#but my sim is done+her living area

[citrlet]

new gameplay posts are coming soon~

[fieldmoths]

i wish i could concisely explain my sims world but i’ve been fleshing the same one out for almost 2 years. where do i even begin

[thebramblewood]

I thought it might be fun to do a little behind the scenes for the last story post! You guys might be surprised how little actual editing was involved. I mainly just crop, add brightness and saturation, clean up any small bits of clipping or weirdness that bother me, and then add captions! Do you want to know what actually took me the longest?

This hair had some problem areas that showed up in live mode but not CAS. It's such a tiny thing, but it annoyed me, so I had to touch it up in nearly every screenshot. Luckily, the darkness of her hair means I didn't have to do a perfect job.

The effects were all done in-game. Lilith has the alluring visage vampire perk, which creates the red haze and mind control spiral. Unfortunately, Helena crossed her path too closely, and rather than set the shot up again I used the clone brush in Photoshop to edit out the effects around her head (vampires who can successfully do mind control on other vampires are exceedingly rare). By the way, I later figured out a quick and dirty method for dispelling unwanted visual effects on a Sim is to remove buffs in MCCC.

As I've mentioned, I had to shoot the attack scene twice. The first attempt was too dark, the location wasn't very visually interesting, I was in an area of San My where I had less camera control, and I used the Effects Player, which ended up being less eye-catching (hey, sometimes vanilla is the best option!). They would have worked to get the point across, but I think you can really see how I learned and improved upon my vision!

These comparison shots are all uncropped and unedited, by the way. Reshade/Relight truly does the heavy lifting. I've also gotten better at finding an angle I like and sticking with it, even if that's only because I don't want to adjust Relight all over again, lol! Speaking of angles, that last shot was done using the Dutch angle trick I learned in this tutorial by @surely-sims! First-person camera is actually super useful for storytelling. If you don't already know about this head-turning trick, it'll change your life. It comes in clutch for changing the eye line of a posed Sim since I'm not always great at getting that right in Blender.

Anyway, I don't know if anyone will find this super helpful or interesting, but I'm always open to questions about taking and editing screenshots, even though I feel like most of what I know has just been absorbed through osmosis and trial and error!

[creehd]

SURPRISE!! its me again, ive moved into your walls.

Now... *flips through notes* You said Shredder is a Yakuza boss, which is just a delectable choice, and i shant ever get over it--

--BUUUUUT because hes Yakuza, does that mean hes...covered in tattoos? 👁👁

I meeean, i can kinda see some tattoos in the reference you drew for him, but i think we might need a shirtless reference, fOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS OF COURSEEEEE, absolutely no other reason.

I definitely dont wanna just see that buff man shirtless hahah nooooo *heavy breathing*

BUT ON A NOT SIMPING NOTE--

What is the Turtle's living situation like??? Is it still in the sewers? Do Casey and April visit them there? How different is their home in the AU compared to the modern depictions? I cant imagine sewers in the 20's were to much different than sewers now, but im still very curious :]

Sorry for the never ending questions skajsksks

YES shredder does have tattoos! Alot of em are traditional Japanese dragon design ones, I will map out what his chest and back tats look like don't you worry-

AS FOR THE SEWER QUESTION IM GLAD YOU ASKEDDD I made the entire turtle lair in the sims bc of this ask SO here we are,

The entrance to the sewers is pretty basic, shoot off to 6 open rooms,

Splinters room!! He's a pretty solitary guy so he has a place for meditation and a cozy lil chair he falls asleep in constantly.

Here's the rec room/kitchen, Lotta areas for food making and eating, and a piano Mikey plays every now and again for everyone! They also have a dinky little TV set donnie managed to snag. (Infront the couch)

The dojo!! Pretty basic, this is where the boys do their training!

The bathroom/storage! Very rustic and stolen and or built by Donatello. Lotta extra stuff splinter brought over from japan and misc living stuff for the family.

Now for the boys rooms!!!

Leo and Donatello share a room, leo keeps model trains and tons of books donnie can't house on his side, he's also got several Japanese tapestries to keep in touch with his heritage. He also has alot of art deco posters, he enjoys the colors and movement of them. He also keeps track of scout badges he's collected, because while be can't BE a boyscout, he loves the idea of scouting and following that code of values.

Donnies side is much more technical. He tinkers and builds things while listening to the radio, he'll turn it on for both him and Leo while they do respective activities. He also has Japanese tapestries, mostly because when the boys were small splinter got them each their own, and he never took it down. He's got tons of books and maps, and more physics leaning posters.

On the other side of the sewer, Raphel and Mikey share a room, in the middle they have a Foosball table they both enjoy from time to time, but on raphs side, he's got a punching bag (go figure) and a stereo radio phonograph, along with a chest of his things, his favorite stuffed toy, some art deco posters and a painting Mikey made him, along with a portrait of Casey, and a cow skull. He's taken the tapestry splinter gave him down. Says it clashes with the rest.

And last but not least! Mikey has the brightest part of the sewer, he enjoys plants, and taking care of them, he says they add life to the home. Along with several paintings he's done and art deco posters he enjoys! He's got a desk for Journaling and an easel for his portraits. He's also got his Japanese tapestry hung, it gives him inspiration.

All and all, not too different from their modern counterparts! I tried to make my little diorama art project as time period accurate as I could, for the sims yknow, but I think I did a pretty good job expressing my vision (although there was a sewer grate I COULD NOT find for the life of me so I just pretended don't look at it too hard)

April and casey visit on occasion, after all the portrait of Casey was painted by mikey!! Raph just felt... sentimental about keeping it. April visits less, due to grime, but she cares about her friends and can look past it after a good shower.

AND DONT YOU WORRY- I'll make a shredder tattoo masterpost, he's not covered head to toe, but he's pretty well inked up..

I had fun working on this alot tho!! Never apologize ur giving me an excuse to post about my brain worms

Questions or suggestions??? ASK BOX IS OPENNNNN ASK ME ABOUT MY 20S AU

[lilolakes]

Ekvillan - 'The oak villa'

Ekvillan is a spacious family villa inspired by swedish architecture from the turn of the last century.

I chose to call it 'Ekvillan' - 'The oak villa' in swedish, since there is a big oak tree in the garden. It has a vegetable garden, bees, a chicken coop, and a treehouse. There's plenty of cozy little spots to hang out and eat 'fika'.

Please note that this was built using cc. The lot is partially playtested. DOWNLOAD (SFS)

Some of the cc is included, the rest is linked below. The lot can also be fould on the gallery (ID: Lilolakes)

My lovely friend @zebrasimmer_ on Instagram had her one year instaversary recently, and to celebrate she hosted a little collab were we created different builds inspired by her (and also my-) home country - Sweden. This was my contribution.

Check out the other builds in the collab, by @zebrasimmer_ , @simsaga_ and @sims.erezkigal on Instagram.

Packs used

Ep:s All of the ones released before 2023 Game packs: Werevolwes, My Wedding Stories, Dream Home Decorator, Journey to Batuu, Realm of Magic, StrangerVille, Jungle Adventure, Parenthood, Vampires, Dine Out, Spa Day, Outdoor Retreat Stuff packs: Paranormal, Nifty Knitting, Tiny Living, Laundry Day, Vintage Glamour, Kids Room, Romantic garden, Spooky Stuff Kits: Country Kitchen, Courtyard Oasis, Decor to the Max, Everyday clutter

Required CC

Here are the links for all the cc required for the lot to look as intended.

This is my first time sharing a build using cc. I might have gone a biiit overboard with it, so it's pretty cc heavy. Sorry 'bout that! ;)

All credit goes out to the amazing creators! I have done my best not to miss anyone, and to respect all of the creators TOU. Please tell me if you notice something that I've missed!

Anniee sims -Area rug

ATS4 (Around the sims 4) -IKEA-like stepstool -Cereal box -Crate seat -Toy train set -Candle and old book -Grocery paper bag (the first one) -Harvestable aromatic plants, Basil, Rosemary and Thyme -Rocking toy alligator, Farm puzzle and blackboard -Preschool blocks and House

Charly Pancakes -The candle, moodbooster

conceptdesign97 -Pumpkin vine

Cowbuild -Pleated curved floor lamp and lazy loveseat throw pillow

Dew of the sea -Accordion wall rack, S4, unmerged

Fadedsprings -William Morris-ish wallpaper set

Felixandre -Grove part 1 -Grove part 2: bowls, cups and salad bowl -Grove part 3 -Grove part 4 -Kyoto part 2 -Berlin part 1 -Shop the look Season 1 -London set exterior

Harlix -Tiny Twavellers Binoculars, crocodile, hot air balloon lamp (short), swing (medium), hanging wall world map -Baysic (different items)

Harrie -Shop the look 2

Icemunmun at ModTheSims -Harvestable corn stalks

Leaf Motif at Curseforge -Wall lamp and vintage tiles

Leniad at ModTheSims -Pumpkin plant

Leosims -Carton of eggs

Lilis-Palace -Jugendstil tiles set -Folklore set

LittleDica -Deligracy Delicato Stuff Pack

MadameRia -Back to Basics Pot Holder (Wall version) and Wire Basket Dish Rack

Maman-Gateau at Sims Artists -Whicker basket with lid from this set

Mutske at TSR -Alda arch with private doors 2x1 -Alda arch 2x1 -Alda privatdoor 1x1

MXIMS -Ikea ypperlig table and mirror -Stokke high-chair -Aesop Bathroom Tray -Plants 1,2,6,7 -String Shelf System (Shelf B):

My cup of CC -Tiny dreamers set (merged)

Novvas -Pumpkins in a basket -Random Runners -Elo bathroom IKEA rug -Kids drawings from this set -Painting collection

Nutter-Butter-1 at ModTheSims -Old Floor Tile Set

Picture Amoebae -Allisas Fall '18 Panels

Pierisim -Oak house part 3 -Oak house part 2 -Rold Skov kitchen mini kit -Domaine Du Clos part 1 -Domaine Du Clos part 3 -Domaine Du Clos part 4 -The COLDBREW coffee shop pt 1 - 1/2 -The COLDBREW coffee shop pt 1 - 2/2 -The COLDBREW coffee shop pt. 2

Plumbob Tea Society -Deco Botanical Scroll, woodpile and raised garden beds

Raindrops on cowplants -Gothic revival build set

Severinka at TSR -big pumpkin 02 -small pumpkins 07

SimC (Simcredible designs) at TSR -Coastal Extras - daisy in tall vase

Simspell -Autumn & Spooky-ish Paintings (Part 1)

SixamCC -Birker Line ceiling light (different versions) -Small Spaces deco pantry items -Small Spaces Pantry CC Pack - Mixer (Standalone version) -Dreamy Outdoors floor light

Soloriya at TSR -Two candles -Collection of candles -Pencil sharpener and erasers

TaTschu -Lighted fence (Leosims recolor)

Tech Hippie -Plants from these two sets

Vintage Simmer -Patchwork set -Noah plush rabbit -SBP Octopus -L&C Plush lemon

Wondymoon TSR -Lybica Kitchen Hanger -Protactinium Rug

Wondymoon.com -Ceratonia kitchen counters 1 and 2, island counter, cabinets, corner cabinet and stove hood.

Credit for the cc included in the download: 13pumpkin, Aggressive Kitty, Aira-cc, Awingedllama, Baufive, DK Sims, Honeycuts , IllogicalSims, KKB, Linacherie, Meinkatz, Mio-Sims, Myshunosun, NynaeveDesign, Peacemaker IC, Pocci, Sanoysims, Sforzinda, Slox, Spirashun, Syboulette

Reshade used for screenshots: Dove 2.0 by Kindlespice

T.O.O.L-mod by Twisted Mexi was used to create this build. You don't need it to place the lot, but I recommend that you go check it out. It can be found here: https://twistedmexi.com

I hope you enjoy my build. Please tag me if you share any gameplay pictures from the lot, I'd love to see it!

♡ Lilolakes

[extralively]

Satoru's apartment (Part 2)

We're back! After Part 1 covered the living room area and kitchen, we'll take a look at the bedrooms this time around!

This is Satoru's apartment that I built in TS4 based on my fic series Under the Cover of Shadows, and it's essentially what I imagine what Satoru's apartment would be like!

As a refresher, this is the layout of the place:

Let's go take a look at Satoru's own bedroom now, shall we?

This is it! It's pretty open and spacious (I struggled a lot making it, and I'm not sure I'm 100% satisfied with it even now lmao), and following the same idea that I mentioned in Part 1, that Satoru in general doesn't populate his place with a lot of personal items, it's much of the same here. There are a few every day items scattered around, like slippers, wallet, phone, tablet and whatnot, but most of his precious keepsakes are kept secure and out of sight.

(The photo strips he took with Yura during that one summer vacation are kept in his bedside table drawer. He likes to look at it every now and then.)

(Also Yura tends to sleep on the left side of the bed and Satoru on the right, and as you may notice, it's her side that has an alarm clock on it lol)

Here is Satoru's bathroom, and you can see it was actually built like a western-style one instead of the Japanese-style bathrooms he grew up with in the Gojo Estate. I guess Satoru just wanted something different for once ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(This is also the biggest bathtub I could find to put in there, but I still imagined it even bigger ʘ‿ʘ✿)

Nowadays, there's a lot of Yura's stuff scattered in his bathroom, and while Satoru wasn't too used to sharing a space with someone else at first, he actually got used to it pretty quickly.

And this is Satoru's closet! Just imagine there are a lot more clothes in there lmao, all of it designer stuff because of course.

Those rack/shelves on the right are essentially all Yura's stuff now. She used to bring in an overnight bag when they got started with their "arrangement", but then she slowly started leaving more and more stuff behind so now she doesn't really need an overnight bag anymore. She could comfortably spend several days in his place without needing to go back to her own apartment lol

Now on to the guest bedroom!

This is where Yura stayed in a couple of times, in particular before and after her trip to New York. Not a lot of people have stayed in this bedroom, to be honest. Satoru doesn't usually have people over aside from Yura, Shoko, or the Fushiguros.

(I hadn't initially envisioned the desk there, but actually building it made that area feel so empty lol. So I thought it fit nicely!)

And finally, the guest bathroom. There was a particular scene in chapter 23 (The Aftermath p 1) of Out of the Shadows that has Yura having an emotional crisis in this very bathroom, and I think this must have been the first room of Satoru's apartment that I properly envisioned along with the guest bedroom! We only got to "see" his own bedroom much later, so I also didn't think it up until then.

Alright, there are still a few rooms left for me to post, but this is generally it! And boy oh boy did this entire apartment give so much trouble lmao and I'm not even done with it yet. It was really hard making things look somewhat closer to the picture I had in my head while working within the constraints of The Sims lol. I think this was especially daunting because it's supposed to be a ~luxury~ apartment, so I had try extra hard to make things look ~fancy~, but I was having a lot of fun! And I also downloaded SO MUCH stuff that my game looks completely different now lmao my inner architect was happy.

[samkat10423]

Port District

In one of her posts, Hancyan said that the area down by the port was a tourist destination. So, I decided to add to that idea.

Where the Wan-Goddard house used to be, is the Drea Salon. I plan on making a family of designers named Drea, so in my town history, the old owner of the property died and the city fathers decided to foreclose on the property and put it on the auction block to try to recover back taxes. Realizing that there was a dearth of skilled stylists in town, the Drea family decided to use all of their savings to purchase and renovate the property, and bring some much-needed fashion to Sunset Valley. And this is the result!

This lot came with the town and other than change out some of the interior furnishings for stuff from that Storybook set - and add a couple of mud-bath tubs from Around the Sims - I really didn't do anything to this lot. Oh! I did arrange the tattoo chairs to look like they were part of a barbershop, but nothing major.

Next door was a house. But since there are more houses in this town than I will have sims to stick in them, I decided to change it into a commercial lot - in keeping with the tourist-trap thing.

This is another lot from that Magic Kingdom Disney world, called the Crystal Arts and Music Studios. The ground floor has a bunch of musical instruments, and the 2nd floor has some artist easels. Anyway, it was originally on a much smaller lot, so I had room to add stuff. Like the parking for buggies and bicycles, the planters and the small stage in the back, and all the rest of the landscaping. The building itself was sort of a pinky brick color. Again with the Pepto-Bismol theme the creators of that world seemed to like so much. So, I aged it up a bit to better fit in with its new surroundings. On that tiny stage in the back, I used that "singing spot" that I think I got from @danjaley, plus some instruments. That little table with the umbrella came from Around the Sims 3 and is a foodstand.

Then next door - where Claire Ursine's lot was in the original town - is my firehouse. There was a pretty little park there, but since there is another park right across the street, I moved the one that was here elsewhere in town. Mostly because I really wanted my firehouse down in this area and didn't have anyplace else where it really fit.

Then - where the Frio lot was in the original - is this little lot. I haven't done anything to it yet, but I plan on using that industrial kitchen set and making it into a restaurant. Right now, it's a little tearoom - although to make sharing easier, Hancyan left the interior of the build almost empty. So, that works perfectly for me.

This is the final lot on this side of the street - and the only residence now. It did have wood siding, but I changed it to brick. Again, to fit in better with the area. I have 2 sims lined up to live here. The owner is a naive dude in the science track who took in a young, homeless "lady" who was wandering aimlessly around town. Unknown to him, she has "sticky" fingers and is on the run from the Pinkertons.

And this area of town is now done! I did build a tiny Asian eatery using that one store set down by the port. But I'll show that to you on another post. I've also started creating sims for this town - something I HATE doing, since I have to go into the hated CAS. And, I remodeled the Goth residence - getting rid of the graves since none of those sims have died yet. In fact Gunter's father is a little boy in this town. I do have to create some more "dead" sims for the town cemetery to replace all the Landgraabs and other sims that wouldn't have been around when the town was founded. Oh well. Gives me a reason to use some of that period stuff.

[lostinpleasantview]

Scenes from 476 Oldsim Road (Formally known as 76 Gunther Goth Highway), Part II.

The Hick trailer hasn't changed much in the past twenty years. The yard remains strewn with weeds, and a variety of logs and dead trees—though the property has many more trees that are alive! The live to dead tree ratio is firmly on the living side.

Such a small space means that every space must be used economically. In the kitchen, the walls serve as additional storage space: this includes Mama's cast iron skillet, and Claire's spice rack and pots and pans. Despite Claire being married to Elden for twenty years, the kitchen firmly remains Mama's space... as seen in her collection of chicken tchotchkes. This extends to the shared dining/living room area, too.

Elden's marriage to Claire meant a room swap: Mama took over Elden's old room. Her bed shows signs of wear and tear: a broken picture hangs on the wall, showing happier days when she was Miss Sim City. Scattered across her end table are various colorful pills that Mama takes for her various physical maladies: pills for high blood pressure, cholesterol, among others. She loves the little pink ones that she takes for her nerves—they aren't Seconal, but they'll do.

The main bedroom now belongs to Elden and Claire. It's still pretty cramped. The double bed shows signs of age, and though Claire and Elden have done what they can to make the space their own... in some ways it still feels like it's Mama's house, and not theirs.

*Many Thanks to B|oodBane from ModTheSims for their recreation of 76 Gunther Goth Highway for The Sims 2. The base of the house is totally their creation. All I did was zhuzh it up with clutter and my own landscaping.

[simtleman]

So The Palace Hotel is finally done, people! Took me a bit longer than expected, but I think it turned out pretty good!

Like I mentioned on my previous post, I decided to move the bar and hide it behind the library so it would feel more like a speakeasy, and while I was at it I also changed the deco a little bit:

On the other side of the lobby (where the bar used to be), I created a ballroom and a cabaret/stage area:

Before we move on to the first floor, I gotta show you the areas where the help and the hotel staff lives. If you go through the back of the building, you will access the help back door (remember it's the 1920s, so they're not allowed to go through the front)... which will take you to the basement, where the kitchen and the help dorms (greatly inspired, once again, by @antiquatedplumbobs's work in her historical save file) are located:

Moving on to the first floor, I did four rooms: two small ones and two big ones, having these last two an in-suite living room:

The bathrooms are all pretty tiny, but I always love to have an excuse to use @moon-simmers's Bonaerense vintage bathroom set (I literally had been looking for a set like that for AGES and couldn't believe my luck when he released it!):

Last but not least, the second floor is equipped with an extra four rooms (two small ones, two big ones... same as first floor) and, of course, a green room in your very own @felixandresims's Colonial style:

And finally, here's the floor plan so you can get an idea where everything is located within the building:

Basement -> Kitchen and help common area/dorms/bathrooms:

Ground floor -> Lobby, and to the right: library/smoking room, speakeasy/bar hidden behind; to the left: ballroom & cabaret/stage area.

First floor -> Hallways overlooking the lobby, two small rooms and two suites.

Second floor -> Two more small rooms, two more suites and the green room in the middle.

That's it for me today, I hope you guys like how the save file is developing and don't you worry, I'm already working on the next build... what is it, yoy may ask? A stunning green room inspired by one of my favorite places in the world (Palacio de Cristal del Parque del Retiro, in Madrid), turned into a glamourous restaurant in the hills of Del Sol Valley, overlooking the city!

I'll keep you all posted and, like I said before, I'm always open to your ideas! ❤

Oh, and thank you once again to @antiquatedplumbobs & @greatbritishsimchallenge for bringing The Sims 4 Tray Importer to my knowledge, I might consider sharing my save file with everyone once it's done if that program does the job of listing all CC items for me :)

[defaultsalsamusic]

i'm in the process of preparing and starting a new neighborhood based on the sims 1's old town and wanted to share and record my progress! i need to give a shoutout to @tvickiesims' old town sims recreated which i am using as the basis of this file! in addition, the neighborhood itself was created by @kalisasims and cleaned by sunraidersims.

anyways! i first started with the hick family which i actually did a lot of major changes to. the main thing is that i've started to merge the lore with the broke family of sims 3 in hopes to eventually be a part of the pleasantview broke family.

i've never played the sims 3, but i was slightly inspired by the sims 3 broke family's home with the multiple buildings. i also put each building on a foundation (a pain in the ass, i had to shift the main building one tile because it just wouldn't let me put a foundation there) since there is no way a house like this should be at ground-level. the new shack is not very substantial but i figure i'll add to it as the family gets more money. i also replaced the interior bathroom with an outhouse (a sims 1 recreation by @crispsandkerosene) and a dorm shower which makes a huge mess so idk if i'll keep it that way. but! makes more room in the house.

(also ngl i moved to another lot a little further from the main strip of old town because it didn't fit the business district aesthetic i want for that area...... i'm sorryyyyy)

ANYWAYS to now introduce the cast:

first we have elden hick from the original family. i changed his look a bit and aged him down to a teen but he is still CC-free. i made him a pleasure sim and changed his personality and interests to match his sims 1 (usa) version. he is 0 neat/5 outgoing/7 active/8 playful/5 nice.

elden is a bit of a rebellious teen who is head over heels with his girlfriend, flo. he is not very ambitious, which is a pain point between him and his mother.

also seen here is leroy the rottweiler. i'm not a fan with the default sims 2 dog breeds so i replaced the original leroy with a male rottweiler designed by PharoahHound. leroy's personality is between doofus and genius/hyper/independent/aggressive/pigpen and is the youngest of the family's three dogs.

back to the human sims, next we have mama hick and (a character who was not in the sims 1) baby named skip broke. :) mama is a elden's mother is an adult popularity sim in about the middle of her life stage. mama used to be a celebrity in sim city, but has since fallen from fame after losing her fortune (and having her son ngl). mama's interests and personality are based on her north american sims 1 personality which is neat 2/outgoing 4/active 2/playful 7/nice 7.

the mother of skip and elden's girlfriend is none other than flo broke! flo is basically a female dustin broke with dyed red hair (genetically blonde). like elden, she prefers a bit of a punk style. she is a family sim and has a personality of 5 nice/6 outgoing/4 active/3 playful/6 nice. she loves both elden and skip, but her relationship with mama is difficult. mama blames flo for being a bad influence on her son. still, mama let flo live on her property once she got kicked out.

another of the three dogs is bobo the male australian shepherd, who is the oldest of the three dogs. like all the dogs here, the previous bobo was replaced with a new one (this one was made by DemittiNix with minor color edits). bobo's personality is doofus/lazy/independent/aggressive/in between pigpen and finicky.

finally, the last and middle dog is duke, the male german shepherd! duke is edited from Fifar and probably the most edits i've done on any sim in this family. tbh i am pretty proud of it, though fifar did do most of the work! duke's personality is doofus/lazy/in between independent and friendly/aggressive/finicky. pretty much all the dogs here are aggressive and independent so they are definitely a challenge!

the house i feel has a lot to be desired but in general i'm really looking forward to actually playing this family!

[300yearschallenge]

Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3 I Part 4

The main house was a simple two room cabin with a small hallway connecting the two.

To the left was the bedroom, and to the right was the kitchen. The furniture was well worn and robust, and although the place was much less fancy than the Park home it seemed like a wealth of luxury to Charles Elias after his long journey.

Once inside Charles Elias was invited to sit at the dinner table, with the old man, who introduced himself as Isak, sitting at the head of the table.

"Now then," Isak said, "Why don't you explain why on earth you've come all this way to see Theodore, and I'll have my niece cook us up a nice warm meal while we talk."

Once Isak had called out to a younger girl, who walked in with barely a hello and who kept her gaze firmly away from the group, Charles Elias began telling everyone his story.

He skirted around the truth of who his father was, worried that it would reflect poorly on both Charles Elias, his mother and Theodore if it were to come out, and instead leaned heavily into Joseph's behaviour as the driving force of him leaving.

It wasn't technically a lie.

The more Charles Elias spoke, the more of his frustration poured out.

How angry he was at the man who had raised him for how he had been treated, how slighted he felt, how he reached a point where he just couldn't take it anymore.

And the more Charles Elias spoke, the sadder Theodore and Isak looked. They all knew their culture said you should always listen to and obey the head of the household, but they could also understand that a hurt and angry teenage boy might not follow those expectations.

Once Charles Elias was done, Theodore spoke up.

"Well," he said, "I certainly think you had cause to leave. It was a rash decision, but I can't find it within myself to hold it against you."

Charles Elias breathed a sigh of relief.

"Personally," Theodore continued, "And I hope you don't mind the suggestion, sir, I wouldn't be opposed to having you stay here and help out with the fishing. It's hard work, but it's honest work, and a strong young man such as yourself would do well."

"I-I wouldn't mind fishing, sir," Charles Elias said, glancing towards the man at the head of the table, "I promise I will work hard to earn my living if I you let me stay here."

"I don't see why not," Isak said, "Theodore staying with us has supported our family immensely, and having an extra hand here would do wonders."

Charles Elias smiled.

"I say you're welcome to stay in Theodore's cabin, and to work with us. Welcome, Charles Elias."

With the tension of weeks of travel gone, the conversation began to flow more freely.

Theodore and Charles Elias joked and reminisced, and Isak told a few far-fetched stories of his fishing days as a young man.

Finally, everything felt alright again.

.

.

Historical Info

Oh boy, oh boy! Get ready for historical info you guys, and thank you to everyone for your patience <3

Since I'll be covering two different topics, I'm gonna arrange it into different sub-headers to make reading easier.

Charles Elias' Path

We've discussed the Postal Road between Stockholm and Turku in the past, primarily looking into how it functioned in general.

As such, I won't go into all of that again, but will instead look at the path that Charles Elias took to reach Theodore.

Using this map as a base, I made a sketch of the path that Charles Elias took in order to reach Theodore.

I've always kept the exact village etc. where my sims live somewhat vague on purpose, mostly to have a little bit more room for storytelling.

But, in general terms, you can see what areas I've imagined Charles Elias started his journey from (blue) and where he ended it (red).

The blue X to the west marks the location of the postal harbour, which would have been the point where he turned east.

Now, if you were to make this journey today it would not take two weeks. With car you can make this journey in like maybe 40(?) minutes or so, and on foot google maps says such a walk would take aprox. 17 hours.

However! Keeping in mind that nowadays we have the luxury of modern, well-kept roads and easier modes of transport, I reckoned it made sense if the journey took longer.

There were less roads in general, most were dirt roads, and many small channels of water had to be crossed by boat or bridge. Taking into consideration setting up camp/sleeping somewhere and winter conditions and I figured it would make sense for such a journey to take much longer.

Inns

Set up along the postal road and larger roads at this time were a number of inns.

For the most part these inns were somewhat simple, and often mostly had a main room and some rooms for travelers. The primary people who came to the inns were people traveling along the postal road, primarily "officials, military, merchants and sometimes sailors and boatsmen". This we know since the inns were demanded to keep a diary of their visitors, some of which have survived to modern day.

The quality of the inns at this time varied, with some travel diaries bemoaning the quality, while others thought it was pretty okay. "Guests of higher social standing preferred to stay with priests instead."

Source: Det Åländska Folkets Historia Vol. III (The History of the Åland People Vol. III) by Stig Dreijer

[sanssouci-sims]

Those of you who have been to my main blog in the past year or so might recognize these familiar faces. The little girl is Karin Fjellvik, a character from the game “My Child Lebensborn” (I call it “MCL” for short), and the woman is Karita Omdahl, my MCL fan character/self-insert and Karin’s adoptive mother. I’ve made a few posts about them both on my main blog as well as my sideblog which specifically focuses on my OC x canon relationships, so take a gander if you’d like to read more about them! 

I’ll probably mention a bit of the game as I talk about them in this post, so minor spoilers ahead!! Also, fair warning if you do decide to check out the actual game for yourself: it’s based on real historical events (specifically having to do with the end of World War 2) and involves prejudice/racism and violence towards a child (among other things). Needless to say, it’s quite emotional, and let’s just say that by the end of my play-through, I wanted to punt quite a few people into the shadow realm because of what they did to my poor daughter. 😭

While MCL was originally set during the aftermath of World War 2, I imagine my sims counterparts live in the modern day. Funnily enough, the developers of MCL are currently working on a sequel which will take place in a more modern setting! I would think the sims versions of Karin and Karita moved to this new place in Willow Creek after they’d gone through similar events that happened in the original game. All they wanted to do was to just... get away from their old town, from Karin’s old school, from everything their cruel neighbors had done to them.

Karin and Karita would start their new lives in this modest but pretty one-story home with a small outdoor area for the two to sit and for Karin to play. In the game, you happen to make contact with Karin (or her male counterpart Klaus)’s biological father, who wires you money to help you move out of town. I imagine Karita used much of that money to pay off this new house. They started with only $200 in simoleons, which was a nod to how you would start off with 200 coins (? - dollars? Or whatever they used in Norway during that time? I don’t think the game actually specified what that actual currency was lmao) in the original game.

As money is tight in their household, Karita knows they’ll need it only for the most important items, and she’s made sure Karin knows that. There are times where Karin wishes she had the newest toys or clothes like the other kids have, and she’ll get upset when she can’t have them. Karita promises she’ll buy them one day for her, just not today. After all, it’s better to be selfless than selfish. Karin recently received a whole mini art studio set for her birthday, and she LOVES it! She plans to create lots of artwork to display in her room, and she even uses it occasionally in the middle of the night when she can’t sleep. She even says she hopes to help her mother earn money by selling her best artwork. 🥰

On certain days of the week, Karita works as a manual laborer as a way to bring in some stable income (I thought this was the closest to some kind of factory work, which is your/the parent’s job in MCL). The catch to this, though, is that she currently works during the weekend, which means Karin is left at home alone in the morning. :( Karita knows how much her daughter hates being by herself, so once she returns home from work, she makes sure they spend plenty of quality of time together. Their favorite activities include fishing (they can catch something to eat or Karin asks to keep one as a little pet), reading books, drawing pictures, cooking, and watching television.

See the little fish next to the television? Karin caught it and wanted to save it from being eaten!

Other than Karin’s idea to sell some of her artwork in the future, the two also already have creative ways to earn extra money on the side (or when they really need money fast). For one, Karita happens to enjoy gardening and has made a habit of exploring her neighborhood and harvesting wild plants to grow around their home. She may keep some to use as fresh ingredients/food, but most of the time, she’ll sell them when they’re fully grown.

Being experienced in manual labor, Karita isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty by digging for things as well. She’ll sell the majority of her finds along with things she catches through fishing.

Karin is also a keen explorer and likes to look for frogs. She’ll keep them as pets, too, but once she catches a new one, she knows she’ll have to sell the old one since multiple frogs is... kind of a lot to deal with in such a small home, lol.

This is her latest find, a spotted leaf frog!

So that’s basically how a typical day would go for Karin and Karita! Karin goes to school during the week, of course, and since Karita doesn’t work on weekdays, she’ll usually spend those days building her skills and doing the many things she’s already come up with to earn extra money.

Currently, Karita is hoping to save up for some renovations, including expanding the interior of their home so she will able to build a little writing studio! She wishes to write about her and Karin’s experiences and to send a message to the world to be kind to each other - something among those lines.

I like playing wholesome families like this, and I think the added challenge of reduced funds not only ties into the original game where the characters came from, but it also makes playing this household a lot more fun and interesting.

Oh, I forgot to mention, guess who came by their household while I was taking screenshots of them for this post?

a wild rose appears lmao

also i just realized you can spy one of dina caliente’s sons in the background

[anitmb]

@gruesim was lovely enough to give me the caw files for Rockwood. I tried first doing the trick to edit existing worlds but since reinstalling the game without 2 ep's I've not been able to do that trick any more (the reason could be something completely different but the missing ep's are my guess).

Basically what I wanted was an empty version and a few tiny lot modifications.

First I fenced off the extension, so my sims don't fall to their deaths. There should be actually a barrier here (I've seen it in a few pics), but it never showed up for me. The lot changes that I did to this part was making the two lots a bit smaller and adding a long lot at the edge of the extension to have a boardwalk.

Built city hall.

I know it's a bit bare and dull from the outside but I'm building this world from the tax sims pay so things progress slowly. This lot will at some point also feature the church and a police station.

Build my people a factory so they have somewhere to work in. The front door the is the RH door to the criminal hideout. A side door does lead inside the factory because below it is all the RH rugs I need to run this hood.

I was originally planning that the church would be in this lot and the factory would have been in the extension. The lot where city hall is now was suppose to be a combo lot with city hall / police station / hospital. But I want the city hall lot to be a library and adding a RH in there would have changed the lot type. With Ultimate career, it doesn't really matter where the "actual" lot is, but I didn't also want it to look as if my sims gave birth in the factory when they were due. So I'm going to build the hospital on the factory lot, and this will no longer be an issue.

The building next to the factory is called the block. It's a low income housing that will eventually be owned by Robert Grim. For now it's just a shell until he can "buy" it and start renovating it ready for tenants. Because generation 2 is still only kids, this is not a happening any time soon.

The big lot in front of the block of housing was split into two. One lot will turn into the pub and the other will be a combo lot with public school + uni.

The only RH that is not under the factory is the school RH that I added at the end of the pier so it would look like my kids take the ferry to the main land to go to school. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be working and kids are roaming my streets all day long. I'll have to see what's the problem here when I play a house with some kids.

I guess the biggest lot changes happened to the residential area where I did some lot rearranging. Thandiwe's lot is long because she's going to be building two more identical row house units on this lot and then be the land lady for them. It's her retirement plan.

The tiny houses are 15 x 10. I always felt like 10 x 10 is too small to live comfortably. 20 x 20 is too much space while 10 x 15 is good enough. 15 x 15 would have been ideal lot size but I couldn't fit them in this space.

All of my sims did end up loosing their houses because their Rockwood lots were smaller than where they lived before. But, I did let them keep their furniture so refurnishing their houses is not a huge task.

So far I've really enjoyed playing and rearranging this world. I've always had a soft spot for Hylewood and I really like what gruesim has done to the world.

[goodbysunball]

The weight off

One last missive before list season consumes us and 2023 is vacuumed up by time.

The Lewers, 518A (Lulu's Sonic Disc Club)

Yet another new supergroup from the endless expanse of Australia's underground, this one featuring Yuta Matsumura (Orion, Low Life, solo, many others), some folks from Itchy Bugger and Rapid Dye, and more. The Lewers douse these seven tracks with loads of reverb and a couple great Itchy Bugger-style guitar lines worming under the surface. Think 4AD: gauzy, dreamy excess best paired with a juicy red wine, topped with deceptively catchy vocals. "Postcards for Terrorists," a big winner in the song title contest of 2023, is probably the poppiest number, the intertwining vocals of Yuta and (I think) Sarah Davis driving the chorus home. The songs led by Davis ("Kalopsia," "Specter Vermillion") and others like "Sin Tonight" have a 70's English folk-like quality, lilting and haunting, performances that seem inspired in part by the soundtrack to The Wicker Man. While every track on here sounds good, and I keep returning to the record during the gray days and long nights, most don't register in my memory after the record's done, with the exception of "Postcards" and "O Karina." The latter is almost an instrumental song, with Matsumura singing well beneath the shroud of guitars, and when that second, sharp guitar line that slices through about two-and-a-half minutes in, it trickles in through the brain and down the spine every time. This kind of lush, textural music often benefits from a little length, but the Lewers keep things trim, maybe to a fault, as a couple tracks could have been teased out like "O Karina." Likely I just wish the record was a bit longer; even if it isn't anything new, 518A's confines, most definitely outfitted with a white faux-fur area rug, are a fine place to sprawl in contemplation.

The Native Cats, The Way On Is the Way Off (Chapter Music)

Long-player number five from Hobart's finest, many years removed from their last, John Sharp Toro. In the interim, the Native Cats released two of the best singles in recent memory - Spiro Scratch and Two Creation Myths - so expectations were high. Their core sound remains Chloe Alison Escott's spoken-sung vocals and incisive, biting lyrics grounded by Julian Teakle's bass, but they're joined by live drums on a number of tracks here, and there are even points when Escott cedes control of microphone to backing vocals (The Last Gang Vocal on Earth, according to the credits). Over the past ten years, Escott's lyrics have shifted from fictional scenes to the semi-autobiographical, incorporating more personal details in the songs, sporting ferocious tenacity or tender self-affirmation depending on the song. Her queer and trans identity is inseparable from the Native Cats' evolution, including all the frustration, self-doubt and pockets of joy involved in coming out and being out. She hardly sounds defeated; given the spots of violent imagery across The Way On Is the Way Off, I wouldn't bet against her in a fight.

The record begins in fits and starts, and while the first three tracks are undeniably in the now-recognizable Native Cats style, I think the action really begins after the "Former Death Cult" interlude. "Small Town Cop Override" roars into action with a drumroll and features one of Escott's sharpest lyrical performances ("I strive for victory or hallucination" and "I've seen the future, it's a chain of tricks/Come 'round and watch me turn a crisis into six") atop pounding live drums and blaring chords, burning bright and out in 80 seconds. It bleeds right into "Vivian Left Me," a slow, plodding number with a bass line ripped from David Sims' playbook. Escott has free reign to prowl over the buzzing, ominous terrain, and drops one of my favorite lines of the year with "When your dreams come true, they feel/distressingly like dreams." The track sears and bubbles without cresting, endless tension floating exhaustedly into the haunting "Dallas," a spare, solemn ballad. The lyrics are opaque, tangled; it feels like a meditation on what has changed for Escott, and what can't be changed or outrun, all wrapped up in the album of the same name released ten years ago.

"Suplex" kick-starts the B-side, a mean bass line and Escott's sneering vocals competing for the first minute and a half, and then the song's taken over by keyboard and piano, a pillowy landing from the body blows of the first half. "Rain on Poison," like "Dallas," is moody and restrained, pounding toms and a single piano note ratcheting up the tension along with Escott's powerful vocals, and as the song progresses, elements are stripped back until it's just Escott in your ear: "Time is running out/At a rate I can handle." It's an almost absurdly powerful affirmation, implying some mastery over the passage of time, but such is the confidence espoused by the Native Cats across The Way On Is the Way Off. It ends the world-beating five-song stretch, and while the rest of the record is good-to-great, even including some of Escott's solo piano work at the end, the middle section is so rich that it feels excessive to have more music outside of it. Yeah, "Tanned Rested and Dead" is a burner, and the NYC-in-the-early-aughts bounce of "Battery Acid" is a good look, too; those tracks might be my favorite part of the record next week. That's the innate joy of a Native Cats record, now more than ever: still harshly resistant to snap judgement and best lived in, seeping into your skin like a sauna and pulling lost memories or feelings or chemicals to the fore. And yet, The Way On Is the Way Off remains endlessly listenable despite the weight of dreams or expectations, the band fully in control of their sound, as comfortable as ever in it. I don't know if it's their best yet - ask me in another few months - but it definitely feels like it might be. Stunner.

Howard Stelzer, oh calm down you're fine (No Rent)

Great tip from my brother to check this one out, he being an effective filter for No Rent's endless release schedule. Howard Stelzer is not a new name, but new to me, and oh calm down you're fine is a sterling example why digging for new music remains my favorite pasttime. Stelzer layers tape loops here, of anything and everything; during the impromptu Bandcamp "listening party," which Stelzer "attended," he revealed that samples include that of making an omelette and the school band warming up next to the classroom where he teaches, the latter featured prominently on "Everybody Thinks So." He's in the league of artists like Joe Colley or Jeph Jerman to my ears, though less wracked with anxiety than the former and more interested in the noise made by humans (as opposed to nature) than the latter. What makes Stelzer's work so exceptional here is the subtle sense of composition; the hard-to-follow logic in the way the sounds are paired, or layered, reminds me of how Philip Jeck would compose and arrange his music. One could mistake "Reconsider From Memory" for something by Jeck with unfocused ears, reminiscent too in the unhurried pacing across the tape. The results are decidedly much more abrasive in Stelzer's case, more smart aleck than somber, though like all experimental noise music worth its salt, what's being communicated is in the hands/head of the listener. As the somewhat disarming "Proportional" appears to wind down, Stelzer introduces some dizzying drum loops, conjuring some sort of ritual where you're at the stake, until the laugh track hits. Better luck finding the thread next listen. My favorite tape of the year, and lucky for you, still available from the label. Dig into more of his work on his Bandcamp.

Water Damage, 2 Songs (12XU)

2 Songs is my first proper run-in with Water Damage, and that is something I've committed to fixing after living with this LP in constant rotation for a month. The ensemble, running eight members deep, creates a thicket of psychedelic repetition, playing with tenets of noise, jazz, krautrock, and hip hop across two side-long tracks, appropriately titled "Fuck This" and "Fuck That." The former rips into action after a false start, a dense, throbbing miasma anchored by a tireless bass line and squalls of guitar noise and feedback circling each other. The band takes a quick breather after six minutes, coming back even noisier, and then inexplicably does the same thing again thirty seconds later - and somehow it all works, the two intentional hiccups swallowed by the aural equivalent of The Blob over the track's barely registered, but deeply felt, ebbs and flows. "Fuck That" is comparatively lighter, roomier, allowing room for a maddening circular xylophone (?) line and keyboards to float atop the distorted bass line and agile drums. Stick around until the bass line becomes loose and rubbery, the whole song submitting to its own weight, like the ghost of DJ Screw just took over your turntable. It's really difficult to do this record justice with words; it feels like it consumes the room, your house, then you when it's on. The density of the record is rendered in sharp relief through the high quality recording and the combined power of the players here, combining as one pulsating mass or frictionlessly bobbing and weaving. That they're an octet likely means I'll never have the pleasure of getting to see them do it live, but it's a consolation that 2 Songs is the best-sounding record of the year; it'll peel your scalp back plenty, and I recommend that you grab the LP and let it rip.

[gimmieacoke-blog]

New week, new kids to meet! This week, is all about Quiche. Remember when I said that I will only name the kids in the challenge after foods I like? Well... i done goofed. Please don't ask me why quiche entered my mind. The amount of times I think of quiche on a yearly basis is once...maybe. But here I am with Marisa's first daughter, named Quiche! As usual, lets start at the beginning.

My mom met my dad (?)...

and had me. I'm Quiche.

From the beginning, I was intense. When mom finally got my brothers to bed and hoped to think she may have a few hours rest, that was my cue to cry! I need my diaper changed, I need my bottle, I need my blanket. This room is too hot. Now this room is too cold.

A break in the 4th wall here. At this point we are three kids deep, and I am doing ok. My sanity still exists here. I know you were wondering "Ok Cara, these babies are cute, but its meant to be a challenge. Are you ok?" and at this point yes.. but here is some foreshadowing for next week. I lose it soon after this.

I did not take pictures of this kid either because I didn't know I was going to document this challenge this way, but do not fret as I made up my mind around kid 5, so these posts will be fat with juicy pics soon! Please be patient as I work my way through these forgotten kids.

Ok, back to the game.

Quiche grew up to be a fussy toddler. Because of course she would be after being an intense toddler. When this trait was randomly rolled, i audibly groaned. My partner asked what was wrong and when I tried to tell him how this child will be the death of me, I could tell he never played The Sims and it showed.

As a child she really changed her tune and became Sincere. She was the kind of kid who you could tell all your secrets to. Her brothers Wonton and Nachos would always come to her when they needed to vent about how the other always touched their stuff and how Mom just did not understand. Mom relied on her to keep the boys in line.

High School came around and she found herself working hard on all projects and homework. They needed to be perfect and neat. Her brothers may have been chaos, but in the areas she could control, she would make sure she stood out with her impeccable work.

She aged into a young adult with some skill in cooking. While I don't know for sure what she is up to, I expect she is girl bossing it as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. If she could handle living in a 100 Baby Household, she can handle those old white men like its nothing.

Here is Quiche's other parent unmasked:

Stay tuned later this week when I introduce you all to Pork Chop. I really do love pork chops. If you would like my insanely simple, slow cooker recipe for pork chops, hit me up.

See you later!

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9 Ep 52: A Focus on Me

Luigi started that semester with a fresh perspective, doing his best to put his Papa’s advice on life and relationships into action.

He stopped trying to “look tough”, and relaxed both his hairstyle and his usual wardrobe. He still wore his signature leather jacket when he felt like it but mixed his more comfortable hoodies in as the weather allowed. He also focused on achieving his own goals rather than rushing into a relationship.

Papa Jack had been right that love could wait, and he was nowhere near ready to think about children! He’d have to work hard to get that A+ report card at the end of the semester, and now that he was living on his own, he’d have minimal distractions and no excuses.

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Bonnie seemed to be “grinding towards success” also when he would run into her in the common area of their boarding house. They chatted about their schoolwork and the things they had done over break. He thanked her again for clueing him in about the opening there.

It was so quiet, orderly, and conveniently located! With just his own little room to clean it was like living back home again without the commute.

He and Noemi also picked back up their “study buddy” sessions in The Commons. The two sims had fun geeking out over Luigi’s “behind the scenes” adventures in Battu. They agreed that someday it could be fun to go back there on vacation, “fighting for the resistance” just like in the movies.

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Unfortunately, the arrival of cold, dry winter air threw a wrench in Luigi’s productivity, with his eczema prone skin becoming an itchy distraction.

He had years of experience soothing his unhappy exterior, but his outbreak regimen still took time. Frequent application of topical cream helped with immediate symptoms, and special moisturizing body wash made his shower time a steamy therapy of its own. Finally, he resumed swimming regular laps in the pool at the commons, his skin responding positively to the chlorine while he got a vigorous start to his day.

Until he graduated and could move someplace like Sulani, he’d have to simulate a warmer, wetter climate to keep his “dragon-scale skin” in check!

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The time Luigi spent on skin care, schoolwork and e-sports practice began to endanger his fragile “school/life balance”. He’d just started to miss having time that wasn’t dedicated to one or more of his long-term goals when his body reminded him that he’d also missed taking his iron supplements.

He couldn’t keep going on as he had been, but to his immense “satisfaction” he found a way to literally get more waking hours in the day. With his new seldom sleepy trait he was able to adjust his sleep schedule to make the most of each night, and sleep well in fewer hours.

Now that he could stay up quite late, Luigi once again had gaps in his schedule to relax, take care of his needs, and even start playing Sims Forever again. He updated and upgraded the mods he’d made, which pleased his fellow players and kept his own long running legacy gameplay fresh.

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Focusing night and day on his goals, Luigi had really and truly become the center of his own world and he found nothing wrong with that.

Sure, maybe that might make him a bit self absorbed, but he was the main character after all! He thanked his papa for his timely advice.

Focusing on himself had been exactly what he needed to start the new semester off right. One day his “legacy spouse” would arrive, and he’d have to make time for a child, but for now he felt that his number one priority was mastering his own life. He would show the world, as well as the shadowy watcher and their friends “out there” how successful he could be, like his own highly skilled heir in Sims Forever.

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View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here