#thats where i am right now

[skembyskunek]

Loving what's going on with Nina Caliente in my current save. Her and Dina had both been hooking up with Don Lothario and Dina moved into Don's apartment because she had no money (then rolled the want for a baby and got pregnant).

Nina started hooking up with Daniel Pleasant, who was recently fired. She was over at his place because Mary-Sue is at work and the girls are at school. They get to it, but Mary-Sue gets demoted and comes home earlier than expected, catching them in bed. She slaps him, then leaves abruptly to take a long bath.

Daniel figures, well, I'm already caught, and him and Nina return to the bed. After that round, Nina gets out of bed and promptly drops dead. Luckily, Daniel is able to save her from the Grim Reaper. Unluckily, Mary-Sue finishes her bath and sends him packing.

Nowhere to go, divorced, unemployed, and reaching elderhood, Daniel asks Nina if he can move in. She says sure, as he DID save her life, and with her sister living at Don's, she could use the help with bills.

He moves in and rolls the want to get a job in the slacker career. Luckily, a job opens up at a gas station in town and he nabs the job. Nina's life goal is to become a Professional Party Guest, but, figuring you gotta start somewhere, gets a job as a golf caddy.

After her near-death experience, Nina decides to change up her look. She cuts her hair short, and her bangs even shorter. Usually, she styles her hair in high, spiky pigtails. She trades out her tank top and pink cargos for tight, dark tee shirts, baggy shorts, athletic socks, and converse. Lastly, she dons a pair of black goggles. She feels very hip, very punk.

Nina and Daniel get on well as roommates. They're both romance sims, so they decide to stay non-monogomous and keep it casual. Daniel gets her a job at the gas station, so now she makes a little more money than before. They live a comfortable life - for a while.

Daniel ages up into an elder and shortly after, Nina finds out she's pregnant. They weren't planning on (or playing on trying to) have any children, but here they were. They had a bit of savings from working the gas station and figured, "well, if our parents could do it, why can't we?" and begin preparing for the baby's arrival. Their condo is pretty small, and things have started mysteriously breaking, but they know they can make it work.

One night, during her second trimester, Nina gets a quite hungry. She goes to the kitchen to grab some leftovers from the fridge, when a spectral figure lunges at her. The scare knocks the life out of her and she falls, dead, to the ground. Daniel hears the sound and comes running, getting there the same time the Grim Reaper does. Once again, he goes up against the reaper, and once again, he wins! To celebrate, Nina decides to whip up some Mac and cheese, while Daniel takes a quick nap.

Unfortunately, the ghost was not done yet. As Nina went to put down her bowl of Mac and cheese, the ghost leapt out at her again. She falls, hits her head, and dies.

Daniel, hearing what is at this point the familiar thud of Nina's lifeless body hitting the ground, rushes downstairs. But, this time he gets there just as the Reaper is leaving, and nothing but Nina's remains, well, remained.

He sobbed over the loss of his best friend and kind-of girlfriend, and he sobbed over his unborn baby. As he wept, the ghost decided to get one more fright in for the night. Unfortunately for Daniel, this shock was too much after the night he'd had, and he dies on the spot.

The next day, Dina comes over to visit Nina, as Nina had told Dina (who at this point has a child of her own with Don, Zina) she was pregnant the day of her death and the two planned on catching up over lunch. Dina discovers the couple's remains and promptly alerts the authorities. They rule it a freak pasta accident and bury the two in the Pleasantview Simetary.

But, why did they die? Who was the ghost behind it all? Dina's former husband, Michael Bachelor.

---

What Michael wanted more than anything was a big, happy family. What Dina wanted more than anything was his money. Unfortunately, despite his connection to the Goth family, he actually had very modest sum. What he did have though, was a decent life insurance policy.

Already an elder, Michael had little time to make the family of his dreams. Unfortunately for him, Dina feigned infertility, and he never had any children.

Michael died of old age, with Dina inheriting all he had. He wished he had children, but loved Dina deeply and was grateful for her companionship during the end of his life. Dina was grateful for his money.

Using the cash from his life insurance, Dina secured a decent apartment in Pleasantview for her and Nina. They put Michael's urn on a side table in the living room, and never really looked at it again.

Michael's spirit was fairly restful. Occasionally he would rise late after the sisters had gone to bed to look in the fridge or rustle through the paper. The sisters weren't really aware of him, and he wasn't really aware of them, as they spent most of their time upstairs, where he never really ventured.

When Dina moved into Don's place, it didn't even occur to her to bring Michael's urn. It sat forgotten on that same side table, having not been thought about much at all since being placed there.

Still, he stayed benign. Actually, he became less active, staying in his urn most nights. He knew Dina has moved out and moved on - she was young and beautiful , he couldn't expect her to mourn him forever! He didn't much care for Nina and Daniel - romance sims really weren't his favorite . Things were fuzzy in the urn, and boring outside the urn.

This changed when he, for the first time in a long time, felt something new. Like, new as in brand new. A new life was growing. When he realized this lame romance Sim "couple" (they weren't even really together!) we're having what he never was able to, a child, he lost it.

Michael spent every night screaming and breaking anything he could. Nina and Daniel figured their appliances warranties were just expiring. The couple had no direct contact with Michael's ghost until the fateful night it all ended.

---

After Nina's (and Daniel's but who cares) death, Dina goes to her friend Brandi Curious (formerly Broke) for comfort. Brandi tells her husband, Vidcund, about it.

Now, he is absolutely fascinated. This woman was saved from death twice before finally kicking it? Her life force must be incredibly strong! And killed by a ghost? And a quarter alien? And a redhead? Tell me more!

It occurs to Vidcund... He left Strangetown a while ago to pursue the domestic life with Brandi, but his brothers Pascal and Lazlo still live there. While in Strangetown, Vid and his brothers were scientists, specializing in alien life, and the two other brothers are still active in the field. And Pascal is now a.. Technopagen? And Lazlo is following in his footsteps (as always). Could they have the power to resurrect Nina? For science!

[excited for more to happen!!]

[iwouldliketoeatrandy]

i need this fandom to be bigger and more unhinged

[xxplastic-cubexx]

it doesnt need to be said but its genuinely so funny how at-the-hip charles and erik are in krakoa like they really had the green light- the OBLIGATION- to be as obnoxiously close to each other as possible and abused that right to the fullest extent

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

I'm drawing various outfits for Karleeen (because what are you even doing if you aren't making digital paper dolls of your characters?) for the first time since about 2022. Back then I drew this pretty cute overalls design and I wanted to redraw it, compare!! (click to see full images)

[sm1l3b0t]

getting queerbaited by an action webnovel is so embarrassing. but goddamn this dog is just too fucking good at chess

[acourtofquestions]

Kingdom of Ash Chapter 61

Chapter; Highlights (okay the entire chapter is a highlight)🤣

As requested @mysterylilycheeta I NEED TO SQUEAL IN WYVERN FANGIRL WITH YOU NOW CAUSE OH M GOODNESS THIS CHAPTER ON SO MANY LEVELS I JUST AHAKWIHUHFEJLZXBKEKA

Agony was a song in Lorcan's blood, his bones, his breath.

Every step of the horse, every leap she made over body and debris, sent it ringing afresh. There was no end, no mercy from it. It was all he could do to keep in the saddle, to cling to consciousness.

To keep his arm around Elide.

She had come for him. Had found him, somehow, on this endless battlefield.

His name on her lips had been a summons he could never deny, even when death had held him so gently, nestled beneath all those he'd felled, I, and waited for his last breaths.

And now, charging toward that too-distant keep, so far behind the droves of soldiers and riders racing for the gates, he wondered if these minutes would be his last. Her last.

She had come for him.

Lorcan managed to glance toward the dam on their right. Toward the ruk rider signaling that it was only a matter of minutes until it unleashed hell over the plain.

He didn't know how it had become weakened. Didn't care.

Still Elide kept urging the horse onward, kept them on as straight a path toward the distant keep as possible.

No ruk would come to sweep them up. No, his luck had been spent in surviving this long, in her finding him. His power would do nothing against that water.

The farthest lines of panicked soldiers appeared, and Farasha charged past them.

Elide let out a sob, and he followed the line of her sight.

To the keep gate, still open.

"Faster, Farasha!" She didn't hide the raw terror in her voice, the desperation.

Once the dam broke, it would take less than a minute for the tidal wave to reach them.

She had come for him. She had found him.

The world went quiet. The pain in his body faded into nothing. Into something secondary.

Lorcan slid his other arm around Elide, bringing his mouth close to her ear as he said, "You have to let me go."

Each word was gravelly, his voice strained nearly to the point of uselessness.

Elide didn't shift her focus from the keep ahead. "No."

That gentle quiet flowed around him, clearing the fog of pain and battle. "You have to. You have to, Elide. I'm too heavy-and without my weight, you might make it to the keep in time."

"No." The salt of her tears filled his nose.

Lorcan brushed his mouth over her damp cheek, ignoring the roaring pain in his body. The horse galloped and galloped, as if she might outrace death itself.

"I love you," he whispered in Elide's ear. "I have loved you from the moment you picked up that axe to slay the ilken." Her tears flowed past him in the wind. "And I will be with you ..." His voice broke, but he made himself say the words, the truth in his heart. "I will be with you always."

He was not frightened of what would come for him once he tumbled off the horse. He was not frightened at all, if it meant her reaching the keep.

So Lorcan kissed Elide's cheek again, allowed himself to breathe in her scent one last time. "I love you," he repeated, and began to withdraw his arms from around her waist.

Elide slapped a hand onto his forearm. Dug in her nails, right into his skin, fierce as any ruk.

"No."

There were no tears in her voice. Nothing but solid, unwavering steel.

"No," she said again. The voice of the Lady of Perranth.

Lorcan tried to move his arm, but her grip would not be dislodged.

If he tumbled off the horse, she would go with him.

Together. They would either outrun this or die together.

"Elide-"

But Elide slammed her heels into the horse's sides.

Slammed her heels into the dark flank and screamed, "FLY, FARASHA." She cracked the reins. "FLY, FLY, FLY!"

And gods help her, that horse did.

As if the god that had crafted her filled the mare's lungs with his own breath, Farasha gave a surge of speed.

Faster than the wind. Faster than death.

Farasha cleared the first of the fleeing Darghan cavalry. Passed desperate horses and riders at an all-out gallop for the gates.

Her mighty heart did not falter, even when Lorcan knew it was raging to the point of bursting.

Less than a mile stood between them and the keep.

But a thunderous, groaning crack cleaved the world, echoing off the lake, the mountains.

There was nothing he could do, nothing that brave, unfaltering horse could do, as the dam ruptured.

Rowan made himself stand there, to watch the last moments of the Lady of Perranth and his former commander. It was all he could offer: witnessing their deaths, so he might tell the story to those he encountered. So they would not be forgotten.

The roaring of the oncoming wave became deafening, even from miles away.

Still Elide and Lorcan raced, Farasha passing horse after horse after horse.

Even up here, would they escape the wave's reach? Rowan dared to survey the battlements, to assess if he needed to get the others, needed to get Aelin, to higher ground.

But Aelin was not at his side.

She was not on the battlement at all.

Rowan's heart halted. Simply stopped beating as a ruddy-brown ruk dropped from the skies, spearing for the center of the plain.

Arcas, Borte's ruk. A golden-haired woman dangling from his talons.

Aelin. Aelin was—

Arcas neared the earth, talons splaying.

Aelin hit the ground, rolling, rolling, until she uncoiled to her feet.

Right in the path of that wave.

"Oh gods," Fenrys breathed, seeing her, too.

They all saw her.

The queen on the plain.

The endless wall of water surging for her.

The keep stones began shuddering. Rowan threw out a hand to brace himself, fear like nothing he had known ripping through him as Aelin lifted her arms above her head.

A pillar of fire shot up around her, lifting her hair with it.

The wave roared and roared for her, for the army behind her.

The shaking in the keep was not from the wave.

It was not from that wall of water at all.

Cracks formed in the earth, splintering across it. Spiderwebbing from Aelin.

"The hot springs," Chaol breathed. "The valley floor is full of veins into the earth itself."

Into the burning heart of the world.

The keep shook, more violently this time.

The pillar of fire sucked back into Aelin.

She held out a hand before her, her fist closed.

As if it would halt the wave in its tracks.

He knew then. Either as her mate or carranam, he knew.

"Three months," Rowan breathed.

The others stilled.

"Three months," he said again, his knees wobbling. "She's been making the descent into her power for three months."

Every day she had been with Maeve, bound in iron, she had gone deeper. And she had not tapped too far into that power since they'd freed her because she had kept making the plunge.

To gather up the full might of her magic.

Not for the Lock, not for Erawan.

But for Maeve's death blow.

A few weeks of descent had taken her powers to devastating levels. Three months of it

…

Holy gods. Holy rutting gods.

And when her fire hit the wall of water now towering over her, when they collided —

"GET DOWN!" Rowan bellowed, over the screaming waters. "GET DOWN NOW!"

His companions dropped to the stones, any within earshot doing the same.

Rowan plummeted into his power. Plummeted into it fast and hard, ripping out any remaining shred of magic.

Elide and Lorcan were still too far from the gates. Thousands of soldiers were still too far from the gates as the wave crested above them.

As Aelin opened her hand toward it.

Fire erupted.

Cobalt fire. The raging soul of a flame.

A tidal wave of it.

Taller than the raging waters, it blasted from her, flaring wide.

The wave slammed into it. And where water met a wall of fire, where a thousand years of confinement met three months of it, the world exploded.

Blistering steam, capable of melting flesh from bone, shot across the plain.

With a roar, Rowan threw all that remained of his magic toward the onslaught of steam, a wall of wind that shoved it toward the lake, the mountains.

Still the waters came, breaking against the flames that did not so much as yield an inch.

Maeve's death blow. Spent here, to save the army that might mean Terrasen's salvation. To spare the lives on the plain.

Rowan gritted his teeth, panting against his fraying power. A burnout lurked, deadly close.

The raging wave threw itself over and over and over into the wall of flame.

Rowan didn't see if Elide and Lorcan made it into the keep. If the other soldiers and riders on the plain stopped to gape.

Princess Hasar said, rising beside him, "That power is no blessing."

"Tell that to your soldiers," Fenrys snarled, standing, too.

"I did not mean it that way," Hasar snipped, and awe was indeed stark on her face.

Rowan leaned against the battlements, panting hard as he fought to keep the lethal steam from flowing toward the army. As he cooled and sent it whisking away.

Solid hands slid under his arms, and then Fenrys and Gavriel were there, propping him up between them.

A minute passed. Then another.

The wave began to lower. Still the fire burned.

Rowan's head pounded, his mouth going dry.

Time slipped from him. A coppery tang filled his mouth.

The wave lowered farther, raging waters quieting. Then roaring turned to lapping, rapids into eddies.

Until the wall of flame began to lower, too. Tracking the waters down and down and down. Letting them seep into the cracks of the earth.

Rowan's knees buckled, but he held on to his magic long enough for the steam to lessen.

For it, too, to be calmed.

It filled the plain, turning the world into drifting mist. Blocking the view of the queen in its center.

Then silence. Utter silence.

Fire flickered through the mist, blue turning to gold and red. A muted, throbbing glow.

Rowan spat blood onto the battlement stones, his breath like shards of glass in his throat.

The glowing flames shrank, steam rippling past. Until there was only a slim pillar of fire, veiled in the mist-shrouded plain.

Not a pillar of fire.

But Aelin.

Glowing white-hot. As if she had given herself so wholly to the flame that she had become fire herself.

The Fire-Bringer someone whispered down the battlements.

The mist rippled and billowed, casting her into nothing but a glowing effigy.

The silence turned reverent.

A gentle wind from the north swept down. The veil of mist pulled back, and there she was.

She glowed from within. Glowed golden, tendrils of her hair floating on a phantom wind.

"Mala's Heir," Yrene breathed.

Down on the plain, Elide and Lorcan had halted.

The wind pushed away more of the drifting mist, clearing the land beyond Aelin.

And where that mighty, lethal wave had loomed, where death had charged toward them, nothing remained at all.

For three months, she had sung to the darkness and the flame, and they had sung back.

For three months, she had burrowed so deep inside her power that she had plundered undiscovered depths. While Maeve and Cairn had worked on her, she had delved. Never letting them know what she mined, what she gathered to her, day by day by day.

A death blow. One to wipe a dark queen from the earth forever.

She'd kept that power coiled in herself even after she'd been freed from the irons. Had struggled to keep it down these weeks, the strain enormous. Some days, it had been easier to barely speak. Some days, swaggering arrogance had been her key to ignoring it.

Yet when she had seen that wave, when she had seen Elide and Lorcan choosing death together, when she had seen the army that might save Terrasen, she'd known. She'd felt the fire sleeping under this city, and knew they had come here for a reason.

She had come here for this reason.

A river still flowed from the dam, harmless and small, wending toward the lake.

Nothing more.

Aelin lifted a glowing hand before her as blessed, cooling emptiness filled her at last.

Slowly, starting from her fingertips, the glow faded.

As if she were forged anew, forged back into her body.

Back into Aelin.

Clarity, sharp and crystal clear, filled its wake. As if she could see again, breathe again.

Inch by inch, the golden glow faded into skin and bone. Into a woman once more.

Already, a white-tailed hawk launched skyward.

But as the last of the glow faded, disappearing out through her toes, Aelin fell to her knees.

Fell to her knees in the utter silence of the world, and curled onto her side.

She had the vague sense of strong, familiar arms scooping her up. Of being carried onto a broad feathery back, still in those arms.

Of soaring through the skies, the last of the mist rippling away into the afternoon sun.

And then sweet darkness.

[abirddogmoment]

We're learning about grouse hunting together!

I was really undecided on whether I wanted to hunt with Rory for realsies because I don't have a shotgun and I don't really care to get a shotgun (I have a gun license from my time up north). I have a small air rifle and a tactical slingshot (both legal for hunting small game in my area) so I've been taking those for walks in hunting areas, along with all my permits and stuff, just to see what we see.

This grouse woods is in the same corner as my swamp, just a different part of the rec area. You can legally hunt small game during the open season with dogs with some restrictions (certain distance from the parking, some trails close for hunting on a rotational basis for maintenance, etc.) but it's not terribly popular so it's a really good area to learn. We are looking for ruffed grouse and rabbit, both of which are super common out here.

With pointing dogs like britts, you generally don't want to shoot any game unless they're pointing steady (*except when doing gun conditioning, but that's a specific training set up) - it makes sense because a shot bird is the ultimate reward and you want to make sure you're reinforcing the behaviour you want, which is usually a safe steady point. Rory isn't pointing steady yet so there's really not much for me to do on these walks besides reinforce good manners (recall, how far she ranges, etc.).

There's a really well known saying in pointing dogs, which is wild birds make bird dogs. Wild birds flush (fly away) much more reliably than farmed birds so the chances of a dog catching a wild bird is really minimal compared to farmed birds. It's super important to get young bird dogs on wild birds as much as possible so they learn all the important skills: how to navigate terrain, what habitat holds birds, what each bird species smells like, how far they can range, and most importantly, that they need a person to actually get a bird.

(Most of these skills can be taught with planted birds in training, but planted birds may be more habituated to people and dogs so they might not flush reliably. Once pointing dogs learn that they can catch birds themselves, it's much harder to foster a strong stop and point. You might see people using these tip ups, which protect the training bird from the dog. You'll often see training dogs on long lines (called check cords) or with a flank collar to reinforce not getting too close to the bird, but you have to phase those out quickly so the dog doesn't become dependent on them. You also have to be really careful with scent trails when setting up planted birds or you might end up with a dog that follows your scent instead of looking for birds organically. And of course, you have to train without birds sometimes so the dog doesn't get discouraged about not finding birds quickly because sometimes there just aren't birds out there. Lots to consider when setting up training!)

Anyway I've been trying to get Rory out on wild birds as much as possible (with the caveat that we don't run wild birds during nesting season) so we're wandering the grouse woods lately. My early recall training is really paying off because she's been super reliable in terms of good manners, it's wonderful to see!

We've been out four times (1-2 hours each) so far since the season opened. The first two times we're mostly just a pleasant walk in the woods, Rory didn't really know what we were doing so she was just vibing (THIS IS TOTALLY FINE, SHE'S NEW TO THIS). We had a couple chance grouse encounters and I could see the wheels turning, I encouraged her to sniff around where the grouse were sitting before they flew off and I watched her start to connect the dots.

(It's important to remember that dogs don't know what they're looking for until you show them. Most bird dogs are naturally birdy, but they don't know which birds are good and which birds are boring! You have to show them which birds you care about - this is easiest if you can run with an experienced hunting dog, but you can do it alone like I am by making a big deal about any interest in the "correct" birds.)

The last time we went out to the grouse woods, she did a couple of really nice whip-arounds when she caught scent she liked and followed scent off the trail I was walking! This is the behaviour I want to see so it was awesome to watch it start to click! She trailed a moose (don't want that, she found some moose pee to roll in so whatever), a pileated woodpecker (again, don't want that but it was cool to see), and two separate grouse. The first was on the wrong side of the fence so I couldn't do anything about it but she held a really nice point (the photo) and I gave her a ton of chicken and praise for it. The second was a quick point but it flushed really far away so there was no finding it again. Both birds weren't visible when she found them, they were true scent points and she was strategically looking for them so that was super cool!

She's still in heat and super sensitive right now so I wouldn't shoot over her anyway, but I'm getting pretty accurate with my slingshot so I'm hoping we can connect on something this fall - both for her pointing steady and me aiming properly. She gets more steady and more sure of herself every time we go out so it's only a matter of time!

[funkervogt]

(Realizes that the most common transman experiences perfectly align with my life and feelings about myself and fascinations and who I want to be with) Ohhhh Okay i am fucked

[forbiddentaako]

more monochrome practice I suppose

[every-sanji]

[levinbolts]

nothing sexier than a skilled, effortlessly lethal man

[creaturefeaster]

How do you manage to take care of all those animals and still have time to do color quest? This may be the half time day job in me talking but I feel like I don't have time to do any of my hobbies with the 6 animals I have

I try my hardest to make some time.

The bird pens are set up so that, aside from daily feeding, and cleaning of the geeses water and pool, they do not need to be heavily maintained. I clean out their runs and pens more often in the wetter months, so I have less time in the fall and spring... Those days I can be outside for a couple hours at least. But the daily tasks don't take more than maybe 20 minutes. Sunny days I let them free range so I have to supervise because of eagles and hawks, so that can take another couple hours out of my day.

But I have that system, so I often have a lot of time inside. I have a dog to walk and feed, I spend at least a couple of hours in the kitchen cleaning and making food throughout the day, I have other stuff to manage in the house, I do commission work and I help my husband with projects for his haunted house. I'm actually very behind on some smaller things I need to take care of, but that's life, because somewhere I need to stop and indulge in my hobbies, lol.

Almost every drawing you see from me, are all that I have time to do. There is very little in terms of drawings that go unshared, so you guys basically get every morsel I have time to produce. I'm lucky, in a way, that I spent my time growing up learning how to draw fast, otherwise I'd never get anything done.

One factor in having just enough time to doodle or write a little, is that my work is commission work and I can dictate how much free time I have, basically. The other factor is that my husband makes enough to support us both right now. If I had a job outside of the house, I would probably not have time for CQ. That, or I wouldn't have time for healthy meals or keeping clean. Considering I have stomach disabilities, I'd rather eat well and sit clean than draw if it came down to it. Luckily I don't need to choose between those, at least not right now.

[messrsrarchives]

i want to write a twdg au so fucking bad. so fucking bad just for clem and lee as remus and teddy. but then like,,, yk there's so many ROUTES you can take these things! i'd have to decide what route to take. and then it would just be s1 because what after that? who's aj? yk??? like it would just be s1 but it would just be my playthrough and then it would be like "here is this fic specifically crafted for me and only me"

but it would be fun to do like. alt endings? because we know how s1 ends and i could AHAHAH give that false sense of security with two endings and people (me, again this is made for me and me only) are like "wow i am sad i'll read this othe- AGAIN!?" and that'd be funny.

[hellonerf]

i love crazy contrasting 1p2p in every way(not every way). so i always subconsciously have 2P rusame be friends. unlikely friends etc. in whatever weird school au theyre friends. meri was probably bullied until he started hissing at other kids or something while rus2 was just like huhh okay yeah okay what fine. rus2 found him in a broom closet and it was as awkward as it sounds. in the weird stuckin1Pcoldwar au i have theyre friends also in the torturous existence. 1P rusame is too weird life is too short lets tomodachi✌️

[greasydumbfuck]

thinking about frank and sex (in a sad way)

[eggwishing]

Eeber page to help me get back into drawing