And, with everything in pocket, they finally arrived at the store -- where I promptly had them stand outside in the rain for a while while I dumped a bunch of their money into the place and spent a good chunk of time doing a bit of remodeling! Namely -- remember how, in a previous update, I complained about not having enough processing space, but didn't want to make the store significantly bigger? And then remembered in the tags that basements exist?

Welcome to the new Van Liddelton Groceries employee break room and basement processing center! XD Yes, I decided that the best way to get more space for everything I wanted was to go down and expand THERE. So the previous processing room was turned into a chill out area for the trio and any future employees they may have (complete with fridge and microwave for meals, some seating, a bookcase for those who like to read, and a TV for those who like to watch -- it still feels a little unfinished and empty to me, but I'll figure it out as we go along), and all the processing stuff was moved into the basement area! Now they have a nice long kitchen with plenty of counter space and TWO fridges and stoves to play with; two bulk processing machines; the juice fizzer and the cupcake machine; a cauldron for Victor should he want to to make potions while on the lot (once he actually learns a few more recipes); and -- well. I know it looks like a science bench. . .

But it's actually an APOTHECARY bench. Because that's one of the mods I downloaded from @simsonianlibrary -- The Apothecary Kit! This mod allows a Sim to make gummies based on herbalism recipes, and tablets based on Scientist serums -- you need roughly twice the amount of ingredients, but you get six gummies per bag and six tablets per bottle, so, kind of a deal? I spotted this while perusing their Patreon for a different mod (which I will get to in just a moment), and was like "okay, that'll be PERFECT for Smiler -- I was originally gonna make them a Scientist anyway to learn those serum recipes!" So now the store can have a pharmacy section too! :D

However, first things first -- we still had room on those front shelves for flower arrangements! So Smiler started making one final one of those while I sent Victor and Alice downstairs to do a little more processing and clean up any spoiled food hanging about. Alice made a few boxes of tomato sauce, then started working on milk products while Victor filled up the juice fizzer with some lemons --

And then started making some deodorizing perfume! For THAT is the mod that I originally went to Simsonian's Patreon to download -- Perfumery! Because it's another good use of all the flowers the gang grows. This mod adds a ten-level "perfumery" skill that allows you to eventually create a variety of perfumes with different effects -- mostly triggering different emotional buffs. And since they're scents, they effect not only the Sim wearing them, but any Sims who smell them (to a lesser degree. . .and, naturally, this doesn't work with the deodorant. Unfortunately. :p). I thought it might be fun to have my Sims get into, so Victor brewed up a batch of deodorant from a bunch of snowdrops and brought it upstairs...

Where I ran into a rather weird problem. Namely, the perfume just will NOT go onto the SrslySims consignment shelves I'm using in my store. Or, rather, it won't go DIRECTLY on them -- but it WILL stack onto items that are already ON the shelves (like a box of sauce, or a bag of flour). Which is -- puzzling, to say the least. It WILL go onto other custom content shelves, so I'm not sure what's going on with Srsly's. I think mayhaps I may have to make a custom display for any future perfumes! O.o

For the moment, though, the perfume went on the front counter (along with one of the spare decorative eggs from Easter -- look, all the ones in the store are duplicates, I may as well sell them), and while Smiler finished up their flower arrangement, I started Victor on another important task -- namely, seeing what in the store could be hit with Copypasto! I already know the bulk food items can't be copied, but what about animal treats? Herbalism potions? Smiler's baby robot toys? Science must know!

me everyday

Samurai and Ninja in crappy pics because December here is under a constant cloud and I just want y'all to see them all golden and cute without learning how to take aesthetic pictures 🥴 💙❤️😆🥰

linktr.ee/Mezzy

you know im thinking. im thinking maybe Yoichi wasn't even that into captain hero as an adult, but AfO kept bringing LITERALLY every conversation back to that because he decided to Be The Demon Lord and so Yoichi like, can't get an argument in unless he uses the same material so he's like 'oh my god i haven't even thought about that comic in ten years but even i know the bad guy didn't win. you should not be basing you whole identity, business model, and world destruction plan on your five-second impression of a comic book bad guy who didn't even win! also you shouldn't kill people!'

I really think we're not taking advantage of the potential for Catholic lifestyle shows. Shows for parents that teach about traditions and devotions to incorporate in family life--prayers, crafts, foods, etc. Cooking competitions where people make traditional foods associated with different feast days in different cultures. Travel shows about different countries' unique Catholic traditions. Just stuff that makes it clear that Catholicism can be woven into the everyday parts of life.

(OLD OC SKETCHES) Meet Sunnabelle Von Sunnoviche, final daughter of the Sunnoviche family. Peeking from behind a window, she witnessed a wizards final spell, one that reduced the world to a wasteland. Her noble blood damned her to [HELL], but unwanting to suffer with her family, she made a deal with the devil. She now hunts in his name. The top of her head was taken by the blast on that day. The fires of her spirit have boiled her blood into a super-heated plasma.

regarding tags on your last rb: i feel like ling burns water when he tries to cook but can also make a not half bad basic meal. i feel like these concepts coexist in him

I COULD SEE THAT TBH. during the camping trip from hell, he absolutely ruins several soups and is permanently removed from cooking duty, but then they end up having access to a real kitchen and he somehow pulls together a halfway decent stir fry and everyone is stunned

fathers day is this month how am i going to inflict psychic damage on myself

seeing how sanji's team became the heroes of zou, not by defeating an evil guy, but simply by tending to the wounded, feeding them, lifting their spirits.

it makes me soft

brian, the new shoe manager and cookie's nice guy sweet little church boo that magic homoerotically dommed and destroyed out of sheer prideful bloodlust should DEFINITELY be looked into as a casting option for a sam cooke biopic bcs .. WOW??

LIKE AM I TRIPPING OR

Anyway. Gonna go watch the next three eps of Prime and I really do hope that they change my mind on at least some of the flaws of the writing. I don't think it can fix everything at this point but I want to give this show as fair of a shot as possible

I know journaling is helpful esp if you have memory problems, i always avoid looking back at my journals honestly. but damn.. Reading my 2022 shits been so painful.

2023 genuinely was a much better year even if did spend much of it cooped inside my room, looking at a screen. Hoping for an even better 2024. I know its only October but hey. Im always jumping ahead a few months mentally. It may as well be winter already as far as Im concerned. I want to get this winter over with. I feel very hopeful for 2024 for some reason

Tired of oldest child syndrome, tired of being known as the experiment child, this sucks

Gbavag not knowing enough about/ how to draw your oc is such a curse...

Like you draw them, but it’s not THEM y’know? And the you’re stuck in a loop of “I’m not drawing them because I don’t know how to” and “I won’t know how to draw them unless I practice”

tue, aug 1st (day 2)

I finally did a successful workout today (only 20 minutes but it was more intense than the workouts I used to do before I got a trial on a workout app (The subscription is way too high so I'm just using it to try something new and collect new exercises)) and made oatmeal with honey and strawberries and some coffee because I was still feeling hot from the workout. I didn't use to drink coffee almost at all until this summer when I needed something to cool down so I tried to make something that was basically a spoonful of coffee with sugar mixed in a glass of milk, added ice and have been making a better (and iceless) version of that since even when it's colder. But I still prefer tea in the morning and can't wait for autumn.

Anyways. Spent most of the morning turning a thrifted shirt into a pillowcase while rewatching a whole season of The Good Place and then ate a whole pack of paprika-flavoured crisps instead of the pre-made pasta for lunch (they were delicious. and left some marks on the fabric.)

And because I was so excited about it and really wanted to finish it, I kind of strayed from my routine only the second day in, and arrived at the library almost two hours later than I was supposed to. Which is kind of a point I'd like to talk about for a little bit.

It took me literal years to find a balance between perfectionism and complete chaos. I kept putting everything into stupid school presentations just to make them tip-top, getting migraines from the stress and then had a long period in the past half-year when I was just letting myself do anything I wanted and eventually started having slight breakdowns when something wasn't going according to my expectations. It's rooted in deeper psychological issues that one has to work on, therapy is recommended, and you might need to sever ties with some toxic people in your life.

What I'm trying to say is, I still got a lot done today, I still arrived at the library and took more notes on rabbits. I used my time well, even though not perfectly according to the schedule.

There will come a time (maybe when you lose your daily schedule completely) when you realize that it's all made up and you need time off just as much as you need some time spent working and accomplishing something. You do need both. Burnout is hard to recover from. But if you play all day, every day and bend to your own every whim, you'll eventually start feeling like shit.

I'll be posting something about my own new (temporary) daily schedule soon, about putting it together and how I manage it in practice. For now, have some evening reading aesthetics and my new cosy pillow, and enjoy your day :)

im like Rly weird abt ppl seeing my body move like. if im in a public place and im not walking Perfectly ordinarily or standjng still i sm scared. if i have to bend down to get something from my bag im scared. drop something and have to pick it up Scared. woops i need to run grab something rq Shitting my pants. its dire