#memory file ask game

[ferrunough]

✤ - a memory that involves romance/love

If you can. For whatever reason they come across as aro to me

[There’s no folder labelled anything similar to “love” or “romance” so you look through some of the people folders you haven’t watched from yet. A file called “best night in years” catches your eye, but there isn’t a subbed version. Curiosity gets the better of you as you accept your fate.]

[Contains alcohol, drunkenness and suggestive content]

“I said I’d be out until eleven. It’s half ten now.”

“We haven’t even gotten inside yet!”

“Yeah, cahm oooon, man! Pleease?” Their tone is teasing, a far cry from their usual tired sound. This is news to their company too; they copy their accent, pleading “cahm on” to the centre of attention. A man not hugely far off No Name in height — 6’1” maximum — at least compared to the rest of the small group. His hair looks black but, watching how the streetlights affect it, it seems to really be dark grey. Annoyed, he looks to No Name directly and holds their gaze. His eyes are hazel that glows orange when light hits them just right, disrupted (or complemented) by spots of grey. His glower softens into an unintentional smile and he shakes his head. “Fine.”

Three of the group of five wait out the rest of the club’s line with inaudible chatter. The man stays next to the pov, out of sight. His words are clear.

“Why did I ever tell them about you?”

“Aven’t the foggiest. Terrible choice on your part.”

The memory cuts straight to a montage of sorts, snippets of moments throughout the night: the whole group doing shots, watching and cheering people on the dance floor, the group with another round of shots, two people from the group making out, No Name and the man cheersing their drinks, the man hunched over absolutely losing it laughing. It ends on a scene like the last two, No Name and the man sat on two sides of a corner sofa.

“… so, lie, A dun ge why peopl evun tok abou thum lie tha! Ow r y opin t compeyre “awh, erythan n th worl’s fockin wich y ed, ere’s tu kids n ow thuy ar n thumselvs n wiv echotha” t “waheey, groovay sons wi no ovarchin thin bisides s on th album”? A dun derstan, A really dun…”

Throughout their rambling they’re moving hair out of their face (you presume; there’s no hair to be seen but the actions line up). The man across from them is watching. His lips are pursed, at least what you can see as his hand covers most of them, though his eyes show his entertainment clear as day. He nods along until No Name’s rant gradually tapers off. Though said with annoyance, you can hear the smile on their face.

“Whas y smilin bout?”

The man sighs and releases some of the laughter he’d been straining to hold in. “I really shouldn’t’ve let you get another drink.”

“Yuh go wun tu!”

After a pause he goes “mhm” and nods. The pov gives an exasperated noise, about to go off on one again until a shout catches both of their attentions.

“We’re heading out. They can ardly keep themselves— EY! Wait for— Enjoy your night, Ferris. And thank you for getting him in here!” The friend pats No Name on the shoulder as they push past.

“We should head out too. Get you home. Forge’ll get on me if I’m sluggish in the morning for work.”

“Arigh, arigh…”

Ferris stands easily enough but fumbles his first step. No Name swiftly catches him and holds him upright.

“Wha was y sayn bou tha dri?”

“… how are you okay?”

“This ain much. A’m speakin ow A normly speak.”

Once he processes what they’re saying, he exhales in defeat, rests his head below their collarbone, and says, “I’m never going to Galar with you.”

“A wouldn dream t take y there.”

Ferris tilts his head up so his chin rests on No Name’s collarbone. He speaks tenderly.

“Take me home, T

[The file crashes.]

[elegyfortherings]

Hey! Thanks so much for collecting textures from the game. These are super useful for references for some fan-art I want to do. I was wondering if you have the texture for the FRAMES of the portraits of the owlks? I'm hoping to mimic them in laser-cutting & paint lil portraits. <3

hi sorry for the super late reply! so the frames are actually a bit more complicated than the paintings as they are actually 3d objects unlike the paintings themselves being 2d textures.

as far as i can tell i think the textures on these frames are actually the generic wood and iron textures used for a lot of other objects in game such as the walls, fencing, trims, etc. heres a few examples of such

but! i did find the meshes for the frames themselves so heres a few up close screenshots and gifs of those

[rustedleopard]

if ur still doing th asks. 12 and or 20 for ummmmm axis 🤖robor :)

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Well, I already made a post a while back about how I headcanon that the highest that Axis can count to is 255, so let's get a bit more serious. I don't think Axis has a "true SOUL" in the sense that monsters and humans have SOULs. In Undertale, SOULs are treated as actual tangible objects that can be held and interacted with (like humans with their persistent SOULs and Boss Monster SOULs that can exist outside of death for a few moments and how Flowey/Asriel pulled the SOULs out of every monster in the Underground when he went god-mode). Axis, meanwhile, is made of metal and magic and computer code, which is detailed enough that it can emulate what it's like to have a SOUL very accurately, but there are limitations (like how he still has to follow his programming and kill Integrity no matter how reluctant he is). Like what Alphys established in Undertale, creating an artificial SOUL (with all the properties of a real SOUL) is impossible. That isn't to say that his life/experiences have less value because he doesn't have a "true SOUL," he still has thoughts and emotions and such, but if he was around a bunch of monsters when Flowey pulled their SOULs out of their body, he would've been stuck there. Conscious. Completely untouched.

(Though considering his speech if he's spared on Neutral, he'll get past it. It's just another thing that makes Axis, Axis.)

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Kanako and Axis, easily. Have you seen the little drawing that Kanako has of Axis in her room? Surely they must've met before. I bet that Chujin showed Axis off to Kanako to be like "Hey, check out this cool robot that your dad made." and she was like "Did you make a brother for me?!" And Chujin was trying to politely correct her by saying that "Axis is not the same as a child, he's my robot that I made to protect you, yadda yadda" but it's too late now, Chujin. She already has it in mind that Axis is her new sibling. She is already figuring out where to put stickers on his chassis. Axis loved the attention from Kanako as well, there's only one person out there who could "CAPTURE MY LIKENESS SO PERFECTLY."

... After Axis killed Integrity, Chujin cooked up a lie for Kanako about how Axis had to go to the Steamworks to be a guard robot there, since he was frightened of the idea of Axis's code going buggy and him attacking Kanako. "Oh, but don't worry, we can still visit him. Ah, when? Maybe next month, he's very busy." And on Axis's side, most of his memories of his domestic life with Chujin/the Snowdin Incident were sealed so there wouldn't be any risk of him spilling any potentially incriminating information. This included his interactions with Kanako. Then he was shipped off to the Steamworks under the pretense of "Whoops, accidentally stumbled across some of my robotics work that I had taken home and left in a corner of my house when I was still employed here. Here, take him. He's functional."

From this ask game

[sexynetra]

Wait it’s not on the list but I need you to tell the world what your first fic you wrote was about, pls it’s an important coming of age fact and also the answers are almost always embarrassing and I’m here for that tonight 🤷🏼‍♀️

Danielle why do you torment me so 😭

I just opened my notesapp on my phone to see what I could find and. Uh. Apparently the first thing was a titanic fanfiction written in first person. Which is somehow far more on brand than if it was one direction as I suspected it to be.

[soulspare]

peeks. tag dump

[rockyroadkylers]

🍓

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

hehe, this is kind of a fun question! TECHNICALLY i've been writing fanfiction since i was, like, eight. as far as fanfiction that i've actually shared online... i was going to say it started back in 2018 when i started writing Iron Dad fic, but actually i wrote a couple of supernatural ghostfacers fics for a friend back when i was probably about thirteen or fourteen, even though i wasn't in the fandom 😂 you can't find them anywhere online anymore (and i wouldn't tell you where to find them even if you could pfft) - i posted them to a tumblr blog that no longer exists, but i'm pretty sure i still have them on my harddrive 😂

[loop-lover-central]

At least one(1) person asked for it. SO-

We'll start with some stuff from the isat spoiler Q&A

Let's get started!

-There is only one canonical straight shot timeline that technically erases the prologue from existence. When looping back the previous timeline is completely overwritten, like saving over your save file in a game! It's all gone! Despite this, when you start a new game you're making an entirely new Siffrin to torment. So at least you're not making the same Siffrin go through hell again and again! *sweeps Loop under rug* Don't look at that. Don't worry about them. They're fine.

-While wish craft and other craft types are described to have a smell, time craft does not! I mean, what would time craft even smell like anyway? Clocks???

-Mirabelle's time freeze immunity will wear off eventually!

-Loop could actually be still comfortable with He/They. While the time loops did put them through it, the They/Them was mostly for anonymity. But there WAS some sort of identity shift. So you can and should have fun with Loop pronouns. Do it! Do it!!!

-Despite the island being forgotten, it's still physically there the entire game and before that! So it being lost is purely anti-memetic fuckery. It is just censored out by the universe.

-Loop and Siffrin sitting quietly together was originally a bug where ID5 accidentally softlocked Siffrin and trapped him at the tree. They thought it was a sweet moment of respite and implemented it.

Let's Switch it up! Reddit AMA

-There was originally a love triangle between proto Mira, Isa, and Sif before Mirabelle was made aroace. It probably would have ended in an OT3/polycule situation. So QPR MiraIsaSif truthers out there, enjoy this one.

-The idea of Loop being Siffrin came about during saap's developement. Originally the guide for isat was going to be one of ID5's ocs.

-Change God knows everything about meta because they are a God. Loop only gets a smidgen of meta knowledge, however.

-Loop's ability to see what Siffrin is up to works the same way their calls work! The farther Siffrin is, the harder it is. So Loop calls stop working past snack break 3, and Loop can barely see past the King.

-Isabeau wouldn't play video games. He touches grass.

-Siffrin was subconsciously inspired by Snufkin, from The Moomins. So we wouldn't have Siffrin as he is if everyone wasn't rabid over Moomins a few years back.

-Sadnesses ARE are a constant in the world of isat. They only become more common and poweful during times of great duress, like war or Insane False Monarchs with timey wimey powers

-The doppleganger wish in the selfcest book happened "a long time ago" and is only a child's tale now.

-Odile's name is her given name. Kinda. (No elaboration on what the fuck THAT means.)

-Siffrin only got memory issues after leaving home. They were not a forgetful child.

-At one point before they had names, Isabeau was just called "dude".

-While only called scrawny in game, Adrienne calls Siffrin "deathly thin". Metabolism monarch out here. (Probably all the casual wish craft.)

-The reason the party stops reacting to Sif's poking is just because it's tragic and makes things worse for him. That's it. The universe just hates him.

-Everyone but Odile would like rollercoasters.

-Just... this. This is so funny. Also Loop being the final boss while Siffrin is the secret final boss... Also Loop confirmed deity looking!!!

-"comic!siffrin is a whole different siffrin than game!siffrins sadly. rip to them. still stuck in time" WAY TO FUCK ME UP ON A MONDAY? Comicfrin is still stuck in time.

-The characters have official voice claims but not a single one is serious except for the King's. Mira sounds like Animal crossing isabelle(isa.belle. hm.). Bonnie sound like a inkling from splatoon (ID5 specifically used the female inkling as example). Odile sounds old. Isabeau quantum mechanically sounds flamboyantly gay or like All Might from MHA. Loop sounds like stock glitter sound fx. No Siffrin voice claim. Siffrin has video game protagonist voices which means they sound like whatever you want.

-Loop's glow is comparable to a lamp. Not enough to hurt the eyes.

Siffrin and Friends Q&A time!!(Beware these are SEMI-CANON)

-Siffrin isn't really a trap master. They're just fast enough to activate and dodge the traps.

-Odile doesn't like fennel.

-Fave flowers! Bonnie=Sunflowers, Odile=Orchids, Mira=Lavender, Isa=Roses, Siffrin=None, dubiously answered with dandelions however.

-Sif is a night owl, Bon and Mira are early birds, and Odile and Isa are average.

-Siffrin and Odile have probably eaten crabs and would tempt Bonnie with their sinful ways of consuming crustaceans.

-Odile has been traveling for about 2 years.

-Odile knows how to play a shamisen. It's one of her favorite instruments as well.

-When prompted with competition Loop and Siffrin stare each other down like "kids about to throw hands".

-Loop would like to eat a pastry if they could. GIVE THEM YOUR BAKED GOODS NOW!

-Kill the King day is a Tuesday.

And finally random trivia I found while sniffing through the wiki!

-Salty broths actual cure 6 cooldown, instead of 2 like the dialogue implies.

-Chateau means castle. The cursing of castle castle...

-The Change God face with six eyes and a cat-like mouth is inspired by ID5's oc Eye Gal

-The only time tears can freeze Siffrin with no warning is in saap. By using the second Star Crest to clear one of the rows of Tears, you can just walk into the second row and freeze.

-The dev's older notes mention specific shades being used for hair dyes but they're never mentioned in-game because of the an unadded event.

-In ACT 2, there's a small chance Siffrin says "Heheh… Bonk." when activating the switch for the rock trap

-Saap Bonnie thinks nuts are gross according to some unused dialogue, but enjoys raisins.

-During early development in saap tears were originally intended to be spike traps. A left over sprite of Siffrin being impaled does exist, including minor blood spurt. This was probably changed because it was a little too gruesome, ID5 definitely tried to reel in the darker concepts and has stated they went too dark sometimes.

-Loop turning back into Siffrin was considered long enough for them to get an entire animated walking sprite.

[truthscrapper]

Devlog #1 📚 The Very First Devlog

We announced Truth Scrapper with a beautiful trailer this month!!! The response has been absolutely incredible, thank you so much for following me on another funky memory adventure. Throughout the development of ISAT, I have written monthly devlogs on Steam, talking about the making of the game. People liked them a bunch, so…

That’s right. It’s time. For the Very First Truth Scrapper devlog!

In case you just stumbled upon this, I am Adrienne, also known as insertdisc5! I am the creator of timeloop RPG In Stars and Time, and now am working on my next game, memory visual novel Truth Scrapper. It’s gonna be a good one.

Alright! Development talk time. Where’s the game at?!?!

So, right now, I have just finished writing the script for Day 4, so I "only" have the art, code, and implementation to do for that day. Truth Scrapper is divided in 7 days, with three different routes you can go through from Day 6 onwards. So really, I need to write and code 11 days. Which puts me at almost ⅓ through development! WOAHRGH!?? At this point, I know where the story is going, I know what each route will consist of, etc. I just don’t know the Details. The portraits are all done, backgrounds are done sequentially for every day, gameplay is all figured out… TLDR: It’s In Good Shape!!!

“That was a good short paragraph, but can I have the detailed timeline of the game. Please.” ok fine you asked for it.

The Big Timeline (and some images!) under the cut

📚 this image was made so early in development, it didn't even have Betz's shibari-like pink harness

TRUTH SCRAPPER TIMELINE

DEC 2022: I finish ISAT around NOV 2022. I get an idea. I write it down. It was going to be an RPG but nobody got time for that. Main themes and ending are here. I work on pre-production very slowly over the next couple months (because I am recovering from finishing ISAT and still gotta keep working on post-production stuff for ISAT)

JULY 2023: Ok fine let's make a renpy file and figure out if the most important gameplay thing can be done. AKA: can I make a book menu where the game remembers the choices you make, and how complicated is that gonna be for me to add to it down the line. It works and I am happy

📚 this image was made so early in development, it just looks very bad

AUGUST 2023: Character design. They look Not Great and character design takes me like nine months. Plot is getting somewhere though!

NOV 2023: In Stars and Time comes out. People like it I think.

MARCH 2024: I decide I need to work on something, and decide to work on that and apply for the Ontario Creates grant. This game is actually starting for realsies!!!!!!!

MAY 2024: I actually lock down character designs.

JUNE 2024: I hire Dora, who was the producer of In Stars and Time and who rules.

📚 dora and i signing our lives to one another on discord. the bond between a creator and their producer can never be broken

SEPT 2024: I work on da gaem

MAY 2025: Day 3 is implemented. We announce the game. Now we’re here!!!!

Alright, that’s it for today! This first devlog is more about telling you where the game is at, and every month you will have a whole new devlog where I can tell you about all the great things I did that month for the game. You can even comment with questions and I might answer them one day. Ok. Thank you. And as always, DON'T FORGET TO WISHLIST THE GAME ALSO IT REALLY HELPS BECAUSE STEAM’S ALGORITHM IS MORE LIKELY TO SHOW OFF GAMES WITH A HIGH AMOUNT OF WISHLISTS THATS THE REASON WHY GAME DEVS ALWAYS ASK TO WISHLIST!!! OKAY BYE!!!!

Links! 📚 Official Website 📚 Join the Discord 📚 Sign up for my mailing list 📚 Follow Truth Scrapper on Bluesky 📚 Follow ME on Bluesky

[ferrunough]

↕ - a memory that may or may not have happened

[You open one of the files not in a folder. It’s not titled anything besides a random assortment of letters and numbers but it does have a (sub) indicator at the end.]

They’re stood inside their technique studio’s main room. It’s a large, empty space. Stood against the wall in front of them are all their pokémon except Edm, who’s stood further forward, and Pollut, who’s on Edm’s head. Most of the Network are stood on the wall. At a glance you can’t tell if anyone’s missing.

“Arigh thun, ready?” (Alright then, ready?)

They hold up their wrists. A joltik is sat on each. The one on the left has blue fur around his face, the right one has black fur over his right eye vaguely forming an X and green fur at its tips. Party Polar & Fun Joul both click and give positive reactions, sparking at the mouth when the human under them taps their own palms in unison. The other pokémon sound their approval too. Edm only nods.

Ramohm starts playing a superhero’s theme song with his nodes. Edm and Pollut separate to circle them, Edm purposefully moving around to the right while Pollut’s jumping dismount puts him far to their left. No Name turns their head to keep eyes on both of them and readies their arms, their fingers curling slightly. Pollut paces back and forth, squealing in threat, building up momentum to stri—

zzzzaap

As they press their middle & ring finger to their palm on their left hand, Party Polar shoots out an Electroweb that hits his body and knocks him to their floor. They’re distracted by Pollut’s disgruntled chirping and Polar’s celebration until they hear a sudden rush of footsteps behind them. They step backwards, rotate on their left foot 360°, and repeat the hand action with their right hand all while Edm runs past and begins to turn back. Fun Joul shoots an electroweb that hits her square in the face. Ramohm stops playing and the rest of the pokémon cheer.

No Name runs over to Edm and Pollut to help remove the electrowebs. They rub their fingers together after handling the webs and mumble “stadicy” (staticy) before checking the two pokémon over. Edm blows off their attempts with sincerity and smiles at them. As she walks to the others across the room the human kneels in front of Pollut.

Wisp, excited and overeager as ever, launches herself at them. The joltik on their wrists notice the oncoming assault and escape to the ceiling with time to spare. No Name is not so lucky.

[jawusa]

[4t2] Sixam - Secret Alien World for TS2 ^^

Remember my 4t2 Sixam project I started 2 years ago? Which I almost scrapped but revisited sometime last year? ... well, I've got good news for you then. It's finally out now! ^^

Welcome to Sixam!

Sixam Academy is a prestigious intergalactic university on the planet of Sixam that provides special training for aspiring students to become Birth Queens, Colony Drones, or even the latest innovation in alien technology: Pollination Technicians. The academy offers hands-on experiences, collaborative research, and cultural exploration, alongside interstellar expeditions, nurturing a community focused on curiosity, inclusivity, and innovation.

Yes, I recreated the secret alien world from TS4 for TS2 as a custom university subhood! Why as a university subhood you may ask? Well, I tried to keep the original vibes of Sixam of it being an "unlockable"/visitable place your sims can explore rather than a regular neighborhood your sims can live in!

Well, even after graduation, your sims can actually stay and live in the university subhood using Lamare's YAs can enjoy maternity (and all that) mod, as well as Lamare's Pets at University mod!

While technically it's a university, it could easily also be just a downtown or a main hood, as it includes quite a few urban city-style residential & community lots that a main hood/downtown would also otherwise have… just all in sci-fi/alien theme, of course! ;)

Download: MTS | Simblr.cc | SFS

More info under the cut...

Neighborhood Info:

Requires only Uni/NL/OFB EP and no CC were used to build the lots - I made this without Apartment Life EP, so TS2 Super Collection users can also use it, but in the future, I might also make an alternative version as an actual downtown with apartment lots!

No camera mod is needed, yet, still recommended for easier gameplay, especially since some lots were built on skyscrapers and can be hard to view with just the vanilla camera.

Number of Sims: 90 (10 playable sims in 4 playable families, 31 townies, 44 NPCs, 5 dead sims)

Number of Lots: 35 (7 residential lots, 2 Greek houses, 5 dorms, 1 secret society, 20 community lots, where 8 of which are owned businesses)

Gameplay Info:

Speaking of lots, I made lecture halls for every major, which you could use with beestew's Active Classes mod! These are community lots, featuring skill-building equipment and study spaces, with NPC professors (as lot owners) available for tutoring whenever your sims visit.

I also made an optional custom skybox and custom lighting file for Sixam that will make it always nighttime (Yes, you heard right! The sun never shines here on Sixam!) with subtle seasonal color changes - reddish in Autumn, bluish in Winter, and greenish in Spring.

While the empty version should be CC-free, the inhabited version requires the 3 alien skintones (blue/turquoise/violet) from my [4t2] aliens set to keep the TS4 alien characters like Aileen Rauvu authentic. As giving all these colorful aliens the default green skin instead felt as bad as white-washing, say, giving black characters like Olive Specter a lighter skintone for me. An alternative CC-free version with no CC skintones is also available for players who prefer to not have any CC skintones in their games, though.

I also recreated some characters from TS4, especially all the characters from the The Sims 4 Get to Work: Sul Sul trailer. Every character comes with a complete set of ancestors (at least parents) and customized memories, even townies and NPCs! Some also come with interesting lore! Even though, they're just... townies! Oh, and everyone has genetic infant faces! Yayy! XD

Speaking of characters, scripted events don't work in subhoods, but I wrote a text in each family description that somewhat mimic the scripted event notifications anyway. I think this is a brilliant and fun way of introducing new characters, even in university subhoods. All households should also have a complete set of family album pictures that show their lore a bit. ^^

Recommended Mods:

All notownieregen/antiredudancy/nodormiespawn/nossrespawn mods. All university townies/NPCs in Sixam are aliens.. or at least have a very good reason why they're there, but this can easily be ruined if you don't have these mods installed, lol.

bloodredtoe's Mannequin babies can be born mod. To have more variety, I used the mannequin skintone for some of the alien sims. While this mod isn't required, it's recommended to prevent crashes, especially when these aliens have offspring, as there's a chance they could inherit the mannequin skintone.

Squinge's No Townie Memory Loss. Again, townies and NPCs in this neighborhood are highly customized and I recommend getting no townie amnesia mods to prevent their lore from getting wiped out! As there are a few clues in the bios of some of the townies... including long lost twins!

lingeringwillx's Restore Default Names for Sims in Subneighbohoods . This is especially helpful, not only because the townies/NPCs are related to the playable sims, but also, it will help to maintain the alien atmosphere of Sixam with names like Pollination Technicians, Colony Drones or Birth Queens, etc. instead of having EA's default townie/NPC names.

Install Instructions:

This download consists of 3 parts:

Neighborhood itself:

Place the USXM folder into your PROGRAM FILES/EA Games/The Sims 2 University/TSData/Res/NeighborhoodTemplate folder

Note: If you have TS2 UC, it's PROGRAM FILES/EA Games/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection/University Life/EP1/TSData/Res/NeighborhoodTemplate

Note: If you have TS2 Legacy, it's PROGRAM FILES/EA Games/The Sims 2 Legacy/EP1/TSData/Res/NeighborhoodTemplate

2. OPTIONAL: Custom skybox (& 3 new alien skintones):

Place the Sixam CC folder into your DOCUMENTS/EA Games/The Sims 2/Downloads folder

Note: If you have TS2 UC, it's DOCUMENTS/EA Games/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection/Downloads

Note: If you have TS2 Legacy, it's DOCUMENTS/EA Games/The Sims 2 Legacy/Downloads

3. OPTIONAL: Custom lighting (for enabling 24/7 nights):

Place the sixam_lot.txt file into your PROGRAM FILES/EA Games/The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff/TSData/Res/Lights folder

Note: If you have TS2 UC, it's PROGRAM FILES/EA Games/The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection/Fun with Pets/SP9/TSData/Res/Lights

Note: If you have TS2 Legacy, it's PROGRAM FILES/EA Games/The Sims 2 Legacy/EP9/TSData/Res/Lights

Credits:

To EA for creating Sixam in the first place, even though it was originally created for the wrong game ;)

Makers of SimPE (especially with the newest version, allowing creation of customized NPCs!)

Mootilda for all her amazing tools, especially LotCompressor, LotAdjustor, HoodChecker, and her tutorial on how to create a custom subhood template.

Numenor for his AnyGameStarter, allowing for the creation of a Uni/NL/OFB only environment.

@lowedeus for his original skybox, which I recolored and modified to make the skybox season-friendly, as well as @criquette-was-here for the tutorial on how to make nhood objects glow at night.

Gwenke for the original ocean surface nhood deco, which I also recolored and modified to make it glow at night.

@catherinetcjd for all her inspring builds and also for being such an amazing friend. I recommend her Isosceles Apartments, Experiment 4.2, The Colony as well as her Pyramid Commune No. 9 Live, specifically as optional additional lots for this neighborhood. I learned a lot from you in the past few years of neighborhood and lot building!

Creusa Sims for her support and love while I was creating this neighborhood. It was fun discussing some of the lore in this neighborhood with you. XD

@lordcrumps for also being such an amazing friend! It was you who kept pushing me to actually redo the skybox when I wasn't happy with the draft version, lol! And also for your helpful inputs very early on. ^^

@lamare-sims for being such a talented modder and her amazing mods that make living in university subhoods possible in the first place! This concept wouldn't have otherwise made sense.

That's it for now I guess? I hope you have as much fun with this neighborhood as I had building it! <3

[ateliersss]

TOP GUN #2

…is part of The Bookshelf.

⇨ This is a collection of my favorite fanfics/oneshots on Tumblr I love to re-read once in a while. None of those works belong to me! Feel free to use it as well.

⇨ My own works are here

Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Left at the Altar Summary: When you get left at the altar, a familiar face swoops in to save the day.

Can't Let You Go Summary: When you and Jake broke up, it hurt both of you more than you could handle. Now, after three months of barely seeing or speaking to one another, Jake walks in on the surprise of seeing you in a wedding dress, and it brings past memories and ruined dreams to the surface.

Wanting It All Summary: Hangman ends up in the hospital from a very similar Phoenix/Bob/birds situation, and you suddenly regret keeping a big secret from him.  

Drunken Words, Sober Thoughts Summary: You and Jake had a history of flirting and occasionally kissing if too much time was spent at the bar, but it never went any further than that. One night, after showing up at your house and passing out on your couch, Jake wakes up the next morning only to learn he had drunkenly confessed his feelings for you.

Less Misery, More Company Summary: Jake has feelings for you but you don’t believe it, so you play a little trick to get back at him for all of his flirtatious teasing. But that little trick fails miserably, and as the weight of your mistake settles in, you realize you owe him an explanation, one that requires you to admit some things you’ve long denied.

Scrapes and Bruises Summary: Basically, Rooster is not thrilled about your relationship with Hangman, and their issues with one another bring up some fears of your own.

Good in Bed Summary: Jake has made it crystal clear to you that you're only friends with benefits, so why did he go and delete your dating apps?

Cross Summary: The four times you captured Jake Seresin’s attention and the one time he did something about it.

There's a Honey Summary: 3 times your aunt penny sees herself and maverick in your relationship with jake and 1 time she doesn’t.

So Funny Story (I'm Fucking Your Daughter) Summary: You've had a thing with Jake for a while now. The thing is, your dad doesn't know and your brother is desperate for you to tell him.

All You Had To Do Was Stay Summary: Six years ago Jake hit your life like a hurricane. In and out in a matter of weeks. You thought after you get over the disappointment of him leaving without saying a word you’d never think of him again. But then two pink lines change your life forever. Now he’s back and still has no idea that the little girl by your side is his daughter.

Revelation

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Three Generations Summary: Rooster is married. Maverick found out when the paperwork got filed with the Navy, but he doesn’t have a chance to ask Rooster about it until after the mission

Endings and Beginnings Part 1, Part 2 Summary: It's Maverick's retirement party but Rooster's far more concerned about you, his pregnant wife, than anything else.

Wrong Number Summary: Bradley was planning on a quiet night at home with a beer and a basketball game on TV. When he receives a text from a wrong number, he's left looking at a beautiful photo of you. Now he just needs to persuade you to ditch the guy you meant to text and focus on him instead.

Robert "Bob" Floyd

Only Love Can Hurt Like This Summary: Bob lost his fiancé in a dog fight and goes through the grieving process. Eventually he learns to move on but then everything he thought he knew was a lie, including the fact that Y/N had died on that mission.

All Fun & Games Summary: Returning to San Diego was just another assignment for you. Another step in the career path, full steam ahead, until you come to an obstacle in the road. Usually, you’d navigate around it, keep on going, but this is no normal obstacle. It might be enough to reroute you completely.

Tom "Iceman" Kazansky

Part of Three Summary: Reader is Maverick's sister, dating Iceman, and finds out she's pregnant.

Scared Summary: A fight between you and your fiancé spirals out of control.

Get Your Girl

Tom Is Finer

[solarmorrigan]

cw: implied sexual content, mentions of anxiety/PTSD responses

-

The first time Eddie lifts him off his feet, Steve is pretty sure he has an out of body experience.

He’s never dated anyone as strong as he is, is the thing. It isn’t that he hadn’t dated girls who were strong—cheerleading takes more muscle than many people seem to think, and there had been a couple of girls from the soccer team besides that—but none of them had been strong enough to just casually lift Steve up.

But Eddie does it. He does it mid-makeout session, doesn’t even break the kiss as he gets his hands under Steve’s thighs and lifts him up to sit on the counter he’d been pinned against. And maybe it doesn’t break Eddie’s concentration, but it shatters Steve’s.

He stops kissing back long enough to make Eddie pull away and ask, “What’s wrong?”

Wrong? Steve’s heart is racing, his face is flushed, his lips are kiss-bruised, and he’s sitting on top of his kitchen counter because Eddie had put him there – just grabbed his legs and hoisted him up, left his hands resting on Steve’s thighs, and Steve can feel them burning through his jeans, which are suddenly quite a bit tighter.

Nothing is wrong.

“That was hot,” Steve blurts, and Eddie blinks at him.

“What? Me lifting you up?”

Steve nods. “Yeah.”

A slow smirk spreads across Eddie’s face. “You like that?” he asks. “That I can throw you around a little?”

“Yeah,” Steve rasps, surprising even himself with the raw want in his voice. Given his history with people throwing him around, it shouldn’t be something he wants, but the more he thinks about it—the more he thinks about Eddie doing it—the more appealing it becomes.

“The information is noted and will be filed away for later consideration,” Eddie says, like the fucking nerd he is, and when he leans back in to kiss Steve, he digs his fingers into Steve’s thighs, holding him tight, like he might leave little bruises when he pulls away. (Steve hopes he does.)

Eddie doesn’t abuse the knowledge he’s been given, but he does put it to good use.

He pulls Steve across the couch and into his lap, holding him close with his arms looped around his waist, making Steve feel wanted and warm.

He manages to pick Steve up and spin him around, laughing as he does so, making Steve laugh, making him feel light and adored.

He carries Steve to the bedroom, his hands hooked firmly under Steve’s ass, Steve’s legs wrapped around his hips, arms around his shoulders, and tosses him onto the bed, making Steve feel very much like he wants Eddie to fuck him.

Then, reasonably assured that Steve is enjoying the treatment, Eddie ups his game. He pins Steve to the wall of the bedroom one evening, fisting a hand in his shirt and pushing him back, leaning heavily into his space, and Steve is for a moment viscerally reminded of another time and place. He thinks about the smell of lake water and dust, of the prick of sharp glass against his skin, of the frightened and desperate look in Eddie’s eyes.

But the memory is chased away by the feeling of Eddie’s lips on his. This is so much better – this is Eddie’s free hand running gently through Steve’s hair, this is the warm, familiar weight of Eddie’s body pressing into him, this is Eddie’s thigh shoved between Steve’s legs. This is good.

Eddie grips Steve’s hair close to his scalp and pulls. Steve moans and mindlessly grinds down.

It becomes a new and intimate normal, something they barely even have to think about, something that just feels right. Even when Steve starts out on top, the instigator, the one in control, it’s easy for Eddie to turn the tables.

As Steve straddles him on the bed now, both their shirts lost but the effort to rid themselves of their pants temporarily derailed, Steve is too eager in his pursuit of Eddie’s mouth to notice the coiling tension in the body below him.

He doesn’t notice until the tension springs, and Steve finds himself rolled onto his back with Eddie weighing him down. Quicker than Steve can keep up, Eddie is straddling his waist, taking his wrists and pulling his arms above his head, pinning them to the mattress.

Instinctively, Steve struggles against the hold, but he has no leverage, and Eddie’s grip remains firm. Steve can’t move – yet the expected wave of panic never comes.

He doesn’t feel trapped beneath Eddie, he feels secure, like Eddie is shielding him, keeping him safe. The hold on his wrists keeps him tethered to the Earth when the rest of him feels like floating away, and Steve tugs a little more so Eddie will grip him tighter. He hopes it leaves marks, wants to wear the bruises like bracelets in the shape of Eddie’s fingers.

Then Eddie pulls back, ends the kiss to ask, “This okay?”

He sounds serious, like he really wants to know, like he’ll let Steve go the moment he asks, which is precisely why Steve nods quickly and begs, “Please don’t stop.”

And Eddie grins and leans back in for another kiss, holding Steve tight.

[Prompt: Rolling over in bed, switching positions during a kiss]

[ilium-ilia]

you're an angel // i'm a dog

kyle "gaz" garrick x fem!reader | omegaverse | alpha!gaz, omega!reader | masterlist

Chapter Three: dig

tw: medical talk

The nurse performing Kyle’s intake asks him when his last rut was—she presses her lips together at his answer. 

“Couple of years, at least.” 

Humming, she taps away on the bulky clinic laptop. The wide screen illuminates her face, and glints painfully off of the badge hanging on the left side of her chest. Her head continues to bob, and he begins to wonder if she has a motor whirring in there, perpetually trapping her in that motion. 

“About how many would you say?” she asks, eyes flickering over to him, fingers poised to write. 

Kyle thinks. It’s hazy there, inside of his mind. He scrolls through the reams of old footage that flickers in his memory. He supposes he would have a more solid date in mind had he ever gotten used to keeping track of the cycle of things. Really, his last rut is so far behind him he can scarcely remember what it feels like. That heat—those urges—are buried deep inside of him. Deeper than a grave. 

As deep as a secret. 

“More than five?” the nurse prompts after a few seconds. 

“Yeah, probably,” he nods. 

No. Much more than five. 

She takes his blood pressure after interrogating him about his medical history. It’s perfect. Or, at least he assumes it is. She rattles off two conflicting numbers—neither that he can register the meaning for—but her lips don’t purse as she records it in his file. 

When she leaves, she does so with the promise that the doctor will be with him in a few minutes. 

A few minutes turn into a couple minutes. Then fifteen. Then another. 

Kyle’s ready to stand up and leave the room, convinced he had been forgotten, just as the doctor opens the door with a smile. It’s the usual kind healthcare workers wear. Polite bedside manner bundled up in a tired body with an overworked brain. There’s polite chat as the doctor—a man in his late fifties with a scar on the back of his right hand—seats himself on the rolling stool that clinics always seem to have. 

He wastes no time in sharing his ailment. 

“I need a stronger dose of suppressants,” Kyle says, voice nearly sounding like a demand. No, it is a demand. He needs it. Has to have it for work. To live. 

“Okay,” the doctor says with an exaggerated nod. “So… we’re having issues then? Hormonal?” 

“Something, yeah. I don’t think they’re working as well as they used to,” Kyle admits. 

“Can you describe what’s going on?” he prompts. 

It’s a hard fought battle keeping his eyes from rolling, but Kyle is unable to refrain from huffing. This game of back and forth is his least favorite to play. Especially since it involves the uncomfortable truth of his nature—everyone’s bestial composition. 

Honestly, he hates this savage animal that attempts to stir and rage within him. That unrelenting heat that sharpens his tongue and muddles his thoughts. He intends to snuff it out before it eats him whole. 

Or eats someone else. 

“I have difficulty focusing sometimes. I’m noticing I’m starting to get affected by some omega’s scents. I haven’t felt this way since I started using the suppressants, and it’s affecting my performance at work,” Kyle explains, attempting to be as clinical as possible. 

As he rattles off his symptoms, the doctor notes them down in his computer, but stops about halfway to fold his hands in his lap. He looks at Kyle, eyeing his throat and the slight twitch of his fingers, and hums. 

“When was the last time you were off suppressants?” he questions. 

Kyle’s canines begin to pinch at the flesh in his mouth. “I haven’t been off them since I started them.” 

Once more, the doctor nods, and Kyle begins to question how well attached his head is to his neck. “It might be time that we have a cleansing period.” 

“A cleansing period?” Kyle repeats as if the thought is rotten on his tongue. 

“It’s not entirely healthy keeping someone on suppressants this long, alpha or omega. You can only outrun nature for so long. Your hormones will begin to override your suppressants, and your body will adapt to the change in order to instill equilibrium. You’re an alpha, Mr. Garrick. You might be inconvenienced, but your body is always going to yearn to do what nature demands.” 

With clenching fists and racing heart, Kyle feels a frustrated groan ripple along his chest. It hurts holding it back, but he refuses to allow his anger to get the best of him. 

“How long is this cleansing period then? A month?” he prompts. 

“At least six.” 

It’s impossible to snuff out his scoff at such an absurd answer. “I can’t do six months.” 

The doctor isn’t blind to Kyle’s internal rage. The rigidness of his fingers and shoulders, the flaring of his nostrils—all of these are telltale signs. Kyle can see the way he notes them in his mind like he’s some alpha ready to burst at the seams.

“You might not have a choice,” he reasons. 

“No,” Kyle says firmly. “I just need a higher dose. I can’t take that much time off work, or be unreliable. The new meds will be fine.” 

“But-” 

“Give me the higher dose.” 

There is a stillness that settles in the air, and for a moment, Kyle is worried that the doctor will deny him. He plays other options in his mind. He’ll find another doctor, if he needs to. Manipulate things until he gets what he wants—what he needs. What he needs is not a break—he doesn’t need to be cleansed—what he needs is to be reliable. 

To not be left behind. 

“Fine,” the doctor relents. Without bothering to spare another glance at Kyle, he types out the order to the pharmacy on his computer with a huff. “I can up your dose, but this is the highest I can safely give you. There is no step above this, Mr. Garrick.”

“That’ll be fine,” Kyle dismisses. 

“No, what I’m saying is, if this doesn’t work, you won’t have a choice,” the doctor corrects. “If this doesn’t work, if your nature continues to bleed through the wall of suppressants, you’ll be forced into a cleanse cycle. It’ll be like quitting them cold turkey, and with how long it’s been since you’ve been in rut… Well, it won’t be pretty.” 

While the doctor’s words are nothing more than a warning, Kyle can’t help but take it as a threat. He feels underestimated. Like he’s expected to crumble underneath the weight of some impending doom. 

“I’ll be fine,” Kyle assures. 

The doctor gives him a look—he doesn’t believe him. Still, he sends him off with a prescription for a higher dose, and that’s all Kyle cares about. 

As soon as the pharmacy informs Kyle his prescription is ready for pick up, he wastes no time in retrieving it. He nearly snatches the bag out of the technitian’s hand, almost tearing a nail off with it. He’s hardly out of the car park before he’s taking the first dose, and the difference is nearly instantaneous. That fog inside of his brain dispurses, and he no longer feels that uncanny tingle ripple through his limbs. 

It’s all numb. These thoughts, these feelings of anger, these urges—they vanish. He’s back to being the level headed sergeant he’s always been. 

Kyle Garrick. Nothing more than a beta. 

And so when he returns to work, and he catches you—the sweet pet—walking the halls next to some nameless co-worker, he doesn’t fret. The sway of your hips is no more intoxicating than it should be, and your laughter only vaguely sounds like a siren’s song. 

Caught up in your own conversation, you seem to take no notice of him as your paths intersect. Perpendicular. Crossing once and then never crossing again. An inconsequential meeting. 

When that uncomfortable tingling returns, and his nose flares at the vague sillage that follows behind you in your wake, Kyle tells himself it’s nothing. Just a simple flare in his emotions as his body welcomes the new suppressants. 

It’s nothing—only the settling of something insatiable that has yet to show its teeth.

follow @mother-ilia to be notified of updates | early access to chapters here

[olomaya]

Snowflake Day Tree + Activities

I actually started to make this two years ago and forgot about it but then I got the idea to do it again and remembered that I had already written most of the code. It was sort of like finding money in your pocket you'd forgotten about. 😂

Much like in real life, I prefer to spend my holidays in-game with family instead of randoms and I just want to open presents without having to throw a Gift Giving party. So I made a Christmas Snowflake Day tree to do that where you can decorate and add gifts to open on Snowflake Day.

I also added some holiday activities for kids and toddlers if you have the More Activities Activity Table. It's an add-on so you need that mod (and whatever requirements go with it) if you don't already.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

More info after the cut and Updates here

Decorate the Tree (this is meant as a joinable group activity so you can invite others to join; up to 4 Sims (child+) can decorate) 

Add Tree Topper (if you have any)

Hang Ornaments (if you have any)

Turn On/Off Lights (if decorated)

Admire Ornaments (sims may get a nice holiday moodlet - Holiday Memories buff)

Add Gift for…

Look at Presents (get information on how many gifts are under the tree and to whom)

Steal Presents (only for Klepto, rebellious, Evil, Mean-spirited; you will get in trouble if someone sees)

Sneak a Peek at Presents - to check out any of your gifts

Invite Everyone to Open Presents - for Snowflake Day, brings everyone on the lot to open gifts under the tree; if someone doesn’t have gifts, they will watch others open presents and if they are in the household they will get a sad buff. Gifts improve relationship score if Sims like it; does nothing if they don’t but if they get too many gifts they don’t like, they can complain about it.

Open Gifts - self explanatory. If you don’t want to gather everyone together, you can open gifts at any time on Snowflake Day. Depending on how many gifts you like/don't like, you will get a special moonlet (Feeling Grateful/Bummer Holiday)

Take Down Decorations

Put Away Tree

Sims can also:

Ask for holiday presents…Toy | Book | Vehicle | Computer | Electronics | Jewelry | Decor | Hobby Object | Sports Object

This is a one-time interaction that Sims can use on any family or household member. If a sim gets what they asked for, they will get a special buff (Just What I Wanted)

Thank for Presents (if they had a particularly good Snowflake Day)

Complain about Presents (if they had a bad one)

With the MAAT add-on, children and toddlers can also:

Make handmade ornaments and hang them on the tree. The ornaments can be stored in the decorations box.

Make handmade Snowflake Day cards for friends and family (kids only). You can give them directly to Sims or put them under the tree as a gift.

Notes and Recommendations:

To be able to utilize all the tree features, make sure there is enough space around the entire tree for Sims to gather and interact with the tree

Your Sims need to have a giftable object in their personal or household inventory to add a present to the tree

When a Sim has asked for a gift, the game checks whether any of the gifts they receive are in the same buy subcategory or object type as what they asked for so if, as example, a kid asks for a toy and you get them a cc toy that is categorized as a plant or deco object in the game, it’s not going to count. 

To gift jewelry, you need the TS3 Store Jewelry Machine or any custom wearable jewelry objects that is the same object type as the Store Jewelry box object

If you don't have my activities table mod and don't want it, then don't download the two MAAT files.

Requires Generations, Showtime (actually I don't think you need Showtime. I think I wanted to use something from it but then didn't but I'm sure one of you will confirm for me 😭) and Seasons

Details and Instructions:

The tree and box can be purchased in the Entertainment/Hobbies Section (300 and 200, respectively), the tree topper in the Misc Deco (90) or they can all be found in the custom Snowflake Day collection file.

To decorate the tree, your Sim needs both the tree object and the decorations box. Custom ornaments and tree toppers go into the decorations box.

The tree comes with a default decoration but you can create and add your own tree decorations. The file has an XML (HolidayTreeDecorations) where you can add the Resource Key, Group ID for the OBJD of the decoration, whatever name you want to call it, whether you want it to light up or not, and the image (if you don’t want a custom image, just use the default one in my first entry).

Credits: Meshes by EA, tree deco is from Coral Island (I hope Stairway Games doesn't come for me!!) and the ornaments are by me and Freepik. Images are EA and Flaticons. Animations by EA and me.

Download here

[patricia-taxxon]

I want to set the record straight regarding a certain OST for a short film that should be coming out later this year, because one of its directors is making false and hurtful claims about me and my business ethic. After he made a prominent appearance on a drama stream about me & wrote a section of my callout doc, I told him that I wasn't interested in dragging him publicly, but that has felt more impossible as time goes on and I realize the extent of his misrepresentation. I had a vision of this film being able to release quietly in spite of everything, but I don't think that can happen, and I fully expect him to try and hurt my chances at further work.

In 2023, between techdogs 4 and 5, I worked on music for a then good friend's student film. It is by far the most technically difficult job I've ever had, and I did it for free. Now, before you get mad, this is partially (mostly) my fault. I never negotiated a price beforehand, and when I found out partway through that I was working for free, I let it slide for fear of being disruptive. If I was asked to quote a price today, it would have been approximately 900 USD. The work was a hellish and grueling experience, technical in ways I'd never been prepared for, and I sorely regret not putting my foot down, because I was hollowed out by the end of it.

A big portion of his callout against me is concerned with, bafflingly, my decision not to contribute my own money to the film, which at that point would have been a negative paycheck. I didn't pay the thirty dollars that I would've had to pitch in for the film to be screened, and I considered that a fine payment for the nine hundred dollars of work they got from me. He goes on to write that I'm rich anyways, I pay hundreds of dollars on album art (business expenses that I know I'll make back when the music is released) and "furry porn," because apparently if I am occasionally willing to drop a pretty penny on a pleasure purchase then I should simply be compelled to pay them randomly for things I hold no stake in and that I signed no contract for. He also mentions that I paid them later for the DCP file at another screening, of course by that point I had gotten the vibe that they were wanting for me to drop money on their project, so I did, giving the post-hoc justification that "i guess in this case I also care about the film sounding good." He writes "well I guess that was something she deemed worthy" without realizing the implication would then be that he did not see my own work as worthy.

Let me make this clear, this is like if a voice actor worked on my video game for free as a favor with no expectations of royalties, and then I asked them to help me pay to get the game on steam. This is presented along reheated second, third, fourthhand accounts of sexual misconduct.

And before we move on, to the claim that one album artist had to wait for years before receiving payment, this is true. I did forget to pay one artist, and only found out after their assistant contacted me years later, where I then paid six times the asking price as a late fee. I was commissioning over ten album arts every year, and as of now, this is the only time I have made this mistake.

It is impossible for me to refute his claims about the personal time we spent together in Omaha, as it would just be my word against his. I will just say that he should know the omitted reasons that I have grown to feel I was disposed, discarded, and taken for granted by him, and how he has nothing to do with why I hold those memories at that film festival so highly. He also does the classic thing where he positions allowing me to pick the movie in the evening as this favor he did, making me unknowingly rack up debt for a bargain I never consented to.

During all this, he has expressed an existential fear of being harassed for going public about me, and for this reason I want to say that I still hope that this film can be released without a fuss, but his continued participation in a harassment campaign against me has done far more to tarnish his reputation than I ever could. If you really cared about your image, pressure Crim to re-record that drama stream without your embarrassing petty grievances in it & delete your testimony from the callout doc. Thanks.

[voxslays]

OSHIBANA — HWANG IN-HO

SUMMARY: Days before your passing, In-ho gives you a lovely bouquet filled with your favorite flowers, as he spends his days by your side—only to discover you turned it into art and preserved it for him to find years later.

This was it. You were dying. He had tried everything to save you. First it was taking out the loans, accepting ‘bribes,’ begging the doctors. Then, it was the games. He had won and come out of the, victorious just for you and your unborn child—which by the time he had arrived at the hospital, was placed into his arms.

It was a happy, bubbly baby girl, and In-ho couldn’t have been happier in that moment…until, he learned of your condition. You looked fine on the outside—maybe a little tired, but overall, you looked like a healthy new mother. But on the inside, your liver was failing. When In-ho was told the news, he couldn’t help but burst into tears, which was becoming less and less rare for him.

The doctors were unsure how many days you had left, so In-ho decided to make them your happiest. He grabbed a bouquet of your favorite flowers. There were orchids, lillies, hydrangeas and many more. Your husband couldn’t help but smile when he saw your bright beaming expression as he handed you the bouquet.

It was ironic. As your breaths grew shorter and shallower, the flowers started to lose their vibrant colors. As you started to decay, they did too. And one day, they were completely gone and the case was left empty. In-ho assumed one of the nurses had taken them, which upset him more than he cared to admit. Couldn’t his beautiful wife get one last glimpse of her favorite flowers before she was gone forever?

But before he knew it, you were dead. In-ho was left as a wealthy widower and single father—left to wander the struggles of parenthood alone. You always knew just what to say to cheer him up, but now that you were gone, he just felt numb and empty inside. A husk of himself before all the games and struggles.

————

Today was the sixth anniversary of your death. In-ho had packed up everything and brought himself and your daughter, Ae-cha to the island per Il-nam’s request. Life as the frontman wasn’t horrible, but he noticed himself spending less and less time with your daughter, the circle guards taking the jobs of nanny’s and childcare workers to please their busy boss.

But today, In-ho had taken the day off to spend it with his little girl. Ae-cha was still the same bright, bubbly child she had been the day she was born. Yet, she was six now and had started asking him difficult questions—Just like she was now. “What happened to Eomma?” Ae-cha asks, her tiny form cuddling into her father.

In-ho’s breath hitches. He had always known a day like this would come eventually—but it didn’t make him any more prepared. “She’s in the sky.” He responds, taking a sip of his brandy. After your death, he had tried to drink away the pain, only to be given a harsh reminder of the consequences by his very own brother, Jun-ho.

Ae-cha giggles. “So she’s like an angel?” She kicks her legs playfully. There was never a dull moment with Ae-cha around, was there? She reminded him so much of you—she had your eyes after all. Yet, it wasn’t only that either. Her personality, her playfulness, it all stemmed from you, a mother she never got the pleasantry of meeting.

In-ho sighs, looking at his hyper little demon. “Can I see a picture?” She asks oh so innocently. In-ho puts on a warm smile, his eyes slightly crinkling at the corners as he slowly gets up. “Of course, gongjunim.” He strolls out of the small living space in his private quarters and into his bedroom. He walks past his dark blanketed, queen-sized bed and to the door at the very far wall.

In-ho opens it with ease, heading down the basement like stairs into the cold storage room. Inside, many files and portfolios of players from past and present games reside. Yet, one small shelf in the middle is reserved solely for pictures and memories of you. As he goes to grab a picture for his daughter, his fingers brush against an unfamiliar mahogany frame.

He picks it up, examining it gently in the dim light. Yet, even in the darkness of the storage room he recognizes the imagery. It was a frame with preserved flowers. On the side were your initials and the date: 12/3/15, the day before he lost you forever. The flowers were familiar too. In-ho recognized them as the ones he had gotten you whilst on your death bed.

So it really wasn’t the nurse then, huh?

In-ho felt tears pricking at the corner of his eyes as he saw a small yellow post it stuck firmly onto the back of the frame. “Something to cheer you up! :)” was written in your messy, but cute handwriting. He lightly sets down the frame, as if it’s the most precious artifact in the world—which to him, it is. It’s your last gift to him. A reminder you aren’t coming back.

Your husband finds a pleasant picture of you and carefully puts the framed Oshibana back into the box. He turns off the storage room light and walks back up the stairs, closing the door. He wipes the small teardrops from the corner of his crinkled eyes. If you were here, you’d say something to cheer him up, wouldn’t you? But you couldn’t, and it was pointless to cry.

You weren’t coming back.