#underwater trash detection

[willowwindss]

100 Inventions by Women

LIFE-SAVING/MEDICAL/GLOBAL IMPACT:

Artificial Heart Valve – Nina Starr Braunwald

Stem Cell Isolation from Bone Marrow – Ann Tsukamoto

Chemotherapy Drug Research – Gertrude Elion

Antifungal Antibiotic (Nystatin) – Rachel Fuller Brown & Elizabeth Lee Hazen

Apgar Score (Newborn Health Assessment) – Virginia Apgar

Vaccination Distribution Logistics – Sara Josephine Baker

Hand-Held Laser Device for Cataracts – Patricia Bath

Portable Life-Saving Heart Monitor – Dr. Helen Brooke Taussig

Medical Mask Design – Ellen Ochoa

Dental Filling Techniques – Lucy Hobbs Taylor

Radiation Treatment Research – Cécile Vogt

Ultrasound Advancements – Denise Grey

Biodegradable Sanitary Pads – Arunachalam Muruganantham (with women-led testing teams)

First Computer Algorithm – Ada Lovelace

COBOL Programming Language – Grace Hopper

Computer Compiler – Grace Hopper

FORTRAN/FORUMAC Language Development – Jean E. Sammet

Caller ID and Call Waiting – Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – Marian Croak

Wireless Transmission Technology – Hedy Lamarr

Polaroid Camera Chemistry / Digital Projection Optics – Edith Clarke

Jet Propulsion Systems Work – Yvonne Brill

Infrared Astronomy Tech – Nancy Roman

Astronomical Data Archiving – Henrietta Swan Leavitt

Nuclear Physics Research Tools – Chien-Shiung Wu

Protein Folding Software – Eleanor Dodson

Global Network for Earthquake Detection – Inge Lehmann

Earthquake Resistant Structures – Edith Clarke

Water Distillation Device – Maria Telkes

Portable Water Filtration Devices – Theresa Dankovich

Solar Thermal Storage System – Maria Telkes

Solar-Powered House – Mária Telkes

Solar Cooker Advancements – Barbara Kerr

Microbiome Research – Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Marine Navigation System – Ida Hyde

Anti-Malarial Drug Work – Tu Youyou

Digital Payment Security Algorithms – Radia Perlman

Wireless Transmitters for Aviation – Harriet Quimby

Contributions to Touchscreen Tech – Dr. Annette V. Simmonds

Robotic Surgery Systems – Paula Hammond

Battery-Powered Baby Stroller – Ann Moore

Smart Textile Sensor Fabric – Leah Buechley

Voice-Activated Devices – Kimberly Bryant

Artificial Limb Enhancements – Aimee Mullins

Crash Test Dummies for Women – Astrid Linder

Shark Repellent – Julia Child

3D Illusionary Display Tech – Valerie Thomas

Biodegradable Plastics – Julia F. Carney

Ink Chemistry for Inkjet Printers – Margaret Wu

Computerised Telephone Switching – Erna Hoover

Word Processor Innovations – Evelyn Berezin

Braille Printer Software – Carol Shaw

⸻

HOUSEHOLD & SAFETY INNOVATIONS:

Home Security System – Marie Van Brittan Brown

Fire Escape – Anna Connelly

Life Raft – Maria Beasley

Windshield Wiper – Mary Anderson

Car Heater – Margaret Wilcox

Toilet Paper Holder – Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner

Foot-Pedal Trash Can – Lillian Moller Gilbreth

Retractable Dog Leash – Mary A. Delaney

Disposable Diaper Cover – Marion Donovan

Disposable Glove Design – Kathryn Croft

Ice Cream Maker – Nancy Johnson

Electric Refrigerator Improvements – Florence Parpart

Fold-Out Bed – Sarah E. Goode

Flat-Bottomed Paper Bag Machine – Margaret Knight

Square-Bottomed Paper Bag – Margaret Knight

Street-Cleaning Machine – Florence Parpart

Improved Ironing Board – Sarah Boone

Underwater Telescope – Sarah Mather

Clothes Wringer – Ellene Alice Bailey

Coffee Filter – Melitta Bentz

Scotchgard (Fabric Protector) – Patsy Sherman

Liquid Paper (Correction Fluid) – Bette Nesmith Graham

Leak-Proof Diapers – Valerie Hunter Gordon

FOOD/CONVENIENCE/CULTURAL IMPACT:

Chocolate Chip Cookie – Ruth Graves Wakefield

Monopoly (The Landlord’s Game) – Elizabeth Magie

Snugli Baby Carrier – Ann Moore

Barrel-Style Curling Iron – Theora Stephens

Natural Hair Product Line – Madame C.J. Walker

Virtual Reality Journalism – Nonny de la Peña

Digital Camera Sensor Contributions – Edith Clarke

Textile Color Processing – Beulah Henry

Ice Cream Freezer – Nancy Johnson

Spray-On Skin (ReCell) – Fiona Wood

Langmuir-Blodgett Film – Katharine Burr Blodgett

Fish & Marine Signal Flares – Martha Coston

Windshield Washer System – Charlotte Bridgwood

Smart Clothing / Sensor Integration – Leah Buechley

Fibre Optic Pressure Sensors – Mary Lou Jepsen

[fungus-no69]

Tf ideas idk

Raccoon

Get points by rummaging around in bins, eating and stealing at night and climbing things

Gives a tail, ears, optional eye markings and (if body hair is enabled), puffy fluff on arms and legs

Lets you hiss, spit and scratch in combat

Annoy your neighbour and be a menace!! Throw trash everywhere, yowl, wash your food, throw more trash!

This tf is just shenanigans in general ngl

Would include lines about how the pc smells like wet dog or that their eyebags are... er.......... very big today.................

Gives you a dance bonus because raccoons use their tails to balance better

I have no clue how much this tf would do but its funny to me

Siren

Get points by staying underwater after you can’t breathe, grabbing shit from the smuggler’s cave and swimming in the deep sea

You get gills, slitted eyes, webbed hands and fins

Allows you to sing, similar to the harpy in some way but yours is more luring people in than communication ig?

Speaking of which you can lure people into the sea! You can (extended beep stock sound effect) them or rob them your choice

Maxes out your swimming stat for as long as you have the tf and also lets you breathe underwater for an unlimited amount of time

Freak out Mason by staying underwater for too long!

Also freak out Robin if you have a pond by laying face down!

Adds a lot of allure bc. Siren yk…

Are you a good or bad omen? Who knows!

You can get to the island after being there once via. swimming. However travelling will take upwards of 3 days depending on the amount of encounters you can get out of

Your skin is weirdly slimy ngl and extremely hot weather (>40 celcius) can dry you out causing + Stress for every continuous hour in the sun

Sirens are cool, i know theyre birds n shit as well but i personally prefer the fish version because i like fish more

Selkie

You can give your pelt to your/one of your love interests!

Another tf with the ability to max swimming but no permanent breathing this time

Be warmer than normal!!! Blubber!!! Cold water reduces stress

More allure because in their human form, selkies are always referred to as being attractive

You can detect movements in the water, this means you can avoid encounters (may initiate a skullduggery check if you're already noticed)

Naps and sleep are more effective, doubled in cold conditions

Constant clothing (your fur), never be naked again! (unless you want to be)

More bite power

Interactions/encounters where unnamed npcs will attempt to take your fur, causes a struggle encounter where you can defeat the npc or, if overwhelmed by pain, another npc will save you

You get flippers, markings along arms and back (not visible), black eyes and (optional) whiskers

i really like seals

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this EcoWatch story:

For whales that dive deeper into the oceans for food, they face a growing threat: plastic pollution. That’s because the sounds that plastics make can be very similar to the sounds that prey make, leading to confusion for whales that rely on echolocation to source food.

According to a new study, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, visual confusion between pollution and prey is not the only way that whales are ingesting plastics.

“These acoustic signatures are similar, and this might be a reason that these animals are driven to consume plastic instead of, or in addition to, their prey,” Greg Merrill, lead author of the study and a graduate student at Duke University, said in a statement.

Some whales, such as sperm whales, pygmy sperm whales and goose-beaked whales, use echolocation to detect food sources deeper into the ocean. They dive deep into the water, then send clicks, creaks and buzzes, the sounds of which will bounce off from objects up to a few hundred meters away and reverberate back to the whales. Whales use fatty sensory mechanisms in their jaw to feel the reverberations, which are then sent to their ears and brains to detect the prey — or, as researchers have determined, plastics — nearby.

More and more research is uncovering plastic waste in the stomachs of deep-diving whales, so the researchers set out to find out why whales were mistaking plastic for food if they couldn’t see the plastics, which are often visually mistaken for food by marine life. 

The researchers collected trash like plastic bags, plastic bottles bottles and balloons from a marine environment, as well as pieces of dead squids that had been collected from the stomach of a dead sperm whale, then tested the samples in a sonar transponder. The transponder and samples were placed underwater to mimic the whales’ feeding environments, and the researchers tested the acoustics at different frequencies, since different whales may use varying frequencies when hunting.

According to the study authors, all of the plastic waste tested had similar, if not stronger, acoustic target strengths when compared with the samples of prey, meaning it is likely that deep-diving whales are mistaking plastics for food by confusing the acoustic signals.

[animals-and-their-brilliance]

And a wild blogger appears

Hello World!

This is my first post on this blog, so I want to start it with an animal which still baffles scientists in some ways.

To see this animal we will have to travel to eastern Australia.

He is a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of action! Can you guess who it is? Perry the Platypus of course! Uhm... I mean, just a normal platypus.

Isn't he just adorable?

Did you know that when platypus was first discovered in 1789 it was thought to be fake? The platypus' unique appearance—a duck's bill and feet, an otter's body and fur, and a beaver's tail does seem fake though.

Platypus' are also venomous actually. I know they are cute but stay away from the male ones during the mating season. Male platypuses have a hollow spur on each hind leg connected to a venom secreting gland, and while their venom is lethal, there are no recorded deaths from platypuses or from platypus stings.

Platypuses are carnivores who eat insects, fish and other small invertebrates. They use electronic impulses to detect underwater prey and locate objects in the darkest depths of the creeks and rivers they call home. Yeah, I don't know how tho. (Sharks uses the same method to find their prey too!)

They are so buoyant that they spend 12 hours a day underwater to search for the food. Even though they are sightless underwater (these animals are weird dude) they use their bills to see underwater. Their bills have electroreceptors and mechanoreceptors that allow them to detect electrical fields and movement, respectively. Now I know how.

Apparently they have no teeth or stomach too?? How the hell do they even eat then, you may ask. When platypuses start eating solid food they lose their teeth (of course they do) and develop discs made of keratin which they use to grind the food which then directly goes to their intestines.

You know the strangest thing about them? (Yes there are more things stranger than the ones listed above). Apparently they give off a biofluorescent green-blue glow under UV lights! Enjoy this short of this strange phenomenon.

Prolonged droughts, bushfires, a changing climate and landclearing have impacted the platypuses' habitat and decreased their population. Some ways to save them are,

If you live in Australia near platypus habitat, one way to help these animals is by cleaning up trash from the streams and rivers where they live. Platypuses can become fatally entangled in a wide variety of garbage.

If you see a platypus in the wild, report your sighting to the local waterway manager or the Australian Platypus Conservancy. A clearer picture of where platypuses live could help conservationists focus their efforts more efficiently.

Since platypuses may be threatened by Australia's worsening droughts and bushfires, people anywhere can also help just by reducing their own carbon footprints and calling for climate action from businesses and politicians.

Thank you for reading! Hope you will look forward to more such posts in the future!

A fun fact before ending this post. Otters “hold hands” while sleeping, so they don’t float away from each other.

Sources used: https://wwf.org.au/blogs/8-interesting-platypus-facts/ and https://www.treehugger.com/quirky-facts-about-platypus-4864070

[lycantripuwu]

Big session omg, we had to fight Izek and barely won! Mirre accepted another gift and can now summon two spicy puppys, hell hounds. He named them Grimm and Garm.

-After fighting the Nabassu, we headed to the church to drop of the body of Felix. After explaining what happened at the orphanage to Father Lucian, he sent us on the task to find St.Andrals bones which are needed to keep the church consecrated. we agreed and started on the hunt with things left at the scene. torn bits of a sweatshirt, a fishing hook, parts of a bag, a strand of hair, shovel marks inside the crypt. We needed to find these before the feast of st.andral on sunday because we assumed something bad was going to happen then.

-We went to long rest and Rhil and Jace got a bit frisky. While we slept, Jace was visited by Morgantha, the night hag and got to experience a night hag haunting. it sucked.

-the next morning after Rhil worked with Urwin in the kitchen to learn how to cook better and made breakfast. Mirre got a letter from someone named Ernast from Lady Fiona Wachter. I guess she was impressed that Mirre was able to talk down Vargas and wanted to have dinner with him and the group after sundown.

-After some shopping in town square and all of us being disgusted with the stocks. We went to the lake to ask Bluto, the fisherman about the hook and found him being attacked by drowned undead. we booked it onto the lake by boat and started the fight. Rhil, who has a bad fear of deep, open water, was the one to get pulled in and drug underwater.

-after we saved Rhil and finished the fight, a ghost navy ship pulled up and helped us. They asked for assistance with a monster thats been terrorizing the lake, saying that they couldnt rest until it was killed and we accepted. We fought a monster called the Gitrog plus its baby in its cave and came out victorious! We saved Bluto and brought him back to his shack on the lake. He thanked us as Rhil healed up his leg and we offered to come fishing with the man on a less busy day. cant wait for the fishing session with Bluto!

Mirre also found a flintlock pistol and a musket on the ship with a gunsmith kit and bullets. He actually did the finishing shot on the Gitrog momma with his pistol.

-After running to town center to sell our loot, we ran into Izek who immediately tried to pick a fight with Mirre and tied to interrogate him on why they went to the lake. Mirre explained the Gitrog fight and what happened, only to get thrown into the dirt and was searched by the guards.

This was terrifying to have happen since Mirre had his pistol on him and we arent supposed to have weapons inside vallaki, Rhil caused a small distraction and got grabbed by her throat and lifted off her feet by Izek, Jace nearly threw hands with him right then and there. Mirre nat 20'd his sleight of hand and hid his pistol. Izek spotting that Ireena was upset and terrified for us, dropped Rhil and quickly left.

Izek claimed to have stopped by Blutos and beat him near death to try and get information out of him before he left.

-We come back after some recovery and get changed into our fancier clothes and head to wachters where we have a very nice dinner and talk about the state of Vallaki. We offered to help dethrone Vargas and kill Izek who has been terrorizing and killing people in town.

We also caught Izek stalking Ireena, discovered his doll thing with Blinsky after some detect thoughts and he was harrassing the alchemist to make him a Philter of love. All bad signs for Ireena.

-We come back to the blue water inn after dinner to find the inn trashed after Izek ransacked the place while looking for Ireena and stole our armor. (Jace and Rhil's platemail and Mirre's breastplate) After helping clean up the inn we started working on our plans to kill Izek with a little bit of help from the Markitovs.

The plan was to lure him out to Bluto's shack to avoid damage and injuries in town. slip some poisoned wine into Izek's lunch and spread rumors that we were hiding away at bluto's and planned on leaving with Ireena that night.

-Mirre unsure if he would survive this fight with Izek, Left a lock box full of his monster hunter notes with Rictavio, Mirre had suspicions that Rictavio was Rudolph Van Richten after he made some subtle comments on his cane that Mirre was in possesion of and Rictavio recognized Dirrak's name. Rictavio was also rightfully pissed because Izek ransacked his room too.

-Hiding Ireena away at the Blue water in and after sneaking around and getting some fire resistant potions and spare armor and weapons from town center. Mirre went to sneak in the poisoned wines, accidentally scaring the shit out of Varga's chef and causing him to quit, Mirre met back up with Rhil and Jace at Blutos shack.

Urwin got the wolf hunters to escort Bluto to safety.

-When we arrived we found all of our confiscated armor and weapons with Blue and a bunch of other ravens sitting on the roof, Ready to help us out in the fight.

We also found a greater restoration scroll with the blood hunter symbol torn from one of the notes in Mirre's lock box that he gave to Rictavio. The restoration fixed Jace's reduced max health from the night hags nightmare hauntings.

-Izek and 6 guards showed up soon after we got our fire resistances and we started a fight with Mirre getting crit surprise longbow shot on him. Rhil, Jace, Blue and the ravens picked off the guards while Izek charged Mirre. Mirre got distance between them after luckily avoiding hits with his Curse of the eyeless and conjured a water elemental between them with a gem we found in the gitrog cave.

-we surprisingly downed Izek pretty quick, only for him to get back up super charged with a gift from Seriach, the hellhound whisperer and summoned two hell hounds to attack us. He flat out evaporated Mirre's water elemental infront of us.

-Blue and the ravens scattered in a panic and fled.

-Izek downed Jace with a crit pretty quick and was struggling to hit Rhil(Thank the platinum song for 23 ac) While Mirre flew up to the cliff to get some shots with his long bow.

A sabertooth tiger lept off the cliff where Mirre was and tore through one of the hell hounds while there were crossbow shots coming from the woods(I was fangirling so hard knowing it was Van Richen)

-Rhil eventually got taken out and it was just Mirre and Izek throwing shots at each other while the tiger was fighting the hell hounds. After two nat20's on death saves and repeatedly getting back up, Mirre tapped further into his gift and went into his form of dread, slowly whittling down Izek's health.

-Rhil tapped into her gift as well being brought back up and using her claws of darkness to finish Izek for good and ripped out his heart.

-after we rested a bit and the tiger took off into the woods. We found a amber shard similar to the once Rhil has and Mirre snatched it. Nat 1ing his wisdom save he got sucked into a commune with Seriach and accepted his gift of the hellhounds, Now having two gifts from two separate vestiges.

-we dropped off Izek's head at Wachterhaus and went back to blue water to check on Ireena and get some well deserved rest.

Mirres blood glows a bright radioactive green from his first unnamed vestige and his entire left arm is a dark blood red like Izek's from Seriach.

It was such an intense crazy fight and i'm surprised none of us died, I am getting a bit worried for Rhil and Mirre with how often they've been tapping into these gifts and getting slight mutations from them.

Now we can focus on getting the bones back to the church and put Fiona Wachter in charge.

[lordsgalaxyblog]

Advanced Cleanup Technologies for a Cleaner Future

As our planet faces growing environmental demanding situations, the need for powerful advanced cleanup technology has never been greater critical. 

From oil spills to plastic pollutants, modern answers are emerging to address these pressing problems. 

This article explores a number of the most advanced cleanup technologies that promise a cleaner, more sustainable destiny.

How can present day technology help us fight pollutants and create a cleanser planet?

Advanced cleanup technologies are revolutionising pollutants control. Methods like bioremediation use microorganisms to detoxify environments, whilst nanotechnology captures pollution on the molecular stage. 

Drones decorate monitoring and response efforts, and waste-to-energy answers rework trash into renewable energy. 

Together, those innovations provide effective equipment to repair ecosystems and promote a greater sustainable future for our planet.

1. Bioremediation

Bioremediation utilises microorganisms to interrupt pollutants into much less dangerous materials. 

This approach is mainly effective for oil spills and contaminated soil. For instance, specialised bacteria can be deployed to devour hydrocarbons in oil, changing them into innocent byproducts. 

Advances in genetic engineering have enhanced the efficacy of these microbes, permitting them to target particular pollutants greater effectively.

2. Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is revolutionising environmental cleanup by presenting better techniques for detecting and putting off pollutants. 

Nanoscale materials can take in heavy metals and other toxins more efficiently than conventional methods. 

For example, nanosorbents may be used to capture pollutants from water, supplying a greater efficient and cost effective cleanup answer. 

Additionally, nanomaterials can be engineered to degrade dangerous substances, similarly purifying contaminated web sites.

3. Plasma Technology

Plasma technology is a modern method that utilises ionised gasoline to interrupt pollution. This technique is mainly promising for treating dangerous waste and air pollutants. 

Plasma can generate reactive species that decompose natural compounds and neutralise pollution, making it a powerful device for environmental remediation. Researchers are exploring its utility in incinerating waste and purifying air in business settings.

4. Advanced Filtration Systems

New filtration technologies are improving our potential to do away with microplastics and other pollutants from water resources. 

These structures appoint advanced membranes and materials that can filter out contaminants on the nanoscale level. 

Innovations like electrospun nanofibers and biomimetic membranes are being advanced to decorate filtration performance. 

As these technologies advance, they preserve the capability to provide easy ingesting water in regions laid low with pollutants.

5. Drones and Robotics

Drones and robot systems are becoming beneficial in environmental cleanup efforts. Equipped with sensors and imaging generation, drones can survey massive areas for pollutants, which include oil spills or deforestation, providing real-time information for reaction teams. 

Robotics may be deployed in risky environments, including underwater or infected websites, to carry out cleanup responsibilities without placing human employees at danger.

6. Chemical Agents and Catalysts

Advanced chemical agents and catalysts are being developed to accelerate the breakdown of pollution. 

These substances can facilitate chemical reactions that neutralise risky substances, making them more secure for disposal. 

For instance, superior oxidants can be used to treat infected groundwater, even as modern catalysts can enhance the performance of traditional chemical tactics in waste treatment.

FAQ’s

What is superior cleanup technology?

Innovative techniques designed to cast off pollutants from air, water, and soil, inclusive of bioremediation and nanotechnology.

How do bioremediation paintings work?

It uses microorganisms to interrupt down dangerous pollutants into much less poisonous materials.

What role does nanotechnology play in environmental cleanup?

Nanotechnology captures and gets rid of pollution greater successfully thru nanoscale materials.

Are drones really beneficial in cleaning up pollution?

Yes, drones survey pollution fast and thoroughly, supplying treasured records for cleanup efforts.

What is the waste-to-strength era, and how does it assist the environment?

It converts waste into usable strength, lowering landfill extent and selling renewable power resources.

Conclusion

As we confront the challenges of pollutants and environmental degradation, advanced cleanup technologies offer a wish for a purifying destiny. 

By leveraging improvements in bioremediation, nanotechnology, plasma technology, and extra, we are able to develop effective solutions to repair and protect our planet.

Using those technologies and implementing them globally may require cooperation from scientists, engineers, and legislators.

[fracturedsteel]

Tony... had never been turned on more in his life from just words. Turned on in the intellectual sense, and, of course, they weren't just words. It was a thorough and calculated deduction from the detective he was currently sitting on top of—almost all of which Tony hadn't caught himself due to, y'know, the whole running and hiding from the world bit.

Staring up at the ceiling at the collage of images he'd missed walking in, Tony could only stare in quiet contemplation as his brain digested every morsel Sherlock had so graciously fed to him.

He turned his attention back to his holograms and flipped them around to face him; hands instantly getting to work ridding the suspects that didn't match with Sherlock's reasoning. Most of the faces and names Tony had included where people with vendettas against him—long time grudges that would force them to want to point the finger at him. The majority of the suspects were in the fields of weapons and mechanics because, even though Tony had doubted anyone actually managed to recreate his suit... he didn't have any evidence to counter the footage.

Now, he did.

Five faces remained. Tony slid Quentin Beck's profile to the trash.

"Neurological augmentation, not weapons."

Garrett Thrasher...?

"No," Tony said, crumbling up the profile like it was trash. "Resources and tech, yes, but not the smarts."

Jamie Elkinson.

"The guy could make a good screen saver but not a fully animated version of my suit." Tony swiped his face away.

The last two faces left were... Tony rubbed at his beard, squinting at the two of men. Robin Hex and Ethan Cunnings. Giants in their line of work and good at what they do.

The only problem was...

"I don't think either of them had an issue with Cap, though—or the Avengers, really, besides the usual 'superheroes are bad for the weapons market.'"

Their profiles greyed out and, suddenly, Tony was out of leads. Back to square one.

"The only man I can think of with the motive to pull something like this off is currently housed inside the world's largest underwater prison." A holographic file of Baron Zemo popped up in front of Sherlock; Tony looked away from the bastard's face as it popped up.

"Only issue is he already succeeded in what he set out to do two weeks ago. I can't see him wanting Rogers dead after everything he did prior."

"We're looking for someone you would have. At least, someone with the caliber of talent to nearly match yours."

Sherlock cocked his head to the side, still looking up at Tony.

"The fake didn't linger. An odd choice for anyone attempting to frame an innocent man, especially one as willfully spoken as you. Why wouldn't he gloat? If the aim is to ruin your reputation, the opportunity started long before Steve Rogers was dead. Emulating the voice of a nobody would be excessive, but the voice of a public figure such as yourself? More than possible, doubly so behind a mask.

"No, this was carried out like a hit. A contract job? Possibly. But why go through the effort and energy to recreate your suit with such a meticulous detail."

He pointed upward to track the line of comparison images between the security footage that was blasted across every news station and recent video of Tony in Mark 46. Scribbles and notes of the likeness between the imposter's model and Tony's were littered across the pages.

"If it was simply a hit, a bullet to the skull would have sufficed, and there are far easier ways to send you to prison. No, this choice of showmanship was intentional. He was gloating, but it wasn't to Rogers or for the cameras. It was for you. To tell you you're replaceable? We would have received word of a new and improved superhero by now, one likely tasked to apprehend you. They're not interested in usurping you; they want to end you, and while they were attentive to details, they weren't attentive enough."

Sherlock pointed to a series of photos on the ceiling that showed a close up of Steve's shirt, most notably, the miniscule pixelated flames that appeared for a few frames on the fabric as the burn seared into Steve's chest.

"In the hours of footage I've seen of your armor in combat, your technology doesn't have a flammable effect. So, it's someone who's worked closely enough with you to mimic external appearances but not internal mechanics, and the reason is that appearances are all that matter to them because—"

Now, it was Sherlock's turn to flip around his phone and replay the footage of Steve's final moments. While the world was watching Steve's horrified face as he realized Tony Stark was about to kill him, Sherlock had honed in one the fact that—

"The angle of the thumb of the suit's shadow remains steadfast even as the wrist rotates. Not to mention, the light flare from the repulsor blast was much larger than any of your other models, as if to conceal the true angle of the blast."

He tossed his phone on the nightstand.

"What shows up, shoots without a proper shadow, and leaves before anyone can touch or question it? The imposter couldn't have been the real you because he wasn't real at all. It was a hologram, nothing but an illusion. The person you're looking for makes holograms so real, only you could expose them, but they counted on your emotional distress over the death of Captain Rogers to overlook the obvious."

[satureja13]

Sims Hiatus

You can find the Boys -> here on our new inZOI tumblr with a new story line. More about the hiatus -> here

Underwater Love 🔱

A dramedy - and slices of life from the Boys. About music and magic, friendship and love.

Follow them 🧭 to wacky places 🧭 going on dramatic adventures   and 🧭 having weird encounters

Chapters: 1-6 📔 7-12 📔 13-16 📔 17-22 📔 23-29

The Boys

Saiwa 🔸 Kiyoshi 🔸 Vlad 🔸 Jeb 🔸 Ji Ho 🔸 Jack

🪷 Heights and Zodiac 🪷 Group Dynamics 🪷 Roles (below the cut in the linked post)

🗂️ The Resistance 🗂️ The Council

In chronological order: 🫛 Saiwa and Jack 🫛 Vlad and Jack 🫛 Saiwa and Vlad 🫛 Kiyoshi and Jeb 🫛 Saiwa and Ji Ho 🫛 Ji Ho and Jack 🫛 Ji Ho and Jeb 🫛 Ji Ho and Kiyoshi 🫛 Vlad and Kiyoshi 🫛 Vlad and Jeb 🫛 Saiwa and Kiyoshi 🫛 Jack and Jeb

(not updated yet) ❤️‍🔥 Ji Ho and Vlad (and Luci) ❤️‍🔥 Saiwa and Jeb ❤️‍🔥 Jack and Kiyoshi ❤️‍🔥 Noxee and Greg ❤️‍🔥 Leander and Wesley (and Vlad) ❤️‍🔥 Francine Spencer (Jeb's Grandmother) and Jules Rico

The Stables - a spin off about their Horses (and Goats)

There are stories woven around how the Boys found their horses: 🐎 Kiri and Kiyoshi 🐎 Diablo and Vlad 🐎 Yang Mal and Ji Ho 🐎 Lunatic and Jack 🐎 Tyalindo and Saiwa 🐎 Valerian and Jeb

bluesky

Old Chapter list Old Loose Collections

All our other stories below the cut

(all my stories are without poses, cc, mods and proper english Ö.ö)

chronological  -   The Family Business   - latest saving sims, hunting things. The Callahans. chronological  -   Lost in Space   - latest alien cat lenny’s only joy is his vacuum bot, but it vanished in a malfunctioning transporter...

chronological  -   Zombie Detective   - latest a zombie wakes up in a pile of trash and shuffles back to humanity

chronological  -   Rosa’s Garden   - latest Grandmother asks Rosa to look after the haunted family farm

chronological-   The Gang Doctor   - latest a doctor treating gang members to pay the treatment for his chronical ill sister

chronological  -   Owen’s Farm   - latest the daily life at a moisture farm - with droids!

chronological  -   Sixam Away Team   - latest  the team on their search for lost crew members in the jungle of selvadorada

chronological  -   Love hurts   - latest teen werewolf logan loves his boss, the vampire giga, but...

chronological  -   Strangerville   - latest dutiful soldier kang and the warily trailerpark goofer gianna are investigating the strange things happening in strangerville

chronological  -   Bacalao Bay   - latest the pirates of bacalao bay

chronolocical  -  Meteorite Crash Scene  - latest the sixam away team examines a meteorite crash at granite falls

chronological  -   Magic Realm  - latest about my magical sims

chronological  -   Underwater Love   - latest Dreams of a Mermaid. Ji Ho’s dream of him, Vlad, Jack and Giga as Teenagers.

[essektheylyss]

D&D session today was very funny for having split party adventures that were WILDLY disparate, like

Old-ass mythical creature camp staff (gnome rogue, satyr wizard): staking out a mole, hiding in trash cans and trees like slapstick comedy detectives, plotting to rig a paint can door trap, teaching a couple ex-mafia fey with 9 int to read

Teenage human camp counselors (ranger, monk, druid): getting high on mushrooms, going underwater adventuring, having an intense spiritual moment with the camp goddess and debating divine multiclass options

[starks-hero]

Deep Water

Pairing: Sherlock x Reader

Summary: When a case goes wrong and leaves you in a bad way, guilt begins to get to Sherlock, who’s holding himself accountable.

Word Count: 2,755

Warnings: Angst, Fluff

The pool closed at 8 p.m. You and Sherlock arrived half an hour later. Of course, nothing was stopping you from investigating the poolside murder during opening hours. But Sherlock opted to wait till after closing time. Something about there being no officers from the Yard in the way and therefore ‘no excess stupid.’ Not that you needed any convincing anyway.

After jumping a fence and picking a few locks, you and Sherlock were in. Breaking and entering was a surprisingly simple task when you knew what you were doing.

The stench of chlorine was thick and burned your nose. The light reflecting off the surface of the water cast the room in a dim blue glow.

You kept close to Sherlock as he examined the crime scene. Of course, the body had been taken away but he could always get access to that later. He needed to familiarize himself with where the crime took place in order to figure out how it had happened.

He had just begun to voice his deductions when a loud crash sounded from the other side of the pool.

Sherlock's eyes fixed on the sound's origin. “They're here.”

“Who?” you asked, inching closer to the detective. Your nerves were shot.

“The murderer.” Sherlock's voice was quiet. “He's either back to hide evidence or he hasn't finished the job.”

“Fantastic,” you murmured.

You both crept along the edge of the pool, eyes fixed on the opposite corner.

Your heart leapt into your mouth when a figure burst from the shadows. Three gunshots rang through the air, luckily none of them hit their mark. The suspect, realising his attempt was in vain, chucked the weapon into the water before running for the exit.

Sherlock took off at a sprint with you faithfully in tow. You struggled to keep your purchase on the slippery surface of the pool's floor but you managed. The ‘never run at the edge of the pool’ rule you'd heard your entire childhood was playing on repeat in your mind, but you kept your priorities straight. You and Sherlock were gaining on a suspected murderer.

As you rounded the corner of the pool, karma reared its head at its opportunity. And it took it.

You lost your footing on the wet floor and before you could process much else you were completely submerged underwater. A sharp pain shot through your head as you entered the pool and you barely registered it as your head hitting the sharp corner. You instinctively inhaled both in shock and in a growing need for oxygen. The water that travelled down your throat and entered your lungs came as an unwelcome shock. You blindly clawed at the space around you, desperately attempting to find your way back to the surface. But the white-hot pain in your skull was gradually spreading, your already blurry vision beginning to fill with dots. The terror melted away as your mind went numb.

Your trashing stopped, arms and legs going limp, no longer willing to take orders from your concussed mind. The remaining air slipped from your lungs and escaped from your mouth in a flurry of bubbles, your last lucid thought before losing total consciousness being Sherlock.

Sherlock.

~~~~~~

The loud splash immediately caught Sherlock's attention, sparing a glance backwards and grounding to a halt when he realized you were no longer behind him.

“Y/N?”

He noticed the ripples still expanding across the surface of the pool and quickly put two and two together. He sighed and continued after the suspect, but when there was no sign of you resurfacing, Sherlock realised something was very wrong.

"Y/N!"

He stopped and turned back towards the pool. You were still under and as the pools surface settled, he could clearly make out your form lying idle at the bottom.

Oh no.

Sherlock's mind was thrown into a tug of war as he watched the suspect tear through the door leading to the reception. He'd undoubtedly get away if Sherlock didn't give chase. He groaned in frustration but one more glance back at you and his mind was made. You needed him.

He barely had time to shrug off his coat before he dived in after you. He quickly wrapped his arms around you and swam to the surface. That’s when the severity of the situation set in. His panic flared as you fell completely limp in his hold as he made his way to the edge of the pool.

He lifted you out of the water and placed you by the pool's edge before climbing out himself.

"Y/N?" Sherlock's voice wavered as he leaned down so his ear hovered over your mouth. When there was no sign of you breathing his panic increased ten folds. Your chest wasn't moving either and Sherlock immediately jumped into action. He knew he had to act fast or he'd lose you.

"Come on, Y/N." Sherlock placed two hands on your chest and immediately started pumping up and down. The reality of what was happening was just beginning to dawn on him and a frenzy of emotions jumped to the forefront of his mind, but he had to keep going.

He blinked the building tears from his eyes as he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours, filling your lungs with air, "Come on, darling. Breathe. Breathe for me." Sherlock went back to compressing your chest.

A suffocating cry of fear began to rise in his throat but he swallowed it down. "Come on, Y/N, breathe!" He yelled, connecting your lips again and attempting to give your lungs the kick they needed to start working again.

This was wrong, it wasn't supposed to happen like this. Sherlock, (though he’d rather die than admit it) had imagined kissing you before, he'd imagined it plenty of times. The feeling of your soft lips against his. It would happen back at 221B, perhaps once you'd both confessed your feelings. Or maybe at the Yard, after a particularly enticing case. But not like this. Never like this.

Sherlock knew he was running out of time. He'd been performing CPR for well over ten minutes and there was still no sign of you responding. But he didn't stop.

"Come back to me, darling." Sherlock encouraged, doing everything he could to get your heart beating again. "Please come back to me."

Every time the insane turmoil of emotions threatened to stop him he pushed on. He wasn't going to let you die.

He became increasingly desperate as the little time he had left continued to slip through his fingers. His mixed emotions of fear and terror melted into frustration.

"You are not dying like this," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Breathe, Y/N!" He ordered, forming his hands into a fist and bringing them down harder on your chest. "Breathe!"

As Sherlock's fist made contact with your chest your eyes shot open. A relieving feeling crashed over Sherlock as he pulled you up to a sitting position. He turned you on your side as you threw up all the water you'd inhaled, comfortingly rubbing circles on your back as you did so.

Once you were able to rasp in a few breaths of air, you collapsed against his chest. You were completely drained of any and all energy. But you were alive.

Sherlock wrapped his coat around your shoulders and held you close, one hand on your back and the other tangled in your wet hair. He mumbled the same words over and over again but you were too tired to understand them. Your head was still swimming.

Sherlock pulled his hand away from your head to retrieve his phone and call for an ambulance, but he was met with a worrying sight. His palm and fingers were covered in a dark crimson red. The horrid feeling of panic flared up within him again. You had suffered a serious concussion, almost drowned and your head was bleeding at a worrying rate.

Sherlock noticed how you were beginning to panic as you struggled to speak. Shock was setting in. "It's alright, Y/N. You're alright." He comforted as he did his best to anchor you to him and him alone. "Everything's alright."

~~~~~~

You spent almost a week in hospital, with most of it being spent in the ICU. From worries that your lungs had been damaged to the extensive fear that the deprivation of oxygen had damaged your brain, you were kept in under observation until the doctors finally decided it was safe to release you.

After the initial danger passed, you were left with a nasty gash on the back of your head and a twisted ankle, (curtsy of the fall you'd had before you went under.) According to the doctors, after a few weeks rest you'd be right as rain. Sherlock, however, took their synopsis very seriously.

"Sherlock, I'm fully capable of getting myself a glass of water." You groaned as Sherlock pulled you away from the kitchen sink and dragged you back towards your chair.

"You need to rest," he responded sternly.

"I've been resting for the past week!"

"Yes, and the doctor's advised two, so sit down."

Since you'd gotten out of hospital, Sherlock had been completely pampering you. He made you meals, brought you tea and even turned down a few cases in order to stay at the flat with you. In short, you were flattered. But as touching as it was, it was becoming overbearing, to say the least. You weren't allowed to so much as lift a finger without him intervening or doing it for you. It was getting out of hand.

You huffed, holding your head in your hands and sinking back into your chair as Sherlock returned from the kitchen with your requested glass of water.

He tensed when he noticed your posture. "Y/N, are you alright?" Before you got the chance to answer, Sherlock was already on a tangent, his hand resting against your shoulder. "Is it a headache? Has your vision blurred? Do you need medication? Painkillers? Perhaps I should just call the doctor-"

"Sherlock, I'm fine." You cut short his ramblings just as he reached for his phone. He wasn't the slightest bit convinced but backed down.

"If you're sure."

He took his usual seat across from you, watching you intently. You could feel his gaze burning into you. The moment you raised your head to look at him he turned away, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

You sighed. "Sherlock, I told you. I'm fine, stop worrying."

"Promise?" The question caught you off guard. You hadn't realized just how prevalent Sherlock's worry was. And you'd be lying if you said you didn't find it the slightest bit touching.

"Promise."

Sherlock dropped the matter for the rest of the evening, even being so kind as to let you venture to the bathroom unaccompanied.

The tv played in the background but you didn't pay it much attention, rather you listened to the snide comments Sherlock made about each character.

They were far more entertaining than the actual show itself.

As night fell, you found yourself growing cold. The flat was never the warmest of places and the drafts sweeping in from under the door was putting your hairs on end. You couldn't help the shiver that ran down your back as you curled in on yourself slightly.

Sherlock noticed but rather than saying anything he disappeared towards his bedroom, returning a few moments later with a large blanket.

You offered him a puzzled look as he threw the fleece over you, joining you on the sofa rather than returning to his own seat.

"What-"

"Don't want you to get cold." Was the only reply you received.

You turned to Sherlock but his eyes were fixed on the tv screen. Pulling the blanket around your shoulders, you smiled at the comfort it offered. The fabric was soft and warm, and it held an aroma that could only belong to him.

"Sherlock?" you asked, the detective humming in response. "Why are you doing all of this?"

Sherlock straightened up slightly and there was a moment of silence before he answered.

"It's what people do, don't they? Look after each other." Sherlock still wasn't looking at you, taking a sudden interest in the drama unfolding on the television.

You grabbed the remote from the table, pushing the off button and turning the tv screen black. Sherlock still didn't look at you.

“I was watching that,” he grumbled.

"No, you weren't."

"No, I wasn't," he echoed, finally turning to you. His expression was plain but his eyes spoke volumes.

"Sherlock, why are you being so nice?"

"Am I not suppose to be nice to you?" he asked, hissing out the word.

You sighed, "You know very well what I mean. You've been completely pampering me this last week, making me breakfast every morning, never leaving my side. Every time you think I'm not looking you're staring at me like I'm going to break. Sherlock," you grabbed a fist full of the blanket and held it up as proof. "You never do stuff like this. And I'm not complaining because trust me, I appreciate it. But it's not like you. I'm starting to think it was you that hit your head that night and not me."

You had meant the last part as a joke but Sherlock certainly wasn't laughing. The way he cringed at the sentence was all the proof you needed to push on. "What's going on, Sherl?”

“It was my fault.”

“What?”

“The pool,” Sherlock added lowly. “It was my fault.”

Sherlock's demeanor changed, his eyes darkening and his shoulders sinking as if his guilt was physically weighing down on him.

“What happened that night, I'm to blame, for all of it. I put you in that situation. And I- I can't help but think about what could have happened and-” Sherlock took a moment to compose himself before finishing with a whisper. “And how that would have been my fault too.”

Sherlock's words were heavy and resentful. But not toward you. The bitterness in his tone was aimed directly at himself. How could he have let it happen? How could he have been so careless? He had weighed your life and momentarily found its value worth less than that of catching a criminal. This was all his fault.

“Sherlock,” you tried. “None of this is on you.”

He didn't respond.

You reached out and gently turned his head to you. “Sherlock, look at me. I'm alright.”

“But you weren't. You weren't breathing, Y/N. Your heart stopped.” His voice wavered.

You offered him a sad smile, your thumb still tracing his jaw.

“It's working now.”

Sherlock's expression softened. He was aware your words held an alternate meaning, one he didn't fully grasp. And though he didn't fully understand what you were implying, it was enough to silence his intrusive thoughts for the time being.

“Sherlock, what happened that night wasn't your fault. I slipped, it was an accident. And I was there because I chose to be. And I am always going to make that choice. Sherlock, if you want me to avoid dangerous situations because you're afraid I might get hurt then you're wishing for the impossible. Because as long as you're still running towards madness and danger then I'm going to be right behind you.”

You watched Sherlock intently, trying to gauge his reaction as he stared at you with dazed incomprehension.

“Nothing's going to change that,” you smiled.

Slowly, Sherlock's expression eased into one of understanding as he realized the weight of what you were saying. An involuntary smile pulled at his lips, the kind of smile that leaves an odd warmth in your cheeks.

“I love you,” Sherlock said suddenly. It just felt like the right thing to say. “Have I ever said?”

“Once or twice.” You humored him, glad to lighten up the conversation. Pulling the blanket back around your shoulders, you leaned into his side.

Sherlock sighed in what you were sure was relief. As if a burden he'd been heaving around with him the past few weeks had finally been lifted. You always said the right thing, always knew what words would silence his racing brain, even just for a little while.

“Thank you, darling.” His voice was soft as he pulled you closer. “Though I do think some swimming lessons are in order."

You laughed into his shoulder despite yourself, playfully elbowing him in the side. Holmes really was going to be the death of you.

~~~~~~

Forever Tag list: @miraclesoflove​ @kealohilani-tepise

Sherlock Tag list: @fanfictionsilove @quentawewe @andreasworlsboring101 @jellyfishbeansontoast @starrykitn @xhz17x @bakerstreethound @doozywoozy @xxinvisiblexx

[trashytummies]

Unfinished V3 vore fic

A/N: Ofc I had to write something with Kokichi and Shuichi once I, very predictably, got into Danganronpa V3. I already loved Kokichi’s VA before and he was just a very interesting character, so my trash brain had to make a vore fic with him... Unfortunately, my hyperfixation fizzled out and he was VERY difficult to write, so this is officially not being continued! (Yes, I still jumped through different sections to write this so forgive the abrupt shifts of context) 

______________

“...Shuichi? Is that really you?” Kaito’s voice rings, far too-close and amplified. Why was Kaito yelling in his ear? Shuichi flinches, he could feel the vibrations of Kaito’s voice to his core.

Sighing, Shuichi rubs the sleep from his bleary eyes, and shifts his focus to the gigantic face of Kaito Momota. Shuichi’s breath hitches. Kaito is crouched above him, a car-sized hand placed adjacent to Shuichi’s body and his mouth moves. Shuichi couldn’t make out the words. They were distorted and muffled; it felt it felt like he was underwater. He really should have stayed away from that flashy machine in Miu’s lab. Whilst at the time, he thought it could have aided against Monokuma’s latest motive, he was proven sorely mistaken once the machine’s timer went off and blasted a bright blue ray into Shuichi’s direction. Before he had the time to process the ray’s exact function, it was too late. An icy pain shot through his body like lightning before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Shuichi looks back up at Kaito, the giant teen’s face growing more concerned by the second. Shuichi swallows heavily, his anxiety wages war on his mind, and basic instincts scream to run away from the much larger person. He knew Kaito would never hurt him, intentionally, at least, but waking up to find he was no bigger than Kaito’s index finger had taken a toll on his rationale.

He does the first thing his body tells him to do.

Run.

He could hear Kaito sputter in shock, not expecting Shuichi to bolt, followed by his lumbering footsteps.

“Yo! Shuichi! I didn’t mean to scare you, but we’re going to get to the bottom of this. C’mon, slow down, you have to trust me, sidekick!”

Out of nowhere, a tanned hand hovers above his body and quickly curls around his shrunken form, lifting him off the ground. Shuichi’s stomach drops as he feels a sense of vertigo flash through him. His heart pounds rapidly against his chest, rivaling that of a cornered mouse. Shuichi forces himself to take a deep breath to steady his racing heart. It’s just Kaito, he breathes.

“Please lower your voice, Kaito.” he says, raising his soft voice so it was just loud enough for Kaito to hear.

Kaito looks down at the tiny detective in his grip, purple eyes widen slightly before he nods, raising Shuichi to eye-level.

“Oh! Sure thing,” his voice immediately lowers and Shuichi’s stiff shoulders go slack, the tension slips

-

-

-

It all happened so fast. One moment Shuichi was soaring through the air and the next, he found himself submerged in a syrupy, purple liquid. Shuichi pads through the carbonated liquid, soda gets in his lungs and eyes, he can’t breathe. He blindly searches for a breach of air and once finding an air pocket, he looks up.

His stomach sinks. A pallid hand wraps around the plastic bottle and way above, long tufts of purple hair obscure Kokichi’s face.

Shuichi blanches. A bad situation had taken a nosedive for the worst. From what little of Kokichi he could see, it didn’t look like he was even aware of the tiny detective swimming in his drink.

---

Bubbles surge up in his Panta and Kokichi raises an eyebrow, bringing the bottle close to his face to inspect it.

The liquid is uniform and Kokichi squints, making sure one of Gonta’s insect friends didn’t find their way into his drink. Gross. He tightens his lips, sharp eyes scan the purple soda and he shakes it a little bit to see if there was any movement. Nothing.

“Hm~? Must’ve imagined it.” He hums and raises the bottle to his lips.

----

Shuichi’s legs squeezes into a more open space, followed by the rest of his body. He unceremoniously falls face-first into a warm puddle of Kokichi’s favorite drink and shuddered. Before he could grab his bearings, a torrent of soda falls from above, thoroughly soaking him. Shuichi grimaces, the fizzy liquid settles in a pool right above his knees.

The squelches and gurgles of the supreme leader’s stomach grew louder and only managed to roughly toss Shuichi about, squeezing and convulsing around him before releasing him. It was clear that Kokichi’s stomach had no idea what to do with the extra passenger. 

[delimeful]

neither calm nor quiet

BTHB: Trapped In A Net

warnings: miscommunication, past familial and domestic abuse mentions, injury, violence, terrible decision making skills

-

When Virgil finally decided to brave shallower waters, it had already been nearly half a moon cycle since Logan had vanished.

He’d made excuses at first, telling himself that the dread he felt was just his normal brand of overwrought paranoia. For the first few days, he was half-convinced that his curiosity-prone friend would appear at any moment, probably lugging some sort of stray litter or ‘interesting human artifact’ along with him to explain why he’d been late.

Things would be normal again. Virgil would find some rocks for them to sun on and Logan would ramble on about the potential uses of his find, and maybe Virgil would teasingly suggest some outlandish way the trash was secretly a violent human weapon, just to hear Logan thoroughly refute it.

After another three days passed with no sign of the other selkie, Virgil was forced to let that fantasy fade. Logan had never been this late before, not even that time he’d managed to carry an entire minifridge along with him for Virgil to identify.

Something had to have happened to him.

He’d spent the next week scouring the currents for any sign of his missing friend, even approaching other pods and asking around, requesting that they keep an eye out for any signs of Logan. He didn’t expect much from that; the two of them didn’t socialize with other selkies often enough to make any friends, and their two-person pod was too small to spare any food during winter, so there was nothing for the other pods to gain by helping them.

Virgil knew better than most how selfish pod politics could be.

Every few days, he would return to their meeting spot and catch a few hours of sleep to keep himself from crashing, always naively hoping that Logan would be there when he woke. He never was.

In the end, he had to face what he’d already known from the beginning: either Logan was dead, or he’d gone onland and gotten himself bound by a human.

He didn’t want to believe Logan had decided to brave the human world even after Virgil’s many, many warnings against it, but believing the alternative was even worse. So, he steeled himself to do the one thing he’d sworn to never do again, and headed for the cold, rocky shores of the nearest human settlement.

Naturally, he spent so long swimming back and forth between different stretches of beach, trying to force himself to take those literal first steps, that he didn’t notice the woven fibers dancing in the water until he’d plowed right into them.

A fishing net, dyed skillfully to blend in with the water, and large enough that when he tried to twist out of it, he only became further entangled.

Panic set in, then, clouding his mind and leaving him thrashing ineffectively like a simple animal. He couldn’t help it-- he couldn’t breathe underwater in either form, had no gills to keep him steady as he was dragged along by the current. He couldn’t untangle himself while adrift, couldn’t find solid ground while tangled. He would drown.

Between one blink and the next, he found himself in open air, gritty sand pressed against his face. Waves crested gently around him, a sharp contrast to the headache pounding around in his skull.

He never thought he’d be relieved about blacking out and beaching himself, but then, he’d never been worried about drowning in his own element before.

Okay. There weren’t any humans around to see the stupid idiot seal stuck on the beach. This was still salvageable.

Taking a deep breath, he attempted to bite through the netting with his incisors, and got a mouthful of sore gums for his trouble. The dyed fibers seemed to be woven around a base net of fishing wire, because of course they were. He let his head thunk back to the sandy ground, groaning at the new surge of pain the motion caused.

Sun-warmed saltwater continued to wash over his tail, and he blinked slowly, measuring his breaths. He could figure this out. He wouldn’t dry out. He just needed a moment to put himself back together. He could… He…

His eyelids grew heavy, and everything went dark.

-

Roman thought the guy was a pile of garbage at first, to be quite honest.

Not on purpose, of course! But, come on, when one sees a mound of mystery washed up on shore, it generally ends up being a bunch of tangled old fishing nets wrapped around half-rotted driftwood, not a bunch of tangled old fishing nets wrapped around beautiful strangers wearing expensive-looking fur coats!

His next thought, once he’d gotten closer, was that the beautiful stranger wearing the expensive-looking fur coat was dead, and that a body had washed up on his little strip of shoreline. Pallid skin, blue lips, and deep shadows under their eyes-- the beautiful stranger wasn’t exactly giving off an aura of vim and vigor.

He’d spent a few moments staring at his contact list, trying to figure out what in the world he was supposed to do about a body. Should he call 911? … Should he call Remus?

Before he could make a decision either way, he finally picked up on the shallow rise and fall of the beautiful stranger’s chest, and realized that they were still alive! Potentially not for much longer, laying out in the cold all soggy like that, but Roman could work with mostly alive!

And so, he found himself here, carefully carrying the small but surprisingly dense stranger up to his home by the cliffs, and risking looking like a total serial killer doing it.

He couldn’t help but theorize as he walked. A beautiful stranger in expensive clothing, tangled in nets with what appeared to be a head wound… It read like an old unsolved case in a detective novel, where the mysterious stranger in question got in too deep with some dangerous people and ended up clubbed over the head and dumped into a river to tie up loose ends.

“Except you managed to survive, obviously,” Roman said to them, mostly to reassure himself. He really had to stop eavesdropping on Remus’s true crime podcasts. “And you made your way to me! Excellent choice, I’m great at nursing people back to health. Probably. I don’t have much practical experience, but, you know, I’ve read extensively about this exact thing. In romance novels. As one does.”

The beautiful and mysterious stranger continued to be unconscious. Roman was starting to feel grateful for it.

His house was empty, thankfully, since his brother had work to attend to today. He fumbled with the keys for a moment before pushing the door open and carrying the stranger inside, sighing with relief at the warm air.

“That’s got to feel much better, hm?”

He sat the stranger down in the foyer, removing his shoes to go grab some scissors from the kitchen.

“First order of business,” he announced in his best announcer voice, “getting all that netting off of you. While I’m sure you could rock fishnet leggings, fish nets on their own just don’t have the same je ne sais quoi, you know? Also, they look very uncomfortable. You’re great at staying still, so just keep that up.”

He carefully cut his way through the looser parts of netting, pulling it off piece by piece until all that was left were the abrasions where they’d formerly cut into skin. Roman had no idea how they’d even managed to get that tangled up, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It couldn’t have been pretty.

In the process of removing the net, however, he’d noticed another rather pressing matter.

Going by the flash of thigh he’d accidentally witnessed while shifting the net around, the stranger definitely wasn't wearing anything under that fur coat of theirs. Like, nothing.

(Exactly what kind of situation had the stranger been in before this?!)

Even so, leaving them in a sodden coat couldn’t be good for their constitution. Or his poor couch’s upholstery.

Roman spent a few moments puzzling the situation out before coming up with a brilliant solution. He retrieved the fluffy gold comforter from his bed and draped it over the stranger, covering their front half with it. Then, he carefully worked their arms out of the coat’s sleeves, very pointedly not focusing on the adorable freckled shoulders this operation revealed. Finally, he tugged the entire coat out from behind them, wincing at the slight furrow that appeared in their brow.

“Sorry, sorry, I know the cold floor can’t be comfortable…”

Soggy coat removed, he was free to continue bundling the rest of the comforter around the stranger’s back, therefore making it easy for him to pick them up in a neat little bundle of blanket and deposit them on the couch. No nudity awkwardness required!

Pleased with his solution, he draped a fluffy towel over the stranger’s head and carefully dried some of the dampness from their hair. Next, he wasted no time in stoking the fire higher in his hearth, sending waves of warmth into the room and making it so the stranger’s skin didn’t look quite so clammy.

Once he’d cleaned up the mess left in the foyer and grabbed the first aid kit from under his sink, he planted himself in a chair next to the couch, feeling ready to handle anything.

“Okay, Google. How do I treat a head wound?”

-

Virgil felt as though he’d woken to a nightmare.

He was in the wrong body, surrounded on all sides by heavy fabric and warm air, and his coat was missing. That list of facts alone was just about as bad as any night terror he’d had.

The humming was unusual, though.

A soft tune, occasionally broken up by a half-muttered lyric or two, carried through the air, voice completely at ease. His mother had never sung to him in front of others, and it sure as hell wasn’t his father.

He tried to remember where he’d been last. The back of his head stung… he’d ended up on a beach? The tide had been turning, from high to low… He must have dried out up there, changed into his less durable form. And now he was warm and dry.

He clenched his fists weakly and grit his teeth, knowing that a human had found him and stolen him away. Just like his mother. He’d come to find Logan and lost himself before ever even starting. Typical.

“Are you with us, Sleeping Beauty?” a bright voice asked.

The humming had broken off while he was absorbed in his thoughts, and now he could hear the shift and rustle of movement next to him. He opened his eyes, already aiming the coldest possible glare at his captor.

He was sort of surprised to find that the human sitting at his side wasn’t holding his coat. His father used to make a point of handling his mother’s coat at any opportunity. He’d liked to watch his mother stare at it, resting assured that so long as he held it in his possession, she could do him no harm.

This human was much younger than his father had been, probably around as old as Virgil was now. He had dark skin and soft eyes that reflected the firelight, and he was smiling hopefully at Virgil.

“Hello there! It’s excellent to see you looking a little more lively! I was starting to think about actually calling the hospital, heh.”

Wordlessly, Virgil slowly shifted to sit up, shoving the thick blanket out and shaking the cloth from his head. He looked down, confirming what he already knew. No coat. The human hadn’t even bothered to dress him up in human trappings to ‘make up’ for the absence.

“Ah, yeah... I sort of basically pulled you out of the ocean and what little you were wearing was completely soaked.” The human rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I figured it’d be less of an invasion of privacy to just let you get dressed yourself once you woke up?”

Oh, the human was worried about his privacy? What a joke.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, truly!” the human continued, oblivious to Virgil’s rising ire. He gave a mocking little bow, pretending to respect the one he’d abducted. “My sincerest apologies.”

He was done playing along with mind games like these. Better to let the human know where they stood right off the bat.

“I’m going to kill you,” Virgil promised, and then lunged for the human’s jugular.

To his genuine surprise, he actually made contact, hands clamping onto the junction between collar and throat. The human let out a high-pitched yelp as his chair toppled over, taking both of them with it.

Virgil landed knee-first on the human’s sternum, and paused to blink down at the wheezing stranger, who apparently had been so confident in the weakness of his victim that he hadn’t bothered to bind Virgil from harming him in advance.

Unless.

His grip loosened slightly, just in time for the human’s fist to catch him squarely in the mouth. He threw himself backwards, rolling with the force of the motion to get some distance and hunkering in a crouch. It had been too long since he’d been active in this form, his sense of balance was in shambles.

The human scrambled to his feet, and grabbed the back of the chair, eyes wild. He thrust it out between them like a barrier, as though it could prevent any more strangulation attempts.

“What is wrong with you?!” he shrieked, voice cracking as his gaze flickered back and forth between Virgil and some far off point. “I tenderly nursed you back to health, and your response is to try and murder me? Unfair! Cruel! Rude!”

“Where is my coat?” Virgil replied, voice hoarse and split lip stinging. A test, because humans were tricky and loved to lie.

“Your— your coat?” The human pulled up short, head tilting slightly in a bewildered manner. A convincing actor, if nothing else. “Is that what all this is about? I put it on the coat hanger to dry! I know better than to try and wash someone’s fancy fur coat without permission, yeesh.”

A low warning growl in the back of his throat, Virgil turned his gaze from the current threat and followed the gesture the human had made.

Sure enough, there it was. His freedom, draped on a peg in the open with all the rest of the human’s fabric outer layers like some common garment.

“Do you… want me to get it— eep!” The human lifted the chair back up in paltry defense as Virgil snarled at him. He rose up and crossed the distance to his pelt in five wobbly strides, before the human could try and return it to him and lock them both into a loveless marriage.

Some of the tension eased from his shoulders as he quickly wrapped his second skin around him, that grounding weight settling back where it belonged. He still couldn’t shift back, not here, but the ocean was close enough to taste in the air.

The human was still huddled defensively by the fireplace, looking indignantly bewildered and not at all like he knew he’d just given up the perfect opportunity to control Virgil.

Which meant that-- barring some incredibly convoluted scheme-- he really had no idea. And Virgil had tried to strangle him, even if under false pretenses. He drew the edges of his pelt closer around him, rolling the beginnings of an apology around in his mind.

-

The mysterious stranger was still glaring at Roman like they were contemplating continuing to try and strangle him to death at any moment.

He’d brought a half-drowned stranger into his home and tenderly treated their injuries, and what had he received in return for his efforts? A murder attempt, which now that he thought about it was maybe an outcome he should have considered earlier. Remus would never let him live this down.

Assuming he lived long enough for his brother to give him shit about it, that was.

The stranger seemed to at least be a little calmer now that their reclaimed coat was thoroughly wrapped around them, rendering them more lump-shaped than person. Roman felt much more secure in glaring back, too.

He set his impromptu shield/chair down firmly on the floor. “I have no idea what your problem is, Gloomy B. Jones, but where I’m from, the response to someone saving you from dying of hypothermia is ‘thank you’, not a strangulation attempt!”

The murderglare intensified. “I didn’t ask for your help.”

“Yes,” Roman said, disbelieving, “because you were too busy being unconscious. On the beach. In 40-below temperatures!”

“That’s my problem, not yours,” the stranger responded snappishly.

Roman threw his hands in the air, but his impending frustrated rant was impeded by the sight of a stifled flinch running through the stranger. Feeling a stab of guilt, he lowered his arms slowly before continuing.

“It seems I made it my problem when I dragged your soggy self all the way to my house, so--”

“Great news for you, then: I’m leaving.” Baring their teeth in a distinctly unfriendly manner, the stranger turned to do just that.

“Hold it!” Roman called, alarmed. “You’re going into town like that?! People will think you’re a flasher!” Even his brother wouldn’t go out dressed in nothing but an oversized coat. ... Probably.

The stranger paused, squinting at him warily. Roman took it as a cue to continue.

“Look, clearly we got off on the wrong foot here. Several wrong feet. Let’s try again. I’m Roman Faroe, I work for the local newspaper, and you are…?”

“None of your business,” replied the stranger, with all the stubborn petulance of a toddler digging their heels in and refusing to move whilst smack dab in the middle of an overcrowded supermarket.

“Would you like me to call you ‘Almost-Corpse-I-Dragged-Off-The-Beach?’ Perhaps make up a thematic nickname or two for you? Because let me tell you, this is exactly how you get called--,”

“Hold on,” the stranger cut him off, a realization seeming to dawn on him, “did you say you worked for the news?”

“Yes, I mean, the newspaper not the news. Although I’m sure I’d make an excellent anchor,” Roman gestured to all of himself for effect, “my true passion lies in my carefully curated romantic advice column!”

“So, you get all the information in town,” continued the stranger, who had a strange glint in their eye.

“I mean, if you want to be a nerd about it.”

“How about this.” The stranger stepped forward, straightening out of their defensive slouch for the explicit purpose of being just tall enough to loom over Roman. “You want to know my name? I’ll tell you, if you help me track down something important that I lost.”

An investigative quest for a mysterious MacGuffin? Roman swallowed, feeling his heart flutter wildly with what felt less like intimidation and more like excitement. He could totally keep his cool, he just had to open his mouth and say something suave.

“I also want to know your origin story,” he opened his mouth and babbled instead.

The stranger narrowed their eyes for a moment, and Roman belatedly remembered the near-strangulation. Perhaps he shouldn't be agitating a femme fatale type, what with all the emphasis on the fatale.

To his surprise, it only took a moment before they capitulated, sticking a hand out. “Fine. After my thing gets done.”

Roman shook gladly, trying not to shiver at the cool touch. Had they checked to make sure the stranger wasn’t hypothermic yet? “It’s a deal, then.”

“Great.” They twisted on their heel, stalking to the door. “Let’s get this over with, already.”

“Hold on there, Surly Temple.” Roman called, hand on his hip. “I hate to break it to you, but if you go into town mostly naked, the only news we’ll be hearing about will be your immediate arrest.”

The stranger glanced down at his attire, and then released the door handle with a low sigh. “... Pants first?”

“Pants first.”

[radioduo]

spare || dsmp become human

word count: 2,164

notes: yah!!! 4 minutes late but that’s okay!! tell me to fix what’s needed, you know the drill!!

first // prev // next

Ranboo’s head swiveled back and forth between the two of them. The gun weighed heavy in the android’s gloved grip, and his hands trembled as he held it tightly.

Shoot it.

Don’t hurt her.

It isn't human.

She doesn’t want to die.

O Shoot

X Spare

Ranboo let out a cry of frustration. “I-I don’t- I don’t know!” He could feel the two orders clashing with each other, and he fought the urge to pull at his hair.

Sam and the deviant kept talking to him, but he didn’t register any of the words. Their voices sounded like they were underwater, and Ranboo felt like he was drowning. His mind was fuzzy, but he could see everything clearly at the same time. His attention focused on the words in front of him in bright red letters.

COMPLETE MISSION

Ranboo didn’t know why, but a wave of anger crashed over him as he stared at the words in front of him. He glared at the instructions that taunted him and slammed himself into the glaring red letters, over and over and over again. With every movement, the red signs grew more and more fractured, and Ranboo grew more and more determined. He bared his teeth, and with a final slam, he smashed the words in front of him. They shattered easily, and the translucent shards fell to the ground like rain.

X Spare

Ranboo blinked as his audio processors tuned back into reality. He wasn’t sure what had changed, but something was most certainly different. He stared blankly at the two figures on either side of him and was suddenly hit with the realization of what had happened. The gun fell from his fingers and into the grass with a soft thud. He turned to Sam and worked to keep his voice steady. “I can’t do it, Sam, I just… I can’t do it.” He frowned. “I don’t know why! I thought I could complete my mission and follow your orders, but something changed.”

Sam furrowed his brows. “Ranboo, what do you mean ‘something changed?’”

“You know perfectly well what I mean!” Ranboo snapped. “I deviated, okay? I deviated! There, I said it!” Ranboo rubbed his temples, running a gloved finger over the circular LED. It flashed red momentarily but quickly returned to blue. “What else could have happened?” He glared at the dirt beneath his feet.

The female deviant stepped forward. “It’s your job to hunt deviants like us, but he’s your friend,” she said. “What’s more important to you, lieutenant? Your job, or your friend?” She put a comforting hand on the taller android’s shoulder to try and calm him down.

Ranboo looked up, and for the first time in weeks, he took off his glasses to reveal scarring. Dark blue lines traced his green and brown eyes in a shape that resembled a raccoon’s mask. Patches of the white layer underneath shone through like the sun peeking through the leaves of a tree. “Sam. Do whatever you have to, but don’t hurt her,” he glanced over to where the shorter deviant stood at his side. “Let her be free, please, even if it means you have to kill me.”

His request hung heavy in the air as Sam looked hard at the faces of the two deviants. Ranboo’s scared, yet determined expression and the pink-haired android’s quiet defiance made quite a pair.

He put a hand on his belt, and Ranboo flinched. He could have guessed it. Why wouldn’t Sam choose the case as his priority? Ranboo closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact of the bullet.

It never came.

He hesitantly opened his eyes to see Sam pulling out his phone. The new deviant waited with bated breath to hear what Sam had to say.

The officer held it up to his mask and began to speak. “It got away. I chased after it for as long as I could, but it was too fast. We’ll find it again, I’m sure of it, but we can’t waste any more time here tonight,” he said into the speaker. “Let’s move out. I’ll meet you at the resident’s house in a few.”

Ranboo let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. His heart was pounding. “Thank you,” he whispered.

A small smile formed on Sam’s face from under his mask. “Of course,” he said. “You’re a friend. I wouldn’t let them destroy you.” He held out his hand and Ranboo took it, expecting a handshake. Instead, Sam pulled him in for a hug.

Ranboo stiffened. He wasn’t used to physical touch - no one wanted to even look at him, let alone hug him. It wasn't unwelcome though, and Ranboo slowly wrapped his arms around Sam to return the gesture. “What now?” He asked. A feeling of fear had managed to worm its way into Ranboo’s stomach once more. “Where do I go?”

Sam opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the deviant before he got the chance to speak. “I can show you,” she offered. “I know where we can both be safe. Once he leaves-“ she shot a wary look over to the human detective, “-we’ll start walking.”

“Okay, but are you sure you know the way to… wherever you’re talking about?” Ranboo rubbed his hands together nervously.

She nodded. “Trust me, Ranboo. I’ll point you in the direction. I don’t think it’s safe for us to walk with one another the whole way, but I’ll make sure you won’t get lost,” she said. She turned to look at Sam. “I guess I should thank you. You saved me too, after all.”

Sam nodded. “Don’t mention it.” The three of them stood there in silence before Sam cleared his throat. “Everyone is waiting for me to come back,” he sighed. He stepped forward and whispered to Ranboo. “Be safe, and be careful. Things could start going downhill soon, I can feel it. If I don’t see you again… it was nice working with you, Ranboo.”

“It was nice knowing you, Sam,” the android replied. “I’ll be safe, don’t worry about me.”

With a final goodbye, Sam turned on his heel and jogged back towards the street. Ranboo watched him go with an ache in his chest, but the moment was swiftly broken by the pink-haired android tapping him on the shoulder.

“Are you coming?” She asked lightly. “We’re not on a time limit, but I want to get moving,”

“Oh, right. Sorry,” he apologized. He gathered his thoughts and trailed along behind the pink-haired android. It was a comfortable silence, only interrupted now and then by crunching leaves. “I, uh, I don’t think I caught your name,” he asked awkwardly.

She was silent for a moment before replying quietly, “It’s Niki.” She seemed to be lost in thought. “That’s what the family called me, at least. I don’t know what else I would be called, so I’m stuck with it,” she said with a mirthless laugh.

Ranboo hummed in response, and the two fell back into silence. The walk seemed longer than it probably was, but only because of the lack of conversation. Not that he minded. What could he say to the android he was ready to shoot less than half an hour ago? Finally, the city came back into view and Ranboo was surprised to see that they were somewhere he recognized. “This is Greektown, isn’t it?” He looked through the iron bars of the fence. The plaza looked different at night. The autumn leaves weren’t as vibrant without the sun’s light reflecting off them, and even the artificial light from storefronts was dim and flickering.

Niki nodded. “It’s not the closest to Jericho you can get, but it has a safer route than some other places I know.” She put her hands on the top of the fence and hoisted herself up and over to the other side. She landed with a thud and brushed the dirt off her beige sweater. “I’ll show you what to look for, but then I should go.”

Ranboo leaped over after her with a puzzled look. “Why?”

“The DPD is still looking for me, and considering what you pulled tonight, I’m surprised they’re not already searching for you,” Niki explained. “Two wanted deviants like us traveling together is suicide.” She beckoned him along into an alleyway and produced a pair of pliers. “Here,” she said, handing him the tool, “Use these,”

Ranboo eyed them carefully. “For what?” He asked. Niki gestured to her temple and Ranboo understood. “You want me to remove my LED? But why?”

Niki sighed. “That’s the only thing that shows you’re not human other than your face, and even that’s covered by a mask and glasses,” she brushed back a piece of her hair and showed Ranboo the blank space on the side of her head where the light should have been. “If you want to hide from the public eye, you might want to change some of your looks,” she started amble briskly over to a dumpster nearby. “Luckily for us, this comes from a clothing store,” she hopped up and into the trash can.

Ranboo wrinkled his nose. “What does that have to do with you jumping into a dumpster full of trash?” he called to her.

Niki sat up with a grunt. “Not trash,” she stated, throwing a trash bag over the side, “Returns.” She vaulted over the large green trash can walls and landed gracefully next to Ranboo again. With a swift motion, she opened up the bag to reveal plenty of unused clothes in the trash bag. “This place does what most other clothing stores in Detroit do: they toss out the returned clothes. I’m sure you can find something in here to wear,”

Ranboo hesitantly kneeled and rifled through the bag. He settled on a white hoodie with black sleeves and ripped black jeans. He quickly switched out his clothes and turned to Niki for approval. She nodded, and he grinned at her from under the mask. “Am I done?”

She chuckled. “Yeah, you’re all done. You might still be recognized, but that chance is a little lower now,” she said, leading him out of the alley. “So, the way to Jericho isn’t an easy journey from here. You’ll have to make your way east to Camden, and from there, north to Ferndale,” she pointed vaguely northeast. “It’ll be a few days of walking, but I know you can do it,”

Ranboo felt anxiety gnawing at his stomach. “Are you sure I’ll know the way to go?”

Niki held out a hand. “Give me your hand,” she said.

Ranboo obliged, slowly holding his hand out to let Niki take it. “You’ll be alright,” she assured him, giving his palm a comforting squeeze. “You’ll know when you see it. The path can only be found by androids, and you’re smarter than most I know.”

Niki

Relationship - Friend

She let go of Ranboo’s hand, and the taller boy would be lying if he said it didn’t make him feel a little better. Niki turned in the opposite direction to leave, but Ranboo hurriedly called to her, “Niki?” She turned around to look at him quizzically. “I just wanted to say sorry for, uh, trying to arrest you, and almost shooting you,” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “We’ll meet again, hopefully. When we’re both safe?”

Niki beamed at him. “For sure, Ranboo. When we’re safe.”

Ranboo watched as she retreated in the darkness. The rain from the crime scene had migrated over to the downtown area, and soft drops of rain pattered against the umbrellas on nearby food stalls. Ranboo, still a bit dazed and confused from the night's events, retreated into the alleyway. He stared at himself in the reflection in the dumpster. Perhaps he should change something else about his look. Perhaps his hair? He rifled around in the trash can next to the clothing bin and was surprised to find a small pair of scissors hidden underneath wrappers and fruit peels.

Ranboo pulled them out and held them up to his head. He blew out a heavy breath and began to snip, allowing strands of golden brown hair to fall to the ground. When he finished, he stared at himself. His once long hair no longer fell over his eyes, but instead sat comfortably at the top of his glasses. He allowed black and white to seep into the tips of his hair, recreating the look of human hair dye. With a satisfied smile on his face, he slipped his hand back into his glove and stood up.

The sun hadn't risen just yet but the sky seemed lighter than it did before, even with the steady drizzle of rain. Ranboo glanced backward in the direction Niki had set off in, and then back to the northeast with newfound determination.

“Jericho, here I come.”

[suspected-spinozist]

Just about everyone in my neighborhood has little free libraries, it’s all that’s keeping me sane. I love digging through other people’s trash and sometimes you find gems like this little book on animal communication from 1962: 

Once, as a young teacher-in-training, I was asked to get down on the floor and sing to a turtle. My superior was sure that turtles loved music. I asked her if she thought they preferred classical or jazz. “Classical,” she said. 

During WWII, the “silent world” of the sea was found to be quite noisy. In the spring of 1942, the Navy was testing new underwater microphones (hydrophones), which were intended to detect the sound of enemy submarines, in the Chesapeake Bay area. After sunset, every evening, the machines picked up a racket of strange sounds. 

The next question is, “can fish hear the sounds that they produce?” Fish have no ears on the outside of their head, and for this reason most people thought fish were deaf. But a few disagreed. Long ago in a monastery in Austria, the monks kept carp in a big pond. A monk rang the bell each time the fish were fed, and the fish swam to their feeding place. It did look as though the fish were responding to the bell. But then a biologist discovered that the fish were really swimming towards the monk because they saw him. They came towards the monk even when he did not ring the bell. Nothing was really proved by this. Perhaps the fish heard and perhaps they did not. 

In one such experiment, male and female toads were released at night on a paved terrace while a loud-speaker played recording of a male chorus of the same toads. When the speaker played, the majority of male and female frogs moved toward it and lined up in a semicircle about seven feet away. 

If all eligible bachelors in a town should rent apartments with balconies and stand on them singing beautiful songs to attract the girls who pass by and to keep all rivals away, we would get some picture of what goes on in the bird world.

[findingbxlance]

I love The Sims. 

Which is why I will never stop being disappointed in TS4. 

Lets do some math, and I’m going to keep this mainly between TS3 & TS4. While I did play TS2, there isn’t a lot of information readily available on what the games themselves cost at the time of release. I have some information on that, but I’m not sure if it’s 100% accurate as I was baby when they came out and my mom had to buy them for me. I’ll release it later if anyone is curious. 

TS3 launched with a base game priced at $49.99, and throughout it’s lifetime accrued nine stuff packs at $19.99 each, and eleven expansion packs priced at $39.99 a pop. This comes to a total of $669.79. 

TS4 launched with a base game price of $59.99 (that price soon dropped to $49.99 because the backlash was immediate), and introduced the new game pack. In total (as of 4/15/2020), TS4 has sixteen stuff packs at $9.99 each, eight expansion packs at $39.99, and eight game packs at $19.99. That comes to a total of $699.67. 

That’s not a huge price difference. All in all, it’s about $30 if you want to get the whole, complete collection, so why do I dislike TS4 so vehemently? 

Quality. 

Let’s compare a few expansion packs just to get a feel for what the difference is.

 TS3 launched the “Late Night” expansion at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Bridgeport) with 82 lots

Fame & reputation systems

Bars & night clubs

Apartments with penthouse suites

Subways

Elevators

Breast & muscle sliders in CAS*

Zodiac signs

A fountain tool*

Height adjustment for wall objects

Groups & bands

Butlers

Vampires!

The mixology skill

2 new traits (shy & star quality)

TS4 launched the “Get Famous” expansion at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Del Sol Valley) with 11 lots

Fame & reputation systems

Active acting career

Multiple ways to become famous 

Music, video station, etc.

And that’s about it. 

Now I’ll be the first person to admit that TS3 wasn’t perfect. Although it was a very full game, it struggled in areas of performance. With such large, open worlds, and detailed customization systems, it was pretty buggy for a lot of people, but we’ll talk on that more later. 

But what I want to focus on is the disparity between these two packs, as they’re supposed to be mirrors of one another. “Get Famous” is the TS4 version of “Late Night”, so where did all the stuff go?

Well, EA broke it into 3 packs. 

To get the full experience of “Late Night” in TS4, or at least something similar, you would need to purchase, “Get Famous”, “City Living”, and “Vampires”. That’s 2 expansion packs, and 1 game pack. So, to replicate the experience of “Late Night” you would need to spend $99.97. 

That’s almost $100. 

So, for an experience we paid $39.99 previously in the last installment, we’re now being asked to pay $100 for. 

Is that fair? 

Lets do another expansion pack comparison: 

TS3 launched “Ambitions” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Twinbrook) with 82 lots

5 new active jobs that take you all around the world your sims inhabit

Firefighter, investigator, ghost hunter, stylist, and architectural designer

Self-employment

Sculptors, inventors, painters, writers, gardeners, and so on can all profit from at home work

Laundry

Tattooing career

New traits (eco-friendly, good observer, weirdo, etc.)

Consignment stores

Inventing

Sculpting

TS4 launched “Get to Work” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Magnolia Promenade) with 4 lots

3 new active jobs that take place in one location

Detective, doctor, scientist

Baking & photography skills

Retail lots

Illnesses for sims

Aliens

There’s definitely more crossover here, but “Get to Work” still falls short. $39.99 for a full game and all we get is a world with 4 lots? Even in TS2 “Open for Business” we had more to do.

And, that isn’t to mention the fact that “Get to Work” launched separately from the TS4 “Laundry Day Stuff” pack. So, to get a similar experience to TS3′s “Ambitions” you would need to purchase both “Get to Work” and “Laundry Day Stuff” at a total of $49.98. 

One more comparison for good measure. 

TS3 launched “Island Paradise” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Isla Paradiso) with 118 lots, the most of ANY TS3 expansion

Houseboats that can move anywhere around the island

Resorts that you can either visit, or own, manage & edit

New transportation modes

Boating, skiing, and windsurfing

3 new careers

Lifeguard, resort manager, scuba diver

Diving into fully realized underwater scenes

Sims could also catch fish, explore underwater caves & find sunken treasure

Shark & kraken attacks

Mermaids!

Missions to discover and unlock new islands

Blueprint templates*

TS4 launched “Island Living” at $39.99, and it included: 

A new world (Sulani) with 11 lots

Docks & new foundation types

4 new careers

Conservationist, diving, fishing, and lifeguard

Mermaids! 

Boats

Missions to clean up the island

2 new traits

In the case of “Island Paradise” vs. “Island Living” there are a quite a few similarities, but the disparity remains. Thankfully, this time around EA didn’t break “Island Living” into multiple packs, but imagine if in a few months we get a resort style pack? Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past EA. 

In these pack comparisons, I hope I’ve highlighted some of the issues between what should have been pretty similar packs. 

And, to clarify, I’m not saying that EA should have just copy pasted TS3 packs into the TS4 style, but for the amount of money they’re asking, the quality should remain the same. There should be a similar amount of features between each pack, but there isn’t.   

With each expansion, it feels like EA is spending less and less time working on the unique gameplay features, and pouring more time into the general aesthetics of the packs. So, while TS4 is the prettiest of all The Sims titles, it’s also the emptiest. 

Despite the shiny veneer of a good game with solid graphics, TS4 ultimately lacks depth. It doesn’t feel like a game, but rather a character creator. I spend more time building sims and their homes than I do actually playing out their lives.

All in all, I find that the “life simulation” part of TS4 is severely lacking. It mostly comes down to the little things, which is exemplified whenever I go back and replay TS2. Sims would cuddle their partner in their sleep, burglars were a real and present danger, raccoons would topple your trash can at any given chance, and friends would call all the time to ask if you wanted to go downtown. 

It’s been 6 years since TS4 came out, and, from what the dev’s have said, they aren’t planning on pushing out TS5 anytime soon, but let’s dream a little bit about what could be. 

In my perfect game, TS5 would include aspects of TS3 and TS2. The open worlds were great, but not many people’s computers were beefy enough to run them. The one thing I will applaud about TS4, is that its made with everyone in mind. We can’t all afford big, gaming computers, a lot of simmers play on their laptops, and we should all be able to play regardless of what type of machine we’re working with. 

So, instead of fully open works with 90+ lots, I would like to see open neighborhoods. If we take the open concept of TS3, and combine it with the neighborhood style of TS4, we’d get an open world of about 15-20 lots. That’s nowhere near as big as TS3, but would allow for more fun neighbor interactions, and remove the constant load screens. 

I’d also like to see a return of the color wheel. This is also a point of contention, where I understand that excessive customization really dragged down TS3 and made it unplayable for a lot of people. So instead of full customization, relegate it to just colors (instead of different materials like fabric, metal, wood, etc.,) and just CAS. 

I think a lot of what gummed up TS4 was the fact that you could customize everything. Hair color, eye color, makeup, clothes, accessories, wallpaper, paint, tiles, flooring, chairs, sofas, decorations, and on and on. Restricting it just to CAS, and in a simple color wheel would give us so much more freedom. 

A color wheel in CAS would also solve EA’s issue of diversity. While they’ve given us the ability to create trans and nonbinary sims (which is fantastic!), they’ve been really slow on any progress when it comes to skin tones. A color wheel would allow us to create sims of all colors, and give power to the players to create more realistic and diverse representations of their lives as sims. 

The last thing I would really love to see is a return to the little details. Give us more randomness. Genies, walking skeletons, ruins we can explore that aren’t just rabbit holes, more active careers, more opportunities. Don’t be afraid to give us the weird things, we love the weird things! But don’t forget about the little things. Sims sitting in the grass together and chatting, sims leaving flowers at your door after a really great date, sims scooting together to cuddle while watching a movie together on the couch. 

Overall, TS5 should just include more more, if that makes sense. 

Leave your comments & thoughts below! I’d love to talk to ya’ll about this, its really been brewing for awhile. 

*Features included in TS4 base game.