#first with jump and now with pointy objects and it just Makes me so emotional and sappy and just really makes me feel good

[gontagokuhara]

JUST RECEIVED SOME OF THE NICEST AND MOST THOUGHTFUL AND DEEPLY IMPACTFUL FEEDBACK ON MY WRITING I’VE EVER GOTTEN I’M SO EMOTIONAL OH MY FUCKING GOD

[sparrowsupportgroup]

love & crafts | 1383 words

ais/reader

notes: gn!reader, the unnamed mc. Happy birthday Ais!

The Seaspring was so beautiful despite its terrible power, sparkling so bright like the stained glass windows that resided in the remote temple where you were raised, violently red yet serene. If you were the naïve fool that everyone thought you were, you would’ve jumped in without a care in the world, you would’ve done anything, anything, to cleanse yourself of the twisting, sickening feeling that’s plaguing your stomach. But instead, you sit on a well-worn cushion on the wooden deck of the Seaspring, anxiously gripping onto a teacup as if it was a lifeline, refusing to look directly at a certain smirking, infuriating, beautiful demon man that sat across from you.

“You look tense, sparrow.”

“I’m fine. Really.”

“You’re gonna break my teacup. Not fine.”

You blink owlishly at Ais, before relaxing your death grip on the rather frail cup. You avert your eyes away from him, not only out of embarrassment but also to avoid relishing in the gentle quirk of Ais’s lips, to avoid openly marveling at the way his crimson eyes crinkle at the corners when he’s filled with genuine mirth, to avoid confronting the strange fact that he made you feel….things. Good things.

You nibble on your lips, desperately wishing you had the charming courage of Leander or even the sleazy bravado of Vere to make this situation somewhat easier on your antsy nerves. “��.I have a gift. For you.”

“Hm, what was that, sparrow?” Ais canted his head in your direction with concentration, as if he couldn’t hear what you said, but even without looking at him, you could just sense the heavy smugness that radiated off his entire being. Of course, he heard what you said. With those (frustratingly adorable) pointy ears of his, Ais could hear you sneeze in your room at The Wet Wick.

Your meekness quickly burns away to irritation. Ais always knew how to get a rise out of you, after all. “I SAID,” you spit, your bandaged hands springing towards the messenger bag resting by your side, angrily digging through its contents, “I have a gift for you!”

You hastily yank the object of your current distress out of the bag, ready to toss the damned thing at his horned head, but you freeze. Anxiety was seeping into your veins again and you quickly huddled Ais’s present close to your chest as if it could protect you from the emotional devastation of his inevitable rejection.

This time it was Ais’s turn to blink at you, before raising an eyebrow in cool intrigue. “A gift.”

“Yes,” you lowered your eyes to stare at the shimmering dark liquid of your teacup, “F-for your birthday.” Your voice lost all of its previous heat; now it was nothing more than a soft, fragile feather floating on the surface of the Seaspring. Ais didn’t say anything at first; realistically, he might’ve been silent for a couple of seconds, but to your anxiety-induced brain, his silence could’ve stretched for hours upon hours.

Then, in that low, commanding voice of his that you have come to both love and loathe, Ais said, “Give it to me.”

But you just held onto his present tighter, excuses spilling from your mouth like water, “You won’t even like it-”

“Please.”

Please. Words died in your throat immediately. You stared at Ais in startled awe, your eyes drinking in every inch of his face. The once fearsome, sharpened angles of his countenance that could and would happily slice someone open were soft, raw, almost demure. Please. Ais hardly ever said that word. But he said it to you, of all people; he said it to you…so kindly. So tenderly.

And one of his hands, so large and calloused, so scarred from the violence he had committed and endured over the years before you even entered his life, was stretched out, palm upward. A gentle pleasantry. A silent plea. A hopeful prayer. “Please,” he whispered, and your resolve instantly crumpled.

You felt like crying.

You gingerly placed the shoddily-wrapped gift in his awaiting palm. Ais took it from you and began to unwrap it, almost reverently, and oh Allmother, you could hear your heartbeat in your eardrums.

Once the last of the wrapping fell away, now a pile of red scraps gathered around his forgotten teacup, Ais just stared at the gift you were too ashamed to give him; an amigurumi version of his beloved Soulless pet Princess, in all her many-tendriled, multiple red-eyed glory.

Your hands needed something to fidget with, so you reached for your teacup and downed its contents in one graceless gulp. But your mouth felt so dry still; it felt so dry that you considered drinking from the blood-red waters of the Seaspring, loss of sanity be damned.

But instead, you did what you do best; you rambled to the point of tears.

“I heard Leander say today was your birthday,” you rush out, your words tripping over themselves, “and so I decided to crochet you a gift because birthdays are made for gifts and you deserve a gift and you love Princess so much and I’m sorry if you don’t like it, I really am-”

“….Thank you, sparrow. Thank you.”

Ais looked at you so warmly that you’re surprised you didn’t melt right on the spot. “I’ll protect it with my life,” he said, his voice still a tender yet strong murmur, and if you didn’t have any dignity left, you’d launch yourself over his tea kettle and teacups and hold onto him and never, ever let him go.

But those fantasies were going to remain as fantasies today. You smile at Ais shyly, “...I’m really glad you like it.”

Ais hummed appreciatively and placed the Princess amigurumi onto his lap. For the next couple of minutes, the two of you sat in comfortable, blissful silence.

Until Ais flashed a familiar mischievous, fanged grin in your direction. Your heart started to race all over again. Oh, Allmother.

“You know, this gift was the least you could do, after what you did to me,” Ais said, his eyes twinkling with dark joy. You blink rapidly, squinting your eyes at him in confusion. “Wh-what I did to you? What are you even talking about?”

As if showing off his most prized possession, Ais proudly flaunted his other hand to you, and a hot, mortified feeling quickly devoured any inkling of happiness that had made your heart sing previously.

It was the nasty bitemark that you blessed him with that one muggy night in the alleyway after he brutalized the roughneck that shoved you. You still felt ashamed that you let yourself lose control of your baser instincts like some type of hungry savage, so in your horrified shock, you dropped the teacup you were holding and watched as it splintered into a thousand glittering pieces upon the deck of the Seaspring.

Your mouth opened and closed like a dying fish; how you wish you could die right now, either by your hand or by Ais’s. Panicked, you began to gather the shards in shaking hands, apologizing profusely. “Oh Allmother, I’m so sorry, Ais, I didn’t mean-”

The sound of Ais’s hearty chuckles stopped you dead in your tracks. You tentatively glance upwards, and to both your amazement and relief, Ais was laughing. Ais was smiling. Ais was happy.

And your heart soared.

Ais grinned at you, mirth crinkling the corner of his eyes in the very manner you cherished so much. “A gift and a show for my birthday. Thanks again, sparrow.”

Outwardly, you rolled your eyes in exasperation, but inside you could’ve cried tears of real joy. “I’m so glad my misery makes you happy, you bastard.”

Ais was still chuckling when he came over to assist you in cleaning up the mess you made. “It does.”

Deftly, Ais collected the shards without nary a nick on his fingers. When that was done, he sat next to you, looking at you so warmly you just basked in his gaze for a little while.

Until he dared to open his mouth again.

“Maybe for my next birthday, you could get me some new teacups, hm?”

“....I hate you so much.”

Ais smiled at you tenderly. “I know.”

[casspurrjoybell-29]

Forgotten Ties - Chapter 2 - Part 1

*Warning Adult Content*

Skye didn't remember how he'd ended up in the group home or his first couple of days there.

The first clear memory he did have of this place was waking up early in the morning to the sounds of a child crying and peeking up over the edge of the top bunk to watch Nim sleep.

He'd then shoved a hand into the thick, black waves of Nim's hair, Nim had startled awake and Skye had dashed out of the room before he could be caught.

He still felt like he was moving around half awake, a simple yet cunning creature with simple needs, most of them relating to food.

There was plenty of that here.

Not all of it was the easiest for his small, pointy teeth to make their way through but that had always been the case.

He managed.

Food had changed a lot since the last time he'd been awake.

Everything was so much more complicated now.

He'd eaten multiple boxes of cereal at this point and he still didn't know what it actually was.

It was fruity but it definitely wasn't a fruit.

He'd probably eaten all of these things before of course, he just hadn't thought about any of it and now he couldn't remember doing it.

Where had he been living up until now?

It didn't really matter.

If it had mattered, he wouldn't have still been in the fog until now.

Skye was weird and he had no manners but at least he was quiet and mostly kept to himself.

He wasn't scared of Nim.

Not one bit, no matter how intensely Nim glowered at him.

Nim's size and presence was usually enough to make the other kids respect him but Skye didn't seem bothered by it.

Skye had been there about a week when Nim got home from school to find him hunched over in the corner of Nim's bed, munching his way through a bag of pork rinds.

"Hey," Nim said as he tossed his school bag aside.

"Get off my bed."

Skye turned towards Nim and shoved another piece of pork rind into his mouth as he watched him.

It was hard to tell how simple minded he was.

At first Nim would have said very but over time the spark of intelligence in his eyes seemed to have grown.

Nim pointed to the ground.

"Off."

Skye considered the command for a moment and then shook his head.

"You move or I make you move."

"Oh."

Skye shoved the last of the pork rinds into his mouth and then lay flat on his back on the bed.

"Make me move."

Nim hadn't expected his bluff to be called but Skye rarely seemed to do what he expected.

Nim heaved out a sigh.

He didn't want to get physical but if Skye was going to force him...

The bed creaked under his weight as he climbed up onto the top bunk and knelt next to Skye.

He took hold of Skye's shoulder, yanked and found himself jarring his own shoulder when Skye didn't budge.

He pulled again, putting more muscle into it this time and the bed groaned under their combined weight.

Skye just stared up at him with his big, curious eyes.

"Get off," Nim said.

Skye didn't move.

Nim lifted his hand and made a fist, holding it pointed in the direction of Skye's face.

"Get. Off."

For the first time, real emotion stirred on Skye's face.

He didn't shy away but he did look hurt and confused as he stared at the fist that was being aimed at him.

Nim dropped his hand back down to his side and let out a sigh.

"Just... please get off. This tiny rectangle of space is the only thing I have that's mine. Please just let me have it."

"Okay," Skye said as he rolled over and then jumped off the side of the bed.

Despite his immovable weight a moment ago, the bed didn't seem to object to his movements and he landed silently.

For once, Nim had felt like he'd gotten through to Skye, so he was even more disappointed when he got home from school two days later to find Skye on his bed again.

"Off," Nim said.

Skye lay down on his back and stretched out.

"We could share."

Even looking him dead in the eye, it was impossible to guess what might be going through Skye's head.

Was that flirting or was it just Skye being weird?

"No. We've talked about this. I want my fucking bed to myself, Skye."

"Fine."

Skye hopped off the bed and strutted his way out of the room.

When Nim got up onto his bed and lay down, something crinkled.

He lifted the pillow to find that Skye had stashed a bag of marshmallows under it.

Well, they were Nim's marshmallows now.

He didn't get enough meat in his diet and they were close enough.

[riverdale-retread]

Riverdale S5 E8 Lock & Key

5 Things I loved/ 3 Things to Consider

I loved this:

1. THE KEY PARTY was excellent and ultra high stratospheric camp, that you can only appreciate if you really know the show.  Achieving this tone- ‘this isn’t how things are but wouldn’t it be so amusing if it was?’ -  is very difficult,  and I felt rewarded for the close attention I’ve paid to the show.   Further, at this sex party they have a heavily pregnant lady, and the only person who is in any way apprehensive that he might get paired with her is Reggie - everyone else is like, It’s fine.  And also? The majority of the invitees have ALREADY had sex with each other, and almost all of them are also currently cohabitants and/or coworkers and/or doing joint projects, in various states of married, long-term relationship, casual hookup and courting.  Just, absolute catnip I tell you!  

Sidebar: Again CHADWICK FUCKING GECKO being SANE, and objecting to Veronica drawing Archie’s key with - NOT WITH YOUR EX.   I mean, why does this always happen to me??? Why am I *Chad*?

2.  I loved Betty in this episode. Just fell in love with her like I am flippin’ Jughead.  

 #1:  Betty  is so very sexy.  Wow I was so not ready.  Her in the FBI T shirt & him in fire fighter gear! Yeah it’s good looking people in actual Halloween costumes, but what makes it work is Betty's reaction -  electrified, then amused and looking forward to a good time.  Love this for grown Betty.

 #2:  Betty is so very wounded and vulnerable, and by her estimation lovers / boyfriends will never stand by her, but friends will. I love me a character in romantic anguish.  

And related, #3, and yes, this may be wishful thinking, but there are hints that Betty actually feels the impact of what she did to Jughead and Veronica in her Senior year.  Why else would Betty think that engaging in an actual adult romantic relationship with Archie for real will cause the light to go out and the haven bubble to collapse?   Oh Betty.   She’s so accepting about Archie abandoning her immediately after she told him she wasn’t mentally/emotionally well because she feels both ruined and like a ruinous force.

Finally #4, the kindness and care Betty shows to her mother, who does not deserve it, made me respect her a lot.

Sidebar to give Archie Andrews a Demerit:  Betty has a single emotion in front of Archie (waking up from a trauma nightmare) and Archie (who woke up from a trauma nightmare first thing after the time jump) is just unwilling or unable to provide the necessary commitment. He in fact decides RIGHT THEN that Betty needing extra support (of the kind he needs, in fact) means Veronica is the answer. (Archie, please redeem yourself. Tell me what’s happening with you soon).

3. The only reason the high camp works though is because there’s a grounding in reality, with believable human emotions providing a solid foundation, and boy this episode really delivered!  

The  shaky breath Jughead lets out after he says Billy (character in the novel he’s teaching) might be crazy right after he sees MOTHMAN.  Love this detail.  The shame and pain Jughead goes through, writhing with his whole little face, while confessing that he’d been a reckless drug user and drinker to Tabitha, who sweetly feels some of that pain with him, was heartrending.  

The ‘you are a jackass’ face that Archie makes at Chad while also SMILING (because that is how he looks handsomest)  in reaction to Chad dude-bro-ing him with ‘females’ and ‘podunk town,’ without even bothering to reply to his dickhead question, is wonderful. 

And most heartbreaking -  Fangs’ laughter that presages a dawning realization that Kevin really intends to implode (his words) their whole life and his gentle tone in trying to figure out what the hell his boyfriend is doing was very upsetting and wonderful.  Apparently, over the past 8 years,  Fangs has been trying to give Kevin everything he wanted - monogamy, non monogamy, the baby, the marriage - only to have it go up in smoke.

4.  Now that the characters are older, they can meet a wider array of adults and I really appreciate this - the expansion of the world of the show.  Who knows if she appears again, but I very much liked this anthropology professor who has segued into creating a support group for the disturbed people she meets while she pursues her very esoteric interest in alien encounters.  Minerva the campy lesbian art collector who wants an Original Cheryl Blossom and Rick the gay trucker who is like, the most sexually easy going man in the history of humanity are really fun additions too.

5.  And this last one is going to sound mean spirited but I love what is happening to Alice Cooper.  She was so horrendous and monstrous to both her daughters -  I mean between Betty and Polly it’s really hard to tell who had it harder from Alice - and she is having to atone for the damage she did to her smart, resilient girls by the peril that Polly is now in.  Polly, despite being born in Riverdale, could’ve been another Betty in terms of accomplishment -  academic and career - but Alice just bashed her head in, basically, and now look where we are.  So, suffer for your sins, Alice Cooper.

3 Things to Think About

a) Toni has “a medical condition that makes it harder for her to get pregnant the older she gets.”  This is called BEING A HOMO SAPIEN.  I was so amused by this that I actually looked up the production notes and this episode was written by a woman (!) and directed by another woman (!!) and the scene is acted out by two women (!!!) one of whom was actually pregnant at the time in real life (!!!!) so now I’m like, Wait, is Cheryl…an immortal?  Is Cheryl somehow not 100% homo-sapien and that’s why Toni says this?

b) I gathered yet more evidence that Archie is a Riverdale-HS-Sexual.  Archie is in the teacher lounge at Riverdale High  talking remodelling plans with Veronica, who says she needs big changes, and he immediately switches into Let’s Fuck mode.   When Jughead innocently asks what the blueprints are for, Archie TOTALLY acts  like he got cockblocked.

c) The long pointy-nailed manicures on the lesbian couple’s fingers REALLY bother me.  More than 20-something almost-perfect-SAT scorers Cheryl and Toni not understanding that human fertility wanes with age.  I will just say that.

[borealis-strange]

Chapter 5 “Maybe one day”

Link

Summary.

Franco and regina arrive at the pine tree of gold. They expect it to be a smooth ride until they meet a harlequin who will make things difficult for them.

Notes:

So... this was supposed to come out last week but something came up. I'm sorry about that.

Tag-list:  @freesiafields @bambirexwrites @whitequeen-ofwillowgreen @vaeya @sirenlovesqueen @moreofthatqueen @eileen-crys​

If someone wants to be added or removed from the tag-list just tell me :} 

The next morning we left the Poppy Garden early, the fairies gave us a warm goodbye, and a good breakfast, and told us that if we needed anything, we should not hesitate to return. I was grateful for the gesture, but I wouldn't go back here even if I was crazy.

When I was finally able to put my armor back on, it was glorious. I was finally protected again.

And we left for Gold Pine, fortunately, this time we got a friendly traveler who would take us there.

The trip was short, just as Franco had said, and without much to see.

Upon arriving in the city, the first thing I noticed was ... its peculiar architectural style, it was more modern, I would say. In addition to the wide stone streets, where carriages passed without rest.

Gold Pine was… quite different from what I expected, rather elegant. Besides that people dressed in great dresses and suits of high society; and the women wore jewelry.

It was strange, people looked at us occasionally, as if we were not worthy of their city. Franco told me to just ignore them.

We ended up in the town square, where there were people dressed more casually. There were several street stalls that sold all kinds of things, especially food and crafts. Franco and I went to see different things, he said something about wanting to see the watches.

I approached one of the stalls, they sold necklaces made of silver and semi-precious gems. Some even had pearls (I didn't know if they were real), they were all beautiful and if I had had more money, maybe I would have bought a ring.

I continued to look at the charms, hoping to find one that was not very expensive. After looking at them for a while I found one that I liked, it was like a half moon, it was made of silver with some opal inlays. It was beautiful.

I asked for the price and luckily it was only a gold coin. Without much thought, I decided to take it.

I paid and with a little difficulty I put it on. With a small mirror that the boy had, I saw how it looked, unfortunately, it was not too visible because of the armor, but I'm sure that when I wear a dress it would look beautiful. He couldn't wait to show it to Franco.

Franco continued to look at the pocket watches. I approached him when the laughter of a crowd diverted my attention.

In the distance, there was a large group of people in a circle near the kiosk. They laughed and sang together, they must be seeing something.

— Look Franco! — I exclaimed as I took him by the arm to get his attention  —They're doing a play —

We both got closer and made our way through the people so that we could see everything well.

In the center of the circle was a makeshift stage with a few wooden boxes, plus there was a piece of paper with a few poorly painted trees that served as scenery.

There was a boy, who seemed strangely familiar to me, dressed in a blue harlequin suit and on the other side was an albino enderman with a paper crown. The enderman looked quite upset.

The harlequin took a small guitar and began to sing a lively and joyous song.

"A voice orders me to do things

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

Medication is not enough

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la "

The boy sang while he pirouetted around and the audience followed his song happily.

"I'm fatal, I'm changing, I'm scared

I wake up every night running around a field

And it is this smell that is not removed

How stable, how stable

And I even made a scarf with my hair "

I didn't pay attention to the rest of the song, I was trying to remember who the boy was, his voice had also heard it before. It wasn't… it had to be… Vandal!?

The same silly songs and the same energy from the boy. It was him.

— Are you alright? — Franco asked.

— It's just that ... the harlequin is the book thief — I said in a low voice — We have to do something -

— What do you want to do? Attack him in front of everyone? — I considered it for a second— Don't do it now, we don't want to attract unnecessary attention. At least, let him finish his play —

I returned my attention to Vandal's play. Apparently he was already done with his silly song.

— Oh no! —Vandal continued with the play — Our little Killer is in trouble. Who can help us?—Vandal said with exaggerated movements.

— It’s Killian, not Killer — Corrected the enderman annoyed.

— What's that? Vandal continued his story as if Killian hadn't said anything. — Isn't it the great sorcerer? — He said dramatically while pointing away.

The audience turned to see and sure enough, it was a pig in a purple wizard robe with stars and a matching pointy hat. The pig pushed his way through the audience until he reached the center of the stage.

— IT 'S ME! — Exclaimed the pig — Kaky! After my journey of reflection, I have realized how much I love you Killer — The enderman rolled his eyes in disgust — And now after increasing my power off the scene, I will save you from this horrible harlequin! —

— I will never let Prince Killer go! — You will have to pass over me! — Vandal yelled dramatically.

The boys pretended to fight, it was pretty bad, with wooden swords and magic effects made with colored cloth. Besides that they made the sounds of the attacks.

— You can never defeat me, Vandal! — Kaky exclaimed dramatically.

— Why? I am more powerful than you —

— You could be more powerful than me, but you don't have ... The power of love! —

The pig threw several pink ribbons at Vandal's chest and he pretended to be hurt by each of them.

— NOOOOOOOO! — Vandal yelled as he lay down on the ground feigning his death.

— Killer! — Kaky exclaimed with emotion — My love, we have finally met again —

The pig approached Killian but Killian pushed him away with one hand.

Vandal jumped up from the ground. And he began to bow while the pig accompanied him. The enderman stayed in his place looking even angrier than before.

— Thank you very much to all! This work I have been perfecting for years — Vandal thanked the audience making exaggerated bows. Rather it seemed that he had planned the play in one night — And voluntary donations are accepted —

Vandal took off his hat and put it on the ground. Some people just left and others came to leave coins inside the hat. Little by little they left the free space and the boys picked up their makeshift stage.

We got closer to them. Vandal was the first to see us.

— Hello Franco! — Vandal greeted animatedly — How have you been these last years? —

— Vandal, how long without seeing us — Franco greeted.

— You know each other? — I asked in a low voice.

— How not to know him? That bastard kept stealing my things a few years ago —

— You must admit that I made your life more interesting for a few years — Laughed Vandal.— And what did you think of the play? —

— It’s horrible — I replied with disgust — We come because I know you’re planning something bad —

— Me? — Vandal feigned innocence — Since our last meeting I have changed. Now I have a traveling theater, so I will not go back to that thief life —

— You don't even believe that — I said contemptuously.

— Yes of course! — The enderman touched his shoulder and gestured with one hand to go— I have to go.—

The three of them walked away, occasionally turning to see us.

— You should leave them Regina — Franco commented once they were out of sight — I don't think they really going to do bad —

— I don't know Franco ... There is something in me that tells me that his intentions are not good —

— And what will you do about it? — Franco asked, raising an eyebrow.

— Go after them — I answered quickly and before Franco could say something I ran down the street where the boys had gone.

I could practically feel Franco's disappointed look on the back of my neck. I ran down the street for a few seconds until, out of the corner of my eye, I could see that there were a few people in one of the alleys. I walked over to see if they were who I was looking for. As I sneaked past, I managed to visualize the albino enderman.

— Today we made a lot of money — I heard Vandal's voice

I approached carefully so that they would not see me, and I hid behind the wall. I had no sight of them but I managed to hear coins and other metal objects.

— I did not know that the people here had diamonds — Vandal was surprised.

— They are not, Vandal — Killian spoke — They are false, we cannot use them —

— How long until Rich lets us go back? — Kaky asked.

— One more day, I would say — Killian said with annoyance — You already know how exquisite that bastard is. You can't be a penny short, or else he starts screaming that his plan is ruined —

— Will I have to write another play? — Vandal asked.

— I don't see it necessary — Killian replied — You saw how they loved this work, they were so spellbound that they didn't even notice when we stole them —

I was right! I came out of my hiding place to face them.

— AHA! — I exclaimed while he pointed at them accusingly — I knew they had something on their hands —

The boys looked at me in some surprise, except for the enderman. They were sitting around a wooden box, which they had used as a table. They had hundreds if not thousands of silver and gold coins, plus a few necklaces and rings.

— Of course not! — Vandal said offended as he hit the "table" — All these are donations —

I watched as the pig and the enderman began to quickly put away their great loot.

— Give back what you have stolen — I demanded.

— Never! — Vandal yelled, raising a fist to the sky.

The enderman took the two boys in his huge hands and carried them slightly above the ground. And they just disappeared leaving little purple particles in the air and a few coins on the ground.

Demons. I left the alley and looked around. They couldn't stay very far from there; An enderman cannot teleport more than 20 meters and since he was carrying the two of them he must stay closer.

They were nowhere to be found, had they sneaked into a house? Or, they were very good at hiding.

After running for a minute, I saw Franco in the distance. I quickly approached him.

— Where did you go? — Franco asked before he could say something

— I was right! Vandal had stolen from a lot of people. They are close here, we have to look for them — I tried to run but Franco had taken my arm preventing me from continuing.—What? — Franco let me go.

— You must let them go — Franco said seriously.

— But… They are thieves! I can't ... just let them go. It’s ... wrong — What had bitten Franco? He had gone crazy!

— I know Regina, I know. But you're getting into where you shouldn't. If you keep getting where they don't call you, you'll get in trouble with a bigger fish — Franco said seriously — Look Regina, it hurts me to do something like that too but something in me tells me that they work for someone dangerous, with someone who you will not like to know —

As much as it hurt to admit it, Franco was right. I was not yet ready to face the three of them, and whoever they worked for.

Franco indicated that I followed him and I did. We walked through the stone streets of the city, apparently aimlessly. Franco hadn't said anything about today's plans, if he had planned anything.

— And what will we do today? Learn about swords and bows? Will you teach me to use the bow? Or will we fight a giant beast again? — I asked excitedly.

— We will learn history — Franco answered.

— History? — I asked disappointed

—History of the Empire. There is a museum that you will like a lot —

I snorted a bit annoyed. The least he wanted to do now was learn history.

Franco took me to who knows where, rather it seemed that he was more lost than ever.

The only good thing is that I was able to enjoy the view of the city. At least here I could stop for a few moments to appreciate it.

After several minutes, asking a few people, we finally arrived at the much appreciated Franco museum.

The museum was made of dark stone, which stood out against the sea of ​​white buildings, with large pillars at the entrance. We climbed the steps and entered.

The museum was completely empty, except for one person, which made it even more grand.

The museum was fascinating in a way, just as elegant as the rest of the city. There were some paintings of ancient knights fighting huge beasts to protect the Empire.

I thought it would be a more or less interesting visit, until Franco dragged me to the deepest part of the museum and therefore the most boring part.

He wanted me to see some of the ancient civilizations that created the Empire and the troubles that occurred during that time, probably the most boring thing in the entire history of the Empire.

Why wasn't he teaching me about the royal guard? Or about those great knights who spent their entire lives protecting the Empire. Or about the Netherite knight even. Anybody really. I didn't want to hear him talk about the beginnings of the Empire.

Franco went to each of the objects on display, and he told me the fantastic story of its importance and stuff. I don't know how much time could have passed, we probably only lasted half an hour in this room, although to me it seemed like an eternity.

Why did Franco keep talking? I already knew all this by heart, my uncle made me memorize the entire history of the empire to the letter. I already know that at the beginning only The Shelter existed and that they built the walls to protect themselves from the giants that attacked the city. I know that later the different tribes of magical creatures came together to seek the protection of the walls. And so the six regions of the Empire came together and built more walls. The rest are a lot of political problems that nobody cares about, a lot of weird people wanting to be in power and betrayals, plus a few problems with droughts.

— During the drought of ... — Franco continued — Are you listening to me? —

I quickly sat down properly on the bench.

— I'm sorry Franco, but this is all too boring — I said with annoyance — Besides, what's the use of knowing this by heart? I will be a knight, a woman of action, not a… historian. Besides that I have studied it thousands of times! —

—You must learn history because if you want to protect the empire you must understand it— Franco said seriously — You must understand why the walls have been created, why the empire is divided into six regions. Our ancestors fought to protect this region so that a young lady does not want to understand and forget everything that has happened before her —

-—Whatever — I said with disgust

Franco sighed heavily.

— Okay, I guess I should have another approach. — Franco sat next to me — Have I ever told you how to make Netherite armor? —

—But, you weren't only an obsidian knight? — I questioned.

—Yes ... but I was in the process of being one of Netherite. — Franco said with a certain mysticism. —I didn't finish the process because ... well, I started having health problems.—

Was it not the fall of Farfania? Or did he have to interrupt the process for that?

— Come. Accompany me — Franco told me as he got up with difficulty.

Franco guided me to what it was, the deepest part of the museum. There it was, hidden among other things, a Netherite armor.

— This is Netherite armor? — I asked puzzled — It is very beautiful —

The exhibit was about the ranks of the royal guard. There was armor to exemplify each rank: Iron, Gold, Diamond, Obsidian, and Netherite

The Netherite's armor was completely black but had a certain sheen that made it feel… magical. On the shoulder pads, it had a blue gem, and on the other one was orange. To be honest, it looked like quite heavy armor, and it was probably true, I had heard that those armor were practically indestructible and even withstood the high temperatures of fire.

— And what is the gem in the helmet? — I asked as he pointed at it.

— I don't know — Franco said with a small laugh — Many said it was to show off his rank —

I looked back at the armor. On the small poster that he had said that the gem had to be chosen by the knight as part of his initiation, that it was a representation of his skills.

— And how do you make it? — I asked for

— Let's say Netherite is one of the rarest minerals found in the Empire. It is obtained in the depths of The Shelter, from a mineral called Ancient Debris. As you might imagine, it is hard to get it, plus this quest one does just to prove that he is worthy of being a Netherite knight. The search can take up to months, and you cannot leave the caves until you get everything you need, so very few dared to achieve that rank. After obtaining all the necessary Ancient Debris, you have to melt it with gold to create the Netherite and thus create your own armor and sword — Franco explained with a certain mysticism.

I couldn't help but imagine myself in one of those armor. It would look great for sure! Maybe my eyes would look threatening under the helmet. And it would even be like a legend in that black armor. I hope they give the titles again.

— Do you think that one day I will have the skill to be one? — I asked excitedly.

Franco didn't answer, he just looked at me askance. I sighed heavily and returned my gaze to the armor.

— And what happened to them? — I asked in a small voice.

Franco looked at me as if he was already waiting for that question. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily.

— All Netherite knights were in the service of the King of Farfania. I knew each of them, we were not friends but we did get to work together. When… they died… it was pretty hard for me. When I found out, something in me told me that I could have saved them. I know it is a lie, but it was an idea that until now I have not been able to get out of my head — He said in a low voice.

It was obvious that it was not his fault, but I did not judge him. It must have been a strange and even sad feeling, that all those people that you knew, that you lived with for years, simply one day are gone. Those smiles, those songs and those stories were gone, you couldn't be with them anymore. In a way I understood it, that guilt of knowing that you could have done better, even knowing that it was not true.

Franco sat down heavily on one of the benches as if all the memories were too much for him. Franco ran his hand through his gray hair and then put it on his face, as if he was avoiding crying. I walked over to him and just wrapped him in a warm hug.

— It's not your fault, Franco. — I said in a low voice. Franco hugged me back.

Now I could feel that he was genuinely crying.

__________________

Franco regained his composure quite quickly, although he had a certain sadness on his face. He did not speak again on the subject and I did not ask any more questions.

To try to cheer Franco up a bit, I thought it was a good idea to go eat somewhere. We left the museum shortly after noon and headed for the city center.

We went to eat at a place that seemed cheap enough, and luckily we got it right. And best of all, the food did taste good. We didn't order anything very elaborate, just some meat patties.

We ate quietly while I tried to make Franco talk about his adventures, to distract him a bit from the bad memories. After a few minutes, it worked, Franco told me a little about his service on one of the walls of Illusia. He said they were the worst months of his time as a knight, as there was not much to do, just walk and walk looking for suspicious activity. Although, he met quite a few interesting people and for entertainment they used to throw stones to see who would throw it further.

When we were paying for food, I heard Vandal screaming in the distance.

— Come closer! Come closer! — Vandal shouted with great enthusiasm. He was on top of his makeshift stage — Come closer and admire this beautiful play! —

The people got closer little by little.

The boys had prepared again for their play, which made me wonder how many times a day did they do it? And more importantly, how long have they been scamming people?

I couldn't tolerate this anymore. I approached the front of the "stage", winning several protests from the people.

— They are stealing money from you! — I yelled at the audience — They are just distracting them with their silly play! —

People didn't do anything, they just looked at me disapprovingly.

I managed to hear that several said: "What a ridiculous girl" "She is surely crazy" "She should not be here"

A large lump formed in my throat. What had gone through my head? I should have thought this better, or at least a more convincing excuse. I stood there for a few seconds not knowing exactly what to do.

— Miss ... — Vandal touched my shoulder lightly — It would be so kind to stand aside. We are trying to start a play —

I returned to Franco's side looking at the ground. He could feel the gaze of the people glued to the back of his neck.

Franco looked at me compassionately.

—"We'd better go — Franco indicated, putting a hand on my back.

When we were walking away, I managed to see something out of the corner of my eye. I stopped for a second, to see better, and to confirm that I was not crazy.

It was a small, rat-like, insect-like creature with silver skin and black eyes. It moved with great speed among the people, rummaged in her pockets, and then went elsewhere.

It was a silverfish! Known for their great attraction to shiny things of great value. So that's how they were stealing a lot of money!

— Regina, do you want to stay? — Franco asked when he saw that he did not move me.

—Look — I said in a low voice as I pointed to the silverfish. — We have to catch it —

—And how do you plan to do that? —

True, we occupied a more or less decent plan. To start with, I needed something shiny. I rummaged in my pockets but I only had a few coins, that would not be enough. My necklace! It would work perfectly.

— With this — I said as I showed it to him with a smile.

Franco looked at me somewhat puzzled. He didn't need to say anything, I knew he didn't think it would work. Without waiting for him to tell me something, I went to complete my mission without him.

I rejoined the crowd, I decided to stay in the middle, lost among the people so that Vandal would not try anything.

I didn't pay attention to the play, my mind was on the ground.

Please make this work, otherwise the boys will get away with it again and I will lose the only nice thing I could buy myself.

I clutched my necklace tightly and continued to wait. After a few minutes, I saw the silverfish carefully approach. It raised his head slightly, as if it was trying to get a better look at the necklace. It came to my side and took the necklace with its invisible mouth. Before it could go away with my necklace, I quickly took it with my other hand. The silverfish squirmed in my hand trying to escape. I couldn't help but smile a little at my great ability.

I removed her necklace before pushing my way through the crowd to center stage. People looked at me in disgust and I rushed to speak.

— They've been stealing money from you with this. The play is just a distraction — I yelled and showed them the silverfish — Check your pockets and you will see that you have nothing —

People gasped and began to listen as they rummaged through their things to find their money or jewelry was stolen. From the expressions on their faces, I deduced that I was correct. A murmur could be heard all around.

I managed to see Vandal out of the corner of my eye, the boy was panicking like the pig, the enderman seemed not to care.

— That thing? — Vandal exclaimed nervously, taking a step forward — It's not even from us. It hasn't even stolen things and you can't confirm anything — He pointed an accusing finger at me. —

I shook the silverfish slightly, and a few gold coins fell to the ground. I shook it slightly again, and some necklaces and bracelets fell off. A woman approached the necklaces to confirm that it was hers.

Even more murmurs could be heard from the crowd. I decided to move away, I didn't want to upset people anymore.

Angry people approached the boys demanding that things be returned to them, cornering them. The enderman simply disappeared, leaving his companions behind.

— This ... this is a misunderstanding. The silverfish ... no ... it's not ours — Vandal stammered in an attempt to save himself — FENTON! - Vandal yelled with all his might. —

From a dark alley, the boy's giant spider sped off. The spider was running like crazy. People quickly parted to give him the step.

As soon as the spider was in front of the boys, they climbed onto it. They sped away.

The silverfish began to squirm even more in my hand until it finally broke free from my grasp. It went so fast that I didn't even have a chance to catch it again. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the other people's stuff back, but at least I had unmasked the boys. Although I doubt they would stop this, most likely they would go elsewhere to keep scamming people.

— Not bad Regina — Franco congratulated me while he patted me on the back.

— Seriously? Do you think I can one day be a Netherite knight? — I asked with some enthusiasm, although I think I knew the answer.

— There is still a long way to go, but ... maybe one day — Franco said with a smile. That caught me off guard but I didn't care.

I smiled hugely and jumped on Franco to hug him. Surprisingly, he hugged me back.

[eldritchgray]

Lost (For Now) - Mandalorian fic

also on ao3

The kid was gone.

The kid, Grogu, Din reminded himself, was gone. In the hands of the Empire. And not here where he should have been. And it was all his fault.

Din had failed so spectacularly, so utterly, so, so badly. And now Grogu was gone.

He tried to think about when everything went sideways. Was there a moment, a decision, an action that could have changed things? Something that could have stopped this?

He could have brought more weapons to the mountain. He could have been faster to listen to Fett. He could have just taken Grogu and left as soon as they got there. He could have stayed with Grogu. He could have never set his jetpack down. He could have… he could have picked it up at the first sign of danger.

That was it. That was the moment that could have changed this whole disaster. If he had his jetpack on then he could have gotten to Grogu before the Empire did, or he could have flown after them, or--

If he had just stopped for one second to pick up his jetpack he could have prevented this. But he hadn’t. He hadn’t even thought about it. The only thoughts racing through his head at that moment were, “Protect the child. Don’t let him get hurt. Don’t let the Empire have him. Keep him safe. Keep your s- keep Grogu safe.”  

Din had panicked. And he had lost everything because of it.

He knew , had been trained , not to panic in tense situations. He had survived for years by keeping a level head when one slip-up meant life or death.

Every Mandalorian child and foundling learned the lesson early. If you couldn’t keep your focus, you failed, and while Mandalorians weren’t cruel to their ade , the training was difficult to ensure they were prepared. Panic simply wasn’t an option if you were to make it.

But some combination of feeling off-kilter with Boba Fett and Fennec appearing out of nowhere and the Empire showing up with dozens of men and packing plenty of firepower had driven Din into a panic, making him forget the most fundamental lesson of a Mandalorian warrior.

And now the kid was gone.

The Razor Crest was actually completely destroyed this time around. No amount of negotiating with Jawas, or credits, or netting could piece together this ship now. There would be no limping through subspace to get to the next system over. No hoping to whatever benevolent entities existed in the universe that his ship would get him and the child to safety.

Din stood in the middle of the pieces that used to be the Razor Crest . Looking around he wasn’t sure anything usable could have survived. He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. He was dragging his feet about looking through the wreckage, he knew that. It was just… easier to stand and stare at the mess than it was to think about what all this meant.

Fennec was watching him. She was watching him continue to stare at the remains of what had been his home. Judging him for being idle, Din was certain of it. She didn’t have to say anything for him to get the message. So he took a deep breath to settle himself and began the process of looking for anything usable.

There was more ash than anything else. But there were also lots of broken and bent pieces of metal. Unfortunately, Din didn’t have much use for either. He was glad that, if nothing else Boba Fett thought to get his armor before the ship was destroyed. Honestly, he didn’t know if even beskar would hold up against an explosion like that.

After some time sifting through the ash, his fingertips traced something small and spherical. Din’s first thought was that it was… but no. It couldn’t be. There was no way the knob Grogu liked so much could have survived.

Was there?

He hesitated to pick the object up but when he did. It… it was. It was the ball that the kid always seemed to be holding. The one he always unscrewed from its place on the ship. The knob he used as a toy and had pulled from Din’s hand with his mind.

It survived.

Din tucked it away.

If there was even a minuscule chance that he could get the kid back… or- or even if he couldn’t. It was something.

Further inspection showed one other thing that survived: the beskar spear. That was useful. It would hold up against the Darksaber Moff Gideon carried. Din may very well need it.

He had trained with polearms before; Mandalorians were trained with all kinds of weapons after all, but it had been a long time since he had used one in battle. He would need to train with it to brush up his skill, and he would need to start as soon as possible.

The three of them were in Boba Fett’s ship the Slave 1. Fennec and Boba were both giving him space for now, although he had a feeling Boba wouldn’t be for much longer. The man kept giving him looks although Din wasn’t sure what they meant.

He had pulled out the ball and was running his gloved thumb over its smooth metal surface. He could see the distorted reflection of his helmet as he held it.

He missed the kid. He was also terrified about what the Empire was doing to him. The child had powers, but Din didn’t think they would be enough against a Star Destroyer’s worth of forces. And Grogu could get so tired when he used them.

The sound of a voice clearing beside him drew Din’s focus away from the ball. Boba Fett was there, taking a seat. Apparently having decided Din had had enough time to sulk.

“We’ll get your kid back, alright?”

Din could only nod in response. He didn’t trust his voice at the moment. Didn’t trust himself not to break correcting Boba. He had no right to call the child his. Especially now. They were supposed to be a clan of two. Din was supposed to protect Grogu at any cost.

A hand was suddenly resting on his shoulder and Boba’s stare was focused directly at him. The man had dark eyes that somehow reminded Din of unsweetened caf and a heavy serious stare that cut right to his core. It drove through Din’s armor, through his words and his thoughts, through every emotional and physical barrier he had. This man saw him, saw right to the heart of him.

It was terrifying.

Then Boba shifted and strong arms wrapped around him. Din tensed, but then slowly relaxed into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Boba in turn.

“I mean it.”  The words were spoken softly. “We’re gonna get your kid back, alright?”

It took a few seconds before Din was able to respond, but he managed to get out a whispered,

“Alright.”

Fennec was staring at him again. They had stopped to refuel before going to Nevarro after Din explained he had friends there who would probably be willing to help.

And while Boba handled the refueling of his ship, Din went over the stances for polearms that he remembered. He wasn’t gonna lie, he was a lot better with a blaster.

“I can’t believe you actually know how to use that thing.” Fennec called out from the top of the crates she was perched on. Apparently, his skills were enough to get a comment about it from the woman. That was something.

“Mandalorians train with all kinds of weapons. We’re taught that one of the greatest assets in battle is adaptability.”

“Makes sense. I’ve watched Boba with his club. It is a sight to behold.”

Din nodded and continued. He and Fennec maintained a surprisingly companionable silence for the next few minutes.

“Whatever happened with that kid trying to get into the guild? You know, the one who shot me.” She asked, breaking the quiet that had settled around them.

“Well, he never made it into the guild.”

“Ha! Good. ” At that, she jumped down from her perch and settled into a fighting stance in front of him. “Come on, show me what you can do with that pointy stick.”

Din shrugged, “Alright.”

Boba found the two of them still sparing about a half-hour later.

“Who’s winning?” he asked right as Fennec knocked him on his ass for the fourth time since they started.

Din responded with a pained groan. Fennec just laughed at him and proudly proclaimed,

“I am.”

They were on their way to Nevarro when Fennec asked about Moff Gideon.

“He has a laser sword like what the jedii use. Bo-Katan called it the Darksaber. He’s also a ruthless war criminal.”

“Bet that beskar spear will come in handy then.”

Din nodded “It will.” Din saw the realization in her eyes. She had pieced together the reason behind him training with the spear.

At that moment Boba walked in and added.

“Beskar won’t hold up perfectly against a lightsaber, but polearms are a tactical advantage over swords since they have a longer reach.”

Fennec smirked at him. “I guess it’s a good thing you have it.”

“I guess it is.”

“We should spar again before we rescue your kid.”

“That would be a good idea.”

“You can do it later.” Boba interjected. “We’re almost to Nevarro. You sure these people will help?”

“I’m confident they’ll at least consider it.”

“Good. I have a feeling we’ll need all the help we can get.”

At that Boba returned to the cockpit and for the first time since Grogu was taken, Din let himself hope. Grogu may be gone for now, but Din had friends. Din had competent friends who could help him get the kid back. Get his kid back. He hoped Moff Gideon was prepared.

Because Din was going to raise hell.

[maxismatchccworld]

Patch Notes

UPDATE: 11/12/2019 - PC 1.58.63.1010/ Mac 1.58.63.1210 Happy Fall! We have a few new Holiday items available for you in Create A Sim to celebrate the holidays. Along with that a new Multi Story Column feature to help you build tall columns for a grand entrance or interior. UI Scaling is also available in the options panel to give you more options with our UI configurations. Want to know what Sims 4 content is out there? New Main Menu Message is now avail on load to easily help you find the latest and greatest content from The Sims 4. In addition, we’ve fixed bugs and community concerns to improve your Sims daily lives. -SimGuruSteph NEW & IMPROVED FEATURES Multi Story Columns I’m not sure calling them multi-story columns is accurate. They are more like multi-height columns. Just go into the build catalog, place a column, grab the handle at the top, and drag it up and down to re-size. Some have a maximum size, others however... I think I topped out around 100 feet. UI Scaling Now available in the Options menu - UI Scaling! Are you a 4k player with tiny user interface issues? Do you prefer your interface to be readable at distances greater than fifty feet away? Have you a desire to customize the scale to your personal preferences? Now you can! From the Options panel, open up Game Options, and choose Accessibility. Stay away from the red parts of the slider to keep things in the safe range for your display. But, if you are feeling adventurous, give it a try, go crazy! If for some reason you find yourself in a bad state, you can always reset - either from the options panel, or by using Ctrl+U to reset the scaling back to default! Main Menu Messaging We know you want to know EVERYTHING about what’s going on, so we’ve added the ability to show you the latest and greatest Sims content on the Main Menu. You’ll be able to learn about free content, check out the latest updates on upcoming releases, pore over the newest blog posts, and more! New Clothing We have updated the Holiday Celebration Pack with some new children and toddler clothing! If you haven’t already added the Holiday Celebration Pack to your game, click on the icon at the Main Menu, and download the free pack! From there, head on in to Create a Sim and select the Holiday filter to find the new assets! Children have a new male top, female top, and winter boots! Toddlers have a new outfit for males, a new outfit for females, and some shoes! Or open up the Styled Looks, where SimGuruMorgan created some great new looks with the content! Music We have made the Hip Hop Radio Station available for everyone! This means that it is no longer exclusive to Get Famous. However, Get Famous specific music will still need Get Famous to be played. We added the following songs as part of this update: “BMO” Performed by Ari Lennox Written by Courtney Salter, Damon Coleman, Ron Gilmore, Jr., Anthony Parrino and Galt MacDermot Published by Ari Lennox Publishing Designee (BMI), Damon Coleman Publishing Designee, Ron Gilmore Music (BMI), Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Elite That’s Me Publishing and Third Side America o/b/o MacDermot Music Contains a sample of “Space” by Galt MacDermot Recording courtesy of Dreamville/Interscope Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises and Third Side Music o/b/o Kilmarnock Records “Big Moe” Performed by Beau Young Prince Written by Jaimy Lageweg and Beau Young Published by Jailo Music and Rough Trade Songs Recording courtesy of Def Jam Recordings under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Dumbstruck” Performed by Ceraadi Written by Emaza Gibson, Saiyr Gibson and Troy Johnson Published by Emaza Gibson Publishing Designee, Saiyr Gibson Publishing Designee and Sony/ATV Tunes o/b/o Margetts Road Music/Noni Zuri Music Recording courtesy of Roc Nation under license from Universal Music Enterprises “Good Life” Performed by RDGLDGRN & Daniela Written by David Lichens, Pierre Desrosiers, Andrei Busuioceanu and Marcus Parham Published by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing o/b/o Fungai Music (BMI) and Warner Chappell Recording courtesy of RDGLDGRN “Block List” Performed by Rico Nasty Written by Maria Kelly and Mark Nilan Published by Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Artist Publishing Group West (ASCAP)/Artist 101 Publishing Group (BMI) Recording courtesy of APG/Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Music Group Video Game Licensing “Litest” Written and Performed by DJDTP Enjoy! FIXES & UPDATES The Sims 4

Sims that dislike Fruitcake no longer react negatively to all other food. On the other hand, Sims that like Fruitcake no longer will react positively to Poor Quality foods.

Grab Meal or Give Food for all ages will now fulfill the hunger needs completely. Hopefully it will help with the 100 baby challenge :)

Spoiled visual effect now will go away on servings from coffee and tea pots.

Sims will now place grilled food on the table appropriately instead of their inventory.

Terrain Manipulation brush and eraser cursor is now visible for all terrain tools in 32 and 64 bit mode on PC.

Fresh drinks are now available on the drink tray (for those who own Spa Day and/or Backyard Stuff). “Grab drink” from drink tray functions and will no longer give you an incorrect message.

Households populated in the “Other Households” tab in Manage Worlds can no longer be composed of just a Child.

Idle Sims will no longer drink water excessively.

Skin details no longer go away when randomizing Sim features other than the "Face" or "All" categories.

NPC Sims that are not Gardeners will no longer remove Wild Plants from lots autonomously.

Rare and uncommon harvestables will now be produced at higher rates when splicing.

Fixed an issue in which typing in the search field in Build Mode made the phrase “Text Field” appear erroneously.

Sims will no longer leave the dining table after they’ve started having their meal when using the “Call to Meal” interaction.

Fixed an issue in which Sims were not able to wash dishes or use the dishwasher if there were shelving units above the sink or the dishwasher.

Child Sims will not longer have their eyebrow color changed to Brown when they are set to Blonde.

Fixed an issue that made Adult Sims constantly change outfits while Taking a Shower, and then giving a Bath to Toddlers.

Fixed an issue where capturing screenshots with the Capture UI option enabled didn’t actually capture the UI.

Fixed an issue which made the option “Put here” not available when holding Pets and Toddlers.

Fixed an issue which made Paying Bills via Phone not be fulfilled if Simmers queued any other action before it would complete.

Simmers playing in Laptop Mode will now see improvements on the in game lighting.

Moving a wall will no longer delete objects on a separate shelf when bb.moveobjects cheat is used.

Fixed an issue in which Toddlers that had maxed out their skills were not receiving the Top Notch Trait when aging up.

Toddler Traits are no longer visible after aging.

Success Lineage Aspiration can now be completed once appropriate conditions are met.

Terrain Paints now persist when placing a lot from the gallery.

Assets yfBody_EP06DressFur_GoldGreen, yfBody_GP07DressWestern_FlowerOrange & yfBody_EP03TankStrappy_ElephantAquaCream were updated to look better with various shoe styles.

Vendors will no longer use your Sims’ fireplace as an imaginary portal to mysterious places.

Emotional sculpture thumbnail in sims inventory and world appearance are now visually the same.

“Get Married to..” whim now complete when you actually get married. Achievement Unlocked!

Sims now are more diligent in putting back their books in the bookshelf and/or bookcase.

Focused Sims can now go back to hacking work process when they reach level 6.

Sims that randomly decided to cosplay and have pointy ears have now revert back to their normal selves.

Nature’s Welcome Arch gate will no longer have metal gate audio.

Catching fish with excellent quality will now count toward the “Make 6 Great Catches” task of the Angling Ace Aspiration.

Creating stairs to the second floor of a raised block will no longer need a drop wall to support it for Sims to be able to route on it.

Sims are now able to route into their home after using terrain manipulation tools in their home lot.

Sims are no longer collecting items in their inventories without your permission.

Alien Disguises and Vampire Dark Forms uploaded to gallery are now properly flagged for packs and custom content used.

Sims will now autonomously interact with each other if one is sitting down and the other is standing.

Move lot will no longer inadvertently unhide stairs, specifically stairs above the first floor.

Updated Muslim inspired assets so clipping is not apparent below the Sims’ chin.

Updated Apron tops to look smoother.

Sims are now less considerate and do not congratulate their romantic partners when they find a new romantic partner.

Send Geo Council for collectables will no longer require you to send your computer with it.

Glass roof created on the ground should now be routable (as long as there is an entryway built into it).

Randomize Twin in Create-a-Sim will carry user-manipulated ears and nose over to the twin.

Fixed an issue that would cause interactions to get stuck in the queue.

Selling Normal quality Mystery novels will now give you money in return.

Copy interaction is now available on Cookbooks and Mixology books.

Sims that despise each other and have no romantic relationship will no longer greet each other with a passionate kiss. Seem normal to me?!

Child sit-to-stand transitions for toddler bed and lounge chair exhibit less clipping.

Perk and trait buffs will now persist through travel.

Drop walls from stairs will now fill in when terrain is manipulated below the stairs.

Sims’ Inventory will no longer reset and jump to the top while in use.

Hover Tip for Electrified Artist updated to proper text.

Fixed an issue in which railings were clipping into the walls.

Railings on extended landing do not have missing posts or different looking sections.

Drawn on eyebrow thumbnail will no longer show incorrect swatch.

Music artist names in the Music Game Options are no longer cut off.

Collared jean jacket will clip less with various hair styles.

Fence posts are now updated when terrain manipulation occurs.

Sims are now able to do Check Toddler interaction while swimming.

Steps in enclosed courtyard will no longer auto delete a part of your staircase.

Take a Vacation day and Call in Sick are no longer available options when Sims are already on vacation.

Teen Sims will no longer get adult Woohoo buff.

Park Cub table can now be put in the inventory.

Wall Height icon in the description text in Build Mode will now the appropriate wall height.

Fixed some issues which may cause Error Code 102 or Error Code 139 to appear during gameplay.

You can say the Fruitcake was the culprit, jury is still out on that one.

Objection! Maybe not…

They are now properly supervised.

They will now hydrate appropriately.

It was haunting.

Now both eyebrow and hair color will match as set by Simmers.

Though we would love to hold them forever.

Get to Work

Patient Sims that are referred to the surgery table will no longer leave in the middle of surgery.

Sims can no longer simultaneously have two occult types. Specifically Vampire and Aliens.

Get Together

Steam will no longer accumulate in rooms above indoor swimming pools, or natural pools, built with vents.

Book Covers do not change when you place them on retail display.

Club panel text field size has been increased to accommodate longer text.

City Living

NPC Sims that attend Festivals are not longer seen in not festival appropriate outfits.

Fixed an issue that Simmers with Outdoor Retreat and City Living didn’t have the “Ask to Cloudgaze” interaction available in San Myshuno apartments.

Fixed an issue that didn’t allow the camera to zoom in properly when looking at lots at their basement level.

Updating the pricing of counter and cabinets to be more consistent with the rest of the Build Mode catalog.

Updated rental options to not exist in Sulani..

Promote Cause Daily Tasks will now be fulfilled with the Promote Policies Interaction.

Cats & Dogs

Fixed an issue in which all stray dogs were large dogs. Now they can be all sizes.

Lighthouse Woohoo spot is back in business.

Sims are able to complete crafting pet medicine with Marketable trait.

Quickly Update your Dr. Magi-Heal’s Surger-o-matic 3000 with an instant upgrade.

A jacket blazer now layers better with bottoms

Dogs will no longer try to put the cat wand away when they can’t and stretch into a mystical form.

Clipping issues were improved with a pair of shorts and various tops, specifically the asset yfBottom_EP04Shorts.

Turning on view distance in option panels will no longer make a brick fence in the world completely white.

Seasons

Child and Teen Sims are now spawning to knock on doors during the holiday season with trick or treat.

It's less likely to rain at GeekCon festivals now, which should help keep those computers safe!

Fixed an issue in which Sims were able “Rake Leaves” in their Home Lot while Sims were far from leaves to rake.

Mix breed cat function in Create a Sim now works again. Yay!

Social events put in calendar are now functional and will trigger.

Simmers playing with Low Graphics settings can now see improved textures when Sims are wearing Scout uniforms.

Fixed an issue in which rewards from the Scout after school activity were not being awarded properly.

The reward will now appear in the Sims’ Inventory, instead of being unlocked in Build Mode.

Get Famous

Sims employed in any career will no longer be prompted to miss work, or end their shift early, when work hours coincide with visits from Sims that were given a residence key.

Have Sim Dance at the Same Time goal at the Fan Meet and Greet Event can now be completed when you have your Sims and other Sims dance at the same time.

Talent Showcase events will no longer sometimes occur on an invalid location.

Text was updated to hover tip for Action Vol 3 purchase book picker.

Tooltip text for Quality description of videos created by the video station is now colored purple.

Sims Radio too loud? You can adjust the radio volume now after listening to the music you created on the Mix Master Music Production Station.

Consistency!

Island Living

Uninvited Sims will no longer appear when attending Kava Parties on lots with the “Private Dwelling” Lot Trait.

Beach Venues lots can now be selected for Sims to go on dates.

Fixed an issue in which samples taken from Sulani to fulfill Conservation career tasks were disappearing from the Sim Inventory after analyzing said samples.

Fixed an issue in which the “Dried Scales” buff would not disappear after Mermaids fulfilled their hydration needs.

Fixed an issue with Mermaid Children that did not allow them to Take Baths INSIDE bathtubs.

Traditional Sarong asset will not clip with tops as much.

Fixed an issue that made aged up Mermaid Teen Sims have their Mermaid Tails disappear in Create a Sim and while Swimming.

Career Promotions for Conservationist can still occur after reaching level 10.

Bulldozing waterfront lots in Island Living will now not remove terrain paint.

Goggles no longer create an awkward shadow that does not make sense.

Sims can now store coconuts away in the fridge. Woot woot!

Human Sims no longer will think they are Mermaids by swimming like them when swimming laps.

Promotion task is marked completed when Sims have a diving knife.

Sims can now release the fish back into the ocean.

Sims with Master Chef Trait do not make spoil food anymore.

Sunkiss buff will now have the appropriate icon.

Rounded blocks will no longer have missing stilts

Blueprint placement for lots with floor lights will no longer place them underneath structure and float. Gravity is more realistic.

Stilt foundation shadows now appear properly.

Game will no longer crash when placing particular lots from The Gallery.

A TV stand missing in search bar will now appear. You didn't know what you were missing out on when using search… or you did know and now it’s fixed!

Penthouses from The Gallery will now place all available items properly.

Some furniture items that did not appear on the cursor from Build Mode will now appear.

Claiming a bed is now exclusive to one Sim. Now Sims can sleep in their own bed without disturbance or worry about another Sim using their bed.

Selected tattoos in Create A Sim will no longer automatically reapply clothing.

Hot and Cold outfit categories will no longer filter tattoos upon re-entry.

Jet visual effect will now display properly when streaming from a drone.

Burnt visual effects no longer appear on lot terrain when there is fire on homes with stilt foundations.

Configuring a U shape staircase to another floor will cause the stair cause to lose some steps no more!

Mermaid Sims will do their special swim idle when performing Mermaid interactions.

Mermaid Sims that have been turned into skeletons can now take a bath. Keep those bones clean.

Set favorite watercraft will now set correct one to favorite.

Plants placed on Suspended Modern from gallery will no longer place plants in odd places.

Island Welcome Wagon will now continue to hold Kava bowls to give to your Household instead of placing it on the ground when it rains.

It’s my party, and I don’t invite you if I want to.

Romantic!

Being used to the vastness of the Ocean, Mermaid Children were not happy being limited by a bathtub.

Dine Out

Fixed textures for a few Experimental Dishes.

Restaurant signs no longer have an odd bounding box shadow around it. It’ll be well rounded.

We apologize, our Glazed Heirloom Bamboo Roll, Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core, and Free Range Sixam Pit Beast did not look quite like what you actually ordered.

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer get scolded if they drink plasma from Sims even though they had been granted permission to do so.

Options from the Face category in Create A Sim are no longer missing for Vampire Sims when using the Change Sim interaction.

Vampires have adjusted to daylight savings now and are awake when you invite them to hang out.

Vampire Dark form uploaded to gallery are now properly flagging CC content and packed used.

Parenthood

Adult Sims are less likely to autonomously watch Kids Network if Toddlers/Children/Teens aren't nearby.

Realm Of Magic

Spellcasters with the Bloodline trait will no longer have their rank reset if they reach the Virtuoso rank.

Potions can now be sold for Simoleons.

Fixed an issue which allowed the Emotional Stability Potion to remove certain buffs from Sims unintentionally.

Fixed an issue where the Spellbinding Tile wall pattern was displaying duplicate swatch colors in Build Mode.

Cooking and Brewing in cauldron will no longer change sell price in build mode.

Drinking animation is performed by Sims when Sims drink potion of curse cleaning to remove curse.

Animation for the teleport is no longer getting cut off.

Orb Familiars will not pop and jump from their locations while following their Sims out of water.

Two necklaces were updated to improve capability with other Create a Sims assets.

Trouser texture will no longer appear on the top of a pair of boots.

Bicep bracelet is now shown properly in Create A Sim thumbnail.

Profit!

Cool Kitchen Stuff

Removed “Get Leftovers” option for ice cream since it was never intended, and who leaves ice cream for leftovers? Not me :)

Spooky Stuff

Spooky Party will now count towards the Party Animal Aspiration.

Moschino Stuff

Fixed an issue in which in some cases the game would freeze while in Photo Mode.

Sims that you have not met will no longer appear in the Sims selector when triggering Take photo of.

[justlightlysedated]

another band au:

Michael gets to Liz’s five minutes before the party is officially supposed to start, and Rosa is walking out of the apartment building, holding the door open with her foot when she spots Michael so that he doesn’t have to be buzzed in.

“Aren’t you late?” He asks, looking down at his watch.

She rolls her eyes at him, and pushes away from the door making him have to scramble forward to stop it from closing.

“We don’t play until the basement is full,” she says. “Liz is still getting ready.”

There is a loud beeping sound, and when Michael turns it’s to see a blonde hanging out of the passenger window of a van.”¡Ándale, Rosita! We don’t want to keep our fans waiting!”

Rosa rolls her eyes again while she bounds down the steps not paying attention to Michael anymore.

“Llamame Rosita otra vez y te voy a arrancar la lengua de la boca,” she says with a smile, sounding extremely sweet while she drags the side of the van open and gets inside.

The blond who has to be either Cameron or Alex, the members of the band that Rosa joined a few months ago, who he knows Liz hasn’t even met yet, like Rosa is keeping them and the band a secret, just flutters her eyelashes in exaggeration. “Oh I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

Rosa slides the door shut, and the van is squealing away before the blonde can even get back in her seat properly.

Michael just shakes his head and walks into the apartment building, heading up the three flights of stairs that will lead him down the hall to Liz’s place.

The door is propped open when he gets there, and he can hear the sounds of salsa coming from the kitchen, and Mr. O’s singing as he moves around.

He walks in without announcing his presence, and Mr. O waves at him from the stove as he makes his way through the living room and down the hall to the room that Liz shares with Rosa.

He doesn’t knock as he enters the room to find Liz lying flat on the bed, trying to button her skinny jeans.

He kicks the door closed and grabs the guitar propped against the desk, before he sits down on the rickety computer chair that rolls back with his weight, hitting the desk.

He settles the guitar on his lap, and is about to tune it when Liz jumps to her feet, bouncing in place a little to stretch the pants out.

“I hate it when Papi washes my jeans,” she says, turning to face him, and then making a low noise.

“Oh no,” she says, and Michael looks up at her to see that she’s eyeing his outfit.

“What?” he asks, feeling a little self conscious.

It’s not like the fact that he’s a foster kid, who aged out in the system, and is right now living in a cheap rundown apartment on the bad side of town, is a big secret. Liz has known him since they were both in preschool. She was there when he lost his mom, and it was because of her and the Ortechos being his emotional support system that the state department decided to put him in homes that were always close by.

He’d worn his best pants, the ones without any holes in them, that were still slightly worn in the knees and the hem and a faded blue plaid shirt over one of his plain white undershirts.

“We’re going to a party Mikey, not the mall!”

Michael makes a face at that. “I’m not going to dress up like Rosa.”

Liz rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to look like Rosa. You just have to dress like you actually go to shows. And right now you look, wholesome and nice.”

Michael makes another face at that.

He lets Liz bully him into her closet, and then lets her bully him out of his clothes and into a pair of skinny jeans that don't clear his ankles since he fits in her jeans since his ass isn't as big as hers, but Liz is the shortest person that he knows. She throws a pair of boots at him, and a tight black shirt, and just rolls her eyes, when he pulls the blue plaid shirt over it.

"Now," she says and turns around holding a brush and a straightener like a weapon. "Your hair."

"No fucking way," Michael says, moving backwards towards the door. "We don't have the time. And anyway, I'd rather die first."

Michael raises a hand to his hair, and pushes the curls falling over his forehead back, only for them to fall back into place.

If Michael's apartment caught fire (which seems likely to happen on a good day) there were two things that he would take with him when he went, his laptop and the bag where he keeps all the products he uses to keep his hair shiny and bouncy and soft.

"One day," she says, brandishing the straightener threateningly. 

"When hell freezes over," he replies.

She's been trying to get him to straighten his hair since she bought the thing since Rosa won't let her play guinea pig, and Michael would do a lot of things for love, but he won't do that.

"Fine," she says, pouting. "How about some eyeliner?"

She turns to her dresser to put the brush and straightener down, and Michael is about to tell her that he doesn't think he trusts her with any pointy object in the near vicinity of his eyes when her phone rings.

Michael grabs it from the desk to see Rosa's name on the display.

He answers, and she doesn't even let him say hello before she's speaking.

"I need a favor," she says, in a rush, sounding a little nervous. "I left my lucky necklace in the bathroom and I need it."

Michael doesn't tease her like he wants to because this is her first show, and he's terrified of speaking in front of his class, he can't imagine how he would feel if he was in her place.

“We got it,” he tells her, and Rosa breathes out in relief.

“Ándale entonces,” she says, sounding like herself again. “The basement is almost full. There might be no space for you.”

Michael rolls his eyes and hangs up the phone.

“Rosa left a necklace in the bathroom that she needs, and we definitely don’t have time for that,” he says, signaling towards the eyeliner with the phone.

Liz just rolls her eyes and reaches for her phone before turning back towards her dresser and dropping the eyeliner.

“Fine,” she says and sighs all over-exaggerated. “I was just trying to help you.”

Michael furrows his brow, “Help me with what?”

Liz gives him a look, “You’ve been moping for weeks, and a little birdie told me that She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is going to be there, so I was thinking that you need to look super hot so she knows exactly what she’s missing out on.”

“I broke up with her, remember?” Michael says, but Liz is walking out of the room, not listening as she keeps talking.

“And if you happened to get laid as a result then, that’s an added bonus. You’ve been really tense.”

“I have not,” Michael protests following after Liz as she ducks into the bathroom.

“You really have, mi’jo,” Mr. O says in passing as he walks down the hall to his room.

Michael tries not to get too embarrassed about the fact that Mr. O knows too much about his sex life thanks to Elizabeth “I tell my Papi everything” Ortecho.

Liz pushes him backwards before he can walk into the bathroom, stuffing the necklace into the back pocket of her jeans.

--they go to the party and michael forgets all about the fact that his ex might be there when he sees the lead singer of the band rosa is in, which is called, project shepherd

--they’re introduced to each other and he becomes obsessed, and can’t stop thinking about him

--the next friday while waiting for Liz at the bus stop so they can walk to his place and study, he sees alex walking into the record store, he barely hesitates to stalk after him, and figures out that alex works there and he buys a CD as an excuse and asks Alex if he would give him some pointers on the guitar, and Alex seems confused with the attention, but he tells Michael that he would love to help him with the guitar, and he only leaves when Liz calls him to ask him where he is

--there is another party, but he sees alex completely seemingly besotted with the singer of this other punk band, and he thinks that they’re dating, and when he asks rosa about the guy, she tells him that he’s Alex’s BF

--he goes upstairs to avoid the party, since he doesn’t really party, and he doesn’t know whose house it is, but he sneaks into a room where no one is having sex, and sits down right by the bed on the scratchy carpet with a sketchpad and a pencil, drawing

--Alex appears and they talk about his drawing, Michael wants to mention the boyfriend, but Alex takes out a joint from his pocket and they smoke, and end up making out until Cameron finds them, she doesn’t look surprised, so Michael assumes that Alex probably makes out with other guys behind his boyfriend’s back all the time, and it leaves him feeling weird

--Michael tries to avoid him, but Alex is suddenly everywhere, and even shows up at Michael’s apartment, and every time, Michael tries to resist him, and Alex manages to catch him off guard, he realizes that he’s in love with him, so he goes off and gets drunk, and ends up having drunk sex with his ex that turns into a whole thing where she keeps calling him and won’t leave him alone

--at the next party, she’s there, and kisses him right in front of Alex, who gets upset and leaves the party, Michael goes after him and they argue, and when Michael throws Forrest in his face, Alex asks him if he really thinks that he’s the type of person who would go around kissing someone behind his boyfriend’s back, and Michael says that he wouldn’t know, since they don’t really know each other, and Alex says and now they never will and leaves him feeling confused

--Michael talks to Rosa who calls him an idiot and says that by BF she meant best friend. “Why didn’t you just say that?” “Why didn’t you just ask for clarification?”

--Michael tries to make it up to Alex, but Alex refuses to even talk to him and even ignores him completely to go off with some other punk guy who looks like he’s the perfect person for Alex, Forrest is the one who tells him that even though Alex is all shy and shit, he would go completely nuts over something over the top

--Michael decides to sing a song for Alex, he even tries to get his hair dyed and straightened and look more like the kind of person that Alex would like, but it comes out bad so he just ends up with a hat on his head and his guitar in his hands and he gives a speech apologizing and Alex is there, but by the time Michael finishes the song, he’s gone

--the next morning, there is a knock on his door and it’s Alex, they talk and when Alex asks him about the bandana tied around his head, Michael shows him, and Alex just drags him to the bathroom and into the shower fully clothed, and washes his hair, the dye running down his arms, and tells Michael that he likes him for him, and they kiss in the shower with the water running down their faces

--ends with another party, Alex announces the last song saying his awesome boyfriend wrote it for him, Michael’s smile can be seen from space

[shootingcookielover]

Sanders Sides Super hero AU

Have this Sanders Sides Superhero AU!

Basically, all the sides have a so-called ‘power object’ (I swear I didn’t realize how similar this is to Miracuolous- It wasn’t intentional-) which gives them superpowers and costumes when in use. For example, Deceit has gloves and when he puts them on, they activate, while Remus has a morning star which he only has to pick up. In use not only means that they get powers and a costume, but, because I’m a very visual person and envisioned this as a comic, how the world looks to this character changes as well.

Also they are definitely all friends or related, but fail to recognize each other. When they’re in super- mode they have two groups: Supervillains and Superheroes. Deceit and Remus are supervillains, everyone else is a superhero. (Except Virgil, maybe? He’s definitely got questionable loyalties.) Supervillains got pointy long ears, superheros got ‘normal’ ears.

Remy is in this, too. He can only be seen in super-mode. He pops in and out and totally doesn’t work for another villain in the shadows, maybe Thomas or the mysterious orange side.

Now, have some art:

Ethan didn’t know how to process what was happening. His grandfather - the absolute best person to have ever existed - had died. Right on his fifteenth birthday.

The small treasure chest in his arms shook as he put the small key into the lock and turned. Click.

He flipped the chest open and there lay... a pair of mustard yellow gloves. 

No. It couldn’t be.

Ethan’s grandpa had been a supervillain. Suddenly his father’s reluctance to give him the chest made sense. His old man had been jealous, jealous that grandpa trusted Ethan more than his own son.

But Ethan barely cared. He picked the gloves up.

He quickly wiped away his tears and pulled them on. His grandfather’s legacy wouldn’t be forgotten.

Roman stared at his parents in disbelief. They couldn’t be serious. His eyes trailed upwards towards his parents’ eyes. They looked serious...

“You were superheros?”, he asked in awe.

“Well, your mother was.”, his father quickly answered. His mother chuckled, still holding out the small treasure chest.

“Yeah. But it’s your sxteenth birthday. You’re ready to take over the mantle.”

With wide eyes, Roman snatched the chest and cradled it close to himself. He excitedly began jumping in place. “I can’t wait to tell Remus!”

He was just about to leave, when his mother reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Wait, Roman.”

“Huh?”, he turned around, confused. “What is it?”

“You can’t tell Remus about this.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too dangerous.”

Roman gulped. He guessed that made sense. It was the same in all the superhero stories. Don’t tell your loved ones to keep them save.

“...okay.”

They finally let Roman leave to change for the first time. Unsure of where to go, Roman stepped inside the upstairs bathroom. He locked the door, before opening the chest. A blood red sash rested inside.

He took it out. His hands shook from excitement as he put it on.

Remus could feel something inside him die. He pressed his back against the hallway wall. 

He’d known people preferred his brother over him, they weren’t as subtle as they liked to think. Yet, of his parents he’d thought better. The idea that parents weren’t supposed to pick favorites had stuck deep in his soul.

Now he knew. His parents liked Roman more than they liked Remus. If they even liked him at all.

With a harsh gesture he rubbed the tears off his face. 

Steps walked towards the door, towards the hallway. Fear spiked through Remus and he sprinted towards the door to the attic. It was conveniently placed right across from his parents’ bedroom.

The door wasn’t locked.

He ran up the stairs and pushed open another door.

Behind it lay the attic, Remus’ favortie room in the entire house.

Clutter littered the room, barely leaving enough room to walk. 

Remus sunk to his knees, hands coming to wipe away more tears furiously. This was stupid. He was used to Roman being treated better than him, why did it even still bother him?!

A voice cut through the storm in his head, easily settling it. Confused, he looked up. Where had the voice come from?

Remus got to his feet, looking around. Again the voice was heard.

The boy followed it, expertly making his way through the room. He sank to his knees again, next to a small treasure chest in the far back of the room.

He’d never seen it before. The voice was definitely coming from inside.

It looked like a pirate’s treasure chest, with all the tentacles carved into the white framework. Remus idly wondered if the framework had been carved from the remains of a pirate crew; murdered and eaten by the captain so he could bury his treasure chest without anyone knowing where. So nobody would steal his treasure.

He carefully tried to lift the top, but the chest was locked. 

Even after looking around, Remus couldn’t find the key. With a defeated sigh, Remus sat down.

Click.

What the f-

Remus pulled on the chest’s top and it opened.

Inside rested the most beautiful morning star Remus had ever seen. A grin spread across his face as he reached out for the object.

Oh, his parents were going to pay.

His hands wrapped around the morning star’s handle.

“Mom? Have you seen my tie?”

Logan leaned heavily against the hallway wall as he shouted down the stairs. He tried his best, but he felt horrible. His chest burned with even more, terrifying emotions. He was lightly trembling.

“No, sweetie, I’m sorry. I think there’s one in the storage room?”

“I’ll go look.”

Logan forced hismelf to turn around. Even though he wanted to close his eyes and not face what lay before him, he knew it wasstupid and kept them open.

This was dumb, he told himself. Feelings sucked. Emotions were useless and painful.

He quickly wiped away his tears and trudged past his sister’s bedroom.

The storage room was stuffed to the brim with things. Any kind of things.

He rummaged through it, making his way to the back of the room. 

In one of the boxes, he actually found a tie. A blue tie with lighter stripes. With it in hand, he made his way back to his room to put it on.

Virgil pressed both his hands against his ears as hard as he could. He didn’t want to hear his mother’s angry shouts, but she was just so, so loud.

Tears leaked from his eyes and he pulled his legs closer to his chest. His lungs felt as though they were constricting, choking him. He could barely breathe anymore.

It wasn’t his mother’s fault, he told himself, because his father had said so, his father would never lie to him- he’d said that his mother felt bad about the yelling, that she didn’t mean to-

A voice cut through his thoughts and settled the storm in his mind.

Confused, he looked up.

The voice spoke up again. Virgil stood up, his legs lightly shaking.

A loud thump from the door made him jump in fear. He pressed a hand on his heart, trying to calm himself.

His mother couldn’t break down the door, she hadn’t managed to do it before, she wouldn’t be able to now.

...

right?

As soon as he was at the closet, he pulled it open. The voice came fro mthe back of it.

Virgil pushed through his clothes and found a few boxes. He knew these boxes.

They belonged to his biological father, who had died far before Virgil was old enough to remember. A voice talked from one of the boxes.

He sunk to his knees and started looking through the box. There was a small treasure chest at the bottom. The source of the voice.

Virgil pulled it out. He tried opening it, but it was locked. He set it down before him, unsure of what to do.

Click.

His hands shook when he opened the chest. A hoodie rested inside. 

It was absolutely his style and Virgil pulled it out. He quickly put it on, feeling much better with the heavy fabric covering his bare arms.

Patton entered the house and instantly felt some dread pool in his stomach. His mother was using the treadmill, he could hear it, all the way from upstairs. 

That meant she’d been upset again.

He quickly left his school bag in his room and made his way to Virgil’s. School had ended for his step-brother earlier, so he must have taken the brunt of it. 

“Virgil...?”, Patton pushed open the door to his room.

It’s empty.

Virgil isn’t there. Which meant he had gone for a walk to calm himself down.

That was... good, Patton thought as he pulled out his phone.

Hey Virge, u okay?

He pocketed the phone again and was about to turn away, when he sees the wide open closet.

Patton knew Virgil hated leaving the closet doors open. He didn’t like when other people could see his clothing.

Hesitantly, Patton crossed the room to close the closet.

His eyes gravitated towards a small treasure chest in a box in the back. He fell to his knees and pulled it towards himself. He didn’t quite know why, but something about this chest felt like it belonged to him.

The chest didn’t open. Of course it didn’t, it belonged to Virgil. 

Patton wanted to push the chest away from himself. But he found a key.

His hands shook as he put it into the lock and turned.

Click.

Inside the chest lay a cat hoodie. This wasn’t Virgil’s style at all.

So it was okay to take it, right?

Patton pulled the hoodie out. He didn’t want to put it on. It wasn’t his!

He wanted to put it back where he found it, but the hoodie felt so right in his hands-

“Patton?”

His mother had calmed down. Patton quickly tied the hoodie around his shoulders.

“’Sup, babes.”

Deceit whirled around when he heard the voice. It was unfamiliar. Definitely didn’t belong to the Duke.

What he found was a person holding a starbucks cup. Sunglasses covered their eyes and they were wearing a leather jacket.

“What’cha doing?”

The person strolled past Deceit. 

“Who are you?!”, Deceit asked. The other person turned towards him, slight confusion etched in their face. 

“What are you talking about, babes? It’s me, Remy.”

“I don’t know you.”, Deceit snapped. “How did you get in here?”

‘Remy’ leaned forward, nose almost touching Deceit’s. “Hmmm. You know, I don’t know you either, babes. What’s your name anyway? Pronouns? Call me Sleep, he/him.”

Sleep held out one hand towards Deceit. The snake considered it. Then he took the offered hand. “Deceit. He/him.”

“Babes, I brought Starbucks!”

The Prince whirled around, sword appearing in his hand. Dad jumped, quickly stepping behind Logic. Logic adjusted his glasses, irritation flitting across his face. The Spiderling almost fell off the shelf he was perched on. 

“Who are you?!”, the Prince asked, loudly. 

The stranger sighed in annoyance as he sauntered inside. “Ah, great, so you babes decided to hand over your mantle too. I’m Sleep, he/him.”

Sleep put all the Starbuck’s cups down, except one, from which he took a long sip.

[frozenartscapes]

AN: I don’t entirely know what this is. I’ve seen a few au fics with Byleth becoming a dragon because of her connection to Sothis, and I just thought... What if...

---

It was said that dragons were fearsome beasts. Their thick scales were nearly impenetrable. Their claws could slice through any armour. The fire so hot and filled with magic that only the purest of souls could face it and survive.

There was a reason she was called the Immaculate One.

But dragons were also misunderstood. Humans saw them as terrifying monsters, and while that might be true of some dragons, it didn’t serve as a worthy label for all. While some dragons seemed greedy, hoarding large masses of gold and jewels, others barely held onto anything. While some terrorized the land, others preferred to stay hidden. Dragons, in a way, were very much like humans.

But if there were one fact about dragons that was universal, that spoke for every one of the creatures, big or small, aggressive or passive, it was this: all dragons would risk heaven and earth to protect their greatest treasure.

Just what that treasure was, however, was entirely up to each dragon.

---

They ended up facing Rhea alone. The rest of the Strike Force was held back, keeping the few remaining Knights away. The last thing they needed was a rogue Knight interfering in their fight with a dragon.

Byleth ran to her right, while Edelgard kept left. Together they charged, their weapons glowing with energy. Rhea roared furiously, attempting to swipe at them with massive claws. They both dodged and managed a solid blow each to the dragon’s thick hide.

Rhea roared again, pain evident this time. Before the pair had a chance to regroup, Rhea whipped her tail around. Neither of them could prepare for the blow, and they were both sent flying backward to the ground.

Edelgard slowly pushed herself up. Aymr had been tossed a little further away. She must have lost her grip on it when she hit the ground. Thankfully, she still had her shield, and used it to lift herself to her feet with a grunt.

“You,” Rhea growled viciously, her distorted voice reverberating in the Emperor’s damaged ribcage.

Edelgard braced herself, head snapping up to look for the dragon. There was a brief moment of relief when she realized Rhea wasn’t focused on her.

Panic suddenly rushed in when she realized who was the dragon’s focus.

“Give her back!” Rhea roared, stalking toward Byleth who was still struggling to stand. Edelgard remembered, now: Byleth had pushed her aside just before Rhea’s tail hit...

Byleth, while still on one knee, merely met Rhea’s eyes with a defiant glare.

“Then I will take my mother back from your ashes!” Rhea shrieked, rearing her giant head back. Energy gathered in her mouth, fire and magic growing bright and hot and deadly.

Edelgard didn’t think. If she had, her brain would have told her what she was doing was the dumbest thing she could have ever done. But Byleth wasn’t going to be able to dodge the attack in time, and the Emperor still had a shield.

Just before the dragon fire could consume Byleth, something stopped it. It streamed out on either side, heating the air and charring the ground, but something was diverting it. And that something was a five-foot-tall, furiously determined woman armed with nothing but a shield.

Edelgard felt her feet beginning to slide in the dirt, but she kept pushing. The heat was near unbearable. She could feel her skin and hair beginning to burn. She could barely breathe, the air more like fire in her lungs. But Byleth was still behind her. And Edelgard would not lose her again. 

The bronze and gold of her shield were beginning to melt. She was frankly surprised it lasted this long. Rhea was pushing, but she was beginning to fade. Just...a few more...seconds...

The shield finally gave, being ripped apart by all that magic and heat. Edelgard had only enough time to close her eyes before being consumed by the dragon fire. Byleth, acting solely on instinct dove to the ground and rolled, getting singed but avoiding the worst of it. Rhea gave up not long after.

“El!” Byleth screamed, only just realizing what had happened. Her grip on her sword tightened, and suddenly the only thought in her head was that that stupid dragon had to die.

But then a noise. A groan. Followed by a weak, “My...teacher...”

Byleth looked behind her, and spotted a darkened figure several feet away. Forgetting Rhea, Byleth raced over to her. Edelgard was already pushing herself to her feet. She tossed the handle of her shield - still warped from the fire - away. Her brilliant red armour had been charred black, and much of her hair had been stained grey from ash, but otherwise, somehow, she was fine. Just weary.

“How did you survive that?” Rhea demanded furiously as Edelgard reached for Aymr - which she had been conveniently thrown closer to - and stood up to face her, “No human can survive a blast like that!”

“I don’t want to make it sound like I’m agreeing with the dragon,” Byleth uttered frantically, “But... El...”

“I’m fine, my teacher,” Edelgard replied between heavy breaths, “I can’t explain it. I don’t think I ever can. But all that matters is I’m still standing now.”

Byleth swallowed hard before resolve took hold once again. “Then let’s finish this.”

---

“Now that it’s over...”

“I told you already, my teacher, I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

Edelgard was about to argue but a wave of vertigo swept over her, forcing her to grab onto the desk in her tent. They had returned to their base camp after securing Fhirdiad, Rhea defeated and the Knights surrendering. Everyone was a little worse for wear, but none quite so much as the two who had taken on the giant dragon. Neither had wanted to leave the other alone, so they had both decided to return to Edelgard’s tent together.

“You’re paler than normal, El,” Byleth said, her face contorted by worry. It was more emotion than either of them were used to, given recent developments, but that wasn’t the most pressing thing at the moment.

“I’m just tired, Byleth,” Edelgard sighed, “I has been a long day for all of us.”

Byleth frowned and pressed a hand on Edelgard’s forehead. Her frown only deepened. “You’re burning up,” she said.

Edelgard swatted the hand away. “You just came back from the dead! You don’t get to start fussing over me like this when it should be the other way around,” she complained, pouting a little in the way Byleth secretly adored.

“El... You jumped into dragon fire...”

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same.”

“You should be dead, Edelgard.”

“But I’m not. I’m here. You’re here. We’re both here now, together, and nothing is going to change that again if I can help-” She gasped suddenly, wincing and grasping the side of her head in pain.

Byleth opened her mouth but Edelgard beat her to it. “I must have struck my head. It’s just a headache,” she said quickly.

Byleth crossed her arms. One look into the Emperor’s stubborn gaze and she knew this was a fight she wouldn’t be winning any time soon. “Fine,” she relented, “Just...just get some rest.”

“You’ll stay, won’t you?” The shift in Edelgard’s voice was almost painful. How it went from strong and confident to timid and small, like a child afraid of the dark, was too much to bear.

Byleth smiled. “Of course.”

She helped Edelgard take off the horned crown that had become tangled in her hair, and then the pair settled under the covers on the bed.

---

Byleth awoke first. El was still asleep beside her, her breathing level and her face relaxed. It was still dark in the tent, but she could see that El had more colour in her complexion again, and Byleth sighed in relief. Maybe she had just been tired last night.

It was just...seeing her disappear in that fire...

She shook the thought away. Carefully, she reached out and ran a hand through Edelgard’s hair. They had only just recently begun sleeping together, more out of necessity than anything. El’s nightmares had picked up significantly after facing Dimitri and Byleth’s company had been the only thing that helped. Byleth didn’t mind. If anything, she adored it. And now, with her heart beating and emotions flooding into her mind, it felt almost overwhelming. All the warm, happy feelings as she held El tight. Like she was being smothered in pillows.

El’s hair was always so soft compared to her own. Byleth loved running a hand through it. She especially loved the way El would melt into it, even when asleep. A little smile would form on her face and she’d let out a soft, happy sigh.

But then Byleth’s hand was stopped by something. She frowned in confusion, feeling out the hard, ridged object in El’s hair in the dark. It was cool to the touch, smooth, and curled around El’s forehead. It tapered off to a point, almost like...

Had El put her crown back on during the night?

Byleth sat up and reached for the nearby lamp. With it lit, the first thing her eyes landed on was the Emperor’s golden crown, still exactly where they had left it on the desk the night before.

Byleth felt her newly beating heart stop, just for a second. Huh. So that’s what people are talking about when they speak of shock...

She peered down warily at the sleeping Emperor. And she couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping.

They looked almost exactly like the crown. Perhaps a little less shiny. And they swept out a little further from her head, and stood a little taller. They were also sharper.

“El,” Byleth whispered urgently, shaking the Emperor’s shoulder perhaps a little harder than she wanted to, “Edelgard, wake up!”

Edelgard groaned and reached up to rub the sleep out of one eye. To Byleth’s relief, nothing else about her had really changed. Her eyes were normal, albeit a little droopy from waking up before she was ready. Her skin was the same. No scales or any other worrying signs. Hmm... Were her ears a little pointy? It was hard to tell.

But really, it was just the...the...

“What is it, my teacher?” Edelgard asked. She was staring at Byleth with concern, a frown already working its way onto her face as she noticed her distraught advisor. 

“Um... You, uh...” How exactly does one tell someone these things? Byleth was absolutely certain that if there was a way, she’d be the last person to know it. At a loss for words, she merely mimed with her fingers, bringing her hands up and tracing out the shape from the sides of her head.

Edelgard tilted her head slightly in confusion. Slowly, she followed Byleth’s vague instruction by reaching up to her own head. When her hand met it, Byleth figured El thought the same thing she had, because lilac eyes suddenly flew to the desk where the crown still sat.

After that confirmation was made, Edelgard shakily began to investigate, carefully working her hands along the smooth surface to the very tips of both growths. She paused a little to poke the tip of one with her finger, flinched, then pulled her hand away to reveal a dot of blood on the tip of said finger. So they were apparently really sharp...

Edelgard met Byleth’s eyes again and there was a solid minute neither of them said anything. They merely stared at one another, unsure of what to think, feel, or say. Edelgard broke first, though, and the usually articulate Emperor of Adrestia barely managed to stammer out:

“I...um... I appear to have... Horns.”

---

AN: I have no idea where to go from here or if I even should. I just liked the idea of Edelgard being able to turn into a dragon. Nothing would piss Rhea off more, and Edelgard probably wouldn’t be thrilled about it too much, either. But it would maybe give me an excuse to write a post-war interaction with El, Byleth, Seteth and Flayn. Because if anyone would know what exactly happened...

Also all the shenanigans. Edelgard not used to having horns (because she could take the crown off if she ever needed to and you can’t exactly do that with something growing out of your head...). Maybe her ears change into something more like Sothis’ (Elfgard?). As a result, her emotions end up being more obvious despite her best efforts because her damn ears keep giving her away. Maybe she gets fangs. Maybe the state of her appearance actually hinges on emotion and feeling certain things makes her more dragon or human. All of the Black Eagles reacting differently. Some of them take it well. Some do not. Some ask if she’ll give them rides on her back when she learns how to fully transform (Caspar... Byleth...).

I don’t see her turning into a full-sized dragon. She is still human, after all. My only explanation I can think of right now is that by choosing to save Byleth - El’s treasure - she demonstrated having the heart of a dragon so she didn’t die by the dragon fire. Rather, it sort of... Changed her. But she’s always been protective of Byleth and now even more so. And all her Black Eagles. Her treasure.

I don’t know. If anyone would like to contribute to this, I’d be happy to talk about it. @patricia-von-arundel, what do you think about this?

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims 4: New Game Patch (November 12th, 2019)

Remove all MODS and Custom Content before updating your game

UPDATE: 11/12/2019 – PC 1.58.63.1010 / Mac 1.58.63.1210

Happy Fall! We have a few new Holiday items available for you in Create A Sim to celebrate the holidays. Along with that a new Multi Story Column feature to help you build tall columns for a grand entrance or interior. UI Scaling is also available in the options panel to give you more options with our UI configurations. Want to know what Sims 4 content is out there? New Main Menu Message is now avail on load to easily help you find the latest and greatest content from The Sims 4. In addition, we’ve fixed bugs and community concerns to improve your Sims daily lives.

-SimGuruSteph

NEW & IMPROVED FEATURES

Multi Story Columns I’m not sure calling them multi-story columns is accurate. They are more like multi-height columns. Just go into the build catalog, place a column, grab the handle at the top, and drag it up and down to re-size. Some have a maximum size, others however… I think I topped out around 100 feet.

UI Scaling Now available in the Options menu – UI Scaling! Are you a 4k player with tiny user interface issues? Do you prefer your interface to be readable at distances greater than fifty feet away? Have you a desire to customize the scale to your personal preferences? Now you can! From the Options panel, open up Game Options, and choose Accessibility. Stay away from the red parts of the slider to keep things in the safe range for your display. But, if you are feeling adventurous, give it a try, go crazy! If for some reason you find yourself in a bad state, you can always reset – either from the options panel, or by using Ctrl+U to reset the scaling back to default!

Main Menu Messaging We know you want to know EVERYTHING about what’s going on, so we’ve added the ability to show you the latest and greatest Sims content on the Main Menu. You’ll be able to learn about free content, check out the latest updates on upcoming releases, pore over the newest blog posts, and more!

New Clothing We have updated the Holiday Celebration Pack with some new children and toddler clothing! If you haven’t already added the Holiday Celebration Pack to your game, click on the icon at the Main Menu, and download the free pack! From there, head on in to Create a Sim and select the Holiday filter to find the new assets! Children have a new male top, female top, and winter boots! Toddlers have a new outfit for males, a new outfit for females, and some shoes! Or open up the Styled Looks, where SimGuruMorgan created some great new looks with the content!

Music We have made the Hip Hop Radio Station available for everyone! This means that it is no longer exclusive to Get Famous. However, Get Famous specific music will still need Get Famous to be played.

We added the following songs as part of this update:

“BMO” Performed by Ari Lennox Written by Courtney Salter, Damon Coleman, Ron Gilmore, Jr., Anthony Parrino and Galt MacDermot Published by Ari Lennox Publishing Designee (BMI), Damon Coleman Publishing Designee, Ron Gilmore Music (BMI), Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Elite That’s Me Publishing and Third Side America o/b/o MacDermot Music Contains a sample of “Space” by Galt MacDermot Recording courtesy of Dreamville/Interscope Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises and Third Side Music o/b/o Kilmarnock Records

“Big Moe” Performed by Beau Young Prince Written by Jaimy Lageweg and Beau Young Published by Jailo Music and Rough Trade Songs Recording courtesy of Def Jam Recordings under license from Universal Music Enterprises

“Dumbstruck” Performed by Ceraadi Written by Emaza Gibson, Saiyr Gibson and Troy Johnson Published by Emaza Gibson Publishing Designee, Saiyr Gibson Publishing Designee and Sony/ATV Tunes o/b/o Margetts Road Music/Noni Zuri Music Recording courtesy of Roc Nation under license from Universal Music Enterprises

“Good Life” Performed by RDGLDGRN & Daniela Written by David Lichens, Pierre Desrosiers, Andrei Busuioceanu and Marcus Parham Published by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing o/b/o Fungai Music (BMI) and Warner Chappell Recording courtesy of RDGLDGRN

“Block List” Performed by Rico Nasty Written by Maria Kelly and Mark Nilan Published by Kobalt Music Services America o/b/o Artist Publishing Group West (ASCAP)/Artist 101 Publishing Group (BMI) Recording courtesy of APG/Atlantic Recording Corp. by arrangement with Warner Music Group Video Game Licensing

“Litest” Written and Performed by DJDTP

Enjoy!

FIXES & UPDATES

The Sims 4

Sims that dislike Fruitcake no longer react negatively to all other food. On the other hand, Sims that like Fruitcake no longer will react positively to Poor Quality foods.

Grab Meal or Give Food for all ages will now fulfill the hunger needs completely. Hopefully it will help with the 100 baby challenge Standard smile

Spoiled visual effect now will go away on servings from coffee and tea pots.

Sims will now place grilled food on the table appropriately instead of their inventory.

Terrain Manipulation brush and eraser cursor is now visible for all terrain tools in 32 and 64 bit mode on PC.

Fresh drinks are now available on the drink tray (for those who own Spa Day and/or Backyard Stuff). “Grab drink” from drink tray functions and will no longer give you an incorrect message.

Households populated in the “Other Households” tab in Manage Worlds can no longer be composed of just a Child.

Idle Sims will no longer drink water excessively.

Skin details no longer go away when randomizing Sim features other than the “Face” or “All” categories.

NPC Sims that are not Gardeners will no longer remove Wild Plants from lots autonomously.

Rare and uncommon harvestables will now be produced at higher rates when splicing.

Fixed an issue in which typing in the search field in Build Mode made the phrase “Text Field” appear erroneously.

Sims will no longer leave the dining table after they’ve started having their meal when using the “Call to Meal” interaction.

Fixed an issue in which Sims were not able to wash dishes or use the dishwasher if there were shelving units above the sink or the dishwasher.

Child Sims will not longer have their eyebrow color changed to Brown when they are set to Blonde.

Fixed an issue that made Adult Sims constantly change outfits while Taking a Shower, and then giving a Bath to Toddlers.

Fixed an issue where capturing screenshots with the Capture UI option enabled didn’t actually capture the UI.

Fixed an issue which made the option “Put <Sim/Pet Name> here” not available when holding Pets and Toddlers.

Fixed an issue which made Paying Bills via Phone not be fulfilled if Simmers queued any other action before it would complete.

Simmers playing in Laptop Mode will now see improvements on the in game lighting.

Moving a wall will no longer delete objects on a separate shelf when bb.moveobjects cheat is used.

Fixed an issue in which Toddlers that had maxed out their skills were not receiving the Top Notch Trait when aging up.

Toddler Traits are no longer visible after aging.

Success Lineage Aspiration can now be completed once appropriate conditions are met.

Terrain Paints now persist when placing a lot from the gallery.

Assets yfBody_EP06DressFur_GoldGreen, yfBody_GP07DressWestern_FlowerOrange & yfBody_EP03TankStrappy_ElephantAquaCream were updated to look better with various shoe styles.

Vendors will no longer use your Sims’ fireplace as an imaginary portal to mysterious places.

Emotional sculpture thumbnail in sims inventory and world appearance are now visually the same.

“Get Married to..” whim now complete when you actually get married. Achievement Unlocked!

Sims now are more diligent in putting back their books in the bookshelf and/or bookcase.

Focused Sims can now go back to hacking work process when they reach level 6.

Sims that randomly decided to cosplay and have pointy ears have now revert back to their normal selves.

Nature’s Welcome Arch gate will no longer have metal gate audio.

Catching fish with excellent quality will now count toward the “Make 6 Great Catches” task of the Angling Ace Aspiration.

Creating stairs to the second floor of a raised block will no longer need a drop wall to support it for Sims to be able to route on it.

Sims are now able to route into their home after using terrain manipulation tools in their home lot.

Sims are no longer collecting items in their inventories without your permission.

Alien Disguises and Vampire Dark Forms uploaded to gallery are now properly flagged for packs and custom content used.

Sims will now autonomously interact with each other if one is sitting down and the other is standing.

Move lot will no longer inadvertently unhide stairs, specifically stairs above the first floor.

Updated Muslim inspired assets so clipping is not apparent below the Sims’ chin.

Updated Apron tops to look smoother.

Sims are now less considerate and do not congratulate their romantic partners when they find a new romantic partner.

Send Geo Council for collectables will no longer require you to send your computer with it.

Glass roof created on the ground should now be routable (as long as there is an entryway built into it).

Randomize Twin in Create-a-Sim will carry user-manipulated ears and nose over to the twin.

Fixed an issue that would cause interactions to get stuck in the queue.

Selling Normal quality Mystery novels will now give you money in return.

Copy interaction is now available on Cookbooks and Mixology books.

Sims that despise each other and have no romantic relationship will no longer greet each other with a passionate kiss. Seem normal to me?!

Child sit-to-stand transitions for toddler bed and lounge chair exhibit less clipping.

Perk and trait buffs will now persist through travel.

Drop walls from stairs will now fill in when terrain is manipulated below the stairs.

Sims’ Inventory will no longer reset and jump to the top while in use.

Hover Tip for Electrified Artist updated to proper text.

Fixed an issue in which railings were clipping into the walls.

Railings on extended landing do not have missing posts or different looking sections.

Drawn on eyebrow thumbnail will no longer show incorrect swatch.

Music artist names in the Music Game Options are no longer cut off.

Collared jean jacket will clip less with various hair styles.

Fence posts are now updated when terrain manipulation occurs.

Sims are now able to do Check Toddler interaction while swimming.

Steps in enclosed courtyard will no longer auto delete a part of your staircase.

Take a Vacation day and Call in Sick are no longer available options when Sims are already on vacation.

Teen Sims will no longer get adult Woohoo buff.

Park Cub table can now be put in the inventory.

Wall Height icon in the description text in Build Mode will now the appropriate wall height.

Fixed some issues which may cause Error Code 102 or Error Code 139 to appear during gameplay.

You can say the Fruitcake was the culprit, jury is still out on that one.

Objection! Maybe not…

They are now properly supervised.

They will now hydrate appropriately.

It was haunting.

Now both eyebrow and hair color will match as set by Simmers.

Though we would love to hold them forever.

Get to Work

Patient Sims that are referred to the surgery table will no longer leave in the middle of surgery.

Sims can no longer simultaneously have two occult types. Specifically Vampire and Aliens.

Get Together

Steam will no longer accumulate in rooms above indoor swimming pools, or natural pools, built with vents.

Book Covers do not change when you place them on retail display.

Club panel text field size has been increased to accommodate longer text.

City Living

NPC Sims that attend Festivals are not longer seen in not festival appropriate outfits.

Fixed an issue that Simmers with Outdoor Retreat and City Living didn’t have the “Ask to Cloudgaze” interaction available in San Myshuno apartments.

Fixed an issue that didn’t allow the camera to zoom in properly when looking at lots at their basement level.

Updating the pricing of counter and cabinets to be more consistent with the rest of the Build Mode catalog.

Updated rental options to not exist in Sulani.

Promote Cause Daily Tasks will now be fulfilled with the Promote Policies Interaction.

Cats & Dogs

Fixed an issue in which all stray dogs were large dogs. Now they can be all sizes.

Lighthouse Woohoo spot is back in business.

Sims are able to complete crafting pet medicine with Marketable trait.

Quickly Update your Dr. Magi-Heal’s Surger-o-matic 3000 with an instant upgrade.

A jacket blazer now layers better with bottoms

Dogs will no longer try to put the cat wand away when they can’t and stretch into a mystical form.

Clipping issues were improved with a pair of shorts and various tops, specifically the asset yfBottom_EP04Shorts.

Turning on view distance in option panels will no longer make a brick fence in the world completely white.

Seasons

Child and Teen Sims are now spawning to knock on doors during the holiday season with trick or treat.

It’s less likely to rain at GeekCon festivals now, which should help keep those computers safe!

Fixed an issue in which Sims were able “Rake Leaves” in their Home Lot while Sims were far from leaves to rake.

Mix breed cat function in Create a Sim now works again. Yay!

Social events put in calendar are now functional and will trigger.

Simmers playing with Low Graphics settings can now see improved textures when Sims are wearing Scout uniforms.

Fixed an issue in which rewards from the Scout after school activity were not being awarded properly.

The reward will now appear in the Sims’ Inventory, instead of being unlocked in Build Mode.

Get Famous

Sims employed in any career will no longer be prompted to miss work, or end their shift early, when work hours coincide with visits from Sims that were given a residence key.

Have Sim Dance at the Same Time goal at the Fan Meet and Greet Event can now be completed when you have your Sims and other Sims dance at the same time.

Talent Showcase events will no longer sometimes occur on an invalid location.

Text was updated to hover tip for Action Vol 3 purchase book picker.

Tooltip text for Quality description of videos created by the video station is now colored purple.

Sims Radio too loud? You can adjust the radio volume now after listening to the music you created on the Mix Master Music Production Station.

Consistency!

Island Living

Uninvited Sims will no longer appear when attending Kava Parties on lots with the “Private Dwelling” Lot Trait.

Beach Venues lots can now be selected for Sims to go on dates.

Fixed an issue in which samples taken from Sulani to fulfill Conservation career tasks were disappearing from the Sim Inventory after analyzing said samples.

Fixed an issue in which the “Dried Scales” buff would not disappear after Mermaids fulfilled their hydration needs.

Fixed an issue with Mermaid Children that did not allow them to Take Baths INSIDE bathtubs.

Traditional Sarong asset will not clip with tops as much.

Fixed an issue that made aged up Mermaid Teen Sims have their Mermaid Tails disappear in Create a Sim and while Swimming.

Career Promotions for Conservationist can still occur after reaching level 10.

Bulldozing waterfront lots in Island Living will now not remove terrain paint.

Goggles no longer create an awkward shadow that does not make sense.

Sims can now store coconuts away in the fridge. Woot woot!

Human Sims no longer will think they are Mermaids by swimming like them when swimming laps.

Promotion task is marked completed when Sims have a diving knife.

Sims can now release the fish back into the ocean.

Sims with Master Chef Trait do not make spoil food anymore.

Sunkiss buff will now have the appropriate icon.

Rounded blocks will no longer have missing stilts

Blueprint placement for lots with floor lights will no longer place them underneath structure and float. Gravity is more realistic.

Stilt foundation shadows now appear properly.

Game will no longer crash when placing particular lots from The Gallery.

A TV stand missing in search bar will now appear. You didn’t know what you were missing out on when using search… or you did know and now it’s fixed!

Penthouses from The Gallery will now place all available items properly.

Some furniture items that did not appear on the cursor from Build Mode will now appear.

Claiming a bed is now exclusive to one Sim. Now Sims can sleep in their own bed without disturbance or worry about another Sim using their bed.

Selected tattoos in Create A Sim will no longer automatically reapply clothing.

Hot and Cold outfit categories will no longer filter tattoos upon re-entry.

Jet visual effect will now display properly when streaming from a drone.

Burnt visual effects no longer appear on lot terrain when there is fire on homes with stilt foundations.

Configuring a U shape staircase to another floor will cause the stair cause to lose some steps no more!

Mermaid Sims will do their special swim idle when performing Mermaid interactions.

Mermaid Sims that have been turned into skeletons can now take a bath. Keep those bones clean.

Set favorite watercraft will now set correct one to favorite.

Plants placed on Suspended Modern from gallery will no longer place plants in odd places.

Island Welcome Wagon will now continue to hold Kava bowls to give to your Household instead of placing it on the ground when it rains.

It’s my party, and I don’t invite you if I want to.

Romantic!

Being used to the vastness of the Ocean, Mermaid Children were not happy being limited by a bathtub.

Dine Out

Fixed textures for a few Experimental Dishes.

Restaurant signs no longer have an odd bounding box shadow around it. It’ll be well rounded.

We apologize, our Glazed Heirloom Bamboo Roll, Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core, and Free Range Sixam Pit Beast did not look quite like what you actually ordered.

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer get scolded if they drink plasma from Sims even though they had been granted permission to do so.

Options from the Face category in Create A Sim are no longer missing for Vampire Sims when using the Change Sim interaction.

Vampires have adjusted to daylight savings now and are awake when you invite them to hang out.

Vampire Dark form uploaded to gallery are now properly flagging CC content and packed used.

Parenthood

Adult Sims are less likely to autonomously watch Kids Network if Toddlers/Children/Teens aren’t nearby.

Realm Of Magic

Spellcasters with the Bloodline trait will no longer have their rank reset if they reach the Virtuoso rank.

Potions can now be sold for Simoleons.

Fixed an issue which allowed the Emotional Stability Potion to remove certain buffs from Sims unintentionally.

Fixed an issue where the Spellbinding Tile wall pattern was displaying duplicate swatch colors in Build Mode.

Cooking and Brewing in cauldron will no longer change sell price in build mode.

Drinking animation is performed by Sims when Sims drink potion of curse cleaning to remove curse.

Animation for the teleport is no longer getting cut off.

Orb Familiars will not pop and jump from their locations while following their Sims out of water.

Two necklaces were updated to improve capability with other Create a Sims assets.

Trouser texture will no longer appear on the top of a pair of boots.

Bicep bracelet is now shown properly in Create A Sim thumbnail.

Profit!

Cool Kitchen Stuff

Removed “Get Leftovers” option for ice cream since it was never intended, and who leaves ice cream for leftovers? Not me

Spooky Stuff

Spooky Party will now count towards the Party Animal Aspiration.

Moschino Stuff

Fixed an issue in which in some cases the game would freeze while in Photo Mode.

Sims that you have not met will no longer appear in the Sims selector when triggering Take photo of.

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 152

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 04 - “The Tranquil Cure Mint!” Date watched: 4 October 2019 Original air date: 25 February 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/r27tc5L Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Okay I’ve gone this long without talking about it, so before we continue, it’s time for THE ROAST OF KOMACHI’S HAIR

Her hair is evenly kept chin length all around her head except for a chunk in the back that reaches to her mid-back. It’s not a ponytail, it’s a thin section of her hair that is wildly longer than the rest. Now of course, anime hair is known to be absurd, but in Precure this is usually kept to their transformed states. Everybody else on the team (or eventual team) has pretty standard hairstyles: Nozomi has two small pigtails, traditional bangs, and wears the rest of her hair at shoulder length, Rin’s hair is short and curls out from the sides of her head, Urara wears long twintails, and Karen has long loose hair with neatly trimmed ends. Komachi is the standout with her absurd style. When she transforms it gets even weirder: the body of her hair poofs up and resembles Cure Bloom’s hair, while the bit in the back splits into two extremely long strands that reach her knees. This is still pretty wild but she’s on a team with a girl with hair loops and another with hair cones so she shares the weirdness among the team. I will never understand what the character designer was thinking when they came up with Komachi’s hair. Maybe there’s an interview out there where they explain it, I’d really like to know, because it is ridiculous.

Okay now that that’s out of the way, let’s actually talk about the episode....

The Plot

Rumors are starting to spread around the school about the strange phenomena that keep occurring. Karen discusses it with Komachi one morning and they find it odd that Urara has begun hanging out with Nozomi and Rin. At lunch, Coco reminds the three of them they still need to find the Precures of Tranquility and Intelligence, but they’re interrupted by Karen and Komachi confronting them about their perceived connection to all the suspicious activity. Nozomi sees an opportunity and decides to come out and explain that they’re Precures fighting Nightmare to protect the Dream Collet, and would these two like to help them? Nozomi explains how she thinks these two fit the qualifications Coco described, but they don’t really believe or understand what she’s saying, and Karen leaves in frustration. Komachi lags behind to say it was a lovely story, and she’d love to hear more sometime.

Meanwhile at Nightmare, we find out Gamao has gone MIA after failing his mission, and of course Girinma is still in isolation, so a third agent is called in to collect the Dream Collet: Arachnea. (You get one guess what kind of animal she is). She boasts about how much more capable she is than the other two, and Bunbee basically responds “I hope so.”

Back at school, Rin has soccer practice, Urara tries to find Karen at a student council meeting, and Nozomi approaches Komachi in the library and discovers her writing. Komachi admits that she has wanted to be a novelist since she was very young, but all she gets is dismissal and mockery when she tells people that. Nozomi, however, encourages her and says she’ll support her dream! After all, that’s what she does best. They go for a walk outside and Komachi inquires further about the “story” Nozomi was telling earlier about Precure. Nozomi clarifies that it wasn’t a dream and explains the whole situation, and Komachi finally believes her but admits Karen is more stubborn. Before they can continue, spider webs suddenly come out of a nearby manhole and pull them down into the sewer, where they’re confronted by Arachnea herself, demanding the Dream Collet. She creates a Kowaina out of sewer water and chases the girls, who end up at a dead end. With no other options, Nozomi transforms in front of Komachi, kicks the monster, and they run off together.

she just keeps kicking and kicking and kicking and kicking and....

At the same time, Coco has detected the presence of Nightmare and tags Rin and Urara to try to find Nozomi. They manage to follow her down the sewer and meet up with the missing girls. Rin and Urara transform in front of Komachi, and begin to fight the Kowaina. Arachnea wraps Dream and Komachi in webs and screams that they had no right to dream, that dreams are just illusions. Komachi takes this personally, and retorts that dreams are important and Nozomi is the first person to believe in and support her dream, and in turn she wants to support Nozomi’s dream as well. Her strong emotions summon a green butterfly, which disintegrates the webs binding Komachi before landing on her wrist and becoming a Pinky Catch. Not missing a beat, Komachi transforms into the Precure of Tranquility, Cure Mint! The Kowaina tries to attack them, but Mint uses her special attack, Precure Mint Protection, which is a butterfly that takes the form of a rapidly expanding shield. The monster is knocked back and Dream takes this chance to finish it off with Dream Attack, and Arachnea retreats, muttering about how she’s going to explain this to Bunbee.

The commotion in the sewer has attracted a crowd, and as Nozomi, Rin, and Urara climb out, Karen comments that she knew they were the ones stirring up trouble. Then Komachi climbs out and Karen is confused as the four girls laugh awkwardly.

The Analysis

I know I keep coming back to this but I really enjoy how the various girls are active in investigating the mysterious occurrences resulting from the clash between the Precures and Nightmare. Even if nobody else has seen the actual fights, and the battlefields magically restore themselves, the noise and commotion of the fights attracts attention, and that’s how Komachi and Karen get roped into this mess. I also like how Nozomi is like “You know what? These two might be the ones” and just spills their secret. She recognizes that they have the qualities Coco is looking for: tranquility and knowledge, and Urara and Rin actually agree with her, though Rin is also self-aware enough to realize how absurd this all sounds to an outsider, and tells the seniors “I can see why you wouldn’t believe all of this, but it’s true.” It’s funny to me how Nozomi took a meeting where the two older girls were questioning their connection to the mysterious phenomena and turned it around on them into trying to make friends with them and have them join the Precures. She flipped the school hierarchy and power dynamic on its head, because she’s the pink. Also she’s that perfect combination of confident and airheaded that she can just go for it. I don’t mean this to sound bad, I honestly love Nozomi’s brand of earnestness and her sincere interest in helping other people achieve their dreams. Without getting too ahead of myself, she’s a lot more balanced than some other pink cures down the road.

Speaking of dreams, this is where we really get a look at what Komachi likes to do in her spare time. We might have seen her writing in the first episode but this is the first one to focus on it, and show how she’s a little embarrassed to show people her work because she’s had too many bad experiences with people mocking her. Nozomi’s earnest support of her dream to become a writer is encouraging, and we’ll definitely see her grow and develop her writing skills throughout the show. It’s one of the more memorable character arcs in the show.

An interesting facet of Cure Mint is that she is primarily defense-based rather than being offensive like the other cures so far. Her special attack is a shield, and we’ll see several cures in the franchise who mirror this ability, but while it can be a useful skill and is demonstrably strong in the right circumstances, it feels a little too drawn out most of the time. I guess I’m okay with the whole stock footage chant to perform an attack, but doing the same to summon a shield when the danger is IMMINENT seems wasteful when we know they can jump out of the way. If she had a quick shield she could pull out with less fanfare and used the special attack shield to defend from wide-range attacks or to buy time while her teammates set up their attacks, I’d like it more. Mint Protection does get some time to shine down the road, but far too often it feels superfluous. Maybe that’s heathenous for me to say in a show about teamwork and everybody having a role to play.

I’ll use this opportunity to briefly discuss the Kowaina since i haven’t properly done so before. Unlike Zakenna and Uzainaa before them, Kowaina are a bit more supernatural. The enemy of the week pulls out a full-face mask with a pointy nose and a creepy blank smile, then they throw it on an object, bringing it to life in a mutated form with the mask serving as the face. Also, they speak with a female voice rather than the brutish male voice of the previous shows’ monsters, and they always sound more creepy and spooky. It really adds to the mood and sets this series apart from its predecessors. The next episode will show us that the masks work on sentient creatures, not just inanimate objects, and that will bring some interesting implications.

On the topic of the villains, Arachnea is probably my favorite general from this series. She has the best design as a monster, she’s very serious and largely effective. Sure, she has to lose because plot, but her abilities give the team a run for their money. I’m not sure what she thought she’d gain by luring the girls into the sewer that she couldn’t do above ground, perhaps she thought she could limit their movement? It’s not that well-explained. However, that hiccup aside, I really enjoy her as a villain. Girinma is a close second but he often winds up as the butt monkey of Bunbee’s schemes, which is unfortunate.

Now, this episode has several instances of animation that is best described as..... questionable. Actually, it’s not just this episode, it’s been prevalent all along, but I haven’t had time to bring it up before, and it’s prevalent enough here that I needed to discuss it. The models used for the characters for mid-range and far range shots are not awful, but their features and proportions are a bit distorted. Their faces in particular have eyes that are the wrong shape, which really stands out, and these shots are long enough that even if you’re not the most observant, you’ll realize they look off.

For further out shots, we get the added bonus of noodle limbs.

It’s not a great look, but at this point, we’re used to so-so animation in Precure.

I’ll try to talk about the music in the next one, because the audio design of YPC5 is fun and well enough removed from its predecessors. Look forward to that and more. Next time, on Precure Daily, a false start!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 2 Kettei!

[miraclesnail]

Writer’s Month Day 10: Dark AU

Fandom: PJO

Summary: So alternate dimensions exist and guess what! Turns out in one of those dimensions, I am on Kronos’s side. Who woulda guess? 

(Sorry, this is my self-indulgent fic for Kronos-side!Travis and Connor. I actually have a lot more ideas for this and once I’m done with the published wip I have on ao3, I’ll turn this into a multi-chapter! I used this prompt to kick start the first chapter which is always the hardest for me :P)

Content Warning: graphic violence 

Words: 3.7k

When you think of Travis Stoll, what comes to mind?

Powerful? Important? A main character in the grand scheme of things?

Hell no. 

Weak, insignificant, and a side character more like it, right? 

That’s who he is. A minor character, someone who doesn’t get quests, whose contributions barely make a ripple, and only remembered as that one guy who likes to prank. 

So why — why, why, why, why, why — is he being chased by a man in stupid black sweatpants and a stupid black turtleneck in a stupid black motorcycle helmet holding a stupid, blood-stained, 13 inch knife?

This is something Percy gets into. Or Nico. Or Jason.

But not him.

Never him. 

Travis leaps over rubble, feet catching on the granite, and tumbles forward. He curses loudly, but rights himself and continue running. He doesn’t dare look back (he heard the stories. You look back to see where the killer is and you end up tripping and dying), so he keeps his eyes train up ahead to the not quite darkness, but close enough darkness that objects are just a dark fuzz. 

Rain is pouring a thunderous downpour, a drumming so loud it’s like a waterfall. The occasional lightning gives him a clear snapshot of his surroundings and those few milliseconds where he could see the rubble, he engraves in his mind. 

A fallen cabinet, a broken desk, shattered computers, a houseplant, a family portrait, cracked tile floors, a hole-ridden hand hanging over a toppled swivel chair— 

Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope. He did not saw that. That is not what he thinks it is. That has to be doll or a mannequin. Something fake and plastic. Not real and flesh, because if it is then that means there’s something wrong! Something is killing people! (plague, monsters, aliens) And Travis don’t have time to think about that just yet. 

There’s a turn up ahead. Left? Right? Right is always right so right it is. 

He slows only a little bit, if only to make sure to doesn’t crash into the wall, before running full speed again. He prays to his dad that there’s no rubble in his way. 

And like his prayer is answered, lightning flashes, thunder booms and Travis skids to a stop, sneakers barely gripping the wet tiles that otherwise would have sent him careening over the edge of the crumbled building wall. He clasps his shaking hands together and take a deep breath, commanding his pounding heart to calm down, that no, you did not die. You almost die, but you didn’t. So stop beating so fast.  

He takes in the surrounding, noting the clouds first. They’re dark grey and expands as far as the broken, tilted buildings allow him to see. It blots out the sun and explains the darkness even though just a few minutes ago, it was as sunny as Camp Half Blood could be. His eyes lower to the buildings, all with broken windows, missing sections of bodies, and most tilted too precariously to be considered stable. He lower his eyes even further and gulps when he couldn’t see the bottom. A heavy mist permeates a couple feet down that not even the heavy rain could dissipate. For all he knows, the fall could be 20 feet or 150 feet.

Is there a way to get to the floor below him? Maybe if he just cling to the wall and — nope, the moment his hand touches where the wall meets air, it crumbles. There’s no way he can descend to the floor below. 

Macaroni.

This is a dead end. 

He turns around, fumbling and tripping over his shoulders, but freezes. 

Someone is turning the corner. And the glint of that wicked knife in their hand tells him it’s not Chiron dressed as Santa Clause. 

Cheese sticks, he’s trapped. Maybe he could hide before the man sees him and wait till — the man turns to the aisle to him and walks right in the middle towards him. 

Oh holy sandals. Travis takes a step back and his heel pushes the rubble off the ledge, a grim reminder that there’s no exit behind him. He glances behind him, a who-knows-how-high-drop into the abyss, then back to the front, a cynical man with a loose grip on his knife. 

Which is the better chance? Should he just jump? Does he even know if the man is dangerous? 

He has a knife and it’s stained with blood! Of course he’s dangerous! Travis bites his lips. If Connor was here, he knows what to do. 

The man is drawing scarily close now, close enough for Travis to see the black, tight-fitting sport shirt with long sleeves and collar up to his chin. Close enough for him to see his belt ladles with all sort of pointy objects. Close enough to see the brand of his black pants. Close enough to see black, hiking boots and definitely close enough to see the ocean blue of his eyes past the tinted shield of his Motorcycle helmet.

They’re cold, terrifying cold. 

If Travis wasn’t so scared for his life, he would ask the man where he shops. He’s sure Nico would like to know. 

He glances over his shoulder to the abyss again and stiffens. He can’t survive a high fall. He’s not Percy or Jason. There’s no way he can buffer his fall, but he’s a good talker. He’ll talk his way out of this like he always have with his pranks. So he snaps his eyes back forward and steels himself. 

“H-Hey!” AH NO his voice cracked! “Pal, buddy, amigo, I don’t know if this is your idea of a joke or a prank or just a very elaborate plan to get me to pee my pants, but can you please stop?”

The man didn’t even falter, didn’t even miss a step. 

“Look, I applaud you. Your dedication to your role is amazing, like your costume is some A+ design.” 

Oh gods, he’s still coming. And he’s actually tightening his grip on his knife!

“Unless you really are here to kill me to which I say, please don’t. I don’t even have a weapon to protect myself! That’s not fair, you know?” 

And finally, finally, finally, the man stops walking towards him, only standing two arms length away. He raises his free hand and Travis jerks his body into defense, but the rising hand only rubs the man’s neck. He raises his chin and talks. “Are you done, Connor? I don’t have time for your jokes.” 

The response is automatic, years of being called the wrong name ingrained this reflex in him. It’s natural to him, something he doesn’t even think about. As soon as the man finished his sentence, Travis was already saying, “I’m Travis.” 

The man falters and so did he. 

Most people never hear their voice before, most probably can’t identify their voice. But Travis hears his voice every day and before he left for college, every second of his life. They all said he shares everything with Connor, even in voice. 

“You… have the same voice as me,” Travis says hesitantly. 

The man isn’t advancing, his wide eyes train on Travis. He could see shock, surprise in those eyes. Or maybe it’s mania. It’s easier to differentiate emotions with the mouth in view. He stares for a few more seconds, looking up and down his entire body although his stare linger most on his Camp Half Blood shirt. 

“You’re… Travis?” he whispers.

There’s no mistaking it. That’s definitely his voice and there’s only one person Travis knows who shares the same voice as his. 

“Connor, you donkey. This isn’t funny. You really scared me!” The man freezes at his words, but Travis didn’t really pay much attention to it. Serves Connor right. He should have realize his older brother isn’t that stupid he can’t figure out this whole situation is a prank. 

He kicks the rubble, all tension leaving him. “I have to admit though that this is so cool. Who did you bribe to make this? Hazel? Lou Ellen? Annabeth? Wow, this place is so realistic.”

He saunters over to Connor. “And your costume is so cool. Did you got it from Nico?” 

He’s standing in front of Connor now, but his grins falter. Something is off. There’s fear in his eyes. Connor fears nothing. 

“Connor?” he asks, worry creeping into his voice. “What’s wrong?”

He raises a hand to take the gloved hand into his.

It happen then.

Travis is falling backwards, feet kicked in from below him. As he falls, he sees the fear melds into panic, rage as his back hit the tile and an arm raising a dagger that is definitely not celestial bronze and he watches as the dagger comes closer, closer, and closer to his face. 

It stops an inch from his eye. 

He didn't move. 

The hand holding the dagger looming dangerously over his face is shaking. Shaking rather badly. He wonders if he could ask Connor if he could just move that dagger out of way a bit.

“Why.” 

He spoke again. That’s definitely Connor’s voice. 

“Why didn’t you run? What are you doing? What game are you playing, Connor?” The voice is shaking so badly, more bad than his hand that is holding the dagger too close to his face. His instincts kicks in. He’s not playing along anymore. 

He grabs the hand with the weapon and tugs it off to the side. He stands up and picks up Connor with him too. “Let’s stop with the pranks for the moment. Are you okay?” he asks. 

Connor shakes his head, backing away.

Now Travis is really worried. “What’s the matter then?”

He doesn’t get an answer. Instead Connor rubs his neck. He takes a shuddering breath. “Oh gods. Oh gods. Oh gods.” 

Travis takes a step forward. “Connor, come on. You’re really sca—”

“I’m not Connor,” ‘Connor’ snaps. “I’m — I’m not who you — I’m just a dream. You’re dreaming. Now you’re gonna wake up. 

Not-Connor shoves his hand through his plumber’s belt and takes out a clover leaf the size of his palm. He holds it by the stem, twirls it once and let if fall. The air ripples as it descend, shimmering and and waving until the gray canvas that was the wall became a patch of beautiful yellow and grass.

“You’re dreaming,” Not-Connor repeats. 

Travis didn’t say anything, because really, this burn in his side? This heart pounding from his near fall off the ledge? This pain in his chest from the worry? It all feels so real to him.

Maybe this is how lucid dreaming is. It doesn’t matter. The man in front of him is in pain. The man shares his and Connor’s voice. Dream or no dream, he can’t let his brother imposter suffer. So he lingers. He looks to the side. He opens his mouth. “Hey, are you really—” 

Then Travis is falling for the second time that day. The man grunts and shoves him to the side with a hand. His other hand raises a shield, Athena’s Aegis shield, the shield with Medusa’s face that could with one look turn anything to stone. No sooner did he realize that and tries to avert his eyes (Annabeth’s lecturing voice always coming to haunt him with Greek lessons), did he sees  an arrow fly past him. It hits the shield with a thunk and Travis looks back to see the man recoiling from the impact. He’s falling back, falling right into the shimmering canvas with the pretty grass and sunkissed trees. 

That moment, their eyes met. One in shock, the other with fear.

Their hand reaches out, grasping at nothing, the blue in their eyes gleaming with despair and he was gone. The shimmering canvas is gone. The man is gone. Travis is all alone sans the crunch, crunch of boots stepping on broken tile. 

Travis turns his head sharply to see who’s coming and winces at the sudden voice from the end of the aisle shrouded in dark. “Listen to my orders or I’ll shoot again.” 

He listens, head down and a sick feeling in his stomach. This isn’t a prank, is it? This is real. This situation is real. “Hands up, all the way up.” 

As Travis complies, he could see leather boots in his peripheral vision. Even though he’s scared shitless and just as clueless, his curiosity beats over every emotion he has. And with his brother’s voice yelling in his voice about how he’s stupid and dumb and reckless, he raises his head up slowly. 

Past the brown, leather boots.

Past the tears-riddled jeans.

Past the cloth-covered arm and the crossbow in that arm, arrow notched and pointed at his face.

And to the scrunched up face that’s really familiar. 

He didn’t change much at all. He’s still short. His hair is still black. He’s still scowling. His face is still scrunched up like he stared down the shaft of his arrow for too long. The only thing that’s different is the bow — he always justs a traditional bow, not a crossbow — and the hostility. 

His friend never looked at him like that. 

Michael Yew glares at him like he’s Kronos himself and says with hate Travis didn’t know Michael has, “Travis. I swear on my left arm that if you move one more time, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to walk.” 

////////////

He’s tumbling back. It strikes him that the portal site is behind him. 

But it’s too late. 

He can’t plant his feet in time. [no.] 

He’s falling. [no.]

His eyes meet the boy’s with the painful orange shirt and they’re wide, clueless, still bright with life, not dead like his are. 

He’s passing. [no.]

Not the kid in front of him. 

Not the kid. 

And he’s out there. 

And shit. Fuck. shit shit shit. [do something!]

He reaches out, praying, hoping, that his fingers snag on his.

But it didn’t. 

And he’s falling.

.

falling 

.

falling.

.

The ground comes faster than he expected. 

He groans, ignoring the throbbing pain in his head, and opens his eyes.

Blinding yellow, that’s the first thing he notices.

Speckled blue and swaying green are the next. 

Colors. Real colors. He’s seeing real colors. 

[what is this? what’s going on?]

He leans forward, hands crunching — no, something crunching when he uses his hands as leverage to stand. Green, he sees, and brown. Soft green, hard brown. 

He stares at it, knowing what they are, but the names… their names aren’t coming to him. None of this are. It’s been so long since he saw them, or even uses their words.

But he eventually recalls what they are. Leaves and sticks and the sun, the sky, the trees, the — 

[we shouldn’t have these]

He bolts to his feet, stumbling heavily. It’s too hot. It’s too warm. It’s suffocating. He rips the helmet off and tosses it aside. But it isn’t better. He can see more, could hear more, could smell more.  (The clouds, the wind, the birds, the chirping, the trees, the swaying )

Someone’s breathing heavily and he spins around out of instinct, expecting a stumbler but only seeing more trees (pine trees, birch trees, willow trees) 

[calm down you need to calm down]

It’s him. He’s breathing too loud and he stops gulping air, holding it in. And then letting it go. He can’t panic here. He needs to find a way back over. He’s in danger. He’s out there. He saw him, saw them running. He knows they’re there. He needs to get back now.

He fumbles with his thigh pouch (the ground, it’s so dry) his hands won’t stop shaking (he could see the the sky) he could see the inklings of the green leaf among the black inside of his pouch (the sun feels so warm) and he grasps it in his gloved hand. 

They crumble into pieces that the wind blew away.

He stares at the crumbled pieces, not comprehending, not understanding.

This is a dream. It has to be a dream. There’s no possible explanation.

His neck twinges and he cups it. 

It hurts. 

It hurts. This isn’t a dream. It can’t be a dream. It hurts.

So this is real? [it’s real] Is all this real? [it’s real] Or is it just another twisted image the Gods are giving him? [i can’t believe this is real.]

He starts when a branch cracks behind him and before he could turn around, a man’s voice rings out,

“Travis! There you are!” 

It’s familiar. But also not. 

“Where you been? We’ve been looking for you for over an hour.” 

A remnant of a memory from so long ago floats to the surface. 

“Come on, I have arts and crafts with your cabin. Tyson is stoked for it.” 

And he turns around to see him. The one that haunts his dreams. That terrorizes his sleep and stalks his conscious.  The one with black hair (caked with blood) that hangs over sea-green eyes (fill with bloodlust) and a grin (a glower) on his face with a 6 (6?) beaded necklace over a sickening bright, orange T-shirt.

Son of Poseidon, Perseus Jackson.

His blood freezes.

His heart stops. 

His throat closes. 

[kill him.]

And a hazy, belligerent red washes over him. 

[don’t. you need to run. you’re in danger] [no. you should kill him]

[get out of there. he’ll kill you] [kill him. end this life]

[run away now][get your revenge]

“Travis? What’s the matter?” Perseus asks, his voice infuriatingly friendly, light-hearted.

Perseus takes one step towards him [run] [attack] and another and one more till he’s within arms reach.

[within stabbing reach. do it. do it now.] 

[don’t. run. please. just run.]

[aim for his torso. let his organs trail.]

[stop it.]

[you’re going to run like a coward? after everything he did to you?] 

[don’t listen to him. run away.]

[don’t be a coward.]

[you need to survive.]

“Travis? You okay? You look like you’re out of it.” And a hand touches his shoulder. 

He made his decision then. 

He pulls the knife from his thigh and lunges forward with every intention of stabbing the face clean of skin, muscle, and bone. 

Perseus leaps back, stuttering, “Hey! What are doing?”

He shot forward. The chest is just as good as the face. Probably more painful too. 

“Travis! What the heck! What’s wrong? Hey!”

He didn’t answer. All that matters is getting his dagger into (unmarred?) flesh and twisting it free and thrusting it back in. Again and again and again. Till he’s dead as much as the others. 

Perseus turns tail and runs. 

He follows. 

“Crap, crap, crap!” 

He catches up in seconds, kicking his feet out under him so he’ll tumble to the ground. He’s on him the next second, pulling the arm behind Percy’s back and across to rest against his hips. He pushes down at the wrist. The yelp that follows didn’t quench the red haze. Maybe if he sees actual red, actual blood. He raises his knife. Perseus bucks and tries to throw him off  and he nearly did, but he locks down more. A knife in the spine should stop his struggling. He tightens his hold on his handle, lift it higher and — 

someone rips it from his hand.

Another pulls him back by the shoulder till he’s off completely and on his back. 

And a third is trying to restrain him by digging their knee into the cavity of his throat.

He slips his dagger from behind his back and jabs the knife right above where the kneecap should be. He slices out. Blood splatters across his face and screams break out in multiple directions. One in pain. Several in terror. Zombies don’t scream. Zombies don’t bleed. The knees retracts and he rolls out from under the restraint and onto his knees. 

But a hand is already on his upper arm the next second. He grabs the owner’s arm and their ugly orange shirt, sweep his leg out, and tugs down. The fourth person fell. 

But a fifth and sixth person already have hands on him and they shove his face into the dirt and pin his wrists behind his back. 

He struggles for all he’s worth, but there’s more hands and more force and more yelling. So he struggles harder. 

“Shit, what the fuck is wrong with you Travis!” 

He kicks a shin.  

“Clarisse! Clarisse!! Oh my god. Oh my GOD!”

He bites a hand. 

“Get out of my way. I’m going to kick his teeth in!”

He headbutts someone in the balls. 

“Dude, calm down! Piper, charmspeak his ass!”

[Piper?] and he stops struggling. 

Hands are locking his wrist together. But the only thing he can think about is 

[Piper? But Piper is—]

“Forget charmspeaking. Someone get Connor! Wait, I see him. Connor, get over here! Your brother went off the radar.” 

“Travis.”

He raises his head an inch and stare at the monster. At the man. At the horse. A centaur. A familiar face. A face from before the apocalypse. What was his name? 

“Travis, will you please tell us what is ailing you?” 

Gods, what is his name? What is his name? 

[a bastard]

“Travis? Can you understand me?”

What was it? Cylas? Chance? Camdyn? Caelan?  Charon? Chiron? 

“What are you wearing, Travis? ”

Chiron. It was Chiron.

“Travis, can you speak?”

Chiron Chiron Chiron Chiron Chiron. That’s Chiron. But how, why, what?

“Tra… vis?”

And he trace it to the source, eyes landing on the face he sees everyday. The ocean blue eyes he etchs down to memory. The unruly, unbrushed brown hair he knows down to the last curl. But the orange shirt. The brown khakis. The 9 beaded necklace. That thin line running across his left brow. The surprise, the worry, the unsureness is all new. 

That isn’t his brother.

The beads don’t match up. The scar don’t add up. Something’s wrong. 

Another man comes up beside Chiron. He looks familiar too. But he recalls his name in an instant. Dionysus.

Dionysus waves a hand and his eyes fall shut without permission. Before passing out, he hears Chiron, in his scold he haven’t heard for so, so long, “Mr. D!” 

[ka-star]

The Lesson (A Hell’s Studio AU fic)

Well, yeah; I wrote a BATIM fic, based on the adorable and funny AU by @doodledrawsthings

Disclaimer: This fic is set early in the AU, before Bendy gets his redesign.

Bendy was never one to follow the rules, at least when it means he can have some fun out of it. Being a demon doesn’t help either; well, a living cartoon born through the use of demonic magic, but a demon nonetheless. Regardless of his origins he just couldn’t help himself sometimes, so when Joey Drew told him to never leave the studio, at least not without someone to go with him, it was too good for the little devil to pass up.

It was easy to get away with it too; all it took was a simple disguise and he was gone. As he walked down the street he passed by other people, some of which gave some queer looks, but never stopped to question why there was a ‘child’ walking around wearing a long coat and hat in the middle of a warm day. Bendy couldn’t help but grin because of it.

'Guess most folk just ain’t that smart.’, he thought.

He continued on his way admiring the view of the different buildings and people he has only been told about and overheard other people talk about around the studio. The people were the most interesting to him; they came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, ages and colors. Seeing the same people everyday while stuck in that stuffy animation studio only made this little rule breaking adventure all the more worth it in the little devil’s mind. He felt pretty proud of him, so much so he didn’t noticed the big, furry shadow lurking closer to him in an alley he has just walked past.

A sound Bendy hasn’t heard before made him jump higher then he was tall. He spun around to see the source; a large, dirty looking beast just lingering outside the entrance of the alleyway. It stood on all fours, bearing it’s teeth and making what sounded, to Bendy, like grinding or gurgling. Then it barked.

The little cartoon stepped back and was about to hightail it, until he saw the chain that was keeping the monster from coming any closer to him. He settled down a little, his confidence returning.

“Ya ain’t so tough.”, he mocked. He stepped a little closer, not enough for the furry thing to touch him, and got a better look at it. “Heh, ya look a little like a wolf I know.”, he said. “Only not as handsome. Or smelly.” He chuckled at his own joke.

The beast tried to lunge at Bendy but the chain around its neck stopped it short. The demon was now laughing. “Ya seem a little tied up at ta moment, so I’m just gonna get going. Have a nice life, buddy!” He turned around, whistling as he walked down and turned the corner, all the while the beast was really making a racket; tugging and struggling. Bendy was halfway down the block, still feeling good about himself, until he heard something snap.

His little cartoon heart started pounding in his chest as he slowly turned around. The monster came around the corner; the chain now hanging loose around its neck, and it was sprinting down the sidewalk.

Bendy took off like a bullet with the monster following close behind. The sound of the chain smacking on the concrete was the only indication of how close the thing was to him. The little demon could feel the ink dripping from his forehead as panic ensued. He left little droplets every step he took, covering block after block. He lost count of how many corners he took, and the beast was still hellbent on him.

Just when Bendy thought he couldn’t run any further me spotted a opened door coming up down the sidewalk. It was on the back of a tall, pointy looking building, but that didn’t matter to him. It was the only way to separate him from his pursuer. He rushed through the door and slammed it shut. He heard the beast pawing and jumping on the other side, but it wasn’t getting in. Bendy thought about locking it too, but after a moment it was clear the thing wasn’t smart enough to turn the handle or anything, so he just let it be.

His body was still trembling, and his face was half covered in dripping ink. He took a few deep breathes, trying to regain himself. He couldn’t continue to be making a mess on the floor of, well, wherever he was now. Bendy removed his hat to pull the ink back into place. With his version restored he could get a better look of wherever he was now.

It was dark; no lights were on, but he could make out the lining of another door across from the room, light from the other side of it. It sounded like there were some people there too. He pondered about going through it, but realized he didn’t have much of a choice. That monster was still outside; he could hear it pacing around, it’s chain dragging on the ground.

'I’d rather risk it with people then that thing.’, he reasoned to himself. He still felt shaken up as he made his way towards the dimly lit door.

He then stopped. Something didn’t feel right. He still felt scared. No; it wasn’t just that. Something felt off about where he was; like he shouldn’t be there. Well, he shouldn’t be outside the studio in the first place, but while he was walking down the street he wasn’t feeling…sick?

Weak; he was getting weaker by the minute. His whole body felt off. He opened his coat to get a better look. He gasped; his body looked like it was bubbling, like he was a pot of boiling water. He touched his face; that too was bubbling. His form was struggling to keep it’s shape.

'Why is this happening?!’, he thought.

He knew why he got all drippy when he was scared or upset. Joey explained it to him once; it was because his creator botched the ritual used to bring him to life, but only a little. It wasn’t enough to hinder the demon, and when Joey did it a second time to bring Boris to life he got it right. But this; this wasn’t brought on by stress or heighten emotions. Something else was at play.

Then he heard it, coming from the other side of the dimly lit door. Singing; a whole chorus of voices, high pitched and angelic. The words of the song they sung were not in English, but just hearing it was making Bendy feel even worst. Any strength he had moments before was quickly draining out of him. He fell to his knees; his strength as well as his inky form was fading.

He tried to crawl towards the door to the outside. He no longer feared that furry beast. Being inside this building was a whole lot worst. He was scared, confused, and now wishing he listened to Joey. He struggled to reach the door handle, but he couldn’t stand. His legs felt nonexistent. Maybe they were, but he didn’t dare look. For the first time in his existence he thought for sure he was done for.

“Somebody...help me…please.”

The door in front of him swung open. Bendy’s eyes burned with the sudden rush of light, but there was two shadows standing over him. His hearing was muffled at this point. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but one was trying to speak to him while the other was keeping that furry monster away. The last thing the little toon remembered before passing out was one of the shadows carefully picking him up off the floor and quickly leaving the building.

“Bendy? Bendy, can you hear me?”

Joey’s voice was distant but sweet to the little devil’s ears. Bendy knew he was back at the studio; the smell of old wooden chairs and stale air was something he was used to. It took a moment to register that he was tucked into his 'bed’ in the bottom of the old dresser, located near Joey’s office; something he became accustomed to since he was created. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light. Joey, and Henry, were kneeling beside him; the slimmer of the two looking more worried than Bendy was used to seeing him.

His memory was a little fuzzy, but he could recall something about being chased, running into a building, and then something about feeling really scared and confused. Before the little devil could question what happened, Joey got closer and started asking a million and one question, most of which flew over the toon’s head.

"Are you okay?! Are you having an easy time keeping yourself together? Do you need more ink? I can run over to the ink machine if you need a drink. Are you feeling sick at all? Weak? Anything?” The panicked man then cupped Bendy’s face to get a better look at him, which only made Bendy feel even more confused and a bit overwhelmed. Little drops of ink began to form on his forehead, which just made Joey even more jumpy.

Henry finally decided to step in before it got too much for the toon. “Joey, I think he’s doing fine now. Maybe you should step back? Give him some air?” He said this with an awkward grin and a hand on Joey’s shoulder. It seemed to work; the slimmer man took his hands off Bendy’s face and took a few deep breathes. Henry then turned to the toon, who still looked just as baffled as before. “You gave us a real scare there, kid.”

“W-What happened?” Those were the only words Bendy could muster before Joey cut in again.

“What happened?!, repeated Joey, placing his hands on his head, trying to contain himself. “Bendy, we found you in church! A church! Of all the places, why would you go in one of thoses?!”

Bendy’s head snapped up. “A what now?” That sounded familiar to him.

“We found you in the backroom of the church off Center Street.”, Henry explained, in a far more calm manner then his co-worker. His face grew more serious. “And you were in bad shape. We thought you were a goner.”

“If it wasn’t for your ink trail we would have passed right by you.”, Joey added, still shaken up.

The tall, pointy building; now Bendy remembered. Joey once told him there were certain objects and areas he should never be near or at, and churches were on the top of that list; something about weakening the magic that holds him together or something. Bendy has seen photos of churches, but never in real life. He should have known not to-

“I was running from something.”, Bendy mused out loud.

“You mean that dog?, Joey asked.

“That was a dog?”, said Bendy. “It looked more like a bad drawing of Boris to me.” He grinned, thinking the joke would lighten the mood a little. Henry chuckled a little, but Joey still looked like he was on edge.

“Bendy, we almost lost you.” Those words coming out of Joey’s mouth was almost surreal to Bendy. His grin faded, finally realizing just how freaked out his creator was. “We...I feared the worst. When I saw you, I just…” The man looked like he was about to cry; something Bendy has never seen before until now. The little toon didn’t know what to say at that point. It took a moment for Joey to regain his composure. “I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Henry once again placed a hand on Joey’s shoulder. “Hey, why don’t we let him rest a little more, just to be on the safe side?”

Joey took another deep breath and nodded. He got to his feet and heading out the door, leaving Bendy and Henry alone. It was too quiet for a few moments before Henry spoke up again.

“Yeah, I know; I never saw Joey freak out that bad myself.”

Bendy looked up at the animator. He pretty much just read the little demon’s mind.

Henry continued, “I was scared too, but I knew I had to stay calm for Joey’s sake. I won’t lie though; when we did find you I was fearing the worst myself. I’m just glad we got to you in time.” Henry was always one to remain calm while everyone else was going nuts over something, whether it was serious or not, but something about how he was explaining his thoughts on what happened just made the whole event more clear to Bendy.

The man then looked over at the toon. “Just promise that you’ll be more careful if you sneak out again.” He paused. “Or better yet, if you ever do want to go out again-”

“I won’t!”, said Bendy. “I won’t anymore.”

Henry shook his head. “No, I mean, if you want to, I’ll be happy to go with you. I’m sure Joey would be okay with that. I’ll make sure you don’t get into trouble.”

Bendy was silent for a moment before answering. “Sure.” He’s voice was flat, making Henry wonder if the thought of going back out was too scary for the cartoon now. “Just…I don’t think I want ta be going out fer a while, is all.” He got back under his little covers and rested his head on his pillow.

“Alright; we can talk more about it another time.”, said Henry. He got to his feet and made his way to the door. “Just get some sleep.” He was just about to leave.

“I’m sorry.”

Henry stopped short of closing the door when he heard those words. Bendy never apologizes. Being a cartoon and a demon he’s always had a 'devil may care’ outlook on everything, pun intended. Hearing him apologizing for anything seemed impossible, or was impossible.

Henry turned back around. The little demon was wrapped in his covers with his back facing the human.

“It’s alright, Bendy.”, Henry whispered. “Just rest up, kid.”

He quietly closed the door.

[terryblount]

The Sims 4 gets a huge November 12th update, full patch notes revealed

Electronic Arts and Maxis have released a huge new update for The Sims 4. The November 12th update brings a few new Holiday items available for you in Create A Sim. Moreover, it brings a new Multi Story Column feature to help you build tall columns for a grand entrance or interior.

It’s also worth noting that this update adds a UI Scaling setting in the options panel. In addition, a New Main Menu Message is now available on load to easily help you find the latest and greatest content from The Sims 4.

Maxis has also updated the Holiday Celebration Pack with some new children and toddler clothing. Moreover, the Hip Hop Radio Station is now available for everyone.

Naturally, this update also fixes numerous bugs and glitches that the game’s fanbase has reported.

As always, Origin will download this patch the next time you launch its client. You can also find below its complete changelog.

The Sims 4 November 12th Patch Release Notes

FIXES & UPDATES

The Sims 4

Sims that dislike Fruitcake no longer react negatively to all other food. On the other hand, Sims that like Fruitcake no longer will react positively to Poor Quality foods.

You can say the Fruitcake was the culprit, jury is still out on that one.

Objection! Maybe not…

Grab Meal or Give Food for all ages will now fulfill the hunger needs completely. Hopefully it will help with the 100 baby challenge 

Spoiled visual effect now will go away on servings from coffee and tea pots.

Sims will now place grilled food on the table appropriately instead of their inventory.

Terrain Manipulation brush and eraser cursor is now visible for all terrain tools in 32 and 64 bit mode on PC.

Fresh drinks are now available on the drink tray (for those who own Spa Day and/or Backyard Stuff). “Grab drink” from drink tray functions and will no longer give you an incorrect message.

Households populated in the “Other Households” tab in Manage Worlds can no longer be composed of just a Child.

They are now properly supervised.

Idle Sims will no longer drink water excessively.

They will now hydrate appropriately.

Skin details no longer go away when randomizing Sim features other than the “Face” or “All” categories.

NPC Sims that are not Gardeners will no longer remove Wild Plants from lots autonomously.

Rare and uncommon harvestables will now be produced at higher rates when splicing.

Fixed an issue in which typing in the search field in Build Mode made the phrase “Text Field” appear erroneously.

It was haunting.

Sims will no longer leave the dining table after they’ve started having their meal when using the “Call to Meal” interaction.

Fixed an issue in which Sims were not able to wash dishes or use the dishwasher if there were shelving units above the sink or the dishwasher.

Child Sims will not longer have their eyebrow color changed to Brown when they are set to Blonde.

Now both eyebrow and hair color will match as set by Simmers.

Fixed an issue that made Adult Sims constantly change outfits while Taking a Shower, and then giving a Bath to Toddlers.

Fixed an issue where capturing screenshots with the Capture UI option enabled didn’t actually capture the UI.

Fixed an issue which made the option “Put <Sim/Pet Name> here” not available when holding Pets and Toddlers.

Though we would love to hold them forever.

Fixed an issue which made Paying Bills via Phone not be fulfilled if Simmers queued any other action before it would complete.

Simmers playing in Laptop Mode will now see improvements on the in game lighting.

Moving a wall will no longer delete objects on a separate shelf when bb.moveobjects cheat is used.

Fixed an issue in which Toddlers that had maxed out their skills were not receiving the Top Notch Trait when aging up.

Toddler Traits are no longer visible after aging.

Success Lineage Aspiration can now be completed once appropriate conditions are met.

Terrain Paints now persist when placing a lot from the gallery.

Assets yfBody_EP06DressFur_GoldGreen, yfBody_GP07DressWestern_FlowerOrange & yfBody_EP03TankStrappy_ElephantAquaCream were updated to look better with various shoe styles.

Vendors will no longer use your Sims’ fireplace as an imaginary portal to mysterious places.

Emotional sculpture thumbnail in sims inventory and world appearance are now visually the same.

“Get Married to..” whim now complete when you actually get married. Achievement Unlocked!

Sims now are more diligent in putting back their books in the bookshelf and/or bookcase.

Focused Sims can now go back to hacking work process when they reach level 6.

Sims that randomly decided to cosplay and have pointy ears have now revert back to their normal selves.

Nature’s Welcome Arch gate will no longer have metal gate audio.

Catching fish with excellent quality will now count toward the “Make 6 Great Catches” task of the Angling Ace Aspiration.

Creating stairs to the second floor of a raised block will no longer need a drop wall to support it for Sims to be able to route on it.

Sims are now able to route into their home after using terrain manipulation tools in their home lot.

Sims are no longer collecting items in their inventories without your permission.

Alien Disguises and Vampire Dark Forms uploaded to gallery are now properly flagged for packs and custom content used.

Sims will now autonomously interact with each other if one is sitting down and the other is standing.

Move lot will no longer inadvertently unhide stairs, specifically stairs above the first floor.

Updated Muslim inspired assets so clipping is not apparent below the Sims’ chin.

Updated Apron tops to look smoother.

Sims are now less considerate and do not congratulate their romantic partners when they find a new romantic partner.

Send Geo Council for collectables will no longer require you to send your computer with it.

Glass roof created on the ground should now be routable (as long as there is an entryway built into it).

Randomize Twin in Create-a-Sim will carry user-manipulated ears and nose over to the twin.

Fixed an issue that would cause interactions to get stuck in the queue.

Selling Normal quality Mystery novels will now give you money in return.

Copy interaction is now available on Cookbooks and Mixology books.

Sims that despise each other and have no romantic relationship will no longer greet each other with a passionate kiss. Seem normal to me?!

Child sit-to-stand transitions for toddler bed and lounge chair exhibit less clipping.

Perk and trait buffs will now persist through travel.

Drop walls from stairs will now fill in when terrain is manipulated below the stairs.

Sims’ Inventory will no longer reset and jump to the top while in use.

Hover Tip for Electrified Artist updated to proper text.

Fixed an issue in which railings were clipping into the walls.

Railings on extended landing do not have missing posts or different looking sections.

Drawn on eyebrow thumbnail will no longer show incorrect swatch.

Music artist names in the Music Game Options are no longer cut off.

Collared jean jacket will clip less with various hair styles.

Fence posts are now updated when terrain manipulation occurs.

Sims are now able to do Check Toddler interaction while swimming.

Steps in enclosed courtyard will no longer auto delete a part of your staircase.

Take a Vacation day and Call in Sick are no longer available options when Sims are already on vacation.

Teen Sims will no longer get adult Woohoo buff.

Park Cub table can now be put in the inventory.

Wall Height icon in the description text in Build Mode will now the appropriate wall height.

Fixed some issues which may cause Error Code 102 or Error Code 139 to appear during gameplay.

Get to Work

Patient Sims that are referred to the surgery table will no longer leave in the middle of surgery.

Sims can no longer simultaneously have two occult types. Specifically Vampire and Aliens.

Get Together

Steam will no longer accumulate in rooms above indoor swimming pools, or natural pools, built with vents.

Book Covers do not change when you place them on retail display.

Club panel text field size has been increased to accommodate longer text.

City Living

NPC Sims that attend Festivals are not longer seen in not festival appropriate outfits.

Fixed an issue that Simmers with Outdoor Retreat and City Living didn’t have the “Ask to Cloudgaze” interaction available in San Myshuno apartments.

Fixed an issue that didn’t allow the camera to zoom in properly when looking at lots at their basement level.

Updating the pricing of counter and cabinets to be more consistent with the rest of the Build Mode catalog.

Updated rental options to not exist in Sulani.

Promote Cause Daily Tasks will now be fulfilled with the Promote Policies Interaction.

Cats & Dogs

Fixed an issue in which all stray dogs were large dogs. Now they can be all sizes.

Lighthouse Woohoo spot is back in business.

Sims are able to complete crafting pet medicine with Marketable trait.

Quickly Update your Dr. Magi-Heal’s Surger-o-matic 3000 with an instant upgrade.

A jacket blazer now layers better with bottoms

Dogs will no longer try to put the cat wand away when they can’t and stretch into a mystical form.

Clipping issues were improved with a pair of shorts and various tops, specifically the asset yfBottom_EP04Shorts.

Turning on view distance in option panels will no longer make a brick fence in the world completely white.

Seasons

Child and Teen Sims are now spawning to knock on doors during the holiday season with trick or treat.

Fixed an issue in which rewards from the Scout after school activity were not being awarded properly.

The reward will now appear in the Sims’ Inventory, instead of being unlocked in Build Mode.

It’s less likely to rain at GeekCon festivals now, which should help keep those computers safe!

Fixed an issue in which Sims were able “Rake Leaves” in their Home Lot while Sims were far from leaves to rake.

Mix breed cat function in Create a Sim now works again. Yay!

Social events put in calendar are now functional and will trigger.

Simmers playing with Low Graphics settings can now see improved textures when Sims are wearing Scout uniforms.

Get Famous

Sims employed in any career will no longer be prompted to miss work, or end their shift early, when work hours coincide with visits from Sims that were given a residence key.

Have Sim Dance at the Same Time goal at the Fan Meet and Greet Event can now be completed when you have your Sims and other Sims dance at the same time.

Talent Showcase events will no longer sometimes occur on an invalid location.

Text was updated to hover tip for Action Vol 3 purchase book picker.

Tooltip text for Quality description of videos created by the video station is now colored purple.

Consistency!

Sims Radio too loud? You can adjust the radio volume now after listening to the music you created on the Mix Master Music Production Station.

Island Living

Uninvited Sims will no longer appear when attending Kava Parties on lots with the “Private Dwelling” Lot Trait.

It’s my party, and I don’t invite you if I want to.

Beach Venues lots can now be selected for Sims to go on dates.

Romantic!

Fixed an issue in which samples taken from Sulani to fulfill Conservation career tasks were disappearing from the Sim Inventory after analyzing said samples.

Fixed an issue in which the “Dried Scales” buff would not disappear after Mermaids fulfilled their hydration needs.

Fixed an issue with Mermaid Children that did not allow them to Take Baths INSIDE bathtubs.

Being used to the vastness of the Ocean, Mermaid Children were not happy being limited by a bathtub.

Traditional Sarong asset will not clip with tops as much.

Fixed an issue that made aged up Mermaid Teen Sims have their Mermaid Tails disappear in Create a Sim and while Swimming.

Career Promotions for Conservationist can still occur after reaching level 10.

Bulldozing waterfront lots in Island Living will now not remove terrain paint.

Goggles no longer create an awkward shadow that does not make sense.

Sims can now store coconuts away in the fridge. Woot woot!

Human Sims no longer will think they are Mermaids by swimming like them when swimming laps.

Promotion task is marked completed when Sims have a diving knife.

Sims can now release the fish back into the ocean.

Sims with Master Chef Trait do not make spoil food anymore.

Sunkiss buff will now have the appropriate icon.

Rounded blocks will no longer have missing stilts

Blueprint placement for lots with floor lights will no longer place them underneath structure and float. Gravity is more realistic.

Stilt foundation shadows now appear properly.

Game will no longer crash when placing particular lots from The Gallery.

A TV stand missing in search bar will now appear. You didn’t know what you were missing out on when using search… or you did know and now it’s fixed!

Penthouses from The Gallery will now place all available items properly.

Some furniture items that did not appear on the cursor from Build Mode will now appear.

Claiming a bed is now exclusive to one Sim. Now Sims can sleep in their own bed without disturbance or worry about another Sim using their bed.

Selected tattoos in Create A Sim will no longer automatically reapply clothing.

Hot and Cold outfit categories will no longer filter tattoos upon re-entry.

Jet visual effect will now display properly when streaming from a drone.

Burnt visual effects no longer appear on lot terrain when there is fire on homes with stilt foundations.

Configuring a U shape staircase to another floor will cause the stair cause to lose some steps no more!

Mermaid Sims will do their special swim idle when performing Mermaid interactions.

Mermaid Sims that have been turned into skeletons can now take a bath. Keep those bones clean.

Set favorite watercraft will now set correct one to favorite.

Plants placed on Suspended Modern from gallery will no longer place plants in odd places.

Island Welcome Wagon will now continue to hold Kava bowls to give to your Household instead of placing it on the ground when it rains.

Dine Out

Fixed textures for a few Experimental Dishes.

We apologize, our Glazed Heirloom Bamboo Roll, Space Taco with Pearled Egg Core, and Free Range Sixam Pit Beast did not look quite like what you actually ordered.

Restaurant signs no longer have an odd bounding box shadow around it. It’ll be well rounded.

Vampires

Vampire Sims will no longer get scolded if they drink plasma from Sims even though they had been granted permission to do so.

Options from the Face category in Create A Sim are no longer missing for Vampire Sims when using the Change Sim interaction.

Vampires have adjusted to daylight savings now and are awake when you invite them to hang out.

Vampire Dark form uploaded to gallery are now properly flagging CC content and packed used.

Parenthood

Adult Sims are less likely to autonomously watch Kids Network if Toddlers/Children/Teens aren’t nearby.

Realm Of Magic

Spellcasters with the Bloodline trait will no longer have their rank reset if they reach the Virtuoso rank.

Potions can now be sold for Simoleons.

Profit!

Fixed an issue which allowed the Emotional Stability Potion to remove certain buffs from Sims unintentionally.

Fixed an issue where the Spellbinding Tile wall pattern was displaying duplicate swatch colors in Build Mode.

Cooking and Brewing in cauldron will no longer change sell price in build mode.

Drinking animation is performed by Sims when Sims drink potion of curse cleaning to remove curse.

Animation for the teleport is no longer getting cut off.

Orb Familiars will not pop and jump from their locations while following their Sims out of water.

Two necklaces were updated to improve capability with other Create a Sims assets.

Trouser texture will no longer appear on the top of a pair of boots.

Bicep bracelet is now shown properly in Create A Sim thumbnail.

Cool Kitchen Stuff

Removed “Get Leftovers” option for ice cream since it was never intended, and who leaves ice cream for leftovers? Not me 

Spooky Stuff

Spooky Party will now count towards the Party Animal Aspiration.

Moschino Stuff

Fixed an issue in which in some cases the game would freeze while in Photo Mode.

Sims that you have not met will no longer appear in the Sims selector when triggering Take photo of.

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[loubuggins]

Every King Needs a Queen

Chapter 1: The Raid

Titan's Secret Safe House, Location: Classified

The tall and dense clumps of the lush, green blades of Elephant Grass blew gently with the light breeze. Water from the nearby river acted like a natural mister, cooling down the visitors that stood nearby in a small clearing of Bermuda Grass. One was a middle-aged woman with pale-grey skin that reflected off the vicious sun's rays. Her long, violet hair fell well past her shoulders and bellowed at the ends due to the wind. Her long blue cloak whipped with the wind, exposing her leotard and long, black boots. Across from her stood a younger version of what could have been the same person, had it not been for the little girl's green chakra, cloak, and the specks of emerald invading her amethyst eyes.

The two faced each other, the youngest standing in a fighting position with her arms up in defense and her little legs standing firm in the soft grass, her dark green boots standing out against the lighter yellow green ground. The elder stood with her arms at her side, and her blank stare pointed towards the child.

"Are you ready, Arella?" The women asked in her typical, monotone voice.

The little girl nodded her head, some of her long, violet locks falling in her face, forcing her to blow them away with a huff. "Ready, Mother."

"Go!" A blast of obsidian magic was sent barreling towards the small child. The girl reacted instinctively, a black shield forming over her crossed arms. The blast was strong, strong enough to push the girl a couple steps back, but not enough to break her shield. A few heartbeats passed while Arella's mind tried to catch up with what was happening. With a grunt, she sent a pulse of her own magic back at her mother, breaking the stream of opposing magic and sending the women back a couple of feet.

. . . Rip her apart . . .

There it was again.

Arella shook the voice off, getting back to her training exercises.

Arella was about to send another blast at her mother, but she got her attention, "Use the items around you! You'll expend less energy that way!"

"Oh yeah," Arella retracted her magic, then re-extended her emotions over a few large rocks around her. They floated into the air and began dancing around her mother in an almost playful, teasing manner. At first, she thought Arella was simply playing with her powers, but that theory was shot to hell when the rocks began shooting at her one by one. Arella giggled a bit watching her mother deflect her attacks, so she sped up her attacks . . . faster . . . and faster . . .

"Arella!" Raven was beginning to become exhausted, the large rocks coming at her from every angle. "ARELLA!"

The young sorceress gasped, wrangling in her emotions, but not before a loose boulder hit Raven in the back of the head. "Mother!" Arella screamed in fear as she ran over to her fallen mother. She came close to jumping her mother, but changed her mind last second, and instead took a couple steps back. Her hands were held up to her chest as she anxiously fiddled with her fingers. Hot, fresh tears ran down her red cheeks, and her breath quickened and became shallow. The wind picked up again and began swirling around the child, sending mud, rocks, and sticks flying about. "Ma…Ma…Mama I'm…so sorry Mama, I…"

The mother sat back up with a loud groan. She was covered in mud and blades of grass stuck to her wet skin. She looked up to see her young daughter sobbing and hyperventilating. Her maternal instincts kicked in, and forgetting her own pain, she pushed herself up on her legs and walked up towards the panicking child. She used her own powers to block the flying objects that came her way.

When she was only a few inches away for the small girl, she bent down on her knees and took the child's head in her hands. The girl looked at her mother with frightened, tearful eyes. Her mother's face was emotionless as she leaned her head down, and touched their foreheads together, their chakra's glowing as they clicked together. An instant wave of calmness and security washed over the young girl. The last of her tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped into the earth. Her breathing became deeper and more even, and her arms fell to her sides.

Her mother, once satisfied with her daughter's condition, broke their connection by pulling away. She looked down at her daughter and gently rubbed her thumbs over the girl's hot cheeks, cleaning away the last of her tears. The girl's eyes were focused on the ground under her, too ashamed to meet her mother's gaze.

"I'm sorry, Mama." She whimpered sadly.

Her mother pulled the girl's small body into a loving embrace, one of her arms wrapping around the girl's thin waist and the other holding her head. Without hesitation, Arella wrapped her short arms around her mother's neck, her head burying itself into her mother's shoulder. Her mother stroked her daughter's long, silky hair as she whispered into her sensitive, pointy, little ears. "I love you, Arella. Never worry about me. You could never hurt me. I just need you to promise me something."

Arella nodded her head and her mother gently pushed the girl back, her hands now gripping the girl's shoulders. Arella met her mother's deep amethyst gaze. She could feel her mother's serious mood, and the deep rooted protective nature that she always felt off her mother.

"Promise me Arella, that you will do everything in your power to control your rage. That part of you is not the true part. You are not that monster, and I never want you to feel like you are, but you must learn to control that part of you, or else one day it may take control and never give it up. Promise me, you won't allow that to happen."

Arella searched her mother's eyes, seeing concern, worry, and worst of all, fear. What she could not decipher was rather that fear was for her safety or her mother's. A part of Arella told her not to make that promise. It was the scary voice that constantly whispered in her mind, telling her terrible things that would sometimes make her lash out or run to her parent's bedside in the middle of the night looking for sanctuary. Her mother once told her that the voice was not her friend, and that whatever the voice said was never true. She often tried to ignore the mysterious, deep-throated voice, but sometimes the ideas it came up with sounded so…good. Other times, she wouldn't even know she was obeying the voice until after the damage was done, and she was left to face the consequences. Now the voice was back, telling her that her mother was wrong, but if there was one lesson Arella learned, it was that Mother was never wrong.

"Okay, Mama, I promise." Her small voice squeaked as she nodded her head.

"That's my girl." Her mother's lips twitched up in a faint smile and she placed a brief kiss on top of Arella's head.

Suddenly, the warm air became chilling and the pressure dropped as well. A weird feeling built up in Arella's stomach, and her mother's smile quickly replaced itself with a frown.

"And here we have the elusive Raven. A solitary creature that prefers the company of books then to that of human contact. Highly intelligent, but drawn to all things green." Came the sarcastic, English voice of the demon king, dressed in his typical red Armani Collezioni three-button suit.

"What are you doing here, Landon?" The mother's gravelly voice was laced with suspicion and annoyance as she looked past Arella and stared pointedly at the nicely dressed demon. Instinctively she brought Arella closer to her.

"Now, Raven darling, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Landon pretended to be hurt by her sudden rudeness.

"It is if that friend only shows up when there is danger, you need a favor, or both." The women retorted, but he only shrugged.

"I suppose there is some truth in that." He said, then dropped his gaze to the little girl hiding under her mother's cloak.

A wicked grin crepted onto his face. "And who is this lovely young thing?" The demon king approached, Arella stayed at her mother's side, but she watched the king with curious eyes. Landon dropped down to the 10-year-old's height. His dark brown eyes meeting her purple-green ones.

"I believe we haven't had the pleasure of being properly introduced, little one." The king extended his hand, his smile never leaving his face. "Landon, King of Hell, at your service."

The girl eyed his open hand doubtfully.

"It's okay, Arella. He won't hurt you." Raven's last comment seemed directed more as a threat to the demon king than as comfort to the little girl.

Upon her mother's approval, Arella extended her tiny, pale hand and Landon instantly accepted it. He gripped the small hand and brought it to his lips, placing a polite kiss on her knuckles. The little girl blushed and quickly brought her hand back to the safety of mother's cloak.

"Now, darling, it's only polite to give your name after someone has introduced themselves to you. Honestly, has your mother taught you nothing?" He glanced up at Raven, who ignored his taunt.

"Arella Rita Logan." The girl recited like a line from a play she had to memorize.

"Alright, Arella, your training is over for today. Go teleport home, your father should be there." Her mother ordered. Arella immediately voiced her objections, but one stern glare from her mother was enough to make the child obey without another word. Once the young girl was swallowed up by a large black hole, Raven finally relaxed.

"Why did you come here, Landon?" She asked again, as she used her magic to begin removing the mud and debris from her person.

"I was in the neighborhood and decided to drop in on my favorite chromatically challenged family." With a snap of his fingers, all the dirt that had been on Raven vanished, and any cuts or bruises she had disappeared with it. Raven let out a sigh, but thanked the king anyway. "Anytime, darling. Now about your little training session."

"I knew it!" Raven interjected, raising a finger at the king. "This is a business trip."

Landon rolled his dark eyes at the women. "Of course, it's a business trip. All my trips are business trips. Now back to the topic at hand. I know what you have been teaching that girl, but it will never work."

"What are you talking about?" Raven growled at the overly-confident demon.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. The girl has a power inside her that could end us all, and all you are doing is adding fuel to the fire." Landon spoke calmly as he folded his hand together behind his back.

"I'm teaching her to suppress and control her demonic side, just as I was taught, and just as I taught my other two children." Raven explained, doing her best to suppress her own rage at the king's insult to her parenting.

"That may have worked for them, but for the girl, it's like fixing a leak with a band aid. It will not last forever, and when it fails, she'll drown."

The metaphor hung in the air as Raven allowed this warning to sink in.

"No." She objected. "You're wrong! My daughter will never fall to the darkness. Never!"

Landon simply blinked at her outburst. "So, what's the plan exactly? Tell her to stay away from the darkness and move on with life? That's not enough."

"Then what do you suggest?!" Raven's heart froze as she thought of her daughter being corrupted by her own rage. A vision of Arella covered in the Marks of Scath filled her mind, but she quickly pushed it away.

"You need to teach her about the darkness, show her the darkness, show her the consequences. You cannot hope to control something you suppress. That's not how it works." Landon implored. "That's exactly why you became Trigon's bloody portal! The only reason you survived is because of your friends were crazy enough to go to hell and find you."

"And Arella has even more friends and family than I had." Raven added.

"But what if that's not enough this time." The demon king challenged. "Trigon will try to return to this realm, and when that day comes, wouldn't you rather her be strong enough to resist him, rather than hope she'll come out the other end alive?"

Now this made Raven really think. Could this arrogant king of Hell, be right? Would giving into her demonic side, really protect Arella from her malevolent grandfather?

"Raven, please, all joking aside, let me help. I don't want her to be Trigon's plaything any more than you do. If you let her come with me, and learn how to properly use her demonic powers, spend some time in the darkness, she may just be strong enough to stop Trigon before he even knocks on the door." Landon was a lot of things, but she never would have pegged him as a beggar. Yet, here he was, practically pleading with her to give in to him. He had to feel strongly about this, if he was asking for her permission before he acted. However, no matter how important this was to the king of Hell, there was no way on Earth or Hell that she would let him take her daughter away from her.

This made Raven's answer easy. "No." She said meeting her scowling gaze. "I'm sorry, Landon, but she is my daughter. My responsibility. I will train her how I see fit, and use every last drop of my powers to make sure she is safe. My mother sent me away, because of my proclaimed prophecy, and I swore to myself that I would never do that to my own child. Keeping safe is important, but so is showing her love, kindness, and friendship. Those are what saved me in the end, and they will save her too."

Surprisingly Landon wasn't surprised by her answer. Memories of his own daughter being taken from him long ago helped him to understand her decision. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"While I respect your passion, and I understand your answer, darling, I must implore you to reconsider." He pushed one final time.

Raven narrowed her eyes at him, her own death glare rivaling his. "Read my lips, Landon. Not. Going. To. Happen."

"Very well. Can't say I didn't try." His eye darted from Raven to the thick brush of grass behind her, where a pair of amethyst/emerald eyes widened at being caught. "If you need me, you know the number."

Raven snorted, "Still 666?"

He smirked, A black cloud of smoke covered the demon king, and as quickly as he came, he vanished, leaving behind a confused Raven and a perplexed little girl.

Titan Tower West, Jump City, CA

Present Day

A lot changed over the years, that much is certain, and inevitable, but none more than the tower that stood guard in the bay of Jump City. The one shaped like a giant T. Though it had been there for years, it had gone through intensive remolding, and not just adding on rooms, or enlarging the ones they already had by putting their own bathrooms in them. No, the most impressive of these remodels was the enormous underground training facility, equipped with the latest and greatest in combat training, which was where the newest group of young heroes found themselves this morning.

With the combat simulation at the ready, the group of five teenage heroes began their training exercises to start the day. Of course, only one of them was excited to be up at five in the morning. A streak of gold zipped through the air fighting off her airborne opponents. Special armored bracelets helped her deflect the shots that were aimed at her.

Wonder Girl landed, while a red blur ran past her. "Gotta watch your back, Cassie." Impulse teased.

She rolled her blue eyes, removing a rope from her belt to lasso a hologram, and swinging it at another that stood behind the speedster. "How about we call it even."

He shrugged, "Works for me," and zipped off to help his teammates.

A young man stood surrounded by the computerized ninjas. With eyes glowing a fiery blue, large balls of fire shot from his hands and began consuming them. Once the way was clear the balls of fire shrank before merging to become one, then floated by his ear.

"Not bad," he told it, "still a bit slow on the afterburner though . . . whatdoya mean I don't know what I'm talking about?!"

"Reed . . . !" Instinctively Reed docked for cover just as a young woman with short spiked pink hair soared over him kicking away two of the ninjas in a splits kick. Once he hit the ground, she threw her arm at another group of charging ninja's, shards of crystal flying out of her arms and hitting each of them in the heads. " . . . watch out." She stood up straight, placing her hands on her hips in a sarcastic manner.

"Heh," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, ". . sorry." Chloe Daniels rolled her cobalt blue-eyes, before crystalizing her leg to send a spin kick to attacking ninja's behind her.

The holograms continued to come down on the team of Titans, well all but one who was safely floating in a meditative trance high above the training floor. She took a few deep breaths, the emerald chakra stone on her forehead acting as a third eye allowing her to see the battle field below her. With her eyes glowing a pale green she recited the spell.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Dark olive-green tendrils shot from the recesses of her cloak impaling each of the ninja warriors below turning them into digitized ash. Once the dust had settled (figuratively) the group of young heroes gathered in the center, the young sorceress floated into the midst of them.

"Nice shot, Ary." Reed complimented, the small fireball sitting calmly on his shoulder, twitching with hot energy.

With the hood of her dark green cloak hiding her face, she glared at him. "It's Arella."

"Wait, I thought Maria called you Ary?" Impulse asked.

Her eyes narrowed, "She's a unique circumstance that I shouldn't have to explain to you."

Impulse and Reed looked puzzled, "It means only her sister and brother can call her that." Chloe, with her arms folded and hip jutting out, informed them as she stood beside the cloaked girl, sending her a smirk, "And me on occasion."

"Only 'cuz my magic doesn't work on you," Arella grumbled.

A small aqua colored ruby sparked from her revealed midriff. "I still can't believe your dad allowed THAT." Reed gawked.

"Who said anything about him allowing it?" She grinned.

"That's enough." Wonder Girl stepped forward, but was specifically glaring at Arella. "I know you have the ability to wipe everything out in a single blast, but you were told NOT to use so much power."

The gothic sorceress scowled at her team leader. "Well sorry you all were taking too long." She mocked an apology. Wonder Girl narrowed her eyes even more at her sarcastic team mate.

"This is a training exercise. It's not about time, it's about endurance. What would happen if you used all your magic at once, and found yourself drained during the heat of battle?"

She scrunched her face, pretending to think. "I'd probably get the hell out of there."

Reed and Impulse shared a snicker, while Chole simply smirked at her best friend's comeback. Before Cassie could retort, another figure approached the group. She had light green skin, with dark emerald eyes and hair. Her ears came to a point and her nails were short and sharp like claws. She wore a tight spandex suit, sporting her family colors, purple and green. The suit hugged her hourglass frame perfectly, and when she spoke, her short fangs glistened in the light.

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?" Questioned the older new comer, known as Maria. If Arella was bothered by Cassie's annoying attempt at a lecture, she sure wasn't going to be in the mood for this.

"No one asked you." Her weak comeback made even herself cringe.

"No, no. I want to hear just how little miss 'all powerful sorceress' gets herself out of danger without the use of her powers." The green-haired women pushed, a knowing smirk spreading on her lips.

"Okay fine!" Arella finally gave in. "I'll…I'll…I'll hitch a ride with my pal Chloe over here." She said as she wrapped her arm over the pinkette's shoulders.

"Like hell you will." Chloe said as she shrugged Arella's arm off. "No one is riding me."

impulse and Reed glanced at each other. "Nope, to easy." smirked the speedster, but that only earned him an annoyed sort of smoke and tiny crystal flex from her nose.

"Oh, come Chlo!" Arella batted her big, purple-green eyes. "Not even for little ole' me?"

"Sorry Ary, but you gotta be at least this tall to ride this ride." The dragon knight lifted her hand a few inches over both their heads. "And that includes these two idiots." She said with another glare in the direction of the snickering boys.

"Alright," The oldest announced. "Arella, you know this already, but since you never seem to grasp the concept I guess I'll just have to repeat it again. Do. Not. Use. All. Your. Magic. In. One. Strike. Do I make myself clear?" The women stared the younger girl down.

Arella rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom." She said with dripping sarcasm. Maria was not amused, but before she could scold the girl, the blaring sirens of the mission alert interrupted their little chat.

"Trouble. Titans Go!" Maria shouted as she quickly teleported out of the room. Cassie flew off in the direction of the exit, Impulse hot on her trail. Arella grabbed Chloe's arm and the two were swallowed up in her own portal, leaving an irritated Reed behind.

"Man, why am I the only one stuck getting around the old fashion way?" He asked as he threw his arms in the air in exaggeration, and begin the long trek to the common room. The fire ball on his shoulder flashed a few times, as if it were trying to speak.

"What do you mean, you can get there faster than this? You can't do anything without me telling you to."

Flash. Flash.

"Well I don't care if you were just stating a fact. It was a stupid fact." The brunette continued to banter with his pet fire ball as they were the last to exit the room.

"Well look who finally made it." Reed had finally made it to the common room in time for Impulses comment.

"I thought we agreed you weren't allowed comments like that since you get everywhere in two seconds anyway?" he growled, the ball of fire floating around him flashed in agreement. "You said it."

"Anyways," Maria got everyone's attention, "this is our bad guy for the day." With a couple commands typed into the computer, the round silver haired face of a man flashed across the screen. Everyone gave a collective gasp, then growls of rage. "I don't think I need to tell you just how important this mission is," Maria continued, "Marcus Cassidy is one if the worst sex traffickers in the world and he's setup shop in our own backyard. Now that he's surfaced again we CAN'T afford to lose him again." There was a silent wave of agreement amongst the group. Maria motioned for wonder girl to take over.

"Not only do we need to make sure we get Cassidy alive, but we also need the location of every one of his operations, and get any and all captives out a safe. Bart, you'll be responsible for hacking their computers. Arella, you and Maria will work on getting the innocent out of there, while Reed and Chloe will take care of any obstacles that we'll run into. And I'll make sure Cassidy is going nowhere. Sound good?"

Everyone gave a nod of agreement, including, to everyone's surprise, Arella. She had excepted a long time ago that she was essentially babysat during missions, especially by wonder girl, who still didn't fully trust her, and Maria when she was there. It was different when her older brother, and Maria's twin, Mark was around since Arella felt genuine love and concern when he was with them, plus he wasn't such a tight ass. Chloe, whose emotions Arella couldn't feel, was also genuinely concerned during missions, unlike the rest of her teammates, but again she stopped arguing a while ago.

"Alright then. Titans..."

"...GO!"

The group of young heroes took off into the construction site, Impulse zipping through to a nearby trailer, Reed, or the Fox, threw a slew of fire balls that began reducing the automatic weapons being fired at them to Ash, and any that planned on escaping were blocked in by a stream of red hot fire from above.

A pale green rhino charged towards a mobile home looking building, a bubble of dark green energy that helped to shield her from the gun fire. Rhino Maria smashed through the trailer, Arella continuing to shield them.

"Good job Maria, leaving a huge hole open for the bad guys!"

Maria shifted back, "Just keep that shield up!" was all she could say. Arella growled in frustration, but from the safety of her barrier, saw a blur of dark pink and sapphire scales land in front of the gunfire, and changed into solid diamonds, resulting in the bullets bouncing off her sold form.

Arella dropped the barrier, "Thanks Clo." and she took off down the trailer were Maria was already waiting for her.

Huddled around her was a group of malnourished, dehydrated, beaten and frightened young women, each giving off a mixture of fear, gratitude and uncertainty.

"Arella, you need to teleport them to the Jump City Police Station." Now Arella knew that the magical power that she inherited from their mother was stronger in her, and would make sense for her to teleport them to safety. However, since the two sisters never really got along, Arella didn't really think about the next words that came out of her mouth. "well why can't you do it?"

Maria gave a look of annoyance and disbelief as if Arella was only batting her into admitting that her younger sister was better than her in this regard. Before she could scold her, a rough explosion rocked the earth beneath them. "Arella just get them out of here!". Maria changed into a squirrel and scurried out of the trailer to join the battle outside. The group of women looked up at the young girl with confusion, not sure what was about to happen.

"Hang on," she advised. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her dark green ethereal energy washed over the group and herself transporting them to somewhere safe.

It was a full thirty minutes later before Arella could get back to the battle. Once the women were situated, Arella informed the police department where they were and that they could use the backup. Once she emerged from her portal, she was met by a disturbing sight. A gentleman with a large blaster in his hands was shooting beans of green light at her teammates, a weapon she recognized as a power canceling gun. Fox, and Maria were already down, but Impulse, Wonder Girl and Chloe, still in her dragon form, were attempting to take out the gunman. Before Arella could help her friends, her pointed ears picked up the sound of a rocket launcher being fired and the projectile coming right at her. instinctively she threw up a shield around herself but the resulting explosion knocked her into a nearby Office trailer. she broke through the wall knocking around papers computers and documents but was unharmed. she quickly got to her feet and flew from the trailer to her teammates. out of the corner of her eye she saw Marcus Cassidy climbing in to an SUV to make his getaway.

Kill him now!

There is was. the deep guttural voice that had haunted her for years once again commanding her to kill, to rip, and to dominate. But a roar of her friends in peril got her attention.

DO IT!

Once again Arella fought the voice back, a practice that was becoming tiring, and done for her teammates. summoning all her remaining energy, she wrapped her team in her power and teleported them all to safety.

Arella, still dressed in her uniform, stared blankly at the ceiling of her bedroom, which just happened to be her mother's old room, a pair of large headphones covering her ears to drown out the conversation taking place down the hall. she had heard it all before. Maria and Wonder girl would argue that Arella screwed up while Chloe would stand up for her, and would most the time end up right. These arguments we're often likened to the fights between the former Doom Patrol leader, and her grandfather, Mento, and her dad. But Arella stopped participating in the fights years ago, some they always ended the same. "trying to protect you", "we're in charge" blah, blah, blah. Again, Arella stopped caring a long time ago.

Glancing at the clock on her nightstand she decided it was time for bed. She stood, keeping the headphones on, and undid her cloak and kicked off her boots, when something caught her eye. Within the folds of her cloak that she hadn't noticed till now, were loose pieces of paper that she didn't recognize. she scooped them up and began sifting through them, discovering that they came from the trailer that she was thrown into earlier. Looking through the stack she didn't see anything that Impulse wasn't able to download, but one stood out from the rest.

It was a photograph of a younger looking Marcus Cassidy with a woman and two kids taken in front of a sign that led to a campsite.

Huh, why would he have this with him? Is this a safe house? The deductive reasoning skills that had been hammered into her by Nightwing began to put the pieces together. This MUST be a safe house. Why else have this photo? Yes! this had to be it! I gotta tell Maria!

Why?

There it was again. That infernal voice that was with her twenty four seven. At first it was bothersome, but now...now it's presence brought something out in her.

A familiar...itch.

Taking the photo in her hand she headed for her closet rummaging for a trunk shoved into the back.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

She froze, extending her senses beyond her door.

She relaxed when she felt it wasn't her sister, her esteemed leader, or Chloe, but she still wasn't wanting company.

She floated to the door, opening it just a crack to peer at her visitor.

"Hey Arella," Reed greeted nervously. He was a slightly taller boy, with shaggy auburn hair that came down to eyebrows, forest green eyes, and a splash of freckles painted along his cheeks.

She waited a beat. "Um, hi?" She responded awkwardly. She could feel his anxiety and apprehension, it was practically chocking her, but perhaps the most unnerving emotion she felt from him was attraction. She was used to picking up unsavory feelings from guys, but this poor kid had it bad for her. It was somewhat flattering, and if she were a normal eighteen-year-old girl, she probably would have returned the feelings. Reed was, after all, one of the sweetest and most attractive guys she knew. He was honestly the only guy outside of her family that didn't make her want to send him to the pits of Hell. However, she was not a normal girl. She was Raven's daughter after all, and she certainly did not inherit her father's people skills.

"Hey!" He said with a sickenly sweet smile.

"You already said that." She deadpanned, hoping he would catch her disinterest and leave her be.

"Heh, heh. Right." He laughed anxiously as he rubbed the back of his neck in an old nervous habit, much like her father and brother. "So, um, I just thought I'd check in on ya. I know today didn't go quite as well as we wanted, but at least we got those girls out, right?"

Ugh, she should have known. Every time a mission went awry, she was to blame. Every time she was blamed, Reed would show up at her door to try and cheer her up. She supposed it was nice of him to care so much, but it honestly didn't bother her anymore. What was bothering her was this interruption.

"Thanks, Reed." She replied with a fake smile. "That helps. Now if you don't mind, I was just getting ready for bed." If the boy picked up on her lie, he didn't show it.

"Okay! Yeah, um, great! Okay, I'll, um, see you tomorrow?" He stuttered as an embarrassed blush creeped up his freckled cheeks.

The dark-haired demoness simply nodded her head. The lovesick boy waved goodbye as he stumbled down the hall to his room. Arella watched him go for a quick moment, making sure he was in fact going to his room. Once she was sure she was in the clear, she used her powers to slide the door shut.

Arella raced back to her closet and her trunk. She was already shaking with anticipation, but she had to calm her nerves, she couldn't afford to be jittery. This was a secret mission, after all, and blowing up things in her room or around the tower was not exactly stealthy. Opening the trunk, she proceeded to dress herself in its contents which consisted of a one-piece, skin tight, pitch black leotard and black sweater, with black leggings and boots. To finish the outfit, she placed a black mask with white mesh over her eyes just like Nightwing's.

She grabbed the picture that held the name of the campsite. Camp Catalina. She knew that campsite. It wasn't too far from here.

Stuffing the picture into her boot, she threw her hood up over her face, and with a flick of her wrist, a black portal grew out of thin air. Without looking back, Arella stepped through the portal, leaving her home behind.

She couldn't remember her first time. All she remembered were colors and shapes, the stench of metal and the feel of sticky hot liquid. Once the smoke cleared and she saw the after effects of what she had done, she vomited, she vomited so much there was blood tearing form her throat. There was one other thing she remembered about the experience though.

The pure, untamed, exhilaration. The feeling was... orgasmic. She had to do it again . . . and again . . . and again. And now she was here, washing the warm sticky liquid off her hands at the sink. She no longer blacked out. She no longer vomited. She no longer felt nervous. Now it came naturally to her, and she remembered every second of it.

She felt a chill run down her spine at the memory. Their cries for mercy, their pathetic attempts at pleading for their lives, just like the women they ripped from their homes. She felt it. She felt their delicious fear, their intoxicating pain, she felt every inch of it and GOD she had never felt so alive! The best part was justice had been served, justice for those women, and everyone in the future whose lives they would have ruined had they been allowed to live. She did a service, she did the right thing. She finished washing her hands and moved into the living room, taking count of the bloody corpses that were strewn across the floor. Marcus Cassidy and five of his men were dead by her small, delicate hands.

"Okay," she sighed, "Now it's time for the hard and boring part," she opened a portal to a pocket dimension and removed a few cleaning items. Bleach, gloves, towels, plastic wrap, and trash bags, "Cleaning." By the time she was done, there was no way on heaven or earth she would be found out.

It took her about two hours to clean the cabin of blood, "Note to self, put plastic wrap around everything to minimize cleaning." she told herself. She glanced back at the bodies, making sure they were all wrapped neatly in plastic bags. "Alright, time to go." She opened a portal and with another wave of her hands the bodies floated through the portal to their final resting place. She glanced around the cabin, and being satisfied with her work followed after the corpses.

She had done a perfect job.

Too bad she had forgotten the broken security camera.

Russia.

She enjoyed exotic places, the wind blowing through the trees, a babbling brook in the distance. It was peaceful, even though the earth was disturbed by several holes dug into the ground for Marcus and his friends. The last body was placed into the hole, and she began moving dirt to cover them up.

"The best part about these powers, no shovels." she said to herself.

"I agree,"

Arella jumped out of her skin, the body falling to the ground with a crash and dirt exploding in every direction. She spun around, not sure what to think of whoever had disturbed her . . . but she knew him.

"Hello darling," Landon greeted coolly, "Fancy a chat?"

Author's Notes:

So another jam-packed chapter! Arella has been a naughty girl. Will Landon set her straight? Find out in the next chapter!

Lot's of OC's being introduced in this story. Tell bearhow and I which one's your favorite in an ask or message!

Make sure to check out bearhow's latest drawling of Chloe Daniels! Find it here.

A big thank you to all who have reviewed so far! Y'all are the best! To those who are just now joining in on this story, please leave bearhow and I a review! We would both really appreciate it. So much time and energy is going into this story, so please, if you read, take 30 seconds to drop a review! It goes a long way! (You can do so in your message, reblog, or in the form of an ask. You can also go to FF.net and leave a review there!)

Until next time,

L.B.

Disclaimer: Landon and Chloe Daniels owned by bearhow. Arella Logan and Maria Logan owned by Lou Buggins. Reed owned by both of us. All other character's property of D.C. Comics.