#aged them after 1 sim day lmao

[cupidgnome]

date at the park + dinner at a sushi restaurant + mia & milo are now bigger dogs!!

[youredreamingofroo]

The Roo-seum...

group pics and other stuff under the cut! (just to avoid flooding the dash lmao)

CAS pics in the NEXT POST

Now onto me ranting.

The Roo-seum is a 16 sim project that's consumed me for the last couple of days (in a good way), this explores most of Roo's lifespan (not implying he's dead LMAO), from the age of 9 years old, up to now, 28 years old, talking about what he went through for each year (for the most part anyways), of course, I didn't start at 1 or 2 years old, mainly because, way back when I made all of these Roo's (roughly back in July '23, this is not an idea that suddenly sparked, I only acted on it because I have a way to show off each age that isn't a Picrew lmao... I can't draw well so I just used TS4), I made them in Picrew, which... at the time couldn't find a Picrew with kids/babies so the youngest I went was around 9 years old, and just built up from there.

Roo is my persona gone OC, around 5 or 6 years ago, I put on this persona of "Roo", which started as "The Unfortunate Roo" and Roo's (or Mine, since this was technically a Persona, doubling as an OC) design was COMPLETELY different back then, He wasn't a he, the design was a sucubus I think, I don't really recall and I really couldn't care for it, it's embarrassing 💀 I don't remember how he came to fruition, but I remember finding this one picrew that I LOVED, and I used that picrew to create ~Roo~, his initial design was akin to the 22-23 year old Roo, there's a lot about his design that I could talk about but will avoid doing so, but just know that his Sims design isn't super on the dot to what his actual design is supposed to look like.

So... what's Piametia?? Why did you come up with that?? How did you come up with that?? To be honest, I never actually came up with a name up until yesterday when writing the note for 10-12 year old Roo, I don't really remember what sparked me to come up with a condition that "has the Patient suffer a sudden loss or gain in pigmentation and melanin in the eyes and hair," I guess 17 year old me thought it was cool, and it is! It opened up a new story for him, where I couldn't provide story (for someone without Piametia), like how being affected by Piametia caused him to go from extremely accepting of himself, to getting bullied into "normalizing himself," While he achieved this, it was really in vain, because he was still bullied for his condition, but as he grew older, out of his teen years and into adulthood, it bothered him less and less, because, well, shit like that doesn't fucking matter, sure it still bothered him, sure it still traumatized him to some degree, but it's just what some stupid kids say, it doesn't determine what his worth is, and he understands that, so after recovering from almost ending his life, he realized that something had to change, he couldn't live in this wallowing ball of agony because some kids determined "hey! That kid is different! They're no longer as cool as we are! Get him!!"

I should also mention that he didn't develop Piametia til he was around 9 years old, which is exactly what the condition does, it's genetic (although it never occurred in Reese or Virginia, the only reasonable conclusion was that it skipped a generation) and it's drilled into the person's DNA and only takes effect before puberty (in the average kid). So Roo was considered a part of the other kids' little cliques and stuff, but only until his hair and eyes changed color.

I kind of hyped this up to be something extravagant and maybe it is, idk, I don't have the eyes of the audience, I'm just a guy who made this and I have a rather critical view of my work sometimes, I try not to, but force of habit lmao. I really liked making this because Roo is an OC who has grown with me, mainly because he's both a persona of me while also being an OC, so where I change and grow, he often reflects that change and growth, in his own ways of course, I often wish he was real, but he's not and that's the harsh reality. Also gonna clarify that his life does NOT completely reflect mine, I'm only 18, he's ten years older then me lmao, where he was 8 I was 10 years to be conceived- Roo is still his own character, he's had his own relationships, all of which have went poorly (reflecting my own), and even had his own stalker (which escalated)- But parts of his life like when he became extremely homophobic of himself and who he truly was is not reflective of myself, I never had that stage in life (whether you did or not however is not a bad thing unless your actually just homophobic, then gtfo like?? 😭).

I went on a rant there, and I probably could've kept going, but figured I should stop at some point lol, but I hope you guys like this, I sure LOVED making this and I love doing Roo related things and posts. I also provided text in the image descriptions in case it's hard to read in the images (I tried to keep it as clear and readable as possible), and in case anyone who uses a screen-reader finds this post :)

[daffodilsonaprettystring]

Personally here’s what I think each of the soundtracks will be for in the RWARB movie:

1. If I Loved You by Vagabon- I made a post about this here

2. Buckingham Palace- obviously the royal wedding

3. Anxious Alex- no idea maybe him being really nervous about the whole Cakegate thing? Maybe him on his way to England for damage control?

4. Press Day- Cakegate damage control obviously

5. Soft Side- Alex seeing Henry talk to the little girl Claudette or maybe them in the closet finally talking

6. Later Your Majesty- Lol Alex saying goodbye to Henry after damage control MAKING HIS PEACE SIGN BISEXUAL POSE AS HE SHOUKD

7. Text Bants- I had to Google what bants meant lol but duh this is them texting (read: flirting) after the whole damage control thingy when they’re finally becoming freinds ❤️❤️

8. First Kiss- this one speaks for itself but NEW YEARSSSS

9. Red Room- also speaks for itself lmao but OMGGGGGG RED ROOOOOOOOM I’m dying to know who had to go to the White House to take notes for the set build hehehehehheh

10. Or Else I’ll Vanish- I’m so curious about this one because I have no idea?? But I can say it sounds dramatic as hell so I’m looking forward to seeing what it goes to

11. In Good Hands- also no idea but also very curious.

12. Pillow Talk- self explanatory but maaaaye that shot from the trailer where they’re in bed lookin at eachother with those heart eyes?

13. Twenty-Seven- one of their birthdays probably considering they’ve both been aged up for the movie which honestly I’m not mad about anymore especially when you think about Ellen asking Alex the “do u feel forever about him” question because WOW that’s gonna hit a lot harder for 27 year old Alex than 22 year old Alex

14. Texas- see I would think this was the lake house except it comes before the tracks that I think will be the lake house. So maybe Alex campaigning in Texas or just thinking about it?

15. I’m Coming In- I bet you 100$ this is Zahra busting in and finding Henry HEHEHEHHEHH

16. Dear Henry- EMAILSSSSS

17. Lost In A Moment- not sure, BUT I’m thinking it might be that scene where Henry and Alex are sitting at a fire and “Alex. Well, Alex is so in love he could die.”

18. Dive Deep- lake house😭😭 Henry running awayyyy

19. Tell Me To Leave- we all know what this is about but god if this doesn’t make me CRY knowing we actually get that line

20. Museum- come on we all know this one but like specifically I hope this isn’t what they dance to cuz they MUST dance to Your Song❤️❤️

21. Runway Goodbyes- HENRY GIVING ALEX HIS RING❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

22. Leaked Emails- I hate this one I skip we all know it anyway

23. No Turning Back- Henry and Alex coming clean and telling the truth to the king/the world

24. Election Night- obviously it’s Election Night lmao

25. Open hearted Fearless and Alive- right after Ellen wins the election, I bet any speech she gives will have these words in it. And it will probably pan to Alex and Henry. Calling it now. Because I would love to see that

26. We Won- they won the election AND Alex and Henry won to be together❤️❤️❤️ specifically tho I wonder if this will be Alex and Henry going back to Alex’s house because I know Alex says this right outside the door as the book ends

27. Fruit (Red, White and Royal Blue Version) by Oliver Sim- credit song maybe?

[girlfriendline]

15 People 15 Questions

ty for the tag @babygirlboberrey 💛

1. are you named after anyone?

no, but i was very almost named after perdita from in 101 dalmations until my dad stepped in and said absolutely not to the pregnancy hormones. ftr my mother maintains to this day it wouldn't have been a bad name. can you imagine. perdy.

2. when was the last time you cried?

within the last week for sure. it's just such a wonderful time of the year.

3. do you have kids?

nope, and that's never going to change. i neither want kids, nor would be a good mother, and i have a hard enough time looking after myself lmao.

4. what sports do you play/have you played?

i used to competitively swim through high school (although not in the way i think that equates to in the us), and i played football (soccer) on and off. the big one was show jumping, i made it all the way up to competing internationally for gbr. i used to wake up and ride at 5am before school and then again after school which, looking back, was quite frankly insane. i took being the weird horse girl Very Seriously.

5. do you use sarcasm?

more than other people probably appreciate.

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

i've honestly never considered this before this question but i think maybe clothes??? or colours of clothes? i'm not sure why either, i never remember them.

7. what’s your eye color?

blue ish

8. scary movies or happy endings?

if i'm alone, happy endings. if i'm with a bunch of people, scary movies. i'm a baby. i need emotional support.

9. any talents?

i'm very good at horses. i've never lost anything when i've been drunk. i can type much faster than i should physically be able to considering i use three fingers total. i can water ski (fairly useless tbh). i'm also very good at bringing animals home from the streets (my family would argue this is not a talent but a curse). i can sing, sort of.

10. where were you born?

uk

11. what are your hobbies?

watching hockey. suffering through f1. reading. running. hiking. swimming. playing guitar (badly). apparently lately building my own furniture. rewatching the same three tv shows over and over again. making gifs when the divine inspiration strikes. playing sims. baking.

12. do you have any pets?

four cats: a grumpy ginger and white old aged pensioner called spike (actually. maybe this is just claude giroux in cat form); loulou, who looks way too posh to have come from the streets; mishka, the love of my life my sweet angel baby darling who never does any wrong; and pasha, demon void cat who followed me home 3 months before i moved countries (and wasn't that a headache and a half) and who's probably going to send someone (me) to an early grave.

two dogs: indy, looks exactly like a fox, found her in the desert outside the rescue centre and they refused to take her in. she's my little mountain dog. and alfie, who we rescued 6 months ago, and who is best described as 'imagine there's a velociraptor in your home but the velociraptor is on fire and also your home is on fire and also you are on fire and also'. he's majority german shorthaired pointer. iykyk.

13. how tall are you?

between 5'8 and 5'9

14. favorite subject in school?

i used to love maths because it required a lot less brain power and subjective answers than everything else. in uni, my forensic science classes, or the only enjoyable thing from my first time round at uni, some fake ass course to build up credits called 'the universe as an art' which consisted of going outside to look at the stars and writing a poem about the moon.

15. dream job.

training horses. which sort of was my job that i had to give up when i moved here :)

i think a lot of people have already been tagged but @yabagofmilfs @amandaleveille @girldewar @tblueger @masonshaws @babygirlspurgeon

[uglycowplant]

sims tag

tagged by: stole from the dash lol

1. What’s your favourite sims death? cowplant for sure! i also love the vending machine one lol

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? maxis mix! i use only maxis match hairs but i sort of mix alpha clothes,,, but not like suuuuper alpha clothes??? yknow,,, lol

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? no. why would i

4. Do you use move objects? all the fucking time. i cant not use it

5. Favorite mod? i love custom recipes! and also mccc, ui cheats, and more cas columns. cant play without em. i also used to play with some slice of life and wonderful whims features, but stopped after the infant update... idk if ill get back to them anytime soon tho

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? i got city living, vampires, and cool kitchen at the same time! i actually wanted outdoor retreat but i was 12 and mt dad bought them for me and somehow i mixed the links lmao (we used the sims website to buy them)... i still to this day dont own outdoor retreat and idk if ill get it anytime soon

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? like living!

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? probably bree wisteria. i think a lot about how i didn't end up using them as the heir...

9. Have you made a simself? yes! i have a whole post of dressing my and my friends simselves in different universes!

10. What sim traits do you give yourself? bookworm, clumsy, and socially awkward. i dont own highschool years so i actually used loner instead tho

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color? the new browns!

12. Favorite EA hair? i love the cottage living ones! except agnes' one. it has a weird texture

13. Favorite life stage? children! idk why, i just like playing with them and decorating their rooms

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? definitely a player. i actually am renovating the entire game rn for when im done with my current legacy so ill have a cool looking save to play not so berry in, and im enjoying building a lot more than i anticipated!

15. Are you a CC creator? not at all. i cant even make recolors

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? nope. but id love to get to know ppl on here more!!

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4) only ever played the sims 4 (and a little of my cousin's sims 3 when i was 7 but i dont remember much) so i cant really say lol

18. Do you have any sims merch? nope. i do want a cowplant sculpture tho. something resembling a funko pop. if they'd ever make a collab with funko id get them!!

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? nope. i do watch a lot of sims youtubers tho

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? i used to make sims from shows and play as them with aging off (i actually have an entire arrowverse save that im considering making into a full on dc save). now im more of a legacy player, especially with challenges and stuff

21. What’s your Origin ID? romychet. follow me! i upload all the renovations im making lol

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? i dont have a fav atm but it used to be @miikocc and @casteru for a loooong time!

23. How long have you had a simblr? like a year and a half maybe? idk

24. How do you edit your pictures? literally just add a psd as a filter and thats it lol

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? honestly all we got lately (book nook kit, green house kit, growing together) are all what i really wanted... i dont own any of them yet (i do however have the greenhouse kit as cc) so i don't have anything im that interested in! maybe a more in depth elder pack? tho i barley play with them atm

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? cottage living! it's soooo cozy and cute and i love it for my family gameplay! and speaking of family gameplay, i think that once ill buy growing together itll become my fav! i also looooove parenthood!

[joshiesims]

insane time travel glitch?

throwing this post into the simblr void - i’m getting this wild glitch lately where every time i enter CAS, my game literally goes back in time by one day or more. all skills/job progress/pregnancy stages/relationships revert too. the only thing that doesn’t revert are babies who were born during the missing timeframe.

to explain in more detail, here’s what exactly happened in my occult baby challenge save when i noticed the glitch:

1) i age up my twin werewolf babies to toddlers. they have brown hair and light green eyes like their mom.

2) i go into CAS to change their hair

3) i notice they’re somehow still babies?

4) i exit CAS and notice their cribs are regular basgame instead of the werewolf cribs they spawned after being born.

5) i go “huh that’s weird” and age them up again. they now have blond hair and black eyes.

6) after one sim day, i notice it’s still summer, despite fall starting the day before. i also notice their mom isn’t related to them in their sim profiles on the relationship screen.

7) ???

8) out of curiosity, i check mc pregnancy (sim mom was pregnant before this glitch happened) and sure enough, she was somehow pregnant with those same twins living in my house.

9) the game reverted back THREE DAYS and now i have changelings i guess.

anyway, i learned it was probably a script mod issue, so i removed my script mods sub folder, repaired my game on origin, and removed my localthumbcache file. this appeared to have fixed the glitch, so i slowly added script mods back in and checked CAS as i went. so far so good! i was able to age up the original toddlers and edit them in CAS without any fae deals—until i aged up the third baby and had her enter CAS. same time traveling issue, sans the changeling black-eyed toddlers. somehow the current baby i had stayed related to my sim.

i wondered if i could circumvent this issue by having the other girl toddler enter CAS instead, which somehow worked. i am now incredibly confused and live in fear of opening my legacy challenge, lmao.

has anyone else gotten this same glitch and resolved it? if so, how? the main script mods i use are mc command center, UI cheats, wonderful/wicked whims, talents/weaknesses, woohoo wellness, and a bunch of littlesam mods. i’d prefer to keep them if possible, but i would also love to save my overpriced beta game. 🙏

[mellowdust]

Survivor: Sulani

Announcing Survivor: Sulani, a sims reality tv series!! For those of you who may not know the real show, Survivor takes a group of people and maroons them on a deserted island, splits them into two or more tribes, has them compete in challenges for immunity, and vote each other off at Tribal Council until only one remains--and wins a million dollars. It is recognized as one of the first true reality tv shows, and has just celebrated its twentieth anniversary and aired its 40th season!

Bringing this show into the Sims has been done a few times, more-so on YouTube but on simblr as well. I’m very excited to do my own take on it, as I’m a huge fan of the show in real life!

With that being said, this is your casting call! I am taking 16 sims for the challenge of a lifetime and the chance to earn one million simoleons.

There can only be one sole survivor.

More information below the cut!

Challenge Basics

This rigorous challenge will take 16 sims and maroon them on an island for up to 39 days, lasting 13 episodes. The sims will be split into two tribes of eight, and the tribes will merge halfway through the season. Each episode, the castaways will participate in challenges for reward and immunity. Those who do not win immunity are in danger of being voted off at Tribal Council. After the merge, the sims who are voted off will make up the jury, who will select the winner--the sole survivor--out of the last three sims. This season will not use hidden immunity idols.

Here is how voting will work. When a tribe goes to tribal council, they will vote for the sim they have the least relationship with. If there is a tie between two sims, everyone will re-vote except for said sims. In the unlikely event that it is still a tie, the tied sims will ‘draw rocks’ (i.e., the sim getting voted off will be randomized).

During the tribes’ downtime, or time that they are not participating in challenges or attending Tribal Council, they will have FULL autonomy. I will NOT control the sims during this time. It is up to them to build their relationships, form alliances, and keep their own needs met. However, during challenges and Tribal Council, their autonomy will be completely off.

Entering a Sim

If you would like to enter a sim for Survivor: Sulani, here are your guidelines (and thank you)! Again, I need 16 sims who will be split at random into two tribes of eight. Here are the slots:

@warmsol

@requiemsims

my bf lmao

@nvcece

@voidcreek

@banana-sims

@softpine

@neluun

@goldenhour-s

@plumthot

@stinkrascal

@melsie-sims​

@regalllove​

@dreamlandiasims​

@snoozeesims​

@simsurie​

If you are submitting a sim, please dm me so I can reserve your slot! Then if you like, please make a public post including your sim’s photo, name, age, traits, and maybe a bio if you’re feeling ambitious (and so I can figure out how to write your character <3). Sims must be young adult or older. They can have any traits, but no skills! 

Above is a guide for how to dress your sims. These are five outfits that your sims will wear (possibly not the jury outfit if they are voted off too early). If you don’t want to dress your sim in all of these outfits, that’s okay!! I will do it for you based on how I perceive your sim. Keep in mind please that your sim, when on the island, will wear the colors of their tribe. Once I receive your sim, I will adjust the swatches of their outfits to match their buff (which I will provide once they are sorted into a tribe).

Their outfits while on the island must be comfortable. It is hot on the island and your sims will be doing strenuous activity every day. Their main outfit, the first one in the diagram, will be what they wear most of the time. It is just fine and honestly better for your sim to have the same outfit for everyday, athletic wear, sleepwear and hot weather. They will not have access to makeup on the island, so no eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick etc. for these outfits (however a natural looking blush or lip color to suit your sim style is a-okay). Small accessories are also okay as long as they wouldn’t get in the way! If your sim makes the jury, they will theoretically stay in an area referred to as “Loser’s Lodge,” where they will have more access to every day amenities such as showers, makeup and air conditioning. Therefore, the clothes for those sitting on the jury will be a little nicer than what they wore on the island, but still casual (and no need to match their tribe). As for the finale outfit, it is traditional that they will dress more formally for it, and can wear heavier makeup.

As a final note, cc is okay! I just ask that no alpha hair is used and that you don’t completely go overboard with cc, because I do play on a laptop.

With all that being said, I’m excited to get this show on the road! The deadline to submit a sim is February 1, but as always, that is subject to change. Survivors ready? Go!

[oversimplify-it]

Story Process Tag by @herpixels​

I was tagged by @dynastiasimss​ - Thank you so much for tagging me!! 😊💖💗 This will most definitely get a bit wordy because I’m terrible at explaining things concisely! 😂 Also, I’ll mostly be talking about my process for 2.B.A Grandmaster but I’ll touch on my process for Erin in San Myshuno too!

I’m also going to get tags out of the way up here so that no one has to scroll all the way through this ... absolute novel that is under the cut LMAO so I tag: @cyansimblr  @x-simss @matchacake and any other simblrs who wanna do this!! and feel free to skip if you want!

1. Your writing process My writing process is very, very chaotic, and changes with the wind... Erin in San Myshuno doesn’t really have a process, I just play the game and then put in some dialogue based on the events. None of it is guided by my hand at all though! 2.B.A Grandmaster on the other hand is written in part based on what happens in game and in part by my own creative vision. Most of the time, I let stuff happen, and then fill in the blanks in between events. I go in game, play Sims as I normally would (skill build, take care of needs, go out to venues, etc.) and then watch what weird and interesting things happen. For example, Augusta’s meeting with Xavier in the beginning was completely the game’s doing! He was the only one to show up for the Welcome Wagon event, so I rolled with that. Scenes like Kaitlin’s meeting with Maverick and those sort of things are planned by me, as they’re necessary to create a more full narrative! It’s like collaborative storytelling, but my “partner” is a game that is weird and random and crazy. 😂 After stuff happens in game and I get screenshots, I then actually write for it. I chose to write novel style for the series because - as some of my long-term followers may remember - I had another story that was just screenshots with dialogue on them? And it was very hard, LOL, it didn’t suit my workflow very well and I ended up dropping it after a month or so. I wanted 2.B.A Grandmaster to be something I could post consistently, and so I opted for a style that I was more familiar and experienced with!

2. Scene building For the most part, I just work with what sims gives me, but as I mentioned above, some scenes I actually go to the trouble of setting up. For those, I still use the sims animations mostly (I’ve used poses about 3 times in 2.B.A Grandmaster so far) but I do usher my sims around the "set” as I see fit. I build a lot of my own lots and locations for 2.B.A GM because I tend to get a vision in my mind of what I want and refuse to settle for less. 😂 One such case is the scene where Maverick meets up with Octavia--

I made the alleyway we see here - it’s two entirely empty buildings sandwiched side by side on an otherwise empty lot in Oasis Springs. The only part I bothered to decorate was the alley itself because I knew I wasn’t going to use the rest of the area, but maybe we’ll revisit it sometime and I’ll finish the two buildings! I actually loved making this set and like how it turned out, LOL~

Then I just have whatever sims are involved in a scene interact with each other for ages until I feel like I have enough screenshots to make a scene. I usually have a vague idea of what’s going to be said in any given scene - especially the ones I actually planned out beforehand - but I get some excess screenshots to be safe. I try lots of different interactions and pause like every few frames to get interesting expressions and stuff, LOL. Lots of “Complain about Cold Weather” and “Give fake bad news” ...

3. CC/Pose making I don’t actually make my own CC for 2.B.A GM specifically (I’ve made a couple eyeshadows but I don’t use them super frequently) but there is a scene coming up in the future that I plan to make poses for. I have a very clear image in my mind that includes a lot of subtle expressions and very specific things that I doubt I could find poses for, so I’m gonna have to brave the terrifying landscape of blender in order to make it a reality. 😧

4. Getting in the zone I don’t have any sort of “ok, show time” ritual like some people do but I wish I did, because my motivation waxes and wanes so unpredictably. Some days I just don’t feel like doing anything, and other days I edit and write for 5 posts in a row! I am always listening to something though, usually music, every once in a blue moon a video with lots of talking. 5. Screenshot folder

UGH... 

6. Captions I don’t do captions on 2.B.A GM posts, but for my city living gameplay I do! I keep them simple, because I don’t want to make it too much work for myself. Erin in San Myshuno’s style of editing is 100% based around ease, because I wanted something to post often that didn’t put too much of a strain on me. Verdana in white, typically 35-40 px, with a gradient border. Each sim we encounter has a different gradient color, usually based on their outfit or just the ~vibe~ I get from them. Erin’s gradient is Hot pink to ... gee, what would you call it. Sonic the Hedgehog Blue LMAO-- I chose that gradient because that’s the color of the overlay, which I’ll talk more about in the next section!

7. Editing My two ‘series’ - and I use that term loosely LMAO - have different editing processes, so I’ll try to summarize them both. Basically, for 2.B.A Grandmaster, I touch up the saturation and brightness depending on the scene. If it’s evening in the shots, I usually won’t touch brightness, and if it’s night, I might even lower it a bit for more accurate lighting! Once that’s done, I blur everything but relevant elements of a scene, usually the character we’re following or who is speaking. I have to select the character from the background manually which takes a bit, but other than that it’s very minimal.

My shots aren’t super glamorous, but I prefer simple screenshots and actually being able to keep up with a story schedule as opposed to what happened with my last story. 😬 As for Erin in San Myshuno, barring captions which I only do when I feel it’s necessary, it’s literally just an overlay on otherwise untouched screenshots. 😭 I would do more, but again, it’s supposed to be an easy downtime sort of series for me so~

This goes over top all screenshots on the “Add” setting at 20% opacity. It brightens things up and softens them, as well as making the colors slightly more harmonious! If anyone wants me to go more in depth on editing, or maybe captions, please let me know! I’m happy to talk about it if it’ll help anyone, and I know that a lot of tutorials cover how to do stuff in Photoshop, whereas I use FireAlpaca (which is 100% free btw! It’s more of an art program, but not bad for editing) 8. Throwback!

Oh boy, so this is one of my first posts on simblr. For starters, I didn’t know about camera mode at the time, so that’s the first thing I would change obviously LOL. 😬 The framing I did at the time was ... cute, but it makes the pictures feel kind of cramped and small in my opinion, so I did away with that for all of my later stories. Also, Amy and Gemma aren’t very well centered in this picture! Other than that, this isn’t actually terrible I don’t think, so aside from maybe blurring the background as I do on 2.B.A GM now, I wouldn’t change too much! Thankfully, I had observed other people’s stories before making my own on here for a little bit, so I wasn’t starting with absolutely no idea what to do, but I still think I’ve improved since I made these. 😊

This was a ton of fun!! If anyone has questions or wants more info on anything I covered in here, absolutely feel free to ask, and thank you so much if you actually read through all of this - I know I rambled for quite a while!! 🙏

[rest-upon-the-morning-light]

JonMartin fic

So I’m trying to get back into fic writing, especially for TMA, and have a multi chapter fic planned but wanted to start with a smaller one shot style fic to warm up. It’s been an age since I’ve written anything, much less something that wasn’t just reader based or smut lmao. I’ve added trigger warnings but if I missed any do let me know! 

Any feedback would be great and if you like this, please send me prompts! Happy to write anything from fluff to smut, just as long as its TMA based :D 

So! Here is my cute fluff JonMartin fic! Enjoy~ 

Everybody Wants To Be A Cat 

Word Count: 2240 

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Animal Abuse, but nothing to graphic. Anxiety. Self Worth Issues. Season 1 Jon being Season 1 Jon. Season 1 Martin being Season 1 Martin.

Fandom: The Magnus Archive

Pairings: Jonathan Sims/Martin Blackwood 

Summary: Martin was certain of two things. One, he had an enormous crush on his boss. Two, his boss hated him. Who knew a one eyed beast of an alley cat would bring them closer?

Martin Blackwood has two problems.

Problem number one. He was absolutely certain he was more than a little bit in love with his boss.

Problem number two. His was absolutely certain said boss hated him.

 Well, hated was probably a strong word. Hated implied that Jon thought of him at all, and it was far more likely that Jon thought of him very little throughout his day. Except, of course, when Martin did something wrong. Then those piercing eyes of his would be solely fixed on him whilst he shouted about how inept Martin was or how stupid his mistake had been.

It hurt, those moments. It hurt that the only time Jon ever truly seemed to see Martin was when he was angry at him. Not when Martin did an amazing follow up on a statement. Not when he’d created a great rapport with a statement giver or their family. Not when he brought Jon tea. Just when he did something wrong.

It was a running theme in this annoyance Martin called his life.

He still couldn’t help these feelings though. Jon was an arse half the time that much was true. It infuriated Tim to know end when Jon would lash out at Martin. “He has no right Martin. Mistake or not he’s your boss, he’s supposed to help you, not act like a massive dick all the time”

It was harder for Tim and Sasha in a way. They’d been Jon’s equal for a long time, working together. Moving to the Archive was always going to be a bit of a challenge. To have friend become boss. Especially for Sasha, who everyone thought was going to be become Head Archivist. But neither had held any real resentment over Jon for the change. After all, it wasn’t his choice, it was Elias’s.

But Jon’s sudden shift from rude but mostly recluse and occasionally friendly colleague to rude very recluse and stick constantly up arse boss was harder than any of them expected.

Martin could understand. It was big position and Jon seemed like the type to take everything he did very seriously. This meant holding everything in the archive to a high standard. His assistance included.

So yes, Jon was awful to him a lot of the time. But he was passionate. He cared. For all his blustering that none of this was real, Martin could see how much he empathised with the people who had given those statements. How he looked like he’d personally failed them when a follow up revealed they had died not longer after they’d come to visit the institute.

His crush probably wasn’t the most healthy but sue him! He liked being a bit in love. He liked having inspiration for his poetry. He enjoyed the fluttery feeling in his stomach when he came into work.

He just wished Jon didn’t quite hate. No. Didn’t quite dislike him so much.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a cat that has been hiding the alleyway behind the Institute for several days now.

Martin noticed the poor thing when he’d been taking out some rubbish that accumulated in the Archive. Usually that sort of thing wasn’t his job, but he’d been done for the day anyway and he liked to be useful, even if no one really noticed.

It was a mangy young thing. Light brown fur matted, one eye seemed to be damaged and it hissed every time Martin so much as approached it.

He couldn’t just leave it though. Poor thing needed help. It was out here, lonely, forgotten, damaged by the people that probably at one point said they’d love and protect it.

Was he projecting onto a stray cat now? God this was a new level of sad.

So he did what someone in his position did best. He researched.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is a surprising number of places to buy cat supplies near the Institute and the workers in the shop were incredibly helpful with his questions.

Approach slowly. Don’t try to touch or hold the cat. Leave out food and water. He’d also bought a small plastic hut and shoved a warm blanket inside for the large cat. He didn’t know what breed it was. Just that it was grumpy and hurt.

It didn’t take a great deal away from his own funds either. His job paid well enough and he didn’t exactly go out with people very often, buying expensive drinks or tickets to shows.

His special treat was usually some sugar drenched coffee.

He couldn’t see any physical injuries on the cat, apart from its eye, so he put some treats in the hut, left out the food and water, then left.

He came back everyday with more supplies to keep the large growling cat comfortable. Every day that passed the cat came a little bit closer to him. He grinned at that. Hoping one day it would come close enough to pet.

He’d read somewhere that when cats blink, once and slow, it was a sign that they trusted you. Martin waited for that day with bated breath.

Tim and Sasha were a little bit suspicious as to where he was going on his lunch breaks. He told them he just taking a long walk, getting some fresh air away from the dusty old archives but he knew it wasn’t the best lie.

Lying for the sake of his job was one thing. Lying to his friends for no good reason was another.

It wasn’t like he doing anything bad. It was more that he wanted this for himself. He wasn’t even too sure why. Part of him wondered if he was worried the cat would somehow take some natural liking to either one of them or both. He didn’t want to lose all his hard work.

Or, if he was being more honest with himself, he didn’t want the cat to abandon him for someone better.

Yeah. New level of pathetic had been reached.

But one lunch, a few weeks after he’d first spotted the broken but massive feline, that the lying and the ill feeling became absolutely worth it.

Because the cat approached him.

Martin didn’t move a single muscle. He was sat on a small wooden box in the alley. Far enough away as to not frighten the poor thing, but close enough that the cat could make contact if it wanted to.

And today it did.

He held his breath the closer it got, keeping eye contact with its good eye the whole time. It paused for a moment, right in the front of his bent legs, before it let out a small mirp noise and butted its head against his knee.

“Oh hello” Martin laughed, chest feeling lighter than it had in an exceptionally long time.

He reached out his hand slowly to pet its head and let out another sign of relief when the one eyed cat let him.

“Well” he began

“I can’t very well keep calling you cat or beast in my head, you’ll need a name”.

It didn’t acknowledge his words in any way, just continued to let him scratch behind its ears and watched him with its one working eye. He could almost imagine its thoughts.

“Silly Martin, just come up with one already. Stop wasting time”.

He let out a soft chuckle at the thought, a name ready on his lips.

“Jon” he smiled gently.

“I think I’ll call you Jon”.

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 It went well after that. Martin made plans to keep the cat. It would help the dreariness of his lonely flat, and he was lucky his landlord allowed pets in his building.

He couldn’t afford proper insurance but the workers at the pet shop knew an emergency vet that wasn’t too expensive, so he could get Cat Jon’s eye checked out soon.

Giddy as he was with his newfound friend, he didn’t realise that he’d been less subtle than usual about where he was going on his break.

It was one grey, wet Wednesday that it all came to ahead.

He’d been sitting crossed legged on the ground, his coat below him as a sort of makeshift blanket to keep his trousers dry, when Human Jon found them.

He hadn’t even noticed Jon had followed him until the backdoor that led the alley burst open with a bang that echoed down the narrow way.

“Martin” shouted Jon, looking at some papers in his hand.

“I need you to take your lunch late and follow up on this report. You made several errors in your research that, frankly, a child could spot. I don’t know what you’re doing out here but if you have time to sit around then –“

Jon’s rant was cut short as he finally looked up to the picture that greeted him.

Cat Jon had leaped into his arms from the loud noise, clinging to Martin’s bright yellow sweater.

Martin froze, cat in arms as Jon stared at him with a look of equal shock.

“Oh” began Jon softly

“Sorry” Martin practically shouted.

“I – eh – this is, well um, a cat, I found? A few weeks ago, actually. I’ve been sort of taking care of it? Getting it food and water and um” he gestured to the plastic hut and blanket he’d laid out.

“He was hurt you see. Only one eye and really badly taken care of. Abandoned, I recon. So I’ve been out here on lunches making sure he’s, um, that he’s okay? Is that..is that alright?” he trailed off nervously.

He couldn’t look at Jon. It wasn’t exactly something to be ashamed of, taking care of a stray cat. But he could imagine Jon being the sort of serious no nonsense person who would see it as a waste of time, his lunch break or not. God would this make his relationship worse? Would Jon scold him for it? Did it make him seem more pathetic than before? Christ, was that even possible?

He didn’t notice the movement until Jon was sat beside him on the floor.

Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, sat on a dirty alley floor with Martin K Blackwood.

He watched with bated breath as Human Jon reached his hand out to Cat Jon and let out a small sound of relief when Cat Jon didn’t bite, scratch or run away.

“You poor thing” murmured Jon, eyes only on his (unknowing) cat counterpart.

“What have they done to you? Well, you look better now than you probably did before. Thank to our Martin here”.

Martin couldn’t help but blush deeply at that. Hot all over his face. He couldn’t handle this. Jon being all, all soft and gentle and calling him “our” Martin.

“You’ve been taking care of him then?” Jon looked up at Martin now. Eyes soft and kind for once. It nearly took all of Martins brain power to respond after receiving such a look.

“Yes” he began.

“Like I said, I found him a few weeks ago. Planning on taking him back to mine soon, get him out of the cold properly”.

Jon nodded, eyes never leaving Martins, hand firmly petting the cat in Martins arms.

“I’m sorry, about the work” Martin nervously bit his lip.

“I’ve been really worried about him so I rushed it to get out here on time. It’s no excuse and I know you don’t exactly think highly of my work in the first place. I’ll make sure I stay late tonight so I can catch up”

“Martin” interrupted Jon, eye straying on the bitten lip, a slight flush to his cheeks.

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I haven’t been fair to you these past few months. It’s been unprofessional at best and, well, and downright cruel at worst”

“Your job is stressful” Martin tried to defend

“And we both know I’m not exactly at the same standard at the others”

“Still” Jon continued.

“It’s my job to help you, not, berate you at every mistake. You came from the library, not research, so you have different skill set and – well, its been hard for us all. Not fair of me to put all that blame on you. God knows Tim could stand to be a bit more professional at times” Jon grumbled out the last part, a small pout to his lips.

Martin laughed at that, smiling wider than he could last remember.

“Tim just likes to keep you human, I think” he winked and watched with fascination as the flush came back to Jon’s dark cheeks.

Cat Jon leap out of his arms after that, toddling off to who knows where.

“Well” Martin began, getting up from his cross legged position on the floor.

“We still have time for lunch, we could, um, maybe eat together? If that’s okay I mean! You could help me figure out a name for him?” “You don’t have one already?” replied Jon, surprise in his voice “Uhhh not any suitable ones, no” Martin laughed awkwardly.

He couldn’t exactly say he’d name the poor blighter after Jon. He doubted Jon would take it as a compliment and he didn’t want to ruin whatever fragile peace they’d stumbled onto.

He held out his hand to help Jon off the floor. Jon eyed it, before bringing his own hand up and placing it into Martins larger ones. Martin pulled him up and held back a small gasp as Jon shot forward quicker than intended, his smaller hand landing on Martin chest.

Jon looked up at him, a small shy smile gracing his lips.

“Beautiful” Martin couldn’t help but think, face and ears bright red.

Jon pulled back, coughing every so slightly into his fist.

“Yes, well, I’ve named a cat or two in my time, it won’t be too hard” “Oh?” teased Martin

“What about Magnus? We did find him here” Jon shook his head at that, crinkling his nose slightly.

“Absolutely not, something more dignified. The Captain maybe?” “Captain?” countered Martin

“The Captain” continued Jon as they began to head back inside

“I suppose the one eye does give him a bit of a pirate look” Martin couldn’t help by laugh slightly as he said it.

“Yes” Jon laughed back

“Dignified but still fitting his nature” And off they went, back into the Institute. Unaware of any monstrous eyes watching them as they simply watched each other. A new, wonderful feeling developing between them.

Neither noticed that they still held each others hands as they made their way to the break room.

And if they spoke of cat names, and toys and flushed deeply when they did notice the hands still entwined, well.

Those moments were only for them.

[enniewritesathing]

Rules: 1. Pick a sim of your choice 2. Tell us about them 3. Tag someone else (if you want to!)

lmao I used his birthday pic IT’S A REALLY NICE PIC OKAY

Name: Brian Antonio Fitzgerald

How old is your sim? He just turned 27 :)

When is your sim’s birthday? February 23

What is your sim’s zodiac sign? Pisces

Martial Status: Engaged

Does your sim have any nicknames? He does not! He would if he’d reveal his middle name to people and it would most likely be Tony. Which would be seven sorts of hilarious.

Do they have a job? He is an Emergency Room Nurse at Newcrest Medical Center.

Where does your sim live? Willow Creek

Who does your sim live with? John (his fiance) and their cat Lady Spaghetti Wednesday (Davidson)

What environment did your sims grow up in? (strict, loving, cold etc.) Brian grew up in a very strict household. His family... well, let’s put it this way, they were Like That. It wasn’t until he got disowned at the age of 11 (thereabouts, but it was before he turned 13) after a hunting accident that left his grandfather dead and it was thought that it was all Brian’s fault due to incompetence (or so they think 👀) His aunt Connie took him after taking pity, but he was subjected to abuses and all of that, causing him to run away multiple times. It wasn’t until he met John and him giving the invitation to stay with him and his mom whenever he wanted that he had any sort of stability.

What are your sim’s favorite food? Chocolate, Chicken Nuggets, anything quick and easy

What is your sim’s favorite drink? Anything with a stupid amount of caffeine Long Island Ice Tea If they have one what is your sim’s favorite color? He’s a fan of bright, cheerful colors. And vaporwave gradients. 

Is your sim introverted or extroverted? Brian is extroverted and honestly it works out great for him given his job; he has his ways of getting information from the most stubborn patient (or very shy children... sometimes both lol).

What is your sims favorite woohoo position? Doggy, Prone Bone... really, any position that he can be potentially pinned (but not too roughly, just... a little pin. as a treat). Apropos of nothing, when John gets rowdy, he gets a bite mark at his shoulder.

Is your sim a pet person? He is! Brian was actually the one to adopt Spaghetti but kept her as a surprise back when John was volunteering at the vet clinic. He’s pretty open to the idea of adopting another cat or even a dog or two?

Does your sim have a best friend? He did when he was younger, but he has completely lost contact of them. What’s worse, Brian probably can’t recognize them.

What is/was your sim’s favorite school subject? Biology, French (lmao), English/Literature.

Are they planning to go or have they already been to college? Brian has a Bachelors in Nursing (minoring in Sociology) and he’s planning to go back for his Masters and lucrative certifications... though he doesn’t want to go through all of that again. (That and the costs).

What are your sims political beliefs? (if they have them) Given his line of work, I’d say really left.

Does your sim have a favorite TV show: In a surprise move, he watches a lot of anime, lol. He doesn’t have a clear favorite but he just likes the various styles and stories. Does your sim like books? Brian loves various romance novels (of various qualities), but he also likes to read manga. He has a bookcase full of them.

What is your sim’s personal style? He wear what he wants, tbh. If he thinks he’s gonna look good in it, he’s going to buy it and wear it.

Is your sim religious? It’s a little complicated; at first he was (or so he thought), then he wasn’t, then he really wasn’t, then he was like ‘okay, maybe??’, and now he’s like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

What kind of music does your sim listen to? The kind where he can belt out song lyrics... poorly.

What is your sim’s favorite type of weather? A crisp Spring morning. The sort that has dew on the grass and the ~cool~ still air.

Does your sim have a dream job? I’m not sure if he thinks this his dream job, but, he has been thinking about specialization. Does your sim have any siblings? No, and even if he did, he wouldn’t know about them.

Does your sim get along with their family? Lmaooo, no. Brian will sell his family to Satan for one (1) corn chip without hesitation.

What is your sims favorite hobby? Brian likes to knit! It was suggested by one of his patients in ways to reduce stress/idle hands (whatever that last part meant). However... how much he knits is directly proportional to how stressed he is. He used to run (something from his track days in HS), but given his work schedule(s), it’s fallen by the wayside.

What does your sim look for in a romantic partner? Stability and security.

What is a flaw your sim has? For whatever reason, he neglects himself when he needs to take care of himself. He can be so focused on other people that he forgets he’s a people too. Devoted to others but not to himself, as someone once put it. It’s mostly stemming from how he was raised and not once did he felt that he deserved nice things. He still thinks this is true every now and then. This comes up when he gets sick and he needs rest; Brian had to learn how to take care of himself in that regard.

Does your sim have a greatest achievement?  If so what is it? He was in the Honors College at Foxbury Institute and graduated summa cum laude.

When he goes back to school, he’s not gonna be that overachieving, lol.

If they have one, what is your sim’s greatest regret? Not telling Noelle about his situation earlier. Brian thought it was overstepping his boundaries or being imposing since she extended the offer of him staying over whenever and how long he wanted. (Besides, was she really telling the truth? Of course she was, dummy, you got your own half of a room and a set of house keys).

[lillupon]

Hey! I'm the anon who sent in the ask on Friday or Saturday about losing AEV and going on a whole ordeal trying to find it again. I'm also the one who told you the name of Grind by abnegative. I didnt think that I'd be sending this many asks in but then I read chapter 11 of Aev and I had so many things I wanted to comment about. So here we go, this is gonna be a long one.

1. Let me know what you think of Grind when you finally get around to reading it. I love it a lot and I'm constantly re-reading it.

2. Mr. Jeon and Mingyu are so awkward together. It's so cuuuute!!! I wonder what's gonna happen to get them past that barrier. I dont want any spoilers but it's fun to imagine all the different scenarios that could happen.

3. I wonder what mingyus reaction would be if he found out that Wonwoo prepared himself in the shower and with the clothes he picked out hoping that ~things~ would happen. I like to think that he'd be sooo turned on at that tidbit of information. Also seeing wonwoo in casual clothes AND without the scent blockers! Mingyu is definitely wrecked. I'd love to see his pov for this scene.

4. Mr. Jeon telling Mingyu to call him wonwoo!!!! Yes please!!!! I've been waiting for that moment to happen! I thought it would happen the 1st time they had sex but this is better! They've finally crossed a line that was definitely there. Before it was obvious that they definitely were not just teacher and student but this has solidified that.

5. The way wonwoo smashes their lips together at the very end of the chapter! Yes!!!! I would loooove more of Wonwoo initiating things!!!! It does things to my heart ♡♡♡♡

6. I love how they're scenting each other and at 1st I was like that's fine cuz they dont go back to school for a few days but then I remembered that mingyus sister is in wonwoos class and could possibly recognize the smell. Theres definitely a chance of things going wrong there.

7. Also sims anon was so accurate! I love it. And sims anon updated their twitter!

8. The more I think about it the more I want to see a spinoff entirely in mingyus pov! That would be amazing.

9. I started drawing fanart of chapter 11... I don't know if I'll get around to finishing it. I hope I do, so you can see it. Right now the proportions between the boys and the car is all wrong

10. OMG I CANT BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THIS. The day after I 1st started reading aev I had a dream about it. Except wonwoo was a professor and mingyu was a college freshman. Wonwoo ended up going to an outside restaurant bar after school to get a drink. He thought he wouldnt see any of his students because none of them were of legal drinking age yet, but Mingyu showed up. Wonwoo sighed in disappointment that he wasnt able to get alone time but Mingyu turned to him and said "dont worry, I'm not here to bother you." Then he turned to the bartender and just said "the regular please." Wonwoo watched as Mingyu began pulling notebooks and textbooks out of his bag, along with a few worksheets. The bartender returned with a glass of ice water and Mingyu said "Thank you" with a smile to him. Minuets passed and Mingyu was working on homework while Wonwoo stole a few glances at him every now and then. After a while Wonwoo noticed that Mingyu was struggling with something, so he moved over to sit directly next to Mingyu and said "What are you stuck on?" Mingyu explained what he wasnt getting and Wonwoo was able to help him out. Eventually they both had to leave, Mingyu left 1st and then Wonwoo a little while later. But the following day, they found each other in the same position. This continued for weeks. The two of them would meet after school at the outdoor restaurant bar and wonwoo would help mingyu with his homework. Eventually the conversations would shift and become more personal. They got to know each other outside of a teacher student relationship. One day, Mingyu didnt have any homework, but he still showed up. Wonwoo bought him an alcoholic drink (the bartender let it slide becuase 1, he knew mingyu and 2, it's illegal for people underage to buy alcohol but it's not illegal for them to drink it). The two ended up having a bit too much, they let their gaurds down and one thing led to another. They ended getting a taxi back to wonwoos house.

And then I woke up... but it was very heavily implied that once they got to wonwoos house, they learned the intricate details of each others bodies.

Anyways... that's a lot... sorry. I guess if I'm gonna keep submitting things I might as well have a sign off sooo

Sincerely, 🦊anon (fox anon) (she/they)

Hi and welcome back, fox anon! 

1: Yes, I will let you know if I get around to reading Grind. I had someone recommend it to me again yesterday through twitter DMs! It must be very good, but I haven’t been in much of a mood to read or write lately. But I hope other folks will check it out if they have the time and are looking for something to read.

3: “I wonder what mingyus reaction would be if he found out that Wonwoo prepared himself in the shower and with the clothes he picked out hoping that ~things~ would happen” reminded me that I FORGOT TO POST THE BONUS FOR THIS CHAPTER! Ahh thank you. It’s a small crumb that I decided to remove from the final version; I’ll get it up shortly (´ ∀ ` *). But yes, haha, Mingyu would be extremely turned on at the thought of Wonwoo preparing and pampering himself for their carpark date.

6: Yes, Wonwoo’s pheromones will be on Mingyu after all that scenting and sexy times (it probably drives Mingyu crazy, being able to smell Wonwoo’s slick on him). However, no one actually knows what Wonwoo smells like! So they won’t be able to associate the omega pheromones on Mingyu with Wonwoo.

7: Yes, simsminwon is spoiling me with AEV content omg my eyes have been blessed... IT FITS AEV TO A T  (╥ω╥) (╥ω╥) (╥ω╥)

8: It would be pretty fun(ny) to see the contrast between Mingyu and Wonwoo’s point of view! The moment when he realises that he has a big fucking crush on Mr. Jeon would be so cute ;-; Like, he’s probably thinking about Mr. Jeon all the time, even when he’s with Momo! I’ve tried writing some major events in Mingyu’s POV, but I haven’t really done that lately; I haven’t been doing much reading or writing in general lately, haha.

9: GASP (♡°▽°♡) FANART?! I’m also really hoping you’ll finish it, fox anon >.<!!! I would love to see it.

10: I LOVE THIS! Lmao! What is Mingyu doing, working on assignments at a bar?! Dude, I wish I could have some minwon dreams. A pity you woke up before they banged  (; ω ; )ヾ(´∀`* )

See you around!

[bubonickitten]

TMA fic: where there’s a will, we make a way

Decided to start writing a multi-chapter time travel AU fic to get me through S5, lmao. 

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

ETA: Chapter 2 is up. (tumblr // AO3)

Summary:

"So, what does happen if an Eye learns to See within itself? What happens is this: the Archive Beholds the Watcher – and the Watcher blinks first." Or: Jon goes back to before the world ended and tries to forge a different path.

CWs for Chapter 1: canon-typical horror & sadness; canon-typical spiders; mentions of canon-typical trauma (including being held captive by the Circus); (temporary) major character death/absence; spoilers up to and including MAG 169.

And, a couple things from the top:

For this chapter and the next, Jon's dialogue will consist entirely of statements from the episodes (cited in the end notes), but he'll have original dialogue at some point (probably by chapter 3).

TEMPORARY CHARACTER DEATH/ABSENCE: Martin's absence is left intentionally vague (and there are moments in the first couple chapters of Jon grieving for him), BUT I promise Martin will be back (probably by chapter 3 or 4 once I figure out how I want to pace things). Time travel is great like that.

The first couple chapters will be rough but I promise it won't be all bummers going forward.

___________________________________________

Chapter 1: Hubris

At the end of the world, as a tape recorder clicks on, uncountable eyes open wide and the Archive begins to speak.

  “There is a tower at the center of creation.

 "It juts up from the scorched earth, casting its oppressive shadow over all, so certain of its rightful place in this world. But although it may appear sturdy and eternal, it is, like everything else in this place, decaying – more slowly than the rest, but moving inexorably toward its own extinction all the same.

  “In the dying light of a ruined world, it Watches over all that crawls and chokes and blinds and falls and twists and leaves and hides and weaves and burns and hunts and rips and leads and dies. For now, it is sated and gorged on the fear permeating its perfect world – but what happens when the fear runs out? There will come a time when each pinprick of life blinks out around it, one by one, taunting it with the dreadful knowledge of its ultimate, encroaching fate: a slow, agonizing death of boredom and isolation and starvation. 

  “And it will hurt.

  "Nothing lasts forever, but rest assured: the tower will be the last thing standing, wilting alone in a barren and desiccated realm of its own making.

  “It will be outlived only by death itself, and even then, only for the briefest of moments.

  “The tower is a monument to hubris, and as such, it is destined to collapse.”

 The recorder clicks off and Jonathan Sims comes back to himself, standing alone before the menacing bulk of the Panopticon.

 The statement was shorter than he's used to, but it isn't surprising – he can't See much here, in the Watcher's domain. Still, it took a lot out of him. He barely has time to take a breath, though, before a familiar door opens up in the ground just in front of him, its yellow paint chipped and faded. The Distortion’s ringing laughter ripples up from the ground and Jon closes his eyes, sighs heavily, and counts to ten.

 “No ‘hello’ for me, Archivist?” Helen pulls herself up and out of her door to loom over him. “You’ve become quite rude these past few… how long has it been?”

 Shaking his head, Jon readjusts the straps of his backpack and starts to walk. Helen, of course, prowls after him. Her gait seems different, Jon realizes, and when he trains his sight on her – yes, apparently she’s added an extra kneecap to her left leg. She watches him with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, daring him to comment on her latest modification, but he’s learned by now that it’s best not to encourage the Distortion.

 “That was a rather short monologue for you. I very much doubt your patron will be satiated.”

 “Oh, how I wish he’d go away,”  Jon mutters under his breath. The pronoun is wrong, but it still gets the point across, and Helen is familiar enough with his current mode of communication to catch his meaning.

 “Still voiceless, are we? It must be very frustrating for you. Reduced to rifling through others’ trauma, forced to appropriate someone else’s terror any time you want to talk. It really is a shame your lexicon is so… limited. You’ve always had such a lovely voice. It seems a waste to deny it any novelty.”

  Ignore her. Count to ten. Breathe.

 “Silent treatment?” Helen pouts. “Well, that’s fine. I can speak enough for the both of us.”

 Jon wishes he could comment on the irony of It Is Lies telling the truth, but the Archive doesn’t offer up any fitting statements. Probably for the best, really; as a rule, he tries not to let Helen rile him. Tries being the key word.

 “Off to see the Watcher? I do wonder how our dear Jonah is doing these days. You’re curious too, aren’t you? You can’t See anything in there. You have no idea what you’re walking into.” Helen’s lips curl in a too-wide smile. “That must drive you mad.”

 Jon ignores her. Even if he had something to say, he expects he would be speechless at the moment, beholding the Panopticon. The tower bears no resemblance to the Magnus Institute he remembers. It’s the tallest thing left in the wasteland, now; standing at its base and looking up, it’s impossible to estimate exactly how high it stretches. He could Know, but he doesn’t care to. (The Eye bristles at his refusal to ask the question; Jon dismisses it with an almost childish defiance.)

 All of the surrounding buildings have been reduced to dust and rubble, and there is no remaining evidence of there ever having been a street. The composition of the tower's walls is entirely obscured by a viscous coating of –

  …aqueous humor, grave dirt, assorted viscera, sawdust, flensed dermis, dental pulp, spider silk…

 – Jon closes his eyes and shoves the Knowledge away with a practiced resolve. Its content is no more unsettling than anything else he’s encountered, but even after all this time, having the Beholding hijack his thoughts is still nauseating. He had experienced intrusive thoughts long before becoming the Archivist, but Knowing takes the experience to an entirely different level.

 After the moment has passed, Jon opens his eyes again. He can’t tell if the tower no longer has windows, or if they’re just hidden by the horror cocktail smothering its exterior. He supposes it doesn’t really matter either way; the Watcher doesn’t need windows to See outside.

 The staircase stretching to the entrance is impossibly long, and the stairs are of the narrow, shallow variety that never accommodate anyone’s stride. Jon sighs as he places one foot on the bottom step.

 “That looks like an awfully long climb,” Helen observes. “And a tripping hazard. I would offer you a shortcut, but… well, you know.” She winks and flashes him a wicked grin just as her door materializes beneath her feet, dropping her down into a vertical corridor. “See you at the top, Archivist,” she calls cheerfully, her door slamming behind her and vanishing.

 Jon rolls his eyes and ascends the stairs.

___________________________________________

The enormous doors to the tower are already open when Jon reaches the top of the steps. The moment he crosses the threshold, he is bathed in a blinding white light and every one of his eyes reflexively snaps shut. One by one, the extra eyes he has grown so accustomed to wink out of existence until finally, for the first time in forever, he has just the two he was born with. It’s jarring, having his hundredfold, 360-degree sight so suddenly reduced back to a binocular field of vision, but it feels oddly freeing.   

 At the same time, he doesn’t quite know what to make of it. Does the Watcher want him at a disadvantage? Is there something inherent to the Panopticon that allows only the Ceaseless Watcher itself to See, rendering all others ��� even its Archive – effectively blind? What if - 

 “Look at you!” Helen chirps directly into his ear, cackling when he startles. “My, you spook easily, Archivist. Not very becoming for one who Sees all and revels in the terror he has wrought –”

 Jon is already walking away. The light isn’t as overwhelming as it was before, but he still has to squint against it. As far as he can see, the interior of the tower is a flat expanse of white. He can't perceive any walls, ceiling, even a floor, making it impossible to guess the size of the place – or if it has an end at all.

 “Do you actually Know where you’re going?”

 “I was finding it really hard to get a solid idea on where we were,”  Jon admits.

 “Yes. It’s quite like the tunnels, isn’t it? You never could See down there, either. What did you call it – ‘a universal blind spot’? Strange, how your voyeurism touches everything except your own domain.”

 “I come to you not to wallow in my condition – but to request your assistance.”  Helen hasn’t been any help in ages, but Jon figures it’s worth a try.

 Helen simply laughs. “What assistance could I possibly offer? You are the most powerful thing the apocalypse has to offer, Archivist. Aside from the Entities themselves, that is. I’m certain you can figure it out on your own. As I’ve told you so many times, all you have to do is embrace it.” Jon glares at her. “Now, as much as I would love to stay and watch you get terribly lost, I believe there are more interesting things going on in the world.”

 With that, her door swings open on the ground in front of her.

 “I thanked them as they left, even though they had been of no help whatsoever,”  Jon grumbles to himself. 

 “You are tetchy today,” Helen teases. “Well, I’ll check back in with you later.”

 She steps off the ledge and plummets down through her door again, pulling it shut after her.

 Jon pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. It’s incredible how after all this time, even a short encounter with the Distortion leaves him feeling drained.

 But she did have a point. He never could See in the tunnels, but that was before he became the Archive. As he is now, he probably has a better chance of finding his way than Helen would. It’s just that doing so is bound to be… unpleasant. No use putting it off, though.

 He closes his eyes, looks inward, opens the door, and –

 A churning deluge of information crashes into him, sweeping him along in its undertow, and all at once, he’s drowning.

  …the equatorial circumference of Jupiter was 439,263.8 kilometres before it was devoured by the ravenous Falling Titan…

  …Mr. Spider has taken up residence behind innumerable doors – not every door, but any door. It has an average of one guest for dinner every 39 minutes and still it is hungry… 

  …the Sandman and the Buried wage war over scraps within the catacombs of Paris, now located approximately 6,294.2 kilometres below creation and sinking…

  …as of 23.8 seconds ago, the Crawling Rot and the Lightless Flame have completed their race to consume the endless apartment block located at the corner of Nowhere and –

 Jon shakes his head and tries to refine his search.

  Tell me about Jonah Magnus.

  …Jonah Magnus was born in –

 Tell me where I can find Jonah Magnus.

  …Jonah Magnus is –

 A wave of force crashes into Jon like a freight train and then he’s back in the white space, eyes open, gasping for air and struggling to fill his aching lungs.

 It comes as no surprise that the Ceaseless Watcher doesn’t want him to Know the way, but if the Eye didn’t want to be Seen, it should have picked someone less inquisitive. Or less stubborn.

 He takes a deep breath, steels himself, and dives back in.

  …in a hollowed-out sanctuary of bone and gristle, the Boneturner scavenges uselessly for –

  Tell me where to find Jonah Magnus.

 A harsh buzz of static starts to ring in his ears.

  …the Distortion in its corridors waits for –

  Show me how to reach Jonah Magnus.

 The static pitches up into a shrill whine.

  …Martin Blackwood’s last –

  A̵N̴S̸W̴E̸R̶ ̷M̷E̷.̷

 The noise reaches an earsplitting crescendo, then cuts out abruptly and –

 When the Archive opens its myriad eyes, it Knows the way.

___________________________________________

Once the Knowledge settles in his mind, it's as if a veil has been lifted; the empty, directionless white void resolves itself into perceptible details. Jon finds himself standing in a cavernous, cylindrical space. Countless iron-barred prison cells are recessed into weathered red-brick walls, stacked vertically one on top of the other and stretching all the way up to an impossibly high vaulted ceiling covered in… cobwebs.

 Of course. It figures the Web would have infiltrated this place. In fact, it had probably staked out its territory when the initial foundations for Millbank Prison were laid and had simply never left. 

 Jon shudders and looks away. Or tries to, anyway – there are always a few recalcitrant eyes that linger on the things he does not want to See.    

 He turns his attention to the observation tower. Its looming presence seems to take up the entire room, radiating a palpable sense of dread. There is nowhere in this world that its gaze cannot reach, but being this close to it is nearly unbearable.

 It hurts.

 Jon forces himself to stand there, to experience and endure the sheer weight of its omniscient scrutiny concentrated wholly on him. This is what it’s like to be Seen by the Archive, and Jon needs to Know how it feels – how it felt when he turned the Ceaseless Watcher’s gaze upon the monsters he met on the journey to the Panopticon.

 And it hurts.

 It’s like having his consciousness torn to shreds, every memory and thought and experience comprising his existence ripped out of him, pinned under a microscope, dissected with precision, classified and then hoarded away by a dispassionate curator. It’s sharp angles and blinding lights and throat-rending screams and scalding heat; it’s burrowing worms and scalpel blades and crushing earth and cold plastic hands; it’s fear and pain and love and loss and it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts –  

 Jon’s knees give out and he crumples to the floor, panting, resting his head in his twitching hands as the aftershocks of white-hot pain ripple through him. He lets himself roll over onto his side and curl into a fetal position while he waits for the tremors to stop.

 Martin wouldn’t have approved, but Jon had to Know. He had to Know what it was like, if the monsters he killed deserved it, if the punishment was proportionate to the crime, and –

 They did and it was. He can confidently say that each sentence he handed out was justified, and it’s somewhat of a relief.

 Beyond that, though, experiencing it firsthand was the best way he could think to fully appreciate the consequences of allowing his potential to go unchallenged and unrestrained, and to make clearer the distinction between Jonathan Sims, the Watched and the Archive, the Watcher – or conduit of the Watcher, at least. If nothing else, the memory of it will be an anchor going forward – a searing reminder of how much is at stake and the ultimate cost should his plan fail. 

 And, of course, it was also an effective way to assess the power he has at his disposal, to determine whether he’s strong enough for his plan to work. He did survive it, at least, which seems like a good sign. Hopefully it's a good sign.

 As the pain fades to a dull ache, he pushes himself to his feet and takes a minute to compose himself before entering the observation tower. He has not come eye to eye with Jonah Magnus since before the world ended, before he forced himself through the domains of each and every fear that marked him, before he completed his metamorphosis. That was the point of the journey, he realizes now: reliving the terror and retracing every mark was necessary for him to emerge as the fully-fledged Archive.

 He hopes it was all worth it.

 Jon takes a deep breath, braces himself, and crosses the threshold.

___________________________________________

 Jonah Magnus is a pitiful sight.

 He sits slumped on the Watcher’s throne within his lonely observation tower, ropes of spider silk binding him in place. The look in his eyes when he beholds his Archive is entirely unreadable, and Jon doesn’t care to Know. 

 Well – his two original eyes, in any case. The other eyes bulging through Jonah’s skin – bloodshot, rolling and twitching in all directions, and glowing a repellent shade of green – belong to the Watcher, and all they contain is a cold, measured fascination. Jon wonders absently whether they might cluster beneath the skin as well, a fitting mirror of Albrecht von Closen’s gruesome fate. Martin would have appreciated the poetic justice of that thought.

 Jon takes a step forward.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever know what they expected to happen.”

 The Archive’s voice rips through the silence like a clap of thunder on a clear day. There is something of a command threaded through the words, a power that brooks no argument and permits no lies. Jonah flinches at the force of it, and Jon takes that as his cue to continue; he has Jonah’s full attention now.

 “It’s weird, isn’t it, the things that can change your life?” Jon wonders, briefly, how Tim would feel about his statement being repurposed like this. Hopefully he would approve, seeing the way Elias – Jonah – is rendered silent and cowed in its wake, even if Jon’s voice is the vehicle. Either way, stolen words are Jon’s only option, and so he presses on: “You can plan for all the devastating, terrible possibilities you can imagine, and it’ll always be those tiny, unexpected things that get you. You know, the things that you never even noticed as they were happening, just… just nudging everything into motion. But even if there was a way I could have known, I really don’t think I’d be able to have stopped him.”

 When Jonah opens his mouth as if to speak, Jon catches a glimpse of a roving eye sprouting from Jonah’s tongue. What comes out is not words, but a small spider, creeping languidly over his lip and up his cheek, as if summoned by the Archive’s mere mention of manipulation. Even from a distance, Jon can See all eight of its eyes focus on him.

 The Spider perches there, patient and waiting. Whether she is issuing an invitation, a challenge, or simple, curious observation, the Archive does not know, and Jon will not waste his energy searching for the answer.

 Curiosity always was Jonathan Sims’ fatal flaw. It can be an asset in small doses, but Jon habitually took it to endangering and self-destructive extremes. By now he has learned how to wield that curiosity with precision, patience, and careful calculation. It was a lesson hard won and at great cost, but now he knows: there is a difference between a constructive avenue of inquiry and a dead end. One leads to answers that need knowing; the other only sates the Eye’s voracious appetite and leaves Jon adrift and wanting. The trick is to prioritize – which means accepting the existence of questions that aren’t worth asking.

 The Eye balks at an unsolved mystery, and the Archive’s every instinct drives Jon to seek, to ask, to know at any and all costs – but this is not the first time he has weathered the dueling instincts of Archive, Archivist, and human, and it will not be the last. If he stands in the crossfire long enough, breathes through the dissonance, and allows himself to simply exist as the strange, contradictory gestalt his apotheosis has made him… eventually, he can find the quiet.

 In any case, the Archive’s eyes outnumber the Spider’s by far, and Jon meets her gaze with a resolve that still feels new and untested, but unyielding nonetheless. Neither of them blink, but the Spider does eventually – slowly, so slowly – crawl away and out of sight.

 A stalemate. Jon expected nothing more or less; these confrontations with the Web never have a satisfying conclusion, only a protracted, stop-and-start hiatus. 

 When Jon feels the Spider’s presence fade away, he lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. For all his bravado, the fear never has gone away. He suspects that the Eye would never give him the choice in the first place. It isn’t enough to Know or See the contents of his library – he has to live them, feel them, share in them, or else the knowledge is not comprehensive. The Beholding requires more than facts and words and retellings. It demands the insight and dread that comes only from lived experience, and it has no use for an Archive that cannot fully experience its own catalog.

 If Jon was given the choice, though, he still wouldn’t give up the fear. It’s the fabric of this world, which makes it a reliable anchor as long as it exists. It tethers him to his humanity; it reminds him of his reason; it keeps him moving forward.

 And so, he approaches the Watcher’s throne, and the Archive resumes its recitation:

  “I continue to see in you the reflection of my own past hubris.”

 It’s a nice touch, Jon thinks, using Robert Smirke’s dying words to rub salt in the wound, and the surge of stunned outrage on Jonah’s face confirms that for him.

 “Why does a man seek to destroy the world?"

 Jonah’s human eyes widen ever so slightly as he recognizes his own words.

  “…you would quite willingly doom that world and confine the billions in it to an eternity of terror and suffering, all to ensure your own happiness, to place yourself beyond pain and death and fear.”

 Jon kneels before the throne, a mocking gesture of fealty to a man who so arrogantly believed that he was to be –

 “…a king of a ruined world” – he pauses, fast-forwarding the statement in his mind, picking through disparate fragments to cobble together something that can convey his intended meaning – “had miscalculated.” Another pause, and then: “The ritual failed."

 Jonah squirms against his bindings, though whether it is in fear or frustration or anger, Jon does not know. He does not need to know, and he strangles that alien part of him that wants to taste exactly what flavor of distress struggles in front of him. He refuses to feed the Eye, even if it is at Jonah’s expense.  

 “…as much a victim as any” – Jon gives a curt nod to indicate Jonah – “trapped in the nightmare landscape of a twisted world.” 

 When he sees the glint of the knife, Jonah’s eyes widen further and he redoubles his thrashing. Jon is flooded with memories of his month held captive by the Circus – rough ropes chafing at his bare skin; cold, plastic hands slathering him in strong-smelling lotions; the bruises that lingered long after he escaped through the Spiral’s door. Part of him wishes that he could enjoy seeing Jonah like this – the one who orchestrated that trauma and so many others – but all he feels is that familiar revulsion that rises up in him any time he catches a whiff of shea butter.

 Another, louder part of him is relieved to find that even after everything, he still can’t quite bring himself to find pleasure in torture.

 Taking revenge on Jude Perry, obliterating the NotThem – it felt good in the immediate aftermath, to make them appreciate the terror and pain they had wrought, to stand in their presence not as a victim but as a long-overdue consequence. As soon as the adrenaline wore off, though, he would always crash. Whether or not they deserved their fates was never what haunted him the most. It was the simple act of using the same power that destroyed the world that always left him feeling sick, guilty, divorced from what remained of his humanity, and terrified of what he could become if he embraced his role as the Archive. It felt good in the same way that stealing live statements used to, and that terrified him.

 Still, Jon has a point to make. He draws the knife to Jonah’s face and holds the tip mere centimetres from his right eye, poised to strike. Jonah freezes and Jon stares him down. The Archive’s uncountable eyes open wide and focus laser-like on a single point, and he waits for the would-be king to blink first.

 And he does.

 With that, Jon stands and drops the knife. As it clatters to the floor, Jonah opens his human eyes ever so slightly, looking at the discarded weapon and then back to his Archive with uncertainty etched onto his face.

 “…didn’t even have the decency to kill me,” the Archive says. Jon swallows down a reflexive wave of revulsion at the memory of Peter Lukas’ voice, but he needs Jonah to understand this choice his Archivist has made, to truly appreciate the fate to which he is being condemned.  

 The Archive reaches for Gertrude next:“They might even stop death entirely, deny us the one last escape, keeping us alive and afraid – forever.”

 It takes a moment for the words to sink in, but slowly, ever so slowly, the existential terror dawns in Jonah’s eyes. His greatest fear may have always been mortality, but faced with the reality of what an immortal existence could actually entail, well…

  “You’ll get used to it here, in the world that we have made."

 Jonah Magnus’ own triumphant declaration reverberates through the space in the voice of the Archive he forced into being. The words sound as smug and gleeful as they did the first time the Archivist read them to an empty room, on the day he opened the door. 

 Behind it all, though, is Jonathan Sims. Not the Archive, not the Archivist, just… Jon. He feels no catharsis, no gratification, no closure. He just feels tired.

 But he didn’t come all this way to the Panopticon just to monologue at Jonah Magnus. This is the stronghold of the Eye, and that makes it Jon’s best chance of actually communing with the Beholding.

 He places the tape recorder on the floor next to the knife and turns his back on the man who sought to reign over a desolated world. As Jon walks away, the recorder clicks on, and the Archive’s final statement begins to play:

  “There is a tower at the center of creation…”

__________________________________

End notes:

- Jon’s dialogue is taken from the statements in the following episodes, in order: MAG 85; MAG 149; MAG 098; MAG 027; MAG 137; MAG 104; MAG 138; MAG 160 (x4); MAG 159; MAG 162; MAG 160 (again). 

[thatlittledandere]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 31 and 40 for that shipper ask meme (sorry for picking so many but those questions are GOOD)

You're right, they absolutely are. I'm sorry in advance that this is gonna be LONG and I'm on mobile so I can't even add a read more;;

1. Talk about the first ship you ever had

So I'm SURE there were relationships I was invested in in movies and cartoons I watched as a child (I've always been a sucker for romance, even though there was that period when I didn't want to admit it) but I can't remember anything from very far back;; So it was either Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter or Ichigo and Masaya from Tokyo Mew Mew, whichever I read first.

2. Talk about three of the most important ships throughout your life

GOSH. You can't do this to me. I guess Romione because it was the time in my preteens when I was becoming more aware of... stuff, in general, abs the two cemented my love for friends-to-lovers. Then Ioryuu, because I've never been AS invested in and passionate about a ship before and likely never will. Nothing can compare to that intensity and ngl I miss it;; I miss the genuine hype I felt in my heart that made me interact with people and make things. So many things. I honestly can't think of a third one with such a lasting impact, sorry;;

3. What's your current OTP?

I imagine Souyo scenarios in my head every night before falling sleep and every morning after waking up, this is not a joke not an exaggeration. I still feel a little traitorous saying this on tumblr but their dynamic IS somewhat similar to the way I see Ioryuu so-

4. What's your current NoTP?

I don't think I have one? I have dislikes, some of them strong, but I don't see any of them often enough to be, like, actively angry. I have better uses for my time than willingly exposing myself to stuff I don't like.

5. Do you have any poly ships?

Not generally, juggling two characters is enough work lol. The only poly ships I've ever really actively shipped are Niels, Duncan and Natalie from the web comic Niels And the Gang by humon and Kinatsuen from Boueibu, but neither are actively on my mind much these days.

8. Have you ever shipped yourself with a character?

BOY HAVE I EVER. I've seen someone on tumblr have a side blog for self-shopping and not gonna lie, it's an excellent idea. My late teens were spent reading character x reader fics on Quotev and I started my fic career with the same genre. I don't really know what to do with myself when I DON'T actively ship myself with a character, which is my state of being now that Yosuke surpassed Yoosung as my favorite character;; Ibushi and Yoosung are the biggest ones but man oh boy I have shipped myself with characters from early age and I'm showing no signs of stopping! There's a reason that I main dating sims.

15. Have you ever "shipped at first sight"?

Not for long. I SUCK at forming first impressions. Usually if I start thinking I'll ship something, I end up not being so invested in it after all, and instead shipping something I swore off at first lmao. Which leads us to...

16. Talk about a ship you initially disliked

As a rule of thumb, all of them. I don't understand HOW it keeps happening but somehow almost all the ships I truly care/d about (that I didn't start shipping through osmosis before knowing them in the source material) started out as something I thought I "wouldn't be able to get behind." Gajevy. Shikatema. Sasunaru. Doctor/Rose. Karabita. Atsutodo. Kiribaku. Yoozen. Enatsu. Freaking IORYUU. EVEN SOUYO. IT'S BEEN YEARS I REALLY SHOULD KNOW THE PATTERN BY NOW

17. Talk about a pairing you've stopped shipping romantically

Like, I started to think they're better as friends after all? I guess NaLi. Then again, I mostly only shipped them out of spite in the first place because I wanted a counter for N/a//Lu, which I never liked at all;;

20. Talk about a ship you feel alone in shipping

Now this time I can say for sure that there isn't one. I can't come up with ships myself and stay on board if there isn't content for it, canon or otherwise;; It's not a conscious decision or anything, it's just how my mind works. I get attached to stuff by exposure, whether from fans or the source material, and if the source material has enough content for two characters for me to pick up on and become interested, it's guaranteed to be enough to become a somewhat popular ship.

21. Is there a ship you just don't get, but have nothing against?

Actually... That's the extent I go to with notp'ing these days. I'm passionate about the right to ship whatever you want so by proxy I can't have anything "against" a ship, even if the sheer thought of it existing makes me nauseous. And I know how to think from points of view other than my own, so I can usually see the appeal, even if it appeals to me personally less than eating dog shit while walking barefoot on rusty nails that are also on fire.

That said, the only ships I have on my Tumblr blacklist are Yoo//ra/n and Suza//lu/lu because they're both popular ships for characters whose tags I am/was following and therefore get suggested a lot even if I want following anyone who ships then. Oh, and all B/LMa//tsu ships! I generally can't feel good about incestuous ships, but can and will fight for their shippers' right to do as they please as long as they stay respectful. (never saw blmatsus who weren't respectful. saw a plethora of anti-blmatsus who were absolute demons. actually the reason i moved away from the last remnants of my anti mindset was that i didn't want to be associated with THOSE anti-blmatsus, when the shippers they wanted dead were all such sweet people. food for thought.)

22. Which of your ships have the best chemistry?

All of them?? Lmao I don't understand this question, isn't shipping all about liking the chemistry between characters? Or the potential for it I guess, in which case the chemistry is whatever you want it to be, which is great B) I'm sorry I keep accidentally dodging questions I'm bad at choosing examples from a long, unordered list

23. Which of your ships deserve better writing?

Hhhhhhh I shipped Jerza for years and was still unsatisfied with their ending, Jellal didn't get to heal enough and we didn't really see them working through their past in an effective way and getting comfortable around each other. It's like they were supposed to be friends to enemies to lovers but the last part didnt really develop and their relationship stagnated at the stage were they were both just permanently awkward out of regret, and couldn't bring themselves out of it even though everything was forgiven forever ago. Or I've forgotten a lot of stuff that happened. Very likely. Is your a case of bad writing or good writing not working out the way I wanted it to? You're asking the wrong person.

25. Have you ever shipped a pairing before you even started watching the show/movie simply because of gifs/graphics or similar?

EYUP. Harumichi was my otp for like a whole year before I saw a single episode with them lol. It was crazy, but it was REAL. I've also went into shows already paying attention to things I knew my friends/people I follow shipped, kind of hoping I'd get into it.

26. Have you noticed a pattern in your shipping? Is there a romantic dynamic I'm writing these questions down from screenshots and I cropped the rest of this one out by accident rip

Eeeh I go for the obvious. Best friend pairs, obvious pining, some rivalry with sexual tension, though I don't really know what to do with those. Then there's the fact that I never see it coming sick Persona 5 reference bro and start shipping the couple I thought "should just be friends" at first. This is more about my relationship to the ships than their dynamic but it's very constant...

27. Is there a ship you've shipped for most of your life?

Hmmm well I got into HP and started shipping Romione sometime in mid elementary school so it's definitely been more than half my lifetime since, but I don't really know if I "ship it" anymore. I didn't start disliking them or anything but for me, "shipping" is an active intrest in a fictional relationship, so if it reaches the stage where I like it, in theory, but I don't have the feels, it doesn't really count. That's why I can say I like ships without shipping them. It's gotta be actively on my brain, man.

31. Talk about one of your favorite headcanons for a ship you love

I haven't mentioned Kannao once, which is criminal. So here's some of what I imagine their future to be like :D I've been getting new Persona followers recently so here's something for you to unfollow me over lmao

So first of all I ignore the canon that Naoto goes back to the city for her detective work after her first year of high school, shhh she stays in Inaba, only taking the occasional jobs. She and Kanji start dating during the spring break before their second year and get more comfortable with each other, so that the next summer they're still cute and very much themselves (which means somewhat reserved) but not as awkward anymore :) I haven't thought about what happens after they graduate but they get married in their early 20s and have a son <3 (Chie and Yukiko adopted their daughter only slightly earlier. They may or may not have had a bit of a competition going on) ((yes Souyo are very much together but if they end up having children I haven't thought about it it's later))

Kanji manages the textile shop and Naoto helps when she's free from detective stuff. They live in Inaba but Naoto is away quite often for her gigs;; She takes up a few jobs less when Kouta is little though so he wouldn't feel less close to his Mom than his Dad.

Both Kanji and Naoto suffered from unfair expectations growing up, so they try their best to make up for it with Kouta's upbringing. They want him to feel comfortable being himself and free to express himself the way he wants; they make sure he knows he'll always be loved and supported, and to never be ashamed of who he is. As a child it doesn't even occur to him that many social norms and social expectations exist, because Naoto and Kanji pretty much let him do whatever as long as he isn't hurting himself or anyone else. They might go a little overboard though, giving into Kouta's whims without much consideration at all. The Amagi Aunties enforce rules and keep kids grounded in reality much better lmao

40. If you could change one thing about your otp, what would that be?

HMNGHNMHGNMGH I WAMT YOSUKE'S INTERNALIZED BULLSHIT ACKNOWLEDGED!! It's there AtlUS!! Stop pretending oh my god.... I love the Dancing All Night story mode (so far. I am by no means done); Yosuke gets cool moments and Yu's internal monologue really shows how much he appreciates him. The dynamic is so much better than with a silent protagonist, and thank god they didn't go with the tactless anime Yu (as fun as he is). I know there are a bunch of nods to the cut romance across spinoffs but mannnn... I wish they were more serious about it. At this point it's not even that far-fetched to think Yosuke has feelings for Yu that he may or may not be aware of, and I know that Yu as the player character can't be too tied down to one option in canon, but still... Even the clown gets tired of jokes at some point. One can dream.

40 ship questions

[mauvemorn]

If is ok to ask, how do you make money of cc? If you don't use annoying shorter links and add fly. Maybe other creators can learn from you 🤔

Hi. I monetize my traffic by placing Google Adsense ads on my blog. Those do not pop-up, are safe and based on the visitor’s search history and location. This is how most websites make money these days. In the past they would give out accs to just about anyone, but these days they are more strict about it. Most cc creators might have to put a bit of money (optionally, around 6-9$) and time to get approved. The requirements are the following:

Very long post ahead

1). Top-level domain (com, net, org, etc, so mauvemorn.net, not mauvemorn.tumblr.com).

Alternatively, you can get an acc on Blogger without having to buy a domain, it is owned by Google. It’s best to have a SSL certificate, too (additional security measure that turns http into https, Google is said to prioritize websites that have it, Tumblr does not allow to edit themes that have links that start with http). If you’re buying your domain for Tumbr, there’s no need to buy SSL. Tumblr offers their own. You just need to wait for a day or so for it to change. If you’re buying it for another website that does not offer this feature, it’s best to buy it in the process of buying a domain. I remember Namecheap offering me it for 2$, but after I bought a domain, SSL started to cost 8$. Make sure to google for a discount!! I saved 3$ this way lmao.

2). Unique written content.

This will be the most important and challenging thing to get for a cc creator, i will give suggestions in the end. The exact number of words and text posts is not voiced anywhere in google documentation, but people say you should have at least 10-12 text posts that have at least 800 words each. When I applied, I had around 50 posts, 14 (if I’m not mistaken) of which were text posts with the word count above 1200. Almost all of them were posted in a row, like, not scattered across my blog. You should also check the grammar, it does not have to be perfect, just no random typos.

And by “unique” I mean it should not be copy-pasted from anywhere, should be written by you. The software will scan everything available to it to check if your written content is not plagiarized. Do not use copyright protected images either.

3). Privacy policy, About, Contact us, Disclaimer.

Privacy policy basically warns your visitors that the website is collecting some of their data. You can rephrase mine, just make sure to do it more-or-less thoroughly so that google does not count it as copy-pasted.

Disclaimer is the same thing but shorter. You know the window that pops-up when you enter a new website telling you something about cookies? That’s it. It does not have to pop-up though. Just make a new page and put it somewhere.

About is, well, put whatever you want there.

Contact us is pretty self-explanatory.

Things that may or may not be important, depending on who you ask

1). The blog must be active. Post something after you apply.

Once you apply, the window will tell you you’ll get a reply after 24 hours. I received it on 18th day, coincidently or not right after I posted something. The long wait may also be a matter of the platform I chose (Tumblr is not a SEO friendly website, but it is the best for this type of content since it has large the sims fandom).

2). Traffic.

Some people say it matters, other say it does not. Before applying, I didn’t post any cc in months, so my traffic was very low, around 200-300 page views per day. If your website is new and you get no traffic at all, you can install vpn and just open all of your pages from each country available until you get at least 200 pageviews. I think it does not matter though, but, again, I do not know for a fact.

3). SEO

So as I mentioned, Tumblr is a very bad choice of the platform SEO-wise, does not work well with search engines, but most people do not actually look for cc this way. Most of my traffic is direct (from simsdom and similar websites). However, you can improve your tumblr performance (…i think) by tying it to Google search console and submitting site maps. I don’t know much about it tbh, but you can do it just in case.

4). Website appearance

You want your website to be simple, no red text on a yellow background or something as dramatic, no micro font, no pop-ups or effects, no music that can be copyrighted, etc.

5). Your blog’s age

In some countries ( India, China) a blog must be older than 6 months to get approved. However, I’ve seen people from India say they got it for 2 weeks old blogs, so just…try and see it for yourself.

Once you get approved:

1). Tie your website to Google analytics.

It can help you understand where your traffic comes from, what posts get the most of it, etc.

2). PUT DOWNLOAD LINKS UNDER THE CUT ( like, Read more thing ) LIKE I DO. Not only does it drive traffic to your page instead of someone who reblogged it, BUT ALSO ENSURES PEOPLE DOWNLOAD THE LATEST VERSION OF THE PACKAGE. There’s always a possibility of you missing something and having to update the file.

3). Be considerate.

Do not use link-shortening websites. They give people viruses. Many would just not download from you if they know you’re using it. MAKE SURE TO SPECIFY THE LINK IS DIRECT OR HAS NO ADF.LY. These websites bring very little money, so you won’t lose much.

Upload you cc on google drive and generate direct links this way. Websites like Mediafire with their pop-up windows can be annoying.

Do not make content that is very high-poly. I do not go past 10k unless I absolutely have to (and when I do, I mention it in the description). If your 60k item will crush someone’s game, they will not download from you again.

Do not half-ass your cc. If there is a problem, post it in Creator’s help and someone will assist you. If your cc does not morph, people would not want to use it. If your cc distorts, people would not want to use it. If your mesh greatly slows down game or crushes it, people would not want to use it.

Do not make content that is very simple or very complex. No one needs 5653467 simple white t-shirts or CK bras in their CAS. Not many people would need some avant-garde shoes in theirs either. For example, my simple Zoe pumps have 25k page views, while the last DVN sandals have 207k. That’s ~40$ against ~345$. Clearly the last took longer to make but it was worth it.

3). Some say that the post shows up only in the first 5 tags used. I think Tumblr fixed it but just in case put the most commonly used tags first.

4). If you started a completely new Tumblr, your posts will not appear in the tags (anti-bot measure). So the best way to be noticed is to contact some cc finds type of blogs. Once simsdom starts to post your cc, you will no longer need to worry about search results or your following, as I said, most of my traffic comes from them.

5). The more ads you have per page, the more money they will bring you. However, when you put a lot of them, it affects the page loading speed, usually by seconds, but if a person has a very slow internet, it can be much longer. So I suggest you to not use these whatever they are that make people wait for a minute to access a download link because they use an adblock. Most people do not use them and you will make a lot of money regardless so long your cc is decent.

6). Ad size will affect your revenue, too. Choose the most popular ones not locally, but in general. Most of your traffic will come from USA, UK, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, so, again, better not to choose ad size by region.

7). Preview. If you do not know how to make previews in the 3d software of your choice, I strongly advise you to learn. Not only will it be much easier, but you will also give a better idea of what textures really look like without graphic card coming into play. However, do not overdo it. Do not play too much with lights or specular, this will give people the wrong impression of what your cc is really like. As for picture editing, you can change the skin, background, anything, but NEVER EDIT THE OUTFIT/SHOES/ACCESSORIES/WHATEVER YOU’VE MADE ITSELF. THIS IS FALSE ADVERTISING. When I download something that looks good in previews but significantly worse in-game, I do not download from that creator anymore and neither will many people.

8). Specify if previews are made with HQ textures or not.

Just a warning. Once your earning surpass 10$, google will send you a pin code. It can take 2-4 weeks for it to be delivered to your address by post. You need it to be able to withdraw money. Your earning must surpass 100$ per month for you to actually withdraw them. But you will actually receive them 22 days later. So, say, by the 1 of November I know how much I will receive for October, but I actually receive this sum on the 22nd of November….yeah.

As for how much money to expect. 60k pageviews bring me around 100$. The click on ads is what actually brings the most money, but for the love of everything, do not click on them yourself or ask people to do it, do not buy traffic, you will be banned.

About text post suggestions:

1). In my case they were tutorials, but PLEASE if you’re new or do not understand why certain things need to be done, DO NOT MAKE TUTORIALS. When I began making cc, I was happy with anything, but as I started to moderate Creators help, I also started to wish some people would just not make them. Newbies keep making the same mistakes, keep having no idea why they are doing what they’re doing, keep being discouraged and confused. The more tutorials with no explanation there is, the less chances a person will find the right one. I understand that one cannot know everything and there is very little official info on these matters, but please, if you are not confident in your knowledge, if you only know how but not why, if you do not have time to properly explain something, do not make tutorials before educating yourself or making time for it.

2). If you have been around for a while now, you can groups all of your asks into new text posts by topics. Make sure to copy-paste the questions, check for typos, hide it under the cut to not make your followers scroll endlessly, and delete or hide the original asks. I DO NOT PROMISE IT WILL WORK but it should.

3). If you started a new blog I THINK BUT I DO NOT GUARANTEE you can make those 10+ about anything, post them one or two per day, apply, get approved, then just delete or hide them and start posting your cc. Again, I do not guarantee this will work, but logically it should and nothing of it goes against the rules.  Simsdom, simfileshare and many websites without any text posts continue to have these accounts, so nothing should happen to yours.

IF YOU GET REJECTED THE FIRST TIME, FIX THE MISTAKES AND APPLY AGAIN.

[purplesurveys]

1017

survey by lets-make-surveys

1 - Are you one of those people who can watch TV shows and movies over and over again without getting bored? Yeah this is pretty much my approach to all of my favorites. if a show or movie is able to join that club, then I automatically have no problem watching it over and over. Case in point, Friends for TV shows and The Proposal for movies.

2 - If you drink coffee, do you like it plain or would you rather have something like a latte or something flavoured? I never take coffee black. I mean I’ve had a few sips of it from friends’ cups before, but it just made me miserable loooool.

3 - How did you used to dress ten years ago? Do you dress in a similar way now? Ten years ago I was 12 and had no fashion sense whatsoever. I just put on whatever hand-me-down I got or whatever my mom would get me when she’d go window shopping. Didn’t really start putting in effort in my outfits until the end of high school.

4 - When you’re grocery shopping, do you buy known brands or are you happy to go with the generic store version? Known brands, because most of the time they end up having a better quality as well. 

5 - Do you have a close relationship with any of your cousins? I’m super close with only one cousin, the eldest one on my mom’s side. He’s pretty much like an older brother to me and my siblings. Everyone else on my mom’s side is too young for me to get truly close with; my cousins on my dad’s side are too shy and also live too far away for me to be able to keep up a close relationship with them.

6 - Who was the last person to sleep over at your house? Does this person stay over often or was it more of a one-off? Gabie, I think. She stayed over a lot before, but obviously not anymore.

7 - Does bad weather put you off going out if you’ve got plans to do so? Have you ever cancelled plans due to the weather? Only if a typhoon is really strong; like now, and how they actually had to cancel work today because of the power outages everywhere and because residents in other cities are already being brought to evacuation centers where they can be safe. I had no idea work suspensions were a thing lmao so I was glad to read the message today; I didn’t know how I was going to work with only data and limited battery for both my phone and laptop (power’s been out in our house since 1 AM). :(

8 - When you’re on vacation, do you prefer doing the typical tourist things, or would you rather explore somewhere off the beaten track? I will enjoy a tourist thing or two, but otherwise I’d focus on the less-explored or less-visited attractions. It’s usually the museums or historical landmarks, which is a shame.

9 - Did your family travel a lot when you were younger? From the time I turned 11, which I think was the time my dad got a good promotion and money got a lot better at home. We’d go for vacations locally and abroad every time he was home, which was every 5-6 months.

10 - When was the last time you went shopping for clothes? Did you get anything decent or find any bargains? Around March, I think. Yeah, I found two tops that were both bargains.

11 - Is it true that accessories can make or break an outfit? For sure. With me, it’s bags.

12 - What is your worst memory from high school? What about the best? The absolute worst that I can remember was when we had to role-play as our chosen character in the novel we were taking up in Filipino class; and for some wild reason I chose the most extravagant, bitchiest, flamboyant character...for whom I do not have even the slightest acting chops. When I got to the front of the classroom that’s when I realized my mistake, blanked out, realized I wasn’t going to be able to act as her, and fumbled for the next five minutes. 

My favorite bits from high school were the lunch periods I spent with my friend group. Even if we don’t talk anymore, I’m just grateful I was able to find a home in a group in high school.

13 - Is there any trait in a potential partner that would be a total dealbreaker for you? Right now my biggest dealbreaker is if they aren’t Gabie...lol. Other than that, I imagine being hugely turned off by poor hygiene.

14 - Do you insist people use coasters if they’re putting drinks down in your house? No. I wish we did have coasters as I find them aesthetically pleasing haha, but my mom doesn’t find them necessary

15 - Have you ever been arrested? Were you guilty of whatever it is you were arrested for? Never been.

16 - Name five items on the shelf nearest to you: I don’t have shelves in my room.

17 - After meals, do you wash dishes up right away, or do you leave them in the sink and do a whole days worth at once? I leave them in the sink and soak it with water and dishwashing soap for an hour or so, so that by the time I get back to it it’s easier and quicker to wash. So I do leave them, but I don’t wait until I have 4353894753246 dishes to wash by the end of the day.

18 - What websites do you find yourself spending the most time on? These days I’m primarily on Google Suite, honestly. Work eats up my week.

19 - Do you still download music and TV shows? No. Nearly all media I consume these days is thanks to an online subscription. The only exception is YouTube, I think.

20 - Does your phone have a good battery life? How long does it last before you need to charge it again? I don’t know how it fares compared to other brands, but I’m generally okay with my phone’s battery life. It lasts around 2-3 hours if used continuously, but if I’m out all day and on the go, it can last a whole day with me.

21 - When was the last time you hit snooze? Yesterday.

22 - Did you ever play The Sims? Which expansion pack was your favourite, if you had any? I did play The Sims a lot before – mostly Sims 2 on the PS2, Sims 2 Pets on the PSP, and Sims 4 on the PS4. I never explored the expansion packs too much, though.

23 - Are there any popular film series or TV shows that you just don’t get the appeal of? Game of Thrones and any Marvel movie.

24 - As a child, did you receive pocket money or an allowance? How much did you get? Was it dependent on you doing chores of some kind? Eh, not really. I didn’t receive an allowance of any kind until I was in high school when I started to be given P100 (roughly $2) a day, which was enough for snacks and lunch. No, I didn’t do chores to get the money.

25 - Do you think your parents did a good job of raising you? Would you do anything differently with your own kids? They taught me manners, showing respect, and different values like recognizing my privilege, giving to the poor, understanding my enemies in school, etc. But my childhood seriously lacked emotional maturity, physical affection, and, generally...just being treated like a kid; and I definitely feel the effects from these until today. I was already yelled at from age 5, and that has made me afraid of anyone who ever so slightly raises their voice. I’d do a lot of things differently with my own kid/s.

26 - If something is bothering you, do you have to fix it right away? Not always. Sometimes I run away from it first.

27 - Are there any household jobs you enjoy doing? If so, what’s the reason that you enjoy those things? This isn’t much of a chore as washing dishes or cleaning the bathroom, but I love making my bed. It gives me a sense of productivity and accomplishment, and it’s honestly a form of self-care. I always have the option of letting my bed stay messy and then feeling like shit about it the whole day, so when I do make my bed and fold up my blanket and everything, it gets a little easier to pat myself on the shoulder.

28 - Do you still live in the area you grew up in? Would you like to live somewhere else one day? Where would you go? Yeah, we literally just moved to the village right next to the one I grew up in. I’ve lived here nearly all my life, so I can’t wait to move someplace else. In the city, preferably; with skyscrapers and the constant sound of traffic, construction, and people walking. I feel I’d be happier there.

29 - Do you smoke, drink or do drugs? How old were you the first time you tried those things?  Do you want to quit? I drink, vape, and smoke, but I’m not reliant on any of these. I had my first drink at 18, and I smoked and vaped for the first time when I was 21. No, I don’t have plans to quit.

30 - What’s one thing that really grosses you out? Is it something you have to deal with anyway? How do you cope? Cockroaches. Sometimes we’ll see a cockroach roaming around the house, but it’s super rare so I wouldn’t say I regularly deal with them. I cope by yelling for my mom or dad to come kill it, ha.

[twinsimskeletons]

Sim Traits Game

Imagine, if you were a Sim, what 6 traits and a life-time wish would you have? Feel free to tag 5-10 (or even more!) fellow simmers to keep this community lively.

I was tagged by both @missy-hissy and @thesimperiuscurse. Thank you both! Mwah! 

1. Vegetarian. Easy first one. Became veggie as a way to make my vegetarian older sister play with me at about 8 years of age (if you don’t play barbies with me I’ll eat meat again!) and it worked for long enough that I just... never went back.

2. Eco-friendly. Gotta be, my entire career is centred around the environment and building connections with nature. 

3. Friendly. I seem to like far more people than my co-workers. Are they just judgy? Possibly (and I love them). Either way my goal in life is that everyone who interacts with me has a better hour/day/life because of it. I don’t always succeed, lmao.

4. Frugal. For sure. I hate spending money. The most expensive thing in my house was like 250 quid and it’s my fucking computer (on offer, but still). I put up with a damn camping chair as my desk chair for about 7 months after moving in. I wrestled with myself for buying a £20 freezer the other week. It’s hell. Why am I like this. I still need to figure out what I’m doing about windows 7 losing support in Jan (by then the UK may have imploded tho).

5. Good. I feel like this is blowing my own horn a bit but it goes along with 3. I also try to be a thoughtful consumer when I can afford to, volunteer in my local community, all that jazz. I’m not sure how I get the energy. I know I’m pretentious. I’m sorry.

6. Loves the Outdoors! gimmie them trees

LTW: The Cat herder? JK. Professional Author or Renaissance sim for sure. 

Tagging @igglemouse @belasims @ninjaofthepurplethings @simatrix @ktarsims @acquiresimoleons @ice-creamforbreakfast @dresdendarlin @xldkx I know for sure that some of you must have done this already and I’m blanking so sorry about that!