A tumblr dedicated to my crossover OT3: Victor Van Dort (Corpse Bride), Alice Liddell (the American McGee's Alice games), and Smiler Alton (my The Smiler rollercoaster-based OC). (Also sometimes Victor and Alice on their own.) Features fanfic, Sims, and more AUs that is probably healthy. I'm Crossover_Chick over on AO3, and have a separate RP blog, The Valice Multiverse!
Hey Newt -- how about the word "write" for the WIP word game? :p
Ahh hello, dear, thank you! You've hit upon an odd blind spot here, I could not find ANYTHING, no instance of this word in any of my vaguely-active WIP docs. But if I expand the search out to 'writing' you get a bit of daffiness from the very silly Miranda AU I started as a gift for @dear-monday xD
“Oh, I’m sure you put the work in. Always so embarrassed to be associated with me.”
“If I was embarrassed I can assure you that the reasons numbered far beyond—” he bit his tongue. “Psychiatrist present.”
They turned as one to look at the psychiatrist in question—and found, to their mutual horror, that he was writing something down.
Edwin blanched. “Oh, bugger.”
Doctor Kashira glanced up at them and smiled pleasantly. “Oh! Nothing to worry about.”
“What is he writing down?” Asa demanded in a sharp hiss. “We haven’t said a word! Oh, this absolutely will not do—I shall not have this man thinking that we have issues.”
send me a word, if it's in my WIP doc I'll post the snippet ^_^
Huh! I would have thought there was one "write" somewhere in the mix...but I quite enjoy the "writing" snippet, especially "and found, to their mutual horror, that he was writing something down." XD
ok sorry to double reblog BUT I just looked him up and he does these fantastic videos where he breaks down HOW he actually mimics the other artists’ styles. Like for ed Sheeran, he explains how he brings his voice forward in the mouth, while Adam Levine sings in the back of the mouth, stuff like that. It’s SO COOL, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone actually break down how to do this sort of thing, as a skill, instead of just treating it like a neat trick they just happen to be good at.
https://www.tiktok.com/@justinjmooremusic
It's June 9th, which means it's time to wish a happy birthday to the final member of my OT3, Victor Van Dort! And as tradition demands, we have another photo of my plushies celebrating, with Victor Plush enjoying some chocolate-and-peanut-butter squares with Smileon the Smiler Bear and Alice Dolly. All while Dougie the dragon looks on, Us the intellect devourer cuddles everyone from behind, and Doc from BTTF hangs out on the side there. XD What can I say, I think it's cute. Happy birthday Victor!
I love that four different people on my feed scheduled this joyous person to reblog by 8am on June 1. I look forward to seeing this a dozen more times today.
Hey, everyone -- I am pleased to announce that, after much trial and error and fiddling around with things, the Polyheart OT3 house is now officially done inside AND out! :D Yes, as hinted at in previous posts, I decided that, after all the work I put into the interior of the house, I didn't want to leave the lot around it blank -- my OT3 deserves better than that. So I proceeded to give them a heart-shaped pool; a barbecue area to go with the heart-shaped pool; a heart-shaped mini-greenhouse to match the heart-shaped pool on the other side of the house; and a picnic area to match the barbecue area. Because I like symmetry and I figured, if I already had a heart-shaped house... XD I also made a couple of last-minute tweaks to the interior (separate from the Pride SDX drop updates I showcased last month), because I am never truly satisfied with anything. :p Let me take you through all the changes in a little more detail:
Interior: As stated above, I made four little tweaks to the interior of the house while finishing off the build:
->I added a coffee table to the living room! Because the longer I looked at it, the more I was like "it needs a coffee table -- if only because I think the couch is a little too close to the TV." :p The coffee table is the one from Paranormal Stuff to match the couch and armchair (in the purple swatch with the flowers painted on top because pretty), while the plant atop it is the base game "Feng Shui Planter." Because I felt it needed a plant, and that was like the ONLY one that looked good atop it without taking up too much space. Trust me, I went through a LOT of options. *shakehead* Decorating in Sims 4 is hard sometimes, let me tell you.
->I swapped out the "Panels of Perfection" multi-canvas painting of the winding river over the dining table in the kitchen for a giant picture of some chocolate chip pancakes and bacon from Dine Out – while I really liked that river picture, I thought the breakfast scene was just more fun, and went well with the "fried egg" rug under the dining table. *shrug* I'll find a place for that river painting in another build!
->I adjusted the placement of the big fancy "cherry blossom branch" triptych picture in the right-hand hall, outside Victor’s room, so it lined up a bit better with the other set of three pictures nearby (it just looked kinda weird otherwise), and added a Werewolves "Moonwood Mill Print" picture in the "butterfly print, silver frame" swatch on the bit of diagonal wall next to the grandfather clock (I’ve been wanting to put something on there for AGES, and a butterfly picture felt very appropriate given it’s right outside Victor’s personal space).
->And I moved the knitted pride flag decoration I added to the left-hand hall in the "Pride SDX" update so it was next to the bedroom door, rather than across from it, then adjusted that picture of the lady with the wacky blue hair on a yellow background so it was more properly centered on the opposite wall. Because I though the pride flag made more sense next to the door, and the painting just looked better centered -- though I don't know why it looks so flat in that picture! Like, seriously, it didn't look that 2D the last time I took a picture of it from a Sim's-eye view! Weird...
Pool: This was the first thing I added to the exterior of the lot -- mostly because I really wanted to see if I could make a heart-shaped pool to go with the house. XD Turns out I could, and I'm actually quite happy with how it came out! :) As for more specific details:
->Lovestruck was pretty instrumental in making everything look good out here -- both the pink-yellow-and-blue pool tiles and the fancy mosaic terracotta tiles around it are from that pack, as are I believe the big hanging strings of star-shaped lights at the back separating the pool from the barbecue area (they're fun, colorful, and provide some really good light!)
->The colorful outdoor lanterns going around the edge of the pool area, and the cute frog-shaped fountain sitting at the center of the bumps of the heart, are from I believe Backyard Stuff (I had to include the frog fountain when I saw it -- it would be the kind of thing Smiler insisted on XD)
->The rainbow lounger floatie and the regular loungers under their shade umbrella are from Island Living, as you might expect (the spiral one is Smiler's, obviously, while the triangles one is Alice's (couldn't find a decent red one)and the blue dots one is Victor's)
->You may be able to spot one of the Outdoor Retreat coolers and the Seasons water balloon bucket by the "entrance" to the barbecue area -- I thought it made sense to provide the trio with places to get cold drinks and water balloons if they were in the mood for either
->And I hung up the hose decoration on the exterior wall near the water balloon bucket because I wanted to include it somewhere in the build (it just didn't QUITE fit in the greenhouse), and I felt it made sense to put it near the thing that would need to be filled up with water on the regular. XD
Barbecue Area: After creating the pool, I decided it looked kind of weird on its own over in the front left corner of the lot (not in the least because it butted up right against the edge of the buildable area), so I figured I might as well extend out the patio to create an "official" outdoor eating area along the side of the house! Because, honestly, how can you have a pool but not a barbecue? :P Here are the deets on that space:
->The table and chairs are -- I BELIEVE Backyard Stuff, but don't quote me on that -- it's been a while since I placed them. I just really liked that blue fabric with the multicolored polka dots all over it -- it was fun, AND it had all of the trio's colors in it, yay~
->The barbecue I'm reasonably certain is from Perfect Patio (it's the nicest one in my game, at any rate -- only the best for my OT3!), while the counters I think are the base game "Harbringer" counters? They're whatever counter came in the right yellow, red, and blue swatches while also looking like they belong outdoors, anyway! (And I appreciate that I didn't take a very good photo of them, but trust me, I spent a lot of time trying to find good "outdoor" counters for this space! Even if I can't tell you off the top of my head which ones I chose. XD) Naturally, I covered them with every barbecue-related bit of decor I could find, plus the "Party Pak" plastic plates and cutlery from Toddler Stuff. Because you're not using the good china with barbecue.
->For lighting, I added a few strings of the fun Backyard Stuff flip-flop lights to the side wall to help light the space up, along with another string of star lights over the BBQ itself -- this place is surprisingly well-lit at night as a result!
->And, if you were wondering where the mural that used to be behind the TV in the living room went, it's now out here next to the dining table! Sized down a bit and carefully placed with "move_objects on" because it wouldn't stick to the slightly-curved wall on its own. I just really liked the idea of having this beautiful bright mural next to the table to provide something nice and summery to look at while the trio, and any friends they might have over, eat. :) Probably makes more sense here than behind the TV too.
Picnic Area: After getting the pool, the barbecue area, and the greenhouse (below) sorted, I struggled for a while with what I wanted to do with the back-right corner of the lot -- I didn't want to just leave it blank, but I wasn't sure what activities my OT3 would enjoy that would also suit the space. I eventually went for a picnic area because I thought it would be cute for the trio to have a spot that was designated for more informal outdoor dining -- and come on, who doesn't like a picnic? :) And once I had that sorted, that allowed me to come up with more ideas for the space and things they could do around their picnic spot! :) Accordingly, we have:
->The base game telescope, for gazing up at the stars at night (well, probably more gazing up at the TREES on this lot, but I tried!)
->The Backyard Stuff bird feeder for feeding the local birds (which I put in front of Victor's window because I figured he'd enjoy watching the birds while playing the piano :) )
->The Lovestruck checkered blanket paired with a Cottage Living picnic basket for the actual picnic space (two great tastes that go great together)
->The Lovestruck bench with the heart-shaped back for extra seating beside the blanket -- mostly because I saw it came in a Pride-themed swatch and figured I really ought to include it (goes well with the rest of the Pride-themed stuff I added in the "Pride SDX" update too!) -- with a set of Backyard Stuff wind chimes over it for the pretty tunes
->And the two chess-themed lights (I forget if they're base game or Get Together -- pretty sure the latter) flanking the bench to help light the area at night (because they come in red and white and of COURSE Alice would want to get chess-themed lights XD)
Makes for a pretty fun place to hang out outside, I think!
Greenhouse: I added in this in mainly because I headcanon Victor as enjoying gardening (especially after the Chill Valicer Save), and I thought it would be nice to give him a little greenhouse to grow things in...and then went "holy shit what I could make it heart-shaped" and proceeded to do just that. :D I'm pretty happy with how it came out -- even if the unusual shape meant roofing the thing was a pain in the ass. I could get away with a flat roof for the main house, but I wanted proper glass for the greenhouse, and that meant doing a LOT of fiddling with the roof tools! I think the final product is -- not TOO horrific to look at. XD Anyway, the deets on the greenhouse:
->The wall paneling is I believe from Horse Ranch, as it had some nice walls in the right color swatches (gotta keep the red/blue/yellow theme, obviously!). The big double front doors are from Lovestruck (seriously, I made such good use out of that pack's Build/Buy catalog in this house), while the windows I am reasonably certain are from Discover University, as they went the best with the doors and had a good "curved" variant for the bumps. The moonpetal lantern lights outside are from Backyard Stuff, I believe (no, NOT Werewolves -- I'm guessing these lamps inspired the actual flower in that pack!), while the cute colorful metal flowers on the outside should be from Seasons. And inside is lit by a Cottage Living hanging lamp, carefully elevated with "move_objects on" to make it look like it's hanging from the mess of metal beams running through the glass ceiling. XD
->Oh, and the floor? That's actually a terrain paint, because I couldn't get the game to floor it properly with actual tiles! One of the downsides of using those curved walls. I'm pretty sure it's from Get Together and is meant to match one of the stone floors from that pack -- either way, I thought it looked appropriate for the greenhouse, so in it went!
->Since space was at a premium inside, I decided it made sense to use smaller planters instead of bigger ones to give Victor more growing space -- accordingly, we have three plant pots in the correct color schemes going across one wall; a trio of vertical planters from Eco Lifestyle ringing one of the bumps; and one Werewolves big square planter (because it's both cheaper than the standard one and comes with painted swatches -- I naturally got the blue) in the other bump. I have no idea if all of them are accessible by a Sim, but as I have said before, this is much more of a "show" house than a livable one.
->As for interior decorations, I made sure the space had a light switch for the light (I have grown fond of these tiny touches of realism), plus a broom and dustpan on the other side of the door for sweeping up spilled dirt and fallen leaves. I also added one of those lovely "thrifted" High School Years cabinets and filled it with various gardening supplies (like the base game little gardening toolkit on top, and some extra gloves, a trowel, and a rake on one of the shelves -- I also put the old books you get in Werewolves in there to represent ancient gardening books for Victor to consult), and put the flower-filled watering can next to it. Because I really wanted a watering can, darn it. :p
->And as for exterior decorations -- well. I really wanted to use that cute little flower cart that comes with Get Together somewhere around the greenhouse, and after a little fiddling, I determined the only place it fit was the right-hand wall, facing out at the corner of the lot. But I couldn't stop thinking that it needed something to go with it. So I started looking for some sort of plant to stick next to it. Which led me to the various topiary bushes --
And to the adorable rabbit one that comes with Cottage Living! Which, when I put it next to the cart, looked kind of like it was driving it! :D So of course I had to go with that. Isn't it adorable? I love it -- perfect finishing touch for that wall!
Landscaping: And, just to finish everything off, I painted in dirt paths to all the outdoor areas (realism again), and stuck some plants around the lot to liven the place up a bit, including:
->"Cosmic Aster-Nots" in red, blue, and yellow on either side of the front door, running along the diagonal walls
->A bunch of irises (I believe from Romantic Garden) in every color swatch running along the diagonal wall next to the greenhouse (I originally just had a clump in red, yellow, and blue outside the window looking into the kitchen, but they looked lonely like that, so I decided to go ahead and add all the others. Yes, even the weird ultra-purple one -- I tried to put that one in the middle, at least :P)
->Some "Shaggi-luscious" bushes in red, blue, and yellow under Victor's windows, since those looked pretty (hilariously, I once removed them because I wasn't sure I liked them there, only to immediately REPLACE them at the end of that particular building session as I'd completely forgotten that I'd removed them and was like "Victor's window needs some plants" XD)
->And a big crooked tree over the barbecue area, with various colors of wildflowers and a couple of rocks at its base -- yes, I know in real life having a tree like that over a food preparation area would suck thanks to leaves falling in your food and the like, but I REALLY liked the look of it and how it provided some shade. Sometimes Realism must bow to Aesthetic in these games!
And there you have it -- a fully-finished house for my beloved Valicer OT3! :D This took me absolutely AGES to do, but I am very happy with the final product -- it really does feel THEM, you know? Yeah, maybe it's a bit small -- I often thought while I was doing the exterior stuff that I should have built this on a bigger lot -- but I still think it's an excellent-looking home and that I did a good job in furnishing it and all that. :) I hope you all agree! (And if you want it on the Gallery, just let me know -- I didn't upload it because of how closely tied to Victor, Alice, and Smiler it is, but if other people want to see if it's actually usable, I'm happy to provide access! Just, uh, be warned it uses like ALL the packs. I did NOT discriminate when building this thing. XD)
Because it’s Pride Month, and because I just did a post on all the various ships I have featuring Victor, Alice, and their friends/potential partners. Time to bring everyone up to date on my various headcanons regarding their genders and sexualities! To make things a little easier on myself, I’m using the names that they would have in the Running Headlong Into The Bullshit mega-poly ship (that is, the Modern AU one where the first nine people here are all in one big relationship tangle together), but you can assume that these headcanons also apply to other versions of them from other verses (e.g., the headcanon for Christopher White also applies to Sir Christopher Lloyd in “Secundus”).
Here we go:
Victor Van Dort: Cis male, Biromantic Bisexual (leans toward women partners)
Victor used to be my token straight person, but then I started realizing that I could picture him easily being in a relationship with the right sort of man (or nonbinary person, see below), and things evolved from there. He does still tend to lean toward women partners, and that preference is why he identifies more as “bi” than “pan,” but he is attracted to multiple genders!
Alice Liddell: Cis female, Demipanromantic Greyasexual
Otherwise known as “the complicated one.” XD This is largely because I’d already established her as willing to have sex with Victor to the point of having biological children by the time I found the “Ace Alice” headcanons and decided I rather liked them (also, noticed a lot of what they said about asexuality fit me…) Having played around with her character a bit more over the course of my stories, both public and not, I have come to the conclusions that a) she doesn’t really have any gender preferences, but she does need a strong emotional bond with someone to start seeing them as a romantic interest; b) she is generally uninterested in sex (if neutral toward its existence, despite her traumas) but has a few specific circumstances that can get her motor, if not running full speed, at least puttering. (These circumstances are invariably very specifically kinky because I know what I like when it comes to those sort of stories. There is a reason that I would call any specifically NSFW writing handle “Alice Dommes Victor” or similar!)
Victoria Everglot: Cis female, Biromantic Bisexual
By contrast, Victoria’s easy – she’s basically a “perfect” bisexual, with a roughly equal attraction toward her own and other genders. There might be a tiny lean toward men as partners, but I suspect that shows up more in Victorian-era Victorias than modern ones.
I don’t recall exactly when I decided it would be interesting for Emily to be romantically but not sexually attracted to men, but it must have been around the time I discovered that romantic attraction and sexual attraction didn’t NECESSARILY have to match. But yeah, as it turns out, I picture Emily as someone who is happy to be romantic with multiple genders, but is exclusively attracted to her own when it comes to sex. Victorian-era Emilys either don’t realize they don’t have a “proper” attraction to men or figure everything will work out once they get married to their One True Male Love; more modern ones come to grips with their sexuality earlier and happily embrace their “three-quarters lesbian” nature. :p
Christopher White: Cis male, Biromantic Bisexual
Another fairly simple one – the Christophers were initially conceived of as straight, like Victor, but I embraced the bi when I updated the character for the Cuddlepile poly pairing. Like Victoria, they have roughly equal attraction to a variety of genders, with maybe a slight lean toward women.
Richard Hatter: Agender (amab) with “xe/xim” pronouns; Panromantic Asexual (no gender preference, no interest in sex)
Another one where things got interesting – learning about different sexualities also involved learning about different gender identities, and I was already familiar with neo-pronouns through earlier RP on LiveJournal, so I figured I could make one of the original Cuddlepile have a different gender identity than “cis.” Richard felt like a good choice, as I can’t see even Hatter in the games having an especially strong connection to the concept of being male. So yeah, Richard is like “Gender? Nah” – though obviously only the modern versions use the “xe/xim” pronouns – the Victorian-era “Richard Dodgson” from “Secundus” just goes with “he/him” because that’s what he’s used to by this point (and because I wrote that version, again, before learning about all this). I think I had xim as just bi all the way before, but panromantic feels more right to me the more I think about it – and I’ve also NEVER been able to imagine xim having sex (I’m not sure some of the more robotic ones even have the capability anymore), so yeah – asexual it is!
Preston Garvey: Cis male, Biromantic Bisexual
Back to fairly simple for good old Preston – he’s a romanceable companion in FO4, and you can flirt with him no matter your character’s gender, so – basically he’s CANONICALLY bi! Doesn’t get easier than that!
Piper Wright: Cis female, Biromantic Bisexual (leans toward women partners)
Piper is slightly more complicated – like Preston, she’s a romanceable companion in FO4 regardless of player gender, so canonically bi. But she ALSO has a reasonably well-known moment where she accidentally flirts with Magnolia and gets flustered if you take her to The Third Rail and then talk to Magnolia after her set. I’ve decided this is good enough for me to push her toward generally favoring women partners, though she likes guys too if they hit the right buttons (which my Sole Survivor Victor does – as does Preston!).
Smiler Alton: Nonbinary (amab) with “they/them” pronouns; Panromantic Pansexual
This one proved to be easy after I devoured as much information on The Smiler roller coaster as I could on tumblr – the moment I discovered the coaster and its theming shares the colors of the nonbinary flag, I knew my Smiler had to be nonbinary too. And given The Smiler’s thing is spreading joy and happiness to all, pan felt like the right label for their romantic and sexual attractions – why would someone like that have a gender preference? (Which is very much reflected in my Sim Smiler Always and their Wonderful Whims attractions. XD) Smiler loves who they love, and they’re very happy that way.
Lizzie Liddell: Cis female, Demibiromantic demibisexual (sex-repulsed after trauma)
Lizzie, by contrast, proved to be difficult simply because – well. The big character beat of her life in the Alice games is what Bumby did to her. Looking at how I wrote her in “In The Land Of The Dead” and “The Technicolor Phase” and thinking about the kind of person I picture her as, I have decided that, like her sister, she’s capable of being attracted to multiple genders, but she needs to form a strong bond with the person first. However, her experience with Bumby left her heavily sex-repulsed, so she’s unlikely to actually want to have sex with anyone. (Not that she can in the stories I’ve written for her so far, but yeah.)
Jeremy Samuel “Bonejangles” Thatcher: Cis male, Hetero-romantic Heterosexual
…I have decided we do need a token straight and BJ strikes me as such. XD He likes the ladies and that’s that. (Well, so far he likes Lizzie and that’s that, but I implied an at least sexual history with other women in “In The Land Of The Dead.”)
A) It’s Pride and thus appropriate to remind you all of my gender and sexuality headcanons for my Valicer trio and all their friends/potential partners/potential metamours
B) I was originally going to reblog it back onto my RP blog again as something to stick in my queue during a quiet period…and then spotted the following tags on the original reblog:
#((the definitive list!#well mostly definitive#I’d do an update with Doc and Marty if I was feeling less period-y#but the short version is I think Doc’s some version of gray-ace#because he wasn’t really interested in romance or sex until Clara#and Marty’s either het or bi#I will figure it out in full later))
And – well, it is later, and I’m not periody at the moment, so let’s indeed figure this out for Doc and Marty – and let’s throw Clara and Jennifer in there for good measure, since they appear in the AUs where the BTTF characters appear more often than not these days:
My “some version of gray-ace” has evolved into Doc being mostly straight, but needing an emotional bond of some kind to experience romantic attraction. Hence why women are the “other great mystery of the universe” to him. XD Now, you may say that doesn’t really sync up well with him falling in love at first sight with Clara, but I argue that there’s no better way to speedrun an emotional bond than saving someone’s life! XD And you can’t say that they didn’t find they had a lot in common VERY fast in the third movie. So yeah, Doc’s on the demi side of things.
I wasn’t sure if Marty was going to be bisexual or straight for a while – in the end, though I decided it would be interesting if he had at least some attraction toward guys, such as the occasional crush on a famous actor or musician. Not that he ever really acts on it, because a) he grew up in the 80s, not exactly a kind decade for queer people and b) he is of the monogamous persuasion and fell in with Jennifer pretty quick. Though perhaps he’s a little more open about it when he’s older – maybe Junior is bi too, and Marty comes out in solidarity?
Clara Clayton: Cis female, Demiheteroromantic Demiheterosexual
I decided pretty quickly that Clara was probably the same stripe as Doc, but decided to make her demi for both romance and sex based on what I remembered of her backstory in the “Clara’s Story” comic. It just seemed right that she’d need an emotional connection to be attracted to a guy, and she really wasn’t getting that with the suitors she had back in New Jersey! And again, I know, the “love at first sight” thing, but again, Doc saved her life – that’s an instant connection right there!
Jennifer Parker: Cis female, Heteroromantic, Heterosexual
And here we have another straight person to keep Bonejangles company. XD She just strikes me as straight! Though I’m also sure she’s a proud ally, supporting all of her family and friends in their identities. Especially her beloved husband and kids (because of course I also subscribe to the “trans Marlene” headcanon).
Today we wish a happy anniversary to The Smiler coaster over in Alton Towers, and a happy birthday to my own Smiler Alton OC! As per tradition, we have our plushy celebration photo featuring Smileon the Smiler teddy bear getting some peanut-butter-and-chocolate-chip cookies, with Alice Dolly and Victor Plush on either side of them, along with Dougie the Dragon and Us the Intellect Devourer in the background (the latter sporting my homemade Smiler cap in honor of the occasion). Oh, and and a few of my other plushies off to the side -- hi Doc from BTTF! XD Happy birthday Smiler!
Lady Gaga - Disease (Official Lyric Video) by Lady Gaga
Trigger Warning: Some Flashing (a bit of minor flashing in the background, and I'm not sure how some people would react to the static effects on the TV screen itself, so -- yeah!)
Another bit of recent music for you this Song Saturday -- I heard this song on the radio a few weeks ago driving home from work, and was immediately like "ooooo~" So I looked it up on the old YouTubes a couple of days later, and after listening to it again, immediately decided this song was definitely Smiler, and definitely at least Van Alton -- though I am leaning toward it being full-on Valicer. On the Smiler side, the lyrics combined with that dark, thumping beat honestly does make me think of the rollercoaster and it's "brainwashing people into happiness" theme -- come on, tell me you can't see "I could play the doctor/I can cure your disease" paired with a glowing yellow Joy Serum needle! And on the Valicer side -- well, the first set of lyrics does seem to suit Alice (especially "Running out of medicine/You're worse than you've ever been"), and the second Victor ("you reach out and no one's there" particularly suits one who loved and lost Victoria and Emily), with the pre-chorus and chorus being Smiler offering to cure their respective diseases. Granted, the song really has a certain, uh, dom vibe to that particular offer, which is why it kind of leans Van Alton -- Alice and Smiler don't have that same relationship. (Though maybe if we take it in the context of Smiler luring Alice in to dom Victor together...)
As for mental music video -- currently the one most prominent in my head is Modern!AU Alice, Victor, and Smiler all out someplace for a karaoke night, and Smiler getting up and singing this song...only to immediately start strutting and giving Victor looks throughout. Poor Victor ends up red as a beet and gulping down water, and Alice is equal parts amused and "cripes, this is even affecting ME a little, the hell." They probably have a fun night together after they get home. ;)
As this has been kind of a Smiler-themed week, let's have a Smiler-coded song the day before their birthday. :) I still like this a lot, and I still very strongly associate it with Smiler -- it's just so THEM. Especially them with their favorite people. :P They are very eager to cure Victor and Alice's diseases -- and to get Victor's eyes at least to roll back in ecstasy...
Hi everyone -- I come to you today bearing another bit of Valicer In The Dark fic! I've mentioned in previous posts that I have an idea for a potential "prequel" fic to the series focusing on the three times Smiler and Alice met and chatted before the events of "Start At The Beginning...Sort Of," and that I've already written what would be the first chapter of that fic -- Smiler properly meeting Alice for the first time. Well, since Smiler's birthday is coming up this Sunday, I figured now is an ideal time to share said chapter! I've wanted to put it up for perusal for a bit now anyway. Enjoy!
--
“And here you are! Now, remember, you don’t actually have to stick yourself with the needle – it’s a special design that can just shoot the serum straight through your skin! AND, if you choose to keep the needle and bring it back to me, it’s only two slugs for a refill!”
The man snorted, accepting the syringes as his companion – a woman in a rather flimsy-looking dress – clung to his arm in a way that suggested she was only staying this close because she was being paid to do so. “Hell of a deal, that. How do you lot make any money?”
“Oh, we have lots of little ventures like this,” Smiler assured the fellow, grinning. “And it’s not about making money, it’s about making people happy! So long as you get some joy out of that, I’ll have done my job.”
“Well, we’ll see what me and Janey here think,” the man said, nodding at his companion, who let out a well-practiced titter. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“Same here! Enjoy yourselves!”
The man nodded, then turned and led his companion away, probably to a more private room where they could inject in comfort. Smiler gave them a final wave, then snapped their suitcase shut and folded up the legs with a kick. Another satisfied pair of customers, I hope, they thought cheerfully, starting down the road. And now it’s time to head home for a bit of lunch and to resupply for the after-six crowd! Mum and Dad should be pleased with my sales today – and hopefully I’ve got a few more glow orbs to pick so I can start brewing up some fresh batches of serum. Can’t let myself run out, after all – the fight against unhappiness never ends!
“So that’s – oh, damn it...”
...Speaking of which...
Smiler stopped, turning in the direction of the voice. Standing nearby, glaring alternately at her hand and at the sign above one of the many canal noodle stalls that dotted the roads of Silkshore, was a young lady in a dingy black-and-white striped blouse and black skirt with an apron tied over it. Smiler squinted at the dark hair and pale face. Looks vaguely familiar – oh, she’s the one that comes by every so often to visit Madam Sharpe over in the Mangled Mermaid, isn’t she? Think her name is – “Alice?”
The woman started, whipping her head toward them. “Ah – hello,” she said, squinting at them with slightly suspicious green eyes. One hand went to her apron strings, where a small knife rested – obviously the poor girl had had trouble here before. Or perhaps she just liked to cut her own canal noodles. Or both. “Beg your pardon, but you have the better of me.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want the worst of you,” Smiler said, unable to help themselves. They stuck out a hand, favoring her with a bright smile. “Smiler Alton. I’ve seen you around. Friend of Madam Sharpe, right?”
“That’s right – oh, yes, you’re the one who sells that ‘Joy Serum’ stuff,” Alice said, taking their hand and giving it a brief but firm shake. “If you’re hoping to get a sale out of me, though, you’re out of luck. Not only do I not partake, I doubt I could afford your product.”
“Oh, I bet you that’s not true,” Smiler said, tapping their suitcase with a grin. “A syringe is only five slugs.”
“Five?” Alice raised an eyebrow. “Bit of a bargain, isn’t it?”
“Well, I make the serum myself – and the whole point of putting it on the market is to get it into the hands of people who need some extra happiness,” Smiler added, waving a hand to encompass the people around them. “Can’t do that if people can’t afford it!” They fiddled with the latch on their case. “I’m heading home to restock, but I still have a couple of needles, if you’d like to try partaking?”
“Still a no – I’ve got enough going on in my head without adding extra nonsense from other sources,” Alice said, giving the suitcase a frown. She looked back at her palm, which Smiler could now see cupped some slugs. “And I – well, I guess it doesn’t matter in this case, but I still should save my money. I don’t have an awful lot of it.”
“I see,” Smiler said, looking at her little collection of silver, then at the noodle stand. “Looking for lunch, then?”
“Well, I – I was,” Alice said, shoulder slumping. “But as it turns out, I can’t even afford the cheapest option on Mr. Dibbler’s menu, so I guess I’ll just have to go without.” She shrugged, clearly trying to make the best of it. “Not the first time, at least. And I’ve heard questionable things about his food anyway.”
Oh no – if I don’t have enough for Dibbler, I don’t have enough for anyone. But I don’t know where I can get any more money...and I’m not going back to the Sanctuary! There must be someone around here who might lend me a few slugs, right?
Smiler shook their head – but the memory of wandering the streets with a growling stomach and a growing anxiety lingered, refusing to be knocked away. They looked again at Alice, taking her in. She seemed to be in better shape than they’d been when they were twelve – at least, she didn’t look like she was running away from anything – but...she was still very pale, and worryingly thin. And the defeated expression on her face...even if she was used to going hungry, it still pained her. Still made her unhappy.
Good thing this is a happiness problem with an easy solution, then, Smiler thought, slipping their hand into their pocket. Without a word, they pulled out some of the money they’d earned from their morning sales and passed it over –
Or, at least, tried to. Alice jerked back as they held out their hand, eyes locked on it as if it was a snake about to strike. “What are you doing?”
“I’m giving you some money,” Smiler said obviously, turning their palm over and opening their fingers to reveal the slugs. “So you can have lunch.”
Alice stared at the money, then at them. “You – what?” She backed away from the proffered hand. “No, wait, I – I can’t – I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay you back–”
“No, no – not lend, give,” Smiler cut in. “You don’t need to worry about paying me back. This is just for you.” They gave her a bright smile, hoping to soothe her nerves. “I’m doing this to make you happy! Like any other Advocate!”
“I – it’s a – a very nice gesture,” Alice started, tapping a foot awkwardly. “But I couldn’t–”
Abruptly she stopped, her gaze darting from Smiler to a spot near her feet. After a moment’s staring at it, she sighed. “Oh for the Emperor’s sake...I didn’t ask your opinion, you mangy thing!”
Smiler blinked. This interaction was not going how they’d expected. “Uh – what?”
Alice went pink around the ears, apparently just remembering they were there. “Right, you – I – I’m not quite right in the head,” she admitted reluctantly, running her fingers through her hair. “I see things no one else sees, and – well, as is now obvious, I talk to them. Out loud. Without thinking.”
“Oh.” Well, that explained that, then. Smiler shrugged. “Does it make you happy?”
Alice’s face did some complicated gymnastics. “I...nobody’s ever asked me that before,” she said at last. “Usually they just call me ‘crazy’ and that’s the end of it.”
“Well, that’s their problem,” Smiler said, folding their arms. “I believe in letting people do the things that make them happy, so long as they aren’t making anyone else actively unhappy. If talking to your imaginary friends makes you feel better, then why not?” They winked. “Especially if that imaginary friend is telling you to shut up and take the cash.”
Alice did not laugh – but Smiler could see from the way her face scrunched up that it was a very near thing. “I will admit, he was,” she said, casting another glance at whatever was apparently sitting at her feet. “Reminding me that I don’t really have any other options until payday...especially if Pris shows up,” she muttered, looking away.
“Who?”
Alice shook her head. “Not your problem. Really.” She looked at Smiler’s hand, still clutched around the coins, then her own. Then, cautiously, she extended her arm, still looking like she didn’t quite believe that Smiler was genuinely just going to give her the money. “You’re sure–”
“Don’t worry about it,” Smiler insisted, cheerfully depositing the slugs into her waiting palm. “I mean that. My reward is just to see you happy. That’s all any Advocate ever wants.”
“Right.” Alice slowly drew her hand back. “I – thank you.”
“You’re welcome!” Smiler tipped their hat to her. “Hopefully I’ll see you around again sometime!”
“If you always work this spot, then yes, probably.” Alice counted the slugs, then turned toward Dibbler’s stand. “Ah – excuse me. I’ll take a bowl of the cheese-and-rat noodles?”
Dibbler beamed at her and started ladling some up, declaring how this was going to be the finest meal she ever had for the cheapest price – why, it was like slitting his own throat! Smiler chuckled as they watched the performance. He’s always such a showman...but then again, so am I, they thought as Alice got her noodles. And the important thing is, Alice doesn’t have to go home hungry today. Wherever home is...I should ask her sometime, when she comes by again. She seems nice! A little sarcastic, but nice. And obviously quite unused to people being kind to her, so we’ll have to fix that. Wonder if I could talk her into a place in the Advocates – we’d at least make sure she always got her three squares a day...
But that was something to worry about another day – right now, Smiler’s own stomach was demanding lunch. They turned and started heading down the road, back to the MOJ, taking just one last glance behind them to make sure Alice was sorted. She was still standing in front of Dibbler’s little stand, eagerly digging into her noodles – then looked up, apparently feeling Smiler’s eyes on her. They watched each other for a moment –
And then, to Smiler’s delight, she gave them a warm smile and a wave. Smiler returned it and continued on their way, a little extra spring in their step. Oh yes – definitely a net gain in happiness today.
So, uh, I've been rereading "Beneath A Broken Sky" by @thesatiricaldemon, and because I'm me, this got me thinking about that "Smiler from a regular old Blades In The Dark world ends up in the BABS verse" idea I had a while back, and then I remembered how Satirical would do posts featuring memes of what was going to happen in the next chapter of the story, and -- yeah, this happened. XD Enjoy?
*snrrrk* That does about sum it up, doesn't it? Oh Mar-Mal...
No, no they do not. Though on the plus side, Smiler IS a very good chemist and does their best to make their drugs as safe as possible, so...yay? XD
Smiler feels that they are very reasonable priorities indeed, as they think getting Victor and Alice together would be a boon to overall happiness. (Especially since they are also sure it would piss off Bumby, and anything that pisses him off has to be good.)
They have! Certainly makes the matchmaking efforts awkward!
