#opal contrary

[kevinvoncrastenburg]

Uberhood (99) - Jocque & Larson

Lots and lots of quality time. ✨✨

[aorticsims]

The Many Faces of Desiderata Valley

[beikonsims]

Finally, by the end of the week, the "Grunts" were supposed to throw their little wedding party for family and friends. Opal still couldn't help feeling nervous and kept overthinking about getting remarried so soon.

Buzz: How do I look, son? It's been a hot while since I dressed like that. I'm surprised it still fits me.

Buck: It's been long time, hasn't it? When was the last time I saw you in a suit? Mom's funeral?

Buzz: Wow, that's... you really know how to make the atmosphere awkward, don't you?

Buck: I'm not wrong, though.

[lurking-lilibeth]

Seasons change, and it gets colder even in Strangetown. Day 28 for the Contrarys.

[heromonty]

In the interest of attempting to keep his mind off his missing kid, Edward returned to his telescope. And this time, he had some visitors.

Returning a few hours later a bit more crispy and very smelly, Edward felt like shit. Thanks to the Alien Experiments Mod, Edward straight up died lol. Luckily, he was resurrected without any alterations. Which he should count his blessing because there was a chance he could've been revived as a zombie.

Fun fact: This man got abducted again right after this. Now there was no visible changes or memory loss so either a) he's pregnant, or b) nothing happened. To be confirmed next round.

Also, the police didn't find Rick so there's also that. To my understanding, teens who have run away should return on their own once they’re 2 days away from aging up. So he'll be MIA for this household, not sure if he'll pop up when I'm playing others.

[valiantnightllama]

Incorrect Sims Quotes 261

Rick: I’m not lazy, I just find it hard to put effort into things I’m not passionate about. Opal: What are you passionate about? Rick: Sleeping.

[lunetaj]

The Contrary family with their recently born son Rick (1993)

[tamtam-go92]

[eilinelsghost]

Finrod's gems are about politics not capital

I've seen an influx of posts on my dash over the last couple of weeks with some variation on "Finrod hauled jewels across the ice because he's a hedonist" or "Finrod brought all those gems because he was planning ahead to pay for stuff in Beleriand" and I'm so sorry in advance, but the soapbox is beckoning again.

The version of this I've seen most often has been that he is a metropolitan prince accustomed to operating within a transactional context and that he brings gems out from Aman to whatever awaits in Beleriand out of a shrewd calculation that he will need to buy things once he's there. And...maybe? But here's the thing. That is not what gems mean in the context of Valinor, nor is it the pretty straightforward explanation of Finrod's decision that we're given in the text.

So first off, let's talk about the gems themselves and what those would mean to Finrod in the context within which he decides to bring them out from Valinor. Contrary to the premise that gems are understood to be a source of capital by the princes of Noldor, the two references we have to how they saw their own gems are as follows (emphasis in all quotes is mine):

And it came to pass that the masons of the house of Finwë, quarrying in the hills after stone [...] first discovered the earth-gems, and brought them forth in countless myriads; and they devised tools for the cutting and shaping of gems, and carved them in many forms. They hoarded them not, but gave them freely, and by their labour enriched all Valinor.

Many jewels the Noldor gave [the Teleri], opals and diamonds and pale crystals, which they strewed upon the shores and scattered in the pools; marvellous were the beaches of Elendë in those days.

The gems of the Noldor, then, are not seen as a source of wealth or bartering leverage, nor is there any indication in the text that they used them as such. In fact, the first (and only) reference to gems as wealth in the context of Valinor is when the narrator tells us of how Melkor looks with jealousy upon all the Firstborn:

[Melkor] looked upon the Children of Ilúvatar that sat at the feet of the Mighty, and hatred filled him; he looked upon the wealth of bright gems, and he lusted for them

Pivotally, it is not until after this that we are given any reference to the Noldor themselves seeing their own gems as anything other than a beauty of the earth that was to be shared freely. And even then, that language is only used of Fëanor's disposition after the lies of Morgoth have circulated and he begins to "love the Silmarils with a greedy love."

Second, let's talk about the fairly straightforward explanation for Finrod's actions that we are given in the text itself.

(I know I've talked about this a couple times in ask answers etc, but I want to give it its own standalone post because this never ceases to frustrate me.)

Necessary for understanding the explanation the text gives us is to situate it within the events that preceded it. Key among these is this section of Fëanor's speech to the Noldor:

"Say farewell to bondage! But say farewell also to ease! Say farewell to the weak! Say farewell to your treasures! More still shall we make. Journey light: but bring with you your swords! [...] But when we have conquered and have regained the Silmarils, then we and we alone shall be lords of the unsullied Light, and masters of the bliss and beauty of Arda. No other race shall oust us!"

Whatever the intent of Fëanor's words, they would undoubtably have been heard by Finrod and those others who opposed the march as a call to discard their past, the life and love of Aman, and their loyalty to the Valar. And consequently two pages later we are told that Finarfin and Finrod "carried thence memories of the bliss they had forsaken, and some even of the things that they had made there they took with them: a solace and a burden on the road."

So for Finrod to bring "more treasures out of Tirion than any other of the princes of the Noldor" was not a shrewd economic calculation, but a direct refutation of his uncle's rallying call. He was refusing to be severed from the past, refusing to name their time in Valinor as bondage to be dismissed and forgotten, and refusing to count what they made there as loss in order to gain mastery of Arda. He was carrying memory out from Valinor, not currency.

Furthermore, the memory he carries as his solace and burden is the memory of love and friendship, of wholeness and joy. Finrod grew up as Olwë's grandson and the jewels "strewed upon the shores and scattered in the pools" of Alqualondë were the beaches where he played, the fountains where he splashed as a child. The gems of the Noldor, far from being a quick way to pocket some cash for the road, were for him the visible symbol of the houses of the Eldar living in friendship and not division. (And how bitter that burden must have become when he continued on after the kinslaying at Alqualondë, those strewed stones of friendship now a shoreline washed in blood.)

Having these same gems later placed within the Nauglimir thus becomes a furthering of this same political statement. Whenever it sits about his neck, it is a visual reprimand of two of Fëanor's assertions in his speech atop Túna: Finrod receives it as a symbol of partnership and co-creation between two races, once again beauty that is shared freely, the gems within it once more a symbol of friendship rather than mastery; and it serves as the tangible representation of Finrod's remaining love and allegiance to memory and to the Valar.

He carries the gems out from Valinor in hope - the same hope that he embodies throughout his life, in his friendships in Beleriand, in his love and care for the Edain, in his eventual sacrifice: what I have is my neighbor's; what I love, I give.

[kedreeva]

Are Bug's babies actually Bug's babies, or are they swapped eggs from one of your other peahens?

they're from earl x Wendy/Heather. The only other bird who got to have babies this year was Opal, whose eggs actually went to Eris because i needed to time nest hatchings differently than the order the hens sat.

Before anyone needs to ask: Spacing the hatches correctly means each mom gets a week or so to bond with their babies before having to rejoin a larger group. Without time to bond, they stress about other birds being too close while their babies don't understand "mom" quite yet. Contrary to popular belief, imprinting is not instant! It is NOT the "first thing they see." Instead, it is a process that takes several days- for peafowl, generally between 3 and 5 days for the chicks to understand which hen to follow and reliably do so.

However, the "imprinting" window actually lasts closer to a couple of weeks. That is to say, if you hatch an incubator chick, there is a week or two window of time where they CAN still imprint on whatever mother figure is around the most during that time. For peafowl this means having to do your best to AVOID that with brooder chick, by interacting only lightly for the first 2 weeks and then spending more time with them after that. imprinting male peafowl can lead to massive behavioral problems later.

Bug is an imprinted hen; they have their own challenges compared to males.

[zx-ta]

Desiderata Valley:

So, as usual, my timelime is happening like 5 years before TS2 and I need more elders, it means that Elizabeth Aspir's dad and Victor Aspir's mom are still alive, Pauline is not born yet. Teens are kids and kids are infants. Oh and Natasha a cat!

Cyrus Nejem, Elizabeth Nejem (Aspir), Victor Aspir, Luis Aspir and Noriko Aspir

Violet Jocque, Sofia Jocque, Marcel Jocque, Rick Contrary, Edward Contrary and Opal Contrary

Sharon Wirth, Hannah Bell, Issac Bell and Daniel Bell

John Mole, Matthew Picaso, Jessica Picaso, Natasha Una and Asparagus

[malky-tea]

The latest and newest artwork I'm pouring on the internet for the first time, hehe

This is my character that I play in Changeling: The Dreaming. It's been a long time since I've had such an easy, enjoyable and comfortable game. All the other games were good too, don't think so. I just feel like it's MY thing. Maybe it's the fact that I finally didn't limit myself and decided to take ALL the things I love and combine them into one character? Well, that makes sense…

Her name is Charlene René Wade, but in the fairy community she is known as Leofrun from the House Ailil. She has recently passed her Chrysalis and the Fior-Righ, but has already earned the title of knight in the course of our chronicle. She is a very emotional and passionate Autumn Sidhe from Unseelie Court. She enjoys making devious plans, participating in intrigue, unraveling other people's schemes and learning dirty secrets. More than anything, she longs to benefit the noble House Ailil. She likes to be a bit dramatic, although she loves fun and taking care of her loved ones. Sometimes she wants to appear more cold and impenetrable than she really is (she is far from it).

Like any Sidhe from House Ailil, she strives to be seen as nothing less than ideal and when that naturally doesn't happen… It hurts her. Sometimes she gets overly emotional and allows herself to think overly violent things. Part of her is frightened by this urge to burn cities and shoot at knees and… Charlene doesn't usually remember what happens next. A piece of her life falls out of her memory and it's good if she finds herself in a familiar place. She doesn't know, but in these moments that very part of her really wants to placate the universe and show that she is not bad, but on the contrary the kindest girl in the world.

❤ She has a chimerical dragon named Opal ❤ Loves cherries in any form, including cigarettes and perfume ❤ Very fond of human history and hopes to become a historian already in the society of changelings ❤ Very passionate about tragedies and stories with bad endings ❤ Afraid to engage in close combat and shuns the sight of blood. Instead, she has learned to shoot and loves firearms. She has a chimerical gun, which she named after the dragon guarding the Garden of the Hesperides ❤ At the beginning of the timeline she hated House Gwydion, now she will fight for loved ones from that house ❤ She loves abandoned houses with old attics ⛓︎ Afraid of repeating the fate of characters from her favorite tragedies ⛓︎ Ruined her relationship with her own Lady. ⛓︎ Very easily offended by things that another would not even pay attention to ⛓︎ Sometimes she dreams of previously agonizing death experiences and these dreams throw her off balance ⛓︎ Tends to succumb to paranoid thoughts and see enemies everywhere ⛓︎ Smokes a lot, literally can't live without cigarettes ⛓︎ Her family is known for her mother committing Rhapsody. Because of that, Charlene has a bad reputation, too

[beikonsims]

PT9: How many times will they try this? Which of them is going to run away now?

Buck: Hopefully neither of them.

Thankfully, it all worked out this time and the two got married. This time they were both extra nervous and knew very well the party has been pretty much ruined. But it didn't matter anymore.

Although some of the guests left after the incident (including Tank, who just fled to avoid drama), those who remained seemed happy with the outcome.

Even PT9 felt relieved and cheered the couple on.

[lurking-lilibeth]

Opal retires from her law firm. She's trying her best to keep it together, but things are tough for her.

[heromonty]

...or at least that was supposed to be the plan. The next day, Rick ended up running away from home and is currently MIA somewhere in town. So uh, raincheck on that date I guess.

Realizing that Rick was no longer in the house and not being able to reach him on his cell, Opal ended up reporting him missing to the police. From their response, Opal's not very confident in their ability to find her son...

[yukaro353]

Welcome to: Fun Facts about my Omegaverse LOK✨✨

💚 Contrary to what stereotypes demand, Kuvira is an omega (dominant) and Opal an alpha (Bolin didn't discover this until many months later).

🧡When Tenzin started a relationship with Pema (officially) everyone looked at it with bad eyes since she is a beta, they did not expect at all that she could have children.

💚Some families have pronounced fangs in their anatomy, most of them are from the royal family of the Fire Nation (And Lin, Lin also has pronounced fangs)

🧡Aang is not only the last airbender, he was also an omega, but his character was recessive so he didn't fully develop until he was almost in his twenties.

💚Mako is also a dominant omega, but he pretends to be an alpha to move more easily in society, even when he enters the police force he tries to present fake exams.

🧡Asami, despite being an alpha, cannot perceive smells and her cycles are scarce, she often jokes that her super power is going into heat only twice a year.

💚Korra has an extremely keen sense of smell, she is a dominant alpha and is difficult to manage during her hormonal periods, so much so that Tenzin gives in and allows (forces) her to use suppressants.

🧡When Tenzin and Lin were together it was very scandalous, as both were alphas, the spheres where they moved pointed them out as "erroneous and mistaken", part of this pressure was what led to their breakup.

💚Mako can't sustain his relationship with either Asami or Korra because he fears being relegated to being "the husband of" when the idea of pregnancy comes up. Growing up on the streets, Mako has many prejudices about his role in society and won't allow his achievements to be overshadowed by anything, even if it keeps him alone. Despite this and all the care he manages if he ends up pregnant, everyone around him reassures him that they will be there for him and the child, but in the end, it is Lin's support for terminating the pregnancy that he ends up choosing.