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maxismatchccworld · 3 years

Text

Patch Notes

Update 9/7/2021

PC: 1.79.93.1030 / Mac: 1.79.93.1230

Console: Version 1.47

Hello Simmers!

We hope you are well wherever you are in the World.

Today, we have a special kind of update! As you now know, this is our first update that fully focuses on a previously released pack, giving it new life if you will. Today is the day for self-care for and with The Sims™ 4 Spa Day!

Spa Day is all about relaxation and getting some well-deserved personal Sim time and wellness. With this update, we are adding some features that will help enhance this wellness experience that we hope you enjoy.

Along with these enhancements, we were also able to fix a few issues that were live and needed some care.

Thanks again for your continued support and feedback!

Chaus!

-SimGuruRusskii

What’s New?

Spa Day Updates

Everyone deserves more time to refresh and more ways to renew! In this update, we added the following:

Three new Aspirations and a new Trait

The path to wellness is long but well worth it! Sims can now opt for three aspirational paths to achieve their own Zen:

Self-Care Specialists - For those Sims who would like to monetize their love of fitness and wellness.

Inner Peace - For the Sims that want to achieve ultimate harmony and learning tools to mitigate their negative emotions.

Zen Guru - For the Sims that want to share the power of wellness with the world…the whole world, for real. They also focus on seeking to train their successor to pass the knowledge along.

In addition to these new Aspirations, we added a new trait for those Sims that require a bit of extra work to keep their needs… properly aligned. High Maintenance will allow your Sims to experience mindful tasks that can help their sense of wellbeing. No trouble is trivial, no need is too much.

You can find these new Aspirations and the new Trait in Create A Sim. And don’t forget the Spa Membership included with these Aspirations - it’s a steal!

Manicures and Pedicures

Some people like having a massage to decompress - a valid option… pretty sure I need one - but my favorite thing is manicures and pedicures! Hear me out! There is something so relaxing about choosing your design, color, shape, and having someone prettify (yes, it is a word… to me) your nails with the utmost care. Now your Sims can get these nail enhancements or graciously give them to other Sims. You can choose a design, a shape, and voilà! Your Sims’ nails will be as fabulous as they feel!

And if you don’t want to get your nails done by a professional- tight budget, totally get it - Sims will have access to the same options in Create A Sim that you can instantly apply to your Sims nails - it’s like insta nails!! You can pick from a variety of swatches with color combinations, designs, or just a solid color for each fingernail. You can also choose a variety of one solid color choices for your Toenails. You can find them in the Accessories category in Create A Sim, where you will see a Fingernails and Toenails sort with the options.

We want to highlight that in this upgrade to Spa Day we have a design from the wonderful Ebonix that is featured in Create A Sim! Ebonix is a super talented Sims Creator, and we are happy we can feature one of her designs and share it with everyone.

About Yoga and Meditation

Yoga Classes can now take place outside of Spas and Gyms! You can hire a yoga instructor or teach your own class from the Instructor Yoga Mat. Speaking of teaching, Sims can also lead Guided Meditation sessions from Meditation Stools. Oh, and I don’t want to forget to mention that Children are able to practice and teach both Yoga and Meditation as well!

New Objects, Facial Masks… Oh my!

As part of this update, we also added a few new objects and swatches in Build Mode, these include a new luxurious massage table and a massage chair that can also be used for manicures and pedicures for a full relaxation experience. And as an added bonus, there is a new portable massage chair and table, so your Sims can give massages, manicures, and pedicures on the go to earn some Simoleons.

Besides these, we added as part of your Sims’ self-care routine the ability to purchase and apply Facial Masks. They come in a variety of benefits and designs; for ease of access, we recommend having in your preferred lot the Doc Sweet’s Luke-Warm Mini Dispenser. This mini version of the original refrigerator can hold your favorite beverages in a compact space, but as an added benefit, Sims can purchase Facial Masks from it. By the way, don’t forget to try the new Cucumber Power-Sip and cucumber slices for a tasty snack! Also available with this update.

Base Game Updates

For those who don’t own Spa Day, we wanted to give you a treat as well. For Base Game Simmers we added the nail options for fingernails and toenails in Create A Sim for you to enjoy. Same as mentioned previously, there will be choices under the Fingernails and Toenails sort in Create A Sim, there will be a variety of solid one-color nails and color combination nails available for the Base Game itself.

Bug FixesConsole

We fixed an issue in which some of the controls when players are in the Game Options menus were a little off, it should work correctly now.

The Sims 4

New games should no longer experience the automatic generation of empty households, and the ensuing save size increase and performance lag that this causes. The team is still investigating how to safely fix existing saves that have this issue.

We fixed an issue that affected Custom Content Chairs that when slotted with certain objects it created Sims routing issues.

Sometimes, in certain saves, Sims would lose their names when visiting some Lots - most notoriously the Goth’s Lot but it could happen anywhere. If a Sim has no name… does that Sim exist? I can assure you that the Goths were not involved, but this issue should no longer occur.

Ever had the need to order food or drinks but you just couldn’t be bothered? Been there, however the issue of Sims and NPCs not being able to order food and drinks autonomously has been fixed. Order away!

Have you noticed that your Sims had been doing Fitness things or Dancing if they Disliked those things? Strange no? It should no longer happen as long as they continue to Dislike them of course. As a note, unfortunately (for those affected), Sims are subject to choose music they Dislike still from any stereo so they can still torment other Sims (and Simmers) around them.

We fixed an issue in which the Mega Window (Double Budget Grand Deluxe DeLite) in build Mode was missing a few swatches and displayed them as empty.

Let’s talk about Unibrows! Are they in? Are they out? No matter, every brow is welcome! We have fixed an issue that didn’t make the thicker unibrow available for female frame Sims and that didn’t make the thinner unibrow available for male frame Sims. So all the unibrows for both frames!

Did you ever notice an invisible slot under the All of the Things table? We sure did, and while I think that if it is called “all of the things” it could have all the things, everywhere… I guess? This was not acceptable so we fixed that.

Get to Work

The hairstyle yfHair_EP01TwistLow has been tagged correctly in the Updo Hairstyle category. Is it still an Updo even if the bun is low and not up high? These are the questions I ponder sometimes.

Eco Lifestyle

If you noticed the Community Voting Board missing from venues across packs in Build Mode, never fear. It has been found and should be safely back in Build Mode.

Dream Home Decorator

Ever had such good-looking décor that you can’t just sleep because you have to look at it? As much as we want your Sims to love their décor and their style, we thought it was a bit too much that they would not sleep and just look at it, so this should no longer happen.

#s4cc #s4 patch notes

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thesims4blogger · 3 years

Photo

The Sims 4: New Game Patch (September 7th, 2021)

There’s a new Sims 4 update available for PC/Mac and Consoles.

PC: 1.79.93.1030 / Mac: 1.79.93.1230 / Console: Version 1.47

Remove all MODS and Custom Content before updating your game

Hello Simmers!

We hope you are well wherever you are in the World.

Along with these enhancements, we were also able to fix a few issues that were live and needed some care.

Thanks again for your continued support and feedback!

Chaus!

-SimGuruRusskii

What’s New?

Spa Day Updates

Everyone deserves more time to refresh and more ways to renew! In this update, we added the following:

Three new Aspirations and a new Trait

The path to wellness is long but well worth it! Sims can now opt for three aspirational paths to achieve their own Zen:

Self-Care Specialists – For those Sims who would like to monetize their love of fitness and wellness.

Inner Peace – For the Sims that want to achieve ultimate harmony and learning tools to mitigate their negative emotions.

Zen Guru – For the Sims that want to share the power of wellness with the world…the whole world, for real. They also focus on seeking to train their successor to pass the knowledge along.

You can find these new Aspirations and the new Trait in Create A Sim. And don’t forget the Spa Membership included with these Aspirations – it’s a steal!

Manicures and Pedicures

Some people like having a massage to decompress – a valid option… pretty sure I need one – but my favorite thing is manicures and pedicures! Hear me out! There is something so relaxing about choosing your design, color, shape, and having someone prettify (yes, it is a word… to me) your nails with the utmost care. Now your Sims can get these nail enhancements or graciously give them to other Sims. You can choose a design, a shape, and voilà! Your Sims’ nails will be as fabulous as they feel!

And if you don’t want to get your nails done by a professional- tight budget, totally get it – Sims will have access to the same options in Create A Sim that you can instantly apply to your Sims nails – it’s like insta nails!! You can pick from a variety of swatches with color combinations, designs, or just a solid color for each fingernail. You can also choose a variety of one solid color choices for your Toenails. You can find them in the Accessories category in Create A Sim, where you will see a Fingernails and Toenails sort with the options.

About Yoga and Meditation

New Objects, Facial Masks… Oh my!

Base Game Updates

Bug Fixes

Consoles

We fixed an issue in which some of the controls when players are in the Game Options menus were a little off, it should work correctly now.

The Sims 4

We fixed an issue that affected Custom Content Chairs that when slotted with certain objects it created Sims routing issues.

Sometimes, in certain saves, Sims would lose their names when visiting some Lots – most notoriously the Goth’s Lot but it could happen anywhere. If a Sim has no name… does that Sim exist? I can assure you that the Goths were not involved, but this issue should no longer occur.

We fixed an issue in which the Mega Window (Double Budget Grand Deluxe DeLite) in build Mode was missing a few swatches and displayed them as empty.

Get to Work

The hairstyle yfHair_EP01TwistLow has been tagged correctly in the Updo Hairstyle category. Is it still an Updo even if the bun is low and not up high? These are the questions I ponder sometimes.

Eco Lifestyle

If you noticed the Community Voting Board missing from venues across packs in Build Mode, never fear. It has been found and should be safely back in Build Mode.

Dream House Decorator

#news #the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4 #sims 4 update #sims 4 game patch

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geaux-cheesey · 2 years

Note

35-50

This took FOREVER but thank you

35. What's wrong with you? Physically, mentally, whatever comes to mind. What's right about you? What are your best and worst traits?

Ummm I definitely tend to self destruct and push people away. I will isolate myself at times. I can let one tiny thing become a really big thing for no reason. Physically, I feel like I could just lose a little weight and tone up a little. I was hoping this job would help and I think it has since I've been trying to eat better. Oh yea and I could lose my stress acne 🙃

Right? Uhm? I'm funny? Sometimes? I'm loyal. I always got my people's backs. I'm smartish. I feel like I can get along with most people even if I dont like them.

36 was previously answered but in short, yes

37. What stereotypes do you fulfil, what ones you do break?

Only child stereotypes apparently lol. Otherwise I'm not sure? The people I work with think I'm a typical southerner with no accent but I dont really feel that way.

38. Who do you miss, if anyone?

I miss too many people. I miss my p. I miss my friends d and e. I miss da homie shane. I miss my fraternity brothers.

39. What taboo do you think should be discussed more, if any? Alternatively, do you think a topic that isn't taboo should be?

Yea I dont fuckn know I'm not paying attention to what taboos are trending lately

40. Would you sacrifice your life for a stranger? An acquaintance? A loved one?

Probably not a stranger. Maybe an acquaintance. Several people in my life for sure.

41. Do you find it easy to ask for help?

NO I WOULD RATHER CUT OFF MY ARM WITH SAND PAPER.

42. Does affection come easily to you?

NOPE

43 has also been previously answered

44. What's your pettiest "dealbreaker" in a relationship or friendship?

If you eat mac n cheese with a spoon you're the devil

45. Do you put any value in the idea of "virginity"? Do you think there's a specific sexual act that makes someone no longer a virgin or is it more general sexual contact? Was/is losing your virginity a big deal to you?

I'm so far removed I dont think it's much of deal, but if I met someone and was interested in them, it would be a big deal. I feel like I'm traditional: losing your virginity is penetration. It wasnt a big deal to me but I wish it happened a little differently.

46. Do you have a "right person, wrong time"?

Yea I feel like that shit just happened lol

47. Do you feel like you're impacting the world around you?

No I could not feel more insignificant.

48. What do you think of the idiom "blood is thicker than water"?

Wtf does that even mean? Family is most important? I guess but I'd believe it more if my family acted that way back.

49. If you have a nickname, where did it come from? Did you choose it, did someone else, did it naturally form?

My dad and baseball friends called me J.A (initials). Some people call me by my last name. My coworkers call me G.I John cause I wear camo pants sometimes lol. Also been called Johnny Boy for years

50. What qualities do you find charming?

Humor, decisiveness, genuineness, openness, loyalty

#ask #anon

0 notes

dramallamadingdang · 6 years

Text

Game-loading time replies!

Even though it’s gonna take me a lot longer to reply to these than it will take my game to load. :)

These are for @nuttydazesublime, @tamtam-go92, @nekosayuri, @dunne-ias, @pensblr, @alicenorthernlights-blog, @taylors-simblr, @eulaliasims, @immerso-sims, @fuzzyspork, @katatty-main, @nyshabrokeit, @mswn, @quill-of-thoth, and @worldstarsimblr Topics range from maligning AGS to custom unis to asparagus to veganism to pixel volcanoes to age mods to making Sim-life more complicated/difficult to...Well, other stuff. :)

nuttydazesublime replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

Congratulations! I had the same problem for a long time, but not any more now! Yay! :D

I am very happy. The fact that I could not create an empty neighborhood on my old machine/install was very frustrating! Especially because it worked once, using AGS, but then after building a few lots in that empty neighborhood it suddenly decided to add the AL stealth hood when I loaded it once, and then after that whenever I attempted to make an empty neighborhood, it would “Create Magic.” And if I made a regular new neighborhood, it would “Create Magic” twice. So somehow, somewhere, there was a second AL stealth hood template that got created I-don’t-know-how, but damned if I could find it. My game sure could, though. :\ But, new machine, new install and AGS is never coming within 100 miles of my game ever again. Sorry to folks who might not have all EPs (Mac users, especially), but...nope. Nope nope nope.

dunne-ias replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

we need more custom unis!

tamtam-go92 replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

I agree with ias!

I agree, too...but I’m not sure I should be the one making them, at least not to share. I can’t build anything attractive yet remotely complicated without CC for the life of me, and no-CC is really the way to go for this sort of thing. Also, these are going to be built specifically to play my crazy college scheme, with playable classroom buildings and whatnot, so I’m not sure that they’d be appealing for other playing styles. But if I manage to create anything that wouldn’t be a galaxy-sized pain in the ass to share...I’ll share.

nekosayuri replied to your post “OMG, I’M SO EXCITED! :D So we partied tonight and when we came home I...”

Now I'm curious about the thing you wanted to check out!

Well, it was something that could be considered of a rather “adult” nature, so I didn’t want to link directly or anything. (Not that I think genitalia of either type by themselves without anything sexy happening are necessarily “adult,” but a lot Americans people do, so...yeah.) But basically? Much better-looking pixel penises. As a person who likes anatomical accuracy, I was very excited and wanted to see how they looked in my game, so before I napped, I went off and had my playable dudes in the “downtown thing” neighborhood take a shower so I could adjust ‘em a bit. :) (And yes, they are AMAZING. A huge improvement over Crammyboy’s, even though they have fewer options.)

pensblr replied to your photo “This seems to work, so… OK, so here’s the deal. To sum up a long post...”

Have been happily using Hat's mod for a couple of years now, and tweaked it as well after a few months of it being installed. While I wanted adults to have more time (so that I could sort of create a middle-age span), the elder span was just way too long for my taste. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy playing all of the life stages, but, yeah... elders were shaved down to a max of 50 days. Overall, I love how Hat's mod can be easily tweaked to suit one's own game.

Yeah, aging mods are just about the easiest thing in the world to make, if you can run SimPE. Heck, they’re easier to make than walls/floors! :) The trick, of course, is modding the ACR controller if you use ACR. Then you have to muck about with its BHAVs to adjust fertility curves to match your new lifespans, and since I don’t understand BHAVs, that intimidates me. But since I realized I didn’t have to alter the ACR controller...Yeah, easy-peasy. :)

tamtam-go92 replied to your post “Lately, me=long text posts. Sorry. :)”

I also saw that mod, and I would really like to have an age mod (this was the one thing I loved about TS3!) But I always saw the transition to elder in their mid 50s. I don't use ACR so the natural occuring infertility of female sims one week (I think) before they age up would be perfect. I would really like an age mod that was that way, but I really have no Idea how to do such things (I can't even make Simpe work for me '-_-)

Hey, if you want a specific age mod, feel free to hit me up! :) I can certainly make one for you, since you don’t use ACR. :) You’ll just have to tell me exactly how long you want each non-elder lifestage to be and about how long you want the elder one to be. (It’s not an exact science, with elders. :) ) Like I said, easiest thing in the world...If you can get SimPE to run.

That being said, most people who have problems with it are running the UC. If that’s you, then a good place to ask for help is MTS’s help forum. Maybe Leefish, too, if you’re a member there.

alicenorthernlights-blog replied to your photo “lowedeus: MAXIS HOOD DECO CATTAILS Thickets of cattail (Typha,...”

I would like to have some nice realistic looking volcanoes as deco.

Are you aware of these? They’re deco volcanoes converted from Castaway. IMO, the two larger sizes are too large, and all are a little pointier than they should be. (Volcanoes are generally rounder on top, from accumulated lava flows. Heck, mountains in general aren’t that pointy.) But I have used the “dwarf” size (which are still pretty big) to pretty good effect, especially when they’re half-sunken into the terrain.

nekosayuri replied to your post “The college madness continues. :)”

I love everything about this! So thought out and complicated! Feels kinda like my (Sims) life right now with all the stuff I'm trying to do, but one thing I wanna take from this for my game is making more use of Sims' interests and their actual personalities to decide what will happen with them. For born-in-game, this would be even more fun :D...

Yeah, that was actually one of two “I need to do this better” goals with this “downtown” scenario I’ve been dreaming up as I play it. I wanted to incorporate both hobbies (which I’ve never really done a WHOLE lot with) and interests (which I’ve never done ANYTHING with) into my playing somehow. Interests still aren’t very integrated into regular playing yet, but they will definitely be things of consideration for the spawn of the founders of the scenario, who will be the first eligible for uni. The first of those is 4 or 5 days away from childhood, so I’ll start thinking about her “path” then, seeing where her interests/hobbies lie and how that might dictate how I’ll play her. (I don’t really “play” toddlers much. They run pretty much 100% on free will, only interrupted to attend to their motives or for a parent to teach them the skills the toddler wants.)

taylors-simblr replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

Sounds great, I’m always after more pasta sauce recipes :) and asparagus is awesome, we had it for dinner, it was the only thing on the plate that daughter ate, despite there also being pineapple, sweet corn and sugar snap peas to pick from

I’m frankly astonished that your daughter picked asparagus over sweet corn! It has that bit of a bitter taste that I would’ve thought would turn off toddlers, whereas corn and pineapple are just flat-out sugar. (Peas at least have some protein. :) ) So good on her for her good taste! :D

eulaliasims replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

Yum, thanks for the link! Almond milk is what I drink normally, so I'm intrigued to try it in a sauce. :D

It works well! I think the key is to slowly add the flour as it reduces. I kinda dumped most of it in in one go, and the sauce came out a little thicker than I would have liked, but I didn’t want to dilute it. (It was still good, though!) Next time, I’ll add it in smaller increments along with the incremental additions of the milk. I’m also going to try cashew milk instead of almond next time, since it’s thicker/creamier to start with.

immerso-sims replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

I love asparagus, so will try to make this :) I always do a pureed pea & roasted asparagus soup. Yum!

Cream of Roasted Asparagus is my very favorite soup! :D I never thought to add peas, though. It’s an interesting idea. I imagine it’d be a little sweeter than asparagus alone. Also more nutritious which is always a good thing. :)

fuzzyspork replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

I have a mini food processor whose soul purpose is for mincing garlic because I hate doing it by hand! (okay, I also use the mini processor for mincing hot peppers and chopping small amounts of nuts and sometimes emulsifying mayo and... a lot of stuff I guess)

Yeah, but then you gotta wash the food processor. *whine* :)

I hate washing up. Even with a dishwasher I hate washing up. Especially since we don’t use the dishwasher a lot. Since it’s just the two of us, unless we’re cooking a big, elaborate meal, it takes forever to fill the thing up, and it’s such a waste of water to run it less-than-full, especially since we’re in a state of extreme drought here. :p So, yeah, gimme my tubes of garlic paste! *laugh* I am totally that lazy!

dunne-ias replied to your link “Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta | Minimalist Baker Recipes”

even non-vegans can use plant based milk and nutritional yeast :P #milkisforbabies this sounds delicious though!

#milkisforbabyCOWS, even. :)

But yeah, you’re right. I’ve made vegan stuff -- chili, mostly -- that was loved by people who would run screaming for the hills if they were told it was vegan. :) But when it comes to cooking for themselves, non-vegans are far more likely to have cow milk on hand than non-dairy milk, unless they happen to be lactose intolerant. And even then they’re more likely to have that cow-milk-with-predigested-lactose crap instead. *eye roll* And I’ve yet to meet a non-vegan who’s even heard of nutritional yeast, much less had any on hand. :)

nyshabrokeit replied to your post “So. I now have a list of 18 custom Uni majors that I want to make....”

They're easy peasy! ;)

Yeah, I made one just to test out the process and...Very easy! I haven’t tested it in-game yet, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. Thank you for that tute! :D

quill-of-thoth replied to your post “Does anyone out there...”

I don't have it, but I use magazines to adjust interests to see if my sims are a good match, and I'll probably use them to increase interests when sim kids have the appropriate "traits"

Well, I can now confirm that the mod works in an all EP/SPs game, but I’m not sure the magazines are working as they should. :/ But I should probably make a separate post asking others about how they work in their game rather than burying it in this wall o’ text. :)

mswn replied to your photo “iCad Does Brainstorming AKA: Curse you, @dunne-ias!! So, Dunne-ias...”

‘If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.’ :p

OMG I LOVE THAT MOVIE! Even though I think baseball is the third-most-boring-game/sport ever (after cricket and golf), I love that movie. And that -- Not “There’s no crying in baseball!” -- is my favorite line from it because it is so very true.

worldstarsimblr replied to your photo “iCad Does Brainstorming AKA: Curse you, @dunne-ias!! So, Dunne-ias...”

I love it! I would definitely like to implement this into my gameplay! Also about the custom careers, mog has that mod that has all the jobs appear on the job board as well as I think Monique's computer (could be wrong) but yeah I love Mogs job board because you're right, they won't ever find a job with the computer or newspaper

Oh, yeah, I have that job board...although I’m more likely to just assign careers using the Sim Blender, where any custom ones you have will show, too, but one of the rules of this particular scenario is that jobs must be found in the newspaper. Just the newspaper, not even on a computer, where you get five possibilities instead of three, AND they’re not allowed to take any other job than the one they have an LTW for. It’s because the whole point of this scenario is to make things harder and to use money a little more realistically than I usually do. But this is partly why it’s age-modded because, even without eleventy billion custom careers, it sometimes takes a long time for a Sim’s desired career to show in the newspaper. Like, one of the founders of the scenario JUST got hers, in the Artist career...after checking the newspaper every single morning for 5.5 seasons, which is just about the length of the normal adult lifestage. (Yay, maybe now she can stop being homeless! She’s the last of the four who still is. I mean, talk about your “starving artists!” Knowing her luck, though, she’ll get fired on a chance card and have to start all over. :) )

dunne-ias replied to your photo “iCad Does Brainstorming AKA: Curse you, @dunne-ias!! So, Dunne-ias...”

ooooh this is way more ambitious than what I do, but I LOOOOVE IT and would very much appreciate a peek at the spreadsheet when you're done with it!

I will definitely share it when it’s all done. Some of the “requirements” I’m imposing rely on some mods/modded objects I use (Like Monique’s computer, for its article-writing function), but generally speaking it’ll be pretty applicable to even a “vanilla” game. Very complicated, though. But I like complicated. :)

eulaliasims replied to your photoset “EDIT: Oops, I noticed that the file for the Butterfly machine doesn’t...”

Dude, *every* time I send a sim to the gym, I think about how annoying it is that NPCs hog the treadmills and ignore everything else. Thanks for the fix! It's dearly appreciated.

You’re welcome! And yeah, I thought the very same thing and finally got off my butt and fixed it! :)

Although...in my game, at least, the visitors still seem to avoid the “multipress” machine, and I can’t figure out why. They love the separate bench press/butterfly/leg extension machines, but not the “combo” one. Don’t know if I boo-boo’ed or if there’s other things going on in its programming. Let me know if you experience the same thing.

katatty-main replied to your photoset “EDIT: Oops, I noticed that the file for the Butterfly machine doesn’t...”

thanks for this! i've been filling all my gyms with nothing but tredmills because of this problem, now my sims can finally use the other equipment!

Yeah, I’d do the same thing. And even so my playables hardly ever got to use the treadmills because the non-playables wouldn’t leave them alone! I still don’t understand Maxis’s logic with this at all... But, y’know, screw Maxis. :)

#nuttydazesublime #tamtam-go92 #nekosayuri #dunne-ias #pensblr #alicenorthernlights-blog #taylors-simblr #eulaliasims #immerso-sims #fuzzyspork #nyshabrokeit #quill-of-thoth #mswn #worldstarsimblr #katatty-main #kayleigh-83

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impracticaldemon · 7 years

Text

That Scottish Play, or Beware the Bard : Halloween Fic Exchange

by Impracticaldemon for @siriusly-random ~ HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! @fic-writer-appreciation

Words: ~ 3400 | FFnet | AO3 (link coming shortly)

A/Note: This story is written as a gift for @siriusly-random for the Fairy Tail Halloween Fic Exchange. [Graylu]

With apologies to Shakespeare (Macbeth, Hamlet, As You Like It, Othello), my readers and well... you'll see. I honestly have no idea where this story came from. It may have been inspired in part by Terry Pratchett's brilliant stories. The opening certainly is. I hope you will enjoy the madness within! .

That Scottish Play, or Beware the Bard [Part I] - Death by Shakespeare

"When shall we three meet again?" asked the red-haired witch, swirling her black cloak dramatically about her with obvious enjoyment.

"How about next Tuesday?" replied the smallest witch, whose blue hair matched the inner lining of her own cloak, which hung very nearly to the floor. Heedless of pretty satin, she turned to pick up her white feline familiar. The fact that her familiar was also wearing a black hat and cloak didn't seem to disturb the other two unduly.

"I can't do Tuesday," said the third witch, pushing her pointy hat back at a rakish angle and scrubbing at her forehead with the back of her wrist. "It's Halloween, and I promised to stop in at the Strauss' party. In fact—aren't the two of you supposed to be there as well?"

Erza frowned, the thespian fervour dying from her eyes. She dearly loved rehearsing and putting on plays, but friendship came first. At least Halloween was a chance to dress up; naturally, she'd already chosen her costumes. As an extraordinarily talented Requip Mage, Halloween was a chance to show off some new designs.

"Oh, that's right," murmured Wendy, neatly replacing her hat into its allotted box. "It's come up faster than usual this year, it seems."

The three young women finally got their costumes stowed away—not without reluctance on Erza's part—and left the backstage area in which they'd been practising. Sounds from the main hall area filtered through the heavy curtains, bringing them even more solidly back from ancient Scotland and the Castle of poor murdered King Duncan. In the end, Erza agreed to Wednesday, and she and Wendy parted from Lucy not far from the guildhall.

Once all her farewells had been said, Lucy began the familiar walk back to her apartment, her coat tucked snugly around her against an unusually chilly October wind. The wind seemed to bite even deeper as she drew closer to the canal, and a sheen of icy moisture along the low wall discouraged the mage from her customary balancing act by the water's edge.

The glitter of ice reminded her of Gray, and for at least the tenth time that day—probably more—she wondered where he'd gone. He'd taken to walking her home from the guildhall, and then coming in for tea or hot chocolate, and she'd thought that they'd reached a fairly satisfactory understanding. The last time she'd seen him—over two days ago now—they'd curled up together on her couch with their drink, and he'd kissed her at the door on his way out. It had been very sweet… and she hadn't seen him since.

The wind picked up, and Lucy was surprised to see mist rising from the canal. That made no sense—the wind should be tearing the rapidly-accumulating fog to shreds.

Unable to help herself—in the sense that it was far too good a chance to miss, and they'd just been practising—Lucy murmured one of her lines as the Second Witch in Shakespeare's Macbeth:

"The weird sisters, hand in hand, Posters of the sea and land, Thus do go about, about…"

She was very startled, but somehow not wholly surprised, when a cowled figure stepped out from the mist—which is to say, out of the canal—just ahead of her. She took a few steps closer and then stopped, one hand hovering over her keys.

The cowled figure laughed harshly and then recited:

"All hail, Heartfilia! Hail to Thee, Celestial Lady! All hail, Heartfilia, hail to thee, Golden Lady! All hail, Heartfilia, thou shalt be queen hereafter!"

Lucy took a cautious step backward at that, but responded: " Speak, if you can: what are you?" Then she laughed, because the whole thing was so obviously staged. "Although that's backward and besides, you spoke my lines! I'm Second Witch, not Mac—I mean, not the Thane of Glamis." Erza had given Lucy a hard time just the other day for saying the name of 'the Scottish Play' too freely. Lucy and Gray had laughed about it later—Erza always took things so seriously, including theater superstitions.

"Good lady, why do you start, and seem to fear, things that sound so fair?"

"Um… now you're Banquo? Although I suppose that's better than being the Ghost of Banquo." The person—Lucy still couldn't place the rough, gravelly voice, although she assumed it was one of her friends playing Halloween tricks on her—seemed to ignore this entirely. There was a short pause, during which Lucy shifted uneasily and the mist grew even thicker.

"All the world's a stage," the figure told her earnestly. "And all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts. At first the infant… And then the lover, sighing like a furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress' eyebrow."

Lucy was thoroughly bewildered. "That's… As You Like It, isn't it? I mean, it's a completely different play."

"At first the infant, … and then the schoolboy, …and then the lover…" There was frustration now in the raspy voice. Another pause and then, somewhat triumphantly: "The Lord of Ice greets you, Lady. And he requires your haste-post-haste appearance. Even on the instant."

"Nope, no idea. You've lost me." The mist had become so thick that Lucy could no longer make out the canal. She had almost been home, but only the barest outline of her building could now be seen. Whereas before there had been the gentle sound of the water and the overpowering bluster of the wind, now it was deathly quiet, with the exception of her Shakespeare-addicted visitor. It was eerie, and she was beginning to feel as though the whole thing was more than a convoluted prank. Probably.

"Wait a minute—did you say Lord of Ice?"

The cowled figure had already gone on: "It is the cause, it is the cause, my lady. Let me not name it to you!" The speech had become impassioned—although the person now sounded as though they were fighting for breath—and Lucy frowned in concentration. She was starting to get a very strange idea about all this. As she racked her brain for more Shakespeare, she heard: "Put out the light, and then put out the light. If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore." The words were spoken in a whisper; the voice sounded sad.

"Of course—Othello! One of my favourites—Iago was just so much more intelligent than most villains! Sorry, sorry, okay, just wait a minute. Did you refer to the 'Lord of Ice'?"

There was no answer, only a horrible choking, gasping sound, and Lucy suddenly shivered from more than cold. Steady, she told herself, you can do this.

"Who's there? The Lord of Ice?" She hoped she was remembering the line correctly—although of course poor, innocent Desdemona had been asking about her husband Othello, not a missing ice mage.

The reaction from the—whatever it was—came immediately.

"Ay, Golden Lady. If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly!"

Aaaand we're back to Macbeth again. Lucy felt sweat prickling her forehead in an unpleasant contrast to the damp, chilling mist. Think!

"The Lord of Ice requires me haste-post-haste?" Hopefully a slightly summarized version of a line would be acceptable.

"Even on the instant." It was pleading with her now, she thought. The next words frightened her, although she wasn't surprised—after all, why miss out on the Bard's most famous monologue? Besides, the setting suited Hamlet just as well as… The Scottish Play. Heavily robed arms reached out toward her, the dark folds of velvet slipping back from pale, pale hands. "To be, or not to be? That is the question… To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream—ay there's the rub. For in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause."

Lucy stared at the hands, transfixed. They were Gray's hands, but white as snow and strangely clammy-looking. He can't be— She wouldn't even admit the word into her mind. When she couldn't find fresh words, the person spoke again:

"I must weep, but they are cruel tears. This sorrow's heavenly, it strikes where it doth love."

Gray's voice, thought Lucy numbly. Now that she was listening for it, it was Gray's voice as if he'd gone back to his old smoking habit, but distorted with horror and despair. And he seemed to be telling her that he didn't want to, but he was going to… kill her? But, but—come on, Lucy, think it through!—he'd also been trying to give her a message, maybe some way to stop things? Except that she was more and more convinced that he could only hear her when she quoted Shakespeare. This was like the worst English exam of all time.

There was no sound at all now, except for her own laboured breathing—and his. Lucy could see nothing but thick white fog all about her. She felt panic bubbling up inside her but forced it down. They'd been in worse spots. Right? She took a deep breath and abruptly closed the distance between herself and the weird, cowled figure, thrusting out her hands and forcing the deep hood down off the being's—the person's—head. She had intended to do more, but recoiled in shock at what she saw.

It was Gray, but a slimy rope festooned with rotting strands vegetable matter was slowly tightening about his neck; it was already so tight that it seemed as though he should already be dead. His face was a strange mottled combination of livid bruising and ghostly white; his tongue protruded slightly, and his dark, dark eyes appeared to be starting from their sockets. Horrified, Lucy found herself unable to move, although tears started in her own eyes.

"Was the hope drunk wherein you dress'd yourself?" Gray whispered, fighting to breathe. "Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely?"

He was speaking Lady Macbeth's lines, Lucy realized—the woman's harsh words to her husband intended to shame him back into resolution and courage. If you ignored the fact that she was inciting him to murder, Lady Macbeth was actually a very supportive wife—in a manipulative, scary kind of way. And what came next? Lucy cleared her throat, and gritted her teeth.

"Prithee, peace!" she ordered, holding Gray's anguished gaze. "I dare do all that may become a… woman; who dares do more is none." Gently, she raised her hands to the contorted face. He was very cold, much colder than usual. She chose her words quickly, ignoring the rope, putting together key lines from both of the doomed Macbeths: "Screw your courage to the sticking point, and we'll not fail. I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat."

"Lu-cy…"

Blinking back tears, Lucy switched back to Hamlet: "What art thou that usurp'st this time of night, together with that fair and warlike form, in which the majesty of… noble Fairy Tail did sometimes march? By heaven, I charge thee, speak."

Gray responded quickly, and Lucy thought she saw the rope loosen a fraction: "It is offended. See, it stalks away."

"Stay! Speak, speak! I charge thee, speak!" No Horatio, shocked by the sight of his dead king's ghost, had ever spoken his lines with more determination. Gray drew a shuddering breath as the coils retreated further.

Just as before, he cried out: "It is the cause, it is the cause, my lady. Let me not name it to you!"

"As you like it." Okay, so that was actually a title, not a line—hopefully it would do.

Lucy thought quickly. It was now clear to her that against all reason, she and Gray had indeed brought a curse down on themselves by casually using the name of The Scottish Play in advance of its performance in late November. Not to mention the way they'd mocked all the superstition around it. It's ironic, really: neither of us would normally have been like that, but we were anxious and embarrassed and it was a handy way to keep things light. Well, if it somehow turned out later that their guildmates were behind this, then she and Gray could plan a suitable revenge at that time. Right now Lucy was going to take it all perfectly seriously. With great care, she spoke the lines that completed the quote that had begun this strange encounter:

"Thrice to thine and thrice to mine

And thrice again, to make up nine. Peace! the charm's wound up."

There was a moment of absolute stillness, and then Gray's arms wrapped around her and the world went wild. She could hear him shouting into the tempest, but she couldn't make out the words. She felt safe, however; Gray appeared to know his Shakespeare rather thoroughly now.

With a final crackle of lightning and a sudden, drenching downpour like a bucket of ice water had been flung over their heads, the storm faded and then dissipated, taking the strange mist along with it. They were huddled together in the middle of the road, Lucy held protectively against Gray's bare chest. His skin felt much warmer than it had earlier, she thought muzzily. Despite the urgent need to get somewhere warm and dry, Lucy tilted her head back and immediately received an almost brutal kiss on the lips from Gray. He was trembling, she realized; then again, she hadn't noticed that she was crying, or that Gray's throat was savagely bruised and much of his face remained mottled.

They somehow made it up the stairs and into Lucy's apartment with their arms still wound about each other. As soon as the door was closed and the warmth hit them, they stopped moving and just stood together, their bodies pressed as tightly against each other as they could manage. Lucy could hear Gray's heart hammering in his chest.

"It was the damn play," Gray said at last. His voice still sounded very rough. "Although… it would've gone worse if you hadn't come along like you did…"

"Are you sure—"

Gray didn't let her finish. They were both still dripping wet, and even Gray felt cold, but he wanted to get it over with.

"Let me tell you what I can now… and then I don't want to talk about it all for a while. Okay? Sorry to keep you standing like this, but I"—he buried his face against her hair for a moment—"I just need to not move for a few more minutes."

"Sure." Lucy was glad that at least he wasn't speaking in early seventeenth century idioms anymore. Besides, her skin was still clammy and her clothes were wet, but as the shock receded a little she found that standing like this, with her face against Gray's chest, was warming in other ways.

"When I left that night—you know—after I finally got up the nerve to kiss you goodnight, I was in a pretty good mood." His tone was wry, but he sounded a little more like himself. "That lasted until I stepped out onto the street. Hadn't gone more than a few feet when this weird fog rolled in and then, I don't know exactly…" He swallowed painfully. "I did try to fight it—or them—but there wasn't exactly anything to fight. Just jabbering voices and a deep feeling of anger and just… I don't know, something really old. Anyway, I struggled to stay conscious, but must've lost at some point. Next thing I knew, there was this slimy thing around my neck and the jabbering all made sense to me—well, I knew what most of the individual words were. After that, it all got kind of hazy."

Privately, Lucy doubted it had gotten hazy enough for him. She could hear the edge of fear and panic—and pain—in his voice. But he didn't want to talk about it right now, and she could respect his need to pull himself together.

"Anyway, not sure how long I was—well, wherever I was. Then I heard your voice, reciting Shakespeare right around the spot I'd gotten kidnapped—or whatever—and I got really afraid and really hopeful at the same time. See… they actually wanted you more than me. But apparently I was more trouble to hold onto than they expected—which helped my self-esteem, in case you were wondering—so they didn't go after you. And they needed to, um, finish whatever they were doing before All Souls' Eve—Halloween, I guess. But you came along, and you said the right words in the right place so that I could reach out to you and… here we are." Lucy heard a long sigh and a hitching cough. "You're so smart. And brave. They were going to make me kill you, and… ugh. My throat really hurts you know."

"How about I get us both something hot to drink?"

"Um.. yeah… but I don't have anything dry to wear and—your furniture and all."

"Can you live with a towel for now?" Lucy blushed faintly, but smiled. "It won't take long to dry at least your boxers and you practically live in them anyway. Unless… you don't want to go home yet, do you?"

Gray blinked at her and then shook his head. There was a touch of red in his own cheeks, but he didn't say anything.

Eventually, Lucy changed out of her wet things and into flannel pyjamas; it was an indescribable comfort to be dry. As promised, she fetched Gray a towel and even found a t-shirt he'd left at her place at some point in the past—she tried not to be disappointed by that. More or less wordlessly, they chose to forgo the hot drinks and curled up on the wide couch together, deciding that touches and kisses were what they both wanted most of all.

[Part II] - Recovery

It was very late, or more likely very early, when Lucy woke up to discover that Gray had tucked her into bed at whatever point she'd finally fallen asleep. She felt a brief moment of panic, and then realized that the extra weight around her waist was Gray's arm; she was curled up against him, and could only be glad—mostly—that he'd taken the time to at least put on his boxers. The t-shirt, on the other hand, appeared to be missing.

Lucy's eyes turned to her window, through which she could see the night sky, including the nearly-round white-yellow disc of the setting moon. It would be a full moon for Halloween tomorrow. She instinctively started to tell herself that full moons were no different from any other moon, but then shivered: it would be a long time before she messed with long-standing superstitions again.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask." Gray's voice was blurred by sleep and still marred by the bruising.

"I'm glad you're here."

The hand at her waist came up to stroke her hair, strong fingers first caressing and then gently running through her tumbled locks, taking care not to pull. His touch was cool, but no longer cold or clammy as it had been before. Lips roughened by his recent ordeal still felt soft as he kissed the back of her neck.

"I'm going back to sleep," Lucy said, trying to sound severe and failing utterly.

"That's fine." Gray carefully turned her so that he could kiss her. As her eyes closed, he kissed her more deeply, and then with increasing passion. When the kiss broke, his body was partly over hers, the weight surprisingly comfortable, as well as arousing. "Just one more kiss?"

"I think just one might not be enough, but we can find out."

"I love you, Lucy. I don't want to lose you."

"Hey—you're the one who disappeared for two days and almost didn't make it back from… wherever that was."

Gray stared down at her. "I'll try not to do that again. I hope you don't mind if I don't quote Shakespeare to you for a while though."

"Deal." Lucy cleared her throat. "Um. I love you, too."

She could make out a faint smile in the dim light. "I'm really happy to hear that," Gray told her. "I'd hate to strangle to death on incomprehensible old poetry for nothing."

[END]

A/Note: All comments and reviews are much appreciated! Thank you for reading.

@nalufever @shell-senji @eliz1369 @gsut @hakusaitosan @sassyhazelowl

@kazama-hime @sabinasanfanfic @hidetheremote @moon-faced-pear-shaped @gheleonsdemise @hakuouki-or-hakuoki @very-x-vice

#fairy tail #ficsforvera #graylu #halloween fic exchange 2017 #impracticaldemon #siriusly-random #fanfiction #imp writes

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elizabethcariasa · 4 years

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Failed Frozen Embryo Transfer #3 – Failed IVF

As I type, the words are blurry from the tears. My heart is broken. And it’s in moments like these that hope seems impossible. The waves of grief, loss, and utter despair hit like a Mac truck. I am not ok. I feel like I am living the worst kind of ground hogs day since we just recently shared our last failed embryo transfer. On August 20th, I had my second frozen embryo transfer and 11 days later we found out that it failed.

I never fully understood the pain of those trying for their second child. I always thought how the pain must have been 10x harder for those without having any children. But the chill reality for myself is having a sweet taste of motherhood and knowing that in every fiber of my body that is the role I was meant to have. And the utter heartbreak of knowing that joy and love and not being able to give it to more than one child. It’s something I have thought about a lot and something I now deeply understand. As I sit in this numb fog, the irony is that my butt is literally still numb from the progesterone injections and I still have permanent marker circles drawn on my butt cheeks from where I would have continued my shots if I had gotten pregnant. It all stings. Literally and figuratively.

Why I am deciding to share this so soon after our failed transfer is that I can’t just pretend things are normal because they aren’t. So much is going on in the world that I care so passionately about, but I have been secretly struggling through our fertility as the world simultaneously is hurting and the pressures of having a platform and showing up for others can feel daunting when your own life is consumed with its own fight. I just want to say, to always be kind to others because you NEVER know the struggles they are fighting in their lives. Especially in this Covid world where many people have lost their jobs, lost loved ones, and so many other pieces of life can be turned upside down. That being said, I try to carry on and move forward because it is what needs to happen in life. But now you know what has and is going on in the background.

I have preached so many times about hope, and strength and courage, and I don’t want this first piece of this story to throw you off. While I sit in a deep dark cave, even if I don’t see the light, I know it’s there. I have had that hope in the past and while it might be wavering now, I know it’s there. So let me explain what happened this cycle.

Frozen Embryo Prep

This being the 3rd time we prepped for Frozen Embryo Transfer in the last 5 months… you could say we were already running in the swing of things at the start of this one. This one also seemed to fly by. Each week, each new medication, the process just seemed faster likely because I was going through the motions, and getting things done and in such a rhythm from the past cycles. Everything went smoothly with medications for the most part. The only different thing this time was that the progesterone in oil shots (aka the butt shots) started to hurt way sooner this time around. I think because I still had scar tissue from the last round of FET, the discomfort from the injections started almost instantly. Insult to injury am I right?? Also the injection area became numb because of the nerves in the area so that was freaky and not fun at all either. And to be clear, the actual injections are not bad at all in my opinion. I guess that is also coming from someone that now has an intimate relationship with shots so don’t quote me on anything. It’s not the needle that hurts, the aftermath of the progesterone lumps in my butt that hurt and sting. I do the whole massage thing, have used heat, but none of it really helps. You just grit down and get through it. I just think of each shot getting me closer to the baby. For the most part though, it was a swift and smooth process to get ready for transfer day. I was at my last appointment getting ready, when I double checked to be sure that Blake could come with me this time. We had planned to have Otis spend the night at my sisters so that Blake could take me and it could be a more loving experience for me since last time we checked, partners were allowed to join for the procedure. Unfortunately, I got the news that because of the recent covid spike in Southern California, partners were no longer allowed to come for procedures. My heart sank. It’s so hard not to get frustrated in these moments because infertility in the time of covid makes you walk more alone than you would normally. But, protocol is protocol and it was not something to be obsessed and linger on. But it was part of my plan that was now shifted. But, like anything else, you need to just readjust and keep moving forward. That all being said, if you are going through infertility for your first time during covid-19 having to go to appointments alone, procedures alone, my heart just reaches out to yours because I know how scary it can be at first to navigate. Just know your army of women are here. And we are all marching into those appointments with courage.

Transfer Day

Blake and Otis drove me to my procedure on embryo transfer day. 30 minutes prior to my appointment per usual and I gave them both a kiss, popped my valium and headed upstairs. Before you go back to the room, you need to fill out a ton of paperwork verifying your info etc and as I was filling out my sheets, I came across someone else’s sheet mixed in with my forms. THANK GOD I had taken the valium already or I might have had a full blown meltdown. I went back to the front desk and I think the woman felt HORRIBLE for mixing up a paper. When I dropped my papers off to her I said, “ I don’t have to worry about getting my own embryo right?!” Kind of half joking… but also, dead serious. It is in moments like this you really just need to step back and think that nothing in life is perfect and mistakes happen and not to let it ruin the vibe of transfer day. I WAS ZEN and nothing was going to change that.

I then went to my procedure room and met with the embryologist who went through all my information and that instantly calmed my nerves. Then my doctor came in to review everything and we were ready to get the show on the road! They always take a photo of my embryo for me before we start which is so special. My little baby, sitting in its little embryo station. SCIENCE IS BEAUTIFUL. Even though last transfer I videoed Blake and it was chaotic, I decided to video him in again as just a bit of support. It did feel good to have him there somehow. He put himself on mute so he could hear (maybe?) what was going on. My doctor first takes a quick measurement of my lining to make sure everything is looking good and it was a little bit lower than expected. It was more like 7.6 or 7.8 overall which we normally aim for 8 but she said she saw a thicker portion in a certain spot she would aim for. Not something you love to hear before shoveling your embryo in… but not every cycle is the same and if the doctor was happy, I was happy. A few minutes later and our beautiful little embryo was happily inside my uterus. I laid down for 20-30 minutes after and listened to some of my favorite chill tunes until it was time to get up and go. This was it. And now that wait continued.

2 Week Wait

During our two week wait, 2WW, we had A LOT going on. My transfer was on a Thursday and I was on bedrest from Thursday through all day Saturday. I called it my “momcation” lol. Blake took time off from work and was on Otis duty 24/7. I stayed in bed for everything except a potty run or getting my injections. I watched a ton of movies but the first one I always watch when I get home is Father of the Bride Part 2. LOVE THAT MOVIE and it always gives me those good feeling vibes. This time, I made sure to plan all our meals ahead of time so I was enjoying all my favorite things. I always cut all caffeine as recommended by my doctor so I sip my hot water with lemon with all my meals. I facetimed Otis for all my meals which made me feel like part of the family and so sweet to see his little face. I have some of the sweetest photos of him laughing and eating pasta with me on facetime. Every night Blake would bring him in after his bath to give me a kiss and try to have a little snuggle while Blake watched him to make sure he wouldn’t jump on me or anything. Hard with an active toddler but at night, he loves those milk and movie snuggles so glad I could get some mini snuggle time with him. Toward Saturday, being in bed starts to get boring even for a mom that REALLY needed some time to rest. By Sunday I was slowly getting back into the swing of things and suddenly in full party prep mode for Otis!

So Sunday I was off bedrest and his birthday was on Tuesday. Blake was able to take off work on Monday and Tuesday so he could help prepare for Otis’ birthday. This was so helpful and amazing because now, I couldn’t’ lift Otis at all, so he was able to really help out more so with him as I eased back into my normal routines. Even though party planning has its own stress involved, it was EPIC to have something to focus my attention on during the TTW. And even luckier that we also planned a drive by birthday for Otis’ friends to come on Saturday so we had a lot to work on and distract us during the week.

On the eve of my blood work, A peaceful calm fell over me. Maybe I was still smiling from celebrating Otis and his birthday. Maybe it was because I was scrolling through photos of him dancing but I just couldn’t help smiling. How lucky was I??? A mom of a 2 year old person that continues to bring me so much joy every day. This is the hope you hold out for. This is what every injection is meant for. This is why time after time you pick yourself up and get back up. And that day, my heart smiled. Knowing that I had that chance to find out I was pregnant the next day. This was going to be my chance where I got lucky to do this again.

Bloodwork Day

I woke up feeling so good. Calm. Relaxed. It was shocking. My plan was to wake up, pee in a cup, and have Blake do a HPT (home pregnancy test) when I left the house for my blood work. My mindset here is that I never want to get a blind call from the doctor with negative news and I DON’T want to know before I have to go see people in a doctors office so always leave the pee and make Blake test it. My relationship with the “devil sticks” as I call it… well, it ain’t good so I am thankful that Blake takes on the HPT duty.

I headed to my doctor’s appointment and one of my favorite nurses was there to take my blood. We chatted, and honestly, I was feeling good. Feeling so confident in the weirdest of ways. I had had some light cramping the past days so I figured that was a positive sign. I headed quickly back to my car to test Blake to give me the results.

He first text back and asked how blood work went before I quickly and boldly asked WHAT THE RESULTS WERE. “Negative.” He said. A pit sank in my stomach, and the tears started to stream as I sat in the parking lot. Flashbacks to our last failed transfer and negative HPT. It had failed… AGAIN. At this point it was 8:45 and I needed to head home right away to get back on Mom duty to watch Otis since Blake had to go to work. I had to try to dry my tears up so I could drive home safely. I did my best to focus and get myself home. The waves of grief continually tug at my heart. EVERY. DAMN. SECOND. I walked inside and Otis smiled at me screaming “MAMA!!!” as he always does when I enter a room. I had to smile. But it almost made my heart break twice knowing I didn’t make him a baby sibling.

I cried most of the day. On and off. Without warning. But what I talked about before is mourning this loss as a mother is so difficult. I didn’t want to be hysterically crying in front of Otis all day. He needs a mother that is happy and making him smile. But it’s not easy. Blake came out at lunch and I lost it. Trying to cover my face in front of Otis so he couldn’t’ see my tears. The frustration of just having to FIGHT and STRUGGLE for so long, all of it just feels so unfair. I sobbed as I told him I just wish it was easy like everyone else. It was just so hard.

Today, I am still not ok. And to be honest I won’t be ok for a while. I know this isn’t the story you want to be reading and trust me when I say it’s not the story I thought I would be typing. But it’s the cruel reality of infertility that there are no guarantees. What makes this failure even more devastating is that we only have 1 more embryo left. So talk about pressure and your whole freaking family life flashing before your eyes. Your heart on the chopping block. Every time I think about it breaks me into pieces. I have been in that situation before, and sadly, we did not have a happy ending. Everything about this process will give you PTSD or at least it did for me. When you talk about being hopeful, it’s likely one of the hardest things you can achieve while going through treatment. But in the end, hope is what we all have. Faith that we can put our best hopeful heart forward and do everything in our power to put one foot in front of the other. I don’t know what our future holds right now, but I know I will have the courage to move forward. My mission in writing these blog posts about our infertility journey is shed some light on the realities of fertility treatment. It’s important to know the good, the bad and the ugly and to know that though times can be very dark, the rewards can be life’s sweetest.

Blake turned to me yesterday and said, “WOW. Can you believe just how special a miracle that Otis is???” And he is so right. Bless our little rainbow baby for bringing so much love and light into our life especially in these current hard times.

To my friends out there struggling, I wish I could wrap my arms around you. So many parts of this process are now done alone because of this Covid world but know you are not walking alone. We all walk together. You are not alone.

I wrote a few posts on infertility and IVF and you can find them below:

IVF 1

IVF 2

IVF 3

Prepping for FET (frozen embryo transfer)

Preparing for IVF egg retrieval

How to support a friend going through IVF

IVF book resources

Covid-19 Cancelled My Embryo Transfer

Failed IVF Frozen Embryo Transfer

The post Failed Frozen Embryo Transfer #3 – Failed IVF appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

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kurtwarren54 · 4 years

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Failed Frozen Embryo Transfer #3 – Failed IVF

Frozen Embryo Prep

Transfer Day

2 Week Wait

Bloodwork Day

I wrote a few posts on infertility and IVF and you can find them below:

IVF 1

IVF 2

IVF 3

Prepping for FET (frozen embryo transfer)

Preparing for IVF egg retrieval

How to support a friend going through IVF

IVF book resources

Covid-19 Cancelled My Embryo Transfer

Failed IVF Frozen Embryo Transfer

The post Failed Frozen Embryo Transfer #3 – Failed IVF appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

from Wellness https://www.eatsleepwear.com/2020/09/01/failed-frozen-embryo-transfer-3-failed-ivf/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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snowpixie03 · 7 years

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Love It or Leave It: Essence Sun Club Matte Bronzing Powder

The Essence Sun Club Matte Bronzing Powder is supposed to be a natural looking bronzer that has a mattifying effect. This bronzer is available in two shades: Light 01 and Dark 02, I bought the shade Light 01. It's also available wherever Essence is sold and costs about $5.

PROS: Shade has a nice tone - not too warm and doesn't look orange Gives face a natural bronze Applies well Blends out nicely on most foundations Has a nice natural coconut smell (not like sunscreen) *This is a pro for me personally

CONS: Doesn't last all that well, 5-6 hours Can be a bit patchy when on top of thicker foundations Shade 01 is pretty light, Shade 02 not much darker so I don't see this working for darker skin tones OVERALL: It's disappointing that yet again, a brand put out two bronzer shades and those shades will most likely work for only fair to medium skin tones. For me personally, the light shade is a very good shade but the darker shade 02 isn't that much darker so I can't imagine it's going to work well for anyone who has a darker skin tone. That is one of the issues with this bronzer, the other one I had actually had was that this did not apply or blend out well on top of some of my thicker foundations. The foundations that the bronzer didn't work well with for me were the Maybelline Matte & Poreless and the L'Oréal Total Cover Foundation which are both on the thicker side but I had no issues using this with any of my other foundations. The rest of my foundations don't have as thick of a consistency as the ones I had trouble so I think it's the combination of the bronzer on top of thicker foundations. The other thing that I didn't love about this bronzer was its lasting power. It's not a terrible in the wear time department because it does last through my shifts at work but it doesn't last much longer than that. So basically, I wish this lasted longer because I love the shade on my skin tone and how this gives me a very nice natural sun-kissed look but even at $5 I don't feel like I can recommend this to others. I just feel like the shades aren't going to work for that many people, it didn't really work well on top of my thicker foundations, and it's not the most long lasting bronzer so ultimately, even though I do like it I wouldn't repurchase it, so it's a leave it.it's lasting power. It's not a terrible in the wear time department because it does last through my shifts at work but it doesn't last much longer than that. So basically, I wish this lasted longer because I love the shade on my skin tone and how this gives me a very nice natural sun-kissed look but even at $5 I don't feel like I can recommend this to others. I just feel like the shades aren't going to work for that many people, it didn't really work well on top of my thicker foundations, and it's not the most long lasting bronzer so ultimately, even though I do like it I wouldn't repurchase it, so it's a leave it. That was it for this edition of Love It or Leave It, next up will be my thoughts on the MAC Paint Pots that my friend is making me re-try so until my next post. Later weirdos, Snow

#beauty #beauty blog #beauty blogger #makeup #makeup blog #makeup blogger #makeup thoughts #makeup review #product review #essence cosmetics #love it or leave it

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katjabolivar11-blog · 6 years

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How To Break The Itunes Ringtone 30s Length Limit For Iphone On Mac

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vdbstore-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Vintage Designer Handbags Online | Vintage Preowned Chanel Luxury Designer Brands Bags & Accessories

New Post has been published on http://vintagedesignerhandbagsonline.com/my-quest-for-the-perfect-plain-white-t-shirt-fashion/

My quest for the perfect plain white T-shirt | Fashion

I enjoy, as a genre, any interview that accompanies the launch of a new clothing line – it is an admirable world of aggrandised nonsense. Take super-stylist Karla Welch, who has just collaborated on a collection with Justin Bieber.

This new range? Seven plain white T-shirts. In fact, supermarket-bought T-shirts “reimagined” (cut up and put back together) to best suit the star’s taste. And pray, what’s wrong with a normal white T-shirt? According to Bieber, the T-shirt he wanted “literally didn’t exist in the marketplace”.

Justin Bieber: the plain white T-shirt of his dreams “literally didn’t exist in the marketplace”. Photograph: Allen Berezovsky/Getty

Now I love a tee more than the next person, and arguably more than Bieber. My favourite is from Cos. Soft, firm, it hangs beautifully, and unlike thinner tees, your man boobs and beer belly don’t poke through. In fact through some dark magic they somehow make you look skinnier. And at £12 a pop, you can’t go too wrong. But the idea that a T-shirt could, to paraphrase Bieber, “push boundaries”? Maybe my commitment to Cos was stopping me from charting new territory.

This might all sound a little overblown, but this item is fairly fundamental to a man’s wardrobe: “I guess because it’s versatile, anyone can wear a white T-shirt and not be judged,” says Elgar Johnson, the fashion director at GQ Style.

There is no such thing as a plain white T-shirt. Tiny, almost imperceptible differences between them can be life-changing. It’s also the last of the great men’s staples. So many of the sacred cows of trendy menswear have been slaughtered in recent years: skinny jeans, beanie hats, bright macs, bomber jackets, hi-top trainers – all unavoidable a few years ago, now tacky and uncool. Yet the white T-shirt prevails.

They work because while white is a statement colour – if you went to a party wearing a bright white outfit, you are basically saying: “Look at me, I have arrived and I am very good at not spilling drinks on myself.” – a plain T-shirt is a deeply innocuous piece of clothing. So it lets you be both nonchalant and exceptional: the perfect crime.

To realise its power, simply think of its sworn enemy, the navy T-shirt. Imagine a man in a navy T-shirt and navy jeans: his favourite band is Kings of Leon; he hasn’t told his wife he loves her in six months; he has given up on life. You try to know more about him but you cannot, because he is already fading from view, disappearing into his own stock photo existence.

By contrast, the white T-shirt is essential not just for the summer hipster, but suits the tattooed punk, the dad that dates, the stylish hip-hop head: it is the very pinnacle of versatility, available on every high street. It is also democratic. “They look good on men and women, pop stars, royalty and builders – whoever,” says Elgar Johnson.

With that versatility and flexibility in mind, I went in search of the perfect white tee, trying a different one each day of the week.

I start my week with a Sunspell short-sleeved crew neck in white. Sunspell is an upmarket brand with a heritage, the sort of place people go to treat themselves to a pair of expensive boxers when they get a promotion. A few friends tell me their T-shirts are the best out there. At £65 a go, they really should be. The top is unbelievably soft and I feel richer as soon as I put it on. It definitely would be perfect with an overshirt or suit jacket, but it feels too much like a posh undershirt to wear on its own.

Sam in Sunspell: ‘Unbelievably soft and I feel richer as soon as I put it on.’ Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

Sam in Arket: ‘So uncomfortable I have to take it off after five minutes and go back to a Cos classic.’ Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

The quality of the Sunspell is all the more noticeable when I try the offering from Arket, a kind of upmarket knicknacks and basics store from the people behind H&M, which has just launched in London. Their tee is thin and scratchy, and see-through, so every hair on my chest is visible. It is so uncomfortable I have to take it off after five minutes and go back to a Cos classic.

Sam in the winning Asket: ‘Thicker than the others but still quite soft, with that right James Dean-y look that means you can wear it on its own.’ Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

On Wednesday, I go by the maxim that anyone who only sells one thing must be bloody good at it, and opt for online specialists The White T-shirt Company. In Bieberesque fashion, it claims to have “started with a simple goal – to design and make the perfect white T-shirt. A wardrobe classic made without compromise to quality, style or ethics.” It’s a soft, thick shirt that hangs nicely, but the look is a bit too basic, like a 1970s gym kit.

I give David Gandy’s M&S white tee a go next. It is the least flattering of the bunch, a sort of half-hearted V-neck, with a hospital-gown fit. But its softness almost makes me cry. This is the perfect bed shirt, as long no one can see you.

There is not an outfit that doesn’t work with a white tee: suits, jackets, pyjamas … But the classic is just on its own, with blue or black jeans, harking back to the man that made them so popular: James Dean. His simple, untailored white T-shirt worn in Rebel Without a Cause led to soaring sales in the US, particularly at JC Penney, where it was rumoured Dean’s T-shirt came from.

The winner in my test comes at the end of the week from Swedish basics online store Asket. Unlike the other tees, they have offerings in five sizes and three lengths. I opt for the large-long tee and it’s perfect: thicker than the others but still quite soft, with that right James Dean-y look that means you can wear it on its own.

Supermarket and discount T-shirts still remain some of the best available; the Bieber shirts are going to be XL Hanes T-shirts taken apart and stitched back together to make them longer – you can buy a seven-pack of them for about a tenner. I have a bunch of the Hanes ones at home and I can see the appeal: the cotton feels workmanlike, almost industrial. But it is a good thing they are cheap, as you get through them quicker than dishcloths – it takes just a drip of moussaka or a wash warmer than a baby’s bath water and they’re ruined for ever. Stains expand as they reach them, like oil on water.

If you are rolling your eyes at this point, I know, they are just bloody plain T-shirts. But let me just say that at the end of the week, I did a blind feel test with five new tees, a Cos classic and my long-suffering girlfriend. She correctly recognised every one straight away. When she got to the Arket one, she said “eugh!” and threw it across the room.

Besides, there is still a level above that I haven’t reached – the designer white tee. Kanye West made a white tee with APC that cost $120 (about £90); Rick Owens, the US furniture and clothes designer, has one out this season for £179. Really though, those shirts already fail, because a white T-shirt cannot be kept for life: imagine shelling $430 for a Gucci washed cotton tee (a real thing), only to dribble down juice from a lamb shish, ruining it for ever. That’s the thing about a white T-shirt, they are transient. If you’re as dribbly as me, you have to buy one a month, so you might as well get it right.

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