#yes she is still around doing her own thing in strangerville

[beachyserasims]

There are clearly two sides to Judi, but the one that wants to be single is in charge.

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[renwyvernsims]

Prev / Next

"Oh, Grian, hey!" Scar smiled at him charmingly. "I see you've been hitting the books here at the archives! You learn anything interesting?"

Grian sighed. "Yeah, but it's been slow going. I swear, you'd think the library would be better organized than this with how many researchers are going through there. I keep finding multiple copies of the exact same book, but with minor changes. One of them had an article about a guy who lost their cat by the crater before finding it again."

"Oh yeah! That was Jellie!"

"Jellie?"

"Yep, that's my cat!" Scar's expression turned nostalgic, clearly thinking back to the incident. "She went missing a few months before the whole explosion happened. Turns out a guy from the lab named Cub found her wandering around and brought her home. The poor girl was clearly traumatized by something over there, cuz she hissed at any plants she saw for weeks afterwards!" He sighed, shaking his head. "I had to get rid of all the plants inside the house, but I didn't really get why until all those glowy things started sprouting around town everywhere."

"This Cub guy, you said he worked at the lab?" Grian's eyes lit up with the potential new information. "Are you still in contact with him? Is he still around?"

"That's a lot of questions at once! Uhh... Yes, he used to work at the lab, I still speak to him sometimes? But no, he didn't stick around after the explosion happened. He was quick to pack up and leave town after everything went down. I get most of my information from him, though." He smiled sheepishly. "Er, I don't know if he'd want me sharing it with you, though, so don't tell him if you meet him."

"Your secret's safe with me, Scar." Honestly, Grian didn't intend to tell anyone where his own information was coming from, and he didn't expect to meet this Cub person if he wasn't in town. "But right now, I'm looking for some new information. I don't even know if it's related, but you know the town pretty well, right?"

"Well, certainly! What do you want to know?"

"I was wondering if you knew anything about angels in Strangerville."

"Angels?" Scar's expression changed instantly, his smile vanishing. "You mean, like... in the bible or something? I dunno if there's many churches around here, but-"

"Not biblical," Grian interrupted. "At least not as far as I know. I mean angels here, in Strangerville."

Scar took a moment too long to plaster a smile onto his face, but Grian saw right through it. "Hah, that's a good one! Angels aren't real, you know-"

"I saw them, Scar!" Grian stared directly into Scar's eyes, not letting him break eye contact. "I saw them the other night, directly above the archives! And I know I'm not crazy, you wouldn't be avoiding this so much if you didn't know what I was talking about!"

Scar was silent for a moment, before heaving a sigh. "Look, Grian, you really shouldn't have seen them in the first place. Most people can't see them at all. I don't know how you saw them-"

"But I did! And you know what they are, don't you? Do they have anything to do with the stuff around town?"

"They're bad news, is what they are." Scar's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. "Look, nothing good will come from investigating them. If you see them again, just walk away. If they are involved with all... this," he waved his hand in the general direction of one of the plants "then it can't be for any good reasons."

"You really won't tell me anything about them, will you." It was more of a statement than a question.

"No. Look, I'm sorry, Grian, I just don't wanna see you get hurt."

"Right. Fine." Grian clenched his hands into fists and turned to walk away. "If you won't give me answers, I'll find them myself!"

Scar called after him, but Grian ignored him. Scar was a decent guy, but if he wasn't going to give Grian what he needed to help his sister, he'd look elsewhere for information. Scar had just confirmed for him that those Angels were real, and they might have something to do with all the strangeness. Dangerous or not, maybe he could find information about them that could help Pearl.

[simtrospective]

hey! i hope you've been having fun making all these sims, they're all really cute! particularly love talon, he's a cutie. anyway, i'd like to request a guy who gives off dumbass vibes, but is actually seriously smart. nice, if a little full of himself, but still a sweetheart. as much or as little cc as you want and i'm fine with him being up for public download!

Hi! I am having fun. I feel like when I get in a CAS rut I need to do this because it actually helps shift my perspective on making sims and I’m better for it. Not that it’s that deep or that I’m setting the world on fire... um... making sims, but you know. And thank you for the kind words, too, re: the cuteness lol

All right, to the request. Woo, this sim. Just... just trust me on this one.

This is Rodger:

And I know everyone’s like, What are you doing? Why are you so self-indulgent--

dumbass vibes, but is actually seriously smart. nice, if a little full of himself, but still a sweetheart 

Rodger certainly looks like a dumbass, and certainly behaved that way in his youth; he went from scraping by in a mill town to being a rockstar in so short a period that it felt overnight. For all he’s done, though, his aspiration is still to be a Musical Genius; for all his successes, brilliant songs written for others even still (name another rock star with a 50-year career who, over the last five years wrote three Top Ten songs for acts young enough to be his children. He’ll wait). He knows his way around a hook and has cultivated formidable business and financial acumen. He owns his entire catalog (sued for it; won; no surprise there) and despite never shying away from using his money to make a statement, has been able to retain and build much of his fortune through savvy investments. Still, he’s never quite gotten his due as he feels he deserves--especially among critics. Possibly among ~media and music historians, neither. Analysts. Students of society. Don’t they understand what a pioneer he was and inspiration he continues to be? Example: You don’t suppose Simmy Styles was the first to put on a dress and that the idea came to him in a dream, do you luv? Rodger crawled so these young bucks could strut.

A dumbass, yes. A genius, natch. Full of himself, certainly. All the exes would agree on two out of the three. All the children--save for the five-year-old--would agree on the same. The little one, she thinks he’s a sweetheart, and he always has been a sweetheart, really (her mum thinks differently; maybe he should stop pursuing 20-somethings; they’re getting wiser; at least they never married). The kids are taken care of, good places to live. They’re educated. The grandkids, they’re lovely things. He bought his mother a house soon as he could. Granted that was forty-five years ago. She’s passed since, of course. Kidneys. Loves the poor. He loves the poor. Poor is people, too, ya nah mean? He was poor. That’s why there’s the foundation, you know, the charity and the like, that he does.

Rodger is a character and I think he ticks the boxes, but if you’re sitting behind your screen recoiling and going Girl, no. Where’s my StrangerVille military specialist dumb human golden retriever hottie with Gollyhaw’s new upper body default wtf--tell me and I’ll try again.

Rodger is an elder (yes!). His traits are Perfectionist, Oblivious (custom), and Self-Absorbed.

Outfit pics & DL link under the cut..........................

DL HERE

Don’t claim as your own, tag me blah blah blah

[lunermagick-sims4]

Griselda’s Story Part 15

  Caleb was just leaving after spending a night. Griselda was comfy laying there with him and she did not want him to leave but she knew he had to go to work. They kissed goodbye and he was off out the door. She was relaxing in her chair when she started to remember Caleb touch and Ren touch and her body started to feel tingly. She was actually thinking of having them both at the same time. What a crazy though but the two of them satisfying her needs and wants. She started to have fun with herself she was alone she though and she was enjoying herself till she noticed someone in the window. She gaps. “Oh my god! It Tom Peeping!” Griselda was so upset he ruined her moment. When she got out the door she found his pants were down and he had a boner. He hurried and got his pants up. She was horrified. “How dare you!” She went right to him and kicked hard in the balls. He cried and went down to the ground. He slowly got up and started to get away walking like he had to pee. Griselda laughed and went back into the house. Her mood was ruined to finish herself off so she figured she better get ready for the day and have a shower.

Griselda got out of the shower her curls were back. She put some hair gel in her hair to help her curls, she got her make up on and found her green star dress. She found tights with stars and moons on them. Plus her cute new laced up pumps. She was madly in love with these shoes. She got a notification on her phone telling her there was a Romance Festival going on in the City. She text Caleb. He text back and said he could not get away for work long enough on break. Griselda had no one else to go with but she wanted to go anyway. “Storm.” She looked around he was not there. “Oh right. I let him out today.” Storm was on adventure going around the neighbourhood. If he exploring I am as well to the city for the Festival. Griselda got onto her broom and started off to the city.

Griselda landed where the Festival was taken place. Smells from the food canteen smelled delicious and the place seemed fancy. Music was playing all around. She saw many people with drinks in their hands so she looked around and there was a fountain running with a pinkish liquid. She grabbed a cup and filled it up with the pink liquid. She was sipping away when she saw a guru, she went over to her. “What my future love life?” The guru looked at her and gave her a weird quote about love. Griselda was disappointed she was hoping maybe she tell her something but she was a phony. Griselda was starting to get hungry now. The drink was kicking in fast by the time she got to the canteen. She felt all romantic and wanted to tell everyone she loved them. She was throwing petals till the sim from the canteen brought her out of her spell. That almost like a love potion that drink she shook herself out of its. “What you like to order?” She looked at the menu all that looked good was ramen. “Ramen be nice.” The girl nodded. It was not long and they had a bowl of ramen and chop sticks waiting for her.

She was sitting and taking in the festival when she saw her alien friend Brittani Daniel  “hey!” She came over she looked happy to see her. “I was about to call you. How odd we be right in the same place.” Griselda knew what she wanted. She wanted some weed. “I got the goods all the time.” She smiled at her. “Here the money.” She passed her the money and Griselda gave her some Ak-47. “Promise you will like this.” They chatted for a bit and then she was off. Griselda decided to walk around to work off the food. She found some bird of paradised flower she harvest some so she could use in her wash tub and to plant later on. She got a call from Grace wondering if she wanted to duel at the duelling grounds in the Realm. Griselda accepted and went off for a duel. She went to the duelling grounds and she actually won against her. They shook hands and Griselda was proud of herself. She wish she had someone to tell but he does not want to talk to her right now. She started for home to do some laundry.

  Today is Autumn Equinox an other name is Mabon. It just like the ritual Harvest fest to pagan sims. Griselda got onto her laptop doing some research about crystals and different Wicca stuff. She read and learned new crystal but she was getting bored. She decided as one of the traditions was to carve a pumpkin. She needed to get dressed for the day and get cleaned up. She found a cute green crop top and washed out jeans. She thought the pants showed off her curves nicely. She grabbed her pumpkin and started to clean it out. She had a idea what she wanted to carve into it. Once the insides were all cleaned out. She started to carve, with all the hard work she carved a owl into it. She was pretty proud of her pumpkin she sat it outside. She will need to make another by Halloween.

Griselda wanted to go back to Strangerville again and go through some more papers to find evidence she went through a lot pieces of paper the other day but not enough to get what she looking for. Griselda flew on her broom to Strangerville thinking how am I suppose to get a key card to that door. Once she arrived she went back into the lab and went through some more paper. She took a break to smoke out of her bong. It seem to help calm her. This place did give her the creeps. She worked away till she got everything she needed. Now she need to make friends with military personnel to get a key card.

Griselda was about to leave when she heard something. She got off her broom and she found a baby ferret. She costed it in and let the little brown ferret smell her hand. She gave it a treat figured the poor thing hungry living out here in this desert. The ferret seem to be not scared of her anymore so Griselda decided to pick up the little one and the ferret let her. “Your a cutie. What are you?” Griselda checked to see what gender the little one was. “Your a girls. If you like to come home with me. I will call you Luna.” Luna looked up at Griselda and seemed to say yes in her own way. Griselda wondered what Storm will think of having a new roommate.

Once they landed home Griselda showed Luna the bowl and she started eating right away and drinking lots of water. “Poor thing.” Storm had not come back yet. His special food had not been touched. Griselda found a pumpkin bed for Luna. Next time she in town she will need to get another water bowl for Luna. Griselda bought a new food dish a while ago and she likes that it hold a lot more food. She heard knock at the door. She walked over to the door and it was Gemma she opened the door. She invite her in and there came Storm. He went right to his bowl and ignored Luna. Poor Luna, she looked kinda sad. “Hey Gemma! Guess what I found today!” Gemma looked down. “Oh my gosh it so cute.” Griselda looked at Storm and Luna she loved her pets and she really hoped they get along. “Her name is Luna” Gemma smiled. “I love it.” Another knock came to the door. Griselda opened it and it was Miko Ojo “I like to buy some weed, Griselda.” Griselda nodded and gave her purple haze. “Come in.” She came in and said hello to Gemma. Griselda was chatting with the girls when she heard another knock. To her surprised it was Ren! “Ren ahh hello.” He smiled at her and they went to her inside garden to talk. “Hey Ren!” Gemma said perky. “Hi” they went into the green house. “I am surprised to see you.” Ren touched her arm. “I know it odd for me to just show up but it is Autumn equinox and I need to see everyone. But I really wanted to come see you.”

Griselda nodded and her heart fluttered. Luna came into the green house. “Meet Luna!” He looked down and petted her. “She so cute. A ferret.” They agreed it was time to go face everyone they did not want to stay away for to long. When they came out Minerva was there. “Hey everyone! So nice of you all to come visit.” Everyone was chatting away. Gemma came over and started talking away to Ren. Miko came over. “I think I will be leaving. Have a good holiday.” Griselda said goodbye and she left. Minerva, Gemma and Ren went over and sat down in the living room. Griselda tidy up some dishes and then went over to chat with everyone. They were talking about the ceremony and everyone was bringing a bunch of food. “Do I need to bring anything?” Griselda asked. “Oh no dear. Just us older folks.” Minerva said smiling sweetly. Griselda was happy she did not have to bring anything. Gemma was talking the ear off Ren and it bother her more then it should. Ren eyed Griselda and he must of known how she felt. “I am going to go get ready for the ceremony.” He went over to Griselda and hugged her. “I am sorry I made you feel weird.” He whispered in her ear. His touch still made her feel chills. “It okay. I am okay.” He pulled back and smiled at her and left. She did not want to let him go but people were watching and she had to let him go. Was not long and Gemma and Minerva agreed with Ren idea. “Dear we will see you at the ceremony. It starts in a hour and you need to get ready too.” Griselda nodded and hugged them both goodbye. Once everyone was gone she petted her fur babies and went to find something for autumn equinox.

[littlemissnellie]

I blame @tiredtoothache entirely for this new obsession of mine; if she didn’t convince me to fully convince my parents to hop on that free trial of netflix after months of asking then I wouldn’t have found my new favourite show. seriously, I feel like it was made for me. and after finally finishing season 3 on friday, the only way I've been coping with how empty it’s left me feeling is by attempting to make some edits of my favourite characters (emphasis on ‘attempting’ lol). 

to be honest though, considering that I did all of the drawing with a crappy mouse trackpad, I cannot make realistic sims to save my life and i have absolutely 0 experience of doing anything like this before (especially when it comes to drawing hair, lord have mercy, just squint and tilt your head and it sort of looks okay), I don’t think they turned out too badly. for a first attempt, it’s not that bad, right? and if you think otherwise then just look at all the icons; I was hoping that they might distract from the flaws a little bit.

anyway, first up we have robin and steve. this was the first one I started working on and i’m a bit annoyed because I think the pose ruined their faces a little just because of the expression. don’t get me wrong, I love that pose, it just made their faces look even weirder than they already did. rip. however, i’m v happy with the way that their outfits turned out. the hair, not so much. but I like the uniforms, so that’s something. I loved their scenes together in s3 though and honestly i’d do anything to work in an ice cream shop with either one of them. I mean, i’d do anything to work in an ice cream shop anyway (weird life goal ik), but throw steve harrington into the mix and i’m hook, line and sinker bc mmmmmm yes please. plus, I really want to be robin for halloween now, not only to get to wear that sailor suit, but also to put my kinda wild hair to good use. and getting to call people dingus? sign me tf upppppp.

and then the one i’m most pleased with: steve and dustin. honestly, try to name me a more iconic duo. their friendship really is one of the most wholesome things on this earth and you can’t change my mind. I don’t know what possessed the duffer brothers to band these two together, but I will forever be grateful. the chaotic energy they both radiate is just perfect. i’m v happy with the way dustin’s hat turned out too. and I managed to replicate steve’s sailor suit ??? the world was kind to me that day. 

max and el’s edit just feels icky to me though and idk why. max’s hair was a nightmare bc I tried (and failed) to make it look curly and then couldn’t fix it. I was going to use the hair from cats and dogs but the bow put me off and (as demonstrated above) I am not nearly talented enough to try to go about removing it. so we have this mess. I still wanted to include it though bc at least I tried and I loved their friendship in s3. how adorable. and max’s outfits? I adored them. oooh and el’s little makeover thing she had? she killed it. plus, if I didn’t include them then it would have been just two edits with steve and i’d have looked obsessed and I can’t go around exposing myself like that. so again, enjoy more icons to distract from any ugliness. 

these are in no way good, but I did have a lot of fun trying to pull them together. if you are looking for good amazing stranger things edits though, then please check out @smallcowplant‘s blog; her robin, erica and steve & dustin edits are out of this world and she’s so lovely and so wild talented it hurts my brain sometimes. and her edits are the only reason I attempted some of my own because i’m trash for all of her content. she has tons of beautiful stuff to look at if stranger things isn’t your jam as well, so there’s no excuse really if you haven’t already checked her out. 

why do I ramble so much when I post edits? I have no idea. probably because I could talk about the stuff they’re based on for hours, but to save you all reading any more of my nonsense, i’ll leave it here. so, to summarise: i’m obsessed with stranger things. and if anyone wants to indulge me and just blabber about it, then hit up my messages; i’ll always reply. i’m so mad at myself for not watching it sooner, especially before I started my strangerville story (or at least this last part of it) because it would have totally inspired me to do so much more with it. but @panda-plumbobs comparing my little strangerville team to the scoops troop despite all that will forever be my favourite thing because how iconic is that??? okay, that’s all now, I promise. back to regularly scheduled posting tomorrow!

[memexdaddy]

Bahari Lophiiformes for @smallcowplant’s beautiful Miss Bedelia

Hey ‘delia darlin’! I’m Bahari (Swahili for sea) Lophiiformes (that there’s the scientific name for we anglerfolk, I come from a long line of ‘em, which you can trace back to before the dinos), and I’m very excited to enter your challenge!

For some quick facts about me, clicky clicky!

angling ace, collector, jealous, hot-headed, angler

born and raised in Strangerville, where odd radiation and the toxic chemicals being dumped into bodies of water mutilated little Bahari at birth, causing her to possess both lungs and gills, meaning she can live in and out of water

moved to Sulani when she was 17 to join the conservationist movements and has been doing that for the last 5 years

she hates mermaids

they’re just way too uptight u know?

Very Gay ™

rlly just wants 2 kiss :--(

The Biggest Top

& very kinky so,,

if she had to describe her aesthetic, it’d be something like, “Randomly-Generated-San-Myshuno-Weirdo Couture”

her lil bauble glows when she’s rlly happy :”))

& yes she cuts holes into her hats for her spines and bauble

She Loves Sushi And Does Not Understand Why All Her Family Says That’s Weird

when she was in school, the other guppies called her Baha Fresh ?

has always wanted to hang mistletoe from her bauble on Winterfest Eve & smooch but never found the right gal :^(

she rlly hopes Bedelia could be said gal

cries every time she watches The Shape of Water + Finding Nemo

very T A L L

like , 6′11,, 7′2 when she gets...excited

rlly awkward around cute girls ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

which Bedelia is.

hhhhhhhhh

like she’s definitely the type to compliment u & then run away

u know that “hhnng wh;at iff we hEld; hhands” meme w the cat crying?? that’s Bahari

c u r v y

hip to all the Fresh New Memes

also, there have been some weird scientific facts rumors going around that anglerfish females make their male mate attach himself so she can literally absorb his organs and use him as a mindless mating machine but ‘hari really wants to make it clear that 1) it’s mostly painless for the dude but more importantly 2) she’s BIG GAY so there’s no need to worry abt any of that !!

rlly misses her mom, but her dad was never really around...for obvious reasons ^

CANNOT hold her liquor, super lightweight

she wants little guppies of her own some day :”)

& she loves plants

her catch phrase is “not to be (blank) on main, but...” and then proceeds to be said thing on main

antsy ! she cannot sit still

wants a pair of twinkle toes

and heelys

and a pet snake

Loves Science & Stars & Shit Like That

facinated by mandala effect stuff

looks kinda mean but she’s soft

potty mouth

don’t bother trying to discern her accent, it’s a hot mess of everything

memorized every word to Eminem’s “Mom’s Spaghetti” ironically so she could recite it as a meme,, but now it gets stuck in her head

sometimes she sleep talks

her gills blow bubbles when she laughs, the lil cutie (▰˘◡˘▰)

Let’s not dilly dally ‘delia dear! Pick me for your challenge, and I’m sure you’ll reanimate my heart  ;) . sparks will fly.. get it? like sparks to reanimate? hey girl r u a vonFREAKenstein in the sheets and a ,, ,vonfinkenstein in the , streets,,? .  hi i just want to make u smile

terrible flirt, but she really does try

some extra pictures bc i am in love w her :””)

@smallcowplant

(@dim-n-gusty is my simblr btw)

[nardaviel]

Part 8 / ?. You know that time in December when there are too many holidays all squished together? That’s this part. Nothing else I promised at the end of the last part has happened yet, but soon! Soon.

Once again some new packs have come out. I’m not sure I want them to do Strangerville, but I’ve already done some stuff with Get Famous and Island Living, either in this part or the next one, which is also complete and just needs to be edited.

Winterfest morning dawns at Ibushi’s new house.

That greenhouse is way, way, way bigger than he needs, but I don't care. I just got so sick of his miniscule greenhouse at his starter home.

On the inside, the house is extremely green, and where it's not green, it's full of mismatching wood tones. You can blame that on me, if you like (except for the mismatching wood tones, that’s 99% EA's fault). I blame myself. I built this house ages ago and I judge my past self real hard when I look at the interior decorating. But it's funnier to blame it on Ibushi's own tastes. He has a favorite color, okay? He knows what he likes.

In any event, he wanted to have a gathering for Winterfest. Just a little one, with his three best friends and the little bit of his family who he's on good terms with. However, while Atsushi obligingly chats with him in the kitchen...

Atsushi: No, honestly, Ibushi, I'd love to help, are you sure you don't need anything?

...his workaholic cousin Sora closets himself in Ibushi's tiny office and smiles down at the laptop...

...while Sora's daughter Antigone makes a beeline for the bookshelf in the otherwise deserted living room.

Not unlike I would have done as a teenager, I guess, except I'd have brought my own book.

A brief introduction of the OCs: Sora is Ibushi's older cousin, featured in this Ibushi fic that I wrote if you're interested. His wife Sarah is mentioned a few times. As of the end of the fic he hasn't had time to have kids, but in the canon verse he has three. However, the Sim Yumura family is based more on a Harry Potter AU than on canon, so Sim Sora has five. The blonde teenagers are Auden and Antigone, the green-haired child is Caelan, and there are two toddlers who you won't meet for a long time, if ever, because I can't be bothered with them.

Do any of them look like the actual characters look in my head? No, not really, so if you have read that fic, please don’t replace your existing mental image with Sim Sora. But the canon third years don’t really look right, either. They’re recognizable, and so are the OCs.

Listen, the trio needed friends, and I never care enough about random townie Sims to try with them. The OCs will only be supporting characters in these posts, I promise. Party guests, that type of thing.

Anyway!

En is pleased to see Atsushi when he at last wanders in.

While this is sweet, Sora and his two teenage children are still over in a far corner of the house away from their host...

...possibly because Caelan kicked his dad off the computer in order to play Tetris Blicbloc badly.

You might be wondering where Kinshirou is. If you've read that fic, you might also be wondering where Sarah is. I have no answers for you. Maybe they're just going to be really late?

Look at all the food Ibushi made :D and the pretty flower arrangement! With flowers that he (mostly) grew himself. What a talented guy.

Ibushi: Dinner's ready! Come eat! (If the rest of them don't show up now, I'll just give up.)

You might have noticed in the last screenshot that Woody grew up! He looks like he's sad because he has no food, but in reality he has no food because he just ate.

Sora, in the meantime, has started opening presents on his own. What a rude guy. No wonder he's raised such rude children. This is all so OOC all I can do is laugh tbh

It worked lol. Welcome, Sarah and Kinshirou.

Also of note: Antigone went straight for the cake, she didn't even bother with the ham. Maybe if Sarah hadn't been so late, she could've told her daughter not to eat dessert first.

She feels guilty, I can tell.

Sarah: So how has it been going? You’ve been keeping the kids in line? Sora: Yes. Definitely. They’ve all been very well-behaved. Sarah: ...sure, Sora.

This game is so weird about sitting down... not just when eating but in so many contexts. Let the Arimas sit!!!!!

ok but joking aside though this warms my heart.

Ibushi: Kinshirou, it's Winterfest! Lighten up. Kinshirou: I'm perfectly content, thank you. Ibushi: Try to laugh more! It's the spirit of the season. Like this! Kinshirou: Ibushi, no—

Ibushi: HO HO HO!!!!!!

Ibushi: Come on, it's only once a year. Try it.

Kinshirou: No.

He looks like he's still in a pretty good mood, though. I guess it’s Winterfest spirit.

The kids get sent home (it's literally just across the street lol) so that the adults can open presents. Makes you wonder what kinds of presents they're exchanging...

... oh :C

It was En's present, wasn't it? Wasn't it, En?

It totally was. En, how cruel.

This is one of the most perplexing and worrying screenshots in the entire series to date. Ibushi stares at Sora in disappointment while Kinshirou, who disappeared with Sora a few screenshots back, tries to exchange a smug and meaningful look with him. However, Sora is smiling (nervously?) at his wife, who, in turn, is staring into space, smiling obliviously, probably thinking about work.

Sora, what clandestine political plot have you dragged Kinshirou into? He might have family connections but he's a pure innocent bby, don't corrupt him! You know Sarah would never approve!!!

Sarah: *whispering* Yes, Sora, this is the right time to open presents. Sora: (Oh, god, she knows... how does she always know?)

Eventually, even the lure of presents isn’t strong enough. En can't help himself: He finds Atsushi again and grabs him in another passionate embrace.

Finally, once night has fallen...

Father Winter shows up! :O

...even though the fireplace is lit. Must be a tough job being Father Winter.

He's about to laugh, but it looks like he's got cramps. Too many cookies?

Despite his agony, however, he replenishes Ibushi's present pile. What a nice man. Not like you, Sora.

He's a much better gift-giver than En, too.

Just casually chatting with Santa, as you do.

Don't give Ibushi a hard time about his hygiene, okay, he's been working hard all day.

Finally, the holiday comes to a close. It's just Ibushi and Woody again, both passed out in Ibushi's extremely green bedroom.

:D

But now it's back to Kinatsuen. We have to switch households now or else we'll miss

En's favorite holiday, Pretty Boy Day. Look at all those hearts around the traditions I can't believe it

Atsushi has decided to be more thoughtful in choosing holiday decorations from now on. No more going to the store and grabbing the first thing he sees! He's going to think carefully about what'll look good and where.

Meanwhile, En has dragged Kinshirou onto the couch to set the mood early.

En: Look, what I was talking about earlier, with the tongues. Isn't it weird? Kinshirou: Yes, En, this is all very strange. (Oh, no, this is too vulgar, I can't watch... how is this even permitted on television... yet I can’t give En the satisfaction of reacting too strongly...)

Atsushi... you tried your best.

It’s actually not awful, for the most part, but the ribbons on the fences make my eyes hurt. The colors clash too much.

As Kinshirou flees the house to escape from that TV show...

...Atsushi comes downstairs to take his place.

Atsushi: Good morning, En-chan. What are you watching? En: ...you'll see. Atsushi: All... all right then...

At least they both get invested in the same plot points.

As an aside, Kinshirou has come back and started a fantasy novel, and the game suggested that I name it Cat Lord, Cat Counsel which is absolutely a book I would read.

Don't remember the last time I showed one of these so these are the books Kinshirou is currently getting royalties for. I don't even remember what some of these titles are based on? What AU would inspire a title like Forever Quiet, that sounds depressing.

Or that’s what I was thinking when I was typing this commentary as I played. Now, going through it again to post, I have an idea for what AU it might have been, and I was right. It’s depressing. Kinshirou, sometimes your books are real downers, you know that?

The sun has finally come out. Perfect weather for Atsushi to show the world his smuggler costume, right?

...well, En sold a painting and I got the Get Famous notif, even though the option itself didn't have the (+Fame) next to it when I clicked on it. So I guess this is the first step down the path to En Yufuin, famous artist.

I sound reluctant but actually I'm kind of excited haha. I even thought about having him not quit his job, since I think that would give him the chance to get things like fame chance cards, which would let him get fame faster... then I realized how OOC that was and changed my mind. En and Kinshirou, Atsushi's famous artist boyfriends.

En: Atsushiiii... Hey, Atsushi. How do you like my costume?

Atsushi: I like it, En-chan. It's subtle. I can barely tell you're in costume at all.

En: ...hey, what's that supposed to mean? Atsushi: Anyway, are you coming in for lunch? En: ...no. I was just showing you my costume. It's probably not getting any warmer than this, so I'd better do the best Pretty Boy Day tradition now. Atsushi: En, really? It's the middle of winter, you'll freeze!

En: Pretty Boy Day is still Pretty Boy Day even when it's snowing! Atsushi: Yes, but... you know what? You go ahead, En-chan. I'm going inside. En: You won't even stay and keep me compa⁠— Atsushi: Have fun.

En: (Well, fine, I'll just go by myself... what did that even mean, "I can barely tell you're in costume at all"? God, it's fucking cold. ...I wonder if they're watching, heheh. Although, actually, it’s so cold I’m not exactly at my best here.)

Atsushi: Hey, Kin-chan, don't look outside. En-chan is⁠— Kinshirou: *averting his gaze, his eyes barely open* YES, THANK YOU, ATCHAN, I CAN IMAGINE

Your sense of propriety is fooling no one, Kinshirou.

That's okay. They can have their own Pretty Boy Day in here while En is out having a good time.

Kinshirou even reprises his grim reaper costume.

...for just enough time to realize he feels stupid and take it off again.

Kinshirou: Yes... this is much better.

Kinshirou: What is that... ensemble. En: Do you like it? Kinshirou: No.

En does his best to change Kinshirou's mind.

In the background, Atsushi listens and laughs to himself. I would say he's watching, except, of course, he isn't wearing his glasses.

Have you ever looked at a character and just thought, "Yes... he is perfect"?

A happy ending to PBD. Is Kinshirou entranced by En's beauty, or is he annoyed that En fell asleep in Kinshirou's own bed before Kinshirou could even lie back down after the WooHoo? (The answer is: both.)

But then, he thinks, how sad will it be for Atchan if he comes home after a long day at work, after having to work on Pretty Boy Day, and he finds us both asleep?

So he goes down to wait for Atsushi instead.

Cute.

All right. The time has come. En wakes up and realizes he has no more vacation days remaining.

Employer: En, hello. Are you finally ready to come in to work? En: Ah, actually, no, I'm quitting, effective... now. Employer: You're quitti— En: Bye!

Bye.

This is the second time in a row he's painted this exact painting. He painted it, sold it, and started a new painting which is also this painting. I guess he just really wants to go to the beach.

Then, fuelled by black tea, he decides to improve his logic skill by observing the sky. I was laughing to myself at how slowly it was progressing when I remembered that he actually had several points in it already for work. That's how long it's been since I've paid attention to En's job lol

Who brings food to the computer and puts the bowl ON the keyboard, though? En is a madman.

It begins...

That was fast, though. Only two books. Maybe it made a difference that they were both bestsellers? Either way, congrats, Kinshirou. Although actually, I'm not sure he's going to be thrilled about the idea of fame.

That unsettled, perturbed stare as he gazes into the distance, imagining his growing fanbase massing on the horizon...

Okay, here’s a bit of a text wall, by the standards of these posts: I'm going to be honest, none of the fame perk trees are aimed at any of the Boueibus, but in particular not Kinshirou. Half of why this idea is so funny to me is that I love the idea of them getting famous through their writing or their art (or their cooking? celebrity chef Atsushi??) but being completely unenthusiastic about it and just wanting a chill life.

I think with Kinshirou and En, I'm going to go at least halfway up the tree that gets you more money from crafted objects, for obvious reasons. You also get some neat stuff in the mail every day! And, unfortunately for them, you gain fame faster from skill-based actions, which I assume includes writing and painting. If Kinshirou was still trying to be a villain, he could put points the negative reputation tree too, where being a douchebag in public makes you famous. But he is reformed now, thank you very much.

Anyway, all that is to say, here's Kinshirou's first fame perk (and En’s, once he gets to this point):

Now on to the story.

En: En, you're an artist, he says... En, Atchan's ribbons looked so horrible for Pretty Boy Day, he says... I don't have time, he says... Jeez, give a guy one success and he thinks he can order anyone around. After I'm done, he'll never ask me to decorate anything again.

I would probably have done something like this for New Year's Eve, left to my own devices:

Sadly, En wanted to repulse Kinshirou so we are instead left with this:

As many flashing lights and tacky prints as possible, all in different colors, none of which are New Year’s Eve colors. The anti-Kinshirou decorations. It’s actually not completely horrible. Maybe En was incapable of making something that looked completely horrible. But it is not great.

...and now I've found En's least favorite holiday. He doesn't like to decorate, as Kinshirou will soon discover, and he doesn't like to party. That's half the things you do on New Year’s Eve.

Maybe this will cheer him up, though. No more having Kinshirou boss him around. (Ha. As if. Kinshirou will always boss him around.)

Kinshirou: Good morning, Atchan. Atsushi: Good morning... Kinshirou: What's wrong? Atsushi: Oh, it's just... last night, when I got in from work... Kinshirou: ...yes? Atsushi: ...you really thought that was better than my Pretty Boy Day decorations? Kinshirou: What?

Kinshirou: Kinshirou: At least Ibushi's moved. ... Oh, no, Ibushi’s visiting later. Yumura-san is visiting later. We’re having guests.

En admires his own animal painting. He's feeling very pleased at the moment, and he's not sure why...

Turn around and you'll find out, En.

Atsushi has an ambition. A burning ambition. His goal is to make three fancy dishes and serve them all during a single event. And since they're planning to have people over for New Year's Eve, this is the perfect opportunity!

...or so he thinks. Ibushi, who has randomly come over without being invited or let into the house, is distracting him, making the whole thing take twice as long as necessary. Kinshirou is just cheering him on, deeply impressed as always by his boyfriend's kitchen skills.

But if they're going to have company, I need to remember that they own a thermostat so that everyone isn't stuck wearing jackets in the house.

As the sun sets, Atsushi calls the other two over.

Atsushi: Okay, guys, before Ibushi and his cousin get here... you know what time it is, right? Kinshirou: Yes, En. You know what time it is, don't you? En: Huh? What time is it?

Atsushi: It's time to make our resolutions! I wonder what I should work on next year... Kinshirou: *pointed look* En: ...he doesn't actually think I'll make a resolution, does he?

Kinshirou: Yes. I must focus on self-improvement. En: (They seriously think I'm going to do this.)

Atsushi: All right! I can do it! This year for sure! Kinshirou: Yes. I will be sure to... where is En?

Please appreciate my dedication to characterization over gameplay. Kinshirou could have chosen to write a book, which he does all the time anyway, and Atsushi could have chosen to complete an aspiration milestone, which he is about half an inch from doing. Forget the week-long time limit, he's going to do it in a few Sim hours. They were both so tempting.

(Also: "Kinshirou wants to work on a skill for his resolution! Start working on a skill to get this done!" Thanks for the tip, that clears up a lot.)

Everyone is here!

Kinshirou: I've been making progress with your request, Yumura-san, and I think... Sarah: Sora, what are you talking about over here? Sora: *thinking fast* A book we've both read. Kusatsu-san isn't a fan. c: Sarah: Hmm...

A nice, low-key New Year's Eve party. Except that Atsushi wasn't satisfied with his fancy salad so he's scrambling to make some extra. (That is to say, the gourmet dish counter for his aspiration reset unexpectedly lol)

Congratulations, Atsushi!!!!! That reward trait is incredible, too. Way better than En's.

Kinshirou is lagging behind a little with his aspiration but that's okay. I'm working on it behind the scenes.

Unlike some Ens I could mention, Atsushi already knows what he wants to focus on next. He wants to hone his nerdy instincts with the Nerd Brain aspiration, which focuses on logic, books, rocket science(!), and handiness. The video game-focused one would require him to change careers, sadly, so we're going with this.

As of right now, though, Kinshirou is the resident repairman. I guess Atsushi will have to slowly take over. Even though Kinshirou is already at 6 skill points... oh, well.

:D There they all are. And now Atsushi can finally eat his sparkling excellent!-quality food.

Ibushi and the Yumuras head home after dinner. Atsushi waits for the countdown to start on TV, but if En wants to stay up for that, he needs to take a nap while he can...

Then, once the clock ticks over to 11pm, the three of them commence the creepiest thing I have ever seen in The Sims 4.

Kinatsuen:

Kinatsuen: *in eerie unison* Shushoobie!

Kinatsuen:

Kinatsuen: *in eerie unison* Shushoobie!

Kinatsuen:

Kinatsuen: :D

It was honestly like watching a cult ceremony. Very scary. Happy Sim New Year???

Atsushi: Thank you for staying awake, En-chan. Or for waking up again, I guess.

Okay, well, that's cute. But is it cute enough to justify all the creepy chanting...

That’s all for today. Part 9 begins at the start of spring, the start of the new year, &c. &c. I can absolutely 100% guarantee this time that part 9 is the wedding episode, and I suffered so much to make that wedding happen that I’ll probably post it soon just to get it out there and away from me.

[snowbatsims]

Post 20: Strangerville, part 1

So, before I really start, Kvikindi grew up.  

I’m not sure what happened here. Her RNG outfit had short pink hair, so I messed with that aspect a little. The whites in her eyes went fully alien black, while she kept the pink slit pupils (that the game kept removing for some reason. let’s just pretend they stayed pink the whole time). A few alien skin spots may have appeared as well. As it turns out, alien and vampire puberty are happening simultaneously.

And the cake, as beautiful as it is, remains untouched. Nobody is around to eat it anymore.

It’s still winter, so they figured they might as well all take their free trip to Strangerville on the other side of the planet. Sure, why not. They expected to stay at some hotel, Father Winter said so, but…

It’s just a dinky old motel. (built by @legasimmer; it’s on the gallery) RUNE: HE LIED TO US!!! BAT: Duh, it’s Father Winter. What, did you expect an entire hotel complete with swimming pools and that kinda nonsense? Come on. BAT: Working for Santa Claus obviously means you cannot get put on the naughty list, so he gets away with this shit! MORTEN: Well hey, we can still stay here. We’ve come this far. Maybe take a look around.. see how this small town lives up to its name? Like, I do see a couple of glowy plants here and… oh, what’s that over there?

MORTEN: Holy heck, I can’t believe this is still open at these hours! ERWIN: Yup! Staying open until like 3 AM means I have a great excuse to watch all the potential weird activity going on here at night! ERWIN: Hey… Wait a minute… ERWIN: Are you guys vampires? ERWIN: Is that an alien with you??? ERWIN: YOU’RE ALL REAL?????

ERWIN: THAT IS PERFECT. I decided a while ago that any supernatural folks would get a huge discount here, but I never saw any of you until now! ERWIN: Please, have a look around, I’m sure there’s something ya’ll might enjoy. EINARR: Why, thank you.

Mort grabbed some posters, a lava lamp, and a toy, Einarr got a few books, neither Bat nor Kvikindi were particularly interested at the moment, while Rune…

RUNE: Dude, I think this might be a foreign plasma fruit. Look how it’s pulsating. It’s red like blood… MORTEN: Ooh, let me try!

MORTEN: Oof.

RUNE: Yikes… I don’t like this side effect.

MORTEN: Ⱨł. RUNE: H-hi?? MORTEN: ₮ⱧɆ ₥Ø₮ⱧɆⱤ ₴ɆɆ₴ ₳ⱠⱠ. RUNE: Oh no…

EINARR: What just happened here, Rune?? RUNE: O-oh, uh,, they just ate a strange fruit. It looked like blood! EINARR: Blood??? You thought that was a foreign plasma fruit??? RUNE: Y- yeah. I- EINARR: Child, no, foreign plasma fruits are much closer to a crimson shade of red. Not.. veiny and circular like this bizarre alien fruit!! RUNE: I’M SORRY, I DIDN’T KNOW!! EINARR: Okay, FINE! But if they’re stuck this way from now on, that’s entirely on you. RUNE: B-but!! They just grabbed it! I– EINARR: You’re the one who offered it, you infant. RUNE: Okay, true… I didn’t know it would–

MORTEN: ฿Ɇ₵Ø₥Ɇ Ø₦Ɇ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ₮ⱧɆ ₥Ø₮ⱧɆⱤ. RUNE: yAUGH,

EINARR: …Hey, Erwin, do you happen to know if there’s any way to cure this condition? ERWIN: I dunno dude, you might wanna have to ask around. I’ve seen a lot of weirdos in military uniforms and labcoats in the daytime.. which might be a little inconvenient to you nocturnal people. Look in the library, maybe? ERWIN: Also, how did you know my name? Do vampires read minds? EINARR: Well, yes, some of us can, but you just so happened to wear a rather convenient name tag. ERWIN: Oh. Right. ERWIN: Well. Uh, wow, would you look at the time. I should really close up shop. Good night, folks.

MORTEN: ɎɆ₴. ₳₦Ø₮ⱧɆⱤ ฿₳฿Ɏ ���ØⱤ ₥Ø₮ⱧɆⱤ. MORTEN: ₲ⱤØ₩ ₴₮ⱤØ₦₲, Ⱡł₮₮ⱠɆ Ø₦Ɇ.

EINARR: Such strange plants.. is that where these noises are coming from? EINARR: Hm. I see Erwin is heading this direction. We need to talk.

EINARR: One more thing, mortal. ERWIN: Wha-

EINARR: Tell me, why were you selling those weird fruits in the first place when you didn’t even know the effects? ERWIN: I.. I dunno?? EINARR: That is so incredibly irresponsible of you, child!!! ERWIN: I– I just found a couple of them scattered around! I just thought, since they were so peculiar, they would fit the theme of my Curio Shop very nicely- EINARR: And you needed money? Is that it? Is money on your mind??? Those weirdo fruits made my grand-offspring act all possessed!! And your excuse is money? ERWIN: I’m, I’m just trying to make a living! Is that wrong??

EINARR: A living, huh??? Better be careful, or else I might just have to make you unlive instead! ERWIN: Wh– Okay, I’m going! Please don’t eat me, mr. vampire man. I really didn’t mean to get on your bad side… EINARR: Alright, human. You do seem like a good person, so I’ll let you go, but please use better judgement and get rid of those fruits until next time. ERWIN: Y-yeah, alright. I’m really sorry for this inconvenience.

Looks like someone is back to normal.

MORTEN: …What just happened? MORTEN: Where am I? Where is everyone? MORTEN: Last thing I remember was.. Rune gave me a blood fruit? MORTEN: …that wasn’t really blood at all, was it. MORTEN: Hm.. come think of it, I… actually don’t feel blood hungry right now at all. Weird. Is it a blood fruit or not???

MORTEN: Huh. Another one of those glowy thingamabobs.

MORTEN: Might as well snap a picture of it for the memories. I’ve never seen any of these at home… MORTEN: I’d better head back to that motel.

———–

…

EINARR: Are you aware of what happened to you last night? MORT: …not really. All I know is I woke up in a desert. And I stopped being thirsty. EINARR: Well, I am fairly sure you got possessed by that fruit you ate. MORT: O-oh. Possessed?? EINARR: Yup. MORT: But it’s all okay now, right? The possession is over…right? EINARR: It has been less than a full day since it happened. For all we know, this might just happen every night. MORT: D: EINARR: And actually… I think I do hear some odd whispers here and there when I look into your mind now… Those really do not seem like your own thoughts. MORT: Wh– what… ₵Ø₥Ɇ ₮Ø ₥Ɇ, ₵ⱧłⱠĐ MORT: Oh my god. I hear them too now…. EINARR: Honestly, you should go ask Rune, he got you into this mess in the first place. It wouldn’t seem right to leave before we’ve found a cure for this condition of yours. ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ ł₴ ₦Ø ₦ɆɆĐ ₣ØⱤ ₳ ₵ɄⱤɆ MORT: SHUT UP, YES THERE IS. GET OUT OF ME. ₦Ø EINARR: So, it has started talking to you now. I’m really sorry I brought that to your attention. MORT: Ugh.

Meanwhile, it’s actually overcast outdoors. How handy. RUNE: Hello? Anyone in there..?

Something is obviously very off about this place. LESLIE: ₩₳₮ɆⱤ ł₴ ⱠØVɆ. RUNE: NOPE.

RUNE: Hrm.. this is useless. I should really ask around.

SCIENTIST 1: Yeah, we just recently had to evacuate the secret lab in the crater! SCIENTIST 2: You know that’s supposed to be a secret, right. SCIENTIST 1: Who cares! It’s not really safe to go there anyway anymore. Best to stay away, am I right? RUNE: Any idea what this has to do with the weird plant pod things around town? SCIENTIST 2: That is classified information. Sorry. RUNE: Dangit.

MORT: Well, hello Rune, I think might need a cure for whatever the hell just happened to me last night. RUNE: I’m… working on it. MORT: I heard something about a secret lab? SCIENTIST 1: Yeah!! We left in such a hurry! I think there’s something really nasty going on there now. MORT: Wow, okay. ₵Ø₥Ɇ ₮Ø ₥Ɇ, ₵ⱧłⱠĐ. ł ⱤɆ₴łĐɆ ł₦ ₮ⱧɆ ₵Ɽ₳₮ɆⱤ. MORT: …

RUNE: Man, I don’t know… is it really that urgent? MORT: I dunno, I just think it would be great to get rid of the strange plant whispers in my head. They’re starting to bother me. A lot. RUNE: ….

RUNE: Do we even know where that crater is? ⱧɆ₳Đ ₦ØⱤ₮Ⱨ. MORT: Augh, it’s that freaky voice again… RUNE: Wait, voice?? MORT: Einarr pointed it out to me this morning and now it won’t shut up. RUNE: Is it from that whole possession thing? Did it tell you anything?

MORT: It wants us to head north??? RUNE: Is that where the crater is?

ɎɆ₴ MORT: Y-yes.

RUNE: Well. Alright. RUNE: I got you into this mess, I’m gonna get you out of it. Go find the others. I think we should try going there. Maybe there’s a cure. MORT: But the warnings??? RUNE: Screw those warnings, we can probably handle it anyway! What’s the worst that can happen? Death? We can’t die. We’re vampires, remember? MORT: I literally got possessed by a fruit last night. We’re not that immune to otherworldly nonsense. RUNE: Well, you still want to get rid of those whispers, right? We’ve got to find you a cure. ₦Ø!!! MORT: Yeah…. RUNE: Let’s find the others, alright? MORT: Alright.

They let the others know, and headed for the lab…

BAT: Wait, why am I here again? She was right, this place is super boring.

BAT: Bye, losers.

MORT: Huh. Something about a meteor impact? No wonder we’re in a crater. ⱧɆⱠⱠØ, ₵ⱧłⱠĐ. ł ₴ɆɆ ɎØɄ'VɆ ₵Ø₥Ɇ ₮Ø ₥Ɇ. MORT: Argh, shut up!

Back at home, Kvikindi decided to help out a little too. There are so many of these plants…

Einarr went to the motel as well, and managed to break into a certain locked room at the motel. Vampiric entrance and all that, you know.

RUNE: …we gotta figure out what’s behind this door.

[nikatyler]

You might have seen me complain about this “graduation thing” that I had to write. (my English teacher actually called it a thesis, but that sounds too fancy in my opinion lol. I just...can’t see myself writing a thesis...yet. Language is funny.) Well, IT IS DONE. I CAN BREATHE NOW. I have some more things to finish before my graduation exams, and then I have to learn all the topics for the exams but for now, everything is fine. I’ll worry about this later. Speaking of exams and everything, I have one last month of high school left. When did that happen? There are the exams in May, uni entrance exams in June...and then I’m off to the so called adulthood. Help??

Let’s talk about sims for a bit...well, I’d love to but I’m almost never playing anymore. There’s no time. I’ll probably play BPR this weekend, as per usual. I guess I’ll start posting it in like June or July, so that will be almost a year since I started playing it. It’s going to be great, I promise. Well, the beginning already makes me cringe, but the things I’m doing now are fun. Kinda cringey too, but I feel like I can justify that since that’s cringey on purpose haha.

Replies now. There’s a lot of them because I don’t do these regularly anymore oops. It’s probably not everything because my activity feed hides stuff from me. I just know it. Smh tumblr

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Sammy: … Lydia: “Come on.” Sammy: “These…these two guys. They laughed...”

Can't believe I'm about to throw hands with some teenagers I haven't even met lol

Same lol. They won’t even ever show up but I hate them so much

myopiccc replied to your photoset “Lydia: “They should mind their own business! Sammy, listen to me now....”

I'm on your side Lydia!

She has a good valid point but if I could talk about this to her I would probably try to stop her too. She doesn’t think about the consequences haha

create-a-sim replied to your photoset “Sim Request: Michelle Emmons for @alfalfalegacy I do this thing that...”

she's soooo cute!!

Thank youuu! I really like how she turned out too!

melien replied to your post “post nsb”

Anon told you to post nsb so you should immediately go play and post nsb because your blog exists exclusively for their personal pleasure and entertainment! No excuses!!

Wait until they find out I want to post BPR next. Another sims 3 save. SCANDALOUS. HOW DARE I PLAY ANYTHING THAT ISN’T OUR LORD AND SAVIOR THE SIMS 4™. Sorry I read a post comparing ts3 and ts4 a few days ago and I’m still salty.

Anon pls don’t start a riot

melien replied to your photoset “Annabeth: “Uh…I think your face is stuck.” Regan: “Didn’t you know...”

I second this! It's kinda creepy when it happens

It’s too much. If they smiled a little less, I probably wouldn’t mind but this is just creepy. It kinda reminds me of that Momo thing that was everywhere on the internet a few months ago. My sister showed me a picture and uhh...I didn’t need to see that.

melien replied to your photoset “Adam: “Why can’t you be more like your siblings?” Lydia: “Umm, dad,...”

She's a modern day Tyler I guess

Sort of, yeah. Tyler kinda fakes it I’d say, he’s not as dumb as he’s trying to seem. It’s a role he chose to play for reasons. Which...probably makes him dumb in a way but oh well. Lydia...I don’t want to say she’s dumb because she’s not really, but there’s a slight difference between her and Tyler haha. I could talk about this a lot.

melien replied to your post “I`d looove to make ships with other people however I`m not completely...”

It's fine! Showing them in the legacy is more than enough. With people who I have the most ships with, we do discuss them, but it's not like 24/7 headcanon exchange, it just happens naturally whenever either of us has an idea. There's no right way to act when you have a ship with someone, so you're good! It's still much better than one-sided ship when the other person just isn't interested.

I’m the kind of person who would like to have everything clear, possibly broken down to a step-by-step tutorial haha. Even though I know some things don’t work like that. So naturally, stuff like talking to people confuses me a lot. Also, teamwork! I don’t know how to do it. Depending on who I’m working with, I’ll either be the one who does all the decisions or the one who nods and agrees with everything the partner says. Communication is hard, basically.

I think that here, another big problem with me is that I hate spoilers and I don’t want to spoil anything to anyone ever. Even if they probably have the right to know first. But hey, all the current ships I have with other people have been shown, maybe I’ll feel more comfortable doing it now?

melien replied to your photoset “Didn’t I tell you to go inside? “Omg muuuuum leave me alone.”

Caleb: okay

Caleb: *rises from his grave* “Don’t disrespect me, son-in-law.”

melien replied to your photoset “Hey hi hello I know everyone is busy downloading Strangerville right...”

Super late here but Myra and everyone else look great! ��

Thank! I’ve been thinking about updating the entire tree again though, giving everyone new pictures, so who knows how long this will stay whoops.

melien replied to your post “Why do y'all open sim requests when I have no use for more sims. �� I...”

Same :/ I want sims from everyone but I just know I won't use them anywhere in the nearest future and I don't want to put pressure on myself

Looking back, I’m actually glad I requested all these sims for gen 6 because it kept me going. I knew I had to get through the hard too-many-sims-in-the-household part because I wanted to show them in the end. 

I hate when people request sims and then never ever use them anywhere. Don’t get me started on “hey I want to start a new legacy, please give me spouses for all ten generations”, followed a few days/weeks later by “hey guys sorry, I’m not that interested in this legacy, I’ll be starting a new one” - and the cycle starts over again. Why would anyone do that? Just ask for a gen 10 sim when you get there, it’s not that hard to wait.

I mean, here’s what I’m doing right now - I’ve created a peach spouse for my bpr sim months ago, they haven’t even met in the legacy yet, but I’d already love to have the orange sim for the next generation because I’m so excited about this all at the moment. Am I going to ask someone now? Hell no. I didn’t play this legacy for like six months and even though I love it so much lately, there’s a chance I’ll lose interest in it again. I’ll ask for an orange sim when I’ll know I can do gen 3...it’s gen 3 right. Oh well.

melien replied to your photoset “I forgot this interaction existed. I don’t do weddings too often. My...”

Is this a wedding-specific interaction? I feel like I haven't seen it in my game yet but idk for sure

Yes! I think they can only do it with that moodlet they get as soon as they get married.

melien replied to your photoset “Lydia the…wait, I need a really good superhero name. Ah, I’ll think...”

Lydibug

Uhhhh, the other day I thought about how Eielyd (switched i/y because of her name, I know it’s eyelid) would be a really stupid nickname for her but Lydibug actually sounds cool aaaand it’s now canon she loves Miraculous Ladybug.

melien replied to your photoset “Lydia: “I’m gonna make fun of every asshole in this town. Starting...”

Ooooooooo good luck getting out of this one

Whoopsie

Something similar actually happened to me in elementary school, my friend and I were talking about which colour we want our house be when we’re adults and then I said something like: “I don’t know but I definitely don’t want it to be yellow! Yellow houses are ugly.” And she goes: “My house is yellow.” My face turned red and I started shaking because I thought I had offended her sooo badly. I remember I got out of it saying something like: “Your house is okay, I just don’t like the bright yellow ones.” I don’t know what I had against yellow houses, to be fair. But I didn’t like them.

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Sammy: “How was your day, Will?” Will: “Good. Very good. You need to...”

Oh my god Will ����

Don't jump ahead in the plot lol

Since he plays so much with magic, maybe he’s seen the future haha

autistichatkid replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

rose!!! idk exactly when but i believe miracle was a child and tyler had long hair

alfalfalegacy replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

Came in just before Miracle's gen started and have stayed ever since!!

lalunebleue replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I first started following when you were doing the ts3/ts4 crossover story with Zoe. That was a really cool idea.

kyveria replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

right at the beginning of your nsb legacy, and I thought it was the best one! ��

harmoniouspixels replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I found your blog around the time Caleb was pregnant with Miracle and the mommy jokes from Tyler began (I could’ve been following earlier, but I distinctly remember that)

simlovinggirl replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I found you on Gen 5 of your Rose Legacy. Miracle's story still pulls at my heart ♥

autumndiesirae replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I think I got your blog on my recommended feed during Ross' transformation in NSB

whysimstho replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I was looking up nsb stories to read, and I found the breeze legacy which was around when Ross was still a child. Then I noticed your sims 3 posts and was like "oo that looks cool" so I started reading them from the beginning too lol

desira-sims replied to your post “Hi guys, I have a question �� I know some of you have been here...”

I came across a Caleb and Ross post. I then proceeded to binge read your nsb until I had caught up.

This post lowkey backfired. I asked just because I was curious and suddenly there I was, reading the comments and sobbing because this is so cool and basically, I love and appreciate you all so much guys, you have no idea.

I guess it’s one thing knowing you see someone in your activity feed all the time, and the other thing is actually remembering when you’ve started seeing them and how much they’ve seen. It’s insane.

It’s also interesting to see how I feel about many of these things now (Zoey and Miracle’s storylines are the greatest example) and then here you are still saying it was good...makes me wonder if I’m too hard on myself. I’m never satisfied with everything!

kymmaisims replied to your post “Plans for this week and other rambling”

Take your time! We understand ��

It’s going to be a few hard months now...but hopefully I’ll be able to do it!

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Annabeth: “Consider yourself invited, Micah.”

!!!

Here we finally gooooo

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Cassandra: “That was the dumbest romcom I’ve seen in a while.” Sammy:...”

The way Sammy looks at her in this post is really cute :')))

PROTECT

pxelblobs replied to your post “Nope! Not at all. I did not just read all 377 pages of your Rose...”

I did! It took a few days but it inspired me to play a non berry save.

Yay, I’m happy to hear that!

kymmaisims replied to your post “In case you were wondering why there were no timezone reblogs today: I...”

*cough* poses *cough* ������ Congrats on almost reaching a milestone! You deserve it!

Thank you! Three more followers left. That’s insane. I still feel the same way I did when I only had like 100 followers.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset

No, Miracle don't return to the aliens right now! You still have teens to raise! And a husband.

That would have been kinda cool if it happened, wouldn’t it? You’re not ready for what actually happened. Haha...haha...hahaha...just you wait, it starts today.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “Calypso Heather for @sinfulwunders’s Melanie BC A long time ago,...”

Oh. My. God is she cool!

Thank you! I knooow, I love her so much *-* I tried doing some things differently this time and it was so worth it.

justkeeponsimming replied to your photoset “Look, she deserves a break. She freaking raised six children.”

She looks so adorable OMG

She does! My opinion on her has changed a lot through the years (I mean, she’s not my most favourite sim anymore, I don’t think her storyline was the best thing I’ve ever done etc), but nothing will change the fact that she’s the cutest sim I have.

harmoniouspixels replied to your post “˜ºï¸ Caleb Vatore”

Re Number 2: Yes, you're right! He's shown being romantic with women and then a guy in the vampire pack's trailer. We stan a canon bisexual icon

Ahh I knew I didn’t make it up! We stan a canon bisexual icon indeed

alfalfalegacy replied to your photoset “Will: “A real fairy!” ??: “Huh?” Will: “I mean…oh my god. I’m sorry....”

Will's a big mood though. Cause I too would see a fairy and then immediately blurt something out like that ��

I wouldn’t blurt it out, probably (I don’t talk irl lmao), but I’d do something equally embarrassing and my reaction would be probably the same. I’d run away and feel bad about it.

tiny-tany-thaanos replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

Happy birthday, the Breezes! ❤️��❤️

fataleromeo replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

I love these edits! ����

froggypixel replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

This is so freakin cool��❤️❤️

justkeeponsimming replied to your photoset “One Year of Breeze NSB Legacy! On this day one year ago, as soon as I...”

ronnie these edits are SO cute! I love love love what you did with the screenshots in the background!

Thank you guys! ♥ ♥ I didn’t know what to do, so I just took some simple couple pictures and then I thought wait a minute...I could put screenshots from the two finished generations in the background!

I kinda wanna do the same thing for Rose Legacy which turns three years old this April, but I hate editing ts3 pictures - mainly because the alpha hair is a bitch to edit, at least for me. I’m pretty good at faking it, but I actually don’t know much about Photoshop :D Once again, thank you guys.

[dreamsofanenigma]

C H . 2 - Errand Girl.

Week 2, Friday, 11am. Location: Strangerville.

Stepping out into a dreaded heatwave that seemed to wrap around her like a sticky blanket had Holly urging to take an hour long shower. Granted, Strangerville wasn't the complete dust bowl she envisioned, the town harbored a certain charm that would leave a lasting impression, but to someone like Holly who was used to a cooler climate including four seasons, it was awful. Cactus' seemed to line every street as she added in a little extra for the taxi driver due to such a long trip and made her way into town. She used her hand to block out the melting rays, kicking herself for forgetting her sunglasses, and scanned the area. She swallowed thickly, her parched throat like sandpaper against the torrid air, and finally spotted what she came for.

The sun shines even more brightly here, or is it just my eyes?! What a huge contrast to Forgotten Hollow, I really wish I'd come better prepared.

On the way she passed a bar with several Sims milling around and dancing inside, and made a mental note to stop there for a drink when she finished shopping. After standing in line for what felt like hours and finally leaving the store she noticed that the general atmosphere in the town is clearly off. She couldn't place it, but everyone appeared to be walking on eggshells and sneaking glances when she passed. It also didn't help that she kept seeing Military personnel everywhere she turned. Holly tried to ignore the feeling that she’s stepping into some unknown land as she ventured inside the red bricked building. All conversations ceased, glasses no longer clinked, and the music abruptly shut off upon her arrival.

The customers had completely stopped whatever they were doing and spared a glance at Holly, who thought they probably don't get a lot of visitors on this side of town. Dust particles circled in the air as time came to a standstill. Thankfully everyone resumed their activities the second she took a seat. Alien stickers and various souvenirs lined the back of the bar, coupled with eccentric paintings lining the walls.

"You stayin' long?" The bartender asked curiously, intrigued by the newcomer.

"Uh, no. Just running some errands." Holly smiled politely, she barely remembered ordering that fruity drink, all she could think of at the moment was the cool liquid soothing her throat.

"Good. You know, you're free to do what you want, obviously, but I'd advise you to think twice about moving here." The bartender said in a low voice. Why did she care if anyone heard them? Were the houses built improperly?

"Why do you say that?"

"Now, what's this talk about moving in?" A man in uniform said approaching the bar and effectively cutting their small talk short.

"Same old same old, just grilling our newbie here. She's from the city," The bartender lied, looking sheepish at Holly, who was in fact from Brindleton Bay. “The usual, Brenden?"

"You know it!" He made a finger gun hand gesture before grinning cheekily. Holly began to noticed that this Brenden guy was a bit obnoxious, like he's just a little too happy.

Holly, almost forgetting the other Sims were still here, had downed the drink and was instead enjoying the steady rhythm of some new country beat thumping from the jukebox. Her gaze landed on a painting on the opposite wall, it took her a minute to realize it was moving, almost in time with the clock attached. It was hypnotizing in a way, Holly begin to feel calm just by looking at it.

Or it maybe it was caused by the chilled beverage running through her veins.

"I believe that picture was here before any of us," Said a voice above all the other senseless chatter. Holly turned to see another man dressed in army attire, though he appeared to be of a lower rank than Brenden. "But that's only a legend."

"Legends have to start somewhere." For the first time since arriving in Strangerville, she can feel the corners of her mouth lifting into a genuine smile, which he returned and extended his hand in greeting.

"Easton."

"Holly." She took a seat on the stool across from him. The bar was loaded with characters she'd never dreamed to see elsewhere. The different hair colors, clothes, and personalities clashed with her previous view of a simple life while residing in Strangerville.

"Ask for her number already, East, don't be scared!" Brenden said through laughter, nudging his friend. He'd had a few drinks too many and Holly was more than ready to go.

"I'll never double date with you again." Easton retorted, humoring him. Brenden was a good man who does whatever he can to keep the community and SimNation safe, but everyone has their weakness.

"Hey, I'll remember that on Monday." Brenden gave another chuckle before leaving them alone and starting on his fourth beer, Easton made sure to ask one of his co-workers to escort him home later.

A blonde woman in a white tank top and orange skirt suddenly sauntered in, she looked like one of those rich housewives who have nothing better to do than argue Holly saw a couple times on TV. It wasn't until the woman ordered a round for the group sitting next to them and introduced herself that Holly realized who she is.

"Nancy, good to see you." Easton and Nancy shared a look, Holly figured there was history between them but didn’t want to push her luck. Everyone knew the Landgraabs owned most of SimNation, and to get on their bad side is a huge mistake.

"So tell me, Holly, what brings you here? Not any conspiracies, I hope." Nancy inquired jokingly, but Holly's interest was piqued. "I just mean with all the incidents recently -"

"Actually, Holly and I were just leaving. Weren't we?" Easton shot her a pleading glance, he was thankful the rest of his comrades were too engrossed in conversation to notice.

"Yeah, he promised to show me the Library. I wanted to know more about the history of the place." Holly added with a nod, she hoped it didn't come off as too rude. Nancy took the hint while giving them a tight lipped smile, ever the cultured that one, and said her goodbyes.

Once outside Easton grabbed her hand, leading her towards the back of the building and well out of earshot. He couldn't believe Nancy would be so careless. Besides, there was no way she had any idea what actually happened that day, let alone in the Lab.

"Easton, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, but if you go around asking questions... just promise me you won't go around asking people about any weird things you may hear. This place has its name for a reason."

"Why should I promise anything? I met you thirty minutes ago."

"Because you're a pretty famous upcoming model and I'd hate to see you in over your head, or your career ruined." Which is the truth, however, he actually did want to ask her out. Neither option could happen if she some how found herself 'detained', or worse.

"Easton, please help me understand what's going on. You're not making a lot of sense. Yeah, I've seen a few oddballs and heard a lot about conspiracies lately, but what is with all the secrecy?"

"It isn't that simple, Holly, I wish it was.” Easton took a deep breath before letting it out in one solid woosh. Should he tell her and risk losing his job? To a stranger, no less? It isn’t like he knew much about her, just a couple Simstagram photos and such he ran across on the weekends he has off to surf the web. But was it really worth telling her about the Lab? He honestly didn’t want to see someone innocent getting hurt because they stuck their nose into a situation far beyond them at the wrong time.

“There's an abandon Lab on the other side of town. One that may contain something dangerous... I don't know exactly when it started and I can't offer details, but please, stay away from that place. The weird plants growing around the Lab, they have spores that can cause some kind of infection. I’m not sure what it is and I've only seen the effects of it happen once, to a scientist that was part of a research group funded by a government organization. But after the accident they hauled him away so fast I never got a good look. We were not, and are not, to talk about it."

Holly could not believe what she was hearing. Why would the Military need to hide something potentially dangerous from civilians? And why plants? What were those scientists doing in the first place? Why couldn't this just be a normal day of shopping? Why did she have to move in with fucking Vampires?!

Okay... calm down, Holly. Remember what your mom used to say when things became too stressful and you couldn't think straight. Keep a positive outlook. Don't let the little things overwhelm you, just focus on the important bits and the puzzle pieces will eventually fit to become a bigger picture.

"Then come with me."

"What? Holly I told you -"

"Yes, you did," Holly boldly took his hand, hoping she knew what the hell she was getting herself into. "But maybe it's time to shed some light on why this is happening, and possibly go on a little adventure of our own?"

Easton mulled it over, what if they did play investigator for a while? What could it hurt? His superiors didn't have to know and he was at least ninety percent sure they wouldn't find anything except some old news clippings and discarded ramen cups, provided they even made it into the Lab without authorization. Not that he’s going to mention any of this to her.

"We'll need to be careful, but I think I know the right Sims to get in touch with," Holly was surprised she managed to convince him. She started to agree with his method just as his friends called to him from across the parking lot. "Hey, I'll text you later."

"How? I didn't give you my number." Holly said when he jogged off towards their direction, his friends were excited about going to a party later that night.

"Don't worry, I have connections!"

Holly sighed and shook her head, intent on heading for the Library. May as well do some quick research while she's here. After an eventful day like this, it was nice to take some R&R. That was until Easton met her on the sidewalk a few minutes later, jogging backwards with a goofy grin on his face.

"Yeah, I lied; I actually do need your number."

[a-strange-sim-fic]

It's All a Little Strange

Chapter One

"Your dad know you're here?"

"Hey Erwin, can I get another book? Dad trashed my last copy."

"Beck, you're not supposed to be here. If your dad finds out-"

"What? He'll ground me, again?" I rolled my eyes and slammed my money on the counter. The curio shop owner sighed and rummaged through his bins to look for my book.

A guest of wind passed by, kicking up some dust. When it cleared, I could see on of those crazy plants growing in the distance.

"I swear, if your dad finds out I sold you another copy-"

"Erwin, relax. I'll say I got it from a kid at school," I reassured him. He didn't seem convinced. "Seriously, Dad won't find this one. Promise."

I hopped on my bike to head home as Erwin shouted something about me saying that the last time. Blah, blah, blah. It was another dark, gloomy day, as always. If I tried hard enough, I could almost remember when the sky was blue. Almost.

Ever since I was little, our town was trapped under a mysterious dark cloud that barely let an ounce of sunlight through. I rode through the dusty desert, passing Jess Sigworth and a few other soldiers going into the Salty 8 Saloon.

She saluted me as I passed, glancing behind me towards Erwin and his little pop up curio shop.

Dammit.

She was sure to tell my father that I'd been down here again. She worked under my him, as one of his sergeants, but she's my mother's friend. Or at least, she was, until my mother disappeared.

I was nearly to the top of the hill, I could see the shiny gates to our community reflecting in the dull light. But, it wasn't Rusty the security guard at the gate. It was my dad.

"Beck, where have you been? You are grounded, you're not supposed to even leave the house. When I found out you weren't in your room-"

"You were in my room?" I shouted. "That is my private space, dad. You get the whole house, you promised-"

"To stay out? Yes I did," my father sighed, lifting my bike into the back of his pick up. "Don't worry, your thirteen locks on the basement door work just fine."

"Fifteen actually," I corrected.

"Beckleigh, you are the child and I am the parent, that is-"

"YOUR house, yes I know."

"You really need to stop interrupting me," he shouted. In his anger, he jerked the wheel and the truck bounced off the curb. He was furious with me, as always. Dad's been hot headed since even before my mother left. Always in a bad mood, always yelling at me about something.

We were finally home, and before he could place the truck in park, I was already jumping out and rushing to my room in the basement.

Dad had finished it off for me as a birthday gift when I turned 16. I guess it was his way of making it up to me that I had no mom, or he thought such a cool room would keep me home, instead of poking around town for clues about my mom.

"She's gone," he'd say. "Just leave it at that."

But it couldn't be so simple, could it? My mom loved me, I even thought she might have actually loved him too. She followed him here from Brindelton Bay when he was assigned a new military base, though she had nothing of her own. Well, except me.

She would spend her whole day at home with me, playing games and cooking. She taught me to walk, talk, everything. Meanwhile, Dad would spend all of his time at work. When he was actually home, he was shut up in his office or the gym he installed in the attic.

Even as a toddler I could tell my mom was lonely. It wasn't until my mom met Jess and Leslie that she ever perked up.

I went over to the far side of my room and put pressure on the loose floorboard at the foot of my bed. Everything was still accounted for.

My spore scanner sat nestled next to some of the bugs I purchased from Erwin the week before. Carefully wrapped in an old handkerchief, a photo of my mother sat on top of my secret treasures. I swapped the photo for my new book and gingerly unwrapped it.

A couple years after she left, Dad had taken down all of her photos in a rage after a long day at work, throwing them in the trash. I managed to save a few, hiding them in the bottom of my toy chest at the time.

Gently stroking the glass, I admired my mother's hair taking up more than half the photo. It was so wild and big, I never understood how she managed to fit it under her cowgirl hat. Her big blue eyes sparkled, and only her smile could outshine them. The yellow dress she wore complimented her dark skin, and she looked like the sun glowing in the early morning. I pressed a kiss to my index finger and tapped it over her face before covering the photo back up.

"Love you, Mama," I whispered, placing the floorboards back in place. I checked my watch, realizing there were only a few hours left before my curfew was invoked.

"I'm going outside, want to squeeze in a few laps," I told my father in the kitchen, as he stirred something in a pot on the stove.

"You are not to-"

"Leave the yard, yea, I know," I interrupted, waving my beach towel at him. "I'll just be in the pool. You can see me from the kitchen window."

He grunted his permission, never once looking at me. Rolling my eyes, I went out the back door and slung my towel over my old monkey bar. I eased myself into the pool and began my laps, counting each one as it was completed. Ten a day, that was the goal. I'd follow up with whatever high protein dinner Dad was making and do my sit ups downstairs before bed.

"Early to bed, early to rise," Dad would always say while leading me to my bed every night at 8pm sharp. He'd wake me the next morning for our daily jog and double check that my homework was finished while we ate breakfast.

I was expected to keep my mind and body at the highest point of health. Straight A student that could bench press a semi was Dad's ideal child. While I wouldn't be lifting semis anytime soon, I could still hold my own in my boxing class or whenever Dad insisted on sparring practice.

Working out was the only time he ever really spent with me. He was a military man, as was his father before him and his father before him. There was a long, long line of Cardenas men serving their country, and being the first girl in the family did not excuse me from that tradition.

"Beck, it's seven. Inside, now," my dad's voice shouted from the back door, snapping me out of my thoughts. I dried myself off, going back into the house. After changing my clothes, I was sat at the old mahogany dining table, my father on the complete opposite end.

"You know, I'm probably the only teenager ever to have a seven o'clock curfew," I muttered. His eyebrows raised high enough they'd have disappeared into his hairline, if he had one. "It's not fair."

"Excuse me?" He grumbled, his eyes shooting daggers. I nearly expected to feel the sensation of being stabbed. "You have a curfew to establish routine, discipline. You need to be responsible for yourself when you enlist, you can't expect others to pick up your slack."

"That's fair," I agreed. "I'm not saying I shouldn't have a curfew, just maybe one that allows me to actually spend time with my friends?"

"Oh, you mean your friends like Erwin?" Dad scoffed, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "That clown is nothing but trouble. He keeps poking his nose into business that doesnt concern him, and he's going to pay for it one day. You can't allow yourself to be involved with someone like that."

"Erwin is a nice guy, and he's smarter than people think," I countered.

"He's a paranoid conspiracy theorist, he's a total loon!"

"He's my friend!"

By now, we were both shouting, pounding our fists on the table as we stood up in defiance of each other. Dad's face was red, his eyes narrowed and I could see that he was working out if it was worth it to smack me across the mouth.

I rushed to my room, closing the basement door behind me before he could follow. I latched all fifteen locks behind me.

___

"Oh this is disgusting, Beck," I heard my grandmother call out. "Beck! Beckleigh, mija!"

"What is it, what's wrong?" I called, rushing to the bathroom after her. She opened the door and I could see the, the purple vines snaking their way out of the sink. "Oh, they're back."

"They're back?" She repeated, passing a hand over eyes. "This is a thing that just happens?"

"Yea," I shrugged, opening the sink cabinet to pull out the pruning shears we kept for these exact instances. "All the time, actually. It's really bad the further into town you get."

"So the whole town just has vines growing from their sinks?"

"Well, some people get it in their showers and toilets too. "

"That's appalling," she shuddered, eyeing the vines with disgust.

"That's Strangerville," I shrugged again. "Abuela, it's always been this way. It would be weird if I suddenly didn't have to clear out vines everytime I needed to pee."

"Tell me you're joking."

It wasn't often that my grandparents came to visit. They didnt like the desert, or the strange weather, or weird, glowing purple plants that sprouted up all over town. It was so different from their home in Willow Creek, and different is bad apparently.

Today was a special occasion though, Dad's birthday. My grandmother insisted on coming to us and preparing a meal for her only child. While he and my grandfather sat in the living room, staring at the sports center on our tiny television set, I followed my grandmother into the kitchen.

"Mija, will you take these and chop for me please?"

"Abuela, I'm not much of a cook," I tried to excuse myself and pushed the cutting board and vegetables back towards her.

"And what does that have to do with chopping? Any idiot can use a knife," she scoffed. "Just make sure you cut evenly or nothing will cook the same. And avoid hitting any of your fingers."

We worked quietly beside each other, occasionally hearing one of the Cardenas men shouting at the tv, as if the athletes could hear them. When I was done cutting the vegetables, my grandmother set me up at the sink to clean the dishes she'd already used up in dinner prep.

"Always clean as you go, mija," she stated matter of factly. "Then you can enjoy the rest of your evening without worry."

I smiled back at her, happy to have the extra company in the house for once. Dad didn't really like for me to have my friends over, even just to study. He occasionally made an exception for Christie Sigworth, if she came with her parents.

We weren't exactly friends, but we got along. Jess would bring her along for playdates when she came over to gossip with my mother and Leslie Holland about what was happening in town. After mom left, Leslie stopped coming around. The Sigworth's always stood by us though, especially in the beginning.

As if my thoughts had summoning powers, the doorbell rang and Dad called out to me to get it. I opened the door to find Jess, her husband Dylan, and Christie. Jess held out a freshly baked honey cake and made her way to the living room with Dylan.

"Hey," I said, gesturing for Christie to follow me. We left the cake in the kitchen and made our way to my old swing set.

"How are those college apps going?" Christie asked, digging her toe into the ground as she swayed in the swing. "I heard back from Foxberry, early admissions."

"That's great," I mumbled, so tired of college talk. We were less than a year from graduating, but it hardly mattered. It wasn't like I was going to get to leave anyway. Military first, school later. "Have fun in Britechester."

We sat in silence a few minutes, looking towards the crater under the big, dark cloud. The early spring air was already warm, as it was almost all year long. The faint glow of the plants scattered across the desert lit up the landscape as far as we could see.

"Have you asked your dad yet?" Christie suddenly questioned. "About Sulani? Everyone's going, and Wolfgang asked about you."

"Oh did he? And what did Wolfgang Munch want to know about me?"

"If you're coming," she cried out exasperated. "I think he likes you."

"He just likes that I'm his science partner. Easy A."

"Don't be so modest," she dismissed me with a wave of her hand. "You make him so soft, everyone can see it. You should give him a chance!"

"And give my dad a heart attack?" I laughed, thinking of how my dad would handle his daughter dating a Renegade. "Sergio's head would actually implode. And then he'd come back to life just to kill me."

"Since when do you care about your dad's rules?"

I rolled my eyes as she wiggled her eyebrows at me, giggling. Silently, I agreed with her, knowing that she was completely right about it all. Wolfgang was cool, but he was kind of an idiot. Acted sweet when we worked on our labs, but a total jerk to everyone else. It was clear that he had a thing for me, and as satisfying as it would be to stick it to Dad, I couldn't bring myself to use him like that.

"I haven't asked him about Sulani," I tried redirecting the conversation. "Ditching school to go to the beach doesn't seem like something he'd go for."

"We're not ditching! It's over the weekend, he cant be mad about that."

"Oh, so you think I should ask him to have a Saturday off when I could be studying or training? Anytime away from books is ditching school to him."

"You're dad is such a buzzkill."

"Tell me about it."

Inside, around the dinner table Dad talked to Jess and my grandfather about work, while my grandmother talked to Dylan about some new recipes he should try.

"I really want to try my hand at pork adobo," Dylan told her. "I'm planning to get a fresh pig when I take the girls to Sulani this weekend."

"Whose going to Sulani?" My father demanded, his eyes boring into my skull. "Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?"

"Because I wasn't planning on going," I explained. "Christie and some kids from school are going to the beach, I guess Mr. Sigworth is the chauffeur."

I shrugged and focused once again on my food, trying to avoid eye contact and hoping Dad would turn his attention back to work talk. But he didn't.

"You should go," he suggested softly. My fork clattered against my plate as I dropped it in shock. Pure glee took over Christie's expression, and I could tell it took all of her being to avoid squealing. "You made a good point the other night, you should be able to spend time with your friends. A day at the beach sounds fun."

I stared in disbelief, not sure what to make of his offer. A full day spent on pleasure, and not on securing my future? A day of real, actual sunlight away from StangerVille? I was hardly allowed in my own yard after seven, but suddenly I'm allowed to leave town without being under his supervision?

"Oh my gosh, Wolfgang is going to be so thrilled - ouch!" Christie rubbed her shin where I had kicked her from under the table. I glared at her, jaw clenched. How could she be so stupid?

"Wolfgang Munch? Why would that delinquent care if you're there?" Dad's demeanor changed immediately, and he sat stiff in his chair.

"He won't," I tried to assure. "We're lab partners, if anything he'll just want to make sure I finished my half of the project."

It seemed to settle him enough that he didnt take back his permission and the previous conversations resumed. Christie continued looking at me gleefully while I shook my head.

《 masterlist

[katedoesfics]

StrangerVille | Chapter 5

Though Kenny didn’t necessarily reveal anything Jayson didn’t already suspect, it was confirmation enough that something was going on in that secret lab, and somehow, Mayor Roswell was involved with it all.

“It’s been a while,” Erwin said when Jayson approached him the next morning. “I thought maybe you got scared off.”

“No,” Jayson admitted. “The opposite. I’m afraid I’m in too deep now.”

Erwin smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“I figured a guy like you could help me break into that lab.”

Erwin hesitated. “Maybe I could. Why?”

“There’s a bunch of newspaper articles missing from the library.”

Erwin nodded. “Ah, yes. The… community… has had a hard time keeping tabs on those. There were a few blogs around, but they got deleted, and no one has heard from them in a while.” He paused. “You think there’s information in that lab?”

Jayson shrugged. “It’s worth a look.”

“Did you get a keycard?”

“Not yet.”

Erwin frowned. “We won’t be able to get very far. But I do know of a way in, assuming we can sneak past the guards.”

“I knew I could count on you.”

Erwin held his hands up defensively. “Woah, wait a minute. You’re on your own. I’ll tell you how to get in, but I ain’t going with ya.”

Jayson frowned. “Why not?”

“Uh, hello?” He gestured to himself. “I’ll get my ass thrown in jail if they catch me up there.”

“Then they won’t catch us.”

“You don’t need my help.”

“You don’t know that. What if I need to hack a computer or something?”

Erwin raised a skeptical brow. “What makes you think I can hack into a computer?”

“Can you?”

Erwin hesitated, then groaned. “Ugh. Fine! Fine. I’ll go with you. But you’re the one doing all the fighting, alright?”

“There won’t be fighting.”

“You better hope not,” Erwin muttered. “There’s an area at the back of the lab,” Erwin explained. “There’s a hole that’s boarded up, but it looks like it can easily be broken through. We can cut through the barbed wire fence there and, assuming we can steer clear of the security lights and cameras, get into the lab that way. We’ll just need to time it between guard shifts when no one is patrolling the back area.”

It was a plan. Jayson was in deep, and there would be no turning back once they put their plan into action. But as excited as Erwin was with their plan, he was level headed, and he told Jayson that it would be some time before they could get into the lab. Erwin went on about how he was going to study the schedule of the guards, memorize their routes and their shifts, and it all sounded very Hollywood to Jayson. But Jayson was a first timer at this sort of thing. Erwin had clearly seen enough movies to know what he was doing. Not that that made him qualified for this sort of illicit activity, but hey, it was more than Jayson had going for him.

And besides, Jayson had other plans. Plans that involved asking a certain damsel in distress out on a date.

“Well if it isn’t the conspiracy theorist,” Siobhan’s voice said when she answered his call. “I’m guessing you’re looking for my sister?”

Jayson smiled. “No, that would be weird.”

“Why would that be weird? I’m sure you have lots to talk about.”

“Because I’m calling to ask you out.”

The line was quiet for a moment.

“Or not,” Jayson started slowly.

Siobhan laughed. “What? No. Sorry. I mean. You just… surprised me.”

“Did you really think I was calling for your sister?”

“I dunno,” Siobhan said sheepishly. “I mean, it’s just funny, you know? You meet two random chicks who drag you around StrangerVille on some weird conspiracy theory mission and after three days they leave and one would figure that’s the end of that, especially after I give you my number and then don’t hear from you for a week and -”

“You’re rambling,” Jayson said. 

“I’m just saying!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I got… distracted with some things.”

“Conspiracy theory things?”

“Are you interested?”

“No,” Siobhan said quickly. “So, you were asking me out, right?”

“Yes,” Jayson said. “Uh. Yeah. If you want.”

“Well, I have to bring Morgan to a conspiracy theory addict meeting tonight, but I could cancel.”

“I dunno,” Jayson started playfully. “That sounds important.”

“Yeah, but we might need a bodyguard, so you might as well pick me up tonight at eight.”

“I think I can pencil you into my schedule,” Jayson said. “But I might have to be a bodyguard for someone else later tonight, so we can’t take too long.”

“Wow,” Siobhan started. “I didn’t take you for a player.”

“Just business,” Jayson teased.

“Alright then, Mr. Bodyguard. I’ll see you at eight.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

*****

It was precisely eight when Jayson pulled up in front of the house, and Siobhan was eagerly waiting outside. He didn’t have much experience with dating, but he knew a typical first date involved going out to eat. Siobhan, it seemed, had other ideas of their first date, and gave him a look of disapproval when he named off a few restaurants.

“I had pizza for lunch,” Siobhan said, dismissing yet another suggestion.

“Well, you’re just impossible,” Jayson said in defeat.

“Chinese food?”

“I had that last night.”

Siobhan sighed. “We did it,” she said. “We’re already at the point in the relationship where we can’t agree on what to eat.”

“It’s all downhill from here.”

Siobhan grinned. “How about burgers? I could go for a burger.”

“You’re a cheap date. Can’t argue with that.”

“I’ll have you know I have very fine tastes,” Siobhan said. “I won’t eat just any burger.”

Within fifteen minutes, Jayson had paid the stoned teen at the window for two burgers, two fries, and two large drinks, and parked in an empty lot that boasted a scenic outlook over the city. They sat together on the roof of the car, and Siobhan made a pleased sound as she bit into the burger.

“Fine tastes my ass,” Jayson said.

Siobhan shrugged. “And what did you have for dinner last night?”

“Cup-o-Noodles,” Jayson said sheepishly, and Siobhan laughed.

“This is fine dining for you, isn’t it?”

“It’s certainly cheaper than my original plan of trying to wine and dine you.”

Siobhan scoffed. “Please,” she said. “I’m beyond that point in my life. I don’t get impressed by fancy dinners.” She stretched her legs out. “This is much more my speed.”

“So, next time, how about noodles at the park?”

Siobhan laughed. “Planning date number two already? What if this doesn’t go well?”

Jayson shrugged. “You’re still here.”

Siobhan nodded thoughtfully. “So, how’s the conspiracy chasing going?” She grinned. “That’s really why I’m sticking around. Gotta get the scoop on the latest rumors.”

“Morgan hasn’t been keeping you in the loop?”

“She’s moved on to something else.”

“That’s disappointing,” Jayson said. “Because, you know, she was probably onto something.”

Siobhan glanced at him. “Oh, no,” she started. “You, too?”

“Of course not,” Jayson said. “I’m just the bodyguard, remember?”

“Did that Erwin kid hire you?”

“I think he has a crush on me.”

Siobhan laughed. “He has good taste in men.” She finished her burger. “So, fill me in. What’s that group of weirdos up to?”

Jayson hesitated, then shrugged. “Got some plans to break into that lab.”

“Think they’ll find anything good?”

“Maybe,” Jayson started. “Why else would they be keeping it all locked up and guarded?”

“And what are you gonna do? Kick some military butt?”

“Unlikely.”

“Well, you’re a useless bodyguard, then.”

“I told him that when he hired me.”

Siobhan laughed. “Well, don’t get beat up too much,” she said. “You owe me a second date. Noodles at the park, right?”

They chatted as the night went on, covering all the basic topics that would be talked about on a first date. They discussed their favorite movies and shows, their childhood dreams and aspirations, and even debated the existence of aliens and vampires. Of course, there wasn’t much to debate when neither of them believed in the existence of either, though Jayson couldn’t help but to speculate on the possibility of aliens and how it connected to the weird things happening in StrangerVille. Though, he merely speculated, unwilling for Siobhan to know just how interested he was in it all.

Their evening together quickly came to a close, and Jayson found himself walking Siobhan to her front door to bid her a good night.

“I’d offer to let you come in,” Siobhan started, “but due to financial reasons -” She didn’t have a chance to finish, however, as the door was flung open, revealing Morgan.

“Back so soon?” she said with a grin.

Siobhan reached behind her and pulled the door closed with a slam. “I still live at home.” she offered him a sheepish and apologetic smile.

“If I had known that, I would have offered to take you to my place.”

“Right to the chase, huh?” she said with a grin. “That’s more like third date talk.”

Jayson considered this thoughtfully for a moment. “So, does that mean, like, the night of the third date, or does it have to be three full dates, and then the night after the fourth?”

Siobhan laughed. She stood on her tiptoes, her lips meeting his for a warm, soft moment before pulling away. “You think too much.” She turned and opened the door, slipping inside and wishing him goodnight before the door closed.