Critical Role Animated Snippets (UPDATED)

Upon posting my first D&D Campaign Diary earlier this week, I thought it would be a good idea to give those who haven't seen Critical Role a better idea at some of the wackier stuff that goes on in the show by sharing some animated videos of the best parts. Mind you, these will contain spoilers, at least in terms of great moments and not so much plot points.

Yes, the first two are of the same moment. It's just that great.

More below the cut!

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #35

There were two open seats at the table inside, but Arthur decided the better spot to enjoy his breakfast for dinner was outside where it poured a heavy rain.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #34

Avalenia went to the park across from the school after her classes got out. Ladarian was there was well, so the uncle and niece bonded on the swingset for a while before he helped her with her homework.

Merry Christmas

All I want for Christmas is you

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #33

It used to be Pawel coming over everyday. Now it's Gino coming over everyday. The next time he appeared, he showed off his fancy chef's hat.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #32

After spending a bit of time on the new house changing a few things around and preparing spaces for the inevitable barrage of children, Genevieve was ready to go and get things started!

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #31

I caught Lynette and Homer in an automatic Try for Baby woohoo. Naturally, I didn't want any of that. They unfortunately got the woohoo in even though I canceled the interaction as fast as I could. Either canceling the woohoo did actually prevent the conception from taking place or this was one of those rare moments where the woohoo failed, but, luckily, no baby was made. The close call had me keeping a better eye on them though.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #30

Surprise, surprise, it's birthday time! I accidentally had Ladarian and Leilan in the wrong position, but here are Genevieve, Ladarian, and Leilan as children. I almost changed my mind about Lynette not having any more children, because I wanted a non-fairy heir. I contemplated both Evalerie and Clara, but there's just something about the dark hair Emmeline, Ella, and Lynette have all had that makes me want to continue that on, at least until it becomes too common and I grow tired of it. Hunter's green is also something I really want to pass on, which makes Genevieve the best candidate. In the end, I decided I would simply have Lynette find a potion to take away her fairy status as it's dominated the gene pool a bit too much at this point. A better mix was achieved with a human heir and potions that changed the state of the fathers instead.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #29

Lynette finally found time to work on the park once more. The enjoyable spring weather made it easy to spend most of the afternoon out in the warm sun and comfortable wind.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #28

Katarinda had her birthday, and she instantly took advantage of the empty bedroom to play with the dollhouse.

Tales of Lerathian: The Puppet (Prologue) (Revised 2016)

Quite a while ago now, I posted the prologue, first chapter, and several excerpts from later chapters of the novel I've steadily been working on over the years. It came time to start working on the more cohesive second draft this November for NaNoWriMo, and the revised prologue is now completed. There are always more things in it that can use improvement, but I feel it is a step up from the original. If nothing else, it more accurately represents the character and plot lines now that I've had the time to develop both while writing the first draft. Take a read of the new version, check out the old, and let me know what you think.

Color My World Short Story #3- Part One

I don't know how she always knew. Ethereal could say about four words. It was difficult to gather at this stage exactly how many she understood, and she naturally had no idea how to read a clock. That latter bit didn't matter so much as there was no clock in the room to begin with. Thus, it was difficult enough for me to keep track of time and when I was meant to leave. How she somehow understood when I was about to take off each and every single day boggled me. Was there a certain expression that came over my face? Did the inflection in my voice change? Perhaps Ethereal had the ability to read minds? With me being as exhausted as I was in that moment, they all felt like plausible answers to my confusion.

And what a problem I had on my hands. My dear little sister wore that immense pout on her face, and it let me know what was coming the second I spoke or tried to put her down.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #27

Needing something to do to break up the monotony of her days, Lynette realized the household had plenty of funds to purchase a decent size public lot. She almost went with gaining control of a store, but she decided in the end to take the park lot in the upper east corner of the world. It would be simple enough to add a few things to get it to a 3 star level. However, there was one issue that drove Lynette crazy- the entire lot was still covered in leaves even during summer. The whole world continued to be covered in leaves, in fact. That finally drove a certain someone crazy enough to turn off the fall season entirely, and Lynette began raking to start taking care of the mess.

D&D 5E Campaign Diary C #2

     Characters:
       Lyall Blakely- Male Half Elven Fighter
       Bayram Tuccar- MtF Human Bard
       Bane- Female Tiefling Fighter
       Blue Maelstrom- Male Dragonborn Fighter
       Luca- Male Halfling Monk

     Upon noticing that the blue blood spilling out from the deceased Mathus' wounds are clearly unusual, the substance is put under greater scrutiny. The group is able to determine that the blood has been tainted by something, but they're not entirely sure from what. A few return upstairs to try and gather more from the scene. The curtains on the window are torn and an oil lamp fell from its usual position, but everything else is otherwise untouched. Nothing was stolen, and there is no indication of a motive for the attack.

     Unsure of what to do, the investigation is then interrupted by the Gullcrest guards. They state that it was kind for the group to attempt to help, but that the crime scene should have been left alone to those whose job it is to handle such matters. The five return to the tavern or their respective home to retire for the evening. They find in the morning that they are unable to leave the attack alone. However, when they reach Dahlia's home they discover it is under watch of a guard. Bayram uses her magic and natural charms to lure the guard, Nicholas, off a little ways so the rest can continue to search. Unfortunately, nothing new presents itself.

     Bayram isn't able to stop Nicholas from eventually returning to his post. The others attempt to leave the house through the back, but Lyall accidentally causes a noise that alerts Nicholas to his presence. Rather than try to run and risk even more consequence, Lyall presents himself and fails miserably when lying to both hide his intentions and the presence of his fellows. Luca comes to the floundering half elf's rescue, and with some prompting from Bayram, Nicholas chooses to bring them to his boss, Captain Rodgers.

     The captain is naturally disapproving of the poking around, but a stall in the case has him thinking the strange group might be what he needs to make progress. Mathus' death was not the only one. Six more murders have taken place, and there is little to connect them together aside from the fact that they all happened recently. He will allow the five to investigate, given they prove themselves first. They talk with Dahlia again hoping to get more information, but the still shaken up woman doesn't have much to offer. Captain Rodgers then takes them to the house of another murder. This time, the sight is much more gruesome. The victim, Frank, had his chest ripped open. More blue blood and his innards scatter the room. Bayram and Lyall search the body enough to discover he was eaten while still alive, yet he put up no fight and rigor mortis had already began to set in. The idea of poison is suggested. Meanwhile, Blue checks outside and comes across footprints that likely belong to a male human.

     Knowing more is to be learned from the strange effect undergone by the victims, Lyall and Blue take skin samples to a reclusive mortician, Riley, outside town while Bane and Luca go to one of the chapels to hopefully learn more about the undead, a suggestion made of what the culprit for the murders might be. Bayram finds herself spending the evening with Nicholas, as she promised him an evening together in order to assist in helping her friends get out of trouble earlier in the day. The two have a nice dinner, Bayram performs a song, and they take a walk. Bane and Luca start gaining information that starts to cement the idea that the attackers are indeed not normal.

     Lyall and Blue's time goes by much more eventfully. They meet Riley, who is highly suspicious of them as he is with all people. Still, he examines what the two brought him and says that it is possible that the undead, specifically ghouls, are the troublemakers. He gives them a tome to study and suggest they check out the library for more information. Lyall and Blue go to leave when from the dark shadows Blue is attacked. The strange creature is able to take the dragonborn down in a single blow before it scampers towards the wall of the city. Lyall is able to stick an arrow in it, but the lone shot is not enough to take it down before it finds its way into Gullcrest.

Happy Halloween

D&D 5E Campaign Diary C #1

As a watcher of YouTube and a player of Minecraft, one of the channel systems I have been following for quite a while now is the Yogscast. I grew bored one day and decided to check out their Yogscast Live channel that hosts the videos they live stream on Twitch. The main series I was interested in was their Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition series that had been recently started called High Rollers. It didn't take me long to get hooked, and by their recommendation I got into the more well known D&D live stream called Critical Role, hosted by Geek & Sundry.

Both my sister and I expressed interest in playing ourselves, and eventually the chance opened up when my sister's friend got in contact with another friend of hers who was willing to run a game for us three and my sister's friend's two brothers. We've been playing for months over Skype, and we've even started an in-person campaign for those of us who live nearby. A third campaign has also been started on Skype for myself, the friend's second brother who runs the in-game campaign, and the DM of the original Skype campaign, which is run by my sister's friend. I thought it would be a fun and different thing to do recaps for each session for each campaign here to share in the adventure and perhaps give anyone who's interested or curious about Dungeons and Dragons a glimpse into what can happen in the game. The three campaigns will be separated by the first initial of the name of the person being the DM. Campaign C is for the original Skype game. Campaign D is for the in-game one, and Campaign R is for the second Skype run.

This first one is a little short as most of our time that evening was spent creating our characters and not actually playing.

I hope you enjoy.

Tangerine, Lightning, Melrose, and Ember

Since these four characters have already been introduced, I figured it would be fine to give you an extra sneak peek at them, especially since these older four probably won't be seen as children for very long if at all once Generation Three gets going. They're basically the new Hunter, Wisp, Malachite, and Cyclone gang.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #26

Skylan and Kylar were pretty stressed after coming home from school one afternoon, so since it was about to be the weekend I let them fulfill some wishes before they started on their homework. The two had a highly energetic pillow fight in their room.

Color My World Short Story #2

Raze and I found ourselves wandering about the back sidewalks of the area we were in. It had been quite a few hours since I'd stormed out of the Charm household. There were a thousand and one text messages from family and friends by now, I was sure, but I still hadn't turned my phone back on yet. Partly because I didn't want to, but mostly because I'd forgotten about the device and everyone else. Raze and I were enjoying ourselves. We'd finished up several intense rounds of laser tag and were wasting time for half an hour in order to catch the next showing of the movie we wanted to see.

Vivid Family Picture Spam

Some of the pictures I took back when I was putting together the household for Gen 2.

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #25

Kylar and Lark had a lot to bond over. Being close in age and the two of them being fairies allowed them to grow quite close. When their siblings grew annoyed and tired of them trying out their powers on them, Kylar and Lark were always willing to be a test subject for the other.

Coal's Blindness

I can't remember how long in advance I intended for Coal to lose half his sight, but it was quite a while back. I can probably say for most of the generation I knew it would happen. That's why, starting with Chapter Twenty Five I included the word 'blind' or a variety of it in almost every chapter since as a foreshadow to the eventual tragedy.

Chapter Twenty Five

     "Oof! P, you accidentally turned the flash on. Like I'm not already blind enough."

Chapter Twenty Six

     With Coconut having said early on that he couldn't make it, I was heading into this situation blind once more as none of the other four were showing up either.

Chapter Twenty Eight

     "Are we watching the same game of horseshoes as he is? Maybe he's gone blind?"

Chapter Twenty Nine

     "If Jasper's parents come over and you need someone to stand up for you when he's turning a blind eye to their shit, then I'll come right over."

Chapter Thirty

     "The attack very nearly blinded me."

Chapter Thirty One

     "Try it, and I'll bite you so hard you'll go blind from the pain."

Chapter Thirty Two

     The helmet did make it so the very, very edge of my peripheral vision felt a little blinded, but it was a minimal inconvenience.

Chapter Thirty Four

     Not until the practically blinding blackness in my vision shifted into muted colors.

Chapter Thirty Six

     "The fact that you let me know this is a problem is great help enough, because the rest of us were blind to it."

The end of Thirty Six was when Buckeye attacked Coal and caused the damage.

Original Plot to CMW Generation 2

Unlike Generation One, I had a much more defined idea of what I would be doing for Generation Two as well as how to end it. I knew the world I was working in much better, and because of that planning for the future generations became even easier. That, in turn, helped me plant the seeds I needed for proper progression in Gen Two. However, many things still changed. Most major plot points remained the same, although a few did shift. The routes to get there were simply different. Here is the general idea I wrote for Coal's story back when I first started putting it all together back when I was still working with Ethereal:

100 Majesties- A 100 BC Update #24

With such a crowded house, keeping food in the fridge is a constant struggle. Lynette found several moments of peace, however, where it was just her, the stove, and the delightful aroma of the many meals she prepared that would get them through several days at least.

Color My World Behind the Scenes #4

When going around aging everyone up after the first arc, I noticed that the Yonders had adopted a cat. I normally get rid of autonomously purchased pets because I've had trouble with them getting in the way before, but the kitten had come with the name Coal, so I felt obligated to let it stay. The thing was pretty adorable too.

Color My World Questionnaire-Survey Thing!

Now that two full generations have been completed for Color My World, I thought it would be fun to get some feedback/reactions from everything as well as ask what everyone would like to see in the future during this time I'll be doing short stories. Answer whatever you want. Skip whatever you want. Provide explanation for your choices, or don't. It's all up to you!

-Generation One or Generation Two
-Ethereal or Coal
-Favorite Character(s) from Gen One
-Favorite Character(s) from Gen Two
-Favorite Plots
-Plots You Didn't Like So Much
-Characters That Could Have Been Better Written
-Things That Could Have Been Fleshed Out More
-Any Issues With the Story in General
-Favorite Canon Couple(s)
-Favorite Non-Canon Couple(s)
-Names and Their Associated Color(s) You Would Like to See Used
-The Goddess' Order or Color My World

Now is also the time to let me know what kind of side updates you'd like. Are you interested in getting cute picture spams of a certain couple? Do you want a crossover with TGO and CMW characters? Is there an event or moment from any of my stories you would want to see made into a short story? Do you want to see a 'what if' situation played out? Seriously, any kind of idea you have post them and I'll take them into consideration.

Here are some brief examples:

-Picture spam of Ellothiel and Wesley
-What would have happened had Eden pulled off his original idea at 'rescuing' Ethereal

-Seeing how Coal and Desire managed their first day after faking their deaths

Current Plans For the Blog

So, with Generation Two of Color My World coming to its end (and I want to thank you all again for being patient while I struggled with feeling unwell), that means there going to be a bit of change in routine. I would like to say that Generation Three will be coming before too long, but I had to make a decision about how I'm going to continue Color My World. I love the story to death and do plan on continuing it. However, it was has become such a major distraction that prevents me from working on my actual book that I hope will be the work that allows me to become an author. For the time being, the main story of Color My World is going on a hiatus until Tales of Lerathian (you can find samples of it in the Original Stories tab) is in a more progressive state. My idea of what that is is the first draft being fully done and me potentially talking to people who can assist me in the steps beyond.

That being said, I have no intention of letting the blog go completely inactive. In addition to me finishing the much less work intensive 100 Majesties and the Starr generation of The Perfect Genetics Challenge, I will also be updating the Vampire Coven challenge going on on my Tumblr. There's also a million ideas I have for short stories for Generation One and Two of Color My World as well as The Goddess' Order. They will be similar to the one I did with Eden and Hunter. The goal is to publish at least one update per week, although there will be no set day of release. I'm sorry for the disappointing news, but I've let my hobby get in the way of my career for too long. I hope you'll stick around, and I'll post news of my progress every now and again.

~Kelsey

Gen Two Epilogue

I could hear the music all the way from my car. It would be way easier for me to leave the two I had with me in said car as getting them in and out of their seats was a massive pain, but I knew that today would be a difficult day to collect the ones inside. As great as Coal's little dancing sessions were for tiring out Tangerine and getting her to nap without resistance, it also got her in a great huff when I came to interrupt her most favorite kind of fun. Sure enough, after I struggled with the car seats I spotted her bouncing and twirling around through the window as I walked up the familiar front steps.

Gen Two- Chapter Forty Two

When Buckeye had me ground under his figurative, and sometimes literal, heel, there had been a sense of weakness that accompanied the situation. When I laid there in the hospital for weeks while finding the simple task of breathing a great chore, that had come with another kind of weakness. I was experiencing yet another version of the sensation at this moment. It was mid-afternoon, yet I couldn't believe it. All that time we spent in the courthouse felt like it took up an eternity. There had been papers to sign, seats to sit in for ridiculous amounts of time as our case kept getting pushed back due to other cases going over, the actual meeting with the judge that included me having to be in a room with Mimosa for almost way longer than I could handle, and the repercussions of the judge's decision, which included a bit more paperwork and a series of unique new emotions.

We delayed going home, because Uncle Al and Aunt Dahlia were taking Mimosa straight home. It seriously was the most awkward thing having this tension riddled case with the other when we could so easily see the other person through our respective front windows everyday. Getting away from the stress was next to impossible, which was why dad had had the smart idea to take all of us to Mr. Mosaic's bookstore. It was empty at this time of the day, I had a nice corner to hide myself in, and the rest of my family had items they could use as excuses to keep themselves away from me.

CMW Chapter 42 Coming Today

It will be out later this afternoon. Thanks so much for waiting and being patient. I've really been struggling to feel well the past couple weeks, mostly due to my allergies thanks to my brother's dog but also because something went wrong with the air conditioner in my room. Mold began growing in there after it rained heavily a few times. Chapter 42 is almost completely written though, so expect it in a few hours. It is indeed the last full chapter for Gen Two, but the generation will officially end with the short epilogue that will be released tomorrow. Hope you enjoy both new installments!

~Kelsey

Gen Two- Chapter Forty One

The walk had been long and silent. However, even that was a fact unnoticed by me as my mind was far away from the current moment. My brain didn't recognize the exhaustion Doodle caused my arm by constantly pulling on the leash too hard, nor did I realize the wonderfully crisp spring air I typically loved more than anything else finally engulfed the city. No, on I walked while my mind screamed at me the same thoughts it'd been screaming for about a month now. The same panicked worry constantly dominated my emotions. It drained me and beat me down, but even with it dragging me deeper more and more I craved to let it do so at the same time. I couldn't be happy or content. I didn't want to be happy or content. I wanted to fight, and the perpetual struggle reassured me the battle indeed continued.

Even being with Holly hardly pulled me out of myself. The talk she requested never happened that weekend when Mimosa set off the war. I spent every second I had preparing my weapons, and the ending of the weekend forced Holly back to school. The same pattern had continued, although Holly was now out for the summer. It was why she'd finally been able to convince me to take some semblance of a break.

Gen Two- Chapter Forty

Given how many times I had run my hands through my hair in the past several hours, I wouldn't have been surprised if I ended up taking out chunks of my hair. I didn't even care to stop the behavior, because I didn't know what to do otherwise. The weeks had passed- slowly and agonizingly, but they passed regardless. I dreaded each new day with a fitful anticipation that had me sick to my stomach. I was certain with my bad luck that the worst would come to pass. However, a brief glimmer of hope resided in my chest when the days kept coming and going and the news didn't arrive. I wondered if I was actually safe. Of course, I could never be so lucky. The revelation came to dad by way of a text from Uncle Al earlier in the morning. When he in turn revealed it to me, I became a useless body of mixed emotions. I had always imagined hearing such information to be a happy one, and I was certainly trying to find some happiness inside me somewhere. Unfortunately, I could only sulk about the house at the moment.

     "Don't be sad, Coal," Glade stood in front of me trying to cheer me up, "You're going to be a great daddy."

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Nine

I rolled out of bed earlier than I wanted to. That was mainly for two reasons. First was the headache. I had drunk a massive amount of water before I went to bed to help protect against whatever hangover I might have, but I couldn't quite tell if it worked. It might not have done anything, or it might have helped a lot. Either way, that headache was enough to force me off my pillow. The pressure of lying down on my head was enough to cause the pain to be even worse. The second reason I got up was because of all that water I drenched down my throat. I had to go to the bathroom like there was no tomorrow. After that was taken care of, I figured why not just give in to reality? I tossed away any thoughts of attempting to sleep more to take a nice cold-ish shower instead. That definitely woke me up some while also combating against the headache somewhat.

My fake eye went back in afterwards. Seeing myself in the mirror was always a weird thing. I looked normal. I looked whole. My reflection screamed at me that it should be possible to see like I always had, but the black mist kept on being a pain. However, I didn't mind it so much that morning. My mood was better despite the mild hangover, and today was going to be a good day. My friends and I had a bunch of things planned.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Eight

The two of them had been talking all morning. The empty house gave them the chance to do such a thing. Mom, against all odds, had been home for weeks with next to no issues popping up past the expected aches and problems one would encounter after dealing with cancer. Uncle Blaze had taken her to the hospital for a checkup. Prism and Desire were there as well, for Desire had a checkup of her own. Well, one mostly for the baby. Cerise and Glade were away at school. That left it at dad, Grandpa Jac, me, and Doodle in the house, and Doodle was out in the yard being his crazy self running around.

I don't think dad would have stopped me if I tried to participate in the conversation he and Grandpa Jac were having, but I didn't want to have a part in the conversation. Funnily enough, I was more than done with secret organizations. Even with my lung and ribs being healed for a few weeks now, the memory of that pain refused to leave. All of my movements were cautious and considered. I even stopped every time I went up or down the stairs, like I was doing at that moment, to make sure there was nothing I could trip on.

Anyway, it had been when I'd been allowed to go from recovering at the hospital to recovering at home that I finally revealed to dad the danger that continued to haunt us. There had been no explanation. There had been no details. I told him the reality of The Company's new identity and way of existing, and I warned of the danger. He questioned me how I knew, of course, but he eventually came to accept that there would simply have to be some secrets. His trust over my utmost sincerity in the confirmation that we no longer had to worry about the mysterious organization was tentative at first. I'd been able to convince him though that we could turn to Officer Noble once more for protection. Dad had naturally also spread the word to the others who were affected, hence the serious talking with Grandpa Jac.

About Chapter 38

Unfortunately, the next chapter of CMW is going to have to be delayed a bit. Blogger was being glitchy over the weekend (preventing me from adding pictures and doing weird things when I tried to save), and I also have been feeling under the weather recently. I'll try to have it up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience! And, if you'd like something else to read while you wait, check out this fun Vampire Coven side challenge I'm doing on Tumblr!

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Seven

It's a strange feeling- not understanding consciousness. Not remembering what it was to be awake or, heck, even alive. There was no clear line between when I was trapped in the darkness, when some senses started to return, or when I began to recognize the noises, scents, and sensations of everything around me with any sort of clarity. The dark was familiar. It was my escape. It felt good to be there, and I didn't question its presence. What I questioned was anything that intruded the peace. Strange beeps echoed out like long trills. Distant murmurs buzzed along like slow moving clouds. A pressure, though gentle, placed itself upon my head every now and again. Sometimes I could get it all to go away if I concentrated hard enough on the quiet I could find, but it was impossible for me to keep it at bay for forever.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Six

My back instantly straightened up, but my chest had a different idea of what I should do. The grating of the main cracked rib was so definite that I could feel the unsettling movement right before the now familiar searing pain erupted dark spots in the corner of my eyes. I instinctively curled back up, but I at least managed to catch the cough that rattled in my throat. It was even better that whoever was going to enter hadn't fully swung the door open yet. My sudden, random movement went unnoticed. Footsteps soon approached, however, and I made sure to freeze all further movement.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Five

My feet wore down the same repetitive walk that had now been firmly ingrained into both normal memory and muscle memory. Working in the warehouse moving boxes was somehow much more boring than working at the bookstore sitting around and doing almost nothing most of the time. Now three weeks experienced in my new 'job', I did the same thing everyone else did. A quick glance was all it took me to know where to put a box. I knew how to file the arrivals into the system, and I was proving to be one of the quickest ones at prepping the boxes meant for departure. That was because none of the other workers had a serious motivator behind them like I did with Buckeye. If I didn't work quickly and efficiently, well...

While I had gotten to know the names of the other workers, I still kept my distance. They kept theirs too. A few questions had been asked to them at the beginning about certain aspects of the job, but other than that it nothing but a 'Sorry' or 'Excuse me' if we accidentally bumped into each other on the floor. There were however, lots of awkward catches of each others' glances and just as rapid breaking of them. Case in point, the moment that was occurring then.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Four

It took me a great while, what felt like a great while to my messed up head anyway, to realize there was nothing holding me down. No part of me had been broken beyond repair. There were no ropes tying me up. I had not been drugged in any sort of manner. The harsh blow to the back of my head had been all that had been done, and that was the reasoning behind the overwhelming sense of entrapping motionless that had me stuck on the bed. My eyes did open every now and again. My brain was working enough to at least take in my surroundings and put them together into a cohesive picture. What it couldn't do, however, was get me to react to it. I knew I had been attacked and captured because I let my emotions make me a damn idiot who ran to the perfect location to give my mysterious enemies the perfect opportunity at me. I understood I was most likely in the very same room dad had been kept in. It looked like what he described. What I didn't do was care.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Three

I ran my fingers softly across the sill of the window and frowned at the subtle cold touch of the wood. The hospital did the absolute best it could to keep the heat in and the cold out, but it was impossible for them to make sure all of winter's chill remained where it belonged. The room could have been warmer if the blinds were closed, yet mom refused to block the window unless she was changing. It's not that I didn't get that desire. How many years had she been cooped up in this room for the majority of the time now? Restricting herself more from one of her few connections to the normal world wasn't a pleasant idea. However, I was tempted to go against her wishes for a moment. I truthfully doubted having the blinds closed would seriously make any improvements to mom's health, but it was not a lie to say I had been in a state of high paranoia for a few months.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty Two

The gentle crashing of the ocean waves onto the shore in the not so distant distance sang their luring song to me, but I mentally sighed and resigned myself to the fact that there would definitely be no more ocean swimming this year. The temperatures were really beginning to drop both on land and in the water. Our heated pool would have to suffice. I was comfortable standing around in the open field near the beach. However, I had heard rumors that in maybe two or three weeks we would have snow on the ground. It would be a bit early in the season still for that, but knowing my hometown I didn't doubt a freak snowfall could occur. It was beyond me how Pastel wasn't freezing, but according to her and Citrine their own hometown was much colder overall than Berrybrook was.

     "Mom's been trooping on like always," I continued my report of how things were progressing in my life, "The radiation therapy actually hasn't been affecting her too badly. She caught a fever though, so her doctor decided to keep her at the hospital until it goes away just to make sure it doesn't develop into something awful. He gave us the news that he was hoping to see a bit more improvement with decreasing the tumor than what has been seen, but it's only been two weeks. His theory for how everything will play out is that the radiation will get rid of the majority of the tumor, but not all of it. However, the decrease of cancer should give mom more strength to recover enough of her health for a surgery to take care of the last of it."
     "That's seriously good news, Coal. It sounds like everything is going the best it can." Citrine replied encouragingly.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty One

Those two solemn words mom spoke lingered painfully in the air. Her eyes darted this way and that, but never got higher than the floor. She waited for someone to say something, for someone to react, but I think the rest of us, at least I was, were waiting for her to keep going. To say it was just a joke. To reveal it actually wasn't that serious. When the silence dragged on until it grew suffocating, I looked to dad. There was no doubt by the stunned expression he wore that mom hadn't chosen to speak to him about this beforehand.

     "Lung cancer?"

Wisp was the brave one to break the tension. Even his soft voice boomed like thunder as the horror was that immense.

     "But..but that's something that only people who smoke and stuff get!" Cerise piped up, her words dripped with denial.

     "It's more common for them, but that's not necessarily true," mom countered gently, "All the horrible bouts of pneumonia I've had are what's done it. My lungs have been weakened so much, it was the right environment for the mutations to thrive.

Gen Two- Chapter Thirty

My whole body froze in an instant. The most movement I could get was out of my fingers, and even twitching them had them feeling like they creaked and popped. What I saw almost made me feel nauseated as everything came at me in both slow motion and quickened speed. I didn't dare turn my head or blink, for I had had this dream many times. It wouldn't be long before my alarm went off. That's how it always worked. My mind would give me the sweetest but briefest moment of relief, and reality would snatch it away just like that.

     "Oh, my baby girl..."

His voice gushed softly, but his words echoed with a boom in my ears. That was his voice. The one I'd almost forgotten. I latched onto the sound with fervor. Dad rarely spoke in my dreams, and if he did the words were practically inaudible. I would try and strain to hear, I would try and get closer, and that's when it would all end.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Nine

Upon pulling the rolling chair closer to mom's bed, I gave her an exasperated but amused glance as I sat down in it. I thought she would be ecstatic with the news I presented her. She had instead frowned and let out a 'What?' that held an extreme mixture of shock, worry, and disapproval.

     "Please do remember that you told me to do something. 'Anything', you said. Anything," I pointed out with a grin, "Well, I picked my 'anything', so don't try to tell me now to chose a different something."

     "I know what I said, and of course I won't stop you if it's what you really want. But, a police officer? Coal, that's so dangerous."

     "I know." I accepted with a nod.

     "Berrybrook is a relatively calm place where there's not much going on, but there still have been murders. There is still crime scattered here and there, and it was just seven months ago where an officer in the department you'd most likely end up in got brutally stabbed and dropped out a window. You can't blame me for being hesitant about this."

     "No, I know," I repeated, much more solemnly this time, "I definitely don't blame you, and I certainly understand. Truth be told, I have become more nervous about it as the excitement has been wearing off and the reality of what being a cop entails sinks in. However, I'm determined to go for it no matter what. This is what I want."

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Eight

I sighed when I felt a light breeze ruffle the air. A few of the many fall leaves scattered on the ground moved ever so slightly, and the branches on the trees rustled almost inaudibly. The wind was wholly insignificant, but it was going to make Azure do what he had been doing nonstop during the game of horseshoes he was playing with Midas. Putting it simply, Azure was sucking big time. He had always been horrible at horseshoes, but his throws were all over the place today. Thus, Azure had come to the bright conclusion that it was the wind messing him up. At even the slightest trickle of air running past him, he would stop, wait until there was no breeze, prep his throw for way longer than necessary, and finally make his toss unless another gentle huff of air caused him to repeat the process.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Seven

Thanks to the furry thing darting around my feet, I was doing a truly bizarre dance. My new, most favorite companion in the world practically refused to leave my side, so my senses were on constant high alert. I really didn't need to step on my dog and break the poor thing in half.

     "Alright, Doodle, stop."

I had to do something though. Every step I took was halted because Doodle kept placing himself under my foot. My original plan had me getting a slightly bigger dog, but one look into Doodle's eyes had had me falling in love. They were a stunningly captivating blue. He was a two-year-old schnoodle, which was a cross between a schnauzer and a poodle, with the slightest bit of mutt mixed in. His name when I got him had been Snickerdoodle. I figured the previous owner had wanted to rhyme Snickerdoodle with schnoodle, but I didn't feel as if that name really fit him. That's why I shortened it to Doodle, and he had thankfully had no problem with it. Doodle had also thankfully been well trained from the get-go. He stopped darting about the instant I gave the command.

     "Good boy." I praised, kneeling down to give him a good pet.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Six

Tangerine reached for the bear as I danced it closer. She then proceeded to attempt to give me a frown when I abruptly yanked it back, but she was giggling too much to pretend she was annoyed. We had been going through this kind of motion a dozen times during the story I had been telling anyway. It had turned into a game she was loving.

     "But when the shadows appeared in front of him, Mr. Bear leapt back into the light. He decides to go right to continue his escape from the evil Dragon overlord." I described dramatically.

     "No!" Tangerine exclaimed loudly, still with a massive grin on her face.

     "No? Alright, he decides to go left," I changed the tale even though I knew my niece could hardly understand a word I was saying and was just shouting out words she did know like always, "The left route appeared to be full of shadows as well, but, behold, the trees begin to clear and the sun breaks through the branches more powerfully than ever. Seeing a clearing ahead, Mr. Bear takes another leap forward to reach sanctuary under the beautiful open sky."

I tauntingly stretched the bear towards Tangerine again. She almost clawed it out of my grip that time around. It was my plan to not let her have it until the story was done, and there was still some story left to tell. That was the plan- until my phone started to ring.

     "The Dragon overlord couldn't reach Mr. Bear in the sun, and so Mr. Bear was free. He traveled and traveled before one day finding a city on top of a cliff that lived under the light of an eternal sun. He met a lovely lady bear, and the two married and lived happily ever after." I quickly wrapped the tale up.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Five

Stretching out my legs in front of me, I tried not to move much otherwise. A hearty lunch stuffed my stomach fuller than it should have been. It was Tuesday- one of my days off. Normally that meant I watched Riny for longer than normal, I went to see a movie by myself, or I visited mom as everyone else was either at school or work. I can't express how thrilled I was to hear Malachite was on vacation and that he was down for entertaining me at his place. I didn't require that much to keep me satisfied anyway. Simply being somewhere different was good enough for me. Heck, I think Malachite had forgotten I was there. It was that or he either didn't care in the slightest that I could see all the stupid faces he was unknowingly making as he got involved in the television show he was watching.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Four

A bizarre mixture of nostalgia, amusement, and sadness swirled together in my chest. It was a bit before lunch on a Friday about a month into the new school year. There was no school on this particular Friday as there was some kind of mandatory training going on for all the teachers in the district. That meant Glade was joining me as I babysat Wisp's daughter like I did most mornings. Her name was Tangerine, although everyone usually just called her Riny. A little over a year old, she was freaking adorable.

And having Glade play peek-a-boo with her while I sat nearby was what brought about the strange mixture of emotions within my chest. I was amused because both Glade's and Tangerine's giggles were hilarious. I was nostalgic because it felt like just yesterday I was sitting in almost the exact spot they were in now entertaining Cerise with a game of peek-a-boo, and I was sad naturally because of the silent yet devastating event that would unfold later that day. I tried to focus on the happier of the emotions, of course.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Three

School was done for the day, and it was quiet in the halls. Cerise and Glade were taking the bus home because I had something to do that afternoon, and I was actually letting Azure borrow dad's car, which had basically become mine, in order to go around and do some shopping for Moon's birthday. The two of them had had a thing after they first went to homecoming before there had been a long break where they went back to being just friends. Now they were dating after having gone to homecoming together again, and I swore Moon was already picking out her wedding dress. Girls. Azure was happy though, which was nice to see because I was having trouble feeling such an emotion myself lately.

     "So, what do you think? Clothes? Jewelry? She likes both, but I feel like those are both safe and boring ideas." Azure asked.

     "I dunno." I shrugged.

     "C'mon, Coal! You have three sisters! You should be able to tell me the best presents for a girl with ease!" Azure whined.

     "Except Moon isn't my sister, and every girl is different," I rolled my eyes with a smirk, "But, didn't I hear her talking about wanting a puppy? You could try that."

     "I can't get her a puppy." Azure frowned.

     "Why not? She said that her parents were seriously considering letting her get one. Talk to them to make sure it's alright, and then go to the humane society or something. That's where Uncle Eden got Button. They have a bunch of dogs of all ages, they take care of all their shots and stuff, they neuter or spay them too, and they're relatively inexpensive. Then you and Moon could go shopping for a bed, collars, toys, and whatever, and it'd be like you'd have your own puppy baby to raise together."

     "Possibly." Azure conceded, sounding almost convinced.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty Two

This was my second time playing this game. The one where I looked down at the wood chips to find matching or similar ones. I wasn't having the best of luck given that I couldn't move from my position on the swing in addition to me having to actively participate in a conversation. I probably should have been focusing more on that second thing anyway, but I had had a lot of trouble concentrating recently.

     "When we got to the market, mom got really mad at me. I couldn't help myself. Everything was so colorful. All I wanted to do was take pictures. Mom kept on complaining that it felt like she was spending her vacation talking to a camera. She finally took it away from me after another half hour." Rosemary spoke cheerfully.

     "I would do so too." I responded.

Then I faded my attention out again. Rosemary had been going on for a while about the vacation she and Aunt Deny had just gotten back from. They had gone to a country overseas known for its flavorful food, rich and colorful scenery, and energetic culture. I had been jealous when Rosemary initially told me about the trip, but now I was content to ignore every now and again what my cousin was telling me. It didn't exactly work out in my favor.

     "After we bought this dragon egg that later went on to hatch in the fire we had in our hotel room, mom and I ended up participating in a local magic show where a spell went wrong granted mom the ability to fly. I rode on her back instead of us taking a plane home."

     "That's pretty cool."

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty One

The gentle tapping of me lightly hitting my forehead against the glass of the table beat out a steady rhythm one could make quite the lovely song to if one was so inclined. Song melodies were not what my mind concerned itself with though at the moment. It instead sped through every kind of job or random career I'd ever heard of in hopes that one of the ideas would catch my interest. The best I was getting were possible jobs that would at least not make me want to rip my hair out. However, there failed to be one that I actually wanted to strive for. There was so far nothing that gave me the impression that I would be happy doing it the way Wisp enjoyed his art or Prism loved his film making.

     "I want at least three things written down by lunch!" mom called to me, poking her head out of her bedroom door to add more stress.

     "I know." I growled to myself slowly in annoyance.

Gen Two- Chapter Twenty

I frowned as I searched through the final drawer in the downstairs restroom. I picked up several boxes. All but one of them were not what I needed in the slightest, and the one that contained what could have been used had a very big problem with it. It got tossed in the trash immediately. Sighing, I closed the drawer and pressed my forehead against the wood. Lunchtime was only just slowly creeping up on us, and I was already exhausted. A headache was forming in my temples as well. The tingling ringing that then echoed throughout the house was the main source of that. The sound had been going non-stop.

Playing with Colors (Women)

This is the companion update to this fun little post I did back in November. I originally tried to do the women's half at the same time as the men, but Ethereal's white skin was causing problems with all of the ladies having that glow on them even after they were no longer white. Thus, I decided to use Meadow's green instead. Forgive the fact that their expressions are bit stiff and weird. I used a moviemaker pose to have them hold still, and I wasn't paying attention to how awkward it looked until after I was done.

Once again, to start off we have Ethereal/Meadow, Sunset, and Sunflower in their true colors.

Chapter Nineteen

Holly locked her determined stare on mine as tightly as I locked mine on hers. This was all out war, and I was not planning on losing. I would not subject myself to the torture that would bring.

     "Why don't you just go ahead and back out, Vivid?" Holly taunted, "I'll make it worth your while."

     "There is absolutely nothing you can give me that would have me willingly throwing myself under the bus. Even a hundred dollar gift card to Zero's or the like won't make me budge." I declined stubbornly.

     "There's a possibility that could actually be arranged. Remember, you do love the food they make there." she lured me, tilting her head at just the perfect angle.
     "You're seriously willing to spend one hundred freaking dollars just so you don't have to do the works cited page for your project?" Uncle Al, lazing about on the couch nearby watching television, balked in stupefied awe, "I don't think I raised you to be like that."

     "You haven't seen how many sources we have, and you don't know what our teacher is like." Holly pointed out to him with so much genuine dread that I burst out laughing.

Gen Two- Chapter Eighteen

There was only two ways this evening was going to go. Barely acceptable or badly. My money was on the second outcome. It was true I was smiling to myself in the mirror, but that was because I had been forcing myself to smile for the past half hour or so. If you put on a happy face, your mood increases naturally on its own. That's what they say anyway, right? It was what I was hoping for as I got ready. I figured the majority of my outing would actually be just fine. It was the choice I would have to make at the end that was causing my palms to sweat.

     "Well, at least I look alright." I mumbled to myself, adjusting my collar as the nerves coursing throughout my body had it feeling like it was strangling me otherwise.

Gen Two- Chapter Seventeen

I cursed Uncle Eden. He was one of those obnoxious types of people who could get up early in the morning and be super happy for some reason. This had led to him refusing to let mom sleep in most of the time, which had trained her to be able to tolerate mornings more than the average person as well. That, in turn, meant that mom also refused to let us sleep in too. She had poked and prodded me until I was forced to rise even though I stayed up late to do a good portion of my homework exactly like she asked me. I had no choice but to get dressed, but mom was thankfully content to leave me alone after that. I'm sure she thought I would go about my day, but what I actually did was pop downstairs to grab an apple to fool her into thinking I was moving about when in reality I placed the apple on my nightstand before collapsing right back onto my bed. Sleep didn't take long to find me. Annoyance found me quickly too though when ten minutes later my phone ran incessantly. I sent the call to voicemail at first, but the person called again. And then a third time.

     "Yes?" I asked with a sickeningly sweet voice at whoever was there when I picked up on the fourth call.

     "Oh, good, I got you," Mimosa answered brightly, completely oblivious to my sarcastic friendliness, "I was wondering, Coal, are you busy?"

     "Since it's 8:30 on a Saturday morning, not really." I responded.

I did try to hide the tired taunting in my voice as much as possible since I knew Mimosa certainly wasn't attempting to be bothersome on purpose, but my exhaustion caused a hint of it to slip through.

     "Great!" she exclaimed, still oblivious, "Would you be interested in meeting up with me soon then?"

It's My Birthday! (#4)

Aaaah! XD

Each time I do one of these, it feels like only last week I made the previous one. I'm beginning to not like it, haha.

Anyway, that's all I had to say! :D

Gen Two- Chapter Sixteen

If you asked me how many times I had sighed in the past ten minutes, I wouldn't be able to give you an accurate answer. All I knew was that the answer was high as well as that I was even beginning to feel a little light-headed from all the expunging of air I was doing. I was absolutely sick of the scenario I was in, for it happened far too often. There I stood at the west entrance of the elementary school. It was a new wing they built about three years ago to deal with the school's seemingly always increasing student total. It would have been nice if they built it an extra three years earlier so my friends and I could have experienced the reduced strain of moving throughout the halls ourselves.

In any case, the halls were certainly empty at the moment. School was out for the day, and all the normal, sane people had departed. The kids who rode buses got on their buses. The kids who got picked up came right outside the find their parent's car in the line-up of the special idling lane built to make the departure process smooth and easy...save for my kids. I was beginning to make friends with the parents waiting in cars who also had children who took their time. I never spoke a word to those parents, but we communicated well enough through eye rolls and shakes of our heads. I was also on the receiving end of sympathetic smiles, because I was almost always the last one waiting. I don't know why I bothered to get in that special lane sometimes. It made more sense to actually park the car like I had done several minutes ago. I would have loved to have gone into the school to find the little brats and drag them out, but this door only opened from the inside except for in the morning when students arrived. I knew as soon as I started to make the trek to the main door that my two would appear.

Color My World Behind the Scenes #3

It's that time again! With the most recent chapter ending the first arc of Generation Two and ushering in the first time skip, in addition to being the approximate halfway mark for this generation, we are at the point where I get to dump out my photos I have taken of the random things going on behind the scenes. I don't really have much to say other than this, so let's just jump in and enjoy!

The honor of the very first shot of any 2nd Gen kids belongs to Hunter. I had put Eden and Rose together in a separate save before this in order to see what kind of children they would have, but in this instance of getting them to have a baby I determined that this was the one who was going to be the child for the story. Personally, I always envisioned them having a little girl. I almost influenced the pregnancy to make that happen, but I wanted to stick to a decision I made even earlier when beginning this project that, aside from the heirs and certain key characters, I wouldn't tamper with the genders, appearances, colors, and etc. of the babies born. That was how Hunter got to keep his role and actually go on to be one of my favorite Sims to include despite me not initially liking him all that much.

Gen Two- Chapter Fifteen

Dead silence rang throughout the house. Time stood suffocatingly still, and the lingering echoes of Uncle Blaze's words rang in my ears. They lost? We lost? Some judge had seriously thought taking Rosemary away by forcing her to live with people she didn't want to live with was the best thing for her? The fact that Rosemary was happier than ever and had soared in school rankings to be the number one student in her class wasn't proof enough of how much Uncle Eden and Aunt Deny had helped her? Shipping her off to the other side of the country during the last third of the school year didn't seem absolutely absurd to the court?

I had no idea what to say. I had no idea of what to do. Uncle Blaze and I just stood there in the silence. He still wore that strange expression I couldn't read, and there was something off about the whole aura he emanated. I could have sworn it was almost as if he was holding back a smile. I stared up at him with eyes unblinking- until those eyes swarmed with tears once more. The tears of heartbreak, not the wet eyes caused by a cold that I had been dealing with all day. My tolerance levels completely shot thanks to the exhaustion of my illness, I was about to utterly lose it. I wouldn't be surprised if my legs collapsed on me again as I turned into that blubbering mess. Seconds away from that happening was when Uncle Blaze's attitude rapidly changed.

     "Coal, wait, please don't cry. I'm so sorry. I'm just an asshole. Phrasing it like that on purpose like that to see your reaction was such a dick move. I don't know what I was thinking." he apologized for whatever reason.

Confusion putting a possible block on my tears, I frowned as I awaited clarification.

     "Eden and Deny technically lost the case, but Mary will be staying with us."