#make it a sitting area or something

[victorluvsalice]

-->Oh, they got their fair share of the love, don’t worry. Having shared some kisses with Alice, Victor gave her the salmon he’d caught so she could grill it up and eat it (girl was feeling the hunger -- and the stink, as you can see; fortunate the public bathrooms in the forest also include showers!), then went inside to play chess with Smiler, who favored him with a serenade (after kicking his butt). This led to embraces, kisses --

-->And selfies! And THIS is where I discovered all the fun goofy poses that Sims can pull in selfies thanks to Moschino Stuff adding all those emotional poses. XD I wish I could have shown you more of them (especially the sillier poses), but I was using filters to brighten up some of these, and those basically bleach out the damn screenshots, unfortunately. But these I feel are a good selection -- Victor and Smiler took theirs at the “station” in the forest, while Alice and Smiler and Victor and Alice took theirs at the cabin. Gotta experiment with these and photography in general more!

-->Anyway, yes, as the darkness and the clouds set in again, the gang headed home to chill out. Victor caught some zzzs, while Alice indulged in some beastly boogies and howled her way to another ability point -- I had her pick up the Somber Howl, which will allow her to occasionally lower her Fury in exchange for a sad moodlet. Good for preventing more rampages! And Smiler did some more fishing, using Baconite to catch a bass and a perch they caught to then grab a trout or two. It’s all good plasma packs!

And that is the second day of their camping vacation sorted! Next time, the third and final day -- with more rain, sadly, but also a few more adventures! See you then!

[savage-rhi]

Magenta 😥

[puppyeared]

crumbs of a story im writing

clumsy rookie news photographer chasing after a gentleman thief to start an advice column ^_^

the thiefs legit job as a librarian doesnt pay enough to cover his rent (not enough public funding?), so he steals from rich politicians.

he kind of sees it as "hitting two birds with one stone," since the politicans are more interested in infrastructure than public funding anyway, and they have more than enough money so he doesn't feel bad doing it

since its done out of necessity, the thief is extremely meticulous and plans out his thefts. but hes also a theatre kid, so he makes a costume and more or less garners the attention of the community

the rookie is a newspaper photographer who has been following the thief for some time and has grown to admire him

the newspaper he works for is community oriented (organizing events and programs, advocating for the public) and believes the thief shares similar values

basically he proposes to start an advice column with the thief to build a rapport with the community, with the goal of winning over the public

the thief is hesitant because he's really only doing it for himself and doesnt want to get anyone else involved, but the rookie tells him to think of it as a way of helping everyone

the rest is kinda fuzzy.. i wanted to touch on community effort and public interests. I don't know if this will be the kind of story that encourages people to take action, I don't see myself as being any kind of model citizen. for now I'm just focused on pouring all my thoughts and faith in humanity into a story setting

[sunsunbauds]

screaming crying throwing up about how i can never go back and relive my childhood and teen years with the knowledge and emotional maturity and self-assurance that i have now

[bubmyg]

writing this in the tags bc i need to articulate it somewhere that isn’t to my mother on the phone

[worstloki]

The funniest arguments are the ones where one country tries to claim a food or type of clothing is solely theirs and shouldn’t be associated with another country pointing out it also exists somewhere else. Even if ‘somewhere else’ is a neighbouring country that a century ago was a part of the same place, somehow this calls people to violence

[softquietsteadylove]

When Thena heard in the news about the 4th fisherman drowning out at the sea she fears that it will happen to Gil too. So she decides to do some swimming lessons for Gil to make him stronger and more secure in the water. She doesn’t tell him why all of a sudden she wants to spend time with him in the water, Only later Gil learns her true intentions.

For the mermaid one!

Gil hit the surface, taking in a deep gasp of air.

"Hm," Thena pursed her lips, swimming closer to him in a second, "that was only a minute."

"Only," he huffed and puffed.

They had been practising getting him to hold his breath for longer, gradually. Thena had been positively horrified to learn that most humans could only hold their breath for about a minute before their lungs demanded oxygen. So horrified that she had insisted he strengthen his lungs, as well as plenty of other swimming skills.

So, every night after work, they would spend a little time in the water together before he had a shower and started their dinner.

"Yes, 'only'," she huffed right back at him, circling him with ease thanks to her tail cutting through the water. "Gil, your average has only increased by ten seconds. You are a fisherman!"

"Yeah," he panted faintly, swiping water and his weighed down hair out of his eyes. "And I do my fishing up on the boat, believe it or not."

She gave him a very unimpressed look. "I met you because you fell overboard."

She had a point. Gil avoided her eyes, kicking his feet and swishing his hands to keep himself afloat. "Angelfish, I appreciate the training and all. But it's been a hell of a day, I really-"

"But-!" she started and bit into her lip with her fangs. He raised a brow, waiting for her argument. She sighed, though, swirling her tail to keep herself stationary. "Perhaps you're right."

"Thena," he sighed, watching her swim slowly over to the ladder of the dock. "Angelfish, wait."

"No, I'm sorry I insisted on doing this every night," she offered him a contrite smile, "you must be exhausted."

"Hey, c'mere," he reached for her, keeping his other hand on the ladder to alleviate his own burden. "What's going on? I asked already what this was about but something's up."

Thena dodged his eyes, moving her tail, feeling the water bending around both her movements and Gil's. Humans really did have to work so, so hard to stay afloat. All that air in their lungs and it lasted less than a minute on average. And Gil's muscle was so dense, and those strong arms of his weren't actually doing the most work when he swam.

"Cuddlefish?" he tried to persuade her with sweet words again, leaning closer and kissing her cheek.

Thena sighed, leaning into the affection and bringing herself closer to him. Even in the water, although it made his skin feel damp, he was still so warm. "I was worried."

"Yeah, I'm getting that impression," he smiled again, running his hand over her hair, the water beading and running right off. "But I mean why, though?"

She sighed more harshly, flicking her tail fins more. "You saw the news."

Several deaths of fishermen had been reported on recently--enough that the local news had announced that it was unwise to be out in open water without proper training and equipment. They were even investigating exactly why the fishermen had all met their ends, and it seemed unfortunate but natural causes due to them tumbling overboard and simply being at the mercy of the sea.

"Even the strongest human is a guppy when you're out in those waves," she frowned, pressing her forehead to his chest. "The stormy season is upon us and if you fall in, or get tangled in a net again, and-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he cooed, kissing beside her ear and tucking her head against him. "Nothing like that is gonna happen, Angelfish."

She bit his shoulder gently (like tugging on an ear). "Net--overboard."

"Right," he remarked, and they both had to chuckle. He held her tighter though, "okay, you got me there. But you saved me."

"And what if I'm not there to save you next time?" she pulled her head up to frown at him. She pulled her hand from the water to touch his cheek, "what if I'm too late? What if you fall so deep that even if I do get you back to the surface, your lungs are already depleted?--or the pressure has crushed you beyond repair?"

"Thena," he said more firmly, even going so far as to silence her with his lips pressed to hers. "I promise I won't let that happen."

She glared at him, letting her fangs press into her lower lip. "You cannot promise that. You do not know what can happen out there!"

"Maybe."

She huffed; whose side was he on?!

"But I can promise that I'll be careful," he smiled, hoping to encourage her into doing the same. "I keep my tether tied if the weather is bad, I make sure I'm not standing on the nets anymore. And I have stuff on the boat to help too, y'know."

She tilted her head at him, hoping to convey how unconvinced she was.

"I know you're worried about me," he sighed, pulling her hand from his cheek to he could kiss her palm. "But humans are tougher than you think. And hey, my girlfriend is a mermaid--I have more experience in the water than even the average fisherman, now."

Thena rolled her eyes; merely knowing her did not make him a better swimmer. Although she had to admit, Gil's form was better than some of the other fishing boat idiots in the area. She pouted, "swimming is not a talent that can be passed on through mating."

Gil just laughed before leaning in to kiss her again. "Maybe we'll just have to keep trying, hm?"

She attempted to remain cross with him, but it really wasn't working at all. He was far too charming for a human. She leaned in to kiss him as well, her tail taking on a mind of its own to push her closer to him so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

"And hey, we can keep swimming like this," he shrugged, running his fingers up and down her back where skin met scales. "You like it, right?--having your tail on, just swimming around for fun?"

She did enjoy it. It felt nice to have her tail on in its natural state, and swimming with Gil made her feel...closer to him, in a way. She felt more connected over the gap between human and mer.

Gil kissed her again, still holding onto the ladder. "How about this--you let me start dinner for us. And tonight, when the moon is out, we can swim a little again before bed."

Thena brightened visibly, her tail practically wagging. Two of her favourite things were promised: swimming with Gil, and sleeping with Gil. What a hopeless thing she was.

"Okay, come on," he smiled, beginning the trip up the ladder. Once he was up he did shiver some.

Thena followed him up quickly, always happy when her feet could navigate the ladder easily (one of the hardest actions she'd had to learn with her legs on). "Come on, let's get inside."

Gil pulled his towel around his shoulders, although he pulled her into him with it, both of them walking slowly and awkwardly cocooned together within the fluffy cloak. "So, what do you want for dinner?"

"Hm," Thena mused, happy to shuffle along at a cucumber's pace if it meant being tucked into Gil's side. "That rice porridge you made was tasty."

"Oh yeah?" he brightened. He liked that recipe, and although it had been a remedy for her feeling unwell at the time, she had come to like it too. "Okay, I'll add some extra seafood."

Thena eyed him, "and sardines?"

He bent his head down, kissing her forehead, "anything you want, Angelfish."

[pochapal]

Zero offense meant but I feel like for the sake of the umineko liveblog's pacing, you'd be better off saving the analysis until after each individual Episode. Trying to figure it out mid-episode is kinda overkill.

no i get it! it's definitely something that i am conscious slows down the experience by a great deal and i can see how that wouldn't be for everyone. one thing to keep in mind is that initially the lengthy writeups/theoryposts were intended to happen only whenever i'd covered enough ground, but people then advised me to throw up thoughts as i went along, which eventually morphed into the liveread/theorypost structure of the liveblog since people wanted to see both my theories and reactions in equal measure lol. the only problem with this approach is that a) i am far too wordy for my own good and b) i am honor-bound to keep committing to the bit.

the lengthy writeup posts are simultaneously silly and serious because if i'm gonna be honest i could condense the half-dozen or so theories into a couple bulletpoints in shortform post straight after finishing the chapter, but at the same time i genuinely do have a lot to say about this story when i read it, and imo the sheer ridiculousness of throwing up dissertation-length discussion posts after every chapter is like 75% of the fun of this for me.

i also think it works to give both the liveblog and me as a liveblogger a distinct character, since bog standard off the cuff reaction is fun but i feel like there's only so many times someone will want to see a new umineko reader screaming at the same high stakes moment? idk i just like to put a more substantial part of myself into whatever i do and for me that reflects in a several thousand word sharing of my deductive process instead of just going "oh my god holy shit people are dying i'm shaking screaming throwing up", even though the latter is far quicker and easier content both in terms of production and consumption. i, however, am allergic to making Content on every level lol. plus i have a lot going on so taking my time to carefully ponder over what i've read and craft a writeup post lets me fit this liveblog around everything else i'm doing without feeling pressured to do weekly screenshot+react posting marathons and running the risk of burning myself out. i really am enjoying umineko, and reading it in the manner i am is the best way of ensuring it never starts feeling like a chore.

in any case i don't think i could ever hold off until the end of an episode before sharing my thoughts, because extensively thinking about the story as it's going on is the way i've always engaged with media. i'm always thinking and always developing theories and i am unfortunately one of those people who loves to figure things out as i go and this is something that will always be the case about me regardless of whether i am publicly sharing my thoughts or not. i really do understand that this style is not to everyone's tastes, and it's completely fair for you to make these points of criticism! this is just what works best for me personally as the person producing this liveblog.

[sailor-aviator]

.

[hella1975]

i have such a reputation that four separate people incorporated pringles into my birthday gifts. be that girl

[killerchickadee]

It took me over two hours to clean a very small area of my apartment. Which, it looks better and I'm very proud of myself for getting off my ass and making an effort! But now I'm hungry and I'm like ah shit, now I've stopped and it'll be hard to get going again. Adhd life.

[skitskatdacat63]

The double-edged sword of enjoying Chicago and knowing basically all the songs by heart, but also can't stop crying every time I watch/listen to any of them bcs I can't stop thinking about how covid robbed me of getting the experience of ever performing it :(

[caterpillarinacave]

So you choose not to step through the door, after all why mess with nonsense when you're already in nonsense? You check the items in your pockets, your phone you shut off to conserve power, the dog tag, key and top clink together but offer no help, and when you fiddle with the walkie-talkie you manage to get it to turn on, excitedly you call out to the void but only static responds, which is disappointing but predictable, so you put the items away and hunker down for the night, looking at the sky you can see that the stars seem strange, though you're no expert, and the moon seems to have a second smaller moon near it which looks pretty cool but is a stark reminder of how not on your own world your predicament has landed you.

In the morning you begin looking through the nearby bushes and plant life taking note of anything strange, you notice the berries you had been picking before you stepped through the door are also growing around here, they look and taste the same, and some other plants seem pretty similar to the forest from before as well, although the further away from the door you go the more unfamiliar plants you come across (of course that may just be your lack of familiarity with plants) and the few animals you have noticed are bizarre in a way that you can't explain, like the people from town, they seem almost perfectly familiar, just a little off and the noises they make have you thinking they wouldn't be able to communicate with their counterparts either, brushing aside another branch you come across a strange funnel made of metal which you pocket and what looks to be a regular whistle, you wipe it down and blow but hear nothing aside from the air going through, you consider it is either broken or maybe a dog whistle, as you go to put it away you hear something big running in your direction, before you can decide how to react a large creature storms out of the bushes and stops in the clearing before you, it's huge as a horse with paws and sharp teeth it licks as it looks around and spots you, it shakes its head again reminding you of a horse, then steps closer before turning and staring expectantly, you get the feeling it's waiting on you, impatiently, and you realize it seems to expect you to get on its back. Do you get on?

Yes.

[termagax]

random thought that i havent been able to get out of my head is dannie and arcade having the "what do you think we do. after all this is over." convo.

[robinsnest2111]

idly wondering with what experts would diagnose me if I was 100% truthful and could remember every single thing that happened to me and every single quirk I developed because of it <3

[underwhelmingalchemist]

I keep looking at the WIP pictures my artist send me of the tattoo I'm getting on Thursday and I'm so excited