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Almost Eternal - Updated February 3rd

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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @_sims_Yimi

    Sandy? Ominous? Nah she's a sweetheart! Founder of the Willow Creek Soup Kitchen and that charity, Sims Safe at Home. Loyal, loved husband and perfect daughter who she dotes on. A role model for all sims.
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    Almost Eternal
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited June 2021
    Chewing your ear off in the WL the other day reminded me I was supposed to come back to this, so here I am to chew off your ears again. I read up to 1.07.
    Seeing April turn around and sass Sandy in 1.02 was great. Sure, her first insult wasn't the 'most cutting' as you said, but it cut enough to insult her ego B ^ ) and it just got better especially the comment about her chin. See, Sandy, if you can't handle criticism yourself it's best to keep your mouth shut. '...sounded like ice and fire at the same time' Really like this description for Caleb's voice.
    I like the way you wrote the gradual vampire transformation as well, there's something gruesomely awesome about supernatural transformation and you nailed that description in all its terrifying glory. April's crescent moon jumper is one of my favourite CAS items, really suits her.

    Your dark take on the Vatores is interesting to read, since in my own headcanon Caleb is pretty dorky and humorous for the most part. I really like seeing others' take on the premades, it's good fun. 'I’ve already disappointed two Caleb groupies. I mean, yeah! Come on in Caleb groupies! He’s that loveable premade, just as you know him.' I laughed at this comment on 1.06, I honestly find it funny when folks get let down when you do a darker take on their faves. Melinda seems a good friend, even a good enough friend to let April take a drink from her arm. Yowch.
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    edited June 2021
    @SnowBnuuy
    Hey, welcome back! Thanks for persevering. It gets better.
    Aw thanks. You're too kind. I cringe at these earlier chapters and my terrible screenshots.

    Don't completely rule out your headcanon. We hardly know anything about Caleb yet, other than he never made it to the bathroom. Perhaps he is both dark and dorky.

    I'll tell you now though that the comments section is the best part of the story where i do all my finest work. Just read that.😆
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    edited July 2021
    All the new and shiny



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  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    @SnuffyBucket I forgot to mention this in my comment but
    I’m spending most of Wyatt’s bedroom scenes just looking at all the random stuff he has gathered and hung on the walls in there 😂 Even when it’s all neat and most of it is tucked away. The tiny Halloween… pumpkin… thing on his desk and the walking dog sign are my favourite 🤣
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    Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @_sims_Yimi
    My favourite thing about the Sims 4 is scouring debug when new packs come out and finding stuff I can cram into Wyatt's room, Sage's shop and undisclosed third location. I don't even know what that pumpkin thing is, but I do like that how, in some shots, it made him look like he had leaves growing from his head. 😆
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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Now up to Chapter 1.15:
    Faith's disgruntled look at work in 1.09 is an absolute mood. In fact all of Faith's angry, fed-up faces in 1.09 are an absolute mood. Ah, the absolute joys of 'I want to speak to your manager!'... Honestly I can see why Faith is angry, almost losing her job just to get a 'sorry' which probs could have waited until after work. I like the duality of the responses here. Melinda, confused but surprisingly understanding reaction, and Faith's 'you what?' Yikes, and now we add Melinda to the vampire squad.

    Travis may feel guilty now about letting his own wife belittle his daughter constantly, even hit her- but trying to make up for something like that after so many years, I don't know if April would have any interest. If anything, I think he's incredibly cowardly for letting his own daughter take the brunt and not doing more to protect her. That said, if he did try to protect her, I feel like Sandy would have made up a bunch of horrid, dark allegations against him or something. If anything he was also a victim of her. Then again that said, I used to breathe a sight of relief when the other unpopular girl got picked on instead of me in high school, so I hate to say I can slightly relate to Travis and was also somewhat of a coward myself XuX

    I feel like she's not dead, she's defo gonna stick around and cause havoc. Actually I had an idea in an earlier chapter: I feel like vampirism might be something Sandy would somehow be interested in. Power? Eternal life? Both pleasing to an egotistical type like Sandy. Then she can hassle April for eternity too. The joys of eternal life.
    The 'horror movie' house is awesome, I love the stone sculptures from the Vampires pack. I love the suggestion of the bar as well. Nothing like a nice bit of blood on tap XD 'The kind of place frequented only by miserable local men who had a beer in the evening in their work-wear before begrudgingly returning home to their families.' Sounds just like England's bars : P
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @SnowBnuuy
    I thought I'd hop over here to procrastinate a bit and ooh, comment! It's like you knew that I needed a quick distraction. 😁
    Faith's face flips between hostile and 'hey boys' a few times every time I play her. I've yet to discover if she can have both moodlets active at the same time. She'd probably implode.

    Travis is inspired by my very own mother. It has taken me many years to understand how she could stand by and let stuff happen but she was - and you were judging by your little open heart section there - also a victim and nothing is ever straightforward. Sometimes people have to do what they have to do in order to survive; is that cowardly? I don't think so. Thanks for sharing. ❤

    Not dead, you say? Do very famous people ever really die? Oho, eternal life, eternal youth, power and being able to slurp men dry? Sandy would be a great vampire. Terrible, but great. And she's always in red, like she's planned it all. 😉

    Ooh, you're English? Yay! Me too! Yeah, our pubs are all dumps, aren't they? I've met a fair few Wills in Wetherspoons and backstreet boozers. Not that I frequent those places often. Especially not lately. I do wonder what the pub in the new 'English-themed' country expansion pack will be like. If it doesn't have technicolour carpet, mismatched chairs and a red-nosed guy waiting to get in at 9am I'll be very disappointed.
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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    @SnuffyBucket
    Yeah at first I was like 'what a coward, stick up for your own daughter!' but then also thought back to myself and was like 'yeah, maybe it's not that simple.' Also I'm laughing so hard because the first thing I thought of when I read that description was: 'Yep, sounds like 'Spoons.'

    Yup, I wonder too. Is it really an English themed pub without the prejudiced bald man who sits in the corner swearing at the football?
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @SnowBnuuy
    Dying over here.
    That exact man you describe was inspiration for a character you'll meet in a few chapter's time. Ahh, now I so want to build a Spoons and populate it with balding footy fans, but that's definitely crossing the line from break to full on procrastinating. 😆
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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited July 2021
    Up to chapter 1.24.
    Seeing this less-gentle side to Melinda is interesting, no idea how this meeting is going to go though. Good she wants to stand her ground and call Caleb out but I like on the inside she's unsure. I feel that. Tired of being the quiet one but also panicking X1000 on the inside.
    April, so did she lie to her friends? So she threatened Caleb to turn him in if he didn't let her drink from him, and then pulls her friends along for the ride as well? And then lies to Melinda saying she didn't drink from Caleb. Now I kinda feel differently about her... It seems manipulative? Like 'I don't want to be eternal alone, you guys are coming with me.'

    Then again, a similar theme of immortality has come up in my own writings and for me there's also the thought of: 'but what about the people I love, I don't want to lose them. It will be an ongoing cycle of losing the people I care about.' Still, sure, I'd worry about losing people, but I wouldn't want to manipulate anyone into joining me in immortality. So, between Caleb and April's stories, I guess it's a case of working out who is lying. Right now, I'm not sure.

    I can just imagine this is going to be a vicious cycle. Losing control, feeding until the victim dies, having to dispose the bodies, keep covering things up for the rest of their lives. Lilith believing vampirism is a curse, and that movies romanticise it, was an interesting one. Immortality seems powerful and amazing on the outside, but it's not until you really think about just how horrible it'd be. Especially constantly being tempted to drink from people, the guilt, the constant cycle of grief losing the people you'd come to care about. You'd have to be very emotionally numb to deal with it all, and I imagine hundreds of years of such a thing, you would just become very anhedonic. And the first time you find yourself feeling nothing when you should be feeling something, it really makes you feel like a monster.

    Honestly, I relate to Melinda a lot- pretending to like people for other people's sakes. Sometimes the pain of letting someone go is moreso than keeping people around, but I guess people like kind girls being stuck in that 'loop'. Sandy Moss? 'Inner beauty?' Hahahaha NOPE. Sorry Melinda's mum, you got looped by celebrity fakeness. In all honesty I don't feel bad for Sandy's death, really, from what I have seen of her so far. I don't have sympathy for people as abusive as her.

    The way April just seems nonchalant about her dad taking the blame for Sandy's death is a bit...Like, if I were in that situation, I'd probably be feeling more guilt for the person who offered to cover my backside, unless she's deep down feeling that way because she feels he didn't protect her. Oh gosh, I didn't expect Faith to hit her. I don't think April should blame herself for all the things Sandy said and did, and I can imagine Faith hitting her only brought all of that back to the surface. Thing is when it comes to dealing with abusive people it's usually easier to blame oneself than stand up for oneself; I find standing up for yourself makes you feel guilty for some reason. Although April shouldn't have lied to her friends like that, she definitely did not deserve a lifetime of abuse- and at least Faith can sort of understand why she may have done that.

    Faith shouldn’t have hit her, of course, but at least in the following conversation is not letting April's past excuse the fact that she lied, but she's trying to understand it from her point of view and then as friends they can kind of work it out from there. Faith has a point when she says they should be honest with Melinda even though she will be angry. Mel is owed the truth at least, and she may or may not be angry and leave but that's up to her. When you have wronged someone in some way it's best not to always expect forgiveness from them. Still, it seems it's not just April that's being dishonest at this point.
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @SnowBnuuy
    Ooh, 9 chapters! That's a big jump for such a fluffy wittle bnuuy. 😍 Don't mind me, just admiring your profile pic and banner set while I ensure that I'm definitely over the requisite 4-character limit. Yep. That'll do it. I mean, I think tagging your username probably does it, but I just wanted to rabbit on for a while.
    At the moment it's a 'he says, she says' scenario and deciding who you believe is completely up to you. I also think that living forever would be lonely and not all it's cracked up to be, but maybe that's because I am a jealous mortal and it's actually awesome? I don't know. I think eventually, most people would reach a point of being 'done'. I won't fully lift the lid on whether 'the curse' is a glorious gift of power and immortality or a squishy parcel of poo just yet though. There's a lot left to reader interpretation in AE because I don't know how to write I enjoy making people go haywire think.
    It seems manipulative? Like 'I don't want to be eternal alone, you guys are coming with me.'
    You are so, so close to tripping right over a plot wire and opening up a secret door to a room full of answers with this statement.
    …the first time you find yourself feeling nothing when you should be feeling something, it really makes you feel like a monster.
    Your thought process is amazing and beautifully dark. Is this all from within? Are you sure you haven't hopped ahead a few (100) chapters? 😁😮 Regardless, yes the monster aspect is not always the action that was done, or the reasoning behind it; the thing that makes a monster is how they feel about what they’ve done. Oooh, you! If you’re getting all this from such early chapters, you’re gonna have a whale of a time when/if we get you into the abyss.

    Also, I know my responses are vague but if I try and answer anything specifically I will simply spoil everything. But I have read – and squeaked excitedly over – everything you’ve written.
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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited July 2021
    @SnuffyBucket Haha I’m glad you like it < 3 I love drawing cute fluffy animals. The whole ‘bnuuy’ thing is a lame in-joke from a lame meme that became a thing in my friendship group. Plus bnuuys are timid and always on edge and run from the slightest threat, same as myself! Haha, was ‘rabbit on’ an intentional pun? :p
    Edited out my overshare here since we already discussed in PMs : p

    For me three hundred plus years of feeling nothing (or if not, constant guilt at drinking blood) is probably the worst part of it, alongside a constant cycle of losing the people you come to care about over and over again. Like imagine that many years of just floating about not enjoying anything XC Vampirism seems awesome until you really think about it /n\ And for the recently turned girls, there’s going to be a lot of ‘mourning’ their old lives. I think that came across strongly with Mel’s phone call to her dad, that sort of missing ‘normal life’ and knowing it won’t go back to normal soon.
    Don’t worry about vague replies, your excitement says it all : p
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    edited July 2021
    @SnowBnuuy
    Anyone who is up-to-date in the story will be reading that comment of yours like... DARN IT WAS THERE!

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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Not much time to read tonight, up to Chapter 1.26.
    Hmm, so if feeding is what keeps a vampire's humanesque form and functions, then what would happen if they didn't feed? Would they just turn to dust, or would they perhaps turn into something more physically monstrous? Am I overthinking? Probably. Seems like the girls' darker developments have come much faster than I initially expected it to, let's see where it goes from here X_X Like I said before I think it's just going to be a series of kills, cover-ups, other awful things, and having to cover it up again. I feel Mel's cliff comment could be judged a certain way, given she didn't ask for eternal life and how awful the whole idea of it...but the stars for me are a hopeful image, but not a proper one- like a 'clutching at straws' hopeful image, something you turn to only when you're super desperate. Like when she called her family, maybe she just wants a glimmer of hope even if it's something as futile as looking up at the night sky. Then again, maybe that's the idea, a distraction from other darker ideas.

    I wonder if Caleb hadn't have turned up, would it have been different? I know Caleb apologised to Mel, but at this point it's kind of hard to tell whose apologies are sincere and who isn't. Lilith seems to think her brother is reckless and causing trouble and Caleb seems to think Lilith is a monster, I guess it'll come to light soon who is worse than the other. Honestly I am not always very good at working things out, so I don't know yet. Right now I am iffy about the pair of them. In all honesty right now there isn't anyone I fully trust because I feel like Mel, Faith and April are going to end up in an even worse place than they are already. As for Lilith, if she used to be a 'hunter'- what changed that? Did she give in to her thirst and kill someone she loved or otherwise deeply cared about once? That's one theory that's in my mind.

    I feel like I've met the 'prejudiced English pub guy' character, is this Fred by any chance? Judging by the way he talks about women. I did laugh when he mentioned Caleb's 'strange hair'.
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @SnowBnuuy
    I think it's just going to be a series of kills, cover-ups, other awful things, and having to cover it up again.
    when your life is death (or death is life?) this is probably likely.
    Right now I am iffy about the pair of them
    That's a perfect place to be. If all else fails, assume everyone is awful and lying and you'll only be pleasantly surprised!

    HA! Yes, it's Fred. Grumpy pub grandad. He knows what women want, how to fix his country and his advice is always wise.*

    *character opinions may not necessarily reflect those of the author. Snuffy accepts no liability if Fred's, or any other character's, advice is followed, but would like pictures. AE is a work of fiction and will probably not translate well to real life.
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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited July 2021
    Up to Chapter 1.32.
    'SANDY MOSS STILL DEAD' would be funny- if it weren't for the fact that she's potentially now undead, and ready to emotionally abuse everybody for eternity. BRB, getting my wooden stake. I'm still not thinking April and Caleb are a good match, because I think both are interested in each other for seemingly unhealthy reasons (falling for someone because it's the first time you've ever felt wanted in years? They will manipulate you in whatever way they can!) Mel's reaction to Caleb challenging her on her friendships...Didn't the flashback chapter (or the bit after) imply Mel was only friends with April for Faith's sake? Maybe that's why she's defensive, since deep down she knows she's not close, and Mel strikes me as: 'This friendship doesn't make me happy but seems easier to keep it than sever it' because the people who've known you for the longest have the most they can potentially do you over with XuX

    '“Mostly portraits.” Please don’t ask me to draw you.' As an artist I feel this. ('Don't ask me to draw your pet either.') It's funny because in PMs I was just talking to you about how it seems people don't care as much for creatives anymore, and Caleb has seemingly made Mel's day asking about her art. The sketchbook is a window the soul.
    That wham line at the end...Unless I've forgotten something from earlier, I'm wondering if Caleb is responsible for the death of Mel's bio mother. Maybe like he lost control of his thirst or something. Oh, no, very different from my assumption. Now I'm wondering if Caleb sits up there all the time in contemplation over his own existence, or whether the situation might repeat itself, in an attempt to potentially stop others. Maybe a combination of both. So Rose's decision was one made out of love and wanting to protect her daughter from the daughter's father. Honestly I'm pretty impressed how you handled the touchy topic of this chapter, I've seen it written poorly just to add drama in Sims stories, but it doesn't feel that way in this story.

    Mel touching Caleb's hand. Let's hope April doesn't somehow find out about this. Wait, and how he's admitted he doesn't really like Mel. Don't lead poor Mel on, it'd break her heart. Aaaand Fred The I'm-Not-A-Misogynist-But pub regular recognises her from the news...
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @SnowBnuuy
    What a tease of a place to stop reading. Aw no, is my 'prize coupling' a bit of a flop? 🤭 Note to self: must try harder to write convincing romance. 🤣 Literally everything about that pair is a nope, I can't even joke about it. Sigh. Ooh yes, Mel getting defensive is a sure sign that Caleb hit a nerve, although maybe Mel herself isn't really sure what nerve he hit yet.

    Same, I always hated being asked to draw people. Haha! When you said that about creatives I was thinking about these chapters you were approaching and I'm super happy you got that little nugget. She doesn't show her stuff to anyone, unless they ask.

    Wow, you do notice fun details. I don't think anyone ever asked why Caleb sat up there all the time. I can't answer that at the point where you are now, but ooh darn, that will resurface at some point and you're very close with one of those suggestions.

    Oh, thank you. Rose's chapter was received a lot better than I'd anticipated. Yes, the goal was not to add drama with her story or her decision, more as explanation/background as to how she, Mel and Caleb all ended up in the same place.

    "Fred The I'm-Not-A-Misogynist-But" 😆🤣
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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited July 2021
    Up to 1.36. I'll have more time to read tomorrow hopefully.
    That dude who chased off Will, fairly sure that was the dude that came up in the Rose flashback. I'm now wondering if April's possible kidnapping was instead to do with Seth. Starting to think he's definitely the 'other vampire' that often got mentioned in earlier chapters that had history with the Vatores. I wonder if that bartender gets sick of Fred? I would! 'IS SANDY A ZOMBIE?' sounds like something straight off a front page of a gutter press paper XD “I guess the network will report any old toss to boost ratings.” Too true. 'SANDY MOSS DEFINITELY DEAD, SORRY' I laughed out loud at this one. Don't apologise, newspeople, I'm glad of it TBH!

    Oh okay, so some creepo picked her up thinking she was like that. That close-up of his face was unnerving but also funny, like he's like 'you know you want this face B ^ )' and April is like 'no I don't want your face but the veins on your neck look pretty great.' : P Woah, don't ever say you don't need your friends April, you'll regret it when you need their help later...

    Ooh, 1.35, we're in first person now. Yeah that's definitely a thing, wishing you stood up to people before you found yourself in a place where it wasn't as possible. It's hard to grow out of being a doormat. No, April, your mother was wrong about you. The only reason people respected her is because she put up a façade to cover up her abuse and everyone fell for that as well as the celebrity charm. Unlike her April I think deep down wants to be a better person, but her guilt has led her down a dark path.

    Her talking about wanting to be remembered and 'would there even be a funeral?' I guess she wants to be immortal in more ways than the obvious. It'll take her time to realise, but I think the best way to 'live forever' is in good memories with friends, family etc, and as a positive thing for people to look back on. But of course in her current mindset, positive doesn't exist. Given April has had her whole life controlled by her hag of a mother, the power and control is probably what does it. Maybe why she was like 'I don't need Faith or Mel' as well, like a hyper-independent 'I am in control I don't need them at all' type thing. Even though Sandy is dead she awfully lives on in April's brain taunting her and it honestly makes me so mad. I'm glad Caleb came to help her at least.

    I do laugh at the running gag of people laughing at Caleb's hair XD Unless I've missed it I'm excited to see how scary Lil's dark form is. Also I wonder why Lil had to share her own 'blood' with Caleb and what happened there? Also it's cool you do your own poses.
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    edited July 2021
    AE is one year old today! I'm throwing my cast a party later to celebrate, I'm sure that will all go well.


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    Late posting today because I got carried away at the seaside yesterday (EA, please give me a proper amusement arcade! Please!)
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @Snowbnuuy

    4 chapters is still a binge in my book. Maybe I’m a lightweight.
    Seth is one and same as the guy in the Rose flashback yes and he definitely has history with the Vatores.
    Joe can’t get sick of Fred – he’s his best customer! Originally the news channel was going to be like BBC news, only reporting clinical, serious stuff, but where’s the fun in that? So instead, imagine the Daily Mail in moving picture format, with a hefty dose of Take A Break thrown in for good measure.

    Poor wet-dog-smell man. Such an unfortunate re-roll of my solitary ‘prey human-male’ sim. I did find him a nice car though, to help offset his physical attributes, odour and fate. I’m not a horrible Watcher. Honest.

    Growing up in Sandy’s shadow has given April lots of warped ideals and thinking patterns, for sure. Yep, good job Caleb didn’t give up the search to go and get drunk in a bar too. And yep, alas. Sandy is dead but her influence lives on…

    Caleb’s hair. I mean, look at it. And because it has no flow or movement, I could only pose him in certain ways or all I saw was that darn fringe slicing through a face or shoulder like a blade. You’ll see Lilith’s dark form soon enough. Creating my own poses was due to necessity. I write first and then take screenshots after (for most scenes) and finding animations or poses that work exactly with what I needed was impossible – ‘OK google: find me a sims 4 couple pose where one sim is propped up on the bed looking amorous then annoyed and the other is kneeling on the floor, kissing the first sim’s nose and looking hesitant then bewildered’. They start off really rubbish and clunky but they get way better.
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    I've been darkening this doorway for a whole year and holy heck, what a year. When I got furloughed (and eventually made redundant) last year I didn't know what to do with myself, going from working 60 hours weeks to doing literally nothing overnight. So I did the only logical thing; I started writing trashy vampire literature!

    Here is something for you to look at, as thanks for your support, your messages, your comments and your insults.
    It doesn't end in a fire!

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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited July 2021
    @SnuffyBucket It's good you found something to keep you busy though. Finding a hobby to sink yourself into is a good distraction from the disaster that is existing during the pandemic XD

    To answer your reply to my last textwall:
    That's EXACTLY what I thought about the headline. It reminded me of the Star paper so badly.

    My newest textwall, up to 1.39 I think:
    I squeak-laughed to myself at ‘Mr. Fringey XD I highly doubt Seth took Rose’s life to be ‘merciful’ at all. Lilith is right; she had her whole life ahead of her. Out of the three of them Faith seems the most likely to embrace the darker side of vampirism and I feel Seth will drag her into it. So a stake doesn’t kill a vampire in this universe, and most other vampire story 'things' are also nonsense according to the encyclopaedia as well. So I’m guessing they can only die by sunlight?
    Hoooooo goodness, what a revelation- the guy you fancy woohoo’d with your great aunt! At least Dale is saying they shouldn’t do it. And Will doesn’t even want the money for any necessity or non selfish reason either, literally just a new truck XC What a melt.

    I see Caleb tried to do what April had tried to do as well... I can actually understand why Lilith feels they’ve taken their ‘loved ones’ for granted. It might seem cold hearted to some readers who might think it’s a ‘selfish’ outlook on her part, but I think the response to something like that, you don't have the time to process it properly or be rational: your immediate response to it can easily be feeling angry or betrayed, not necessarily devastated straight away.

    It's good to see more into Lil's backstory, and how she'd (possibly foolishly) hoped to be a 'good vampire'. I can also imagine back in the time of the vampire hunts, many good vampires were forced to fight to protect themselves as well. It's horrible to see what she had to put up with from her own father figure. I feel like, in a way, Lil's mum and dad's situation mirrors April and Travis a bit. One of them being emotionally abused and manipulated by the other, the non-abuser knowing that their child is in danger of the other parent but feeling unable to do anything about it. And killing a woman after bringing him the 'ideal son', he's vile and many words I cannot utter on this forum. It's good to see that Lil treats the 'food' like human beings. She shouldn't have to be beaten for using their names, though. Oh goodness no, offering her up to Vlad who's probably goodness-knows how many times her own age.

    Oh, so did Lil manage to get her father caught by the vampire hunters? Or did I mis-understand that bit? If so, I'm glad they got rid of him. What follows though, just...it must be awful. I can imagine it being stressful as ever, having to console all of the women that Caleb discarded, and him seemingly not learning. It seems his lack of control over himself is universal, whether it's lack of commitment to women, or overfeeding, on the man Lilith cherished as well. Adds an extra layer to the mention in one of the last chapters with Lil's lack of sympathy for Caleb. Although the thirst is probably something near-impossible to control at times, she'd still probably hold it against him even now, maybe not as much, but still at the back of her mind.
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  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @SnowBnuuy
    OMG yes the Star. Imagine if they had a news channel; the presenter would be in a bikini, it would be a disaster... 🤔

    I do enjoy a good text wall. Lilith's flashback is 1.40, so I'll assume you're there with my answers.
    Out of the three of them Faith seems the most likely to embrace the darker side of vampirism and I feel Seth will drag her into it.
    I feel that he will try, yes. No, staking doesn't kill a vampire in my world; their hearts don't beat and their blood doesn't 'flow'. They will eventually cease to function from extreme dehydration (which is exacerbated by sunlight and fire). Removing their heads is effective, also. Nothing sets the mood like knowing your new boyfriend has bedded your elderly aunt, right? If the mood you're going for is 'completely turned off'.

    Yes, Caleb also had to be rescued from dehydration at at least one point in his existence. Lilith is, as she says, 'numb' and thus is often quite blunt in her assessments, using herself as a benchmark. So far from sympathy she'd be feeling let down; 'I've been through way worse so if I can cope, why can't they?'.

    Ugh, everything about vampire society was horrible. The other side wasn't any better. You're not wrong that hoping to be a 'good vampire' in that world was, at best, naïve. Ah, I left the actual scenario of her parent's capture deliberately vague to revisit later (and because Lilith didn't actually witness it...) but you have caught an interesting little point there. The Vatores lived away from everyone in isolation and didn't go out to hunt, so how did the vampire hunters learn of their whereabouts?

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    Almost Eternal
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Up to 1.45.
    Oof, Lil heard all that Faith said about her. That's going to go down well. Ugh, Will. I'm glad he got barred at least, but I really hope he never finds April again. For some reason Caleb's 'well, I've got plenty of time, I may as well walk' despite having vampire speed thing funny. Now I'm wondering what Faith's vampire power will be. Probably something terrifying. The whole thing with Caleb and Lilith, I'm loving the complexity of it. My thoughts on it are a bit long, but:

    I think it's only right for Faith to be concerned about Caleb being 'controlled' by Lilith. At the end of the day, Faith doesn't know Lil or Caleb's history (IIRC) so to her it's typical control freak behaviour. Lil of course knows that when Caleb loses control, she's left to clean up after it (like the girls he ditched) or that she will lose someone she loves (like with Nathaniel). Caleb is wracked with guilt, so thinks that Lilith's behaviour is necessary to control him. It might be worth being less controlling since it's been many years since what happened, but then if it means the risk of someone losing a life, or Lilith having to console countless girls again...It means another mess for Lilith to have to deal with, most likely.

    From what I've seen, oftentimes it's women who have to 'clean up after' men's poor behaviour, for some reason, or that we are expected to 'tame' them and make them into good people. I have male friends who come to me when they've done wrong because they know I will tell them off bluntly for doing things they know they shouldn't, but why do they need me for that? It shouldn't be up to me to change other people. People need to work on themselves and take action on changing their own behaviour to become better people. Whenever I talk about a guy and his poor attitude or behaviour, people almost always say 'it's just the way he is' or something else which implies he need not work on himself, but we're expected to constantly work on ourselves as well as sort out everyone else. Considering the two grew up in a time where gender 'roles' were much more rigid, part of me wonders if Lilith feels similarly.

    Still, Caleb nowadays is realising his mistakes (I think he's still a while from actually changing though, considering what appears to be going on with him and Melinda/April), whereas I think Lilith seems more reluctant to be less controlling over him. So maybe it's reversed a little. Caleb wants to change and knows he's done wrong, and Lil seems to me like she still feels she's in the right.

    I can imagine that is the main 'draw' for people to Seth, his carefree attitude, and he's not bound by rules or morals or, well anything really. Not sure if the reasoning for not appearing in reflections is your idea or part of the main 'myth' but it's interesting. I really liked the scene where Mel drew Caleb for him; it was a nice bit of validation for him to actually see himself after hundreds of years of having no idea what he actually looked like. Oh wow his new hair actually really suits him! Makes him look older and more mature I think.

    The part where April cries on Caleb broke my heart. How she can't get away from what her mother did to her because abuse does not go away so easily even though the abuser is gone. “I understand,” he said. “I’m here.” I don't think people realise how powerful that is. You're not trying to tell someone it'll get better, or to think positive, or to go outside, or all that fake, ultimately useless stuff. All most people need, is someone to be there for them.

    'SANDY MOSS NO MORE ALIVE THAN LAST TIME' I live for these headlines, they get me every time XD “I know April killed her, so why does it feel like Sandy is the one getting away with murder?” I actually love this line. Sandy may be dead, but when you really think about it, it was Sandy who took April's life from her.

    Seth's ability to 'rewind' someone's memories makes him all the more slimy. I can imagine the many ways you could take advantage of someone with a power like that. Still it seems he can't lie at all, which means arguably others could manipulate him just as easily which is an interesting weakness. As for April, although her seemingly jealous attitude isn't healthy, I can see why she's like that, latching on to the one person who helps to quiet the thoughts in her head that her mother left with her. She could have just gone with Mel and Caleb to the eclipse. I feel like the eclipse is something of a symbol though, I feel something VERY terrible is about to happen.

    April going through Caleb's room, it's also a bit sad that she envies Melinda just for having interests. I think April, as the kind of person who feels she needs others to 'complete' her, probably is deep-down mad at someone like Mel who has interests, hobbies, and feelings. She's still in touch with the universe and enjoy things, whilst April is just kind of floating through it desperate for validation after a lifetime of invalidation. Melinda is 'living' more than April is. She's even willing to see if Caleb has other interests just so she can get to know him a bit better and hope to get closer. It's the desperation of it that's upsetting. I think messing with April's mind like this isn't okay though. If Caleb and Melinda are out on some kind of date, Caleb knows how vulnerable April is on the inside and shouldn't take advantage of that. I think going back to the house just to get a dress that he'd like, isn't a good idea. Can't help but feel she'll end up in danger. Also, trying to impress someone constantly is always draining, unhealthy and not worth it. In my eyes, it's better to accept you're not particularly 'wanted' and walk away. I've done it plenty of times, trying to make friends with people who want little to do with me. Oh, and now she's got the books... I feel like she's going down a very bad people-pleasing path. Don't do it April, it's not worth it. Neither is trying to make Caleb jealous.
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