#u is for understanding my burning desire to commit arson.

[elpis-simps]

When life locks a door, burn it. That's how arson works.

[stinkrascal]

Little controversial, but a lot of fun. What are your sim s' toxic traits? Asking all of my favourite story tellers. Let's get deep

omg YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS please i love talking about controversial things lets goooooooooo <3

vlad - he’s a very controlling and overbearing person, honestly. he’s the type of person who trusts his knowledge above everyone else’s and feels he’s the most capable in any given situation, therefore he feels it’s only right that he’s in charge, no matter the circumstance. he’s wise, yes, but after centuries of believing this of himself, his wisdom has warped to unabashed pride, and he finds it difficult to trust another’s capabilities over his own because of it. i like to think this ties into why he’s fairly codependent in his relationships; he needs to feel as though he’s the one providing for, guiding, and therefore “controlling” his relationships, he needs to feel needed, so he seeks out people who feed into that desire, people he feels are “misguided” who need a wise, proper hand to bring them to normalcy. you know, someone like him, the spitting image of normalcy, seeking out impressionable people in an attempt to satiate his intense desire to be needed. like sir have u ever heard of therapy? LMAOOO

breanna - she’s laidback to a fault and oftentimes irresponsible, someone who rarely considers the outcomes of her decisions and someone who ignores the telltale signs given to her. this manifests in a lot of careless, reckless behavior and poor decision making skills. like, for instance, if vlad reminds breanna that the water bill must be paid by x day? you best bet the water will be shut off because queen, irresponsible as she is, forgot to send the check. if she promises to bring you to your doctor’s appointment, you best bet that the morning of you’re gonna call her only to discover she didn’t realize your doctor’s appointment was Today and she is currently stoned asf and cannot operate her vehicle, to which you will reply Breanna It’s 8 AM Why Are You Smoking At 8 AM to which she will apologize and cry and hang up and fall asleep. much like vlad, i like to think this ties into her own codependency issues, as she feels she’s, in essence, unable to properly, or rather, responsibly care for herself, and must rely on someone else to do this for her. she enables his controlling nature by relying on him for most things, and in return he enables her immaturity by providing for her unconditionally. isn’t that, like, super fucked up lmaooooo? like, it’s the sims universe u know, so take all of this with a grain of salt, bc like in the context of my silly sims 4 legacy all of these codependency issues honestly amount to, like, breanna being a happy and uncritical stoner tradwife and vlad being the one who pays the bills and drives. it’s not actually that serious u know. but when you think about it critically and apply it to like real-world scenarios n consequences n whatever... it’s gross as fuck <3 you guys need therapy <3

lucien - like vlad, he’s fairly prideful, as he feels he’s the most knowledgeable and capable of any given situation, but more so than that, he feels the need to show off his intelligence by testing others’ knowledge. he also feels the need to lecture those he feels aren’t as knowledgeable as he is; often he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. he’ll basically mansplain to you for hours, if you don’t keep him in check. also, his ego usually gets the best of him, and he can’t help but find himself better than those he views as unintelligent. it can come off a little classist at times, and this is something which has been brought to his attention in the past, something he wishes to alleviate in his further interactions. it’s a work in progress. ;-;

gen - their main issue is that they’ve a difficult time understanding and empathizing with other people, primarily women. i like to think this comes from their overall discomfort within themselves, whether that discomfort revolves around their personality, their gender identity, or their apathy towards life. women in particular are difficult for gen to empathize with, as it is that gen makes an effort to distance themselves from women, most likely a consequence of their discomfort with their assigned gender. lashing out at the “thing” they wish to distance themselves from is a simple, quick way to tell your peers, I Am Not This Thing! you don’t wish to be perceived as a women? vehemently hate all of that which is considered womanly, and maybe you’ll stand a chance against your audience. that’s... gen’s way of looking at it, at least. it’s not healthy, and gen realizes this by now, but so far it’s not caused too much of a hindrance on their life, save for all the girlfriends they can’t get because of their shitty misogynistic streak, so they’re not too bothered. i can promise you as they grow more comfortable with themselves, they will eventually drop their mean streak. i know gen’s been a misogynist for, like, two years now lmaooo ;-;

carlile - much like his mother, he’s extremely irresponsible. he forgets important dates, he often misplaces his belongings and the belongings of others, he can hardly be trusted to cook without forgetting the stove’s on then burning the house to the ground. he’s also rather bratty, especially when he’s hungry. idk i’m blanking on carlile honestly his toxic trait is being perfect <3

nikolai - he has a hard time establishing boundaries with others, so he often finds himself in situations he finds uncomfortable, merely because he can’t say no to anything. you can usually tell when he’s uncomfortable, as he wears the expression well on his face, but even then, he’ll bite his tongue and carry onwards. worst of all, though, he’ll be upset with you if you’re the one who suggested the plans, even if he’s the one who agreed to the situation despite not wanting to attend in the first place.

klaus - he doesn’t expect anything from anybody, and he feels that all people should feel this way about each other, as no expectations means no one can get hurt. this also means, however, that klaus’ effort put into everything he does is fairly low, and he doesn’t often impress people with his lazy, myopic attitude. he’s self-dependent to a fault, wanting to do most things by himself without considering the help of others, as he feels he’s the only one who should provide for himself. basically, he doesn’t accept “charity” from other people, and he thinks most people shouldn’t accept “charity” from others, either. very much a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” kind of guy, which i consider toxic as fuck, so, like. :)

anastasia - she’s a lot like vlad; she feels her judgment is the best in most situations, and she feels she deserves to be in charge at all opportunities because of this. her confidence teeters on pride, and she often confuses the two and unknowingly comes across as arrogant and abrasive because of this. she trusts the abilities of others, it’s just that she believes she works the hardest and wants it the most, and this innate desire puts her above others. she’s also prone to fits of jealousy, especially over her friends, an attribute also lovingly instilled into her by her father :p if you so much as look at her best friends the wrong way, she will come for your throat as though she were some rabid dog, about to feast on her next meal. she’s loyal, yes, but loyalty doesn’t come without its faults; she’s quick to excuse her friends, even for truly heinous actions they provably committed, so long as she feels the intention is forgivable. her love and affection for other people blinds her, and often she’ll act in their best interest, even if that means being rude or aggressive towards others who go against them.

ilya - his toxic trait is that he’s never featured on this blog and idk what to do with him <3 his other toxic trait is that when hes a teen hes gonna commit arson. thats sooooo toxic

ok im gonna go through everyone else really quickly bc my fingers hurt HAHAHA ok lets speedrun this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bonnie - her toxic trait is that she thinks 50 shades of gray is legitimately a good book series. LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO

cooper - his toxic trait is that he smells so bad and he doesnt know why he uses soap and deodorant and bathes frequently hes just sweaty asf and you know what Me too king sweaty kings rise up

shivi - her toxic trait is that shes a barista at a coffee shop and she doesnt even like coffee. her other toxic trait is that she lowkey hates vampires :( and thats just rude asf

maeve - her toxic trait is that shes an apologist. she sees someone doing something terrible and shes like OKAY THEY DID THIS BAD THING BUT THEY���RE JUST TROUBLED IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT MAYBE I CAN FIX THEM!!!! like no bitch you cant

tarek - his toxic trait is NOTHING tarek is literally so perfect like he just wants to take care of his sick boyfriend and learn how to be a top tier witch like thats it? He doesnt deserve any slander bye

abigail - her toxic trait is that she’s SOOOOOO clingy to the point where like u guys can be in the same room but if you’re not looking at her rn while you two are in the same room together she’s like DO YOU HATE ME? like abbie please we dont hate u ur just being crazy rn. shes also extremely jealous and self-destructive so like if she feels like u are cheating on her she will FREAK OUT and ruin your relationship bc she doesn’t know how to effectively communicate her emotions and feels the need to lash out inexplicably at everything that triggers her </3 poor girl

karmen - her toxic trait is that she hides behind her humor and nonchalant persona to mask her emotions. she says it’s a coping mechanism, but the truth is, she refuses to meaningfully engage with these feelings, as they’re too uncomfortable for her, so she downplays her struggles with humor. she’s very much someone who acts as though she’s got it under control, even if the truth is, she’s struggling to stay afloat. her other toxic trait is that she will endanger her own internet safety it if means she can get a cute e-milf to send her money <3

caspian - he’s reserved to a fault, as though he’s physically unable to admit what’s troubling him. yet, when he speaks, you can always tell when there’s an issue. it’s always one of those things with him, where the emotion is too repressed to be articulated, yet too present to ignore. he’s so resistant to aid, he’d rather subject himself to terrible situations if it means denying help from another. often, he does this under the guise that he doesn’t wish to be a burden to others, therefore he must take care of himself without help, but he fails to realize that by not helping himself, he’s hurting his relationships around him, which burdens everyone. he’s deeply insecure, and he often weaponizes his insecurities, typically without meaning to. this manifests in a lot of self-deprecation, deflective language during arguments, ie “I’m the worst person ever, I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me after this,” which often comes off very manipulative. again, he doesn’t mean to sound manipulative, it’s just something that happens naturally, something he's gotta work towards alleviating.

vaughn - like caspian, he’s many emotions which are too strong to ignore, though too repressed to be expressed. this manifests primarily through vaughn’s financial immaturity and his promiscuity. he enjoys the physical pleasures of life, and he often abuses these luxuries as a way to distract himself from the very real pain he feels, pain he refuses to admit he harbors. so instead he sings his silly songs and spends his money recklessly and fucks everyone within a thirty mile radius to distract himself from the void in his chest :\

wolfgang - he’s basically an incel LMAOOOOOOO or like what do they call an incel who larps as a normal person to pick up woman? a pick up artist i think? hes that LMAO hes quite literally in the incel community is what im trying to say. i havent talked about it yet but its literally a plot point. if you look in my brainstorm sheet rn it says “Wolfgang munch reads incelme forums every day. Wolfgang munch thinks j*rdan peters*n is the leading figurehead in the hall of intelligentsia.” so like yeah

[lindenwoodhumanities-blog]

Sam’s Story: An Instance of Slave Resistance in Saint Charles, MO

           Our understanding of slave resistance peers beyond the horizons of Nat Turner’s rebellion and the failed revolts of Denmark Vesey and Gabriel Prosser. Slave resistance encompassed a variety of daily acts by enslaved persons that challenged their master’s and society’s authority over their bodies and their humanity.  Acts of resistance such as deliberately misplacing tools or working slowly were noticed and punished by the owner or overseer regularly.  But daily acts of resistance often went beyond the mundane and became criminal when slaves committed arson, sabotage, and even murder, acts that placed the lives of the slaves and their community on the public record.  In such circumstances the record not only documents the varieties of resistance; it can also offer glimpses inside the lives of slave communities.  If such acts of resistance resulted in the slave being indicted by the Circuit Court, it was not unusual for slaves to be called to testify and their testimony, when available, provides not only the story of the act, but echoes the black voice that narrates at least a portion of the lives of slaves and their relationships.  Some produce dazzling detail that bequeath to us stories told nowhere else.  Sam’s act of resistance produced one such story.[1]

           Sam belonged to Francis and Louis Yosti in St. Charles County and on the night of 29 February 1840 he chose to challenge his commodification and dehumanization by striking at one of St. Charles’ most prominent citizens.  William Eckert was a prominent merchant in antebellum St. Charles.  He owned a tavern and a store located on Main Street and was involved in St. Charles society and politics.  He also participated in the nightly patrols charged with maintaining order in the St. Charles slave community, going out with other citizens on horseback to prevent slaves from gathering illegally, that is, without the supervision of white persons.  That night, Eckert and the other patrollers came across a “ball,” a social gathering of slaves that involved drinking and dancing, itself an act of resistance, an expression of their determined humanity.  Eckert proceeded to break up the ball and, with other members of the patrol, whipped several of the slaves, Sam among them.

           After the brutal disruption of the festivities, angered by the beating he received, and drunk on brandy, Sam set fire to Eckert’s stable located on Main Street next to Eckert’s tavern.  Accompanied by a free black named George Sina, Sam had gone to the quarters of Caroline Sina and Aggy Minor, both slaves of Thomas Minor, who were asleep at the time. According to Caroline, Aggy, and George, Sam was drunk and asked them for some paper.  Aggy added, “Saw Sam on Monday who told us not to say anything about the paper, said if they did George would be hung.”  They recalled Sam saying, “William Eckert had broken up the ball and some person ought to break him.”  Caroline observed that “Sam was very mad. Don’t like Sam,” and that he “took up fire when he went out.”  Sam left the quarters about midnight, about one half hour before the “alarm of fire was given.”  George Sina, originally thought to be Sam’s accomplice, claimed to know nothing of Sam’s firing of the stable.

           Sam initially claimed to know nothing of the arson, but when questioned about his friend George Sina’s involvement he incriminated himself.  “I came down to Mr. Minor’s kitchen for the purpose of sleeping with that yellow girl,” Sam said, and while there told George that he was “going to set some stable on fire,” but did not tell George which stable he was going to burn.  According to Sam, George agreed to “keep the women silent” about Sam’s intentions. He admitted he had “drunk freely” and was “pretty well in for it” when he took the paper from George and left Minor’s place to fire the stable.

           Based on this testimony, Sam was indicted for arson during the May term of 1840 in the St. Charles Circuit Court.  His testimony was essentially an admission of guilt and Sam was convicted, leading to consequences for both Sam and his owners.  Sam was sentenced to receive 39 lashes.  The court ordered his owners to send Sam out of the state within 60 days and guarantee that he would not return to Missouri for the next 20 years. The court-ordered punishment was carried out and, after feeling the sting of the whip, Sam was removed from his family, his home, and his community and likely ended his life in the cotton fields of Mississippi or the sugar fields of Louisiana.  

           Four slaves and one free black appeared before Justice of the Peace James Green to tell what they knew of Sam’s “crime.”  Beyond the details of the act itself, the witnesses revealed the ordinary connections between people in the slave community.  Sam claimed to be “at my wife’s house” when he first heard of the fire.  Harry Wells and Reuben Wells, both free blacks, were there, as well.  Sam also saw other free blacks that night – Dan Larobe, John Mawbry, and Jim Mawbry. Mellen, a slave who belonged to Mrs. Stribling, overheard Bill Minor, slave of Thomas Minor, talking with others about the fire and stopped to listen.  George Sina referenced a slave, Vincent, who “came there soon after the party broke.”  The words recorded by Justice Green – these black voices – invest the participants with a certain degree of humanity.  They reveal the mundane yet tragic reality of Sam’s resistance and allow us a glimpse at family, intimacy, anger, friendship, fear, and desire within the slave community.

William Glankler, Lindenwood University

 William Glankler is a Field Archivist with Missouri's Local Records Program working primarily with the preservation of 19th-century court records in the counties surrounding St. Louis.  He teaches U. S. History:  New Republic to World Power at Lindenwood University, and his research interests include African-American history and the history of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.

 [1] The details of the following story come from the depositions and other records contained in State v. Sam, George Sina, May 1840, St. Charles Circuit Court Case Files, Box 13, Folder 20.