of Dolos. “But not his.”

Scar let his head rest on the wall, the effort of keeping it supported on its own starting to become a strain. Part of him wanted to make a joke about what elevated Scar over Dolos- his charisma? his good looks? the fact that his name was objectively cooler? Part of him was starting to wonder just how much blood he had lost.

He settled for the middle ground of not thinking about it and instead fixing Bdubs with as puzzled of an expression as he could manage, hoping it would be enough to prompt the rest of the explanation from him.

It worked, Bdubs noticing his look as soon as he had turned back towards Scar. “Let me guess: ‘what’s so wrong with my traitorous deceased right-hand?’ I didn’t think I’d need to explain that one to you, Scar, given the situation.”

Scar lightly tapped his own chest, doing his best to indicate yeah, that’s why I don’t like him. Why do you care so much that he tried to kill me?

As if Bdubs could hear Scar’s unvoiced question, he shrugged. “If he’s willing to betray his boss as a right-hand, what would stop him from betraying his right-hand as a boss? I have better odds running errands in enemy territory than standing at his side.”

Mentally, Scar conceded to Bdubs’s logic. A traitor didn’t just make for a bad subordinate.

“Besides, it’s one thing for a lackey to try and go after a higher up. But a betrayal between a boss and their right-hand man?” The casual tone Bdubs had carried for most of the one-sided conversation dropped suddenly, voice hard. “Dolos deserved worse than a bullet to the head.”

Scar raised an eyebrow but didn’t try to push Bdubs to say anything else. He could tell it was personal. He didn’t need to pry.

The sound of cars coming to a fast stop in front of the building seemed to snap Bdubs out of his thoughts. He put his free hand on his holstered gun, seemingly more as a precaution than a necessity.

“That should be our people.” Bdubs informed him, giving Scar a quick once-over as if to remind himself of his condition. “We’ll make sure you get through this, and hold down fort until you can take back over. And I’ll make it clear as glass that anyone who wants to take advantage of the situation can join Dolos in whichever empty lot or dirty harbor he gets dumped in.”

Scar managed a slight nod before the office door was opening, people Scar could recognize as some of the Empire’s filing in and Bdubs launching into directing them about. The sudden uptick in activity and noise was too much for Scar to focus on, and he let the ruckus wash over him as Bdubs handled it. Despite the blow his trust had just taken, Bdubs’s conviction against Dolos and inexplicable lack of desire to be a boss seemed sturdy enough for him to rely on.

Plus, assuming he truly did survive the next few days, he’d be the one needing to replace his former close confidant. And Bdubs had said he’d make a good right-hand man. Scar could consider this his test run.

And even though he had no reason to, Scar had a good feeling about how Bdubs would do.

Present

“Mumbo, dear, as much as I appreciate the thought, I really don’t need you to have your waiter tortured and killed for me.”

Mumbo, who, unfairly, seemed more upset about the situation than Scar was, frowned. “It won’t be any trouble.”

“I know it won’t be, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary.” Scar leaned back on Mumbo’s desk, one hand braced against the wood. His cane rested beside him. “Accidents happen! Not every injury is the result of an attempted murder.”

“Maybe accidents would happen less if those who caused them were… made an example of.”

“They tripped, Mumbo, that can happen to anyone.”

Mumbo crossed his arms, seemingly unwilling to let Scar’s lighthearted mood get to him. “You’re hurt.”

Scar bit back a joke about how he hadn’t forgotten that. He could tell from Mumbo’s tone, and the way he was looking at Scar, that he wasn’t just referring to the physical cut.

And, yes, perhaps he should have realized how obvious he was being. Despite his own attempts to write off the injury as nothing more than a scratch, his hand was pressed over it hard enough to bruise his neck, as if he might bleed out if he loosened his grip in the slightest. And while he had allowed Mumbo to lead him into the End Crystal’s office, he had pulled away from him almost as soon as they were inside the room, rushing to put space between the two of them.

A space Mumbo hadn’t tried to enter, standing across from his own desk at a respectful distance, looking the entire time as though he wanted to step closer but knew it wouldn’t end well. The similarity of the situation to the one with Mumbo’s former bartender was not missed by Scar.

“I’ll be alright.” He said instead, trying his best to sound reassuring. “I’ve survived worse.”

Mumbo’s eyes flickered the slightest bit downwards, right to the proof of Scar’s claim, and his frown deepened. Scar shifted his hand slightly so as to cover more of his neck as he looked away from Mumbo.

Now neither of them were feeling reassured. Scar was doing spectacular.

The door to the office quickly opened and closed, and Scar turned his gaze towards Grian as he approached the two of them. He came to a stop next to Mumbo, easily picking up on the purposeful space that had been put between him and Scar. Similar to Mumbo, Grian looked more agitated than Scar felt he had the right to.

“Everything’s been cleaned up, and security detained the server without issue.” Grian informed them, glancing at where Scar’s cut was hidden underneath his hand. “Once we attend to you, Mr. Chronos, me and Mr. Eris can… discuss what happened today with them.”

“You know how much I love seeing you two beat up people and call it a discussion, Grian,” Scar put emphasis on Grian’s name, still in the process of trying to convince the South (namely, his boyfriend and his boyfriend’s not-boyfriend) that it was ok to use his first name, even when none of them were actively dying, “but it’s really not necessary in this case.”

Grian frowned. “It won’t be any trouble.”

“That’s what I said.” Mumbo grumbled.

“Yes, yes, it’s impressive how in sync you two are. Have you ever tried the newlywed game?” The only response Scar received were two near identical unamused stares. He decided not to comment on how they weren’t exactly proving him wrong. “Hey now, I don’t think you’re allowed to be angry at the injured guy.”

Mumbo sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want us to do anything to them?”

“Positive.”

“What if we do something anyway?”

Scar tilted towards Grian. “The End Crystal needs to maintain a somewhat nice reputation, doesn’t it? I feel like bleeding someone dry for tripping would achieve the opposite effect.”

“We’d be fine,” Grian replied, sounding sullen as he continued on with, “but I suppose I can tell security to let them go this time. Though they’re still fired.”

“They probably already quit.” Scar pointed out. Grian shrugged.

“I’ll leave them to squirm a bit before finding out.” 

“You may as well hand them their termination papers now.” Mumbo said, looking apologetic when Grian glanced over at him. “I was refilling the office first aid kit when Mr. Chronos came over and left it in the storeroom. If you wouldn’t mind grabbing it, you can also let our former employee know their services are no longer needed here.”

Grian rolled his eyes, though the gesture lacked the typical annoyance that came with it. “You’re a spoon.” He told Mumbo before turning back towards the door, heading off to do as he had been indirectly asked.

Scar shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t, uh, need to do that. The Glass Empire has sufficient resources.”

“As does the South.” Mumbo responded, bemused. “Similar to our reputation, our supplies will withstand you using a few.”

Again, Scar looked away from Mumbo. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mumbo’s frown return right before he took a single step toward Scar.

In an instant, Scar’s eyes were back on Mumbo as he flinched back, pressing closer to the desk, body tensing and gaze wary. It suddenly didn’t matter that Mumbo was his ally and his partner, that he had no reason right then to hurt Scar, that both he and Grian could have killed Scar a dozen times over on any given day he spent with them and had never tried. All that mattered was that he was too close to Mumbo, physically and otherwise. All that mattered was that he trusted Mumbo.

A mob boss, trusting someone? Had he really expected that to end any other way?

Scar dug his fingers into both wood and flesh. He wouldn’t go down without a fight. Whatever Mumbo did next, he was ready for it.

…Admittedly, he was not ready for Mumbo to immediately step back, raising his hands placatingly.

“Sorry, sorry, didn’t mean to get in your space.” Mumbo apologized, as if there still hadn't been a solid five feet between the two of them, as if Scar wasn’t in the epicenter of what was most certainly Mumbo’s space, not his. “This is going to make bandaging your neck a tad tricky, though.”

"I can do that myself." Scar replied, confused but no less defensive. 

"Are you sure that you should?" Mumbo asked, rushing on before Scar could respond, "I think- I think you want it bandaged right, and that's hard to do on your own."

Scar floundered. Mumbo was right, as much as he didn't want to acknowledge it (Mumbo knew him; Mumbo knew him). The cut wasn't very big, and for anyone else, it'd be easy enough to handle, but it wasn't anyone else. Scar needed help. Scar couldn't accept any help.

“Bdubs.” Scar forced out after a too long moment of silence. “He can… he’ll know what to do.”

Mumbo graciously didn’t point out the fact that wrapping up a small cut wasn’t very complicated to figure out. “Alright. Do you want to call him over here? Or, er, do you want to go back to your shop and meet him there?”

The way Mumbo paused on the second option made it clear which of the two choices he preferred, and Scar hated that he agreed. He would be safer in his offices over the End Crystal’s, but the journey to get there posed its own set of risks. He had the advantage of limited entrances and limited possible assailants in the room, and the fewer people who saw him clutching at a scratch like it was a fatal wound, the better.

You’d be safer taking an unarmed nightly stroll than you are here, a voice that had never stopped sounding like Dolos’s reminded him, snide and rotting, danger’s part of the job; trust is what gets you killed.

“Can you get him?” Scar asked, keeping his eyes on Mumbo despite wanting to look away, “He was pretty busy when I left. I don’t know if he’ll pick up my call.”

It was a lie, and a bad one at that. Bdubs was a right-hand, it was his job to drop everything to answer Scar's calls. But he needed an excuse to get Mumbo out, to get him away from Scar, and it was the first one that came to mind.

Mumbo took it without question, as if it was a reasonable thing for Scar to ask, as if it wasn't just Scar pushing the boss out of his own office. "If that’s what will help you, then of course. Do you want me to take Mr. Penemue with me?”

Mumbo was willing to get Bdubs. Mumbo was willing to get Bdubs himself, not by sending a lackey to fetch him. Mumbo was willing to get Bdubs and leave Scar, alone, in his office. Mumbo was willing to get Bdubs with Grian and leave Scar completely alone in the heart of his organization. Scar was starting to feel like he was the one who needed to be warning Mumbo about trust. Scar couldn’t make a sound. “He wouldn’t like that.”

“He’d understand.”

“He still wouldn’t like it.” Grian trusted Scar more than Scar had ever imagined he would- given Grian was actually willing to leave him alone with Mumbo- but Scar knew there were some things that never changed. Grian would spend the entire trip to fetch Bdubs thinking through every possible thing Scar could be doing in their absence, and the second he got back he’d rewatch his eyes’ footage five times over again just to be certain Scar truly hadn’t done anything more exciting than shift in place.

In response, Mumbo switched tactics. “Are you going to be alright if he stays here?”

It was a fair question. Scar was clearly flighty with only Mumbo. It didn’t make sense for him to be better off with his right-hand. He didn’t know Grian as well. He didn’t trust Grian as much.

And that was the kicker, wasn’t it? Scar didn’t trust Grian, not like he trusted Mumbo. He wouldn’t be nearly as surprised if Grian tried to take him out now. That made Grian safer.

“It’s ok, Mumbo. I won’t mind.”

Mumbo studied Scar’s expression, trying to see if there was any sign of him lying, as if it wasn’t better for him if he left Grian behind to keep an eye on everything. Then, he nodded once, a self-confirmation of whatever he had determined in that moment. “Alright.”

Before Scar had a chance to argue Mumbo’s acceptance- why was he so willing to do what Scar asked? didn’t he understand the danger?- Grian returned, so well-timed Scar wouldn’t be surprised if he had planned it. He was carrying a dark case that looked about the right size to fit into a desk drawer, sleek and unassuming despite the reinforced lock on it.

Mumbo turned towards Grian as he stopped beside him, once again giving Scar a wide berth of space he had no right to. “I have to go fetch Mr. Centuria for Mr. Chronos, won’t be long.”

Grian inclined his head, glancing at Scar, glancing at the distance still separating him from them. “Do you want me to come with you?” He asked, because even Mumbo’s over-protective-to-a-fault boyfriend of a bodyguard was willing to put Scar above logic, for some damned reason.

“No need. I’ll be quick.”

And Grian accepted that, with a nod and a small touch as Mumbo passed him and headed out of the office, as if it was logical, as if anything they were currently doing made any sense given who they were. Grian switched the case between his hands, looking thoughtfully at Scar.

“You seem… perplexed.” Grian said after a moment, stressing the word to imply the inherent understatement in it.

“If Mumbo had asked you to come with him, you would have… just gone?”

“I always do what Mr. Eris asks of me.”

A lie, unless Grian didn’t count Mumbo asking him to rest as a real request- but that was beside the point. “And you think that would’ve been safe?”

The corner of Grian’s mouth turned up in the slightest indication of a smirk, though the expression didn’t seem amused, more perfunctory. “You’re hardly a threat, Mr. Chronos.”

Scar glared at Grian, though it wasn’t strong enough to elicit any reaction from him. Scar had the sneaking suspicion even a truly harsh look wouldn’t inspire much more than a raised eyebrow from the right-hand. “I’m not Mumbo.”

“You’re not.” Grian acknowledged gracefully, ignoring the low-blow in Scar’s words. Scar almost wished he hadn’t. It’d be easier to be fighting, to know Grian was against him, rather than going through the polite business motions Grian was so good at and Scar so hated. “And I’m not Mr. Centuria-”

“Bdubs, just call him by his name, it’s Bdubs-”

“-yet you didn’t mind me staying.” Grian finished, shutting Scar up. Grian tilted his head, gaze piercing. “I’m neither your right-hand man, nor your partner, but I’m still here. You had Mumbo leave, but you’ve passed the opportunities presented to you to have me do so as well. You want me here, for some reason, but your interactions with me are currently bordering on hostile.”

The unspoken why? in Grian’s words was loud, but Scar couldn’t bring himself to answer it. There was no good way to explain that he didn’t trust Grian, that he was waiting for even the slightest indication Grian was going to turn on him, and that was why he could stay but Mumbo couldn’t. There was no good way to explain that, despite all that, Scar couldn’t bring himself to jeopardize the safety Grian so carefully cultivated for himself and Mumbo in the End Crystal. There was no good way to explain any of it, so Scar steadily met Grian’s eyes instead, saying nothing.

A long minute passed like that, neither of them speaking or breaking eye contact. Scar’s fingers dug deeper into his neck with each second that passed in the silence, waiting for the tension to snap, for Grian to make his move. It was a perfect time to strike, and Grian wouldn’t catch Scar by surprise.

Grian sighed. “Do you want help stemming the blood?”

Alright, that caught Scar by surprise. He tamped down on the highly irrational urge to ask Grian to just stab him already. “What?”

“I could bandage it too, but I presume that’s why Mr. Centuria is coming over.” Grian’s tone was largely professional, but the usual edge on it was soft in a way Scar knew was deliberate. “And I won’t get close unless you want me to.”

“I won’t move my hand.” Scar said, in lieu of I can’t move my hand, of did you hear your own double meaning, of why would you want to.

“Your palm isn’t very absorbent.” Grian replied, not missing a beat, not giving away anything outside of the exact words he spoke. “I can clean up what slips through. Up to you.”

Though his behaviour spoke to the contrary, Scar knew the cut on his throat wasn’t nearly bad enough to warrant such attention. At most, a few drops of blood had trickled past his hand, and Scar wasn’t particularly worried about them.

Grian knew that too. His demeanour was unrevealing, unreadable, but his manner didn’t change how he was trying to produce any reason to get close to Scar. It was suspicious. Dangerous. Untrustworthy.

And wasn’t that exactly why Scar had been fine with Grian staying?

“You don’t have to do that.” Scar waited a beat, trying to gauge any reaction from Grian. Predictably, there were none. “But you can get close anyways, if you want.”

“You’re certain?” Grian asked, even as he took a step forward, testing the waters as he dropped the case in his hand into one of the chairs facing Mumbo’s desk.

“Positive.”

Grian continued his approach, each step measured, lingering a second longer than necessary with each one. He went further than Scar entirely expected, only coming to a stop when he was directly in front of him. The space left between them was courteous, but slim compared to the wide margin that had been there. A good distance to attack from.

With his hands free, Grian crossed his arms, fingers visibly splayed over the fabric of his suit. Not a very pragmatic stance- it would take him a moment to reach one of his weapons and actually use it, and that would give Scar an opening.

“Can I ask how you got it?” Meanwhile, Grian apparently remained intent on using his strategy of blindsiding Scar without so much as raising a finger. “The scar.”

“...You can ask.”

Grian huffed, eyes crinkling just enough to make it a laugh. “Can I know if they’re dead, at least?”

“What if I said I tripped?”

“I’d know you were lying. But I wouldn’t push.”

“How accommodating.”

“The End Crystal offers only the best in service to our voluntary visitors.”

Scar looked away from Grian, watching him from the corner of his eye. True to his word, Grian didn’t push, didn’t try to make a move while Scar was feigning distraction. Why had he even wanted to get closer? What was he going to do?

“He’s dead.”

“Was it slow?”

“As slow as a bullet to the head is.”

Grian tsked. “Pity.”

Scar turned his gaze back to Grian, a half-teasing, half-provoking comment dying on his tongue when he realized that Grian’s focus had dropped from his face to his neck, looking at the scar in the same way Mumbo had. But that couldn’t be right. That would mean something Scar hadn’t calculated for.

“Back in our old town,” Grian started, and if Scar didn’t know better, he’d describe the words as halting, “Mumbo’s first right-hand tried to have me killed.”

Scar’s eyes widened. Grian’s fingers twitched, still staring at the remnants of the large cut that had nearly taken Scar’s life, and for a fleeting moment Scar imagined him reaching out, tracing the line of the scar.

“I know what betrayal looks like.” Grian added, gaze drifting back up to meet Scar’s. “What happens when someone gets too close.”

Scar’s chest felt tight. Why was he so close? “Are they dead?”

“Yes.”

“Was it slow?”

Grian smirked, the sharp edges of his teeth showing as he leaned forward, resting some of his weight on the desk. “Agonizingly.”

Grian had a hand planted on each side of Scar, boxing him in between Grian and Mumbo’s desk. Paradoxically, Scar’s grip on his neck loosened from the point of near strangulation, some of the tension ebbing from his body. This he understood. This he was ready for.

“Are you going to kill me?” Scar asked, just to have it out in the open.

“If I was going to kill you, Mr. Chronos,” Grian’s tone was smooth, like he wasn’t surprised by the question, like he had seen it coming, “you’d already be dead.”

“My first name, please.”

“Why do you think I want you dead?”

Because everyone does. Because that’s the business. “You wanted to get close.”

“And you thought it was so I could attack you?” Grian didn’t leave enough time between his sentences for Scar to provide an answer to the question. Not that Scar would have given one. “Can I not want to get close just for the sake of it?”

Too late, Scar began to realize he had miscalculated again. The situation they had entered was dangerous- more dangerous than Scar had thought- but not for the same reasons. Grian wasn’t building up to a fight.

“Grian-”

“Do you consider us enemies?” Grian took a step into his space, nearly pressing the two of them against each other. “The South and the Glass Empire are friendly, but are we?”

“Why would you think we’re enemies?”

“You know what they say.” Grian shifted his balance, lifting one hand from the desk to raise it to Scar’s neck, fingers layering over Scar’s where he was pressing down on his accidental injury. Scar made to flinch, reflexes not nearly as fast as they needed to be, but Grian didn’t start choking him, didn’t produce a short blade to bury in Scar’s throat. He matched the pressure Scar was applying, not an ounce of malice in the gesture. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”

Scar’s mouth was dry. He had lost his footing, stumbling past the point of no return without even realizing, and now Grian’s face was directly in front of his, hand on his neck, and yet the snide voice that usually rang out in the back of his mind, pointing out his every weakness and blind spot, was dead silent.

For less than a microsecond, Scar’s eyes darted down, looking directly at Grian’s lips.

“Are we enemies?” Scar barely managed to ask, hushed, anticipation almost sounding like fear.

“That depends, Scar,” Grian dragged out his name, so close Scar could practically feel it, fingers curling around the back of Scar’s neck to keep him from pulling away, “how close do you keep your enemies?”

Scar’s breath caught in the back of his throat. Grian had him trapped, literally and metaphorically, no space left for Scar to try and escape into even if he felt capable of moving, but for the first time since Scar had entered the office with his neck barely bleeding, he wasn’t waiting for a hidden blade to find purchase in his flesh. The hand Grian still had on the desk was pressing into Scar’s thigh, but Scar couldn’t imagine it doing anything other than moving to his hip, another point of connection as Grian did more than just hold him still, as he moved in a little bit closer as he pulled Scar with him, as-

“Are we interrupting something?”

If it weren’t for how tightly coiled he was with tension (a very different kind of tension then had been keeping him frozen five minutes ago), Scar would have jumped a mile in the air at the sound of Mumbo’s voice. While Grian smoothly turned away from Scar to face the door, hand still damningly on Scar’s neck, Scar forced his gaze in the same direction.

Standing in the doorway were Mumbo and Bdubs, whose arrival Scar apparently had missed. They both seemed slightly out of breath, as though they had been in a hurry to reach the office, but they weren’t nearly winded enough to not also be looking at Scar and Grian like they had walked in on something extremely amusing.

“I can turn around for a minute, if you need me to.” Bdubs offered. Given the reason Mumbo had fetched him, Scar couldn’t exactly immediately dismiss Bdubs back to their offices, but the thought of doing so was tempting.

“We’re not-” Scar’s voice came out three pitches too high and more guilty sounding than a kid caught with a hand in the cookie jar. He shut his mouth immediately, stringing together some colourful curses in his head in the meanwhile. What the hell was he supposed to tell Mumbo that would explain why he was so close to his right-hand? Especially when said right-hand was still holding his neck, a choice that was starting to feel rather shameless.

Was this how Grian was going to get Scar killed? If it was, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to be mad about it.

“You’re not interrupting anything,” Grian said, sounding as though he were discussing the weather, completely composed save for a faint dusting of pink across his cheeks that even right beside him Scar could only barely see, “I’m merely helping Mr. Chronos with his injury.”

Mumbo, who Scar presumed could pick out Grian’s exact skin tone in a crowd from a mile away, seemed to catch the flush and grinned. “How… professional of you, Mr. Penemue.”

“Yes, well.” Grian finally took his hand away from Scar’s neck, slowly at first so as not to startle Scar before speeding up, turning fully to begin striding towards Mumbo and picking up the first aid case as he went. “Mr. Centuria, I’ll leave Mr. Chronos in your capable hands. Mr. Eris and I will be outside if you need us. Take all the time you see fit.”

Bdubs took a step into the office, startled, as Grian brushed past him. Grian grabbed Mumbo’s arm, tugging him out of the doorway and pulling the door shut behind them in one fell swoop.

After staring at the suddenly shut door for a moment, Bdubs shook his head, looking back towards Scar as he began to approach him. Tucked under his arm was one of the End Crystal’s grab-and-go first aid kits.

“I was going to apologize for not arriving sooner,” Bdubs came to a stop slightly to Scar’s side, moving the kit to his hands as he unzipped it. He seemed entertained by the situation, which Scar really didn’t appreciate, “but I guess I should have arrived later instead.”

“I don’t know- I don’t know what you’d expect to be different. If you had been later.” Scar very deliberately avoided meeting Bdubs’s eyes. He hadn’t told a lie that audibly flimsy since long before he had become an organizational head.

“Would you like me to describe what I had expected?”

“Would you like to find yourself rapidly unemployed?”

Scar’s (admittedly hollow) threat fell flat if Bdubs’s following chuckle was anything to go by. “I’ll leave it to your imagination, then. Raise your chin.”

Doing his best to not let his imagination run off on its own track, Scar did as asked. He took his hand away from his neck when Bdubs prompted as well, Bdubs applying pressure to the spot with a cotton ball in lieu of Scar’s palm.

Bdubs didn't say anything further about the matter (although Scar was certain he wanted to) as he went to work cleaning and disinfecting the site of the wound. No sound from outside the office made it inside, which meant that any conversation Mumbo and Grian were or weren’t having was unavailable for Scar to eavesdrop on.

“Do you think Mumbo's going to try to kill me?” Scar asked half-seriously, more to the room itself than Bdubs. Killing over Grian's honour would be extreme, but that was hardly a deterrent for the South.

“For what? That?” Bdubs scoffed. “Would be a bit hypocritical of him.”

“Hypocritical?”

Bdubs paused in his ministrations, shifting his focus from Scar’s neck to his face with a frown. “Wait. What are you worried about?”

“As much as I would like to pretend you went briefly blind upon entering the room, I know you saw, er, that, and I know Mumbo did too. And you know how they are.” Scar shot a glance in the general direction of the South leaders. “He’s teased us for some of our banter before, but admittedly we… looked….like we were doing a bit more than that.”

Bdubs blinked once, twice. “Scar, please. I can’t do this again.”

“Do what again?”

“When you finally accepted the South’s offer of a partnership, and you came back to our office and made a joke about business partnerships with benefits,” Bdubs was speaking very slowly, as if making sure Scar understood each individual word, “that was referring to Mumbo and Grian, right?”

Any concerns Scar might have had about blood loss went out the window as his entire face flushed red hot at the speed of light.

“Right?” Bdubs repeated, sounding desperate. When Scar remained embarrassingly silent, he dropped his head into his free hand, covering his face as he groaned.

“I don’t-” Scar paused to clear his throat. It had been a very bad day for him, in terms of acting like the intimidating mob boss he usually was. “Why did you think the deal was with both of them?”

“Because I have two eyes.” Bdubs deadpanned. “I don’t know if I should be more upset over that, or the fact that it means, of the two of them, you sent the one you aren’t dating to get me.”

“You know exactly why I did that.”

“I do. Doesn’t make it any less stupid.” With a sigh, Bdubs lifted his head again, turning his attention back to Scar’s injury. “But it worked out this time. This doesn’t need stitches, and the worst thing Grian did was forget to lock the doors.”

“Bdubs.”

Unperturbed, Bdubs went on with his work, bandaging Scar's neck. “And as to your question, no, Mumbo's not going to try and kill you. He also has eyes, and if he had a problem you would have heard about it by now.”

“I don’t think I like what you’re implying.”

“You’ll like it less if I say it directly.”

“Got me there.” Scar muttered, letting the conversation lapse as Bdubs finished up. His attempts to put his thoughts in order, regarding what had nearly happened and what Bdubs had said, were sabotaged by the distracting concept of what could have been had Mumbo and Bdubs arrived five minutes later.

By the time Bdubs had taped down the edges of the bandage, the only thing Scar had really managed to figure out was that Mumbo most likely wasn't going to kill him. If he was, Scar doubted he would have granted him the courtesy of waiting until Bdubs left to strike. As to everything with Grian, well- Scar had given up trying to think any of it through.

“Good as new.” Bdubs replaced his remaining supplies in the first aid kit, zipping it shut while looking at Scar meaningfully. “I’ll head back to the shop now, assuming you don’t need anything else.”

“Actually, I think I’ll come with you.” Scar took his weight off Mumbo’s desk for the first time since he had entered the room, putting his cane back to use. His other arm ached as he stretched it out, cramped from having been bent towards his neck for so long. “I’ve had my fill of the End Crystal for the day.”

“You don’t want to stay a bit longer? Maybe talk with your business partners first?”

Scar pointedly ignored the obvious implications of Bdubs’s choice in wording. “I’m sure Mumbo and Grian have more important things to be doing right now.”

“...Alright.” The disappointment in both Bdubs’s tone and expression was so thick Scar could have kicked it. Scar chose to ignore it too.

The walk from one end of the End Crystal’s main office to the other had never felt so long, and only partially because Scar was dragging his feet for it. Heading back to his shop still required passing by Mumbo and Grian, and Scar feared it was a little too soon for them all to pretend like today had never happened.

Bdubs, who Scar suspected wanted to leave him at the End Crystal for (at minimum) a fortnight before seeing him again, didn’t seem as concerned with the incoming interaction and pushed open one of the doors without any hesitation.

Mumbo and Grian were idling near the center of the waiting area, Grian leaning against the back of a couch that was much too nice to be used so casually with Mumbo standing next to him. Both were already turned towards the office doors, likely having cut off whatever conversation they had been having when they heard the sound of the doorknob turning.

“I hope you’re feeling better, Mr. Chronos.” Grian’s voice was professional, polite, devoid of any personal emotions. His countenance was the same, carefully closed off in the way it always was, in the way Scar was used to, in the way Scar was starting to hate.

“Much.” Scar answered with an enthusiasm he didn't entirely feel. “Now, while the South's hospitality has been as refined as ever, I'd hate to put you out more than I already have.”

“Your company never puts us out any.” Mumbo, in direct contrast to Grian, made no attempt to hide his continued amusement with the situation. Scar decided to hate that as well. “You're welcome to stay longer, if you wish.”

“I don't want to impose. And I really should get back to my offices.”

“If you must.” Mumbo said reluctantly, and Scar took a small comfort in the fact that at least some of his disappointment was genuine. “Safe travels.”

Without looking away from Scar, Grian tugged on one of his sleeves, straightening out the edge of it. Scar resolutely did not think about how it likely got rumpled when Grian had been holding his neck. “The South looks forward to your next visit.”

“You make it sound so impersonal, Grian.” Scar mindlessly quipped, a mistake he fully intended to blame on being distracted by Grian’s sleeves.

Granted, Grian entertaining him with a response was probably a mistake on his own behalf, but given Grian delivered his with a single raised eyebrow and perfect composure, Scar felt as though he was faring better than Scar was. “Would you prefer I make it personal, Mr. Chronos?”

Using what scant wisdom he currently had access to, Scar opted to not try and answer the trick question and hastily pivoted back to the main point of the conversation. “Ah- until next time, gentlemen!”

Scar made his departure with as much dignity as he could- which, admittedly, was not nearly enough. Bdubs followed a step behind him, and although Scar was no longer looking at them, he was certain Mumbo and Grian’s eyes were also following him out.

For a brief moment, in the stint of time between Scar opening the door to leave through and Bdubs closing it, Mumbo and Grian’s voices slipped out.

“‘Would you prefer I make it personal’?”

“Shut up.”

Bdubs gave Scar the courtesy of waiting until they were back on their own territory to treat him to the same. “‘You make it sound so impersonal’?”

“Shut up.” Scar replied with no bite, making a beeline for his office to hide in as soon as they were inside the jewelry shop. He heard Bdubs sigh, but his right-hand didn't try to pursue him, which meant the matter was as good as settled as far as Scar was concerned.

(It wasn’t, and Scar knew that. Not when he could still feel where Grian had touched him, white hot yet leaving his skin uncharred.

Grian could kill him. Grian probably wanted to kill him, all things considered, and certainly would without hesitation if he had any reason to suspect Scar of being a threat. Mumbo wouldn’t stop him. In the event of Scar’s bloody demise at Grian’s hands, Mumbo would- at best- be mildly disappointed. No, the South was as great of a threat to the Glass Empire as it ever had been- even more so now that they were allies, now that Scar had gotten so close.

The part of his mind that Dolos’s mimicry perpetually inhabited recoiled at the thought of Scar learning nothing and letting trust pave the way to the destruction and downfall of his empire. Dolos was a traitor, but he had understood that trust was best for use as a weapon and little else.

The part still focused on the burning, in counter, played on repeat the moment where Grian had wrapped his hand around Scar’s neck and hadn’t so much as dug his nails in.)

Scar slumped into his chair and dragged a hand over his face. Without even meaning to, his hand dropped from his chin to his neck, fingers curling around the back exactly as Grian’s had.

Fuck.

[princess-of-the-corner]

CC: So, like, after the Togas are arrested, what happens exactly? Like, U.A. has enough evidence to yoink Himiko into protective custody, but wouldn’t they have to at some point prove in court that Himiko's parents suck? Or did someone go at them with "either you sign her over quietly, or no one finds your body". Like, for Amnesia!Dabi, we said they were a reporter & a lawyer with HC connections, if that’s still true, wouldn’t they have influence to fight the charges?

Some of that needs to be hammered out BUT-

Yeah the UA staff start putting together proper evidence and it's. It's kinda easy given the stuff her parents directly said. Like not knowing where their daughter has been for months is a clear slam dunk for a judge.

But there's also.

So I haven't gone into this because I planned for it to be chapters of Blood is Thicker rather than the main CC fic, but I haven't followed up on that in a WHILE and most of this is said in passing in CC anyway:

There's going to be an incident sometime pre-Sports Festival, possibly pre-USJ? Haven't hammered out that time.

But Himiko is only getting very minimal amounts of blood. Mostly just asking her classmates during training exercises. But it's not enough for her. So while it's better, it's also teasing.

Which leads to a sparring match where she kinda. Does the same thing that happened with Saito. Ofc this time she has a bunch of people who can restrain her so things don't get as bad.

The UA staff know that clearly something is Up. And they debate on who to have talk to her and they land on like. Clearly this is something with her Quirk given the blood drinking, so they have Vlad King talk to her because hey blood Quirk he gets it to an extent on how that Quirk may rub people the wrong way and it might make her more open.

Himiko.... is not having a good time. Because she lost control again and thinks this is proof that she's incapable of being a good person and that the teachers are just going to arrest her now.

So she doesn't have any problem voicing those thoughts about how 'her parents were right about her', and even the whole Saito incident to Vlad King and he's like 'oh that is a whole barrel of red flags about your childhood'.

Vlad King helps her with the whole thing of like. Hey, Quirks with dietary requirements exist. You clearly need blood to be healthy. Denying you of that is a bad thing, and you were quite literally starving when you lashed out so no one can really blame you.

Which. Is probably the first time Himiko has heard someone tell her that her blood consumption is totally normal? So she's just. So confused and caught off guard by that.

They talk more and he tells her that she needs blood, and there's ways to help her with that. They're going to start testing out how much she needs and what all she can handle. Like, does it have to be Human, or will animal blood work? And that if she starts feeling bad then she can come to him and he can handle giving her some of his blood because part of his Quirk involves being able to loose a large volume of blood and be fine.

Himiko asks to leave her parents alone in this because like. They're her parents. They love her, right? But while they agree, the UA staff is now documenting all of the things Himiko says. Especially because while Himiko doesn't want her parents in trouble, she does agree that she wants to get Saito out of trouble. Because in this AU her parents had that incident covered up by claiming that he attacked her and she acted out of self-defense. So they have to do something about that.

Himiko does have a bit of a breakdown when they realize that yeah animal blood does work for her she could've just had that all these years and not been tempted to chomp down on her classmates.

Then yeah Himiko's parents see her in the Sports Festival and using her Quirk and they show up to UA to complain and yell at her about what she's doing and mention not knowing where she's been for the past few months and....

Yeah it's A Lot and the last bit is what gives the Staff proper clearance to arrest them because while the emotional abuse is hard to qualify without Himiko herself opening it up as a case, and the 'she needs blood and they've been starving her' stuff could be claimed as ignorance, something more clear-cut like the neglect is enough.

There's going to be the actual legal stuff on charging them for things, but there's already a lot of evidence stacked against them that it's a lot easier here than it would be in Amnesia!Dabi.

[mosneakers]

Do you have any tips and tricks for someone (me) starting a sims story to post on Tumblr? Asking for a friend (it's me. I'm the friend)

omggg you're askin me? 🥺

I'm not sure I'm the best simblr to ask because I'm not in it for the trends or popularity; I'm all about the interaction and finding others to talk to at length about my delusional fictional universe that's been going on for over a decade now lol. But let me try:

*puts on my mother glasses* There are two ways to go about it; depending on your goals. There are plenty of exceptions, but simblr sorta has a formula you can follow. Get ready for some contradictions haha

if you aim to appease the simblr community:

reshade/gshade mixed with photo-editing is generally a must. Simblr users will gravitate to pretty pictures, so even if you're an excellent writer, people usually won't give it a second look unless something attracts them to it. The sims is pretty ugly without filters and such, and it will enhance the experience as well. Bonus if you crank up the mxao and depth of field but I prefer to take it a little easy on those lol

CC. Not necessarily a must, but simblr in particular usually hates vanilla sims. same explanation as above, slather those suckers in skin details!!

poses poses poses. readers love reading stories with poses and they spit on screenshots with only game animations! (tbh those game animations do get pretty repetitive after a while so I kinda get it)

Read stories. I'm not much of a reader personally, but there's a huge imbalance in the reader-writer ratio on simblr, and lots of simblrs will return the favor if you read theirs too. Be careful, though; getting stuck in a transactional mutualship can lead to tricky dynamics. Only reach out to other stories if you're genuinely interested in following more stories, not just to gain readers.

BUT, with all that being said, as an "elder" of the simblr community, please consider this as permission to say screw any and all of those above tips if they don't align with your goals.

If your goal is to just have fun and relax:

reshade/gshade. Because let's be real the game's graphics are very depressing. It's not actually a must if you're just enjoying yourself, but if you find the right settings and just play, so you can spend minimal or even no time editing your photos. There are lots of tutorials that explain how to set it up. If you can't figure it out or don't feel like it, that's also not a big deal.

I can be a controlling sim god when it comes to my stories, and I have most things planned out. HOWEVER sometimes it's a little fun to let the sims drive their own storylines. If something is just not working, I consider that a sign to let the story flow in a slightly different direction. IF you're planning on writing gameplay stories/writing as you go, as I do. (which has its own challenges lol)

Sometimes it can be tempting to let readers sway the way the story is going. Sometimes that is a strategy that works. But if you have a storyline that you're confident in, own it and let it play out. Even if the whole community (and your spouse) wants that alien character to go die, you have him there for a reason, trust in the power of your storytelling 😜

Despite being a pose creator, I find using poses kinda tedious and sucks the life and immersion out of the story and gameplay personally, if used too much. Trust me, I do use my fair share of them, but I do try to use the game animations whenever possible. When I do use poses, I personally prefer to keep the expressions very maxis-y.

Don't try to be like any one particular simblr. With a community where we all pull from the same CC and game pack pools, there's bound to be overlap in aesthetics, storylines, and concepts. Definitely find inspiration in all your faves but do what works best for you but don't feel some sort of way if your screenshots don't look exactly like PastelPlumbobPixelLlama's game, despite you downloading all the content and presets from their resource page! You have your own style babe and it's way more unique ♥

Post a "New Story/New simblr" post to get the word out about your story.

PLEASE don't ever get discouraged by notes because you are perfect and creative and if others don't understand your genius that's them problem ok <3

sorry it's so long ;-; there's probably more but that's what came to my mind off the bat.

[sillyandquiteawkward]

:333 can I hear the design process that went into Ford? Or Tate?

Or if it was for Fallout OCs, curious on the Kennedy or Bayley “Concept Idea to Current” transition :>>>

<- had too much fun, did everyone mentioned.

oo so when it came to ford and tate, i had a general idea pretty strong from the get go, so there wasnt much exploration, and i wrote general notes i wanted to include in their designs and then kinda just went for it. in my notes and story plotting they were simply referred to as the waiter and the PI.

these are basically the first iterations for them, tho tate took me a while to figure out. tate was also skinnier but then i was like no i need to design with my Heart so i made him more stout instead just a simple tall guy with a dadbod body type. i just always ended up liking how ford turned out so he didnt have many changes (notably it ends up being just his hairstyle).

once i got the gist of the characters down i went back and started looking up clothes and pulling ref images to really hone in on their sense of style and fashion, since that was something for this comic i really wanted to portray. then i went back and drew a bunch of drawings of them in different outfits and tried to figure things out. like tate evolved from trenchcoat and jumpsuits to more simple things like tshirts and jackets.

i made the control meme. and then. i put them on the back burner as i did other things for months. and when the new year hit, i ran to start drawing them again to start the comic on a whim, and did the simple, draw what you remember and see whats the most important character traits. i think i wouldve liked to have more time to really iron more things out before i jumped into the comic but i feared being stuck in planning hell and never being able to Start.

--

kennedy is a fun one bc i designed him to be a matching cowboy oc pair with raynersjournal and an overall group of four. simply the concept idea for kennedy was red badboy cowboy twink. another kind of design i did in one based on vibes and probably google images of cowboys for clothes insp. i am a little foggy on my thought process for designing ken but that was pretty much it. one and done type guy. i think i was feeling particularly inspired by funky eyebrows and giant sharp nose shapes.

i think kennedy has been pretty consistent in characterization, but i think i tend to draw kennedy less boxy now, and ive smoothed him out because ive shaped him more into this devious snake oil kind of guy that looks sweet, instead of this whirlwind fireball. for a second, i stopped drawing kennedy with his square jawline, but ive been trying to make sure i remember to draw it bc i think its a good trait of his that makes for nice contrast in his feminine design.

--

bayley is Also interesting bc he had several pre-designs which is different for me. the concept of bayley being a fucked up scientist to be the antagonist for cc's story was first inspired by one of my goretober prompts, where a unknown scientist was attempting to vivisect hancock. his design was very minimal and more of an after thought.

after that came me trying to come up with a story and a scientist for cc to Have his third arm from. then i tried to doodle some scientist design with that inspiration from mr. goretober and came up with this guy.

but i didnt like him! i didnt think it was the right type of dynamic Look and i wasnt in love with the design so i tried again when i went to actually make ccs into comic. which is where we get this guy who looks More like bayley, but without the sideburns.

his sideburns grow as time goes on, longer and longer, until i start drawing them Bushy and big and the rest is history, i think i was inspired actually by how ray drew them one time and i just took it and ran. another bayley off shoot is evil bayley who channels mr goretober in his rancid vibes, while looking like regular bayley, bc i love au clones.

[celestialcrownsvn]

1/1/2024

🥳🥳🥳

I can't believe I've had occasion to use this picture twice now... Celestial Crowns has survived two New Years!

Well I reached my goal, I finished editing/programming Lune's route and have sent it off to the testers before the new year! I am actually looking for MORE testers, so if you're interested, please reach out to me via discord (min5880) or email (harlevinvns@gmail.com) and I'll get you set up. It will require reading through the route (about 65K words) by 1/31. The game is about 10 hours long including the common route, which you can skip if you've played the demo before. The programming is very minimal right now, it's just backgrounds expressions and some light music to give the vibe but allow the tester to focus on the story.

Kickstarter Rewards

I haven't had time to get to the route gameplay video yet, the end of the year was a whirlwind. But I hope to get it out next week!

What's Next

I am going to review the results from the other route testing and start formulating my plan for the third draft! Which I'll be starting at the end of January once the responses for Lune's route is in as well. That way I can see what needs to change big picture-wise and can make confident edits.

I'll be putting in more work on a secret, CC-related project that I hope to reveal soon! It's been a little pushed back with some other things that have come up but next week things will be less hectic for me.

Wishing you guys all the best in the New Year! Thank you all for your support in what's my biggest commercial project yet. I've been so touched by the response to CC and I can't thank everyone enough for your kind words and shares. And of course, getting it kickstarter funded! 2023 was a great year for CC, here's hoping 2024 is even better!

[brandinotbroke]

Get to know you: Sims Style

I was tagged by @goatskickin

What’s your favorite Sims death?

My sims actually rarely die – not because I cheat death or anything, but because I lose interest in them before they get to that point 💀

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

I used to be alpha all the way, now I‘d say it‘s maxis mix. I feel like it gives me more room to experiment with CC and how my game looks overall when I don‘t have any set rules. The only exception is the hair, I currently only have clay hair in my game.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

No.

Do you move objects?

All the time.

Favorite Mod?

Gussy Up, ACR, traits (probably some others that I have forgotten)

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

Unleashed for Sims 1.

I don‘t remember what it was for Sims 2.

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?

I used to say aLIVE, but now I say LIVing and I don‘t know why or when that changed.

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

Currently, it's this guy here:

Have you made a simself?

No, I always thought it was a little weird to play myself or anyone I know. It just doesn‘t feel right.

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

Red.

Favorite EA hair?

It has always been these two, don't make me choose:

Favorite life stage?

Adults and teens.

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

I can‘t build at all lmao

Are you a CC creator?

I guess? Do converters count as CC creators? I literally just download stuf, pop it into blender and hope for the best.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

Not really? There are some people I‘ve talked to and interacted with more than others, but I don‘t have a set group.

Do you have any sims merch?

No.

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Nopeee.

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I‘ve been in the same community for so long, I think I‘ve seen and dabbled in every trend. But the biggest change was probably deleting all my alpha hair, I‘ve used exclusively alpha hair from the beginning until like last year?

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Wayyy too many to list them.

How long have you had Simblr?

Uh, two years now? I remember I started it in November but I don‘t remember the year lol

How do you edit your pictures?

I add a drop shadow and a template for a slight brightness focus (?). I‘m a complete noob when it comes to photo editing so I don‘t even know how to explain what that template does. But it‘s very minimal editing.

What expansion/gamepack is your favorite?

TS1 – has ti be Unleashed simply because it was the first one I got, I have fond memories of it

TS2 – I‘m probably one of the few people who really like University. And I guess Late Night. And Apartment Life? I kinda like all of them, except OFB (don‘t kill me)

tagging: @frauhupfner , @daydreamingdrawerette , @sicksadsim

[diwasims]

Thank you so much for your default replacements!! I love your clothing choices! I see you were trying to reduce cc, may I ask how much cc do you have right now? Are you building with minimal cc too?

(sorry in advance for how i ended up rambling in this answer)

i literally stopped playing ts2 a few months ago because it took a billion years to open... rebuilding your downloads folder is a Very tedious task but i heavily recommend it if loading times are impeding on ur ability to have fun

here's my game opening in real time (including reshade loading in)! it's gotten twice as long within the last week as i add more things in my downloads folder but it's staying below a minute so i'll take it

i was really motivated to learn how to make clothing defaults after i went through the clothing dfr database and still had missing spots in my spreadsheet. i mostly didnt like what defaults were available so i might as well figure out how to make some myself

my downloads folder is currently sitting at 3.13gb:

i've default replaced hair, eyes, skins, clothes, hood deco, walls, floors, terrain paint, some food, and a few others

for build/buy mode, if it's not dfr, it's a recolor. i think ts2 object meshes are fine as it is so i don't think i have object dfrs in the first place. i mostly just need the woods to match each other so i've practically downloaded michelle on mts' whole collection

i merge build and buy mode cc immediately before i put them in my downloads folder with simpe (mostly for recolors) or lazyduchess' cc merger program

i'm not too strict about keeping it dfr only. i've downloaded back some essential buy mode cc, mostly monique's computers, michelle's bunk beds, and various toddler stuff because i just find it too tedious to play with toddlers in game without them

thanks for the question nonny! hope i got to answer it and then some :3

[catherinetcjd]

Park Flats

an underground duplex with a park on top ...a very flat flat, if you will! New 2022 version - now with minimal CC

All new!!! Grand Re-Opening September 2015 December 2022. 😉

Park Flats ~ enjoy getting back to nature - while living in the big city! Now, I know this isn't the only apartment building with a park on it's roof... But, it is one of the only parks with an apartment under it! That's right folks, Park Flats uses an all new energy-efficient style of berm building; which keeps the cool, cool and/or the heat inside where you want it. I've heard it said that one can never have enough parks in the 'hood - so here's one with an apartment underneath.

Read more »

Custom Content Included: - RetainingWall by tBudgett/MTS2

Lot Size: 1x3 Rent (furnished): $2,027 (rent)

DOWNLOAD @ SFS

[shuckleberrysims]

Sims Tagged Meme

No one tagged me, but I thought it'd be fun to do anyway! :>

 1. What’s your favorite sims death? In the Sims 3, my favorite death has to be the meteor shower death (poor @faeriefrolic's Madeline cannot catch a break with that one xP) and in the Sims Medieval, my favorite one has to be the Pit Monster one! 

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? Maxis Match all the way, there's just something about MM that makes it so appealing. It's so bright and colourful and I love it so much :> (Maybe alpha is just sorta...creepy to me idk?)

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? Nope, I don't! I love body diversity in my game, however I used to when I used to play the Sims 4! But now, I don't mind any and all body shapes :D 

4. Do you use move objects? I do, but only for decor items so it looks like the space is lived in. Though, one time I did use move objects on a computer and my sim used it as a table to eat her sandwich on.

5. Favorite mod? Definitely NRAAS and the Randomizer mod. NRAAS is a must to keep the game running and I like the well, randomness of the Randomizer mod! 

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? I first got into the Sims when I was given the Sims 2 by my grandmother. I think my first pack I got was Pets, but I honestly don't remember... it was a while ago lol

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? I pronounce it as aLIVE.

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? For me, my favorite sims that I've made are actually based upon two OCs that I have - Connor and Leon. They're my babies and I'll love them forever! Plus, I like how Leon's voice sounds as a simbot! If we're talking regular sims though, I have two. One is from my 'N Cheese legacy back in the Sims 4, her name was Blueberry 'N Cheese (I have her as my origin profile!). The other one is Linden, who I sadly had to retire for now as I've been away for several months. Maybe one day I'll return to his save but for right now I don't want to do any challenges. 

9. Have you made a simself? I did once and they promptly died to a vending machine. But like, mood.

10. What sim traits did you give yourself? Dog person, Night Owl, Computer Whiz, Childish, and Family-Orientated.

11. What is your favorite EA hair color? Probably the blonde preset, but other than that one, I just don't like any of them sadly - I prefer the custom ones that I make. 

12. Favorite EA hair? Idk why but I really love that Victorian era one that has a big hat. I actually used to have it as CC when I played the Sims 4 so you can imagine my surprise when I realized it was actually from the Sims 3.

13. Favorite life stage? Young adults and elders!

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? Honestly, I love both! I mainly build tiny homes, though but I'm still getting used to Sims 3's build mode. 

15. Are you a CC creator? Technically I am if you count those scuffed clay hairs I made for the Sims 4 years ago, but maybe someday I'll touch Sims 3's modding tools! 

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? I have @faeriefrolic who I met irl before, and she is the sweetest person to know! :D But other than that, I keep to myself but don't be afraid to say hi to me! I know I've been on a hiatus but hopefully sometime in July I can start again, as I've been visiting some family in  America owo

17. What’s your favorite game? TS3! Ever since I've re-visited it, it's one of my favorite Sims games! It's a tie between 3 and Medieval, honestly.

18. Do you have any Sims merch? Uhhh, I had like one Sims-related sticker on my old laptop but I don't know if I'd be able to peel it off without wrecking it.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? I used to, but I got really self-conscious of my voice so I don't anymore. 

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? I was very minimal at first, as people usually are when you first play a game. Then I got into NSB challenges, and I loved the wild hair colors that you could put your sim in! (I got up to the yellow gen in the Sims 4). Now, I'm a mix between banilla and berry sims.

21. What’s your Origin ID? ShuckleBerry662, if you play the Sims 4 - my scuffed builds are on the gallery. :P 

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? Oh shit, uhhh I love a whole bunch of 'em! I love @chazybazzy, @poisonfireleafs for hairs. I love @sweetdevil-sims and I recently discovered @teekapoka's stuff too! (idk why it didn't link but oh well.) Also the lovely @lazyduchess for their smooth patch!

23. How long have you had a simblr? I honestly don't remember, maybe 2016-ish? It was mainly Sims 4 and I abandoned that one sooo uh...yeah. 

24. How do you edit your pictures? I don't edit my pictures at all bc I don't have the patience for Photoshop and my game can't handle reshade sometimes.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? I love Ambitions and University Life! The Ghostbuster career is one of my favorites and I get excited whenever I hear the ghost sound cue. 

26. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? The 64-bit expansion would be an awesome addition to the Sims 3! 😊

[simlicious]

I always plan on chiming in on these topics, then I write a mammoth post and am afraid to post it because maybe everyone will skip it. But I will post this one and if you feel up to it, please read it, you might get valuable info out of this.

On Reducing Polygons: I absolutely agree that optimization is key and we could do a much better job with it. The methods of removing stray vertices should be standard practice and I always wonder why people do not do that in their workflows. Removing doubles on everything is not always a good idea, especially on clothing, but it might be different for objects. Still, I see a lot of disconnected faces on meshes that should be connected and not just a bunch of single faces next to each other. These kinds of pointless doubles and unnecessary split edges should definitely be removed too.

What I am doing to help I'm working on a tutorial right now showing another method you can use to reduce polys that gives you more control and better quality than decimate 💪. You can get to lower poly counts without so much quality loss too, but it requires some manual work, not just the push of a button, but it is super worth it! Keep your eye out for that one.

On conversions/learning/creating meshes: Tbh, even 7k is still madness for a clutter object, it shouldn't be above 1k. Even 1k is still high compared to EA's clutter meshes! We have lost perspective if we keep judging against insanely high polys and think that a 6k clutter object is low-poly. Nope, that is still insane in Sims standards (no matter the iteration) and you should not be using that either in your games if you care about game performance. Clutter objects made by EA are mostly under 500 vertices in the Sims 3, so if our goal is to have meshes that have only minimal impact on game performance, we need to seriously cut down on those vertices and polygons. We have to remember that a lot of vertices are also added with sims, and especially CC hairs are extremely too high. Most EA hairs for Sims 3 are only between 5-7k polys. When have you ever downloaded a CC hair that only had 5k? Granted, most of these hairs look pretty jagged and we got very used to the smoother high-poly ones that have at least double the polygons. but if keep those in our games, then we should pay even more attention to keeping the rest of our CC as low as possible to counteract that. It's about balance, how many high poly objects are actually rendered at once. The best tip would be to use high poly meshes sparingly, and for that, we also need low poly CC to balance out those high hitters we do not want to live without, and we need transparency from creators on their polygon counts. On conversions and learning how to mesh: I think a lot of people think converting is super easy and they do not have to learn much to do so. But actually, if you want to do quality work, you have to put in the work, read up on tutorials, and learn how to actually use the meshing tools, even if you do not create your own meshes. You still need to know how you would do them to make proper conversions and fix broken meshes along the way. It's definitely easier to become a creator first and then a converter, because you get a good grip on the basics first, learn what a standard mesh looks like, and learn best practices for the game you are creating for. You learn what needs fixing and then you can focus on how to fix and convert meshes that are structurally entirely different from your target game. It also helps to know what kinds of issues you guys are struggling with, so I can work on addressing them and make tutorials that are actually tailored to your needs. Also, if you have a problem, google, watch tutorials, ask people in the creator's discord, or people like me who have an open ear for those questions.

To get started in Blender, I recommend Blenderguru's Donut Series for Blender 3 and 4. Those teachers on YouTube know their stuff inside out and will give you valuable tips that you won't find in a Sims tutorial. You also learn how to make renders, do a simple animation, and light your mesh too, which are things you do not necessarily need for making meshes for the Sims, but are good to know for creating renders or fancy snapshots of your WIPs or something like that and helps understand what 3d tools can do and can be used for. The lighting tips you'll learn can also help you set up lights in your Sims game to make your creations stand out more. Google search some important techniques and practices like good topology/topology best practices, Uvmapping game assets, baking maps in Blender. If you want to create your own textures by generating, not drawing or copy-pasting them, you can look into sculpting tutorials and retopology, but that is a bit more advanced. You do not always have to start with a Sims tutorial either, in fact, I would highly recommend starting with a general meshing tutorial that covers the basics on modeling (for games), UV mapping and baking textures before focusing on sim specifics.

I get that a lot of tutorials out there use older Blender versions. But please do not shy away from using the newest Blender versions. Anything you can do in an older blender version you can also do in the newer one, and you can google how to do X in the new version and will find answers, you do not need to keep using a version just because you read a tutorial that used that one! Focus on tutorials that use at least Blender 2.8 or higher with the new UI, they will be much more translatable to the current versions. If you are searching for pure Blender tutorials, prefer the newest ones you can find that use the current Blender generation, and learn to use the most recent version of Blender. Update Blender regularly too. It is easier to keep up with new features that could make your meshing life easier if you go with the flow! You can export use older Blender versions along with new ones and keep old Blender Installs parallel to your new ones (they do not get automatically removed, just create several shortcuts to older versions if you want to keep using them), but Blender has come such a long way and has become so much easier and more intuitive to use. And there are tons of helpful plugins too, but Blender itself has become so good that you don't need to have them at all. Take the leap! CC creators that actually make great high-quality, low-poly stuff also learned that from somewhere else and practiced until they got it right. You gotta do the work, and it's fun to actually make progress and understand what you're doing! I cannot do the learning for you, but I can provide you with more of my knowledge to help you along the way. The most important thing is not to just blindly follow tutorials but to really understand what you are doing and why. My personal projects and goals I am building my first Blender plugin at the moment. I'm so excited about that because I can't actually code in Python, but I am getting the hang of directing Bing's AI to do my bidding and the addon is actually working so far! Hopefully, it will do everything that I want it to do by the end and I can share it with you🤞 This year, my goal is to create more tutorials. This will be the year of tutorials or something like that (let's see how long the New Year's motivation actually lasts). It's been on my mind for so long and I just can't bear to watch people blindly stumbling through their meshing adventures around me without doing something to help them out! And I also want to tackle the big topic of polygon counts this year and how we can better judge what is suitable for our games and what isn't. It's a big topic with a lot to cover, but if it works out the way I envision it, it will be the ultimate guide🤞It's been in my head for a long time, just getting stuff done in a streamlined manner is hard with mental health problems ND traits, and you may know this already from me, stuff takes me a lot of time to get done, but I am doing what I can to make everything as good as I can so when I do deliver you're in for a treat! If I was more organized and streamlined and my fears wouldn't hold me back, I would have created a YouTube channel and a Twitch channel by now so we could hang out and I make video tutorials for y'all �� but I hope I can overcome some of them and realize some of my more ambitious goals this year despite my fears!

Thanks for reading this huge wall of text, you're the best! I hope you found it a valuable use of your time.

Hello guys! First of all happy new year ! Hope you had a great time out there :) 🎆

Today I'm writing this to explain why decimation of Sims 4 meshes is paramount while converting stuff. You know me, I don't like to make statements as english isn't my first language and I find it difficult sometimes to actually write things down - even in italian I struggle sometimes lol. BUT I think this would be useful to all the cc converters and creators out there. So please, take this as an advice, for the sake of our oldie and beloved Sims 3.

Little backstory: I was casually browsing tumblr the other day and stumbled across a beautiful food set converted from Sims 4 - which I immediately saw was high quality. Just for curiosity I downloaded it, checked the polycount of a random object (if you're new here it's the total number of polygons found in a three-dimensional model) and it had way too many polys: 28k vertices - 34k faces + 4096x4096 textures.

Sims 3 is quite an old game now. Every player had experienced lag and glitches at some point so it's very, very important to make the stuff you create/convert from other games suitable for it! Here comes to the rescue a super useful tool in blender called decimation. It basically "allows you to reduce the vertex/face count of a mesh with minimal shape changes", as said on blender website. In just 2 minutes and with not so much effort I was able to reduce those polygons down to 8,4k vertices - 7,4k faces. Do you see any difference? I don't honestly.

Optimization is the key. Converting from sims 4 is not just taking the mesh and textures and putting them all in Sims 3. I wish it was tho!

You're free to put whatever you want in your game but you have to think about the game performance as well. There are people who still play the game and as an ex player I got really upset when I had laggy gaming sessions.

Having said that, here's a tut about blender and the decimation tool, done by @simaddix and which I think covers every important aspect of that useful tool.

If you read this all, thank you! Now I can go back to convert new stuff :D

-Marta

[personalsteroids]

The Truth About Anadrol

Male breast most cancers is exceptional most cancers that types in the breast tissue of men. Sustanon 250 mg Injection is not really advisable for use in the situation of male breast most cancers.

Peliosis hepatitis, a situation where liver and often splenic tissue is changed with blood-crammed cysts, has actually been described in clients acquiring androgenic anabolic steroid therapy. These cysts are sometimes existing with minimum hepatic dysfunction, but at other instances they are related to liver failure.

I’m on 1 cc of nandrolone right now with 2.5 Iu’s of hgh and 50mg’s of t3 daily. Am I lacking nearly anything? Just about anything I should really incorporate to help get again to regular degrees Once i get off the nandrolone.

Working with lower to average doses shouldn't be an issue however In spite of no aromatase inhibitors, but it’s far better being Protected than sorry. I'd personally use 1/two mg of Arimadex daily though operating Deca, or 10 mg of Aromasyn everyday. With regards to Arimadex or Aromasyn I could Actually choose one particular or one other.

In general, dose assortment for an aged affected person need to be careful, normally setting up in the minimal stop from the dosing range, reflecting the higher frequency of reduced hepatic, renal, or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapy.

it’s actually the identical compound, it doesn’t matter. I have viewed blends with NPP and very long ester nandrolone merged, but this combination just doesn’t make loads of feeling to me given that nadro is nandro. I suppose it’s a time introduced deal like sustanon is with test, but when you’re a strong month Dbol in what does it make any difference?

Originalmente, el anavar no fue designado para este propósito, pero con el tiempo, este medicamento ha pasado a ser mucho más conocido en el medio deportivo por su capacidad de definir los músculos con mayor facilidad.

To reduce the aspect-results of applying Deca, the first thing you are able to do is to utilize the suitable doses for the workout routines. If You begin extending your cycles or begin getting abnormally big quantities of Deca then your facet-outcomes will increase in range and/or intensity.

Girls with disseminated breast carcinoma ought to have Recurrent resolve of urine and serum calcium amounts throughout the course of androgenic anabolic steroid therapy (see WARNINGS).

Al tomar cualquier tipo de medicamento, principalmente los anabólicos, es muy importante estar en contacto con un médico para despejar sus dudas e indicar la dosis adecuada para su caso.

I’m about to run my first deca cycle and was pondering if you would probably advocate entrance loading it like EQ. I’m planning on jogging a 12 7 days cycle with 600mg/7 days of Check. Phenylpropianate, 300mg/week of Deca, and 50mg/working day of Anavar for the initial six months.

Deca and check stacks Use a varied set of effects. You can anticipate to determine massive gains combined with the pursuing effects:

Un efecto poco comentado de anavar es el de mejorar la función pulmonar y reducir la falta de aire. Un estudio comprobó que las personas tetraplégicas mejoraron su función respiratoria con el uso de este medicamento.

Hola quisiera comprar oxandrolona, soy delgado quisiera que me recomienden si la oxandrolona seria best para mi??