#2-level cat tree

[hopethishelpsdotcom]

Noodle loves this perch so much there would need to be a natural disaster of biblical proportions to get him to part with this perch. It's perfect hide for bird surveillance. I think the cats like it so much because the entire platform is made out of carpet material, so it feels cozy

High quality sturdy large cat tree, cat perch for large cats, fully assembled cat tree, carpeted cat furniture, cat condo with scratching posts, window cat perch, cat tree for big cats, New Cat Condos cat tree, solid wood cat perch, 2-level cat tree, cat tower with sisal rope, durable cat furniture, heavy duty cat perch, cat tree for multiple cats, cat tree made in USA, best cat tree for large breeds, thick sisal scratching post, extra sturdy cat tree, cat tree with toy, indoor cat playground

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 212

“Did we just pull an Isekai?” 

“I mean, does it count if it’s practically just Ghostwriter’s usual shit, just more chaotic?” 

“Sam, this is like a game, look, we even have inventory overlays!” 

“Yeah but Tuck, I died so therefor I pulled an isekai, right?” 

“Shit, why does that make sense?” 

“Boys, perhaps actually look into your overlay there? Perhaps look at the map as well?” 

“... oh my Ancients, guys, we’re not the players, we’re going to be the bosses of this game.”

. . . 

“This is going to be so much fun guys.” 

The JL Jr team would really like it to be known that they are in fact done with Klarions shenanigans. This is literally the first day school is out for the summer for them! Who even showed him DnD and anime anyway?!

[phantomrose96]

Okay I have a story.

So my birthday is this Sunday (May 26th). My mom ordered some presents for me but one of them (an Etsy purchase) was seemingly stuck in transit and might not make it on time. I tell my mom all good, no worries. She gets in contact with the seller. After a long delay in response they get back with "Right we'll fix it!" It ships, tracking label and everything, good to go! ETA May 22nd (yesterday.)

During the work day I check the tracking and it says it's been delivered in/at mailbox! I double check with my mom "hey, is it mailbox size?" because if not, I don't want it sitting at the front door where anyone walking by could snag it.

She says "it's definitely NOT mailbox size." Okay. I text my neighbors in the building "Anyone seen a package delivered? It's a birthday gift from my mom and I wanna make sure it gets inside!" Success! Floor 2 David (not to be confused with Floor 1 David) had brought it inside. Inform my mom. All good!

I stop by home briefly around 4pm, because yesterday was hot-hot and I just installed my window A/C that morning in the living room, and according to my cat cam my stupid cat hasn't spent a single second in the climate controlled living room and is, instead, voluntarily baking herself elsewhere so I'm like "great" and hop on my bike to go home (10 minute ride) to check on her.

I get in the building door. Patches is crying from the top floor because she heard me. I maneuver my bike in the front hall. The ugliest fucking 6-foot-tall cat tree(?)/totem(?)/statue(?) I've seen in my entire life is just. Standing there.

My first thought is "What the fuck is that." My second thought is "Oh fuck that is for me." I look around at the floor in case there's perhaps anything else that might, in fact, be the gift.

No. Me and Cat Pole.

It's taller than me. I turn it around to face me and its face is painted and this is, in fact, uglier than it looked from the back.

Um.

Patches is crying. So I just haul it up to my level. MAYBE it was supposed to come with twine that I wrap around it (and hide its face from the world) for Patches to scratch. Maybe this is a prank. Maybe this is an inside joke, because when my mom moved into her current house the neighborhood gifted her some ugly-as-hell totem that apparently, by tradition, each newest-comer to the neighborhood is required to have and display in their window so maybe this is a very good riff on that.

Patches rubs against it. She's not afraid of this horrid facsimile of her kind.

Great.

Meanwhile SHE'S fine and the condo is a little toasty but totally liveable so I'm like "Good, cool, you're not baking. You're having a good time. Enjoy your new sister, I guess, I'll see you later."

I go back to work because this is a problem for later me.

After work, after my run, after whatever, I get home and it's like 8:00pm and Patches is so happy to see me and the totem pole is still just. There.

I text my friends like "so a bday gift is here from my mom and it's the Biggest Ugliest cat pole I've seen in my life. Is this a bit? Did my mom go 'that's so ugly haha! send!' Maybe she genuinely found it cute. How do I navigate this." My friend Sarah has the good advice to maybe text my mom neutrally like "Got the cat pole!" and feel the waters whether my mom is like "Isn't it ugly? 😂" or "Hope Patches likes it! 🥰"

My mom goes to bed early so I don't do any of that yet. Problem for tomorrow me.

This morning, Patches wakes me up for breakfast. I get her situated and I'm staring at the fucking Cat Pole again. I wonder if my Mom's been wondering all night what I thought of it.

I take a picture. I text her.

Okay.

I get on call with my mom. I ask for clarity that the ungodly horrid thing is NOT my birthday gift and is in fact a mix-up from the seller who sent me this instead of my actual gift. She's wheezing between words. She thinks I'm being too charitable for the amount of Absolute Fucking Ugly this is. I have to gently talk her out of using the word "monstrosity" while messaging the seller asking what the hell happened here.

I tell her I need to apologize for harming her dignity with Floor 2 David, who thinks this fucking thing is my mom's idea of a great birthday gift for her to-be-28-year-old daughter.

My heart goes out to the poor soul who did actually order this cat totem and is lacking it on this lovely day.

[quarterlifekitty]

In honor of Lunar New Year, I decided to get freaky!

Please enjoy this celebration of the each animal zodiac with some Hybrid!AU scenarios. Lots of size kink, breeding kink, feral behavior, and more. I'm really on my nerd shit here. Really playing with my dolls rn. This is so utterly distant from the source material it's unreal. You've been warned. [part 1 of 2]

Barn Cat!Nikto x Rat!Reader

Nikto is a dutiful, prideful creature. A stray who domesticated himself to a farm, hunting their vermin in exchange for a place to call his own when he pleased. He’s caught a thousand little krysy like you, but you give him pause when he bears down on you. Something about the quiver to your tail, the nervous clench of your legs… It’s not how rats ought to act when under the paw of a cat. He’s inclined to keep you– curious about what else fear might make you do.

Chianina!Ghost x Vechur!Reader

You’re in adjacent pens, having travelled a long way– you’re show animals, the most exemplary in your breed. True to form, he’s gigantic and has a brilliant white coloring to his fur, and you’re, well… little. Constantly crowded around for onlookers to take pictures, the ox beside you flaring his nostrils when he sees you being overwhelmed and anxious, stamping to scare off the spectators. You’re almost infuriatingly diminutive to him. He doesn’t know how it’s possible, and if the abundance of ribbons on your gate is anything to go by– you’ll probably be paired up to somehow make an even smaller little calf. Maybe he’ll just have to take some steps to make sure he can see it for himself.

Flemish Giant!König x Netherlands Dwarf!Reader

You’re unceremoniously pushed onto the back lawn of the house. Your owner and his are good friends– and have recently become obsessed with the idea of having little baby bunnies to cuddle. Boy meets girl– can I make it any more obvious? You can, because they neglect to take into account your difference in breed. You’re terrified when you encounter him, and he doesn’t help matters when he catches you by the ankle as you try to dive under the porch to hide. But he doesn’t do anything bad when he’s caught you. Just holds you a little too tight, nuzzling, like you’re little more than a toy to him. Unfortunately for you, your owners consider it a successful playdate, keen to set more up regularly until the right season rolls around.

Tiger!Horangi x Housecat!Reader

You live on a plantation bordering forest, climbing in and out of the window by your favorite basking spot to explore. Being raised among humans, your survival instincts are a bit dull– you can’t tell that you’re being watched by a tiger. He’s never seen a little creature like you. You’re like him, but small. But you still very much smell like a female, so he’s more than content to stalk after you. He doesn’t really understand why your back bristles up when he roars. He’s used to females growling and swiping at him when they’re not interested, but you run off back to your window, shaking as you watch him from the walls of your little palace. He’ll try again tomorrow.

Dragon!Price x Fish Scale Gecko!Reader

There aren’t many dragons left in the world. Price, for one, hasn’t seen another since he was very young. He hasn’t seen much of anything in the past hundred years or so– hasn’t come down from on high. No reason to. The forest begins to return to the mountainside– having been leveled by his flame decades ago. With the trees come more creatures, including you. Scales and tail not unlike a dragon– though your size and tree-dwelling habits are decidedly un-dragonlike. With his mating season on the horizon, beggars can’t be choosers, but when he tries to grab you by the tail, he’s left holding a fistful of scales. It gets his blood running hot– he’s forgotten what a thrill it is to hunt. He might just be in love.

Reticulated Python Naga!Nikolai x Brahminy Blind Snake Naga!Reader

You have no idea as to the extent of Nikolai’s tail, as you can’t see it. All you know are the shadows he makes against the sunlight. You know that he eats strange things, things that don’t sound like eggs or larvae (what he’s eating are your predators, hoping to take advantage of a tiny, blind, defenseless thing out in the open). When he ponders about how he’s going to stretch you to fit his cock, to take his eggs– you can’t even begin to imagine what he’s talking about. Your mother made all of her eggs on her own, and so did your sisters– what does he need you for?

[simsyworld]

Reclaimed Roots, A Legacy Challenge.

One fateful day, as you flip the pages in the local newspaper, your eyes fall upon an advertisement for an affordable farm on the outskirts of town. This farm had fallen into disrepair, abandoned and forgotten by its previous owners, who had inherited the farm but chose to not take care of it. Despite its rundown state, a flicker of hope ignited within your heart. Your dream of owning a small farm to raise your future family may become a reality! 

You call the owner’s of the property and they start asking for more money. This went from being an affordable farm to a pricey one! You decide to take a leap of faith and go for it. Packing your belongings immediately and setting out for the neglected farms of your dream. When you arrive, you see just how neglected the farm truly is. You find a weathered farmhouse, its paint peeling and windows cracked, surrounded by overgrown fields and rotten fences. But you see beauty hidden underneath it all. 

You see a vision of what this farm could be. A fresh coat of paint, rescued animals, beautiful old oak trees flourishing, children riding their bikes and fishing in the pound. This is where you want your new life you begin.

Required Packs: For Gameplay: Cottage Living, Cats and Dogs, and a pack that allows yard sales. House is made with a bunch of packs but is mostly just all clutter! Main items are from the gameplay packs.

Rules: Aspiration must be country caretaker Start with $500 Place @simsyworld’s lot from the gallery called "Abandoned Farm" hashtag #reclaimedroots or #reclaimedrootslegacy Each generation must live on the family farm. This may call for an extension of the house, a second floor, or a basement. If your sim has more than one kid, they can move out. But the sim you decide to cary on the legacy must live on the farm. Your house has no wifi, so no computers or gaming consoles. A TV can be bought after you fix up the house.  Your sim cannot have a job. Make money by yard sales or odd jobs. Your sim’s teenager sim’s can have a part-time job but they must still help out on the farm Wake up by 6:30am every day to take care of the animals (can take a nap after animals have been cared for) Cannot use “the hand of god” (selling in inventory) UNLESS there is more than 20 in a stack of crops. All other items must be sold during a yard sale. Have a yard sale at least once a week, every Sunday. If it is raining you can skip the yard sale. Sell anything you collect, baked goods, rocks, ect.

Generation One

Name the farm after your last name

Clean the house, buy a new mailbox, pick the weeds, and apply a fresh coat of paint to the house.

Find a stray cat to be your farm cat. This cat likes to live outdoors, so place a bed and food outside. If you get a full relationship with the cat, it can live indoors.

Buy 6 chickens and name each one. 

Build a relationship with each animal before getting a new one

Enter a Finchwick Fair competition 

Befriend the animals and complete the country caretaker Aspiration

Reach level 10 for Farming, Fishing, Cooking

Fall in love with a local farmer

Get married and have a ceremony on the farm

Have 1-2 children

When your first child is born, rescue a puppy that will become best friends with your child

When each sim ages up to a child, you must buy them a bike as a birthday present so your sim’s child can go on adventures.

Teach your children how to fish, cook, and garden

Generation Two

You grow up loving the farm and craving the taste of fresh produce. You watched your parents sell produce and baked goods every Sunday morning and thought it would be a great idea to go bigger! You decide to work towards your goal of making your name in town a staple by opening a store named after your family! 

Have the Freelance Botanist Aspiration 

Paint the house a new color since after all these years it needs a fresh coat.

Buy your family their first computer now that you have wifi

Reach level 10 for Cooking, Baking, Charisma 

Find a stray dog to adopt into the family

Enter a Finchwick Fair competition

Fall in love, get married, and divorced. This relationship didn’t work out.

Own a bakery, store, or restaurant that focuses on the idea of selling food or produce that is fresh. You do not have to have yard sales after you build a store. 

Become good friends with at least 20 sims outside of your household. 

A local baby/child was dropped off at the fire station. You decide to adopt this sim to live on the family farm! 

Build max relationship with your sim’s child. 

Teach your sim’s child how to garden, cook, and fish.

Fall in love and get married

Have family dinner all together on Friday nights including your sim’s siblings who moved out

Generation Three

You were adopted into the most loving family. You fell more into the creative side of life. Always drawing, painting, doing arts and crafts. When you got older you fell in love with the relaxation of making floral arrangements. 

Have the Painter Extraordinaire Aspiration

Reach level 10 for Floral Arrangements, Painting, Gardening

Make 3 masterpiece paintings

Befriend all the animals on the farm with max relationship

Inherit the family business and turn it into a floral arraignment store. You can also sell your paintings here.

Have 5 maxed relationship friends who you always hang out with

Enter a Finchwick Fair competition

Fall in love with 1 of the 5 friends. 

Have family dinner’s on Friday nights and friend dinner’s on Monday night

Find a stray cat to adopt. This cat is obsessed with you and follows you to work at the floral arrangement store.

Marry your best friend and have a ceremony. Invite all of your friends and family

Have as many children as you feel is right.

Do homework with your sim’s children every night 

Looking for a Discord server for simmers? Check out our 920+ member server called SimsyWorld! We host weekly challenges and giveaways if you're interested! Click HERE to join!

[tianasimstreehouse]

Roast Red Pepper Soup

The aromas of baking bread and delicious Red Pepper Soup wafts through the house. 🍞 Leaves fall gently to the ground as the trees shed their leaves in waves of red and gold. 🍁 The cat snoozes by the fire that crackles in the house. 🐈 Is there a cosier place to be today than at Grandma's house in Henford-on-Bagley?

*REQUIRES the latest version of my TianaSims Cookbook to work*

Category: Meals

Ingredients: Basil, Bell Pepper, Onion, Flour

Skill Level:   2 (Homestyle)

Available sizes: Party, Single

Dietary: Vegetarian-Safe, Lactose Free

DOWNLOAD (Early Access): Roast Red Pepper Soup Milk and Cookies: Now! Sugar Cookies: 19th Nov Public: 26th Nov

[hunnylagoon]

Right Where You Left Me

Pt 2: Jailbird

Ellie Williams x reader

I want to write a poem about you but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. I almost feel ashamed that I want you to fit into a word because we both know that you are beyond anything that can be put on paper.

Premise: You and Ellie were childhood friends before you drifted apart. Funny thing about soulmates is that they tend to find there way back to each other. While you both visit home for winter break, events unfold and it is no longer possible to avoid each other.

Warnings: Angst / homophobia / brief violence / reader has religious issues

Part one here!

Part three here!

Part four here!

I may have been wrong to say that I could never hate Ellie. Fuck she was vicious, in the most passive-aggressive way too. She's so sly about it that I can't even get mad without seeming irrational.

Winter break finally rolled around and I had yet to make any progress with Ellie it was whatever the opposite of progress is. If she wanted to hate me, that was fine, I could do the same, I could be petty. It's now December and all of this bullshit started in September, she could hardly be courteous.

Fuck her.

I had survived mid-terms and finals but the way Ellie was acting had me skipping happily towards the edge. She will wash a whole sink of dishes and leave just my fork, or Venmo request me if I ate one of her grapes. Everything had gotten worse when Dina, Abby, and Cat all left to visit their families for winter break leaving just Ellie and I, without the girls there to hold us to the house rules we were at each other's throats.

She was foaming at the fucking mouth to tear me apart. There was no level-headed Abby or fun-loving Dina, not even Cat who was just mellow. Just me and Ellie verbally abusing each other. "Fuck off, with your wild animal teeth," I spat, slamming the dish cupboard closed with a loud thud.

"Wild animal teeth?" She repeats "Wow, you're getting creative, I'll give you that," Ellie's gaze held a certain bitterness "Heard you were on your knees again last night and I don't mean praying."

My eye almost twitches at her words and it takes everything in me not to throw a ceramic bowl at her. I hated her, I hated her freckled face, and eyes as sharp as knives, just hearing her raspy voice, and seeing her sardonic smile made me want to keel over and let the earth wrap me in her flourishing greenery. I often wanted that to happen. I was trying to refrain from going home as I didn't want to spend the entire break with my family but I was starting to think nothing was better than this, I was set to leave the following day (Christmas Eve) anyway but I was seconds away from grabbing my bag and jumping into my car. "Can you just learn to be fucking civil?"

"Why would-

"Because we were sixteen years old when that stupid shit happened!" I spat "You're holding a grudge from when we were sixteen," I reiterated, searching her features for some sign that I'd gotten through to her.

"It's not like you've changed since any of that happened." She stands, unnervingly calm on the other side of the kitchen island. "You were always awful since we were young, always crying, always emotional, always explosive, my dad said you're like a birch tree, one spark and you burst into flames."

"Fuck off."

"You always had to have the attention," Her eyebrows furrow "Nothing was your fault, blame being fucking erratic and insane on your parents."

"You don't know my parents half as well as you think you do."

"What don't I know about them? They've been in my life as long as you have."

"Ellie, stop," I say, suddenly I'm taken away from the mood to fight, I just want to scream into my pillow.

"What?" She asks "You're going to say some shit like 'they aren't loving'  or 'you wouldn't get it' Please, enlighten me, what wouldn't I get?" She moves closer just an inch or so "Wow, your life sounds so hard, you have two parents who love each other and a huge fucking house, oh shit," Sarcasm drips from her tone "Maybe it's that trust fund that's taking a toll on you."

"Please, stop."

"You could commit every crime known to man and you would still be their pride and joy, there is nothing you could say or do that would make them hate you-

"Here we go with your 'life is so fucking hard and I'm edgy and indie and I have a sad backstory that I'll bring up every second sentence even though I was seven when it happened' " I mock her.

She bites the inside of her cheek and I can tell that I've struck a nerve "You know when my lease-

"Don't even worry about it," I move out from the kitchen and begin towards my room, Ellie's eyes are trailing me "The minute my lease is up, I'm packing my shit and moving into student housing so I won't have to look at your fucking face while I'm eating!" I slam my bedroom door behind me.

I left that night, I couldn't bear the sound of her guitar strums, so repetitive it made me want to slam my head through the drywall.

You better believe that I cried my entire way home while blasting Julien Baker. My mother was pleasantly surprised to see me at her doorstep a day early, I knew Ellie would be coming down sometime tomorrow to spend the Holidays with her family, I didn't know when, I just knew that I didn't want to see her.

I never even told my parents that Ellie was my roommate and they hadn't heard it from Joel as they drifted when Ellie and I were fifteen.

My bedroom was exactly how I left, I cuddled into my twin bed that night sinking into the absolute silence of the the snowfall, with my dog Dusty curled at my side. I always loved the snow, the way it acted as soundproofing for the earth, when I was little I would just sit in the backyard so I could hear the birds sing in their purest and truest form.

Christmas Eve was dull to begin with, to say the least; my mom made Christmas tree-shaped waffles as she did every year, I was then dragged to an excruciatingly long church sermon. When we returned home I was sent to shovel the driveway, turns out visiting home from college doesn't excuse you from chores. I knew Ellie had arrived when I saw her grey sedan in Joel's driveway as well as Tommy's Range Rover. Bundled up in mittens and a hand-knitted scarf that Naomi gave to me I felt really tough giving the middle finger to Ellie wherever she was in Joel's house.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Elijah was cackling in the doorway. Dusty I happily bounding through the snow, paying to mind to my brother.

I immediately dropped my arm, trying to play nonchalantly "Uh, shoveling the driveway?"

His laughter only grew "You look so stupid," He huffed between cackles "You're standing in a foot of snow in the driveway giving Mr. Miller's house the middle finger in your cute little mitts."

"Say that louder, no one could hear you," I say, sarcastically.

"Hear ye, hear ye-

My eyes go wide and I drop the shovel to form a snowball and deck it at my brother "Shut up!"

"Ow!" He flinches, and his track and field hoodie from high school is now covered in powdered sleet. "Whatever," He yanks his hoodie off to shake the snow off of it "Just finish the driveway so we can watch a movie or something, I haven't seen you in months, Naomi and Aaron haven't shut up about you all holiday break."

I give him a mitted thumbs up before I try to speed run the shovelling, albeit slipping on black ice more than a few times. When I came back inside, I needed to change, my parka was dripping with snow that had melted into water.

I bundle up into sweatpants and an old soccer t-shirt. Being in my old room digs up memories pinned on my wall with bright thumbtacks year after year of photos of my soccer team, in every single one Ellie and I have our arms slung over each other. We're smiling wide and not focusing on the camera but on one another. I tear the picture away from the thumbtacks and throw them into a random shoe box that sits at the bottom of my closet. After that, I take down every artifact I have of Ellie, the drawings she made me, drafts of songs we wrote together, and t-shirts she left in my drawers, I throw it all into a Rubbermaid storage bin.

Though I leave the little wood carvings that Joel made for me alone.

My family's famous Christmas Eve dinner rolled around and I couldn't believe how excited I was, I'm not the best cook and despite me and my mother going through spats every other day, she was one hell of a good chef and I had spent months craving her honey roasted carrots and creamy mashed potatoes.

Please don't judge me when I say this, but we are the family that dresses up for dinners at home. Nothing black tie, just something a little dapper, one time I wore jeans to our family dinner and I was grounded for a week.

I finished zipping up my white sundress and I let my little sister tie a matching bow into my hair, when she saw what I was wearing she changed into her white dress which was ankle length while mine fell right above my knees.

"Oh, my sweet girls are matching again," My mom fawns over us "Let me get a picture of this cute little moment," I smile for the picture, and Naomi does the same, hooking an arm around my midriff. "Adorable," Mom looks at the picture before tucking her phone into her pocket "Now girls, please set the table."

Even though I hadn't been at home for months, setting the table was like muscle memory to me, Naomi put the placemats down, and then I did the dinner plate and salad plate, Naomi would place the napkins and cutlery then I would set glasses and pour everyone water from the pitcher. By the time we finished setting the table everyone aside from my mother and Elijah were at the table, early awaiting what was sure to be a filling dinner.

Slowly but surely my mom brought the dishes with Elijah, placing them all through the center of the dining table. After everything was placed my father, who sits at the head of the table cleared his throat, that was his signal for everyone to join hands. "Dear God, We gather today with grateful hearts to thank you for this food before us. We appreciate the effort and resources that have provided us with this nourishment. May this meal sustain our bodies and remind us of the many blessings in our lives. We are thankful for the love of family and friends who surround us and for the abundance we enjoy. Bless this food, our time together, and those who prepared it. May it strengthen us physically and spiritually. This is your body, this is your love. We thank you for feeding us with your gracious hands. In Jesus' name, we give thanks and pray. Amen."

"Amen," My family repeats before we all ravishingly fill our plates with chicken, maple-roasted mushrooms, buttered green beans, bread rolls, and mashed potatoes. I was eating so fast, I was shocked that I didn't spill anything on myself.

"So, have you met any cute boys at college?" My mother asks me, she is the only one eating politely "I'm sure you could get a real smart guy with those looks of yours."

My father nods "Just make sure he's Christian."

"Or catholic," My mother adds.

I laugh awkwardly in response, I take a sip of my water, the condensation making it slippery in my hands. Elijah gives me an odd look that goes unnoticed by my parents.

"I think we should drop off some bread or cookies or something to the Miller's, just something to say hi while Tommy and Maria are still there." My mom tells us, she isn't speaking to anyone in particular.

"Is Ellie there right now?" Aaron asks.

Elijah shrugs "Probably, her car is in the driveway."

Now Naomi is looking at me "We should invite her over for New Year's or something if she's staying for the rest of break."

My dad shakes his head "I don't know if that's a good idea," All eyes fall on him "It's just- I think she's a bit of a bad influence." He takes a swig of his wine and attempts to suppress a burp but fails. I press my lips into a thin line and look down at my plate to hold in my laughter, Elijah does the same beside me.

"I don't remember Ellie being a bad influence," Aaaron furrows his eyebrows, racking his brain to think of a time that she had done their family wrong.

"It's just that there were rumours of her having-" My father searches for the words "Unnatural tendencies I suppose, and I tried to talk to Joel about it but he got defensive and said that she didn't need fixing, that's how I lost my best fishing buddy."

My mom looks at the discomfort on all of her children's faces "I mean, we all need a bit of fixing."

Dad is quick to catch on "Oh, yeah, of course, I mean it's not just Ellie," He fumbles over his words "And it's not her fault that she's that way, I think It's because she lost her mother when she was young so she got confused about the parental roles, Joel never remarried and he didn't date around much so Ellie didn't have a proper mother figure, it's not her fault she's a dyke and there's still time to fix it if she wants to choose the right path."

Stillness falls over the table, I had never heard silence quite this loud. Even my mother is at a loss for words. All of my siblings are darting our eyes at one another, we don't utter a single word but we understand each other clearly 'Dad actually said it'.

He noticed this and tried to backtrack on his words "I'm not a bad guy, I mean we've all read the bible cover to cover, we know it's a sin. I'll wrap this up, you all know that we love you no matter what and all I'm saying is I'm glad we could distance ourselves away from it."

"Hey Dad, did you watch the Canucks game last week?" Elijah swoops in to change the topic. It's too late, a wave of sickness has already overtaken me.

While my family discusses nothing in particular, trying to ignore what Dad said, I am sick to my stomach, I push my plate away and prop my elbow the the table for my hand to support my head. I am nearly shaking. My dull eyes peer across the table and meet my father's drowsy gaze.

"Honey, are you feeling alright?" My mom pauses whatever conversation she is enwrapped in.

I don't respond, I don't know how.

My family's eyes find a resting place on my figure. Mom pushes herself away from her chair and walks over to me, she places one hand between my shoulder blades, the other takes my cold hand and she slowly rubs a circle on my back to comfort me. "Sweetness, whatever is repressed inside, say it, let it out, we're all family."

Naomi nods in agreement, her wide eyes full of concern. "I don't know how to say it," I tell them.

"Air it out," My dad says, finishing off his glass of wine and pouring himself another "Today is the perfect day, tomorrow is the birth of Jesus, a fresh start."

My heart is racing faster than it ever has before, faster than when I broke my wrist in Ellie's backyard or when I had been on a rollercoaster for the first time. "I like girls," I say, my voice is quiet, and my three words take my family with silence. My mother freezes and takes a step back, her comforting hands leaving me.

"You're joking," My dad scoffs "Tell me this is a joke and you're normal."

"I can't," My voice cracks and I can already tell that the tears are oncoming. I think briefly back to Ellie's words 'There is nothing you could say or do that would make them hate you' if only she could see what was about to happen.

"All of those sleepovers with Ellie?" He is disgusted, his face contorting with horror "Were you dating her?"

"no-

"How can I believe anything you say, you lied to us for nineteen years when you knew you were sick."

"Dad, I'm not sick-

"How many sinful acts have you done under this roof?"

"None, I swear," I shake my head, it took less than a minute for me to be filled with regret at my words. I shouldn't have even come home for the holidays, actually, I never should've found Dina's listing and jumped at the deal.

"Get out," Any light tone in my dad's voice is gone, replaced by pure resentment.

"What?"

"You heard me, get out."

"Dad, it's Christmas Eve-

"Get out!" His voice rumbles through the dining room like thunder "I thought we fixed this phase when we sent you to boarding school."

"Please, dad-

"Get up and get out or I'm going to make you,"

"Fine- make me," Tears prick in my eyes but I cross my arms trying to muster up that false coolness Ellie is so good at feigning.

My dad slams his glass down so hard that it shakes the table, and the partially empty wine bottle my parents had been nursing all night is knocked over by the abruption, tipping over the deep red liquor to travel down the tablecloth and drip onto what was once my pure white dress. "Get up!" He grabs a fistful of my hair and I scream from the shock of pain. He yanks me off my chair and my face slams against the hardwood when his arm slumps, impact heavy from the sudden drop, it doesn't take long for my nose to start bleeding. He drags me to the door pushing it open; my siblings don't do anything they're petrified in horror and my mother begins to cry, covering her eyes from the scene before her.

My dad doesn't stop at the door, I thrash on the ground and he pulls me over both of my hands trying to pry his away from the roots of my hair, he drags me into the snow, finally releasing me. I shake as my hand gently finds the way to my burning scalp where I fully believe he has pulled out clumps of my hair with his harsh and unforgiving grasp.

From the doorway the rest of my family watches, Naomi has a hand covering her mouth her doe eyes brimming with tears of her own. My father disappeared into the house, it didn't take long to see what he was doing he slammed the window to make the bedroom open and began to throw all of my belongings out of the window. My pictures, my old soccer uniform, armfuls of clothes from my old beaten dresser, candles, books, paints, and shredded posters were torn straight off my wall.

"Dad, stop, I'm sorry, I'll get better!" I am on my knees, hands clasped together pleading with him. My skin is burning from the contact with the snow, I know that it must be a horrific sight to behold. White sundress, stained with wine, tangled hair, red-tinged skin, puffy eyes and incoherent sobs.

The snow makes everything so quiet the only sound travelling through the night are my sobs. I can no longer see my father in my bedroom, he is coming back down and somehow that is worse, he pushes past my family and throws the presents I was supposed to receive on Christmas morning beside me, I flinch at the movement.

"I'm sorry!" I plead like I'm bargaining with the Grimm Reaper for my life "Give me a job and I'll do it, just tell me what to do to get better!" The screaming carries through the night, alerting the neighbours in what was supposed to be a calm and quiet neighbourhood. Across the street, Joel turns on his porch light, squinting his eyes at the scene on the opposing lawn and trying to make sense of it. "I want to get better!" I shake with every sob. I could hear my dogs barking from the loud noises.

My dad shakes his head "You're too far gone, I didn't raise a fucking dyke," He is almost crying himself, he doesn't mourn for the daughter that he has but the daughter that could've been. The daughter who donned white every Sunday for church and settled down with a nice family man, a daughter who was holy but in this moment I am the purest form of holiness, born again from the violence of my father.

"Dad, I was created in God's image, why would he create his child to be this way if it was so wrong?"

"You're a fucking mistake is what you are," He seethes "Get off my property or I'm calling the cops."

"You still have my bags!" I scream and I watch him retreat to get them "Are you going to do anything at all?" I search my family for any sign of life but they all avert their eyes from mine. My father comes back out, and he throws my purse and suitcase on the lawn, this time both of them hit me, talking about kicking someone when they're down.

My dad begins to usher the family inside "I never want to see you again, get your ass up and start working, I'm not paying for you to fuck around with women instead of getting an education."

"That's it?" I cry "You won't come to my wedding or meet my kids? What about my funeral?"

"Not as long as you're with a woman." With that, he slams the door behind him and locks it. I let out another guttural sob, I've already cried so much that it's beginning to hurt within my stomach. I take a deep and shaky breath in, wiping the tears away from my eyes with my freezing hands, I'm sure to catch hypothermia if I don't warm up. I look up to see my neighbours all around either watching from their window or in the Miller family's case, the front porch. I'm sure that someone has already called the police.

"Let me in, I'm sorry!" I scramble off the ground and begin to bang on the door. Shaking the handle "Let me in!" This goes on for longer than I would've liked, I hammer on the door and scream as loud as I can but they all ignore me. Eventually, I stand by the window and slam my hands on it "Let me in or give me my fucking dog, you can't take care of him!"

I knew I was fucked when I heard sirens. It only made sense for the neighbours to call the cops at this disturbance.

I'm going to do you all a favour and tell you some useful information; when the police arrive and you don't wanna seem guilty, don't try to drive away from the scene because you might just end up getting handcuffed and shoved into the back of a police car for your childhood bestfriends family to watch from their front row seats.

"Prison life isn't for me," I wallow as I press myself against the bars of the holding cell. There are two other women in the cell with me and they both snigger. One of their names is Lucia, and she has bronze skin and brown hair so dark that it almost looks black with gold hoop earrings the size of my head, I don't know the other woman's name but she looks significantly older and has stringy blonde hair, the wrinkles of her face drooping.

"Honey, this isn't prison, you'll live another hour," Lucia sits on the uncomfortable bench, her arms crossed, she's kind of hot to be blunt.

"You reek of liquor though," Blondie cackles and I catch a glimpse of her rotting yellow teeth, what's the opposite of pearly whites? Golden nuggets? Something like that.

"Because I got wine spilled on me," I retort. I had been crying before they even placed me in the cell, wailing so loud that I was annoying the officers. I was so upset and starved for affection that I hugged the officer who detained me, babbling incoherently about how my life was ruined, I don’t even blame them for arresting me, I looked like a crackhead trying to break into a nice suburban home. “I'm not drunk."

"Could've fooled me," Lucia smirks, she's wearing a black tank top and skinny jeans. I wasn't a fan of skinny jeans but she was converting me.

I fell asleep hugging myself on one of the uncomfortable metal benches with chipped blue paint, when I woke up, it was Christmas, even though it didn't feel like it. I saw the snowfall outside of the windows on the other side of the cells. Lucia had told me just before she was released that they had the right to hold you longer over holidays, I wanted to weep all over again.

Blondie got removed from the cell too and I was all alone. The only thing that kept me sane was pretending I was Katniss or Lucy Gray, if they had survived the Hunger Games, I could survive this. I genuinely thought my life was over and I was getting sent to prison for hammering on my dad's door and screaming.

With each hour that ticked by, my profound sense of loneliness only grew. The sounds of distant laughter flitted through the hall and I am reminded of the world that lies beyond the metal bars. I wonder what my family is doing at this moment, every voice that I hear acts as a reminder of the love I had jeopardized. I lost Ellie, I lost Conner, and now I had lost my family.

I think about praying to god for a moment though I discard the thought. If he was real why did he let that happen to me? Maybe forgiveness and redemption were not necessary.

"Crybaby, call someone to pick you up," Officer Reid who initially arrested me and interrogated me began to unlock the cell, "Charges are dismissed." He had been calling me Crybaby since I was stuffed in the back of the police car and wailing uncontrollably.

"Like for real?"

He was in fact, for real. I was brought to a landline phone and my hands acted faster than my head, dialling the number of someone I would trust with my life, I just prayed that the number hadn't changed.

After making my call I was told to go to a weird booth thing to collect my effects, where an old and very judgmental woman dumped my few belongings out of an envelope. I wish I knew the technical names for this stuff but it's not like I've been arrested before this one off occasion. She looked at each of the items, stating what it was while she took inventory of it. "Smartphone, lipgloss, a single gold earring, and a cross necklace," She marks something down and then turns the paper around and holds out a blue pen for me to take "Sign here."

My phone had died already, I was missing an earring, and the cross had failed me, all I had left to rely on was my cover girl lipgloss. I sat in that stark grey room for what seemed like hours, everyone seemed miserable as I am, at least I wasn't the only person having a not-so-merry Christmas.

Holy shit, I was still disgusting. I was sticky and freezing, still in the wine-ruined white dress, there was still dried blood on my face despite my pestering Lucia to help me get it off. My hair is tangled, the bow that my sister had tied in lost somewhere in the snow. I haven't looked in a mirror but I know I look rough from the side glances that everyone is casting me. I can't imagine the dark bags beneath my red, puffy eyes to be any sort of appealing.

The sterile waiting room is beginning to get on my nerves, I flinch at every movement and hold onto hope that every person walking through the door is the person I'm waiting on. I try my best to avert my eyes from the clock so time doesn't drag on any longer than it already is.

By the time Joel gets here, the sun is beginning to set, his eyes frantically search the room until they land on me, I'm already standing up and walking toward him. "Kiddo, are you okay?"

My lip quivers and it feels like every awful thing I've ever felt is going to seep through my teeth. My head falls onto his chest but this time I don't cry, I think I've run out of tears "I have nothing ahead of me."

Joel doesn't ask questions, he just hugs me in return, resting his chin on the top of my head, there is the comfort I had been so desperately searching for.

He signs release papers and he guides me to his red Ford Explorer. When I called him I asked him to bring me shoes as I was barefoot when I was detained, being the number one dad that he was, he brought a reusable grocery store tote bag, containing a hoodie, sneakers, fuzzy socks, sweatpants and a bag of my favourite chips. I slip the sweats on underneath my dress while the hoodie goes overtop, I awkwardly unzip it and shimmy it off, stuffing it into the tote bag.

The drive back to his house begins and he turns on the radio, trying to make lighthearted chatter "Thanks for coming to get me," I say, my voice is quiet and I pull my knees to my chest like as I tend to do when I get nervous "You can just drop me off at my car and I'll be out of your way."

"Sorry, kiddo," He says, eyes focused on the road "You're staying with me tonight, I don't want you driving these roads in the dark and it'll be good for you to have a hot shower and a warm meal, get some sleep somewhere that's not a holding cell."

"It's just that-

"If you still want to leave in the morning that's up to you but you shouldn't end your Christmas alone," Each word seems so genuine "And you know I would gladly have you stay with me three hundred and sixty-five days a year."

I look at him, a soft melancholic smile on my face, "Thank you," I say.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

A sigh falls from my lips "What happened to all of my stuff that was left on the lawn?"

"Tommy and Ellie brought it all inside."

Ellie brought it back inside? Did she actually give a shit or was this something her dad ordered her to do? "Did my dad say anything to you?"

Joel shakes his head "Maria went barging on his door, those two were in a screaming match for a good two minutes before he locked the door on her. Hasn't been outside since, everyone in the neighbourhood has been coming by to ask what happened."

"Even Sharron?" I ask Joel, wrinkling my nose in distaste.

"Even Sharron," He solidifies. Sharron was the grouchy crone of the street, shutting down every party, cussing out teenagers from her porch, and yelling at barking dogs "She said she was worried about you." The windshield wipers painted rhythmic patterns across the glass, clearing a path through the soft snow that continued to fall.

"She's not worried about me, she's worried I'm on drugs and I'll break into her musty home to steal all of her hummels."

Joel huffs a laugh "I can't believe that I used to let her babysit you and Ellie."

"Me neither, you should be paying for my therapy." I tease.

He chuckles at my words, "So you're majoring in wildlife biology?"

"You remembered what I wanted to major in?"

"Of course I did."

"Hey, Mookie!" Tommy wraps his arms around me the moment I set foot in the door. He's called me Mookie since I was a little girl, it started when I couldn't pronounce monkey and thus Mookie was born. "Let me get a good look at you," He pushes me back just the slightest hands clasped on my shoulders "Look at that bruise you've got on your cheek, looking awful tough, like those greasers you used to read about."

"Look at that, Mookie grew up," Maria greets me with a warm smile, pushing Tommy away to hug me "Good to see you made it through prison alive," She jests.

Joel's house is exactly how it was when I left.

The air carried the familiar scent of firewood and lavender incense. In the living room, an inviting fireplace stood as the heart of the home. Its gentle crackle and the dancing flames provided a soothing backdrop to the overstuffed couches adorned with cozy blankets and throw pillows, worn from years of shared family movie nights. A well-loved rug covered the wooden floor, its pattern a mosaic of memories and spills easily forgiven and of course, a coffee table hand-crafted by Joel and intricately carved.

The shelves lining the walls were a treasure trove of family history. Photographs in mismatched frames captured smiling faces frozen in time, chronicling the evolution of Ellie through the years. A collection of well-read books, their spines creased and pages worn, stood proudly, offering a glimpse into the literary adventures that had unfolded within those walls.

The kitchen, the heart of many childhood homes, held the lingering aroma of Christmas dinner. The countertops, scarred from countless meals prepared and shared, were a testament to the love that had gone into creating family dinners. A worn wooden table in the center of the room bore witness to the countless conversations, celebrations, and moments of solace shared over shared meals.

"You know what, when I was around your age, I spent my fair share of time in the cooler, good to see you're taking after me," Tommy winks and gives me a hard pat on the back. Neither of them acknowledges the reason behind last night's events and somehow it feels worse than talking about it.

"We've just finished up making dinner, I'm sure you're hungry," Maria smiles softly, taking my hand into her calloused one.

"Yeah, I'm starving," I smile in return and trail behind the blonde woman to the dining table.

All of the plates are laid out with portions of food on each one, Ellie is sitting alone, spooning mashed potato into her mouth while she texts someone, she glances up at me and offers nothing more than a tight-lipped smile and awkward wave before going back to her phone. Tommy comes by with a tray of garlic butter rolls and uses tongs to add more onto my plate "Don't think I've forgotten how much you love these."

I grin up at him, I'm sitting in the same chair I sat in all those years ago when I Ellie and I would settle down after spending all day in the sun, Joel would ask us what we wanted for dinner and almost every time we would shout hotdogs.

"Good to have you back," Joel nods to me "House always felt a little empty without you."

I always felt a little empty without this house "Good to be back," I smear some mashed potato onto Tommy's famous garlic butter bread rolls.

I feel almost sick with nostalgia as I look around the dining room, Joel still had Ellie's crafts from elementary school hung up and if you look closely, you find little clues that I've left behind; proof that I once existed as a girl beneath this roof. There's a dent in the wall from the time I stood on my chair to catch a spider and accidentally fell over, my head hitting right into the wall, Ellie was laughing too hard to help me.

"So what school do you go to?" Maria asks me, washing down her pot roast with some ice water.

"Northridge actually," At my words, Ellie's head perks up, she's looking dead at me with a look of fear in her eyes.

"Oh, Ellie goes there!" Tommy smiles "She never mentioned that you do too."

Ellie is silently pleading with me, I know she doesn't want me to tell her family that she's been borderline tormenting me as my roommate and sending me to bed with tears in my eyes. I didn't plan on telling them anyway "That's funny, I guess we just keep missing each other."

Joel set up an air mattress in Ellie's room, that's when it became clear to me that he had no idea just how bad the fallout was between us. I hate to say that I missed her room and all of the memories we shared in it.

Ellie's bedroom resembled something of a teen guy who'd never gotten laid before. She had a navy comforter, her shelves were lined with comics and novels, I know for a fact that she'd read every single one of them. Her desk was always a mess, covered in pages of poetry and sketches that she had torn out from her journal. Almost every inch of her walls is covered in posters of bands, movies and her nerdy video games.

I was fresh out of the shower, finally in my clean clothes that I had dug out of my suitcase. I got to charge my phone too, there was an overwhelming number of messages.

D-Manz: HAPPY CHRISTMAS BITCH!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU AND CAN'T WAIT TO PARTY WHEN WE GET BACK

Jesse: Merry Christmas, hope your day isn’t shit! 😁😁😁

Riley: Merry Christmas! Hope you're having fun at your new school!

Abs: Merry Christmas and stay safe!

Kayla: Missing you girl ☹️ so excited for that staff party!

Kit-Cat: Merry Christmas, don't have too much fun without me

Yara: Merry Christmas ❤️ this probably isn't the time but I was hoping you could send over your notes from the last conservation lecture, just wanna text you before I forget!

566-460-4374: I got your number from Kyle, this is Roderick, I saw you last night and wanted to check up on you, hope everything is okay and merry Christmas.

Lindsey: Hey, haven't talked to you in a while but my parents said some stuff went down, just wanna make sure you're okay.

Ellie: Lmk if you need a ride back to our place

Ellie: Don't know if you can even see this but I got all of your stuff off the lawn, I promise it's safe 👍

Naomi: I'm so sorry

Naomi: I didn't think that would happen

Naomi: I didn't know what to do

Naomi: I love you

Aaron: U good?

Naomi: Please don't hate me, I'm sorry I didn't do anything

Elijah: Sorry but I wish you didn't tell Dad that

Naomi: I'll try to talk to Dad

Elijah: Hope you're safe

Elijah: Call me when you can

Still, there wasn't any word from either of my parents. I replied returning well wishes and assuring everyone that I was okay, I turned my phone onto Do Not Disturb and began to watch the Hunger Games on my phone. The room would've been pitch black if it wasn't for the blue light from my screen and the gentle beams of moonlight gliding through the window.

Ellie walks into the room after she finishes with her shower, she's in sweatpants and an old hoodie that she got from a rodeo, I had the same one, and we bought them together. I glance up at her before looking back at my movie and pulling the quilt further up my body. "You still like the Hunger Games?"

"Yeah," I say, being as brief as possible.

"You should take my bed and I'll sleep on the air mattress," Ellie says while she ties her hair into a low ponytail.

"I'm fine here, thanks."

"Seriously," Ellie is standing awkwardly at the foot of her bed, waiting for me to do something.

I shut my phone off and turned on my other side to face away from her "Just go to bed."

Ellie runs her hands down her face in frustration, she's starting to feel like an asshole "Please take the bed, it's the least I can do." I ignore her so she speaks again "I am begging you," She tells me bluntly "I feel like a dick and it would make me feel better if you just took the bed."

"You are a dick," I answer, she should've seen this response coming from a mile away.

"Please take the bed."

I sit up to look at her, frustration now boiling up inside of me "You're going to be nice now because you feel bad for me?"

"That's not why-

"It is actually," I tell her "This will last for a few days and then we'll go home and you'll be a cunt all over again, fucking keeping a list of everything I lay a finger on so you can say it's my fault if it breaks." She bites the inside of her cheek, that's her tell. Every time she does that I can tell that I've gotten under her skin. "You'll still act like you don't know me and I'm just some weird girl who thinks the world of you, I know what you say to those girls you have over, the walls aren't that thick." My insides ache from all of the screaming and crying of the past couple of days "And I know that I hurt you and I've told you a million times over that I'm sorry, you don't get to start having empathy for me now."

Ellie's silent again, she can't seem to find the words, so instead she slips under the covers of her bed, giving up. Minutes pass us, we've slept in this room together a thousand times but this time it's different, we don't share her queen bed and stay up all night watching the walking dead and talking shit about people at our school, we lay in the uncomfortable silence. We're grown but in this moment I still feel like a child searching for her mother's hand to guide her, I feel like my teeth still need to fall out so brighter, stronger ones can take their place, that the baby fat has yet to shed from my bones.

"I didn't know that you liked girls," Ellie said, breaking the silence "And I shouldn't have assumed that stuff about your parents." I don't respond to her, though she knows that I heard her. "I lied that night when you moved in."

"What?"

"I got all bitchy and said that you don't even cross my mind, I was lying," She's confessing to me as if I'm a priest "There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't think about you."

I'm not doing well.

I want nothing more than to crawl into bed next to Ellie and just hug her until I fall asleep but the resentment I've garnered for her these past months refrains me.

"I don't know if you ever knew this, but back in high school I had a bit of a crush on you," She says and my break hitches in my throat "Hey, you there?"

'I don't know if you ever knew this but I turned myself inside out trying not to be in love with you.' I don't say that, instead, I say "Goodnight, Ellie, Merry Christmas."

"Goodnight," She mutters, and like me, she turns her body to face away from me.

I don't feel mature in the slightest, I'm kept awake, haunted by shame and embarrassment. Ellie had seen me only one night prior, on my knees begging for love. We may be cold and calculated to one another now but I remember when she was a little girl who overwatered her plants because she didn't know how to stop giving.

TAG LIST I just tagged whoever wanted a part two: @elliesaesp @yalaysbee @laundrybag29 @readbydayana @elliesaturnsoftdrink @mikellie @melanie-watermelon @skylerwhitwyo

[ofc-vi-writes-too]

so all ive been able to think about is gotham for the past several days, and more specifically how gothamite culture has to be SO drastically different and jarring to literally anywhere else in the world. Like even other super cities like metropolis, or central city, or wherever else are at least KINDA normal. Like yea u have superman or wonderwoman or the flash but they dont really have to deal with the same level of bs as Gotham.

That being said here are a list of things that I think are extremely normal to Gotham, and other things that happen in thay horrible little city:

• the episode of Hot Ones with Brucie Wayne where no one thinks he’ll even be able to stand the 2nd or 3rd wing but he eats all of them with no reaction, and Sean Evans (or the in universe equivalent) just sits there like “wow no one has ever had literally no reaction before this is really crazy, and Bruce Wayne of all people?” Afterwards Bruce has second thoughts and realizes that maybe he should have played up his reaction to the spice a bit more. People Inside of Gotham are a little shocked because everytime he eats in public it is the most boring, bland, flavorless food imaginable. (he handled the spice so well because Batman is ready for all potential threats and forms of torture. Ridiculous levels of spice included)

�� Gotham schools offer courses in self defense. In some school districts its actually mandatory, thats usually in old gotham or downtown gotham. In more affluent areas, self defense is still taught in schools, but most kids are sent to some ritzy trainer to make sure they can defend themselves.

• No one even blinks when theres a new vigilante by the time Damian comes around. Theres still a little buzz but by the time Duke shows up, people are like “Oh cool another one. HEY BRO WHATS YOUR NAME.” I saw someone post here about how when the Wayne kids get mad at Bruce, they go to Selina and make public appearances as Stray, Catwomans sidekick. I personally believe that Tim was the first one to do it but Dick does it the most, and gothamites didnt even need to get used to Stray showing up sometimes, nor did people really care that Stray was always wildly different heights, shapes, colors, etc. the additude is kinda like “I have taxes and job security to worry about. If a new vigilante is what were doing then so be it.”

• People tend to think that Gothamites aren’t smart, but that city is home to the Richest, smartest, most creative people alive. They mostly just lack morals. Like Dr. Freeze, Harley Quinn, hell even The Riddler are all insanely intelligent. Half of Gothams Villains have at minimum 2 Doctorates in something or other. Gotham generates a lot of cash as a whole, and small businesses thrive there. They have high employment rates, and most citizens have their associates despite everything happening around them. People who have never been to Gotham before expect to have to talk down to the citizens but Gothamites just kinda roll their eyes at them and carry on about their merriment.

• Gothamites CONSTANTLY says “because I’m Batman” when they don’t want to explain themselves. Kids hear it a lot from parents and they also get “If you don’t go to sleep, Condiment Man i gonna come and cover you in stinky relish.” Because truly what else is condiment man good for.

• Gothamites who work at BatBurger and typically work the night shift are used to visits from Batman, Robin, Red Hood, Cat Woman, Harley Quinn, etc. Sometimes they remember the workers and ask about their family, and how life is, and other things like that. Theres some barely 18 y/o who just graduated high school who worls at Bat Burger, and asked Red Hood to help him impress his gf by saying theyre friends. He like fuck it why not and tells the gf that the kid helped him save an old lady’s cat in a tree and now theyre bffs. She totally believes it. Score.

• I see the Gotham thinks Batman is Bruce Wayne’s boyfriend theories and raise you: Its pretty common knowledge that Bruce Wayne is Batman, just no one has the heart to tell him. Also theyre scared he will quit if anyone brings it up. So from this Gothamites created the joke that BW and batman are dating and when asked about it in an interview, dick grayson is like “……yes! My adoptive father is dating the guy who dressed up like a bat every night…!”

• this cuased and arguement between Bruce and Dick because no! Bruce isnt dating Batman! (stray was seen again that week) HE IS BATMAN! But fuck now the public thinks theyre a couple so now bruce gets asked about it and hes like “haha yes my spooky bat bf is who i love very dearly!” As punishment He makes Dick bring him flowers in the batsuit because “as far as he is concerned, this is his shithead son’s fault.” Thats a direct quote btw. Little does he know this somehow ties back to Tim Drake before they met.

[capybaratrait]

But Daddy I Love Him!: A Disney Princess Legacy Challenge

I didn't really like any version of the Disney Princess Legacy so I decided to do one myself! I tried not to repeat traits, skills... But sometimes I couldn't figure out, sorry! I also included a color scheme based on the princess. You have to complete the aspiration, career and max the skills, unless stated otherwise. I also included some extra goals!

It's not playtested, so I might make changes as I play. I have an edited lifespan that makes Young Adulthood and Adulthood a little bit longer, but Teenagehood and Childhood shorter. My guess is that you could finish the challenge in normal lifespan, but you also can do it in long or with a custom lifespan, or even turn aging off if you want to! Whatever you want to do!

Also, I had to be quite... Creative in some of the princess descriptions, because their personalities are very similar.

Also, there's not really any general rules. Your heir can be any gender you want (Everyone can be a princess!), if you want to cheat, cheat, if you wanna change something, change it!

Generation 1. Snow White 🍎

Packs: Cottage Living, Parenthood

Running away from a terrible family, you find yourself in a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere. You dedicate yourself to keep it clean and make it a home. A hopeless romantic, you dream of finding your true love and form a beautiful family.

Traits: Cheerful, Romantic, Childish

Aspiration: Soulmate

Career: Stay-at-Home Parent

Skills: Cooking, Parenting, Cross-Stitching

Colors: Red, Blue and Yellow

Make seven friends

Marry your first love and stay with them all your life. Don’t woohoo before marriage

Befriend wild animals (bunnies, birds, foxes)

Have three children

Grow an apple tree of magnificent quality in your backyard

Generation 2. Cinderella 👠

Packs: High School Years, Cats and Dogs, My First Pet Stuff

Your parent instill in you the importance of being a hard-worker, but you can’t help but wish for a better life! With your two siblings making your life impossible, you spent your teenage years working a part-time job and saving as much money as you could to get away from them. As a young adult, you move to your own place and start working in the world of fashion.

Traits: Ambitious, Overachiever, Perfectionist

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Career: Style Influencer

Skills: Writing, Painting, Charisma, Photography

Colors: Silver

Have a bad relationship with your two siblings

As a teen, reach max level of a part-time job of your choice

Always have a rat and a cat as your pets

You need no one to achieve success! But, eventually, you find someone as rich as talented as you have become (aka, don’t marry/move with before you have completed at least 3 tiers of your aspiration)

Generation 3. Aurora 🛏️

Packs: Nifty Knitting, Get Famous, Parenthood, Island Living

Unlike your parent, you don't even have to move a finger to get what you want. Born and raised in a wealthy family, you might be getting a little spoiled. That’s why your parents send you to live in your uncle/aunt’s house. There, you learn some good lessons, like the importance of generosity and hard work. Although some things never change… And naps are still your favorite pastime!

Traits: Lazy, Creative, Generous

Aspiration: Lord/Lady of the Knits

Career: Career Hop

Skills: Comedy, Knitting

Colors: Blue, Pink

Move out to your uncle/aunt’s house as a teen. There, they teach you discipline. Make sure you get at least two good character value traits!

Meet your future spouse at your uncle/aunt’s, but don’t start dating him until you are a young adult. They have to be a mermaid!

As a young adult, you don’t really know what to do. Career hop everytime you receive a call!

You love to knit! It is something you can do while sitting. Unlock all types of clothing and buy objects available with the Knitting skill

Generation 4. Ariel 🧜🏻‍♀️

Packs: Island Living, Snowy Escape, Parenthood

As a teen, you discover that you are not a normal sim: you are a merfolk. Your curious nature makes you move out from your family house to the place where your parent was born and raised, and reconnect with your roots. But when you fall in love with a normal sim, you decide to renounce your other form and become a boring, normal human.

Traits: Geek, Adventurous, Child of the Ocean

Aspiration: Beach Life

Career: Conservationist

Skills: Logic, Fitness

Colors: Red, Green, Purple

Get the Irresponsible character value trait

As soon as you become a young adult, move out to Sulani

Complete the Seashells collection and another collection of your choice

Befriend a dolphin

Stop being a mermaid when you fall in love with a human sim!

Generation 5. Belle 📚

Packs: High School Years, City Living/For Rent, Growing Together, Cats and Dogs

Ever since you were a kid you loved to hide under the covers with a good book and immerse yourself in a world full of magic where everything is possible. You love to read, it is your favorite thing in the whole world, and to think you also could create those beautiful stories? That's your dream. You also love your family, but you want to have your own life, so after graduating high school you move to a shared apartment looking for a little more independence. Turns out your roommate is a monster, but for some reason you can’t stop thinking that there is goodness deep inside them…

Traits: Bookworm, Creative, Good

Aspiration: Best-Selling Author

Career: Writer

Skills: Writing, Charisma

Colors: Yellow

Try to become a valedictorian or at least graduate with honors in High School!

Share an apartment with a sim with the evil trait. Fall in love with them, and try to change its trait for another one with the self-discovery system!

Keep a rose in your house

Always have a dog in your household

Generation 6. Jasmine 🧞‍♂️

Packs: Get Famous, High School Years, Get Together, For Rent, Romantic Garden Stuff

Stubborn and impulsive, you are not interested in love at all, especially with your parents pressuring you to give them grandkids and introducing you to suitors all the time. You want to triumph, be something for yourself! You might come across as a little self-absorbed, but you have a good heart and will help everyone in need. You move to Del Sol Valley looking for fame, and there you find someone that sparks your interest… But if you do commit to someone, it will be your decision. Your parents will have nothing to say in the matter.

Traits: Self-Absorbed, Hot-Headed, Party Animal

Aspiration: World Famous Celebrity

Career: Actor/Actress

Skills: Acting, Dancing

Colors: Blue

Have a bad relationship with all the sims your parents introduce you, especially with one of them

Fall in love with a sim in the criminal career. Your parents do not approve of them, so they have a bad relationship

Go on a vacation to Tomarang and adopt a tiger!

Make three different wishes with the wishing well over the course of your life

Generation 7. Pocahontas 🌳

Packs: Seasons, Outdoor Retreat, Discover University, Spa Day, For Rent

You grew up in the buzzling city of Del Sol Valley, a place that never sleeps, full of luxury and fake appearances, but you never felt comfortable there. You always had a connection with nature, and as soon as you reach young adulthood, you leave your parents mansion, looking to find inner peace. A natural leader, you decide to devote your life to guide and teach young generations.

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Self-Assured, Vegetarian

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast

Career: Education

Skills: Research & Debate, Herbalism, Wellness

Colors: Brown, Blue

As a child and a teen, be in scouts and collect all the badges!

Have a failed relationship before finding the one you form a family with

You are a deeply spiritual person. Max the friendship bar with one of your dead grandparents

Get the Wise trait as an elder

Generation 8. Mulan 🐉

Packs: StrangerVille, Paranormal

You have a huge sense of responsibility, so you join the military thinking that that is the best way to help people. But then, you are transferred to the town of StrangerVille, and start suspecting the military wants to cover something related to the Secret Lab in the outskirts of town… And you are gonna figure out what it is.

Traits: Clumsy, Active, Family-Oriented

Aspiration: StrangerVille Mystery

Career: Military

Skills: Fitness, Logic

Colors: Green, Blue, Yellow

Fall in love with someone also in the military career. You have to have a bad relationship with them first

Befriend three other co-workers

Matchmake your friends!

Get the Brave reward trait

Generation 9. Tiana 🐸

Packs: Dine Out, Cottage Living, Growing Together

You have a passion for good food, are a very hard-working sim and will do anything possible to achieve your goals! You start working at a restaurant hoping one day you will open your very own, where you will make people happy with your dishes. Oh, you also are obsessed with frogs, but you don’t know where that comes from…

Traits: Foodie, Animal Enthusiast, Self-Assured

Aspiration: Master Chef

Career: Chef/Restaurant Owner

Skills: Cooking, Gourmet Cooking

Colors: Green, Blue

Open your own restaurant after completing the aspiration. Reach the 5 stars!

Complete the frogs collection

Have a best friend

Adopt at least 1 child; They will be the heir. Have a strict family dynamic with them

Generation 10. Rapunzel 🌞

Packs: Get to Work, Horse Ranch, City Living

Your parents were always very protective of you, and you never understood why, until they confessed to you that you were adopted. Because of their strict parenting, you couldn’t do crazy things and learn from your mistakes; you crave adventures and want to discover who you really are. You really are a creative force! You love painting, you love singing, and you also seem to have a gift to make other people feel better, so you decide to become a doctor and spend all your free time looking for your biological parents.

Traits: Art Lover, Music Lover, Genius

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire

Career: Doctor

Skills: Painting, Logic, Singing

Colors: Pink, Purple

Find your biological parents as a young adult or an adult

Have a very long hair

Have a horse in your household

Have 4 kids in total. 3 of them have to be triplets!

Note: If I finish the legacy, which I don't think I will because I never finish them 😂 I will make extra generations for Merida, Moana and Raya.

[thesimsideofluca]

Coastal Home - Brindleton Bay ౨ৎ♡

ABOUT THE HOUSE

Hello, dear reader! I’m so excited to share my very first coastal build with you! This home was created with so much love and passion, inspired by a beautiful house I stumbled upon on Pinterest. That stunning roof shape instantly caught my eye, and I just knew I had to bring it to life in the game. I hope you love it as much as I loved creating it! Expect to see more soon!

DOWNLOAD HERE [patreon] FOR FREE

DETAILS

Gallery ID | thesimsideofluca 40x40 lot located in Cavalier Cove, Brindleton Bay 266.251$ 3 levels 5 bedrooms 6 ½ bathrooms Unfurnished

FLOORPLAN (feel free to change it to your liking)

LOT REQUIREMENTS — PLEASE READ CAREFULLY!

If you want it to appear exactly as shown, you will need the following packs:

Eco Lifestyle Get Together Get to Work My Wedding Stories (mainly for the trees) Cats and Dogs (the lot itself)

I also used the following CC:

harrie coastal 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 | jardane | orjanic 1, 2 | kwatei 1 | spoons 3 | copenhagen 1 felixandre estate 1, 2, 7 | florence 1, 4 | rustyc 1 syboulette love is in the air (outside cinema) pierisim domaine du clos 1 | outside lunch tuds BGN (rocking chair) | SPAH RVSN flood saucer light rubyred romantic gazebo (hydrangea) max20 poolside lounge myshunosun garden stories littledica sleekslumber (outside ligths) mrolkan cool pools

HOW TO DOWNLOAD

There are two possible ways:

Search on the gallery for thesimsideofluca and download the lot (remember to activate CC, else you will not be able to see it)

Another way is downloading the tray files you find at the end of this document and placing them in your 'Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4\Tray' folder. You will now see them in your own library (remember to activate CC, else you will not be able to see it).

TERMS OF USE

Do not re-upload my builds and claim them as your own. Do not use my builds as a base to create another one and upload them.

Do not put behind a paywall. Do not convert this lot to blender and sell it as a scene.

Feel free to furnish it however you like and use it for your YT series, always giving credit.

Feel free to tag @thesimsideofluca or #thesimsideofluca if you end up using it, I’d love to see what you do with it!

LIKE WHAT I DO?

Thank you so much! Feel free to subscribe to see more and to support me on Patreon if you are feeling generous. Again, thank you so much ౨ৎ♡

Thanks to all CC creators: @felixandresims @syboubou @myshunosun @maxsus @mrolkanyt @littledica @tudtuds @pierisim

DOWNLOAD HERE [patreon] FOR FREE

socials: youtube | tiktok | tumblr | instagram | patreon | bluesky 

[hopethishelpsdotcom]

[daethvalley-sims]

ARCANA LEGACY CHALLENGE

Hello!! I started putting this challenge together back in March when I played Persona 3 Reload and made that my entire personality for a while. I'm a master procrastinator so I didn't get much down at first other than a vague outline but I'm SOOOO glad I waited because the Lovestruck and Life & Death packs have added SO MUCH to this challenge. Really it was the release of Life & Death and the tarot theme of the pack that inspired me to come back to this and it ends the challenge so nicely. I'm obsessed.

This is a 14 generation legacy challenge with each gen representing one of the first 14 of the 22 major arcana cards, beginning with The Fool and ending your journey with Death.

Anyway... below's the rules. If you play this I'd really love to see so please tag me here or on bluesky (daethvalley.bsky.social) !!

Updates:

8/12/2024: The Fool can now get jobs to be able to complete the Renaissance Sim aspiration.

Generation 0: The Fool

Young and vulnerable, you have not yet experienced any of life’s challenges, and thus embrace all that lies ahead without fear or worry.

Your founder will begin as a Young Adult with §0 and nothing to their name besides the clothes they’re wearing and the companion at their side. Representing the start of your journey, the Fool generation will lay the foundations of hopefully a long standing and successful legacy. 

Generation Rules: 

Create a new Sim. The only limitations are that they must have the Kleptomaniac, Goofball and Cat/Dog Lover traits and the Chief of Mischief aspiration. Their gender, appearance, likes/dislikes and turn ons/offs are all up to you. If you choose to download a Sim from the gallery, they must be a blank slate with no skills, milestones, or achievements. 

Your sim must start the game with or adopt a fluffy companion - Cat or Dog is up to you (a Dog is suggested) and the corresponding Cat/Dog Lover trait. 

Move into an empty lot. The location is up to you (you’ll only spend one generation here) and once moved in, cheat your money down to §0.

There are no rules about how you make or spend money other than you must never reach higher than level 3 in a career. 

Complete the Chief of Mischief aspiration. 

Complete the Renaissance Sim aspiration. 

Purchase the Brave trait from the Rewards Store (8,000 satisfaction points)

Have at least one child (this is a legacy after all!) and have the best relationship with them. 

Marriage is optional but only after completing your aspirations. 

Swipe an object every time you leave your home lot.

Master at least one instrument.

The Fool embraces anything and everything that life throws at them. Accept all self discovery moments. 

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Goofball, Cat/Dog Lover

Aspiration: Chief of Mischief AND Renaissance Sim 

Max skills: Mischief, one instrument. 

Career: Various

Generation 1: The Magician

Raised by the Fool, you see the potential of the world laid ahead of you. You feel a spiritual calling to the Magic Realm and determination to do whatever it takes to master its sacred power. 

Generation Rules:

Leave home as a teen and move to Glimmerbrook and become a Spellcaster via completing the Rite of Ascension ritual at the magic realm. 

Drop out of high school to focus on your magical studies.

Complete the Spellcaster skill tree and become a magical Virtuoso.

Have at least one child with one of the Sages (don’t move in with them as they will lose Sage status). 

Never marry.

Embrace the power of crystals and master Gemology to manipulate your abilities and moods.

Complete both your chosen Spellcaster aspiration and Crystal Crafter.

Traits:  Childish, Creative, Self-Assured

Character values: Irresponsible

Aspiration: Spellcraft & Sorcery OR Purveyor of Potions, Crystal Crafter

Max skills: Gemology

Career: Freelance: sell your crystal creations! 

Generation 2: The High Priestess

Your parent, the Magician, achieved the greatest heights of the Magic Realm. Inheriting the intuition and knowledge of a Sage you seek enlightenment: serenity, acceptance, and a peaceful life. 

Generation Rules: 

Leave Glimmerbrook and move somewhere peaceful. 

Don’t contact your parents after you leave - they’re in another realm! 

Start afresh: Complete the Inner Peace aspiration and gain a clear perspective. 

Get married and have at least one child with any sim. 

At least one child must be born a Spellcaster, that is your heir. 

Coach and guide others to achieve enlightenment as you have by completing the Zen Guru aspiration. 

Remain a Spellcaster but never use your abilities. 

Never use any Mean or Mischief interactions.

Traits: Proper, Neat, Squeamish

Character values: Emotional Control

Aspiration: Inner Peace AND Zen Guru

Max skills: Wellness

Career: Any 

Generation 3: The Empress

You are a 3rd generation Spellcaster, not that you’ve ever had a connection to the Magic Realm. Still, your strong magical bloodline connects you to the elements and the natural world. You bring life - a large, happy family and a flourishing garden. 

Generation Rules:

Complete your childhood aspiration (you choose which!) 

Never use your Spellcaster abilities.

Move to Henford-On-Bagley and embrace the simple way of living. Your home must have the Simple Living lot trait applied.

Grow your own food, and keep farm animals for milk, eggs, and wool. 

Get married to any sim. 

Complete the Freelance Botanist aspiration.

Progress through the Big Happy Family aspiration up to Loving Guardian. 

Have at least 3 children. 

Any child not born as a Spellcaster is eligible to be heir.

Traits: Family Oriented, Generous, Loves Outdoors

Character values: Compassionate

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist AND Big Happy Family (up to Loving Guardian level)

Optional university degree: Biology

Max skills: Gardening, Parenting

Career: PhD of Pollen (Gardener - Botanist branch) 

Generation 4: The Emperor

The magical abilities that ran through your family lineage have been lost. You are left with a natural born ability to lead and easily gain the respect of those around you. With strong family values instilled upon you from an early age, you respect authority, and command the same in return. A figure of strength to many, it’s up to you to solve the mystery surrounding the small desert town you moved to after joining the military. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Playtime Captain childhood aspiration. 

Complete the Leader of the Pack aspiration while in high school.

Early graduation is allowed if Leader of the Pack aspiration completed. 

Do not attend university. 

Move to Strangerville immediately after high school graduation and join the Military career. 

Fall in love with a local and get married before fighting the final boss - you never know what could happen. 

Solve the Strangerville Mystery and become a local hero! 

Have at least 2 children. 

Be a diligent parent - all children must gain the Top-Notch Infant/ Toddler traits, have a strict family dynamic, and they all must gain at least 2 positive character value traits. Any child with the Responsible trait is eligible to be heir. 

Purchase the Mentor trait from the rewards store and mentor your heir in Charisma. 

Traits: Hot Headed, Glutton, Insider

Character values: Mediator

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack AND Strangerville Mystery

Max skills: Fitness, Charisma

Career: Grand Marshal (Military - Officer branch) 

Generation 5: The Hierophant

Your parent taught you absolutely everything you’d need to know, and as a result you’ve grown into an equally diligent sim. Drawn to knowledge over strength, you studied hard and under the mentorship of your parent, became a master orator. Beloved by all, it was inevitable you’d be voted in as the National Leader. However, romance wasn’t something that interested you, and your work responsibilities left you little time for the one child you did have. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Admired Icon aspiration while in high school. 

Attend university and complete a Distinguished Degree in History. 

Join the Debate Guild at UBrite and reach Level 3.

Max Research & Debate skill before graduating university. 

Move to San Myshuno and join the Politician career. 

Work from home and complete the active work tasks at least twice per week. 

Never have woohoo or a romantic relationship.

Have one child only, either through adoption, science baby, or alien abduction. 

Have a full staff - nanny, maid, chef, gardener (if applicable). They will raise your child. 

Live in a Penthouse by the end of the generation. 

Achieve the Wise trait if played until Elder. 

Be acquaintances only with your child. 

Traits: Ambitious, Outgoing, Unflirty

Character values: Responsible

Aspiration: Admired Icon AND Friend of the World

Max skills: Charisma, Research & Debate

Career: National Leader (Politician - Politician branch) 

Generation 6: The Lovers

You lacked attention as a child, and as an adult crave affection more than anything. Where better to find it than the City of Love itself? Your rich, sheltered upbringing has left you naive and sadly you had to kiss a few frogs before you found your prince.

Generation Rules: 

Perform averagely in school.

Do not attend university.

Move to Ciudad Enamorada as a Young Adult.

Join the Barista career.

Have a toxic relationship with a bad/ awful compatibility sim. Get engaged but NOT married.

Leave your toxic ex and explore your options by completing the Paragon Partner aspiration.

Quit your job as a Barista and join the Romance Consultant career.

Meet The One and complete the Soulmate aspiration.

Have at least one child. 

Be a loving but ineffective parent - never use discipline.

Any child with the Irresponsible trait is eligible to be heir.

Traits: Lovebug, High Maintenance, Jealous

Character values: Uncontrolled Emotions

Aspiration: Paragon Partner AND Soulmate

Max skills: Romance

Career: Certified Dating Specialist (Romance Consultant - Matchmaker branch) 

Generation 7: The Chariot

Your parents loved you, but you were still left to find your own way. You were a daredevil child and carried your bravery and willpower into adulthood, determined to achieve a feat no sim had managed before. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Mind and Body aspiration as a child. 

Complete the Live Fast aspiration as a teen. 

Move to Mt Komorebi and take up Rock Climbing AND either Snowboarding or Skiing. 

Complete the Extreme Sports Enthusiast aspiration.

Lead a mountain excursion (solo or with another sim) and reach the peak of Mt Komorebi. 

Staying in Mt Komorebi after completing the excursion is optional!

Only join a career after completing the Mt Komorebi excursion. Part time jobs are ok before that. 

Marriage is optional.

Have at least one child - your heir must grow up with the Responsible and Mediator traits. 

Traits: Self Assured, Adventurous, Practice Makes Perfect

Character values: Irresponsible

Aspiration: Extreme Sports Enthusiast

Max skills: Fitness, Rock Climbing

Career: Any (after generational goals achieved) 

Generation 8: Justice

Your parent was reckless, but you admired their tenacity and strength of mind. You grew up brilliant in the more conventional way, committed to earning the highest grades and learning everything you could. More importantly, your strong sense of right and wrong led you down the path of seeking justice. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Whiz Kid childhood aspiration.

Complete the Goal Oriented teen aspiration. 

Join the Chess Team after school activity and become Captain. 

Maintain the highest grades and study hard to ace your exams so you graduate as Valedictorian - this means NO early graduation. 

Learn skills through reading books and studying where possible. 

Attend university and complete a Distinguished Degree in History.

Complete the Academic aspiration while at university.

Tutor other students twice per week.

Write and publish research papers. 

Join the Law career - Judge branch after graduation.

Get married to your first relationship. 

Have two children with a negative relationship - one Genius (they will be heir) and one with the Outgoing trait. 

Have high expectations for your children - discipline them often and have a strict family dynamic, but always help them with homework, school projects etc. 

Adopt a dog. 

Traits: Bookworm, Overachiever, Loyal

Character values: Responsible and Mediator

Aspiration: Academic

Max skills: Logic, Research & Debate 

Career: Chief of Justice (Law - Judge Branch)

Generation 9: The Hermit

Your parents had high expectations for you and your sibling, who couldn’t be more different from you. You were a born Genius while they excelled socially, and you often felt as if you were in competition with eachother. As a teen you retreated further inside yourself and preferred the company of your family dog to spending time with other sims. You spent your time learning everything you could about computers and gaming, and eventually made a living from your bedroom. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Whiz Kid aspiration as a Child. 

Have a negative relationship with your sibling. 

Attend high school but only to study. 

Only befriend other Loner sims. 

Spend most of your time in your bedroom - you’ll need a computer in there! 

Reach level 5 of the Tech Guru career before becoming a Freelance Programmer.

Complete the Computer Whiz aspiration. 

Earn money through video gaming tournaments, hacking, and making apps & video games. 

Your relationship must be online only - never meet them in person (if you choose to have one).

Never move out of your parents house. 

Have at least one child. Be creative with how you get one, it’s still a legacy after all! 

Your parents will raise your child. 

Traits: Genius, Loner, Geek

Character values: Argumentative

Aspiration: Computer Whiz

Max skills: Video Gaming, Programming

Career: Project Manager (Tech Guru)

Generation 10: Wheel of Fortune

You were raised by loving grandparents, but you felt a bit abandoned by your parent that hardly saw you. You wanted to rebel against the life your grandparents laid out for you and in the spirit of the founder of your family, the Fool, you embraced everything that came your way. With a belief in destiny and sheer good luck, you moved forward without a plan and trusted that everything would work out in your favour. 

Generation Rules: 

Anything could happen!

Have your grandparents help you get the Top Notch Infant and Top Notch Toddler traits.

As a Child, choose and complete the aspiration that best fits your randomised trait. 

As a Teen, we’ll use the https://simsrandom.com/ random legacy generator to set the rules for this generation. 

Stick to what the randomiser gives you unless you don’t have the packs, in which case you can re-roll. 

Traits must be randomised when your sim ages up, and can’t be changed. 

Age up to Young Adult with a character value that suits your path.

Select an aspiration that suits your randomised career/ hobbies. 

Reach the top of your Primary Career.

Complete the Generational Goal. If it’s something you’ve already done in this legacy (i.e. the Strangerville Mystery) you can re-roll. 

Miscellaneous Fun must be followed. 

Max 1-2 skills that align with your sim’s goals. 

Traits: Random!

Character values: Random!!

Aspiration: Random!!!

Max skills: Random!!!!

Generation 11: Strength

The legend of your great-great-great grandparent being the first sim to reach the peak of Mt Komorebi inspires you. You come from a line of masters in their field and you aspire to live up to the greatness of your ancestors in the only way you know how - you are determined to push your body to its limits and perfect your physique, and nothing else is important to you. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Rambunctious Scamp aspiration as a Child.  

Join the Football Team as a Teen and become captain. 

University is optional.

Befriend other Bros and lead a club practising physical activity.

Drink protein shakes every day! 

Complete the Bodybuilder aspiration. 

Join the Athletic career and reach level 10 in the Bodybuilder branch. 

You can have relationships but never marry. 

Have a one night stand resulting in a child and raise them as a single parent. 

Have a permissive relationship dynamic with your child. 

Traits: Active, Bro, Self-Absorbed

Character values: Insensitive

Aspiration: Bodybuilder

Max skills: Fitness

Career: Mr./ Ms. Solar System (Athletic - Bodybuilder branch)

Generation 12: The Hanged Man

The idea that your family is born from magic feels like a distant dream. Your parent was so self-absorbed that they never saw the truth. Spellcasters don’t exist, not for generations anyway. Any magical connection to the earth has been long lost.  Instead of striving for greatness, can’t you just be normal? A normal life, a normal job. Of course you have aspirations - they’re just not realistic right now. 

Generation Rules: 

Maintain a B grade through Grade school and High school. 

Don’t complete your Child or Teen aspirations. 

University is optional but you can’t do a Distinguished Degree. 

Keep a Private Journal as a Teen. 

Have the Beach Life aspiration but never start it. 

Never travel outside of the world you live in. 

Join the Salaryperson career and become Head of Department (Supervisor branch).

Gain the Workaholic lifestyle. 

Write many books on your family history but never publish any. Put them in a keepsake box.

Marry a sim with Bad or Awful compatibility. 

Have at least one child. 

Fight Father Winter and ask him for proof of his powers. 

Traits: Gloomy, Noncommittal, Skeptical

Character values: Responsible

Aspiration: Beach Life (never complete this) 

Max skills: Writing, Logic 

Career: Head of Department (Salaryperson - Supervisor branch)

Generation 13: Death

There has to be more out there than your parent had you believe. You’d read their unpublished novels on your family’s legend and knew it was up to you to seek the answers and return to the magic your ancestors were born from. You left everything behind and travelled alone to the town under a permanent autumn. It was here you found your answers, and your end. 

Generation Rules: 

Complete the Artistic Prodigy aspiration as a Child. 

Don’t go to university- you’ve got better things to do. 

Move to Ravenwood as a Young Adult. 

Get involved in the community and complete all the favours for the Order of Lenore. 

Complete the Ravenwood tarot deck. 

Write a bucket list and work towards it but don’t complete it. 

Complete the Ghost Historian aspiration and befriend many ghosts. 

Never marry or have children.

Be the only sim in your household when you die (you can have pets). 

Meet an untimely end - die before you become an Elder.

Traits: Macabre, Music Lover, Chased by Death

Character values: Good Manners

Aspiration: Ghost Historian

Max skills: Writing, Thanatology

Career: Publish your history books! 

Mini Generation: Temperance

That can’t be… it? You were so young, and you were so busy searching for your answers you never did everything you wanted to do. Fourteen generations and it ends here. However, death had taken a special interest in you, and offers you the chance to address your unfinished business before you move on. 

Generation Rules: 

Attend your own funeral.

Achieve your unfinished business and complete your Soul’s Journey to earn the Burning Soul trait. 

Head to Mourningvale on the day of the Thinned Festiveil and be reborn in the Baleful Bog. 

With the knowledge of 14 generations behind you, you are reborn as The Fool, and the cycle is completed.

[styrmwb]

References to Previous Final Fantasies in Dawntrail

Or, how 9 + 11 + 6 = 14, somehow. (SPOILERS, OBVIOUSLY)

I've played every mainline FF, plus a few others, so one of my favorite things about playing XIV is seeing what they do with previous FFs, and how they incorporate it into the world/story. Dawntrail very very much did this, to the point that I could literally predict plot points before they happened. (THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT I LOVED THIS)

So I figured I would put down my fanboying in text form, for people to read the insanity of a madman who has played too many JRPGs from a single series.

Note: I have not completed every single side quest, but I have done the entire MSQ, every dungeon, and 3/5 of the role quests. This isn't a complete collection, just what I noticed :)

V

Krile's "real name" is Maya. The original Krile in FFV was Krile Meyer Baldesion. (XIV might also have the middle name but I don't remember! I'm gonna put it here regardless!)

VI

Valigarmanda is the first Esper you encounter in VI, right at the start of the game. Its summon attack is Tri-Disaster. I really liked how they kept it frozen in ice, just like the original, and because Tri-Disaster is a SMN ability, they changed it to Tulidisaster to fit the Tural location.

Pictomancer was first in VI as well, being Relm's job. She even got to be in XIV as well, being credited as the Archon who created the art (HA). Shoutouts to the Relm reborn joke it needed to happen

IX

One of the two most important games in this expansion. There is A Lot here.

The preorder bonus/deluxe edition had a Wind-Up Zidane and Garnet, the two main protagonists of FFIX.

Alexandria is lifted directly from IX. The name, the style of the buildings, and even the castle with the crystal popping out of the top, shown in the dungeon and in Yesterland in Living Memory.

(This is the Dissidia NT version, but I wanted a picture that showed the castle and the roof architecture)

Solution Nine is named after one of Zidane's Dyne abilities. While not direct, Living Memory, the final zone, is very reminiscent of Memoria, the final dungeon of IX. I wonder if you can get a special sword by completing the entire MSQ in under 2 hours?

Living Memory also features quite a few locations from IX. The Canal Town looks very similar to Treno, and features a location called the Daguerreo Medical Collection, named after the city as well. Underneath Proto Alexandria in Yesterland, where the data terminal lies, looks very similar to the part of Alexandria Castle where Steiner can grind to level 99 (I don't know how else to describe it if you know you know). In the Windspath Gardens lies the Cleyra Museum of Nature, also named after the IX city.

Some quest text in Living Memory tells you about other locations in the Unlost World. Lindblum, the city that holds hunts and is very technologically advanced; Conde Petie, where the Dwarves are from (mentioned by a Milalla who said he was from there), and the Iifa Tree. There might even be more here, that I either missed or haven't done yet.

Another quest has you go on a treasure hunt for a password. This password? "I Want to Be Your Canary", the play from FFIX.

Solution Nine has a couple buildings with monsters from IX as signs. One building features a Mu (Which is also mentioned in Living Memory), and another building features Yans, both friendly and not friendly.

Another monster that I noticed a reference to was the Gimme Cat, which is featured on the popcorn in Living Memory. It's also mentioned as an energy drink, but called a "Gimme Bat" instead? I guess it does have bat wings.

While XIV doesn't have any direct plot important characters from IX, the ones we do have are very reminiscent of its cast, and clearly are done like that on purpose.

Otis is Steiner (with maybe a little tiny bit of Beatrix depending on how you look at it). Captain of the Knights of Alexandria, he speaks in an older fashion, similar to Steiner, and is very loyal to his princess.

Sphene is an interesting mix. The most obvious one is Garnet, both being Queens of Alexandria, being named after stones, and loving their people. The other one, which might be argued isn't intended, is Garland.

(No, not those guys. The other one.)

Garland in IX is an artificial being whose purpose is to continue his world's life. To do this, he would try to fuse Terra (his planet), with Gaia (the main planet), and control Gaian souls for Terra instead. What did Sphene do? Try to fuse her reflection with the Source, to use their souls for her own people. I personally think this is a very clear similarity.

In general, because of this similarity, the latter half of Dawntrail shares very similar themes with IX's plots, dealing with death and souls. I also think it's pretty funny that both start out pretty happy and cartoony, and end fairly depressing and existential.

Another plot point used in the MSQ is the play sequence. While IX's is based off love, and XIV's is the history of Alexandria, both feature a sword fight scene. (99 out of 100 nobles approve).

Finally, several songs from IX are used in Dawntrail. In the above mentioned play, Swords of Fury plays, just like the original. And a few scenes later, Vamo'alla Flamenco (previously used for the DNC quests) plays, though it should have been during the sword fight!! Prima Vista Orchestra and Fleeting Life are used in several scenes, usually involving Sphene. Something to Protect also appears, but in a scene I can't recall. Finally, the Court Jesters' theme gets a remix as the main song in the Strayborough Deadwalk.

X

There is a singular joke in Heritage Found made about dodging lightning bolts right before the flash so they don't hit you. The person who wrote this line wanted to induce PTSD in as many people as they could with only a single line of dialogue.

XI

The other most important game in the expansion. In a way, Dawntrail FEELS like it could have been an XI expansion in another lifetime. I might be looking too much into it, but I feel as though this was foreshadowed back in the first patch of Endwalker, as Dawntrail takes A LOT from the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion.

In Endwalker, the Alzadaal's Legacy dungeon was based off of the Alzadaal Underwater Ruins in Aht Urhgan. The dungeon used many models from XI, such as the Rampart, the Xzomit (hell yes!), and the Acrolith. The dungeon had a visual similarity, as well as the areas in the dungeon being named after zones in Aht Urhgan (Bhaflau Thickets, Arrapago Reef, and Mount Zhayolm). I know this is Endwalker and not Dawntrail but trust me it's important for the foreshadowing.

Gulool Ja Ja was a boss in the Besieged mode of ToAU, leading the Mamool Ja Savages to assault Al Zahbi. Both incarnations of this character are VERY different from each other.

Similarly, Gurfurlur was also a boss in Besieged, leading the Troll Mercenaries. It's very funny to me that both of these warmongers became such nice people in Tural.

The Yok Huy as a whole are actually Trolls from XI. The different name I assume coming from the fact that Trolls are already an enemy in XIV, in Labyrinthos.

While this isn't direct, and is probably unintentional, the fact that the final boss in Vanguard was a naga/lamia like entity only makes me wonder if it was somehow a callback to Medusa and the Undead Swarm, the last remaining Besieged invaders.

Zoraal Ja is a Notorious Monster in the areas around Aht Urhgan.

To continue on with Mamool Ja facts, Mamook is an area in ToAU. They don't look very similar, but they do both share the title of Autarch as their ruler. Mamool Ja in general come from XI, so it's no surprise that in the expansion that well, expands on them, it uses XI for inspiration.

This next one might be a little insane. The general plot of Treasures of Aht Urhgan, is that after killing Promathia, a god that wishes to end all life, the Adventurer goes to a completely different area to have a relatively calmer adventure. Here, they meet a female member of royalty named Aphmau. Her brother, Razfahd, unable to rule over the country, has a conquering nature, and uses an Automaton body to control Alexander for his goals. This... can't be a coincidence, right?? We kill the Endsinger, who wanted to end all life, go to a completely different area to have a relatively calmer adventure with our female member of royalty, Wuk Lamat, and we fight against Zoraal Ja, her war hungry brother that is unable to rule, so he uses the power of Alexandria (a mech suit) for his goals. You... you see what I'm cooking here right??? RIGHT!?!?!

To piggyback off of this, Wuk Lamat very much fits the role of the XI heroine. A girl who is very clearly the main character of the story, and hangs around you more than anyone else.

Edit: one last thing that I forgot to put down before posting, one of the hunts uses the Magic Pot model from XI. We love Magic Pot.

I THINK that should be everything I found? I know for a fact we're going to get more since the Alliance Raids are based of off XI (I'm so excited)

XIII

A couple enemy models were used from XIII.

The Silver Lobos in Urqopacha use the XIII model. I'm fairly sure they've never been used in XIV yet, but I could be wrong.

Similarly, the Strayborough Deadwalk uses the Gremlin/Ahriman enemies. I do not think they've been used before this, feel free to yell at me if I'm wrong :)

Type-0

While not like, direct, the concept of erasing the memories of anyone who has died (especially seen as a blessing) was a major plot point of Type-0's world.

I think that's everything? My memory isn't the greatest, so I'm sure there's something I noticed that I missed, and again; I haven't done everything, so there might be even more out there that I've yet to find!

Please, feel free to comment anything else that you may have noticed, and hopefully you enjoyed reading :)

[summynatsuy]

Sims 4 Occult Matchmaking Legacy Challenge

You can also find the following information on TikTok @bbgsim.

Required packs: Vampires, Werewolves, Island Living, Get to Work, Realm of Magic, Eco-living, Get Famous, Etc.

Basic Rules:

No money cheats

You can add any other aspects of the sims life unless specifically prohibited

MC Command center is allowed but you cannot cheat up skills or career levels. You may cheat down bills up to 50 percent.

All heirs must complete their aspiration

All heirs must reach the highest level of their career and max their occult ranking (excluding aliens and mermaids since they do not have one

Note:

This legacy challenge is meant to be pretty flexible, meaning there is a lot of room for you to add your own preferred type of gameplay to many aspects of the sims life.

The main point of the story is to connect occults through certain shared interests, aesthetics and story lines to end up with a very versatile family tree.

I suggest having the first 8 sims that are immortal live in one house together, then have the rest of the non immortal sims live in a more stereotypical legacy style home to make things easier for you, you do not have to do this however.

Generation 1; Vampire

Founder: Female, young adult

Traits: Mean, erratic, evil

Aspiration: Master Vampire

Appearance: Cannot use a dark form, so they have to always look the same. All vampires must have either red/gold default eyes or one of the vampire eyes.

Required maxed skills:

Mixology

Mischief

Vampire Lore

Career: Criminal

Must move into Forgotten Hollow with only the simoleons given from the game. This sim must eventually slay Vlad and marry another vampire born sim. Must have only one child.

Must have the sleeping in coffin weakness.

Generation 2; Vampire

Traits: Romantic, creative and mean

Aspiration: Soulmate

Appearance: Cannot use a dark form, so they have to always look the same. All vampires must have either red/gold default eyes or one of the vampire eyes.

Required maxed skills:

Painting

Vampire Lore

Career: Artist

This sim must meet and marry a werewolf. They must start out with a negative relationship and work their way up. This were wolf must become immortal. They must have a werewolf heir.

Must have the day phobia vampire weakness.

Generation 3; Werewolf

Traits: Kleptomaniac, loyal and self-assured

Aspiration: Werewolf Initiate

Appearance: Must have gold/yellow eyes

Required maxed skills:

Mischief

Career: Conservationist

This sim must join the Wildfangs and become leader. They must marry another werewolf and have a werewolf heir.

Generation 4; Werewolf

Traits: Loves the outdoors, vegetarian and genius

Aspiration: Academic

Appearance: No set appearance

Required max skills:

Logic

Career: Scientist

This sim must excel in school and go to college. They must live on a lot with a green or neutral carbon footprint. They must go to Sixam and marry an alien sim, and have an alien heir.

Generation 5; Alien

Traits: Neat, insider and socially awkward

Aspiration: Friend of the world

Appearance: No set appearance

Required maxed skills:

Charisma

Career: Actor

This sim must join a high school club. They must achieve gold medals in atleast 3 part type events. They must reach max fame level. They must marry another alien and have an alien heir.

Generation 6; Alien

Traits: Cat lover, cheerful and animal enthusiast

Aspiration: Friends of the Animals

Appearance: No set appearance

Required maxed skills:

N/A

Career: Medicine or vet clinic

This sim must own a pet whether it be a dog, cat or a horse. This sim must marry a mermaid born sim and must have a mermaid heir.

Generation 7; Mermaid

Traits: Child of the oceans, family oriented and clumsy

Aspiration: Super Parent

Appearance: No set appearance

Required maxed skills:

Parenting

Fitness

Cooking

Career: Unemployed

This sim must be a stay at home parent and must marry another mermaid sim, and have a mermaid heir.

Generation 8; Mermaid

Traits: Bookworm, active and cheerful

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Appearance: No set appearance

Required maxed skills:

Gardening

Flower arranging

Career: Gardener

This sim must marry a spellcaster and have a spellcaster heir.

Generation 9; Spellcaster

Traits: Proper, foodie and art lover

Aspiration: The Curator

Appearance: No set appearance

Required maxed skills:

Gardening

Archeology

Career: Gardener

This sim must marry another spellcaster and have a spellcaster heir.

Generation 10; Spellcaster

Traits: Ambitious, perfectionist and overachiever

Aspiration: Spellcraft and Sorcery

Appearance: No set appearance

Required maxed skills:

Cooking

Medium

Career: Chef

This sim must work as a paranormal investigator for atleast one in game week before working as a chef. They must also befriend Bonehilda and become best friends with her. This sim must create a potion of immortality and then drink it. This sim does not have to marry but if they do it must be to a vampire.

[shootingstars-or-airplanes]

Alright folks buckle up because I'm about to break down my entire theory for the TMAGP classification system before season 2 drops.

1. CAT - Category Many of you have probably seen my original post about the TMAGP categories being literally the most basic thing in the world and we all missed it, but in case you haven't, here's the gist! It's nouns. Is the source of the supernatural activity a person, place, or thing?

1 - Person

Zombie [Ep 1]

Needles [Ep 6]

Bonzo (x2) [Eps 10 & 12]

Snake Guy [Ep 14]

Hunt Aristocrats [Ep 15]

Ink5oul (x2) [Eps 16 & 20]

Talking Corpse [Ep 18]

Isaac Newton [Ep 19]

Not sure if this one is the scientist or the test subject but either way it's a person [Ep 22]

Coral Doppelganger [Ep 23]

Demon Baby [Ep 24]

Compelled Runner [Ep 26]

2 - Place

Garden [Ep 3]

Theater [Ep 5]

Hilltop (x3) [Eps 7, 17* & 30]

Liminal Building [Ep 8]

Cemetery [Ep 11]

Construction Site [Ep 21]

Restaurant [Ep 25]

Magnus Institute [Ep 28]

Tunnels [Ep 29]

*Episode 17 isn't confirmed to be at hilltop I don't think, but it is heavily hinted at so I'm going with it.

3 - Thing

Tattoo (x2) [Eps 2 & 11]

Murder Violin [Ep 4]

Dice [Ep 9]

Phone App [Ep 13]

"Fruit" [Ep 19]

Telegraph [Ep 22]

Coral [Ep 23]

Carriage [Ep 27]

I may be slightly off on some of these, but many of them are glaringly obvious. And each episode seems to fit, though some more cleanly than others. I'm open to suggestions on this, though.

2. R - Rank I posted about this just a day or two ago but I noticed when I was going back through that episode 30 had a rank of S instead of A, B, or C which seems a lot like it's a tier system, likely for danger levels. My best guess would be the ranks mean the following:

C - Low-Level Threat B - Mid-Level Threat A - High-Level Threat S - Extremely High-Level Threat [DNI]

If this is the case, any ranks that contain two letters are likely to mean that it's between those two levels. BC is Low-To-Mid-Level Threat, AB is Mid-To-High-Level Threat. This could also mean that in the cases where there are multiple supernatural elements, one of them is low and the other is mid, etc., but based on the way double numbers and double letters line up, I'm inclined to believe it's the first theory. Here is a list of all supernatural elements along with their rankings.

C - Low-Level Threat

Garden that turns people into trees [Ep 3]

Violin that needs blood to play well [Ep 4] *

Hilltop Charity Center [Ep 7]

Spooky tattoo in a cemetery that makes people drown themselves [Ep 11]

Portal from another dimension [Ep 17]

Talking corpse [Ep 18]

BC - Low-To-Mid-Level Threat

Zombie/reanimated corpse [Ep 1]

Tatoo that makes reality reflect a self-portrait [Ep 2]

Liminal building with uncanny cannibals [Ep 8]

Isaac Newton's fucked up crystal tree [Ep 19]

The Dome construction site [Ep 21]

Something about an experiment splitting a brain in two [Ep 22]

Coral that grows into a doppelganger if you shove it in your leg [Ep 23]

Demon baby [Ep 24]

Compelled runner guy [Ep 26]

B - Mid-Level Threat

Movie theater that Knows you [Ep 5]

Needles [Ep 6]

Dice that control fate [Ep 9]

Bonzo [Eps 10 & 12]

Gambling app where you can bet against your own life [Ep 13]

Snake guy [Ep 14]

Hunt aristocrats [Ep 15]

Ink5oul [Ep 16]

Restaurant where you can't stop eating disgusting food [Ep 25]

Carriage that eats people [Ep 27] *

Magnus Institute ritual [Ep 28]

Tunnels that drown you [Ep 29]

AB - Mid-To-High-Level Threat

Ink5oul [Ep 20]

A - High-Level Threat

[None in Season 1]

S - Extremely High-Level Threat [DNI]

Hilltop/Portal to another dimension [Ep 30]

*Some of these seem to be ranked lower than I think they should be, but they are much older cases so maybe time plays a factor in how dangerous they are considered to be.

While not everything is where I would put them, personally, I do think that overall they do seem to increase in threat level. I'm still not 100% sold on this, but it's what I'm running with for now until season two either confirms it or proves me wrong.

3. DPHW I'll admit it. I'm stumped on this one. I feel like this has to be a lot more arbitrary than the other two so it would be hard to reverse-engineer a filing system from it.

The only tiny morsel of a theory I could come up with is that each letter in DPHW stands for a word (duh) and that corresponds to the same number in the four-digit code. So for example, if a DPHW was 1947 it would be D=1, P=9, H=4, and W=7. Now what those letters stand for or what the numbers actually mean are completely lost on me.

If anyone has any good resources for how we could potentially figure this out, please let me know. But as of right now I think my theory is "It's a rather arbitrary sorting system that Alex and Jonny made up and we have little to no chance of decoding it without much more data."

That's it. That's the whole theory. It's not as wild and fantastical as we all hoped I don't think, but I think everything seems to check out. Let me know if you have any other theories, especially about the DPHW.

[forestclan-clangen]

MOON 2 (Final)

(Note to new viewers: the scenes have dead pixels on purpose! It's meant to emulate a cartridge game you found plugged into an old TV set!) << FIRST | < PREVIOUS |

Redstar goes to the border and finds a cat on the Thunderpath. She checks to see if this was the work of the woods, but no; the cat was run over by a Twoleg vehicle. She jumps when the cat groans in pain, still alive. Not wanting to leave a cat to die to the woods, she brings them back to camp. Windfur works quickly to fix their broken back, afraid of failing Redstar.

(Redstar, leader, female, 61 moons) (Windfur, medicine cat, male, 16 moons) (???, loner, female, unknown age)

---

"Windfur!"

The young medicine cat's ears perked as he heard his name being called. He put down the marigold and tansy he was sorting and quickly pushed past the hanging ferns that covered the medicine den's entrance.

The sunlight warmed the camp as it pierced through the tall pines that usually created dappled shadows, making Windfur wince for a moment before averting his eyes elsewhere.

"I'm needed?" he asked loudly.

"Yes! Redstar brought back someone," Cloudthunder piped up as she leapt off the top of one of the great walls surrounding their camp. She had already dashed towards the entrance with concern before Windfur could speak.

Windfur's eyes immediately fell on the camp's main entrance, and his fur bristled as he saw Redstar carrying a brown tabby she-cat on her back. Iciclepool and Talonpaw must have crossed into Redstar on the way back to camp, as the two were trying to keep the tabby stable by hugging Redstar's sides.

Windfur ran up to them and looked at Redstar crossly."Are you being followed?"

He knew his clanmates never liked him asking this one question before anything else. But he remembered the last time he started working before the danger was gone.

"No," said Redstar.

Windfur beckoned the three cats towards the medicine den with his tail. He started pushing around his herbs and a bed of moss. His heart started racing with anxiety. He forced himself down his routine checklist to keep calm. "Any obvious injuries?"

"I think her back is broken. She was run over by a Twoleg monster," Redstar replied.

Windfur frowned as he started grabbing flat stones and ripped tree bark, elevating certain sections of a bed. His mind fell into autopilot as he started reciting procedures like Chicoryglint used to teach him.

"Redstar, lie down on your stomach, as carefully as you can. Iciclepool and Talonpaw, stick your heads under the tabby's forelegs and back legs until her belly is under your necks."

Iciclepool complied, and Talonpaw grunted as he shoved his nose under the molly's body and wrestled with her fur to bring her over him.

"Then, walk over Redstar and slowly place the molly on her side. Have your paws as a cushion for her back. I'll grab her. Careful - "

As Windfur saw the condition of the molly's lower back, he panicked as Talonpaw lowered too quickly. "Talon, TALON! Slower!"

"Like you're about to stretch, Talonpaw," Redstar added, more calmly.

"Sorry, sorry," Talonpaw hissed as he glanced nervously at his mentor, trying to match her level. Windfur grabbed the molly and secured her back on the elevated segment he made, then secured her down, grabbing vital points where his clanmate's heads were.

"Okay, you're good," he said, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Now gently pull yourselves out from under her. I've stabilized her spine, it should be okay."

Windfur waited for the two cats to part from the tabby before beginning his process. He muttered under his breath the mantra his mentor taught him for broken bones - Brittlebone the Caster. How did it start again? His memory dug at a middle-aged molly looking down at him with a shine in her eyes. She then recited a nursery rhyme...

Broken was the bone of Brittlebone-he,

Low on the spine, the tail end-be...

"Lift up the back, and align the spine," Windfur mumbled as he started his work, grazing his tail over his patient's spine and finding the bone that seemed shifted from the rest. He found the proper alignment and shifted around the moss and lifting stones until her body didn't shift any more, then started applying his medicines as he remembered them. "Disinfect the wound and pull the twine..."

"Windfur?"

"Let me work," he said, careful to hold back on his bite. "Please. I'll let you know of her condition when I'm done, Redstar. I promise."

His surroundings became distant hums as he focused intently on his task. He shot the occasional glance at the molly's chest to make sure she was still breathing, and checked the pulse under her front legs. He barely registered the three cats leaving the medicine den, too determined to make sure that his patient lived.

That was his task. His job. It's what he was good at. He couldn't be distracted and possibly make a mistake. If he did, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He had to do this right. He never had the gift of surgical precision in the midst of chaos like Chicoryglint did. So he needed the silence to get this right.

As he started building a cast out of hardened bark, hoping to mold the spine back in place, he imagined Chicoryglint's spirit watching him, and waiting, her dark grey, long-haired tail wrapped over her paws. Windfur's breath shook for a moment, and then he continued, mumbling the rest of the song under his breath as his paws gently pulled a temporary cast into place.

"Stable was the bone, of Brittlebone-he,

Of hard bark and soft moss, the cast must be,

Fitting for the Caster, of ForestClan, see."

---

After some time, the loner wakes and expresses gratitude, although her eyes and demeanor seem to speak otherwise. Her name is Olive, and she joins reluctantly, mainly because she can't go anywhere with a broken back. After listening to Clan life, she offers to be a mediator, having experience with negotiating with loners and kittypets.

(Redstar, leader, female, 61 moons) (Windfur, medicine cat, male, 16 moons) [NEW CLAN MATE ADDED] Olive (mediator, female, 58 moons. Calm.)

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