#craftsman shells

[whyeverr]

CRAFTSMAN SHELLS

A collection of craftsman-style homes, ranging in size from a humble one-story bungalow allllll the way up to a modern craftsman McMansion. These shells are move-in ready with basic landscaping, floor plans, essential fixtures (kitchens and bathrooms), and unique features (fireplaces, built-ins, etc.) all awaiting customization based on your preferences. Lean into the historic finishes (there’s a lot of wood grain and wallpaper, folks!) or wipe the slate clean to make the space—and San Sequoia—truly your own. 

Lot details:

Small | 30x20 | 2 bed, 1 bath | a small bungalow, includes access to an unfinished basement to grow into for extra space

Medium | 30x20 | 3 bed, 2.5 bath | a two-story bungalow featuring a ground floor primary bedroom with an attached nursery 

Large | 30x20 | 4 bed, 2 bath | an efficient foursquare-style craftsman with a home office on the ground floor that could be converted to a 5th bedroom

Extra Large | 40x30 | 4 bed, 3 bath | an expansive craftsman home with ample living and entertaining spaces

Extra Extra Large | 50x40 | 7 bed, 5 bath | a modern craftsman-inspired mansion with more than enough space for just about anything

Seasons, Get Famous, and, of course, Growing Together are key for the craftsman style exteriors. I’ve used from all packs freely for wallpapers and flooring throughout but you’ll likely want to customize those anyway!

Download via the Sims 4 Gallery (individual links above) or tray files via Sim File Share. You’re free to do whatever you want with them but please don’t re-upload or share without credit. Thank you!

[ask-ethari-anything]

Hey, Ethari. Just wanted to sate my curiosity.

As a craftsman, I’m certain you have access to plenty of precious materials. That being said, do you work with pearl or mother-of-pearl? If you don’t know what those are, I can show you. *hands over some pearls and a mother-of-pearl engraving*

I’m only asking because I’m not sure if the rivers and lakes and etc. near the Silvergrove can support mollusks, but I feel that these kinds of materials are right up your lane as a Moonshadow and especially as a craftsman.

*fetches a loupe to study items* Oh, these are fine specimens, love! Very pretty indeed.

I've worked with both kinds of pearl on occasion, though more with mother-of-pearl, because there are some mollusk hotspots hereabouts indeed. And I do mean that literally - there's a lovely hot spring southeast of here called the Glimmerwell, with sheer sides thick with clusters of shademirror mollusks.

The mist otters feed on them and leave shell fragments scattered across the pool bottom. If you're brave enough - and thick-skinned enough - you can shovel a year's worth of shell fragments into your net in one big breath.

Or two, if you brought another in your pocket. *crafty wink*

Mother-of-pearl is more versatile, I've found, with its thin layers. If you can tease them apart carefully, one shell's worth lasts a lot longer! I've found that humming to the shell helps it fracture where I want it to. Mostly love songs!

I trade for most of my other pearls with Earthblood or Tidebound elves. I'm partial to the moon-white round ones, of course, but I've found uses for black, red, and golden pearls too. And nothing will do for the fluffy ruff on a foamflutter trinket like a pretty row of freshwater pearls!

Thanks much for stopping by. You know I love to talk shop!

[hyber-region]

004-006: Burmoo, Cowelder & Infurnox 🔥

Burmoo is the fire starter of the region and the whole line is based on blacksmiths and the Bull of Cooley from Irish legends. Burmoo starts as a little apprentice, Cowelder is a skilled craftsman and Infurnox is the power behind the forge. I like to think even though they’re the tank of the starters, they’re really big softies and need a thoughtful and kind trainer to get them out of their shell :)

[laughingsquid]

Craftsman Pours Molten Aluminum Into a Spiral Seashell to Create a Perfect Cast of the Shell's Interior

[gladlypants]

Hey! I uploaded a ton of lots to the gallery today (id: gladlypants) Some were recent builds I was doing while I was waiting for GT, some I just furnished today, some I built last summer before HSY released and forgot about, and then vault Cleo’s grandparents’ house. I had a lot of fun practicing building over the last few weeks!  :) 

It’ll take me a bit to get all of these tray files up, will have to go back and take interior screenshots and all that. There are names of each and short descriptions under the cut, numbered like the screenshots, cuz I just felt like talking about em, and gallery images suck. I’ve playtested most of these at some point, except Charles E. Cheese’s, the shells, and the Batchelder house.

Lmk if you want any of these now for your new pack gameplay and I’ll shoot you a temporary dl.

1. Charles E. Cheese’s - Heavily branded for the feline version of Chuck, Charles! It’s a restaurant and I haven’t playtested it, sorryyyy, but I don’t foresee any issues. There’s a pizza vendor kiosk inside too if you want to change the lot type or have typical Dine Out problems. Intended as a kind of party space for kids. The upstairs feels a little chaotic to me but maybe not idk. ♥

2. Raymond’s Noodles - A little local noodle restaurant I built for a sim named Raymond I was playing in a recent rotation save. It’s small and cute. ♥

3. The Schneider House - a big ol’ traditional style Windenburg house. I was also playing a household on this lot, and I really loved it!

4. Batchelder Craftsman - I love the style of this house. Named for Batchelder tiles, which I am pretending this one has throughout! (reference)

5. Gray 2 Story Craftsman - The household I played the most in my rotation lived in this house and I love the layout, so it’s probably my favorite of the Craftsman shells I built, even if it is a little plain looking on the outside. It has an awesome, huge main bedroom suite! 

6. Green Family Craftsman - f*ck those rooves. This one has a a sunroom and a bedroom for grandparents/stay-overs. (reference)

7. Blue Craftsman - Built this one like a house my sister-in-law lived in here for a long time, it’s a common style and layout in older neighborhoods where I live.

8. Black Victorian Shell - It’s supposed to a small detached row house. I built it with the idea of using it for renting to roommates but you can use it however you like obviously.

9. Cleo’s Grandparents’ House - a desert mcm! Still has the camper in the yard that Cleo + Devon lived in before they got locked in the vault.

10. Single Mom House - I built this for one of my gallery households, who is a single mother and teenage daughter. It’s a little shabby, with some craftsman features and some Hispanic decor for them.

11. The LaFollette House - also built for one of my gallery families, a single military dad and his two daughters. I intended this one to be the same as the Single Mom house, but remodeled to be more modern and spacious.

12. The Gilbert House - for a gallery household, it’s a little retro inside!

13. Split Level Family Home - also for a gallery household, this one has very feminine style decor, except for one of the bedrooms for a teen, and a huge unfinished basement (just walls.) 

^^ Also this “Colorful Craftsman Shell” that I forgot about and don’t think I’ll get around to furnishing/finishing it anytime soon. It has a bonus attic room. You’ll need to move the back door, place it on a bigger lot, or lower the foundation because I didn’t leave space for steps there. 

And a big modern “apartment building” with one furnished unit and a gym and indoor pool downstairs, which is kind of unfinished but idk if I’ll get back to it.

Sorry for the wall of text, thank you if you read it all. ♥ 

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 1, Wave 3, Poll 8

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Blade-Honkai Star Rail

Qualifications:

He used to be a craftsman, but his hands are no longer dexterous enough to create anything, and he covers them. It's confirmed they're damaged, just not how it happened or in what way. His mental health isn't great either, and affects him greatly. He has to have his memories erased or else.

As for the lgbt part: he's heavily implied to be or to have been in love with another man. His character revolves around him a lot. They shared a pair of telepathic bracers - that they both still have. Blade is stated to hold his and try to feel the other. He's also fixated on following the other man and having him pay for past sins, but has moments that suggest he still cares. In the original Chinese text there is a line implying they were married, people thought it might be a typo, but it still hasn't been changed so,

Propaganda:

The devastating effects of old man/dragon yaoi. Life ruining, in that you have to live forever as a scarred shell of your former self. Yay Immortality.

Anything Else?:

I think he and his partner created life. I don't think he's aware. Literal deadbeat parent.

Juno Steel-The Penumbra Podcast

Qualifications:

He has lost an eye. And he is canonically bi and nb

Propaganda:

*Spoilers* He is my favourite lady. He's a private detective on mars. He has the best assistant. He has a very sweet, but very up and down romance with a homme fatale master thief. He lost his eye due to some alien shit. Got a prosthetic one that sucked. Got rid of that one with a trauma-memory procedure. Joined a space pirate crew crime family. Leaned sharpshooting again without depth perception. Had amazing character growth. Fucking rocks a dress

[krysanthii]

This is my personal headcanon but I have a feeling of human Olrox having a different name and being far more humble compared to he is now. Just an ordinary man living in the Mexica empire. He could’ve been a commoner working as a farmer or craftsman. But given his psyche and muscle proportions of his body he could’ve been an athlete or some guard or warrior. He probably hid his sexuality because the Mexica were extremely intolerant of homosexuality.

After he was turned into a vampire it took him years or even centuries to explore himself and his sexuality to the man that he is now in the current canon. He’s far more flamboyant and flashy and completely unapologetically showing physical displays of affection and getting what he wants.

Another part what he finds himself attracted to Mizrak is that he used to be like that before centuries ago. A gruff but humble man and hiding who he was and taking male lovers in secret and parading himself in a overtly masculine way.

He sees that part of himself in Mizrak of being this gruff but humble guy that keeps his true self hidden. Those are the characteristics he holds dear and he sees the potential in Mizrak too which is why he teases him a lot. Poking at his faith and seducing him. Trying to get Mizrak to come out of his shell while it had probably took Olrox centuries to come out of his own.

I can’t wait for season 2 and to get an extended flashback and get to see a completely different Olrox. Olrox has lived for almost three hundred years and nobody remains the same after four or five years and who knows what centuries will look like in a person. Who knows what Olrox we are going to get as a human.

[narzissenkreuz-ordo]

My thoughts & feeling about the Imbibitor Lunae's recent story leaks, in regards to Renheng / Xingyue & Dan feng himself

i'm pretty sure other folks have made posts trying to piece together the timeline, but even with the actual story sections the events of Dan Feng's sins are still super unclear

Starting with Dan Feng because he's my skrunkly; this dude really thought his power and position made him god-like with little regard to mortals below him while fighting with the HCQ

i know there were past leaks where DF was vaguely described as pretty emotionless and detached. but man he really does not give a shit people with his active detachment BUT the quick gazes & mentioned sharing drinks with the HCQ really makes it seem like DF went from consistent detachment throughout his current & past lives and then became absolutely ride or die for his (new) friends.

I have a feeling that the constant cycle of being reborn & being forced immediately into preparing to be the High Elder, Being the High Elder & caring out those duties, and dying as the High Elder. The cycle keeps going on and on. He probably had no TIME to indulge in normal ass things like friends or any other non-professional social life. But them he meets these 4 weirdos who treat him as just One Of The Guys and immediately comes ride or die for them.

The mask of emotionless & cold detachment comes crumbling down around his new found friends. This honestly probably punches DF in the gut because these sensations are new and wack to him, I love the idea of him being a lil unhinged and drunk on the power of friendship BUT ONLY with the HCQ. the emotional whiplash the people around him problem experience is probably so hilarious because they see him having a blast with his friends and theyre like omg is that the high elder omg i didn't think he was such a party lizard but then IMMEDIATELY goes back into his cold & collected personality the moment someone else interacts with them all. The moment he starts feeling the power of friendship he's like "am i sick? whats happening to me oh my god why does my brain feel like bees" unable to process the emotions trying to reboot his brain constantly like a fucking windows computer. we love an autistic king!

ok this was supposed to a more serious post abt DF & the actual events in the leaked story but my brain automatically thinks of HCQ shenanigans

do i need to say more about "that exceedingly arrogant craftsman" like holy Fucking Shit this is fucking gay. his emotionless detachment in battle & his quick/mostly neutral thoughts about his other friends, but with Yingxing he goes into gay annoyance/admiration mode.

I really wish that Yingxing wasn't a short-lifed species because this whole dynamic SCREAMS slow-burn to me. DF's standoff-ish behavior & genuine annoyance towards YX and his arrogance but it slowly becomes more & more endearing as the rest of the HCQ get him to come outta his "stick up his ass" shell to eventually the realization hits and becomes giddy & drunk on his overwhelmingly intense love for YX and becomes a slightly feral lizard, even in public with the HCQ And giving YX gay gay homosexual gay immortality dragon heart juice would still be a thing with YX dying in battle.

Before I end this, I'll just touch up on the more Depressing events in DH IL's story leaks:

DF's emotional detachment to others & friendly relationship with the HCQ leads him & YX to wanting to carry out some sort of "Plan" which probably involves whatever conversation DF & YX we were able to listen in on at Scalegorge Waterscape (or was DF just sneaking YX into Scalegorge Waterscape so that he could research Vidyadhara craftsman techniques?). But since these are DH's dreams even HE doesn't know whats going on.

my general thought process was: DF & YX are planning something together (making YX immortal?), weird fucking shapeshifting flesh monster is tthere?, YX telling him to commit to a decision, DF having the star & red bloodcell vision (was he glanced at by Yaoshi while trying to use the Dragon heart to make YX immortal?), Then Baiheng comes crashing into to try and stop the monster (why was she THERE?)

it doesn't make sense that Baiheng was the one DF planning to bring new life to. Since her sudden appearance is a surprise to him & YX was only described as wounded but able to protect and use his sword

since these are DH's dreams & fragmented memories. With out the other story beats, could it be possible that the "bury his old friend" and "grant them new life" were two different people? DF coming to grant YX immortality but Baiheng gets disintegrated thus DF buries a friend & give the other new life.

Were missing a lot of context here, did YX later get injured so badly that DF tries to revive him? or was the Yaoshi flesh monster completely unrelated and they HCQ were trying to stop it and beiheng fucking dies? does DF try to bring Baiheng back while having his weird ass blood and flesh vision & things go Very Wrong and YX gets caught in the crossfire, making him into the monster we know today? is that why Blade is always going on about how him & DF have to pay the price for THEIR sins? They tried to bring Baiheng back and committed the greatest taboo and they created something horrible (Baiheng abomination & Blade's immortality?)

I'm gonna try Not dwelling on the details here since we need even MORE context now. This post is getting SO long, i will leave it at that & think more about HQC domestic bliss

[whyeverr]

craftsman ✨

[jjwho]

Who Has a Crush on You?

Pile 1. Pile 2

Pile 3

☆

☆

☆

Pile 1

Cards pulled out:

Five of swords, three of pentacles, four of sword in reverse, eight of pentacles, page of swords.

So my pile one So what I can see is that maybe you and this person might've walked away from each other, or he walked away from you. This person may have a lot of self sabotaging behaviors. I see that there's a lack of communications between you both.

He/she/they might've tried to ignore their feelings for you cause maybe they didn't want to get rejected and they're trying to focus on their work/career/school.

I see you guys might know each other as acquaintances or you guys mightve worked in team groups or did a collaboration in work. Something about a work place. That's where you guys mightve met.

This person could be really trying to work hard on growing and learning and maybe finding mental stability and finally rejoining or coming out of his/her/their shell to socialize and speak up now. Maybe they're never really took care of themselves before.

This person might need patience and he seems like a curious person that doesn't really like getting into arguments. This person is quick-witted but also very guarded. This person may be confident in their work, something to do with their hands maybe some craftsman work. They're also very smart, maybe they have a scholarship.

Okay Pile one I pulled out someone personality traits and physical traits of this person for you guys(remember this is a general reading so not everything is going to be for you)

-Self-absorbed

-Popular

-Gentle

-Ginger

-Got some abs

-Pale

(I hope you enjoyed your reading and maybe have got some insight on the person who is crush on you Pile 1)

Pile 2

Cards pulled out:

Seven of cups, temperance,the fool reverse, strength, the emperor

So my pile two, you guys one hell of a person crushing on yall.

Okay so this person may have a lot of opportunities or options. So they might procrastinate a lot or it's just something they do, they day dream a lot and might have some hallucinations. I think they might be a bit mentally ill, but I mean who isn't.

They might have a lot of balance with themselves or inner calmness, or you guys just have a harmious relationship. I think they might think yall are their like you know, soulmates. You guys might be. Not too sure.

They also could be a bit reckless, maybe be a bit stupid and they somehow always get distracted. There's something about this person and not being in reality. Like I said a dreamer. They may be very brace and confident and be compassionate.

He may be older than you even though he might not act like it. Almost like a cool, rad, reckless teenage boy. Bad boy vibes, fun guy but reckless. He might listen to metal cause master of puppets was playing and the song playing right now is "Cooler than me". So that song might tell you a lot about this person crushing on you.

Something about his father figure, maybe he didn't have much of a father-figure which might explain the way he is now. He may be a little protective of his things. Scorpio, Pisces energy.

So personality and appearance cards I pulled out are:

-tall

-a little chubby

-Courageous

-Doe eyes

-somehow a little strict, maybe with themselves or they have someone strict on them.

(Hope that helps you pile 2 and good luck with this personnn)

Pile 3

Cards pulled out:

Reversed cards:knight of cups, three of pentacles,the Hugh priestess, five of swords

Upright card: The sun

Lots a reversals lmao. So pile 3

I don't really like this person crushing on you and I pray you're not gonna be happy hearing this. This might be an ex or a Heartbreakers. A manipulative bitch, a cheater. Maybe you liked them at one point and they didn't give you back the affection.

All I'm saying is that this person still hasn't learnt from their past mistakes and they aren't willing to learn anytime soon. Might be older than you I'm seeing 2-3 years. So old but acts like a bitch ew.

I feel like you're repressing your intuition, your gut that's telling you this person ain't the one. Maybe you got unwanted attention from this person or other way around. I feel like this person is coming out of their isolation but still accepting help. (Gorl he ain't worth it)

He likes his openness, by that I mean still multiple woman and he's happy with that. He likes his freedom. Ew

Gorl don't go for him, he's obviously not fully committed. You literally deserve better I bet he doesn't have a big PP either.

But lemme pull some other cards out on how this mf personality is like and how he looks

-"Mature"

-Blue eyes

-Sarcastic

-Jealous

-Has issues

-Courageous

-Tall

Bro he ain't worth it but anyways jaaa.

I hope everyone enjoyed their reading and it was accurate or easy to understand, I'm still in the middle of reading tarot. I've only had or been reading for two years so still learning

Byeeee☆☆☆

[lemonypixels]

The Sherburne

“Popular for many years, the Sherburne provided a substantial bungalow style home with lots of light, an open floor plan, and design elements common to the Craftsman-style. Three large bedrooms upstairs allowed the average family plenty of private space.” - Antique Home Style

Price: $43,232

Lot Size: 30x20

3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms

Minimally Furnished (Kitchen/Bathroom Basics Only)

CC Free

Only Base Game and Growing Together needed!

Move Objects on!!

I rarely limit myself with packs but I wanted to give it a try with this one, at least for the shell of it. I may go back and add a furnished version but since I plan to use this one myself I’ll be using CC and I don’t usually upload my CC heavy builds. This one is for the anon who asked me to upload a craftsman lol shoutout to u anon. I’ll try to get a furnished house out eventually but to be honest i’m kinda digging these move-in ready types!

Please do not reupload or claim as your own and please tag me or use #lemonypixels if you use it so I can see!!

Origin ID: vulpeculai Tray Files: SFS or Dropbox *no adfly

[kaydeefalls]

WIP Wednesday

Feeling increasingly antsy about the fact that we are four full months into 2023 and I have posted zero fics so far this year, but I am actively writing again these days, I swear! Currently close to 18k words into a Joe/Nicky canon-divergence AU set during the last Punic War (i.e. the Fall of Carthage). I'm probably only around the halfway mark and my gremlin brain craves validation, so have a snippet:

"My apologies; I did not catch your name earlier. Mine is Nicolò—or Nicolaus Genuates, as the Romans would have it."

"Well, I am obviously not Roman, and I would have you as you are, Nicolò," Yusuf replied with a wink. He filed the name away for later consideration; not entirely Roman himself, then, this Nicolò. "My name is Yusuf."

Nicolò leaned in a little closer, smiling with his eyes. "So what land do you call home, then, Yusuf? And what brings you to our city?"

"Carthage, and the great misfortune of my family connections, I'm afraid," Yusuf said dryly. "I'm a merchant by trade, but my sister's husband sits on our judicial tribunal, and wanted to ensure our family's interests were represented in the negotiations with your Senate."

"Ah, the One Hundred and Four, as they are called?" Nicolò's gaze sharpened. "You are part of the Carthaginian envoy."

Yusuf lifted an eyebrow. "Indeed. You are better versed in foreign affairs than most actors I have met."

"Then you haven't met the right actors," Nicolò countered. "But I'm not one myself, though I count them among my friends. I'm a scribe—I work at the aerarium archives."

It caught Yusuf by surprise. "I admit, I would not have guessed that. That you are an educated man, yes, I presumed as much from your speech, but it's hard to envision you spending your days transcribing laws or balancing accounts."

Nicolò gave him a charmingly crooked little grin. "Perhaps you lack imagination, then."

"I have never been accused of that before."

"No? How did you picture me, then? As an actor like my friend Aurelius over there?"

"You would cut a fine figure on a stage," Yusuf allowed, letting his gaze travel down along the curve of Nicolò's neck to his broad shoulders, the lean muscles of his arms. "But if not that, then perhaps…a craftsman, or engineer of some sort. Someone who works with his hands." One of Nicolò's large hands rested atop the table between them. Yusuf traced along the outline of it. "You have very capable-looking hands."

"Capable of holding a pen, yes. Among other things." Nicolò turned his hand palm up, letting his fingers tangle with Yusuf's. "Your hand is not as soft as I would have imagined, for a wealthy Punic merchant."

"Carthaginian," Yusuf corrected. "'Punic' is a Roman word, not one we use to describe ourselves. And do your merchants not travel by ship, and handle the ropes alongside their sailors as needed? Or the sword, when called upon to defend their cargo? All these tasks build their own callouses."

"As they should." Nicolò stroked his thumb across the lines of Yusuf's palm, and somehow that simple touch sent a crackle of heat along the full length of Yusuf's body. He sucked in a breath, and Nicolò lifted his heavy-lidded gaze back up to meet Yusuf's. His lopsided smile now had clear intent behind it. "So what brings a Carthaginian merchant-ambassador here, tonight, instead of toasting his compatriots after a long day's negotiations?"

Yusuf ducked his head in closer, brushing the words against the shell of Nicolò's ear. "I tired of their company, and sought better. Have I found it?"

[snomoscribbles]

Nanui tidbit #2

This man lives to create. He's a craftsman and weaver for a reason. Color coordination, design freedom, new weaving techniques.

He has such a passion for his art. To be friends with nanui is to get constant knick knacks and jewelry. From intricately woven hair pieces to dainty braided bracelets and mats and beaded curtains for decorating your home.

This passion runs deep. Gotta be careful with him around woven pathways and structures though. If he sees something coming unraveled or falling out he will stop whatever he is doing to go fix it. He takes pride in his work.

The quickest way to his heart is crafting materials. Pearls, shells ,uniquely colored stones, teeth of interesting animals, spines of colorful fish, etc.

His favorite shells are Skuka shells and he loves starbeak fins for the colors.

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

“No, look, I want big shells like this because they’re easier to crush. The resulting powder will be the base for the solution I’m making.”

“There aren’t any more big shells.”

“Well, you’ll have to use Mjolnir on the little ones then. I need a lot if I’m making enough decent insect repellent for you too.”

“Mjolnir is a weapon of legend, not some craftsman’s tool!”

“That’s true, between the two of you I don’t believe I’ve accused Mjolnir of being a tool. Do you want to be eaten alive by mosquitos again tonight or are you going to help?”

(Check out the rest of the series: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3204995/)

[pokemoncenter]

On Apricorn trees

Most people don't realize this, but (excepting Pokemon), the Apricorn tree is actually the largest carnivorous plant in the world.

Native to Johto, the trees are the members of the quernus genus. in the distant past it was known as the 'evil-warding tree' and thought of as monster-repellant, though the truth is closer to the exact opposite. Furthermore, their fruit's nigh-impenetrable shelled skin was the basis of the 'sorcerous' tool called the 'mashinki' (魔神機), the predecessor to what we in the modern day call Apricorn balls.

In nature, the fruit is known to be very sweet, and particularly alluring to wild Pokemon. However, this is its method of predation. While it is still connected to the tree, the fruit secretes a chemical that causes irritation in Pokemon, that will trigger the Pokemon's shrinking reflex, regardless of its own will. At which point, they will be essentially absorbed through a hole in the Apricorn's shell.

Once inside, the Pokemon will resist- Trainers will recognize this, the way the ball shakes when the Pokemon inside is trying to break out. This is the mechanism by which Apricorns spread. The resistance of the Pokemon inside it causes the fruit to fall off the tree, and furthermore then often shake and roll a fair distance away from the tree at which it was captured. Once its energy has been expended, the seeds inside the fruit begin to break down the captured Pokemon for energy, allowing it to take root wherever it has landed, and a new tree grows.

Despite all this, however, it is far rarer than you would think that an Apricorn succeeds in reproducing in this way. First of all, if the Apricorn falls from the tree, it no longer secretes the chemical causing Pokemon to shrink, allowing Pokemon to help themselves to the fruit at their leisure. And many wild Pokemon have learned to simply knock the fruit off the tree with a ranged move before attempting to pluck it. And even if the Apricorn's capture is successful, there's a good chance the fruit will simply fall to the ground at the parent tree's base, and lack the room or nutrients to grow, essentially being starved by its own parent tree once it exhausts the resources of the original Pokemon it captured. Furthermore, if it captures a Pokemon that has a trainer or a companion in the wild, they will usually be able to break the captured Pokemon out from the outside.

When a Johtonian craftsman makes a ball from an Apricorn, they're using secret methods to restore the chemical that induces the shrinking. The methods by which they do this are incredibly closely-guarded secrets, and to this day, no one save the craftsmen themselves know, leading to the development of the Pokeball that uses alternative means. However, the modern Pokeball is still ultimately derived, if only aesthetically, from the old 'mashinki'.

The symbol associated with Pokeballs is derived from the old 'mashinki' as well, and thus with apricorns, as a symbol to attempt to ward off monsters and evil... though now, it has instead shifted, and what was once a predator that symbolized fear is now a symbol of friendship, and our connection with Pokemon.

When you look at your Pokeballs, please take a moment to simply think about that. That we have turned their predator into an object signifying our love for them.

[ahungeringknife]

This chapter more than any other has remained the most consistent through rewrites and drafts. Takes you out of the house where Spayar is a doting big brother and loved oldest child into the actual work he does to plan a coup to kill the rest of the royal family.

If you'd like to be pinged for updates drop me a line. Info links are all at the bottom including AO3.

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The Zealous Servant | 2 | South Garden

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South Garden was a bustling neighborhood where you could get just about anything you wanted. Unlike the gridded streets of Bellringer which had been meticulously planned by the Craftsmans' Guild centuries ago South Garden was an older part of the city where roads had just appeared between buildings and then everyone had crammed into spaces next to each other. Colorful awnings dotted the front of the buildings' fronts often overlapping each other and the street casting the roads into brilliant colors in the dull gray light of the drizzle. Unlike in Bellringer where houses had enough spaces for gardens the homes of South Garden were so close the walls touched and some buildings even shared them. They seemed to hang over the streets but unlike some neighborhoods Spayar never felt like the buildings would fall in on you. You wanted to experience that The Cradle was just on the other side of the river or even more crowded Downriver further away still. The upper windows all held flower boxes and it wasn't uncommon for long trailing flowering plants to drape down low over the road. Traffic in South Garden was regulated to foot traffic or small petty taxis. No coaches allowed so it was a safe neighborhood to walk about freely. Which was good as according to Senior it was somehow getting more dangerous than usual to be on the streets in Bellringer as the number of run-overs by coaches had increased in the last few months.

Spayar just followed after Calli with the shopping. He'd made a big deal about it earlier but it was easier to just let her do it. She knew what they needed. He'd handed over the list and his wallet and let her buy up the processed goods and gather the raw. He stood behind Calli boredly as she was looking over some already shelled nuts. He was just looking around, catching no one's attention in particular, listening to side talk. He was honestly looking for a place to sit for a bit and let the right people notice him.

He was in the middle of a yawn when he saw someone across the street staring at him. Calli was bartering with the stall owner over the price of almonds they were selling and completely oblivious. They were a man, nondescript in appearance wearing the fashion from a few years ago, and he was just looking at Spayar in surprise. Then he made a hand sign at Spayar in thieves cant. He was so out of practice in this after two years in the Arm. Even worse than Dirnine. But after a second he remembered the corresponding hand sign. The man walked away with a nod. Spayar looked away as Calli finished her transaction.

"Five silver for a pound of badly shelled almonds, what a scam," Calli complained after they were out of earshot of the nut seller.

"Bad year?" Spayar asked.

"Its the principle of the thing," she huffed. "Last year it was three silver."

"Is he the only nut seller?"

"That doesn't just sell flour, yes," she was annoyed as they walked the street to their next destination. "Everyone's double processing their raw it seems. It's infuriating."

"The fact that he's selling them just shelled is almost illegal so you can take solace in that at least," Spayar said idly. Selling raw food products or living animals strictly for consumption was illegal in the Alliance. The government paid all farmers and ranchers for their products on maturity and it was distributed by the farmers themselves. If you wanted to sell food stuffs you had to process it in some way, cook it, make it into flour or cheese or do something to change it from its natural state.

"He didn't even roast them!" Calli cried and Spayar chuckled. "Amma wanted me to pick up some spices from her favorite shop so just wait out here. I'll be a bit and see if I can't pry some cinnamon or cardamom from them."

"Good luck," Spayar said and Calli went into a cheerfully lit shop. He glanced inside and saw it was run by some Dirinians as well if Calli's greeting in Dirnine was anything to go off of.

Well knowing Dirinians that would be a while. He went and found a bench to sit on and sighed like he was weary. The bench was damp but not wet and his jacket covered the back of his thighs. He kicked his legs out and got comfortable, reminding himself where the nearest post office was. He needed to get this letter out of Theo.

He glanced over when a man, a different man from before, sat next to him. Spayar recognized him instantly, pale skinned with a shock of blond hair he dyed black but was always showing at the roots. He was a muscly type with a surprisingly honest face. "Jimon," he said in greeting, he was in a thin rain coat, no hood or hat.

"Spayar," he replied back. "Cannin nearly shit himself he was so shocked to see you back out and about." Spayar chuckled. "Showed up at Lonni's acting all crazy. We all had to tell him to shut the blazes up. Wasn't like you died or anything."

"That'd be a neat trick if I had, though," Spayar smirked. "You know Cannin doesn't know what to do around pretty guys," and that made Jimon give a loud well meant laugh. "Didn't even recognize him. Finally got a hair cut."

"Yeah. His lady made him get it shaved off when he came home with lice last month." Spayar grimaced in sympathy.

"So," Spayar started off lowly but casually. He didn't necessary want their conversation overheard. Not that it was probably anything but old news but better safe than sorry. "What's the beat?"

"Depends," Jimon held out his hand palm up on top of his thigh.

"Don't insult me, Jimon," Spayar rolled his eyes.

"Just checking. You were gone two years. Things changed."

"I can't imagine they changed that much-

"Jackkerty's dead."

Spayar needed a moment to process that. "He's what?" That was... not the worst thing in the world but far from the best. Shit.

"Dead. Got got. There's a new master of the Tithing Court now," Jimon said with absolute grim seriousness Spayar couldn't recall seeing in him in a long time even before he'd left.

"I see. Who's the mark?"

"Calls themselves the Pale Cross. Foreigner best we can tell. They've got a retched accent if they aren't," Jimon's face pinched.

"Jackkerty let a foreigner get the better of him? Really?"

"Yeah. We were surprised too. Lonni said they all went in one day for their usual meeting and he was gone and Pale Cross was in his place. Didn't believe at first. Found his body in his house in Middleton later that day."

"Well shit," Spayar said softly. He wasn't really torn up about Jackkerty's death. Not really. Jackkerty had been a fool. But he knew the rules and was easily manipulated. Exactly how the Lord of the Tithing Court should be here in Assarus. "And how's he running the place?"

"They," Spayar noted the emphasis there as Jimon spoke, "don't get it. They aren't from here, acting like this is any other place. Collects more often and higher amounts. They already sent Black after a few of the street runners who didn't pay up, had him take some fingers. It's got everyone nervous and acting stupid. Doing risky things to meet pay day. The Strong Arm's starting to get annoyed and is looking at us."

That was serious. The royals and their spymaster were aware of the Tithing Court and tolerated it for the most part as it acted as a slight extension of their spy network. Petty thieves and people who ran illegal gambling rings heard all sorts of news and gossip a noted spy had more trouble sussing out. Petty thievery or an illegal gambling den wasn't punishable beyond a fine and some time in the city's jail. Never long. Few months. But if petty thievery wasn't making the tithing for this new Lord then they'd do bigger jobs. Start actual robbery, steal things of higher value. If the higher ranks did it it was expected but if the entire Court was suddenly hurting for money to pay their new Lord. It certainly would draw the Strong Arm's attention-- while technically all the guard in the city were part of the Strong Arm it was really only used for those who served on the palace grounds and Fey's Shadow where all the nobles kept their homes. If the Strong Arm got involved the royals got involved and they had a no tolerance policy. There'd be no raids or arrests. They'd just raze all of the Cradle and parts of Middleton to the ground to send a very clear message that this foolish 'guild' was no longer going to be tolerated.

"Someone's told them right?" Spayar asked.

"Of course! Not like they care. I think they think this is like wherever they came from and the guard has no idea where we are and we're some weird secret," Jimon grimaced. "They just want money."

"Ah. Grubber."

"Aye," Jimon spat on the ground to show how much he cared for that.

"And no one's killed them? Seems like a lot of bad without a lot of good."

"We've tried. They're a warlock of some sort. Ones who've tried end up dead instead. It's real annoying actually."

Made sense. Weren't many warlocks in the Tithing Court or who did assassinations. If you could use magic there was way better money to be made doing reasonable magic for people. That and the Adoshade tended to put a stop to any freelance blades in the dark. Spayar had asked one during his time why that was. LiSen, who never joked at all to begin with, had just said it was 'bad for their image'.

"So no one's talked any sense into them?"

"Not that they take seriously," Jimon sighed. As he did a woman walked by them, stopped, and did a double take, peering down at them from under her umbrella. "Not now Lenorr I'm talking his ear off," Jimon tried to wave her off.

"Well it must be awful then since Jimon is a real bore!" Lenorr cried and Spayar grunted when she helped herself to his lap. Lenorr, like most of the Court, wasn't much to look at, straight brown hair, round cheeks, wide hips and a narrow waist. She had pretty eyes he guessed. He wasn't much one for figuring out what made girls pretty unless someone told him directly. He'd consider it a character flaw if he actually gave a shit.

"Hello Lenorr, fancy seeing you here," Spayar said, slightly strained from her in his lap. Yeah sure, use your boss like part of the bench. Perfect, he thought.

"What are you telling him Jimon?"

"New boss."

"Oh, they're awful," Lenorr bemoaned.

"Bad for business I've been told," Spayar said.

"Terrible!"

"Woman will you pipe down," Jimon scolded her. Lenorr just rolled her eyes.

"So I take it I need a new introduction?" Spayar asked to keep the conversation going.

"Good luck with that."

"The court stays with them all the time," Jimon said.

"Why?"

"In case they do something stupid like kill someone like they killed some kid a few weeks ago because he didn't bring any money three times in a row and they considered that unacceptable. Slit the kid's throat and had him tossed into the Meltong. Guards went crazy about that. They were banging on the doors of every known crook or bend in the city seeing if we knew anything," he said it lowly but with great annoyance. "And of course we all said we didn't know anything. Now the entire court just stays there to stop them from doing it again. Stealing is one thing but we aren't murderers."

Spayar rubbed his eyes. "Great. So everyone's there all the time?"

"Well..." Lenorr started, "not Tassa. But no one's seen her in a while."

That did interest him. Von said he hadn't seen Tassa and she wasn't in the court? He'd have to pay her a visit.

"I see. Anything else happen while I was gone?" Spayar asked. He was quite over hearing them complain about their new boss honestly. The Pale Cross didn't worry him. They were shit. Everyone knew Lord of Tithing was a paper title for a weak crime scene just to keep the kleptomaniacs in line. He also knew the court were all soft handed thugs who were too afraid of death to tell the Pale Cross how it was. Spayar wasn't like that and he couldn't have some foreigner ruining his good thing with the thief's guild.

"When'd you get back?" Jimon asked.

"This morning," Spayar shrugged.

"So then you don't know what's been going on?"

"About?"

"Last year the thaw totally flooded the Mire. Most of it got torn down because of it, rot getting into the buildings. It hasn't been rebuilt properly yet."

"It's horrible down there," Lenorr agreed. "We've been getting a lot of new hands from there. There's nothing for them. Asuras isn't fixing it. Then this year that son of hers moved into the Winter Palace and she's been too afraid to come up and see the situation herself," she said scornfully. "Lots of people desperate to get out of the Mire but don't have a place to go home to so they come to us to get enough money for a place to stay."

"Can't get a job if you don't have an address," Spayar said softly. They both nodded slowly.

"Been a weird year and a half too. Too much water along the river basin and then not enough water between here and the White Foot Hills."

"My sister said prices for food products have gone up a bit," Spayar said remembering Calli's complaining of more than just the almonds.

"Yeah."

"And you're lucky to find raw most places," Lenorr said. "It gets grabbed up by processors so fast. Then before you can get that they sell to someone else who can afford a higher mark up and then they sell a secondary process for four times the amount."

"How much is bread?" Spayar asked.

"Two silver," Jimon said gravely.

Spayar nearly choked. "Silver? For a loaf of bread? That better be the best damn bread I've ever had!"

The two thieves laughed. "It's affecting different neighborhoods differently. Craft guild has a strong arm in Bellringer from what I hear. They go around, rounding up raw and single possessed food staples and give it out to guild members first and community members second." That explained why Spayar hadn't noticed the lack and even still could get rice. His father was a Master smith in the guild. His family wouldn't go without so long as the craftsman's guild was still operating in the city. "Fey's Shadow and Upriver of course are noticing nothing."

"Heard it was bad in D'linger for a bit at first before the university took over," Lenorr said thoughtfully. "Now anyone who's part of the university has access to their food stores, raw and processed, free of charge."

"Yeah. Probably best not to piss off the university warlocks by upcharging them for bread," Spayar said.

"I even heard some butcher in Middleton was trying to sell raw," Jimon said.

"No way."

"Unconfirmed rumor," he added quickly. "If it happened the Strong Arm certainly straightened it out quickly."

"Yeah I'd guess so. Anything else fun and exciting I should be aware of?"

"It's Tallasala's naming day soon. She's planning a big party despite Teldin's appearance," Lenorr said. "Thirty-seventh of Neyjarra." So less than two months away with this being the last few days of J'dorr and J'dorr was the shortest month of the year.

"Mmm, great. Well I'll see about getting a meeting with the Pale Cross and we can set them straight on some things."

"I certainly hope so."

"It's... worrying," Lenorr agreed.

"I can't leave you alone for even a minute can I?" the familiar voice of his sister cried as she came out of the spice shop.

"Pleasure," Jimon shook Spayar's hand where Spayar slipped him a gold. Then he stood up, dipped his head to Calli and wandered off, hands in his pockets, wandering back out into the multi colored light of the awning covered street.

"Ah yes, the only woman in your life, huh Spayar?" Lenorr teased him and very nearly shoving her tits in his face. He rolled his eyes making her give him a fox smirk.

"Well she doesn't crush my thighs so yes," he said and that made Lenorr laugh. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and as she got up he slipped her a gold as well. "Ta ta," and she went on her way.

"You've been back home less than five hours and I already find you covered in flirts," Calli huffed, arms cross. She looked very much like Relora then.

"What can I say? I'm very charming," Spayar asked with a smirk. Calli was unaffected and unamused.

"Well I wish you'd teach me that instead of arithmetic. Far more useful than math ever will be."

Spayar chuckled and got to his feet grabbing up the shopping in one arm. He looped the other arm around her as they walked. "Trust me, math is important. But also you just need to seem smarter than you are but not like you know you're smarter than you are, smarter than they are," he did impart some wisdom onto her. Which surprised her by the look on her face and honestly surprised him too. "Shouldn't be too hard. You're very clever and I know you got a smart mind behind that big forehead of yours," and he poked her in the middle of her high forehead.

She swatted at him. "Ahg! Horrid!" she cried, swinging her basket at him. Spayar laughed and jumped back, hands up. "To think I missed you while you were gone," she huffed angrily. But he knew she was just flustered.

"So what's next on the list?" Spayar asked. "Anything heavy for you to torture me with?"

"Yes," she said, still annoyed with him.

They ended up making a few more stops and Calli did find some heavy things to carry, a bag of sausage and cured meat and another with jars of jam and produce preserves. Despite the cooling air it was humid because of the rain and quite miserable honestly. Once the rain settled the humidity would go away but for now he was left to build up a bit of sweat in his rain jacket. "You think amma will be upset if we go home without everything on the list?" Calli asked as they stood at the other side of the big South Garden market.

"I don't even know what she looks like upset so that's doubtful," Spayar said. "What are we missing?"

"She wanted me to see if I could find some raw out here but..." she bit her lip.

"Probably not happening?" Spayar gathered.

"Unless you can make goat appear out of nowhere?"

"I'm a warlock but not that kind of magic," he said and that made her laugh.

"Well then I guess not."

"You could ask nicely," he said.

She shoved him annoyance. "That doesn't work. Let's get home before it starts raining properly."

"We need to stop at the post office. I have a letter to mail." Calli made an agreeable noise and they headed for the closest post office a few streets over.

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