So You Want To Get Your Friend Obsessed With The Dream SMP?

Suggestions on how to celebrate your own birthday

eat chocolates and truffles for breakfast

wear that one perfume that’s too decadent, too extravagant for daytime - wear as much of it as you want

pick a volume of poetry. how old are you turning? read as many poems and consider what you can learn from them for the next year - not necessarily regarding morals and deeper meaning. take in the grace and beauty of the words, enjoy their melody

at night, turn off the lights and dance with your moonlit shadow

scatter roses in your own path

enjoy the selfless hedonism of your childhood - play, read, dance and dream wholeheartedly

look at art - in a museum, ideally, but books etc will work as well. recognise yourself in a gesture, a nose, a thought expressed in an arrangement of fruit. recognise that just like those pieces of art depict humans and were made by humans, you are art.

look at your own reflection. fall in love a little.

write down how you’d like to be 12 months from now. be specific, visualise your ideal self. reread those visions once a month.

wear your favourite lipstick. kiss your own wrist. (a lover’s token, a promise)

take every step with grace, feel roses woven in your hair and gold dripping from your fingertips

indulge in sensual luxuries

write a love letter to yourself, to be opened on your next birthday

even if you don’t have the time or the means for grand gestures - treat every little thing you do today as a gift to yourself.

feel the centre of your universe shift, ever so slightly, until the sun rises for you.

updated elf hair!!

Home by u

Academic writing advice inspired by Umberto Eco’s ‘How to Write a Thesis’:

Planning

Determine primary sources/bibliography.

Determine secondary sources/bibliography. 

Find title.

Brainstorm a table of contents with as much detail as possible (with chapters, sections and even paragraphs and sub-paragraphs - see How to Write a Thesis’ own table of contents as an example at the end of this document) (if the first drafted table of contents is good enough, it will not be necessary to start the writing from the beginning).

Do a first draft of the introduction.

Note-taking and research

Use Google Scholar to make sure you do not miss important sources.

Keep the table of contents in mind when researching and take notes of which sources could go where.

While note-taking, differentiate which parts could be used as quotations from the ones that are simply important for the argument.

Eco underlines the importance of what he calls reading sheets, which can be understood as your notes on your readings. According to him, these should contain:

information about the author if he is not a well-known figure;

a brief (or long) summary;

they should mostly consist of quotations (accompanied by all the corresponding page numbers)

any commentaries you might want to add;

an indication of which part (or parts) of your table of contents the information mentioned belongs to.

Keep reading sheets on primary sources (which should be the longest) separate from those on secondary sources (which should only be 1-2 pages long).

In the end, re-read the notes and color-code all the different parts according to where they would fit in your table of contents.

Writing and editing

A good place to start would be by redrafting the introduction.

Define every key/technical term used/mentioned unless indisputably obvious.

General writing tips:

keep sentences short;

do not be afraid to repeat the subject twice (ex: Roberta went to the shop (…) Roberta bought carrots and tomatoes);

avoid excessive details;

avoid subordinate clauses (orações subordinadas);

avoid vague language;

avoid unnecessary adjectives;

avoid the passive voice.

While drafting, write everything that comes to mind. Leave the editing for the end.

Use your tutor as a Guinea pig. Make them read your first chapters (and, progressively, all the rest) well before delivery is due. 

Ask for as much feedback as possible. Ask colleagues, friends and/or family to read your work. They will provide you with more diversified feedback, as well as allowing you to know if your writing is clear to anyone.

Stop playing ‘solitary genius’.

Don’t insist on starting with the first chapter. Start with what you know best and feel more comfortable writing about, then fill in the gaps.

Leave time for editing and try to take at least a one or two days long break in between writing and editing. 

Do not forget to fill in the gaps. When you revisit your writing, go through it with all these writing tips in mind as well as a conscience of what your most common mistakes are.

Use Hemingway in the final editing phase.

Quotations and footnotes

Since there are two kinds of sources (primary and secondary), there are also two kinds of quotations: either we quote a text which we will interpret, or we quote a text which supports your interpretation.

Some quotation rules to know:

“Quote the object of your interpretive analysis with reasonable abundance.”

 “Quote the critical literature only when its authority corroborates or confirms your statements. (…)  when quoting or citing critical [aka secondary] literature, be sure that it says something new, or that it confirms authoritatively what you have said.”

“If you don’t want readers to presume that you share the opinion of the quoted author, you must include your own critical remarks before or after the passage.”

“Make sure that the author and the source of your quote are clearly identifiable.”

“When a quote does not exceed two or three lines, you can insert it into the body of the text enclosed in quotation marks. (…) When the quote is longer, it is better to set it off as a block quotation. In this case the quotation marks are not necessary, because it is clear that all set-off passages are quotes, and we must commit to a different system for our observations. (Any secondary developments [like the quote’s reference] should appear in a note.) (…) This method is quite convenient because it immediately reveals the quoted texts; it allows the reader to skip them if he is skimming, to linger if he is more interested in the quoted texts than in our commentary, and finally, to find them immediately when need be.”

Some footnote rules to know:

“Use notes to add additional supporting bibliographical references on a topic you discuss in the text. For example, ‘on this topic see also so-and-so.’”

“Use notes to introduce a supporting quote that would have interrupted the text. If you make a statement in the text and then continue directly to the next statement for fluidity, a superscript note reference after the first statement can refer the reader to a note in which a well-known authority backs up your assertion.”

“Use notes to expand on statements you have made in the text. Use notes to free your text from observations that, however important, are peripheral to your argument or do nothing more than repeat from a different point of view what you have essentially already said.”

“Use notes to correct statements in the text. You may be sure of your statements, but you should also be conscious that someone may disagree, or you may believe that, from a certain point of view, it would be possible to object to your statement. Inserting a partially restrictive note will then prove not only your academic honesty but also your critical spirit.”

“Use notes to provide a translation of a quote, or to provide the quote in the original language.”

Hi! I am sending my friend a pen pal package and gifts in the mail. I am new to mailing things and was wondering if you had any kind of suggestions? I also am not sure what to include in the letter I want to write him since we talk almost every day. He likes reading and anything trippy. Thanks in advance!

Hi babe, first off you are a incredible and your friend is going to love whatever you send. I am still learning how to send packages so I can’t give too many tips in that regard BUT I have a few suggestions about presentation.

Packaging makes even the smallest gift feel expensive: I love saving tissue paper from Christmas and online shopping packages as well as the bells and whistles such as the little bags, cardboard backing, washi tape, etc. I love padding the bottom with some decorated tissue paper and wrapping 1-2 of the total gifts with some wrapping and twine. It looks beautiful and makes that 1$ magnet feel 20$.

Its all in the Note: The best touch to a package is the note. It can be placed at the top of the package to be read first or tucked in a book (if thats a gift, more on that below). It can be the size of a index card, written in fountain pen with a small envelope tucked with a sticker because who doesn’t love a sticker. While yes you talk every time, but why these gifts? Why are you sending it to them? You wanted to send them something that made you think of them (my favorite reason) or a special occasion or you wanted to celebrate them and their mind. 

A La Gifts: Every time someone has sent me a book I cry. There is nothing more euphoric than ripping off the brown craft paper off a book and seeing that scuffed well loved cover and reading a inscription on the first page. It is the most underrated love language in the entire world. I would send everyone a book this way if I could. If you can I suggest buying a thrifted copy especially if its a older book. There are some fantastic resources online to buy thrifted books. Now regarding specialized book for your pen pal I would recommend some of the following:

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon 

Slaughterhouse - Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin

I hope this wee guide has helped you and when sending the package reach out to you local USPS or whatever postal service you use and ask how to compile the package and/or letter.

Good luck!

xx Savannah

Shadow Moon Challenge

Hello! I’m Simbones! *waves*

I created this challenge as I never play with Vampires anymore and I thought it would be great idea to combine general gameplay with Vampire generations. 

This challenge is based on the same style of the Not So Berry challenge, which I love and I enjoy the general layout so I wanted to create a similar style challenge but with Occults. You don’t have to stick to any colours for this Challenge, I just wanted to keep the format the same. If you haven’t already, you can check out the NSB Challenge here.

You can follow my gameplay over on my blog @simbonez​

Use the hashtag #shadowmoon to share your stories!

RULES:

There are some notes on some Gen rules, I have tried to explain as much as I can, but ultimately how you play this challenge, story wise is up to you.

Gender is not specific to any Generation, apart from Gen 2, where you must birth a son, a ‘male heir’ this will be the first born male. This ‘heir’ however is a false heir and will not be the heir to the next generation, Gen 3.

If a sim specifies that they have a coven, you must make a coven using the GTW group feature. You may put whoever in this coven, the only rule is that they vampires.

If another occult is mentioned in a Gen, e.g A Witch, give them the Vampire occult.

Money cheats can be used, but only to purchase a Gen’s first home, this must be realistic however, especially if they have money tasks in their rules.

If their is no career specified for a gen, you can choose if they have a career or not, such as the vampire aspiration gens.

Explanations:

Bloodline - a direct descendant of your selected sim.

Pureblood - a ‘true’ vampire, a sim that has not been turned, but is a descendant from vampire parents. 

Coven - A group of vampires using GTW Clubs. If a sim specifies that they have a coven, you must make a coven using the GTW Club feature. You may put whoever in this coven, the only rule is that they are vampires.

Let me know if you have any questions! I haven’t yet play-tested, so let me know if you find any conflicts within the story line!

I hope you enjoy! 

Generation One: The Founder

You’re a sim thats obsessed with everything occult. Born human, it is your ultimate dream to infiltrate the vampire kind with your own coven. Driven by your desire, you want to train and produce as many vampires in your bloodline as possible.

Traits: Bookworm, Perfectionist, Genius

Aspiration: Vampire Family

Rules:

Complete Vampire Family Aspiration

Must Start as a Human Sim

Be Turned by a Vampire

Master Vampiric Lore and Parenting Skill

Have 4 Children of your Bloodline

Generation Two: The Dark Sheep

Being brought up with a large family has meant there was a lot of competition growing up. Secretly you just really want to please your parents. However you have become obsessed with the dark arts and it has made you power hungry, you want to be the ultimate high priest no matter who you have to step on to get there.

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Snob, Ambitious

Aspiration: Master Vampire

Rules:

Produce a Male ‘Heir’ to your Coven (Have as many children to achieve this, but you must have at least 2 children, this ‘Male heir’ will be a false heir.)

Master the Master Vampire Aspiration

Master Logic & Pipe Organ Skill

Marry a ‘Pureblood’ Vampire (A Vampire that has not been turned but of vampiric descent*)

Generation Three:  The Rebel

Always walking in your siblings shadow, you were not chosen as your parents heir to their empire. It has made you despise your vampiric culture and everything your family stands for. You wish to steer your life as far away from it as possible. You love herbalism and pour your heart and soul into your life away from the darker forms of vampirism. Unfortunately your curse will remain with you, making your love for the outdoors a dream.

Traits: Loves outdoors, Vegetarian, Good

Aspiration: Good Vampire

Career: Gardener

Rules

Master Gardener Career

Complete Good Vampire Aspiration

Complete Herbalism Skill

Live outside of Forgotten Hollow

Consume Plasma Fruits as much as you can and live by your vegetarian values.

Keep your occult a secret from your Children & Spouse

Generation Four: The Icon

On your ‘young adult’ birthday, you stumble across an old occult book, and you find out about your parent’s origins. Suddenly you begin to make sense of where you came from. You visit forgotten Hollow and realise that everyone is dressing in the 18th century, this town needs a makeover.. STAT. 

Traits: Neat, Materialistic, Creative

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack

Career: Style Influencer

Rules

Master Style Influencer career

Master Leader of the Pack Aspiration

Makeover 10 Vampires from Forgotten Hollow using the makeover chair 

Create and run your own Elite Coven of Vampires.

Release your mother of her immortality using the Ultimate Vampire Cure drink and make her mortal. (You must make the drink yourself)

Generation Five: The Recluse

Always surrounded by flamboyant parties and guests, you are abit of a loner and prefer the company of familiars. You live a simple life and only have what you need. Your family and cats.. lots and lots of cats.

Traits: Loner, Geek, Insane

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Career: Writer

Rules

Master Friend of the Animals aspiration

Master writing skill and Pet training skill.

Marry a ‘Witch’ (*as we do not have witch occults, use the vampire occult) 

Produce a litter of kittens from your cats

Volunteer as a family 3 times

Generation Six: The Gifted

Half Vampire, Half Witch, you are gifted from a very small age. Your powers are unlike others at your age. Your parents told you however to only take what you need, but you often use your powers for personal gain. Neither Vampire nor Witch coven’s don’t want anything to do with you, but you’re happy just playing your guitar and looking after your kid.

Traits: Music Lover, Self-Assured, Romantic

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Career: Entertainer 

Rules

Master Musical Genius Aspiration

Master Guitar Skill

Have one child with a human sim

Never Marry or Move in a partner

Generation Seven: The Mother

Growing up you were the apple of your parent’s eye. You always had everything you ever wanted and your parent tried everything they could to make it happen. As half human and half occult, you are unable to carry vampiric spawn to full term. You insist on having a vampire baby and choose to conjure one instead, no matter the consequences.

Traits: Childish, Insane, Neat

Aspiration: Successful Lineage

Career: Painter

Rules

“Conjure” a vampiric baby (you can cheat this after adopting a child and make them a vampire*)

Master Successful Lineage Aspiration

Master Wellness Skill

Master Painting skill

Only wear dresses for your entire life

Generation Eight: The Enigma

Nobody really knows where you came from, you’re abit of an outcast.. nobody really trusts your magical origins. Conjured by magic, you often wonder if there is a reason for your existence. However you are naturally skilled at vampiric lore beyond your age level and you don’t know why. A dark illegal coven takes you under their wing and you never look back.

Traits: Hot headed, Mean, Active

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Career: Criminal Career

Rules

Cheat Vampiric Lore skill to 8

Master Criminal Career 

Complete Public Enemy Aspiration 

Adopt 2 guard dogs

Have a home worth at least £200,000 Simoleons

Generation Nine: The Fairytale

Being brought up in a Coven Boss household wasn’t the greatest for your love life, an overprotective parent meant you’ve always had your nose in a book and have dreamed of your very own romance story. Wishing someone would save you from a life of crime you will do whatever it takes to find your true love.

Traits: Bookworm, Romantic, Jealous

Aspiration: Soulmate

Career: Arts Critic

Rules

Master Writing & Piano Skill

Master Arts Critic Career

Run away from home as a Teen

Be a Grade A student at School

Marry a Human Spouse

Generation Ten: The Ultimatum

You have had a privileged upbringing and are well aware of your Human & Vampire roots. You are extremely talented in Potion Making and think it may be your true calling. You love creating potions and your Vampire side. However you must make a difficult decision. Do you give in and become a legendary Potion Master, or do you give it all up for true love?

Traits: Cheerful, Self-Assured, Outgoing

Aspiration: Master Mixologist

Career: Culinary

Rules

Master the Mixology Skill

Have a Neatly kept garden at your home 

Fall in love with a Human Sim

Observe the death of your Human Lover (*This can be cheated if desired)

Create the Shadow Realm potion to bring them back to life

Live an eternal life 

🔭

My gender is my fifth most recently used emoji.

Keep the flame going for those we have lost to suicide. 

is no one going to talk about the worldbuilding potential the scuffed origins mod server map has or do i have to.

the floating island? the dumb circle-ravine encompassing the spawn area? the chunk errors where different biomes eat into each other? wilbur calling the dark oak forest nearby “the enchanted forest”? the fact that avians were implied to evolve FROM another species? the giant fuckoff void pit glitch Phil found in the mines?

it’s SO COOL??? WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS?????

Life tips?

I’ll answer this question by echoing notes I’ve left for myself in my journal:

Eyes on the prize while you stop to smell the roses

You are loved, even when you don’t feel like it and even when those that love you don’t do it in the most efficient ways

Try not to take shit personally, everyone is just projecting

The success you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding

If he isn’t in awe of you, he doesn’t deserve you

Outgrow feeling like you have to play small to protect peoples feelings

The pain of self-discipline is better than the pain of regret

If you allow a man to feed you he has the power to starve you—be independent and have your own income and assets

If God puts rice in your basket, there is no point in wishing for soup—instead of wallowing in self-pity, make the most of your situation and excel

Fashion is for your everyday life, not just for big occasions

Your brain changes more in your twenties than at any other time in your adult life—whatever it is that you want to change about yourself, now is the time to do it by building good habits

Speed is relatively unimportant, forward is forward

Low self-esteem often leads to adverse self-fulfilling prophecies; break the cycle and build a strong sense of self-worth

The people who reach the greatest heights are not always the strongest, nor the most intelligent; they are the most responsive to change

Some of these are truisms I’ve found on Tumblr, some are quotes from books I’ve read, some are wisdom I’ve received from the people in my life, and others are things I’ve realized from self-reflection. This probably wasn’t the most organized but I hope it was still helpful! ❣️