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[squeamishnerd]

Story Break

I'm going on a story break, with both my Sims stories. I don't know for how long, maybe it will just be a few weeks or maybe it will be half a year. The longest breaks I've had before is 4 months with The Brights and 7 months with The Original Ahriman, so I guess it will be something like that.

So you don't have to worry about me if I'm silent, I'm just on a break, and I won't be completely silent over on bluesky.

There are two reasons to why I'm going on a story break (okay, three reasons, one is basically "life happened", for example that I got a new job, yay, and that I injured a rib, boo), and I think it might be important to bring up, because I see other simmers struggling with these types of things too.

I feel like I've hit a roadblock with The Brights. I'm looking too far into the future and can't focus on the present when I'm playing. I actually came back to playing that save file yesterday, after not having played it properly since February and only barely touched it a few times since then. I tried to force myself to play back in April and I didn't realise why I didn't feel like playing. It wasn't until a few days ago that I realised that looking too far into the future in the story makes me feel constrained, frustrated and sad. So now, as soon as I start to think too far into the future I turn the game off, because I know that it's bad for me to continue to play in such moments.

When it comes to The Original Ahriman I've also felt constrained lately, but for another reason. Since The Original Ahriman isn't as "popular" (around 5-10 readers) as The Brights (around 10-15 readers), and The Original Ahriman gets fewer comments (on bluesky, that is, neither of my stories get any comments here), I often feel like I don't live up to people's expectations when it comes to this story. I've also noticed that the parts that were most fun to play are often the ones that get fewer comments, which adds to this feeling. I don't do storytelling to live up to others' expectations, I do it because it's fun, so when I start to feel that I have to live up to anyone's expectation I know that I need a break.

I hope that you take breaks too, if you start to feel something like this.

[squeamishnerd]

The Original Ahriman

Chapter 23: How to Trick a Reaper, Part 2

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Ahriman: Well, if it isn't my friend Grim.

Azrael: If we were friends you wouldn't have called me Grim. More importantly, why do you have a Grimophone and why have you summoned me?

Ahriman: I need your help.

Azrael: Is this another one of your tricks?

Ahriman: Of course not.

Azrael: You're not very convincing.

Ahriman: I need help to find the recipe for Ambrosia.

Azrael: Sorry. Can't help you with that. I'll take my leave.

Ahriman: Would the answer be different if…

Azrael: *Tries to not fall for it*

Azrael: *Falls for it*

Ahriman: Sorry about that. Of course I wouldn't overstep any boundaries, I was just curious to see if you're still easily wooed.

Azrael: Right. Boundaries. Of course I have boundaries.

Ahriman: Back to the point. I need help to find the recipe for Ambrosia. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I have no intention to use it.

Azrael: You used my Death Note, which you stole from me.

Ahriman: Njf but-

Azrael: There's no use, I don't have the recipe and I don't remember it.

Ahriman: Okay, I give up.

Azrael: Goodbye.

Mayor: Did you just try to woo a Reaper?

Ahriman: It worked before. I didn't want to go that route this time though, his hands are a bit cold and it's uncanny to woohoo with someone who doesn't have a face. But I must say that I liked his long nails.

Mayor: I did not need any of that information.

Mayor: So, now both Azrael and I know about your little scheme. Be careful with who else you share it with. I will share it to the world if I'm starting to feel that keeping silent could threaten my position as a Mayor.

Ahriman: Technically it's not my scheme… But please keep silent.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 23: How to Trick a Reaper, Part 1

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Ahriman: Now, let's see if this thing works.

Pyritie: Who's that?

Cassandra: Dunno, let's find out.

Cassandra: Hi! I'm Cassandra.

Grey: Hi, I'm Grey.

Cassandra: You don't look very gray.

Grey: No, silly, it's my name.

Cassandra: Yeah, but you still don't look very gray.

Pyritie: Cassandra, may I remind you that you named me, a purple dragon, after pyrite, a yellow metal.

Cassandra: But you were supposed to be a golden dragon.

Pyritie: Supposed to!? 😤

Cassandra: Are you a spellcaster?

Grey: No.

Cassandra: But you're occult?

Grey: Yes, Grimborn.

Cassandra: So… A skeleton?

Grey: I don't think so. I kinda have skin and organs. Dad has skin too, but I'm not sure about organs.

Azrael: Grey.

Cassandra: Hello, Archangel Azrael.

Azrael: Someone did their homework, but you can call me just Azrael.

Cassandra: How about Psychopomp Azrael instead? Or Santa Muerte? Or Dödsängeln?

Azrael: Cassandra, titles are growing out of fashion, call me Azrael.

Azrael: Grey, I got a call. Could you stay here while I'm away?

Grey: Sure, I want Cassandra to show me some cool magic.

Azrael: Be careful. I'll make sure that someone crafts you an amulet later.

Azrael: Of all the places I could've been called to…

Azrael: Oh well.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 22: How to Trick a Vampire, Part 3

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Ahriman: Oh, if it isn't Miss Smith… I'm sorry, Miss Hell, was it?

Miss: And who are you?

Kat: You don't recognise them?

Miss: What is there to recognise?

Kat: The intonation of their voice, their manners.

Miss: I don't care about recognising people.

Ahriman: Sorry, but I don't think you answered my question. Which name was it?

Miss: Obviously not Smith, that's a sim name.

Markus: Oooh, I get it. Be careful, he's trying to trick us somehow.

Ahriman: So, Miss Maryb-, sorry, just Miss Hell, I presume…

Miss: Watch your tongue or you'll become my dinner.

Ahriman: Hey, hey, I'm a spellcaster. You can't kill me with a bite and of course I'd tell people that a vampire bit me against my will. You don't want to turn this into something political, do you?

Ahriman: Especially you, Crow, you definitely wouldn't want this to turn into something political, would you? Just imagine if people figured out that you-

Markus: Don't finish that sentence. I get your point.

Ahriman: Oh, I just noticed. Your ey-

Kat: No, please don't say anything.

Ahriman: You knew all along that I-

Kat: Please, just leave.

Ahriman: The problem is that I got lost down here. Can you believe it? I can't Transportalate, maybe because this is hallowed vampire ground, I don't know. And you must understand how difficult it can be to find your way when you're so used to Transportalating? Right?

Ahriman: So, here's my proposal: You help me find my way out, and I won't tell anyone, living or dead, about these little secrets that I accidentally stumbled upon while I was trying to find my way out.

Kat: I don't think we have a choice.

Miss: Ugh. I hate spellcasters. They're too smart.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 22: How to Trick a Vampire, Part 2

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Ahriman: Did you hear that too?

Orion: Just take the Grimophone and get out.

Ahriman: Take the Grimophone, yes. Get out, no. It's too late. If I Transportalate now they'll notice and cause trouble later. It's better to play dumb.

Ahriman: But first, I need to see if I can find something to expose.

Ahriman: Well now, who does this one belong to?

Ahriman: These inscriptions are a bit confusing.

Ahriman: Oh, what do we have here?

Ahriman: A letter? Testament?

Ahriman: "Dear Miss Marybell Smith, I hereby-"…

Ahriman: Marybell Smith? Is that her real name? This piece of paper looks too new to have been written before the last time I met her. So, if someone addresses her like this...

Ahriman: Let's see what else I can find out about them.

Ahriman: It's showtime. Get into the void.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 22: How to Trick a Vampire, Part 1

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Orion: Are you really sure this is safe?

Ahriman: Hopefully no one here will recognise me like this, if we happen to run into someone, but if they do, I still have an upper hand.

Ahriman: If I were a vampire, where would I hide stolen rarities?

Ahriman: Hm.

Ahriman: That statue looks like it might be important to them. I wonder if…

Ahriman: No they're not smart enough to hide it inside something like a hollow statue or pedestal.

Miss: I smell life.

Markus: Me too.

Kat: You don't think it's these tulips? Or maybe the person who left the tulips was a living relative to whoever this grave belongs to.

Miss: No. It smells like they're still here.

Ahriman: Let's look in here instead.

Ahriman: Hm.

Ahriman: I guess this is what you'd call "ugly cute".

Miss: They're definitely still here.

Markus: I think so too.

Kat: As if you and I never trespass.

Miss: How can you be so calm about this?

Kat: I'm starting to think that you've stolen something valuable recently, and hid it in the crypt. We'll just take the intruder by surprise, no big deal.

Orion: Maybe they've hidden it in plain sight?

Ahriman: I'm starting to think so too. That would be unusually smart for a vampire though, things hidden in plain sight are easy to miss.

Ahriman: Jackpot.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 7

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Keisha: Joanna, in which cardinal direction are we walking right now?

Joanna: South.

Keisha: Could you be more exact?

Joanna: South-west. South-south-west?

Keisha: Could I have less guessing and more thinking?

Joanna: Okay. South-west.

Morgyn: South-south-west.

Morgyn: That looks like an interesting herb. I want to take some with me.

Keisha: Do you know what it is?

Morgyn: No, do you?

Keisha: No, but it could be poisonous.

Morgyn: I'm not gonna eat it, I just want to take some with me. I recently started to study Herbalism.

Keisha: So Morgyn has started to study Herbalism, and how's studying going for you?

Joanna: I've read the whole Tome of Scruberoo, so now it's time for hands-on training. And I'll start to study the Tome of Delicioso next.

Morgyn: Wait, I want to take a detour, let's go north-west here.

Keisha: You want us to turn around?

Morgyn: Only 121 degrees.

Keisha: Very well then.

Keisha: How come you wanted to take this route?

Morgyn: There's a Herbalist living north of the mountain chain, but there's a passage in north-west.

Keisha: North of the mountains? That will take us an extra day or two, just so you know.

Morgyn: Good thing we're not climbing the mountains then.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 6

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Lacey: Hi, Keisha, Morgyn and, I don't think I've met you before. I'm Lacey, the forest ranger. Sorry to interrupt your conversation about the fish on the wall.

Joanna: Nice to meet you, I'm Joanna, a spellcaster of Practical Magic. We were also talking about all the insects and frogs in captivity.

Lacey: I understand your concern, but they're here to be rehabilitated.

Joanna: Does that go for the fish on the wall too?

Lacey: No. You and I might have different views on this and I can absolutely see why you'd find it wrong to mount a fish, but taxidermy is used for preservation and education.

Joanna: But this is a nature reserve.

Lacey: There are different types of nature reserves. In this one biological diversity is important, so if one species is about to take over, we have to do something about it to not risk any other species going extinct.

Joanna: I see. I guess that makes sense.

Lacey: If they know how to set things on fire they sure must also know how to put out the fire... Right? They're a Sage's Apprentice, they sure must know what they're doing...... I hope they don't set the forest on fire.

Joanna: Earlier today, Keisha said that there are other ways to understand nature than being able to communicate with non-simoid creatures. I guess I fell into the trap of thinking of spellcasters as smarter than sims. Which is hypocritical of me. I was born a sim.

Lacey: We're all a bit hypocritical. I don't think it's right to kill, but here I am, eating meat for lunch, and I can't defend it with biodiversity. Speaking of which, I'm sure that a spellcaster forest ranger would solve overpopulation of a species in a different, and likely better, way than me.

Joanna: I heard from Keisha that you've been thinking about becoming a spellcaster yourself.

Lacey: I have, but I've come to the conclusion that it's probably not the right path for me. But who knows? Maybe I'll change my mind one day.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 5

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Morgyn: Joanna, have you learnt yet how to collect water from the ground?

Joanna: Not without harming the grass.

Morgyn: I can only collect it from the air, which is way too dry today.

Keisha: There's a river not far from here.

Joanna: You're kidding me!? Who'd put up a fishing sign in a nature reserve?

Morgyn: Sometimes sims take too much pride in caring about the nature. Maybe they'd be more understanding if they could communicate with fish.

Joanna: You know the ranger, right?

Keisha: Yes. She was thinking about becoming a spellcaster, but I don't know if she ever became one.

Joanna: You should ascend her, if she isn't one, so that she can communicate with the animals here.

Keisha: There are other ways to understand nature.

Keisha: Don't think too much about it, spellcasters use dead fish too sometimes, for potions.

Morgyn: But we don't kill them and put them on the wall.

Lacey: Oh, hello.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 4

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Morgyn: Oh, a map. Keisha would Morphiate me into a houseplant if she knew I had a look.

Morgyn: What's up with sims moving back to Medieval times? Oh well, I guess I'm a trousers person today.

Joanna: Maybe we should try to fix our circadian rhythms, now that we've left Moonwood.

Keisha: How about we go to bed at 2 then? It should be enough to get up at 6 if we want to arrive at the lookout tower by noon, to visit Lacey, the forest ranger.

Joanna: Do you think jackalopes actually exist?

Keisha: Must be a myth, they're too strange.

Joanna: It's getting so dark.

Morgyn: Maybe we should set up camp for the night.

Joanna: But it's only midnight.

Morgyn: Didn't you say you wanted to fix your circadian rhythm?

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 3

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Morgyn: You can be a loving partner, but you're too clingy, cross lines, don't listen to reason, and make irrational decisions. And if you really think killing my ex would somehow help us… Try to remember what happened to Raven.

"Try to remember…"

"Remember…"

"Remember what happened to Raven."

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 2

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Keisha: Maybe it's time to try to find somewhere to set up camp?

Morgyn: How about here?

Morgyn: There's even a horseshoe game.

Keisha: Loser lights and keeps an eye on the fire tonight.

Keisha: Hup!

Horse shoe: *Boff*

Keisha: I don't think I'm good at this.

Morgyn: I guess we're all quite bad at this, but Keisha was furthest away.

Keisha: Please don't make me light and watch the fire.

Morgyn: It was a silly penalty anyway. Of course I'll do it.

Joanna: Can I ask you… How's it going between you and Áine?

Morgyn: Eh… I broke up with her.

Joanna: Oh. Sorry for asking.

Morgyn: No, it's okay. I would've told you two about it eventually anyway.

Joanna: Is this why you were unusually quiet in the beginning of our journey?

Morgyn: Mostly, yes.

Joanna: I think you made the right decision, you deserve better.

Morgyn: Thanks.

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The Original Ahriman

Chapter 21: At One With Nature, Part 1

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Mayor: What are you planting? Is it something I can eat?

Ahriman: It's snapdragons and lilies, so you can definitely not eat them. I'd prefer to not having to find the Ambrosia recipe for you specifically.

Mayor: Stupid flowers being inedible.

Orion: What are the notes for?

Ahriman: I'm doing some research. If I have to get my hands dirty to make Ambrosia, I have the feeling that one of the ingredients has to be grown without the use of Herbio or Floralorial. By the way, I have a lead on a Grimophone. We'll go look for it in a few days.

Ahriman: Oh. Look who's over there.

Orion: Who's that?

Ahriman: Grace.

Orion: Your woohoo partner? Aren't you gonna go talk with her, invite her in, have some fun?

Ahriman: She's just passing by. She probably has a lot to do.

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[squeamishnerd]

Mod: Eye Shine Remover

Maxis eyes with shine on the left. Eye shine removed on the right. Bright light on the top. Dim light on the bottom.

Mode Type: CAS default replacement for eyes

What does this mod do? It removes the specular (eye shine) from the default Maxis eyes. It works as a default replacement for eyes.

It is NOT compatible with other default replacement eyes.

For all ages, genders and non-object life forms. (Yes, it works for cats too, the "shine" on cats' eyes is an optical illusion due to how they're painted, they don't have a specular.)

Download on SFS

(Don't miss to click the like button on the download page, I've heard that many simmers don't know it exists)

[squeamishnerd]

The Brights

Chapter 41: The Resolution, Part 9

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Melon: Still programming?

Beren: Oh, hi, yes. Don't sneak up on me like that when you come home.

Melon: I have been in our doorless kitchen, 7.63 meters away from you, for the past 38 minutes, baking chocolate chip cookies. They are in the oven now.

Beren: You baked cookies?

Melon: Yes, I baked cookies. For you.

Beren: How come you decided to bake cookies for me? Is it a new hobby?

Melon: You have been feeling down for the past few weeks, and you have started to drown yourself in your studies and programming projects again. This is not much, but I wanted to try to cheer you up. It might be a new hobby too.

Eve: What kind of app is that? You can look at people and decide if you want to meet them?

Kodex: Basically, yes. It is a dating app.

Eve: That sounds useful. I will text Melon about their existence.

Kodex: I am quite sure that Melon knows about dating apps, but I guess it will not hurt.

Melon: Excuse me, Eve texted. I will just answer, and then I can be social.

Eve: Oh, she just wanted to find an artist who can paint her picture. I thought she was looking for someone to go on a date with.

Kodex: This is the date.

Eve: I thought sims eat at dates.

Kodex: I guess he is eating her with his eyes.

Eve: How would that work? Sims cannot eat with their eyes.

Kodex: I did not mean it literally. I meant that he checks her out. Watcher, this scene is awkward.

Eve: It looks like a normal painting session to me.

Melon: There is something I would like to bring up.

Beren: Mhm?

Eve: I do not think she likes her portrait.

Kodex: Neither would I have.

Melon: I know that I have been a bit prickly lately, and therefore probably not too fun to be around. So it might be my fault that we have not hanged out much, but I miss hanging out with you.

Melon: So, I was just wondering, can we do more fun things together again?

Beren: Of course we can! I haven't felt that you've been prickly, I've just had a lot of other things going on.

Eve: Oh, that was an unexpected resolution.

Kodex: But it does make sense. She seemed to be interested in a physical relationship at first, but what she really needed was one built on a strong romantic foundation before going into something more physical.

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The Brights

Chapter 41: The Resolution, Part 8

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Ahriman: I just have to try the drink recipe that came up in the quiz with Lin-Z. Better take the opportunity to have a little fun.

Ahriman: Hup!

Ahriman: Celene would hate me if she saw me do that at work.

Ahriman: I'm glad that the eggs are optional and the milk was easy to substitute for the recipe. It still weirds me out to not be able to ask animals here for permission to take eggs, milk, honey… At least this universe has better substitutes.

Ahriman: Not bad. I should recommend it to Celene, this could be made with a moodlet essence substitute.

Ahriman: But, hmm… Can werewolves consume coconut milk?

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The Brights

Chapter 41: The Resolution, Part 7

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Melon: … and now we wait while they bake.

Eve: Your idea to smell cookies was much better than smelling coffee or tea.

Melon: It felt like a good opportunity to practice. Beren has been feeling down, so I thought I could practice here and bake some for him at home. You can treat some friends with these if you want to.

Eve: You seem happier than usual.

Melon: I feel a bit relieved about something, and I have also done some thinking.

Melon: I thought that Beren being interested in someone made me jealous. And, yes, partly. But I have realised that it also had to do with the specific person. We saw them in San Myshuno, met them at GeekCon, and they came to my workplace, they always gave me a strange feeling. I did not trust them.

Melon: While I do understand that Beren is sad about how it ended, I think it is for the best. Then I realised that what I really want is for Beren to be happy. I want to be his friend, and I know that he would never be interested in me. Therefore I want to help him find someone who is good for him.

Eve: That is very mature of you.

Kodex: Do you want any help with that?

Melon: Maybe not outright help, but tips are welcome.

Kodex: Now… Over to our issues.

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