And were an epitaph to be my story I would have a short one ready for my own.

Writer's Block: You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch!

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:08:26 GMT

Are there any classic holiday movies or TV shows that you look forward to watching year after year? What are your all-time favorites? Are there any you simply can't stand?

View 1192 Answers

The Rankin/Bass made-for-tv Christmas specials are basically my childhood. <3 Miracle on 34th Street makes a good run for second in my heart, though.

Phelps-a-Thon at UMass

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:48:11 GMT

If you don't know who Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church are, well, consider yourself informed. Phelps and the WBC are infamous for protesting funerals of soldiers and victims of hate crimes--God hates fags, after all. Now, on December 1st, these bottom-feeding fucksters are coming to my school to protest the International AIDS Conference being held there.

There's really only one thing to do. UMass Boston will be one of many places holding a Phelps-A-Thon, using these frog-licking bigots to raise money for worthy causes. More details HERE. If you can help, be it making a pledge for a small amount for every minute these parasites are out there, or a flat donation, or even boosting the signal for me, I would be unbelievably grateful. Please, if not for UMass, than for one of the other fundraisers. Hate can't stand being turned against itself.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:27:29 GMT

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/us/05marriage.html?ref=us

Fuck you, Maine. Fuck you and yours.

I'll have much more to say on this later, I'm at school now, but suffice it to say, I'm scared. I'm scared of what happened at the polls across the country last night.

I really want to cry.

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:38:07 GMT

Life needs to be less busy and crazy...though, on the upside, it's mostly been a good busy. School--which is proving I should never ever major in history--aside, things have been pretty alright. Finally having someone to hang out with, and who wants to hang out, has done a world of good for my mood. Add to that, I've done a little bit of driving, sloooowly getting used to being on the road; I've also been doing a little more hopping around on the trains and buses, trying to get a little more comfortable with them. The other day I took care of getting my own new glasses, upgraded the number of ties and collared shirts in my wardrobe, and bought a sexy pair of men's shoes at Payless so I can wear nice pants to school (I refuse to wear heels when I'm alone in train stations and I won't wear sneakers with slacks because that would be dumb. :P). I've poked a little at my next Simfic story, and at the very least I know what I want it to be about.

When you're clinically depressed and cripplingly anxious you're allowed to feel proud about things like that.

My school also has a program that organizes out-of-state community projects that students participate in. I turned in an application for the Spring Break program, so if I get accepted I might be helping Habitats for Humanity in El Paso, Texas this spring. I'm both nervous and excited, but we'll wait and see if they even want me first.

I feel happy, though, if restless; for the first time in a long time, I'm not just saying that. Coming out of a priviliged lie and into a more oppressive reality feels ironicly freeing. Growing up, I spent a lot of time trying to fit into the status quo. Everyone else did it, after all, and they were happy; if I could just be like everyone else, then I could be happy too. Except, I'm not the "everyone else," and really the status quo isn't for me. I'm not claiming to be a special snowflake--no, a lot of people fall out of the catagory of Everyone.

I'm just one of them.

And it will be harder, is harder. There is nothing glamerous about prancing around your family and being denied basic rights. But still I feel a lot happier too. These past few weeks I feel just that little bit more like Will_o, and she's kind of alright. Things will have to get rough again, yeah, but I feel just a little more prepared to cope with that when it comes. Besides, I have a good reason to work to keep my head up. See, I want to wake up now and live.

Debbie Downers, they don't go the El Paso; they can't help anyone; they don't make friends.

And they sure as hell don't meet women.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:03:55 GMT

There is about half an inch of snow on the lawn outside, and it is still coming down. What. It's really October, right?

National Coming Out Day!

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:51:46 GMT

The internet tells me today is National Coming Out Day, and we all know the internet doesn't lie. Assuming that we all understand the concept of the closet and coming out of it, let me throw down one simple statement:

I like ladies.

Or, more accurately, I like people, individuals I've spent time with and have gotten to know, and a lot of those individuals are and have been ladies. But also men. I like both, a bisexual with, oh, about a 3:2 preference for women to men. Assuming I haven't failed basic math, what I mean to say is: I prefer women, and while I would absolutely entertain a relationship with the right guy, I'd sooner seek one out with a lady.

Now, none of this is new. Not at all. When nearly all your future-growed-up fantasies as a child involved living with your best girl friend, with not a single thought to husbands or kids, you start figuring something is up. I've put "Bi" as my sexual orientation on demographics surveys since middle school, about the time I learned the words to put to feelings; and what confusing feelings they were. See, I always felt so strongly that I needed to Pick. A. Side. In a lot of ways I still do, though it is so much better. In middle school I called myself bi because it was more accurate than straight or gay, both of which I knew weren't quite right; it still made me uncomfortable. It felt like cheating. I can’t really explain how I’ve reconciled things with myself…partly, maybe, because I haven’t entirely, because I still feel like a dirty two-faced cheat. More though, I think, you can only really hide parts of yourself for so long, especially when you’re looking for them. And I was definitely looking for where I fell on the Kinsey Scale.

You know, on Friday I went to the Queer Student Center’s meet-and-greet. There somebody asked me, for the first time, how I identified; and I replied, for the first time, out loud, in words, “Queer…bisexual.”

You know, it’s one thing to check a ticky box on a survey; it's another thing to tell yourself. It’s something else entirely to tell somebody, even just a perfect stranger. It felt good.

It felt really good.

I’ll say it again: I like women.

And that is part of who I am, such a significantly insignificant part.

Because this is me:
I like reading and writing and casual gaming. I believe ice cream cake is the superior desert and that pistachio muffins are God’s gift to humanity. I measure my coffee intake in pots and never take sugar or cream. I enjoy quiet nights out with one or two friends. I love doing the laundry and hate doing the dishes. I am the saddest shyest girl you may ever meet. I know I could love and marry the right woman.

That’s all.

This isn’t kicking open the closet door. I’ll have to tell my family, and I will; but when, and only when, I know I have a safe place to wait while the inevitable storm blows over.

I’m telling you.

It’s not kicking open the closet door, but it is easing it open just a crack. And that, I think, is at least something.

Simfic 50: Prompt 43 - Memory

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:14:51 GMT

Title: A Rose for Forever
Genre: Drama
Characters: Jocasta Adler
Prompt: 43 - Memory
Word Count: 1,134
Rating: Overall: R ; Prompt: PG
Type: Series
Summary: Thoughts, regrets, and memories make a horrible morning after.
Warnings: Nothing worse than a sim in her underwear. 19 PNGs.

Early in their relationship, before either of them had even considered what they had a ‘relationship,’ Blaise told Jocasta she hated flowers. “Sure, they’re pretty,” she said one day while she and Jocasta watched their coworkers prepare a get-well card and bouquet for an injured fellow officer. “But they always die, you know? It’s so morbid.”

Someone passed the card to Jocasta and she signed in her tight script, ‘Get well soon, and see you at the next robbery. –Love, Jo.’ She grinned and handed it to Blaise. “Aw, but it’s tradition,” she said.

Blaise snorted as she scratched down her name, no message. “It’s bullshit is what it is. ‘Here! Have a gift that’ll die tomorrow!’ All in the name of pseudo romantic crap, bleh.”

“Are you suggesting I leave a vase of fresh cut roses on your desk tomorrow?”

"Don't be an ass."

Two weeks later three red silk roses and a note that read ‘Flowers that last forever, just for you. <3’ appeared in Blaise’s locker; two days later, Blaise asked Jocasta to dinner on the promise that she never pretend to be funny again. Jocasta never gave Blaise flowers again after that day. Not after their engagement. Not for Blaise’s funeral. Sometimes Jocasta thought about laying those first three silk roses on Blaise’s grave, though. She kept them in a box under her bed.

Jocasta thought about the roses the morning she watched a red haired woman jog down the street in a rumpled suit, Jocasta’s phone number in her pocket. Jocasta had the woman’s number too, along with her name, on a scrap of paper that she clenched in her fist until the woman disappeared around a corner. Abe, the woman had called herself. Jocasta wondered if she hated flowers too.

Maybe she would call Abe later, in a week, or two; the sex was good, at least. But that was later and today Jocasta thought she should visit Blaise and maybe bring her roses. She stepped back from the window, no one to see but the stirrings of Saturday morning city traffic, and went to her room where she dropped the scrap with Abe’ phone number in the drawer of her night stand, with crumpled cigarette packs and expired coupons.

Eyes burned at Jocasta’s back; she couldn’t ignore them. Jocasta turned to face the painting that hung across from her bed. Blaise stared back at her, disbelieving smirk steadfast in oil on canvas. The portrait was a gift from Blaise’s brother-in-law, and for all her complaints—the painting was too inaccurate, too amateurish, too big—Jocasta knew Blaise had loved it. Blaise had always hung the portrait where she could see it, so Jocasta did too.

Standing there, aching pleasantly in a room that smelled of sex, Jocasta tried to smile. “I thought about you.”

It was a lie. In truth, she hadn’t thought about Blaise at all, not until Abe had asked about Blaise’s car, still sitting in the driveway and then, for a moment, she forgot again. It was the first time Jocasta hadn’t thought about Blaise in two years. She didn’t want to think about what that meant.

So she would bring Blaise forever flowers today.

Jocasta got to her hands and knees and pulled dirty clothes and dusty old magazines from under her bed. She hadn’t cleaned properly since a friend hired a maid for her birthday, six months ago. She didn’t want to. As Jocasta closed her hand around the long slender box she wanted a strip of charcoal grey fabric caught her eye. She sat back and set the box of roses by her knees.

Jocasta recognized the tie, of course—she’d eased it loose between nips and kisses and tossed it aside herself. Last night the fabric had felt seductively silky under her fingers, but now, as Jocasta looped the tie around her hand, she realized it was made of department store microfiber. A cheap imitation. Abe must have forgotten it.

Under Blaise’s steady gaze Jocasta felt embarrassed: embarrassed that she had settled for cheap, embarrassed that she hadn’t hesitated to settle.

Blaise hadn’t been cheap.

On their first date Blaise brought Jocasta to a small, expensive restaurant in uptown Belladonna Cove. Overpriced, Jocasta called it, but Blaise waved her off.

“Trust me this place has the best quiche around. So you pay a little more for it, so what. It’s worth it.”

In time Jocasta came to understand how Blaise saw things—how it didn’t matter if something cost extra money, extra time, extra effort, so long as it was the best. During their first few months Jocasta spent hours searching late at night, washed in the glow of her computer’s screen, for only the most perfect places to take Blaise.

And as Blaise dashed up the law enforcement ranks, trailed by rumors that she might become the next Captain, Jocasta followed, eager to be a woman Blaise could respect and love.

When was the last time Jocasta had invested extra anything? She was little more than a body at work, and most nights she went to P.U.R.E., with its weak beer and weaker sims, where she drank and thought about Blaise. She never brought anyone home. Except, she couldn’t say that now, and she trembled naked under the memory of real love with nothing but fake apologies.

The roses weren’t even real silk.

Tears Jocasta wouldn’t shed swelled at the back of her throat. Through a foggy mind and clear eyes she looked at Blaise's portrait.

“I miss you,” Jocasta whispered. She took the fake roses in one hand and stood up.

Jocasta knew she would need to call Abe later, return her tie. She no longer wanted to.

The tie fell coiled like a serpent where Jocasta dropped it, in the drawer, atop Abe’s phone number.

That tie lingered in Jocasta’s mind as she showered, and faded as she dressed in a plain black dress and swept a comb through her hair. She threw the silk roses in the trash before she left.

Jocasta walked to the graveyard. On the way she stopped at a small curio shop she and Blaise had eyed in the past. She swept past the shelves of delicate glass flowers to a small display of figurines. They smiled at her with painted faces as Jocasta scanned the dancing ladies and laughing children. Her gaze settled on one in the back. It was perfect.

The figurine was of a policewoman, hand painted and made of porcelain; she wore a pleasant smile tinted with stern resolve. Blaise would have fallen in love immediately. The figurine cost almost a whole week’s salary, but Jocasta didn’t care. She would work overtime, if she had to; the best things were worth it.

And Blaise deserved the best things.

-----

The police station was built by larsson1970 at Mod The Sims, so many thanks to him for I have no patience for building. You can't see much of it here, but given that it's where Jo works, it will almost definitely feature more prominently in the future.

It did not occur to me until well after the fact that I could have someone paint an actual portrait of Blaise.

Anyway, while I'm sure tomorrow there will be a million things I hate about this little story, for now I am quite satisfied with it and I hope you will be too. Thank you for reading!

Constructive criticism is appreciated and encourage. :)

Writer's Block: Top of the Charts

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 20:15:35 GMT

What's the most-played song in your music library?

View 2058 Answers

According to the Top 25 Most Played on my iPod, ABBA's "He Is Your Brother."

....you can't judge me. ;(

I am slowly but surely making my way through another prompt. Everything is all written, though I'm still tweaking things, and I really just need to take pictures. Unfortunately, they're more illustrations this time around which makes staging and taking them 100% less interesting to me. I wish I could just post the text on it's own, but then it wouldn't be very much of a sim story I suppose.

Anyway, just a quick shot of where things stand right now. That is a new character, she is important, and yes, men exist in my world. I just...haven't had cause to show any of them. >.>;

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:20:41 GMT

I love it when, shopping online, shipping and handling costs more than your actual purchase. :D

(I do not love it at all. Buying used off Amazon is still cheaper and easier than going to Borders, though.... :( )

Comics and Crazy People

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:06:34 GMT

It's not sort of thing you expect to find at the end of a link trail that started with a woman's erotic comic, this guy here has a number of comics about his experiences working in a psychiatric ward, but also about the people committed there. He has several that hit personal notes for me. This one on self harm, in a lot of way; the one line, "My mother would think it was all about her," especially. I can say from experience that that's not just an attitude held towards self injury (disgustingly common though that is). Because these things aren't. About. You. And frankly, it hurts having someone trivialize your pain to something as petty as "getting back," and trying to usurp it and take it away from you. Those last three panels are beautiful, though.

These pages also hit on something I've been thinking about a fair bit. tallguywrites talks about how discrimination against the mentally ill is still acceptable, and in a lot of ways I feel like that's true? There's stigma, myths, and down right lies attached to mental illnesses and a lot of times it feels like nobody is doing anything to dispel them. Obviously, this is a topic close to me so it may be that I'm being oversensitive to its absence, but it does feel to me like, in broad discussions about -isms and representation, rights and privilege, the mentally ill are completely cut out. It's like we're invisible. People spend a lot of time talking about women's health care, free health care, health care for the disabled. But it feels like not too many people are talking about mental health care, and there is a difference. It would help a lot if more people would accept that mental illnesses are physical illnesses, maybe.

It's not that I think discussions about mental illness are more important, or that the mentally ill are "more oppressed." Nothing like that. It's just, a lot of time walk away from discussions about the status quo feeling like I've learned something, enlightened, validated, happy that people are talking about things that need to be talked about, but also like, "Yes, but what about me? You're still stepping on me!"

I don't know.

Anyways, links for you.

Downloads: Jocasta and Abe

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:56:21 GMT

Nothing fancy, just the main characters from my simfic50, if anyone wants them. :) As usual, everyone is packaged as an adult with base game Maxis content, unless stated otherwise.

(all Maxis'd out)

Jocasta Adler
Aspiration: Family/Popularity

Sloppy/Neat: 8
Shy/Outgoing: 3
Lazy/Active: 8
Serious/Playful: 2
Grouchy/Nice: 4

Note: Jocasta comes packaged with geneticized and townified skin and eyes, so be sure to remove them if you don't want them invading your game.

DOWNLOAD

(all Maxis'd out)

Abe McKay
Aspiration: Romance/Popularity

Sloppy/Neat: 3
Shy/Outgoing: 8
Lazy/Active: 2
Serious/Playful: 8
Grouchy/Nice: 4

Note: Abe comes packaged with geneticized and townified skin and eyes, so be sure to remove them if you don't want them invading your game. She also comes packaged with her freckles because, you know, freckles.

DOWNLOAD

They're yours to do with as you please, though I'd be a little sad to see Abe wearing makeup and dresses, honestly. :P Pictures and links if you use them would be lovely, but not obligatory, and it goes without saying the given personalities are only suggestions.

ETA: I lied, the skins are not townified. The eyes are, though.

Credits:
Skintones: Aquilegia
Eyes: kinemortophobia for the original eyes, and smjoshsims for putting them on the Maxis sclera
Freckles: alkaloid, I believe, but I don't know which set.

Simfic 50: Prompt 25 - Strangers

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:34:23 GMT

Title: And Don't Forget to Ask Her Name
Genre: Drama
Characters: Jocasta Adler, Abigail "Abe" McKay
Prompt: 25 - Strangers
Word Count: 309
Rating: Overall: R ; Prompt: R
Type: Series
Summary: Jocasta doesn't usually bring strange women home.
Warnings: Swearing, sex and sexual situations, anonymous hookups, and sims in their undies. NSFW. 65 pngs.

“Hey, baby doll. Come here often?”

“Only when I’m horny.”

“I can help with that, baby.”

“Buy me a drink and stop with the baby talk, we’ll see where this goes.”

“Can do sweet cakes.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Sometimes I do. It’s not as fun.”

“Cute.”

“Like you.”

“Please."

“So, you live near here?”

“Awful personal for someone after a quick screw.”

“I can’t help but notice you aren’t saying no, sweetie.”

“Keep it up. I just might.”

“It’s just, my place is an hour out from here. I thought yours might be more convenient.”

“Ambitious. Bathroom not good enough for you?”

“It’s fantastic, but I like offering my girls the chance for a little class.”

“It’s two blocks. We can walk.”

“Mmph, shit. Let me get the door.”

"If you have to."

“Nice place.”

“A palace, but it does its job. Bedroom’s back here.”

“Shame to let that couch go to waste.”

"Are you coming or not?"

"Somebody'll be coming."

-----

"You'll like this."

“You’re still here.”

“Am I not supposed to be?”

“No. I mean, it’s fine. You made coffee.”

"Hope that's okay."

“It’s great. Fine. Thanks. Do you have a way home?”

“No problem, my car’s back at the club. Speaking of, I couldn’t help notice the nice ride sitting out front.”

"It's not mine."

“Sounds like a story.”

“But not for you.”

“Aw, isn’t the woman who had her fingers up your snatch last night entitled?”

“She’s entitled to have her fingers back up there.”

“Keep talking like that, sweetie, and she will. So, do you have a name I can forget later?”

“Fuck.”

“A damn good one too. Don’t worry, you did alright not knowing whose name to scream.”

"Well, I'm Abe."

"Jocasta."

“A pretty name for a pretty lady. We should do this again sometime, Jocasta.”

“Maybe, if you stop talking like some cheap Casanova.”

-----

This is the first in a series of short stories and ficlets about these two characters. My goal is that these will be connected while standing alone. While all the stories will tie together, and move in a vaguely forward direction, a reader should be able to jump in at any point, and have that story make sense without the others. We'll see how that goes.

Most updates will not be nearly as picture heavy as this one, if only for my own sanity ^_^; . Given the characters and subject matter, though, I thought a minimum of words made sense this time around. I'm nervous to see how well the story holds with only images and dialogue. There are a few continuity errors I'm aware of (including Jocasta's drink magically changing color between two shots), but they're small so I hope they shouldn't detract too much.

Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged. :)

Politics on LJ is messy business but this just makes me far too happy

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:52:49 GMT

Long story short: A prominent conservative lawyer takes on a case to overturn California's constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:04:15 GMT

I finally caved on myself and joined simfic50; I've had few ideas I've been mulling over, and I'd sort of like to see how many disconnectedly connected little stories about the same cast of characters I can get out of the prompts. It'll be interesting to try different styles of writing, too.

The hardest part, I'm finding, is taking the pictures jfc. It only takes forever! The staging, and the posing, and the screwing-up-and-missing-shots...ing. I am not a visual person, I have no idea what looks good and what doesn't as far as composition in photographs goes. It's fun at least. :)

Jocasta and Abigail "Abe," respectively: the main characters from the stories I have half-planned. On a completely unrelated note, Abe's she-suit is possibly my new favorite bit of CC ever. <3

I have about half the shots for one of the prompts done. It's especially heavy in pictures and light on words; I wanted most of the story to be in the images this time, which might have been a mistake. It's a challenge; it'll be interesting to see how it goes.

Maybe it would help if I understood anything at all about overlays. :x

I'd go outside and do things if it wasn't disgusting.

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:48:55 GMT

You know you wish you'd gotten your first kiss from a dead Broke. I love the new ghosts, but they are impossible to woo. It shouldn't be so hard for a girl to get some undead babies. :(

A better look at the sim's face: Gail Ghostwright. :P She's sort of cute, in a permanently-stoned sort of way. I really like that hair.

I have accomplished absolutely nothing this weekend, it's disgusting.

Ten Things About Me

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:50:16 GMT

1. I never wear makeup or style my hair. I keep my nails cut as short as they'll go. I like boot-cut jeans and Converse All Stars.

2. I'm not ashamed of anyone's sexuality except my own. Gay? Straight? Bi? A? I don't know. I'm so confused.

3. My favorite thing is filling blank pages with words. I love to write, but I'm embarrassed to. I'm not very good.

4. See, I think I would like "queer" better if I didn't think most people would associate it with "lesbian." That's not right either. It shouldn't matter, but it does.

5. When I was little I lived in my imagination. I had a million adventures and a million billion ideas; I couldn't wait to tell the world about them. Now I'm grown up and all my ideas have been replaced by other people's. What happened?

6. When I was in the sixth grade my great-uncle died. I wanted to call his partner, or send a letter, or something to tell him I still loved him because he was my uncle too, even if we weren't related. I never did and he died too.

7. Living with my family made me hate conservatives. Living in Massachusetts made me hate liberals.

8. See, my uncle and his partner, I guess they never liked the "Gay Movement." They thought it was something that should be kept private. But the more I learn, the more I feel like if I want to be myself I have to make my muddy gender and confused sexuality my politics. I don't want to.

9. I bought a guinea pig when I was fourteen and named him Yoshitoki. He was sick. He died in my lap two days later.

10. Really, I just want to be me. I should just be, but I don't know who she is.

What's that? An actual sims-related entry?!

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:04:07 GMT

For serious. :P Just a few pictures from The Sims 3, some older, some more recent. I've been playing around a bit, though, truth be told, I really prefer playing around in CAS to actually playing. It's kind of fun to see the traits in action, though. And the scenery, but everyone knows that by now. Eight PNGs under the cut.

I've mentioned this guy and his brother, briefly, before. This is Renard Baxby, the crazy one. :P

He likes sleeping in his everyday outfit and getting into arguments. With himself.

And his brother, Levin. a.k.a., Raging Asshole. :D You have no idea how excited I was to find the create-twin option. Levin and Renard are indeed identical in facial structure, body shape, and hair and eye color, and without any putzing around! They've always been identical twins in my mind, so being able to reproduce this perfectly and easily makes me stupidly happy. Shut up. :(

Their outfits are nothing like I actually imagine them, though. L&R were originally characters from a high fantasy setting, so their day-to-day dress should really be more like this. Unreproducible right now, and to be honest I'm not sure I'd even want to.

It is kind of fun trying to reproduce my various game characters in the sims, though. Because I am a massive loser. This woman was my very first character in Neverwinter Nights 2. She was a neutral evil tiefling necromancer whose only goal in life was to lock herself away in some dungeon and master the secrets of unlife. Maybe become a lich. She ended up murdering all her companions to help the Big Bad unleash an unstoppable undead horde across the land. She is horrible and ridiculous, I love her.

I'm pretty happy with how she turned out, but it's a shame EA nixed the elf ears. I couldn't give her her teeny little pointy ears of evil. :(

Aaand, finally, self sim. Because everybody and their great-grandma has one, apparently. She's rather plain and homely, really, but so am I so it's all good. Her hair is isn't right thoigh; it's too short. I'm still waiting on Sims 3 hair that's anywhere near as long and thick as mine. :P She's...minimally accurate, otherwise. Appropriately chubby, at least. Her traits are Bookworm, Loner, Neurotic, Unflirty, and Perfectionist, if you were wondering; those are accurate. :P

How much do I love the little ants marching away with the picnic? :D

I really like the new romantic socials. :) Even if it is, uh, kinda weird watching yourself makeout with pixels. ._.

At least I won't get pregnant when I'm looking!

Just because I can. Poor Morty McGrumpy doesn't like Mrs. Landgraab getting all up in his private picnic time with Mommy. 8(

So, apparently I can't install the new patch because it keeps whining about not being able to find some file-or-other. I don't even know. It's a problem for later.

The Sucre Legacy - Generation 4.0

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:05:16 GMT

Warnings: Some swearing. ~60 PNGs.

Previous Updates:
Gen. 1: 1.0
Gen. 2: 2.0 ; 2.1 ; 2.2 ; 2.3 ; 2.4 ; 2.5 ; 2.6
Gen. 3: 3.0 ; 3.1 ; 3.2 ; 3.3 ; 3.4 ; 3.5 ; 3.6

So, last time. Props to you if you can remember because I barely can, and they're my family! D: The gen. three kids went off to college, Sassafras met the love of her life, and so did Rootbeer but I didn't like her as well so too bad. Sassy and RB were chosen as heirs, and returned to the legacy house. And that's, sadly, all you really need to know.

That's Ianto down front, if you forgot. Because there are so many sims in the house and the lot was lagging like crazy I had to power him down for now. Woe. :(

This creeper (see what I did there), is Angelo, from last update. He glitched and sneaked everywhere. xD It was funny 'til I realized what that kinda meant.

He asked if he could bring a friend with him, and brought Rootbeer's lady buddy. xD She's not an option this generation, though, so I sent her home.

:< Why must you all cram yourselves into the tiniest rooms for your sketchy going-ons?
Lemon Drop: I have to pee, but not I want to watch this display of violence instead. :D

Back to Angelo, he and Sassafras got along famously. BUT, I think he was borked because every time I tried to move him in, the game crashed. This didn't happen with other sims, just him. Phoo. ;_;

Sassafras: And operation Sexy Purple Eyed Babies is go. :D
Angelo: ...what?
Luckily, men don't need to move in to donate genes!

Gwen: Sweetie, don't those shaking walls and the sounds of young love just put you in the mood?
DumDum: For food. 8)

This family just hates good weather. :(

It's okay, at least you're a BAMF, Lemon Drop! A BAMF who kind of needs to hurry up and die before he starts heart farting over his great-great grandbabies. D:

I...do not know why this picture is here. But everybody loves bathtub pirates, so it's okay! :D

Gwen: Here, um....urr....eh...LOVE! Here, Love, this rose is for you because it is beautiful. Like your eyes.
Work Friend: *comes a little*
Walkby: *does not approve of these adulterous shenanigans* :|

....yeah, it seemed high time to let Gwen be the Romance sim she is a bit.

Oh noes, what ever will the simillionaires do without Yugi's $100 paycheck. :<

Rootbeer: lulz, I'm so glad I'm a man who can't get pregnant. 8D
Ignoring that you are wrong, why would say that?

Sassafras: *pawps*
OH MY WHAT A SHOCKING AND UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS, WHO'D A THUNK!

-_-
Generation four is on the way~

Rem: PLAY? PLAY? Play????
Yugi: *sighs*

Rem: Play?Play?Playplayplay?
Yugi: *audible sigh* Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and she wants me to play. ~~You call that job satisfaction?~~

It's very hard to just walk across the basket ball court, okay? :(

TRY GETTING STUCK NOW BITCH.

No reason for this except that that uniform turns every grandpa into a GILF. For realz.

Rootbeer: But men don't get pregnant! D8
They do with alien abductions! And pregnancy for all hacks. This time it was aliens, though. I wanted to cut down on the number of sims in the house, so no spouses this gen. And I'm limiting myself to three babies, max. :(

Rootbeer: I think I can see my pollinator from here! 8D

This was the first of many many attempts to get Yugi to breed with Rem. He wasn't having it. Because he is a bitch. An infertile little bitch. >:(

Gwen is literally having her illicit affairs behind her father-in-law's back. :(

Rootbeer: What do you mean my mother is having sexual relations with a man other than my father right beside? I don't see anything, what are you talking about? My family is perfect. :|

DumDum: What a beautiful day to kiss my wife in the side yard! :D
!!! DumDum, no!

DumDum: D8
Gwen: Hi honey! :D

Gwen: *smooches co-worker goodbye in front of distressed spouse*
DumDum: I make feh noises in your general direction. >x(

This should mean puppies tiems, but no. :( They must have tried for a puppy twenty times and no bell, I'm really quite angry.

But Rootbeer, you are a Knowledge sim, that hat is your best friend. The hormones are breaking your brain. :(

Taking baths in your dogs' tub in the dead night in the middle of winter is totally fabulous for your health, or so I hear.

....okay thanks total stranger! No sane person says no to free money!
He might have been one of Gwen's conquests, but I really don't remember. :x

FINA-FUCKING-LY. It took, like, a whole sim week for Sassy's LTW job to show up. Of course, being preggo, she can't work, but that is not the point!

I like how the pop dust matches her jammies, which match her hair.

And then she told inappropriate jokes about her brother's probing to her dad. Lemon Drop is far to excited by this. D:

Just a reminder that Rootbeer's LTW is to be a beautiful ballerina. He's not letting no baby slow down his dreams!

Now that flirting and woohooing with his wife is no longer an option, DumDum had to find new hobbies. Please to rage-play with those train until you set yourself on fire, bb.

DumDum: I'd rather set that cheating. Bitch. on fire. >x[
He's not over it, btw. At all. :(

Ohai, moar pop.

Just Sassy, jammin' on the roof. In her pyjams, in the snow. Givin' the baby brain damage or something. s'cool.

Some Guy: This is wonderful, but aren't you worried we'll get caught...?
Gwen: Haha, no, the whole city's known since last week. :D
Don't think you're special or anything, Some Guy.

I almost freaked out, because what DumDum had already fulfilled his lifetime want, so what was all this? Then I remembered, this was his second. GOOO, DUMDUM! :D

I just thought it was cute, idk.

And we're cookin' with fire now! :D Rootbeer finally a job on his desired career track!

Doubling/tripling/plusing up on LTWs is less impressive when you are not first sry2say, Sidney.

Sassafras: Ohai, something funny is in my tummy.
FINALLY. LONGEST PREGNANCY EVER. AND NOT EVEN BECAUSE IT SUCKED.

It's...a baby. :D I honestly don't remember the name or gender, and I'm not up to loading my game right now. Sorry, I'll have that stuff later. :(

The loving grandparents just slept on through all that. (also, they got over their ~issues~ because Gwen worked some Romance sim sweet talkin' magic and I didn't want to buy another bed besides.)

Rootbeer, on the other hand, was so excited he immediately hit the ballet barre.
Rootbeer: I'm going to be father and an uncle! *pirouettes*
I kind of love him for being the straightest gay stereotype ever.

With a baby in the house and more on the way, I figured it was about time to let the elders retire. Someone should be home to take care of the sprog, and it's not like they need the money. No more fail!nannies!

Sassafras: HEY, Mr. Butler, is that your delicious dinner I smell?
HEY, Sassy, is that your miserable, sobbing newborn I hear?

Look, kid, you're stinky but at least you're in a crib. :(

And with that we cut to Rootbeer going into labor on the roof. :D

Oh good, now he'll have plenty of time squeeze out the baby from...where ever man-babies get squeezed from. o_o

Joyous.

Again, I can't remember their genders, but I'm pretty sure their names were Sour and Apple. They both got all their pollinator's coloring.

Sassafras only likes babies that aren't hers. :(

THERE ARE SIX ADULTS IN THIS HOUSE. PLUS A BUTLER. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN. HOW?! D8

Cool beans, that'll be handy later gypsy lady.

I'll just leave this here.

I don't have a whole lot to say I guess, other than apologies for any glaring typos; I did check for them, but my mind has been fuzzier than usual this past week. Thank you for reading, though! I hope you enjoyed. :)

Ahahaha, wut.

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:23:38 GMT

I've been pretty distracted playing with the Uber-Megahood lately. Do you know how long it takes to move all those bin families into decent, fully furnished houses? A long time. It takes a really long time to move in all those families. D: But that isn't what this is about.

I'm surprised, Jenny Smith, I didn't expect this level of kink from you. :p
Things like this are what make this game so awesome. <3

Damnit. :( :( :(

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:05:19 GMT

I...think Ianto Jones might have have been whacked in Torchwood. :( I haven't seen any of the S3 episodes yet, and I've been deliberately avoiding any and all spoilers but even without all that, fandom appears to be flipping its shit in such a way that leads me to believe survey says yes. At the LEAST it looks like someone from the regular/semi-regular cast is definitely dead.

Been an awful lot of character death lately. Boo. :(

Diversification Challenge

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:06:43 GMT

Because I'm bored. :P sea_serpent posted about the Diversification Challenge over at pixel_trade and it sounded fun, so why not?

S'yeah, first off is Ivor Diversity. No in-game shots of the kids, unfortunately. I'm a bit of a lazy sack when it comes to such things. :( He has S3 skin, black hair, and alien eyes (as you can see). Isn't his little pout-y mouth just the cutest??

Aaannnd, as an adult. I actually rather like him a lot. :) That nose is pretty monstrous, but I sort of expected it. You know you love his epic eyebrows! He's packaged as an adult with all base game Maxis content; I'm not sure if he'll use your default alien eyes or not, though, sorry. :(

Download Ivor Diversity

The female half of the pair is little Priita. She looked like a pretty adorable child, in my opinion. A little awkward, but cute.

And then, you know, she grew up. Yeah. Anyway, if you're interested she has S1 skin, brown hair, and green eyes. She's also packaged as an adult with all base game Maxis content.

Download Priita Diversity

Their children aren't half bad if they get Ivor's chin, in my opinion.
Of course, I couldn't stop there. :P Just two more, sorry to spam.

Now, this little bit of TOO CUTE FOR WORDS is Marcus Challenge. Notice the nose. Little and button-like, right?

Now, tell me where THAT nose came from; truly, I want to know. D: Otherwise, not too terrible I think. Obviously, he has S4 skin, red hair, and grey eyes. He is, surprise surprise, packaged as an adult with all base game Maxis content. :P

Download Marcus Challenge

And, finally, we have my favorite of this challenge. Meet little Ibbie Challenge. :D She doesn't like to keep her eyes open.

She's one those lucky ones that gets more attractive as they age. :D I was quite pleased! She has S2 skin, blond hair, and light blue eyes. It may come as a surprise that she is packaged as an adult, with all base game Maxis content. xP

Download Ibbie Challenge

*obligatory kidlet shots* Lovely, if they took after mom. The last girl got her dad's looks and her mom's propensity for squinting. What an unfortunate combination. :(

I don't know that I'll post these on pixel_trade, I've never done before, but it was stupidly fun! Do it! Do eeettt. <3

That's all for now because, ahmagad, I totally found Fallout and Fallout Two at Bestbuy yesterday and I am too excited for words, you have no idea. You want to talk about old games. They were both published in the 90s, so over ten years ago. I wasn't even looking for them, because there is pretty much no hope of finding a game that old in stores, especially a massive chain store like Bestbuy, but THERE THEY WERE. Twenty dollars for both of them, plus the strategy game (value packs for the win! :D). YOU CANNOT COMPREHEND MY GLEE AT THIS MOMENT. 8D 8D 8D

You know those stupid ideas you get? The ones that don't leave you alone?

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:20:23 GMT

Eljay ate my whining. D: Which is probably for the best, really. The world doesn't need more maudlin angst. I do still want to keep the core of what I wanted to say, though. Namely, that I've been really distracted by one of those annoying ~idea~ things. It's the sort of thing where I truly wish I were more talented, and more focused, because it's something I want to see done. The short of it is that I have this annoying thought of a pair of stories I want to write for the premade Pleasantview hood in Sims 2 (this naturally occuring after the community has gone Sims 3 crazy :P). Part of one exists, and I don't know, I just need something to make it more "real?" Something like that. That's all.

I like the premades. I never paid them much mind before reading "Strangetown, Here We Come" (so this is all your fault, S_T, I blame you. :P) because I never really thought they actually had stories or plots. I thought they were just kind of there so people could jump into the game without having to do any actual work. Which, I mean, they are, but there is also definitely some interesting canon that makes the Fan in me sit up and take notice.

So anyway.

~~~

Cassandra Goth dreamed.

A warm summer breeze combed through her hair and tugged at her dress, pulling the silky red fabric taut across her hips and behind. She held her breath as the little white ball rolled forward, teetered on the edge of hole, and fell. She laughed, a smooth low sound.

“Did you see that, Mortimer?” she asked the man approaching through the fog that had begun to roll in over the perfect green grass. He had black hair and wore an austere black suit; he ran towards her, stumbling over himself, eyes wide and face pale. His lips moved, but she didn’t hear and didn’t notice. She tapped the head of her golf club against the ground and took a practice swing. “A perfect shot! Can you best that, Morty? I…Morty?”

Wispy white puffs breathed past her lips with her words. As the sun vanished, the warm summer breeze turned cruel and cut through her too-thin dress, raising goose bumps on her flesh. Trembling with cold and sudden fear she clutched her club to her chest and whimpered “Mortimer?”

Mortimer ran, cutting a path that disappeared as quickly as it formed through the fog, but never seemed to be any closer. She wondered if she should wait for him, run to him, fall to her knees and cry. She didn’t know; she didn’t know anything.

Then the light came, blinding, bright, and blue. It fell on her with deafening silence, and it hurt, oh it hurt. The light ripped her from the ground, like a bandage from a wound but so much worse and she could feel it in every cell. She screamed. For a moment she hovered, suspended in pain and air, and there was Mortimer and she didn’t know how. Her eyes met his and then she was gone, tumbling up into the clouds. He cried one word, just one word, that echoed through her heart.

“Bella!”

~~~

Goose bumps prickled on Cassandra’s arms in the chill bedroom air. Dina had turned the heat off again. Cassandra didn’t understand how her father’s second and final wife could always be so hot when she herself was always so cold. Outside, Pleasantview stood silent, washed in the pale blue-white of evening snow. The clock beside Cassandra’s bed read 3:11 when she shuffled past it, into the hall. She paused to adjust the thermostat to a more reasonable seventy-two. Dina would just have to cope.

This done and already thinking she could feel warmth and feeling returning to her fingers Cassandra went to the bathroom. She caught her reflection while washing her hands; her hair black and stringy fell around her face like a cheap straw curtain. Cassandra turned away.

There was no point in trying to sleep; she never could after that dream. Those dreams. Cassandra hadn’t slept properly in nearly four years, except maybe, almost, when Darren had slept there beside her and she could almost pretend everything was exactly the way it ought to be.

In the end, though, she hadn’t pretended hard enough.

Still in her pajamas, Cassandra went downstairs, into the kitchen, and set a pot of coffee to brew. She had a long day ahead of her and nothing to do.

~~~

It is a quarter past eleven, why am I still awake. :( :( :(

The Hanayaka Legacy - Generation 1.1

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:00:42 GMT

Warnings: Some language, some story telling, some slightly inappropriate jokes, and copious amounts of cats and toddlers. ~65 pngs

Previous Updates:
Gen. 1: 1.1

Our story picks up pretty much where it left off. The first-born of generation two, the royal generation, the generation of magical princesses and princes, is left to fend for herself by her shamefully neglectful parents. Really, considering that both Skie and Cheryl have Romance somewhere in their aspirations, I'm very disappointed. I have high expectations of the parenting abilities of my Romance sims, you know.

Anyway, last time we saw Iris she was screaming her poor little head off on the floor. All that screaming must have worn her out, because she decided to just crash there.

And there she would have stayed if I hadn't marched Skie over to put her in her crib. *sigh* Normally I would be more inclined to let my sims do as they please, but considering generation two is all about spoiling your children it didn't seem right to allow such blatant neglect. From here on out, you can safely assume any good parenting is only because I forced them to do it. :D

"DAMN IT, Cheryl. You know not to leave food out, the damn cat's fat enough as is!" Skie swatted Lobster across the rump, sending him bolting across the room. "Go on, get!"
The toilet flushed, and the sound of water splashing in the sink filtered into the kitchen. "Don't you even start!" Cheryl shouted over the sound of the running faucet. "I just set those down because nature called. Besides, maybe that poor animal wouldn't need to get into things if you actually fed him!"
Skie snorted. "He's got food, I can see it in his dish!" With a sigh, Skie dumped the plate of pancakes, now covered in cat spit and fur, into the trash compactor. Cheryl was still mad, and Skie knew she wasn't helping. "Alright, look, forget it. I'll cook something else."

A cat and a baby aren't enough for one legacy, though, so more babies must be formed! We hope. Skie is pretty much sterile, unfortunately. :( They must have tried for a baby five times in row, and nothing.

Deft fingers teased their way up Cheryl's arm, over her shoulder, along her neck. She closed her eyes and sighed as warmth cradled her face and her lips tingled under the feather-light touch of Skie's kiss.
"You forgive me?" Skie murmured against Cheryl's cheek, pressing kisses to the corners of her mouth. Skie's hands still traced the paths of her wife's skin, not grabing or groping like earlier. She just...touched. "Please forgive me."
Cheryl knew Skie was talking about more than just breakfast. She reached between them, grasped Skie's hand in hers, and whispered, "I always do."

NOSE NOM. That's all, really. This legacy needed something cute after getting dumped in melodrama there, yeah?

No real reason for this, either, except that I started going through the playables and giving them makeovers. This lady here isn't really a lady; she's girll!Don, and she might possibly be the hottest sim to grace to my computer screen. Don't tell her that, though; her ego doesn't need the stroking. Of course, I'm sure she'd appreciate other things being stroked.

I like her caterpillar eyebrows best.

Skie: Whaaaatt? Apologize? Again??
Well, baby, maybe you wouldn't have to suck up to your wife so much if you'd stop getting caught being the little tramp you are.

And after that little bout of infidelity, we have Iris's birthday.

Along with a healthy dollop of fail... :|

For once, Skie is actually part of the solution, not the problem!
You can just put that nasty face, Sophie. I'll have you know Cheryl's had a hard, well, life really.
Sophie: Hard life's no excuse for passing out all over the place like a pansy. >:(

She shoots!

She scores! Very adorable! Look at her squinty eyes! :D

Iris giggled and squirmed in her mother's grasp. Everything was so big, so strange, and she wiggled about trying to see it all from Mommy's arms. With another giggle Iris pulled away and pointed towards the ground.
"Da, da!" She gurgled. She couldn't wait to start exploring.

Now see, this is the kind of behavior I expect of my Romance sims around children! Because everyone knows babies make Romance sims go a little crazy so that they start acting like Family sims are supposed to. They're supposed to be wonderful parents! Mostly. The whole world can see up your skirt, Don.
Don: Good. ;)

Oh, finger-gunners. It's cute the first time, but then, really, could you be a bit more annoying?
The fact that Skie made a friend she won't sleep with is worth documenting.

One last dry retch, and Skie spat foamy water, bile, and stomach acid into the toilet before slumping against the bathroom wall and resting her forehead on the cool tile. "Fuck." She ran her fingers through sweat-drenched bangs. "Fuck."
Skie's stomach still churned. She took a deep breath, the kind that was supposed to help. The stench of puke, piss, and mildew flooded her throat. She lurched forward and heaved again.

Oh would you look at that. The princess is on her throne. *shot*

Honestly, if I were a sim parent I'd be a little more concerned about anything that made my child glow like radioactive waste. Then again, Smart Milk does make toddler-training so much easier.

Because, really, look at my little genius there: fully trained on her first day of toddlerhood! Never mind those tears. :')

Well now, this is unexpected.
Not really.

"It's almost done."
"Yeah. It's...nice, I guess." Skie took another bite from her grilled cheese and chewed loudly. Across the room her self portrait watched her, judged her, with blank half-finished eyes. Skie hated it; it made her nervous.
"Yeah...I guess." Cheryl's gaze dropped to her plate; Skie's heart dropped.
"No, it is nice. I love it, we can put it over the bed when it's done if you want." Skie pursed her lips together and forced a tight smile. She tried not to think of herself watching her lie and cheat in the bed she'd bought with her wife. She ignored the tightening in her chest.

Hi Lobster! Do you remember why this picture exists? Because you're adorable? Okay. :D
(I'm sorry, it's been so long since these shots were taken :( )

The world needs more grandmas like this, yes yes?

"Llama says HRRNGG."
"Heeee!" Iris shrieked and clapped her hands before yanking the rabbit's ear again.
"Frog says RIBBIT."
"Yay!"

(I have no idea how to write out the sound a llama makes. It's kind of like a cross between a grunt and a hum, though.)

This cat need never worry about having the cheeseburger. Seriously, this animal eats like a king. He might be a doofus, but he's not slouch when it comes to food.

Skie's jammies are the wrong color. :( At least she looks cute being forced to teach her daughter the nursery rhyme?

Nomnomnom, crayon. Look at the cute little face, guys! Look at it! :D

Skie: Hoshi-- two dust rings means two babies, right? D8
....... D:

Flavor of the week: HEY, and that's my cue to leave! :D
Skie: *panics* D8 D8 D8

It's a penguin. That's all.

Skie pressed her palm against her swollen belly and smiled just ever so slightly at the light nudge she felt beneath it.
"That's your sister kicking, Iris." Skie paused. "Or your brother." She crouched down and scooped up her daughter. "Do you want to say hello?"
"Yeah!" Iris placed her own tiny hand on her mother's stomach. "Hi!" she yelled. Another kick greeted her; she yelped.
"Haha, I think she heard you." Skie nuzzled her nose in Iris's hair. "My baby girl," she whispered. Her baby. It still felt so odd to say.

I'll have you know there's absolutely nothing vaguely unethical about forcing a heavily pregnant woman to dig for treasure, in the dark, in the dead of winter, wearing nothing but her thin pyjams. >.>

Oh, yes. *sigh* To be fair, she crawled over there herself before anyone even had the chance to get her in her crib.
Still.

Skie: It wasn't me!! D:
The fruits of all that treasure digging, see: a water main and a couple of fifty dollar rocks. I wish someone would buy my rocks for fifty dollars. :(

Skie: Hey, something funny's happening again.
Yes, so let's just jump ahead to the next birth.

Aww, so it's a boy and-

We interrupt this touching moment for a poorly-timed chance card. Really, Cheryl, your son is trying to enjoy his first few seconds of life!

Remember, honesty only pays in the sim-verse. Sometimes. :|

Anyway, it's a boy, Musk Thistle, here after known as Thistle. He has the same hair and eyes as his sister, but I believe that's a slightly darker skintone.

How's it hanging, build mode? :o Oops.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure his skin is darker. And please excuse the Iris spam, but she really is too cute for words.

"That should do it..." Cheryl brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She smacked her lips, painted icy blue, and leaned back from the mirror. "That's better." She grinned.
"That's much better."

(Cheryl got a makeover, btw. :P )

Skie still has no sense of class, if you were wondering, I just don't bother taking pictures everytime. Because that would be boring.
Poor Cheryl's pretty much gotten used to this. :(

Craig?: Lady, your wife is fine. <3
Skie: I know, right? <3
Iris: *grows up unnoticed* :(

She looks a lot like Skie, unfortunately. We'll wait and see how she grows up.

One birthday deserves another, so Lobster finally got himself a girl. Meet Royal Flutterer. A Royal Blue Flutterer, which she is named for, would be one of these, if you're wondering.

Cheryl's pussy brings all the girls to the yard. ;)
I'm sorry, that was cheap. :( :( :( Instead, look at that little bobtail!

"Wow, for me?! Really??" Iris screeched happily and launched herself onto her new bed. She bounced once before burying her face into the pillow. "It's so soft, I love it!"
"What have I told you about screaming?" Cheryl snapped. When Iris turned her wide, sad eyes to her Cheryl flinched. She sat on the bed and gently stroked Iris's hair. "I'm sorry, sweetie. Mom's tired. It's your bed, alright, but if you don't start using your indoor voice you're going to lose it. You're too old for that now."
"Okay..." Iris shifted so she could wrap her arms around her mother's waist. "Thanks, Mom."
Cheryl smiled, one of the sad kind. "Don't forget to thank Mommy too."

Just in case you mistakenly thought Thistle might be treated somewhat better. Royal Flutterer's debating whether to have her now snack now or later, there.

Iris: Feel free to stop screaming anytime now. |(
As sweet as she might seem, Iris has no sympathy for her baby brother. After all, no one saved her when she was that age.

Iris: HI KITTY! :D
Sweet zombie llama cheese.

That cat is a big as she is. o_o

Without a good television, this is the only thing the Hanayaka's have to amuse themselves with. That free fish tank has really been the most useful date-gift I've ever had! Free fun for everyone!

There's something a little off about grown women having tickle fights in dirty cramped bathrooms, I think.

"Okay...okay, alright sure. I'll see you at two, then." Skie heard the receiver click on the other end, but she didn't hang up herself. Thistle was crying in the other room, but still she didn't hang up. Her son, the child of her and her wife, was screaming, but she didn't hang up.
She should do something.
With a sigh, Skie place the phone back in the cradle. She had twenty minutes to take care of Thistle before he arrived. After that, they would have two hours before Cheryl got home. More than enough time.
She turned away from the wall. "Alright, alright baby. I'm coming. Stop crying."

(and who is Skie waiting for, you ask? Well...)

Yeah. Meet Sandy Bruty. The gender-bend was not kind to him. D:

Have this picture of Iris trying to teach Lobster to roll over instead. :)

"Come ooonn, it's not hard!" Iris flopped onto her side, rolled onto her back, then back on her side. "See, just like that! It's easy!"
"Mreow?" Lobster tilted his head in time to Iris's flopping. She was so funny, he thought. Humans were so silly.

Notice the tooltip.

I'll be honest, I'm five and I lol'd. *old joke is old, but still funny*

Aaaannnnd, we'll end with another birthday.

Not an elf ear in sight. :(

I have high hopes for that face, though. I love those little dreads.

Next time: I uh...haven't played it yet, actually. I'm sure there will be birthdays, though.

This took so much longer than I would have liked, but it's done now! And hopefully at least a little entertaining, I hope. It's fun to write, anyway, so I hope it's fun to read. :)

Thank you for reading!

Fri, 29 May 2009 21:12:24 GMT

I totally spent not-quite 100 pounds on an Anne Boleyn doll at the Tower of London today. That's not-quite $200, in the $150 to $175 range most likely.

It's pretty much all I get for both trips and it's so totally worth it, oh my god she's so beautiful. <3

Is there a cure for snoring?

Wed, 27 May 2009 21:36:04 GMT

So me and Mom are leaving for London tomorrow. We've spent the last week in Warsaw, and I have to say, I'm sorry to go. It's been a really amazing experience, really. The lady organizing the class Mom was teaching hooked me up with the daughter of one of her friends, and I spent the first two days with her and some of her friends. We mostly just hung around, they gave me a little tour of the residential districts of the city. We went up to the top of the Palace of Culture and Science--the tallest building in Poland--and one of the boys, gave me a little "aerial tour" and history lesson. They were nice enough to take me to the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising, and again, a little history lesson. They tried to give me a little Polish lesson, even though the only word I remember is "Thank you." (at least it's an important on?)

Mostly, I got to see Warsaw off the "Tourist Track" with them, which I really appreciated. It was a great two days, and I hope it wasn't too much trouble for them to put up with the dumb American. Honestly, those two days were the best part of the trip for me. We did get the tours and all, which were nice and all, but, well, tours always feel touristy to me. And I hate tourists. :( I will say, I was really embarrassed by the fact that neither myself nor mother speak any Polish and I'll be sure to take some classes before coming back (and I would like to come back). Most people in Poland do speak at least some English, but still. I really consider it a respect thing to know the language of where ever you plan to visit, and so...yeah. There really wasn't any time before we left, and this was an opportunity I didn't want to turn down, but still. Most people were very polite, but we did run into a few stand-off-ish people, and I expect most of that had to with us not speaking even a little Polish. I'd be annoyed too. :P

Anyway, like I said, London next. We'll spend two days there, and then it's home. As much as I'll miss Warsaw, it'll be nice to be back somewhere where I can speak the language. :')

Now that I know international travel isn't a terrifying as I thought is was, I kind of want to travel more, though. I'd like to go to France at some point...maybe next summer? I don't know. I do speak some French, though, so that at least is going for me, especially since I'm told the French really don't like English-speakers. :P