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sweetbans29 · 9 months ago

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Pups - CC

Pairing: Caitlin Clark x Reader

Summary: You and Caitlin just keep missing each other until she decides it's been long enough (based on THIS request)

Warnings: just fluff

Word Count: 2.8k

Sweetbans Masterlist

AN: I am switching the request up a little to make it fit a little better since it is set post-college for Caitlin and Kate, I hope it makes sense when you read it!

When you moved to Indiana for work, the first thing you did was head to the local animal shelter. It was your first time living alone and you hated the idea of being truly alone. You walked in expecting to come out with a sweet pup and ended up walking out with two, Pebbles and Bam Bam. When you learned they were surrendered together, there was no way you were going to separate them.

Bringing P&B home was nothing shy of eventful. The second they walked through the door, they were already making it their home. They are the reason your single ass upgraded from a queen bed to a king bed, ensuring the three of you would all have enough room to sleep comfortably together. Considering they were both medium sized dogs, you didn't really understand how you all didn't fit on your queen but your love for your two fur-babies was enough to make the switch.

Your two companions were the sweetest. They typically don't bark inside and are excellently trained.

Since you live in an apartment and work from home, you take them out often to make sure they stay active and so you don't go stir crazy. It works out well. You have found several local restaurants that love Pebbles and Bam Bam and have even met several people who frequent the same places as you. They have helped you build a little community in a place that is starting to feel like home.

It is late Tuesday morning when you take P&B out for their second walk of the day. As you set outside of your door you feel a immediate tug on Bam Bam's leash. You have just enough time to close your door before you are being guided in the wrong direction.

"Bams, chill out," you say as you gather yourself and adjust their leashes.

"Why hello there," a voice says. You look over to see a young man standing holding a trash bag. Bam Bam at his feet sniffing his shoes. Pebbles is much more reserved and looks at the man as if she doesn't quite know what to think.

"Hi," you say thinking the man was talking to you. You quickly realize that his full attention was on Bam Bam who is now running in circles greeting him. The man looks up and smiles lightly at you.

"Hi," he says, attention now on you. "I'm Colin, I believe I am your neighbor."

Colin looks to be a few years younger than you. Your first impression is that he is well-mannered and doesn't shy away from conversation.

"Hi Colin," you say and then introduce yourself. You extend your hand to shake his and you see P&B sitting politely as if they were waiting for you to introduce them.

"Your dogs are very well mannered," Colin says looking down at them.

"They are. I don't know how I was able to end up with them but it was almost as if they chose me when I walked into the shelter," you say with a little laugh. "This is Pebbles and Bam Bam."

"May I pet them?" Colin asks as he sets the trash bag he is carrying down and squats in front of P&B.

"Oh yes! Of course! They would love that," you say.

Colin puts his hand up to let the two dogs sniff it before he begins petting them. Bam Bam being the friendlier of the two has no problem with Colin right our the gate. Pebbles on the other hand, is still friendly but is more skeptical about the new person in front of her. She sniffs his hand but just stares at him.

"The one on your left is Bam Bam, he loves everyone and will be your best friend. Pebbles is on your right and she takes a little longer to warm up to people but once she does, she is a sweetheart and won't leave you alone," you say as Pebbles looks up at you.

"Are they Australian Sheppards?" Colin asks giving all his attention to Bam Bam who is eating it up.

"They are," you say. "I was surprised to see them in the shelter but they weren't there long. They were surrendered just a few days before I went in - sounded like their previous owner passed away."

Bam Bam now has Colin sitting on the ground while he sits right next to him, absorbing all the pets. Pebbles is still sitting at a distance but has laid down, now just observing Colin. You let them interact and watch at how much Bam Bam loves him.

"Bams is a fan of yours," you say. "Give Pebbles a few meetings then she will be just like Bam."

Pebbles stands and stretches as she hears her name, looking at you as if she is saying she is ready to walk.

"I sure hope so! They are already my favorite out of everyone I've met in the building," Colin says and you pretend to be offended. He laughs.

"I can't blame you, they are my favorite too," you say as you both head to the elevator. The two of you talk on the ride down and only part ways after Bam Bam says goodbye to his new friend.

You get back to work when you return from your walk. It is only Tuesday but your week has started off to be a good one.

Caitlin gets home and is exhausted from morning work-outs. When she enters the door she sees dog hair by the entrance and is curious as to where it came from. She just cleaned on Sunday.

"Colin!" Caitlin yells as she makes her way to the kitchen. "Why is there dog hair in the apartment?"

Colin emerges from his room with a smile on his face.

"It is probably Bam Bam's," he says as if Caitlin should know what that means. She gives him a questioning look.

"Bam Bam is the Australian Sheppard that lives next door. He has a sister, Pebbles but she hasn't quite warmed up to me yet. She will be in no time though." Colin says.

"Pebbles? Bam Bam? What are the Flintstones living next door or something?" Caitlin asks.

"Ahhh! That's why the names sounded familiar. I remember when mom and dad would put that on before school," Colin says. "And no, their owner was not apart of the Flintstones."

Caitlin laughs.

"You would love Pebbles and Bam Bam," Colin says. "They are the sweetest. Their owner was also pretty cute too."

Caitlin raises her eyebrows at her younger brother. "A cute neighbor?"

"Ya, not my type but she is cute. Honestly seems more up your ally but we only talked for like 10 minutes," Colin says.

"I don't have a type," Caitlin says with a little scoff. Now it is Colin's turn to laugh.

"You so have a type," he says as he makes his way back to his room.

Caitlin stands at their kitchen island and thinks on if she has a type. She wouldn't say she does, she doesn't feel like she has dated enough to have a type. Colin is just instigating. Yeah, that's it - her brother is just trying to get in her head about the cute neighbor. Caitlin tells herself that before heading into her room.

The next time you run into Colin is on your way back into the building. It is a few weeks after your first encounter with him and Bam Bam goes crazy.

"Bams!" You yell as your pup takes off sprinting to Colin. Both you and Pebbles follow closely behind.

"Bam Bam1" Collin says with the same excitement Bam is greeting him with. Colin immediately sets down his bag and pets Bam.

"I've missed you buddy," Colin says as Bam wiggles his butt in excitement. Pebbles also goes up to Colin, sniffing his knee then looks up at him. Colin takes notices and holds one hand to meet Pebble. She sniffs him as her behind starts to wiggle a little in excitement. Colin begins to slowly pet Pebbles and she lets him for a little before making her way to sit right next to your foot.

"Well that is nice progress," you say with a little laugh. Bam still going crazy over seeing his best friend.

"Hey, I will take what I can get with her," Colin says.

The two of you talk on your way back into the building. He talks about how he is only here until his school starts up again and you talk about what you do for work.

"Is your apartment empty when you aren't here?" You ask as the elevator reaches your floor.

"No, it is actually my sister's apartment. She is here full time, I am only here when I am on break," Colin explains.

"Ahhh, I see. Well don't tell Bam Bam that, he is going to be really sad when you head back to school," you say.

"Just one more semester and then I will be here full time!" Colin says with an innocent excitement. "So he doesn't need to be without me for long!"

You laugh.

You end up inviting him on a Saturday hike with the pups which he immediately accepts. He mentions how that is something his sister loves to do but has work the Saturday that's planned. You mention having her join next time and he agrees.

The two of you build a friendship and you find yourself really enjoying Colin's company. Almost as much as Bam Bam does but you don't think anyone could match the excitement Bams has when he sees people he loves.

Pebbles, like you said, warmed up to Colin. She still greets him with hesitation but lets him pet her and love on her.

Colin tells Caitlin all about you and your pups. Little to your knowledge you are a hot topic in the Clark household. Every time Caitlin gets back from practice, Colin is quick to talk about your most recent outing. He starts off by talking about something cute that Pebbles and Bam Bam did then always goes into how cool you are as a person. It has Caitlin's desire to meet you grow into something she thinks about everyday when she passes your door. She will sometimes slow down in front of your door to see if she can hear you talking to your pups. That is when she realizes that she might actually be jealous of the time that Colin is spending with you. Hell, she hasn't even met you and is jealous. She blames Colin for saying that you are her type after first meeting you.

During Caitlin's next off day, she is determined to meet you. That isn't hard to do considering Colin has plans to go on a walk with you and the pups and she has every intention of crashing it. When Colin calls out that he is going for a walk, Caitlin immediately pops out of her room ready to join.

"I think I will join you today," she says already in athletic shorts and a t-shirt.

"Great!" Colin says. "Bam Bam will love you, he is the softy when it comes to meeting new people. Pebbles will be skeptical at first but just give her some time and she will warm up to you."

Caitlin nods and follows him out the door. Colin walks up to your door and give it a special knock.

"It's open," you yell from the inside and Colin moves to open the door. Caitlin didn't realize the two of you were on such close terms. Leaving your door unlocked for anyone to enter is wild to her considering she has to take so many precautions being who she is.

Once they step through the door, they are greeted by who Caitlin believes to be Pebbles and Bam Bam. Bam Bam makes his way directly to Colin and starts running in excited circles. Who Caitlin suspects to be Pebbles, sits and waits for Colin to come up to greet her.

Once Colin is done saying hi to Bam Bam, he make his way over to Caitlin. Caitlin crouches down and begins to pet the fluffy pup who is excited to meet her. She can't help but fall in love with him on the spot. Pebbles, like Colin said, was much more reserved. She sat at a distance from where Cait stood and just observes her. It is almost as if she is interrogating Caitlin and seeing if she is worthy of knowing her human.

"I'm ready," you say as you pop out of nowhere but head straight to the kitchen. Caitlin barely catches a glimpse of you before you are out of sight again. Colin is already putting Bam Bam's leash on. It's as if he has done it several times before, which he has.

"My sister is coming with us today, if that is okay," Colin says as he struggles with Pebble's leash as she looks at him knowing his struggles.

"Awesome! I finally get to meet her," you say as you grab water for the pups. You finally make your way to the front door with a big smile on your face. Caitlin reciprocates it when she realizes how beautiful you are.

"Hi! It is so nice to finally meet you," you say.

"Same to you, I have heard so much about you and these two little ones for months now but Colin has been keeping you all to himself," Caitlin says and wishes she could have met you sooner, a hint of jealousy reveals itself as she eagerly shakes your hand.

"Wait," you say stopping dead in your tracks. "You're Caitlin Clark."

Caitlin's smile widens at the fact that you know who she is, something she usually tries to avoid when she goes out to preserve any sort of normalcy she can. But when it comes to you, it makes her heart jump.

You turn to Colin and hit him on the shoulder.

"You didn't tell me your sister was Caitlin Clark!" You say to him and he puts his hands up in surrender.

"It is not something I usually go around announcing," he says.

"I don't blame you," you say after thinking for a second.

"Well it is so nice to meet you Caitlin Clark," you say as you reach out your hand to shake hers, introducing yourself. She smiles and repeats your name and it is in that moment that Colin knows he was right about his older sister having a type.

"I see you have already met Pebbles and Bam Bam," you say looking down at your babies. Bam Bam is still getting pets from Colin and Pebbles is sitting in between you and Caitlin while she stares up at her.

"I have, Colin has given me the run down," Cait says with a laugh. You join her with a laugh.

"Good, Pebbles will get there eventually - she is just very protective," you say and Caitlin looks down to see how Pebbles has made it clear that she will be staying in between you and Caitlin.

"Well, I look forward to earning her trust," Caitlin says.

The three of you head on the walk. Colin is holding Bam Bam's leash and is a few steps ahead of you, Caitlin, and Pebbles. Pebbles walks right in between you and Caitlin, only moving to sniff something and relieve herself.

You and Caitlin talk the whole time causing Colin to whisper to Bam Bam, 'I told you they would hit it off'. When you get back to your apartment Caitlin wishes the walk was longer.

"Would you and the pups like to come over for dinner?" Caitlin asks, surprising both you and Colin.

"Are you sure about that?" You ask, knowing some people don't like having animals in their home because of the hair.

"Ya, I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't sure," she says. You nod.

"We would love that," you say with a smile.

"Great," Caitlin says matching your smile. "Why don't you come over around 6ish."

"Sounds great," you say as you enter your apartment. "We will see you tonight!"

Caitlin and Colin head into their apartment and Colin gives her a look.

"You hate when I bring dog hair into the apartment," Colin says. Her inviting you and the dogs over will surely be a cause for there to be more hair than ever before.

"A little dog hair never hurt anybody," she says as she begins to go through the cabinets and fridge to see what she could whip up for dinner.

"Mmmhmmm, I'm pretty sure I remember you saying how it was going to be a 'pain in the ass' to clean when I first started bringing it in," Colin says teasing his older sister.

"Ya well, it's worth it," Caitlin says thinking about the way you eyes smile.

"It's worth it or she's worth it?" Colin asks.

"She's worth is," Caitlin says without hesitation.

AN: Okay but this is absolutely adorable and if you think otherwise, you are wrong. But still, let me know what you think! And as always, thank you for your love and support

#caitlin clark #caitlin clark concepts #caitlin clark imagine #caitlin clark x reader #caitlin clark masterlist

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freezerbnuuy · 14 days ago

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I wrote a guide on my main blog on writing SimLit a while back, but I figured I'd amend it to make it more suitable to Tumblr and post it here as well.

Please note, that there is no one way to write SimLit; creative work is always subjective. You do not have to do everything in this guide, obviously- just focus on the bits that apply to you and what you want to write. This is a gathering of my own ideas, the way I do things, and other options as well. Depending on your writing style, some of this will be more relevant to you than other bits will. This is both for the challenge players and the people who write stories with little basis off anything going on in the game.

I have made a story / challenge-planning document that you can read about here that will give you a place to put all your ideas!

The fun part...sort of...is coming up with all your rough ideas. Things to think about are:

. Where you'll put your story: The most popular place for SimLit these days seems to be Wordpress, but there is always Blogger and LiveJournal as another option for a place to put your story. Tumblr is a great place for stories that are more picture-based and less textual, or if you plan to only have dialogue for your story text. Have a look at what different platforms have to offer to see what suits you.

Whilst I would say Blogger is a bit harder to properly customise than Wordpress and you have to rely on custom templates made by other people and some HTML editing if you want a nice blog template, it is very generous in terms of picture limit. To my knowledge, any image under 2048 on the longer width won't count toward your Photo space (as of 2025).

. Narrative or Gameplay-Driven: Some writers will write commentaries to go alongside images of challenges they're doing. Some write commentary for their general gameplay. Others use Sims solely as a way to 'direct' a story they've come up with themselves instead. Others make comics. Some do a mix of various things... Have a think about what kind of story you want to do. It might even change halfway through writing, you never know!

. Genre: You won't always have an easily-defined genre for your story, but you might have some ideas. Romance, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Family...the options are more or less endless.

. Custom Content: If you use CC, it can help to look for CC you might need for your story- whether that's poses, CAS items or Build/Buy items.

. How you will plan your story: Some SimLit authors write entirely around the game and don't pre-plan anything (brave people you are going by the seat of your pants, I used to do this but now I could never), but others like to plan story points and character notes beforehand. There are plenty of ways to plan your story, whether that's jotting ideas in a notebook or on a word processing document. There is one I already made linked at the beginning of this section.

There are also programs like Scrivener designed for writers to plan stories (it's not free, though). It depends how in-depth you need to plan things out before you write. With me, it really depends. Some story ideas, I have most of the plot planned in my head from the get-go. Other times, I only have a rough idea and have to go from there.

. What challenge you will do: If you want to write a commentary/story around a challenge, look for one you'll find fun first. Long or short? What rules will you change or omit? How much will you let the challenge and game drive the story? Will you be writing commentary, or will you be writing in a narrrative-type style inspired by what happens in the challenge?

. Rough plot / character ideas: Write down any plot or character notes that immediately come to mind, even if you don't know if you will use them. Anything that comes to you straight away is a good place to build on later and should be jotted down whilst it's still fresh in your mind.

. How you will write your story: - Commentary VS. Narrative: Will you write a commentary around your screenshots/gameplay, or will you write it in the style of a prose-like story? You can also mix both of these approaches in various ways.

Or do you want to go about it in a different way? Maybe you could use your screenshots to make a comic-style story. Another option is to possibly have something like an epistolary novel (written almost entirely in letters) or even a 'scrapbook story' (a story told in multiple ways with multiple artifacts- letters, newspaper clippings, phone calls, almost anything).

- Tense and Viewpoint: Will you write in past tense or present tense? Will you write in third person, or first person? How many different characters' viewpoints will you have if you write in first person? (...Or are you like me, and will accidentally switch between tenses throughout the whole story?)

. Themes: It's good to think more in-depth of what themes will appear in your story. Family bonds, friendships, relationships in general, dealing with various aspects of life, prejudices, overcoming fear...the list goes on forever. Whilst I personally don't like reducing stories to tropes, tropes are always a place to start if it works for you.

. General length: Do you want to ideally write a short story, or something longer? This won't always be something you'll have in mind straight away, but that's fine.

. How much to plan and when to start: It's up to you how much you need to pre-plan and when to start writing, but I don't start writing until I'm at a point where I know that the story can be resolved. I don't start writing straight away, in case I end up with a story I somehow can't finish.

. Upload frequency: You won't always stick to this, since most of us are busy, sad and tired adults- but it's good to try and think about how often you want to upload chapters. Are you aiming for weekly, monthly, or just whenever you manage to get a chapter out? What I will say is please TRY NOT TO STRESS about schedules. If your readers are impatient that's their problem and they can wait until you're ready!

. Gather inspiration: Whether it's authors, shows, films, art, music...anything that gets you in the right mood and frame of mind for what you want to do. Moodboards are sometimes a good idea as well for collecting inspiring pictures. Make inspiring playlists of songs that get you in the mood for the story or characters.

. The sliding scale of 'Utopia' and 'Dystopia': On a scale of 'Paradise' to 'Hell-hole world', what's the rough state of the world in your story like? Maybe it isn't that simple, but it helps to have an idea if it's thematically relevant somehow.

. Any messages or lessons: Are there any messages you hope to get across in your story, or anything that a reader may be able to learn from it at all? Not always the case with every story, and this is not the sort of thing that you'll do intentionally. For my own story, it's very much just a snapshot of history so there isn't really much of a defined moral to the story.

This is geared more towards people who are writing mostly story-driven SimLit, since commentary and gameplay-driven stories often don't require any sort of major world-building. That, and the challenge you are doing might already have the worldbuilding situation laid out for you, like the Apocalypse Challenge or the Alien Adoption challenge, but I'll build on this a bit too.

As someone who has been Game Master for DnD and Pathfinder, I'm used to fleshing out worlds, building on lore and the like- and being a Game Master often requires you to do it on the spot sometimes. For me, it's good to have some level of lore and world-building written out. I like having a certain set of 'rules' to stick with, mainly to help keep consistency of the universe's 'rules'. This is especially important with my Magic Universe since the magic system needs a level of consistency I have to try and stick to. (That said, I have occasionally changed tiny less-significant bits of lore as I go...shh...don't tell anyone!)

But where do you start with such a thing? First off, this isn't something you have to do in massive levels of detail (unless you want to!).

Here's the general way of how I do things. Feel free to pick and choose which bits will apply to your story; you don't have to pre-plan every little last detail about your world if you don't need/want to.

--Starting with the already-established relevant worlds and lore--

I almost always start out with the 'official' stuff first. You can find this in-game, in item and world descriptions, in trailers, and on Sims Wikis. Sims isn't the most lore-heavy game for obvious reasons, but now and again you've got something to work with. It all depends on exactly what you're writing about, and how much your story will revolve around the actual Sims universe.

--Seeing what I want to keep from the already-established worlds and lore, and what to get rid of--

I don't keep everything all of the time, and it's unlikely you will either. Sometimes your idea is better, or fits better with what you've already got in mind. Or perhaps the Sims 'lore' behind the thing is too comical and wouldn't fit a slightly more serious story.

--Start stealing ideas! (Go careful though)--

Writers worry way too much about originality, but everyone takes little bits of ideas off each other all of the time- everything is inspired by something. That, and in my opinion there’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing a story that’s a ‘love letter’ to a genre with all the tropes and cliches you can think of.

So gather up some inspiration and see what ideas others have; have a quick read of SimLits that are similar to your idea. Look at the lore behind shows or video games that are the same genre as you are writing. Think about your favourite shows, films and video games as well. Or even look at the official Sims forum or Tumblr to see what people have done with worlds, premade characters and the like. On the official forum, there are a lot of ‘What have you done with…’ threads where people discuss what they have done with premades and in-game places.

One thing I tend to focus on the most when worldbuilding, is the sort of socio-political aspect of the world. 'But why does everything have to be political?', you say, but everyone's life is governed by social and political ideas - some more than others, so for me it's what makes up a big chunk of the worldbuilding because of how much it influences the characters living in that world. That, and a few big historical events I tend to think of as well to flesh the world out. If this sounds like something you feel like delving into, then here's some ideas:

NOTE: Some of this won't apply to your world or focus, so just ignore the stuff that isn't relevant to your story.

--Events in history leading up to your story--

This will depend entirely on what you story is about, but events to think about are:

. Inspiring figures from the past: For example, if you're writing about vampires, are there any in history who are still iconic to this day? What made them iconic?

. Any miscellaneous important events? My more specific ones are geared more towards conflict, but there's always going to be important events that happened that stay with people that happen in the world and they aren't always going to be bad. (Yes, the author of Divided really did just say that.)

.Changes in laws and/or major attitudes towards groups: Were there any rules or legislations that came into play that completely shook the world of your story?

.Conflicts: Wars and other major conflicts in history will linger around for years and years in various ways

Modern society

This is looking at your present day in the story in more depth. This can help you with characterisation as well- how has modern society affected your character and their development and current attitudes?

. Attitudes towards certain groups: Who or what is celebrated in society? Who has to deal with negative attitudes and why? How are people choosing to fight back, positively or negatively, against positive or negative change? Is there any prejudice at all, or is your world almost entirely accepting of different types of people?

. General morale: How happy are the different groups of people in your world? Is there still need for change, or are people more or less okay with the way things are? Is there an imbalance in the welfare of different groups and why?

. What's/who's popular: From people to events relevant to the story you're trying to tell, what's popular and well-known? Are there any events or people that are causing change or debate that might be addressed later?

. Fashions: It helps to think about what's fashionable in your universe sometimes, but maybe that will all depend on what kind of CC you can get a hold of.

. What the future holds: What ideas do people have for the way things may change as time passes?

Magic, superpowers, or other power systems

If your story has some kind of system of 'special' power- magic, or superhero powers, certain chemicals, powers granted from deities or the like- it's good to have some rough idea for how they work:

. Is this power innate? Can it be learned? Is it within the person, or is it an outside source of some kind?

. Is this power a finite or infinite source? Is it a physical object, is it ethereal/energy, a chemical, etc?

. What limits are there to the use of this power? When can it/can't it be used? What downsides are there to using this power (illnesses, magical overcharge, death, etc)? What consequences are there for overuse of the power?

Beliefs and belief systems

Your story might have some sort of 'collective' belief systems- common superstitions, or religions like Sims Medieval’s Jacoban or Peteran faiths, or maybe even cults. If so, it's good to outline those, though the amount of detail you'll need for it will depend on the kinds of beliefs and the story you're telling.

. What are the core / defining rules / lessons /ways of living of this belief?

. What actions/attitudes etc are rewarded, and what attitudes are frowned upon? What rewards and punishments are there for such things, if any?

. How has this belief system affected other people outside of that belief system? What do 'outsiders' think of the belief and the people that practice it?

. Are there any key figures in this belief system? Are they real objects/people, metaphysical beings, or are they not real at all?

. Are there any specific meetings or practices etc. associated with this belief?

. Do people of this belief own specific special clothes or objects? What significance do they have?

IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: When it comes to world-building, ALWAYS go careful when using any real-life cultures, beliefs or events outside of your own culture etc- especially those of marginalised groups. Try to do your research as thoroughly as possible.

To avoid potential upset or misrepresentation, I either rely on fictional creations or keep things vague. For example, I'm using the lore behind the Sims Medieval's Jacoban and Peteran religions in an upcoming story to avoid making a fictional religion that people might mistake as a parody of an existing one.

Do any research you need to do

Once again, how in-depth you go depends on how far you want to go- how realistic you want it to be, how historically-accurate you want it to be...Sometimes it's good to just have enough to get a rough idea of something to add on to. For example, if you're doing a historical story, it might be worth just seeing what big events happened, social taboos, etiquette etc. just to get a feel for the rough world of your story. For anything that isn't an important topic, I'm not bothered if it's inaccurate. For example: if it turns out the soft background science of something in my work is a bit wonky, I don't entirely care. However, for serious subjects like mental health etc, I always make sure to get a good idea of what I'm doing before I write it. If I get it wrong, I could end up spreading massive misconceptions and that's the last thing I want to do. -

World-building towns and cities

Not everyone's story is going to have a huge deal of focus on this sort of thing, and additionally to the top you might want to go even further with building onto what's already given to us. So here's some other things that might be worth thinking about if you want to do a bit of extra fleshing-out for the game worlds. When I say 'individual world' I mean the actual playable worlds on their own as opposed to the ts4 worlds altogether at once. If you're doing a challenge and the challenge has worldbuilding aspects, like Alien Adoption Challenge or the Apocalypse Challenge then that is a brilliant thing to give you some level of a framework for some aspects of your story's world.

. Rough population of the individual world etc.

.Landmarks and their significance

.Tourism, what do other people like to do whilst they're there

.What sorts of people tend to live there

. What the individual world is known for the most, what puts them 'on the map', so to speak

Characters are my main focus as both a writer and a reader. I can have a good story with great characters and a thin plot, but a story with a great plot and boring characters is never going to interest me. They can also be difficult to come up with ideas for. Here is a rough idea of how I come up with characters, and how I build on pre-made characters.

Some people have written 'character interviews' - these can sometimes be helpful. You fill them out from the characters' point of view, or from a third-person perspective but about the character. The 'Marcel Proust' character interview is a great one to use, since it asks questions that will no doubt be relevant to both the character and the plot later on. Some of them have questions about favourite food, colours etc. but for me, this is more often extraneous than not. Then again, knowing too much about your character for some people is better than not knowing enough.

My own character 'interview' is here. It's technically not an interview and is just a list of things to consider about your character. You may get some use out of it.

First off, before anything: think of what to base your character on, roughly. Think of the traits of people you know or have known, think of aspects about yourself. Of course, we can't forget basing characters off of your favourite fictional characters!

If you are writing a premade character, and you're unsure on what to expand on, first off look at their in-game traits, any information provided in trailers/promotional material, and then look at fan theories and ideas about the character. Those are good places to start if you're using a premade Sim.

As well as specific characters, think of your favourite traits, archetypes, and development types as well. One of my favourites is the downfall of a character, a tragic character whose constant screw-ups land them in a deeper and deeper mess. Even better when they start going off the rails a bit as well. I also love characters who struggle with others' kindness, who learn to let themselves be loved over time.

Then you can get to outlining them.

The basics about your character

. Name: Is there any meaning behind this name in-story? Did the character choose it themselves or is it their birth name? What nicknames do they have, if any? Which do they like, and which do they hate? (Names don't have to have meaning. I only use meaningful names in certain contexts- most names are just names I like, names that just fit for some reason, or that a character's parents thought sounded nice).

NOTE ON NAMES: If you want an authentic name for a character from a specific time period, look at census records for the country if they're available or see if you can find articles on people from that country and time period. You can also Google naming conventions, as they can change within a country over time as well. I also recommend avoiding baby name websites or baby-related websites when you want authentic names for characters that aren't English or American. It's best to find blogs written by people from that country. Sometimes travel blogs for the country will sometimes talk about names, authenticity and such. Sometimes Wikipedia has lists of names as well, but it's worth double-checking any info found there.

. Rough description: Height, rough weight, colours of skin/hair/eyes, the general 'vibe' of their attire or a more in-depth description. Anything notable about them, like specific jewellery, clothes, tattoos or scars/other injuries?

. Identity: This could be anything from where they grew up, gender, race, sexual orientation, or if they are an occult sim or some other made-up species or race. How has their identity affected their life? Do they face any prejudice or mistreatment for any of it at all, or does it give them more of an advantage over others?

. Family: People in a character's family, whether blood family or found family.

.Beliefs: What they do (and maybe don't) believe in.

. Protagonist or antagonist: Not always this black and white for every character, but good to think about your character's rough place in the story. Of course, one can become the other as the story progresses.

Character-defining aspects

. General personality traits: You can use in-game traits and Randomise to give you ideas, or you can think of your own personality traits for the character.

. Upbringing: What it was like growing up for them. Who was good to them? Who wasn't? How have these people and experiences shaped who they are today? How was the world different growing up to what it's like now? Does the character mourn the old ways of the world or do they like the change?

. Social class: How has this affected their life?

. Education: Might also connect with upbringing here- how was school/university etc. for them?4

. Goals/dreams: Almost everyone has a goal, even if they never achieve it. Even if it's just getting out of bed to make breakfast and then getting back in again.

. Social life: Extrovert, introvert or somewhere in the middlle? What do they do when they hang out with friends etc?

. Fears: What are they afraid of? What do they do to avoid that fear, if anything?

. Any conditions, illnesses, or neurodivergence: (ONCE AGAIN, go careful when writing things like this and do research where it's needed.) How have they affected the character's life and their outlook in general? How does it affect how others percieve them, if it does at all? If applicable, what caused them?

. If not that, then general physical/mental health: How well (or not) does the character look after themselves in these ways? What do they do for self-care and distraction?

. Likes and dislikes: People, things, events, hobbies...What makes them happy and what makes them want to punch a wall?

. Character 'flaws': Flaws don't necessarily have to be absolutely-horrible things, it can be just things that can hold the character back in some way. Some things that characters may overcome in a story might not necessarily be flaws as well- for example, introversion isn't a flaw (I wish writers would stop treating it as one), but possibly some characters may seek to try and 'come out of their shell' socially a little. Most characters have some kind of flaw or personality 'aspect' to overcome or learn to deal with, but the best kind of character flaws are the ones that actually get in the character's way in the story. The joy is in seeing how the character overcomes these flaws...or even how the character gives into them more and more as the story goes on. Wretched excess is fun sometimes!

. What they're good/bad at: Where do they excel, where do they need a little practice, and what are they absolutely terrible at?

. Any special ablities or powers: What can this character do? What are the limits of this power? How do they feel about this power?

. Things they are known for: Whether by friends, family, colleagues or the world. What are they known for? What do people like and dislike about them?

. Ideas for development: How do you (at the moment) see the character changing? If you have any ideas for it, who or what will help to influence that change?

. Relationships with other characters: How they do (and don't) get along with other established characters, and maybe why. -

Things to think about character-wise when writing your story

Once you get to writing your character, here's a couple of things that it helps to think about- though some of it is more relevant if writing in the first person.

. What your character does and doesn't notice: How do they approach the world around them? What sort of things do they notice first in their surroundings?

. Manner of speech: Formal, or informal? Do they have any mottos, catchphrases or words they use often? Do they speak about feelings a lot? Do they lie, and how often? Sometimes what isn't spoken can say as much as what is spoken.

. How they socialise and deal with others: Do they overthink things in discussion? Do they pick up on social cues? Do they often over-analyse the actions of others, or do they let everything go over their head? Are they confident in socialising, or not? Maybe their out-of-dialogue musings are complex, but they keep to not revealing much in their speech.

. How they cope with negative emotions: Do they break down, or blame others? Or do they power through it?

. In connection to some of the above points, think about your character both from the outside and inside: How do others see them? How do they think they come across to others? How do they come across to themselves? And finally, who are they really on the inside?

An important aspect to think about especially is character motivation. I've written this one separately from the bullet points since I think it's especially important given character motivation will play a major part in driving the plot along, as well as relationships with the other characters. This might not be something you'll have a solid answer to until you start writing, but it's good to have some starting ideas.

. In the broadest and simplest sense, what does your character want? Money, fame, honour, redemption, happiness, revenge...Have a think about what it is that they strive for deep down. (If you're struggling for ideas, maybe it might help to look at the in-game Aspirations, or maybe even the Traits will give you some ideas).

. How far are they willing to go to get it? Are there limits they won't go to in order to get what they want? Or are they willing to step on whoever's toes? This might be a change that occurs over the story, that's always an interesting concept. Seeing the well-behaved character slowly and gradually challenge what is acceptable...

. Who, or what 'kickstarted' this motivation? Some people just naturally come to want something, maybe as they grow up and/or their general interests, hobbies etc. change. Some motivations are brought on by events, though. Maybe harm done to a loved one motivates them to seek revenge, or something they did in their past motivates them to seek forgiveness or redemption for their actions.

For challenge players, you can always define your characters through funny commentary, I always like seeing that. One story had one generation founder constantly break the fourth wall and be the only one who realised they were in a game and it made them stand out in a comical way.

Let me start off by saying: Plot is my weak point. I struggle to organise ideas when both reading and writing, I always have done. As usual, for plots it's best to think of your favourite plots from stories or a 'stock plot' like The Hero's Journey, Wretched Excess etc. It's also good to think about any potential plot points that come to mind straight away, so then you have starting points and can fill in the gaps- this is generally what I do. And honestly, I don't think it's that bad to re-use themes and plot pieces sometimes. Sometimes it works better to stick with what you're familiar with, than it is to try a thousand things at once that are new or different to you.

Do you see yourself as a 'plotter' or a 'pantser'? I'm a bit of both, though I'm leaning towards more of a plotter now. I wish I could write everything by the seat of my pants, but sadly I can't.

The way I initially began planning for a longer, more in-depth story is by making a table in a word processing document that is one column wide, with loads of rows. Just one giant row of loads of columns. Each box in this table will be for specific notes, and the order of these notes in the planning table goes like this:

. Title ideas/preliminary ideas: What it says on the tin, and the very, very first ideas for the story.

. Rough story ideas: Any ideas that come to me in the pre-planning stage go here. Ideas for anything at all- screenshots, scenes, lines of dialogue, anything!

.Background information to be aware of: Any relevant lore or research goes here. Sometimes I keep story research in a separate document.

. Previous story points to be aware of: Any previous characters or events to be aware of to aid in consistency.

. Current plot threads: Keeping track of plot threads that need to be resolved in some way, to help prevent plot holes.

. Character info: Character information in varying levels of depth. At this point, this usually only covers main characters.

. Character Development: This almost always changes halfway through, but this is my plan for how characters will change as the story goes on, and the events and characters that will be catalysts for that change.

. Backstory: Character backstory goes here instead, to keep things organised.

. Ideas for future chapters: Any ideas at all for upcoming chapters, no matter how vague. This also includes things that absolutely have to happen later on.

. Story ideas: Various boxes, all of which have more detailed story ideas. At the moment these are defined by specific events, and these are just for the direction of the story.

. Chapter (X): The main story planning, with one box for every chapter. This is where the story starts to be sorted by chapters as opposed to just events. Things always get swapped around during the writing process: Some things get moved until later, moved to happen earlier, or omitted/changed entirely.

The general idea as I'm going, is that each chapter has to move at least something forward. We learn something new about someone, a character's actions have changed something or caused a consequence, a character has learned something, etc. Somehow things have to be different from the beginning of the chapter to the end of the chapter and that is generally how I go about it. Whilst a lot of people frown on whole chapters that 'info-dump', for some stories it might be necessary- especially for futuristic or alternate history stories where the author will need some filling-in on the general state of this unfamiliar world.

Again, how much you want to/need to plan depends on what you're doing. Nowadays I write narratively, and the game has little bearing on the actual story.

If you're going with a gameplay or challenge-driven story you probably won't need much planning, if any at all.If it helps, it's worth doing what you can to create associations of some type within your planning- whether it's symbols, bold/italic, colour-coding, anything. That might aid you in keeping important bits of the notes tied together somehow, whether it's done by scene, character, important plot points etc.

It may help to highlight important bits as well in your word processor, so you can easily find things you know you have to go back to soon. I sometimes do this since I easily get lost in my own notes...

Other Planning Ideas

. Starting from the end: It might be easier to go backwards if you come up with your ending before your intro. You can always start with your end point, and then figure out how you got there.

. Mind-maps: If a massive list of boxes doesn't sound ideal, it might help do a sort of mind-map or flowchart. This is better if you are the sort of person who'd rather take in small bite-sized pieces at a time. You could have one mind-map for the beginning, middle and end, and then do little branches off for different events. And then from those branches, possibly add more for other details surrounding that specific story event, or things to remember for later on down the line.

. 'Snowflake method': Put simply, it's writing down a simple plot point or idea and then continually expanding on it until it's at the level of detail you need for your plan- the way a typical snowflake's points branch out. As a random example: - Dave goes to get some cheese. - Dave has discovered a monster in his kitchen, and it demands a block of cheese or Dave's life. Terrified, Dave goes out to get some cheese to appease the monster. - A monster that can only live off of cheese is used to eating the bits of dropped cheese off Dave's kitchen floor, but Dave has decided to do more cleaning now his girlfriend is moving in. Desperate for survival, the monster has escaped its hiding place, demanding a block of cheese from Dave for its survival. If Dave does not supply cheese, he will be killed by the monster.

. 'Five-part narrative'/Pyramid: Breaking down your story into the five main parts of most stories: - Exposition: This is mainly setting up the world of your story - the setting, the main goings-on in the area, the characters we will be following throughout the story, and also the driving point which sets the main characters ahead doing plot stuff. - Rising action: The rising action is generally the part where the characters' antics, or possibly something caused by the world around them, sets stakes higher and puts more pressure on them. Perhaps the character has made a grave mistake. People could be after them. Or perhaps some kind of natural disaster has caused massive issues for the character. How will they come to navigate all of this? - Climax: The rise up to the 'turning point' or the height of the drama in your story. Maybe your character finally has some kind of breakdown, their actions have led them into the worst situation possible, but good can arise from this...or your character can just keep going down the slippery slope. - Falling Action: This is generally the process of gradually resolving all that has happened during the story. Maybe the main characters have realised their mistakes and aim to solve them, or perhaps your characters have overcome the main antagonist, or possibly made peace with them somehow. - Denouement: The resolution to the story, or at least where the characters end up. Then again, who's to say that everything will be resolved by the end if you want to make a series rather than a one-off? And who's to say the resolution will be a clean pretty one?

. For the challenge/game-driven writers: It helps to make notes of anything that happens in-game that could become a plot idea. Whether it's something from a mod, Lifestyles, Sentiments, or other autonomous actions- anything that gives you idea for a potential relationship change, conflict or story point, jot it down and maybe you can build on it later. If your Sims end up with positive or negative Sentiments for each other, then maybe it could be fun to come up with a reason why they feel that way.

My biggest piece of advice is: If you are stuck with what to do next in a story, let the game do some of the storytelling for you if you need to. Look at what happens autonomously, Likes/Dislikes, traits, anything caused by mods that add story depth to the game, Sentiments that people have for others etc. You probably even have mods that actually add some real depth to the game that you can go off of. It's a great way to help you get new ideas. It's gotten me through a lot of brick walls in the plot.

. Do not use ChatGPT or any generative AI! The whole point of creative writing is the CREATIVE part and neither of these are at all creative. Don't bother writing a story if you can't be bothered to do the writing.

. Be sure to try and use content warnings for aspects of the story that may need it. You can use the trigger tags and can warn in chapter headers. You can't catch everything, of course you can't, but it's a helpful way to help a reader decide whether or not it's worth getting into a story, or whether they may want to skip a page or chapter. My own story has a lot of potential triggers so I warn about them as much as possible.

. Portrayal is not automatically endorsement. Your story does not have to be entirely morally-pure and neither do your characters. Not every story is about the perfect people who do no wrong and somehow manage to tick every box on how to be the perfect Leftist. You also don't have to provide disclaimers on the fact you are not okay with what's being portrayed, but you can do so if you want to save your own skin.

. Do not worry too much about word counts. Some people like to keep an eye on word counts, but make sure you're not letting it dictate your entire workflow. It's great to have goals to keep you going, but to let them define your work entirely can get stressful. If you miss your goals, don't beat yourself up about it.

. Use online generators if necessary! Names, plot points, rough plot outlines, there are generators for everything online. They are there both for fun and to help you get a starting point, and you are NOT cheating for using them! No other writer ever does absolutely everything themselves. We all get ideas from somewhere, so there's absolutely zero shame in using generators for ideas and such.

. Do not get hung up on looking for writing advice. I know, I just gave my advice and yet I'm saying this! Over the years I've looked at so many writing advice blogs, and almost all of it has been useless to me in the long run. Most of my learning has been from reading others' writing, and I have also learned from other kinds of art as well- films, pictures, etc. Do not rely too much on one person's style or advice. It's no good wanting to be someone else, and take that from someone who's been super jealous of loads of creators over the years. Whether it's art or writing, I've learned more from looking at others' art than I ever have from people who've told me how to do it. On top of that, don't let others' advice dictate what you do too much. After all, people are so quick to label absolutely anything as 'bad writing' these days. Continuing on from this point...

. Do not let others' writing advice become super-strict rules. Including my own! The problem with some people and their advice, is that they tend to think their way is the only way, for everyone. And as I mentioned earlier, people are quick to slap the latest cool 'smart writer's term on anything. Remember when Mary-Sue/Marty-Stu started off as an overpowered character who never faces consequences, but then seemingly became any character with supernatural powers and/or unnatural hair and eye colours? Remember when we got taught 'said is dead' in primary school, and then authors and Internet writers suddenly became obsessed with it to the point where you were terrible for using 'said' at all?

All of those writing blogs demanding complete originality when every conceivable story is inspired by something, subconsciously or otherwise? Getting thrown overboard for using clichés? The same three authors being used as a style model? It's great to take inspiration from other people, but don't think that others' writing advice is always 100% going to improve your writing because as I have said ad nauseum throughout this whole thing- art is subjective. Even if the advice-giver is an excellent author that's been published 1205 times, that doesn't necessarily mean their way is the only way for everyone. My likes and dislikes are not ultimate. Neither are theirs, and neither are yours. Write the clichéd character, add the cool thing because it's fun, use 'said' all of the time, enjoy yourself.

. Also worth adding that just because someone writes their writing 'advice' in an incredibly harsh or 'my way is the only way' manner, it doesn't mean they're 100% right and that you should change how you do things because a bored stranger on the Internet thinks they're the last word on how to create things. You are not going to please everyone, and that's fine. And let's face it- some people are never pleased. Ever. Don’t write to please these types of people, it’s not worth it. I've come across them plenty of times in the past on creative websites, and I've fallen into the trap of trying to do what they say because they must be right, right? And really, why should I? Why should anyone?

Don't fall into the trap of feeling like you have to do what the angry man on Wordpress told everyone to do. Maybe these types occasionally have something good to share, but you should only use writing advice you find genuinely helpful to you.

. When it comes to doing research on things like stereotypes or tired archetypes / plotlines for certain marginalised groups, be aware that everyone has a different opinion on what is harmful and what isn't. You cannot write a character of any experience that every single person will agree with or consider to be a sympathetic portrayal. One man's good representation is another man's problematic.

You are also occasionally going to find some people writing these portrayal guides who will consider every experience out of their own individual one to be wrong (I've come across plenty of 'how to write autistic characters' guides where the autistic writer is convinced their experiences are the only kind of 'proper' autistic experience... and we are all very different people in reality!). Try to get a rough idea from multiple sources and go from there.

. In addition to the above: Go careful where you get your research/advice from. I will happily admit when I don't know what I'm talking about sometimes. Other people, not so much. Go careful who you choose to do any research from. On top of that, when you are looking for advice specific to a culture or identity, most of the time it's best to find things written by people who are actually a part of the group. It's good to be as thorough as you can.

. Be imperfect. No-one is a perfect writer, though some certainly think they are! Perfectionism is common, but in my opinion it holds people back a lot of the time. Don't stress too much- SimLit is meant to be a fun hobby.

. Always aim to finish your work. Even if you have to pull a plot point out of your backside to do it, try to finish everything where you can. I have only ever discontinued one story, and that was only five chapters into it. If you're having trouble, don't be afraid to leave a project for a while. I find in the meantime, I come up with new ideas. Sometimes a necessary distance to a project is needed to see it in a different light, and then any issues can be (hopefully) figured out.

. Don't get caught up in the 'reboot loop'. It's a dangerous game, to constantly want to re-do your work. I'd know - I have a personal project that's been rebooted over 10 times and still not completed that's been a work-in-progress since almost 2014. Don't get caught up in it otherwise you'll never finish anything. If there's something you don't like, assess first if it's best to just move on with the story despite it. In connection to my above point, I'd rather a story be finished badly, personally, than not finished at all.

. Do not get put off by low reader numbers or lack of comments. It's part of the creative process- either you'll get feedback or you won't. People nowadays tend to go for shorter stories either due to not having time, language barriers are also a thing that can put people off a longer prose-based story, or due to the modern age trying to make everything as succinct as possible - and like I said earlier, a lot of people are tired busy adults and likely won't have time.

Some things are also typically more niche than others.

Do not publicly whine or guilt-trip people over lack of feedback or attention. There are always going to be times where lack of attention to your work will get you down, and in my eyes, that's a good sign to take a break from it until the passion for creation comes back to you. Otherwise the story will likely suffer for it as will your wellbeing.

. Do not get put off by negative critique. Critique can be helpful, but let's face it, many people often don't know how to write a good or useful critique and a lot of people nowadays want to be a edgy, feisty caustic critic, might as well say it. Even if someone is nice about it, your first reaction might be ‘owch’.

Keep the useful critique in mind, bin the rest. You don't need to change anything about your story, at the end of the day nobody can force you to do that - but it's also not healthy to ignore absolutely all critique completely. Sometimes others' ideas can be helpful. Sometimes.

. Jarte - A free fancier version of Wordpad that I use for note-taking and plot-planning.

. My planning document and character questions linked earlier.

. MyNoise - If you like background noise to focus but music isn't for you, these are various noise machines. It includes chanting, white noise, natural sounds (thunder, rain etc), bar ambience and much more. There's an amazing selection.

. Writing Plot Prompts and Generators - A bunch of generators for plot-related events. Rough plots, possible things that could go wrong, ideas for how characters meet and general writing prompts.

. Character Generator - A bunch of character-related generators that will generate all sorts of ideas- from rough descriptions, to in-detail outlines, to causes of death, and a separate generator for ideas for LGBT+ characters as well.

. Evernote- a free (with paid options) note-taking app for mobile and for PC. It allows you to create to-do lists, clip whole web pages, screenshots, articles PDFs and bookmarks - great for storing research or other important things! You can also sync your PC notes with your mobile ones so you always have a space to dump your ideas wherever you come up with them.

. Random Town Name Generator - with some fun tidbits about town naming in general.

. Fantasy Map Generator - for the super-world-builders!

I hope this has given you something of a starting point, or has otherwise given you something else to think about. Happy writing!

#sims 4 storytelling tutorial #sims 4 storytelling #sims 4 #ts4 #simblr storytelling guide #freezerbnuuy

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tau1tvec · 1 year ago

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Some tips for The Sims 3 Buy/Build

Install LazyDuchess’ Smooth Patch to alleviate lag, esp in Buy/Build and CAS.

Keep your CC merged and organized, esp your patterns, this will also alleviate a lotta lag across all modes.

When building on community lots, or any lot rlly, avoid going to the edit world menu, and just put testingcheats enabled into the cheat window, then shift+click the ground of the lot to enter Buy/Build mode. This makes leaving it to save a lot easier, with less “preparing” screens to possibly get hung up in.

Lower your settings, you don’t need any adjacent lots loaded, and you certainly don’t need super water on either. You can always switch these back on when you’re done.

While you’re at it, remove your HQ mod, and turn off your Reshade/Gshade preset, or at least turn off your depth shaders. I only ever turn on my depth shaders when I’m taking screenshots for better fps while playing. The DoF shader esp requires a lotta resources your game could be using to simulate all those 78 townie sims instead.

Save as… vs Save, I Save as… at least every third save. It’s also just good habit to keep backups.

When using the CASt tool, set down everything you plan to CASt first, then switch to a category like the wall tool to avoid eventual lag and drag when using it a lot. Love yourself. You don’t have to suffer using CASt tool in an overpopulated category like misc deco.

Utilize the clone option through testing cheats to duplicate already CASted objects, it’ll keep your design just like the dropper tool, but it’s a lot less time consuming, I promise.

Don’t be afraid to use the swatch save tool for objects you use often, esp community lot objects, as it helps to keep your aesthetic consistent. I also keep all of my favorite streetlamps, benches, and public trash bins etc in a convenient custom collection folder to speed up the process of doing multiple lots in one sitting. These handy tools are there, use them.

The issue with custom counters. They mess up sometimes, if you can’t recolor it suddenly, here’s how to fix that. Now if you can’t place down a cupboard suddenly, even though nothing’s in the way, and you’ve got moveobjects on activated, try putting it on the wall a tile over, and then try adding it to your desired spot again. Lastly if you set down counters or cupboards at a corner, and it messes up the textures, but you can still recolor it, you could do what the video I linked above does, or you could simply pull out the CASt tool, and switch it back to any of its original swatches and click the check, then feel free to recolor it as you want.

Railings will also do the “can’t recolor” trick too, but this is a simple fix, just delete it, and replace it, and you’re good.

“Oh no, I switched between buy and build mode, and now my catalogue won’t load, and I can’t click on anything at all!” Don’t panic, hit F2 and/or F3 on your keyboard, these are shortcuts for switching between them, and if you’re lucky it’ll load properly again. Should you get the bug where you load a category and it’s somehow empty, don’t fret, just click on a different category and this should fix it. Then if you get the bug where all the objects you put down disappear suddenly, sorry your game is haunted. Call an exorcist, or just reload, they might reappear if you do.

Tbh, if you run into any kind of major bugs, it’s likely a sign to either save immediately or just restart your game. These only ever show up when you’ve been at it a while ( at least for me ), therefore starting fresh wouldn’t hurt. Probably also wouldn’t hurt to check whether you might’ve installed something the game didn’t agree with by running Dashboard, or put it through the ol’ Save Cleaner.

Honorable Mention: Keep an eye on the texture sizes and poly counts of objects. I know it’s tempting to build these ultra hyperrealistic lots with clutter at every inch, but unless you’re just doing it for screenshots, or for your story, or using it very sparingly, it is not by any means recommended purely for gameplay. This is just the truth when it comes to any Sims game. You don’t want lag, or max memory crashes, or save errors? The Sims 3 is a 32bit game, that’s almost old enough to drive, be easy on it.

#the sims 3 #ts3 #tips and tricks

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fanfic-obsessed · 11 months ago

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Time Given and Taken

This one is another time travel fix-it, also somewhat AU even beyond the time travel. Our time travelers are Obi Wan Kenobi and Commander Cody, both from after their own deaths. Let’s even put it after the Empire falls.

They have reunited and through Force Shenanigans are sent back to five years before the Clone wars start (dealers choice if they chose to go back or just found themselves back in time), they land specifically on Ord Mantel, their bodies have been reformed at peak age and physical fitness (Late 20’s), there is not chip in Cody’s head and his aging has been slowed to match Obi Wan’s force assisted aging (Look if the Force has to build their bodies anyway it might as well get the best results possible); but we’ll get back to them in a moment.

Now The Force did have to make some preparations for them, as it could not have two versions of the same soul existing in this universe at the same time. Thus, in this universe,during the Naboo crisis Padawan Obi Wan Kenobi died in place of his Master Qui Gon Jinn. Jinn was still struck by Maul and Obi Wan did still bisect the Sith, but then the Padawan used a nearly unknown healing technique to heal Qui Gon at the expense of his own life. Padawan Obi Wan’s last words to his master were ‘You said the boy needed to be trained, now you can’. He was mourned by everyone who knew him.

That same year Unit CC-2224 was decanted stillborn, which happened at about the same rate of stillborns/miscarriages in natborn births. The Kaminoans did the typical cursory exam to make sure there was not a larger issue, and found that there had been a small difference in the nutrients in CC-2224’s growth pod that resulted in the stillbirth. No one knew to mourn the being he would have been at all.

Having Qui Gon Jinn as a master did not actually make things better, or easier, for Anakin; though it also could be argued that it did not make things significantly worse either. It was different though. Though Qui Gon had more experience than Obi Wan would have in the original timeline, there were other issues now at play. And Anakin was growing up in the blinding light of the memory of Obi Wan Kenobi, the perfect Jedi padawan who killed a Sith then died to save someone. He was also growing up in the shadow of Xanatos, the talented, powerful former padawan that Fell and died a decade ago. This is offset, just a bit, by Feemor coming back, telling Qui Gon that he could kriff off with his repudiation and installed himself as Anakin’s Padawan brother (“like I should have with little Obi Wan”). It is made worse by Anakin overhearing the wrong parts of a few conversations that heavily implied Obi Wan died because he felt he had little left to live for (Because Obi Wan was being replaced by Anakin)

It is likely that, left alone, growing up with the ghost (in tha he haunted the narrative, not that he was actually there) of Obi Wan would have made Anakin resentful of his dead padawan brother. However Palpatine, who he still had frequent private meetings with (look no one was suspicious of this happening the first time around, Qui Gon would likely not have felt it was suspicious either), never met any potential resentment that he could not turn to his advantage. Instead of letting resentment grow for Obi Wan, Palpatine instead leaned into this saintly memory of a young man Anakin only spent a little time with (a lot of, ‘I’m sure young Obi Wan would not have treated you like that’), something similar to what he supposedly did with Qui Gon in canon. Basically polishing the image of Obi Wan Kenobi in Anakin’s head until the dead Padawan could do no wrong. Palpatine could have eventually used the memory of Obi Wan to further separate Anakin from the Jedi (“The Jedi let Obi Wan Die/Got Obi Wan Killed because he was the last good Jedi” kind of rhetoric).

Had the dead man stayed dead.

With that established we step back to 5 years before the Clone wars were due to break out, Ord Mantel, where Cody and Obi Wan find themselves appearing, young bodies, old minds, and a small amount of the local currency (not enough to destabilize the economy, but enough to start gambling with). They quickly, and quietly, win enough money to buy a small cruiser (taking care to keep their individual ins small enough not to catch the attention of anyone), just big enough for the two of them.

Then they make their way to Kamino.

They very deliberately decide not to go to the Jedi just yet. There are a number of reasons. Some are trauma based (the last time Obi Wan was Coruscant he was walking through the ruins of the temple and finding the bodies of children; the last time Cody was on Coruscant he was deserting the empire after Desix). Some are for practicality(Coruscant is Palapatines domain already; They do not realize that their alternate selves are dead here and do not want to run into Knight Obi Wan). But the main reason comes from the fact that Order 66 caused two genocides, Jedi and Clone. They both reasoned that, while focusing on preventing the Jedi genocide (Going to the Jedi, killing Palpatine) would not necessarily prevent the Clones from being abused, used, and trapped by the chips, Freeing the Clones would, by the very nature of what happened, prevent the Jedi from being killed.

So they go to Kamino. Talk their way into Tipoca City and to speak with Jango Fett. First they help Jango remove his head from his ass and realize exactly what he did (effectively selling his genetic children into slavery to destroy a culture for revenge he was clinging to in order to keep from facing his culpability in what happened-Not only were the Jedi lied to at Galidraan, Jango shot first; he escalated things and it backfired on him). It took a few days (and included bringing Jango and Boba down to one of the creche rooms holding the clones the same physical age as Boba, putting Boba in clone uniform and asking Jango to try and pick him from the crowd. Jango promptly had a panic attack when he was face to face with 200ish Boba’s and unable to look away from the reality of what he was doing).

SIDE NOTE: Has anyone else noticed the parallel between Jango Fett and Maul. Both were obsessed with getting revenge for situations where they suffered from being in the instigator and losing. Essentially they fucked around, found out, and decided to get revenge, and it cost them everything they had left.

Once Cody and Obi Wan actually got through to Jango, they told him everything. Being from the future, what Project Knightfall actually did, Cody talking about what it was like under the control of the chips, of never realizing why he betrayed his Jedi general or was willing to hunt down Force users, of waking up after the chip was removed and realizing exactly what he had done, Of the brothers he had lost to suicide, due to the horror of what had happened. They talked about the Empire and what it did to Mandalore.

The three of them decided what to do next.

Jango, looking at himself realistically for the first time in a decade, realizes quickly that he should not take the mantle of Mand’alor again. He was too young the first time, but had been growing into the role. Had Galidraan not happened, he likely would have been a good leader, but it did and the years of slavery (with its exposure to Spice) plus the trauma from Galidraan made their mark. Jango would, however, throw his support behind Cody as Mand’alor (Cody made sure it was clear that Jango would also be throwing in his support behind Obi Wan as Cody’s Jedi husband, alternately Cody and Obi Wan would share the Mand’alor title. Jango was fine with that).

It is also decided, after much debate, that they would also inform the Kaminoans of the fate of their species in the original timeline (destroyed as soon as they could be) and get their cooperation. There had been consideration for simply taking Kamino, or Tipoca city, but it was decided that it was simply more work than it was worth. It took two months (during which Obi Wan and Cody functioned as additional trainers for the Cadets) before they were ready to present the truth to Lama Su. Thankfully they had enough working knowledge of things they should not, and were able to get enough proof of what they had to say, that they were able to convince Lama Su that aligning with the Sith would doom the Kaminoans; an if there was one thing the Kaminoan valued more than profit, it was their own survival.

The Clone project, overall, was at a point where communication between the project and the Sith was infrequent at best (so that attention was not drawn to a seemingly empty patch of space too early), so Tyranus did not have cause to notice that Kamino started ghosting him (It should be noted that they also kept cashing his checks, ostensibly so that he would not notice anything wrong).

With the Kaminoans on their side now, Cody, Obi Wan, and Jango got to work. There were a few trainers that did need to be killed outright (Priest and Reau, whom Cody got to kill during one of the cage fights they were arranging-which forever endeared him to the Clone cadets, especially the batch he would have belong to in another life, who were around 10 years old developmentally, who found themselves drawn to Cody, the trainer that looked so much like Jango Fett that he could have been a clone himself), and a few that asked to be paid so they could leave (and were paid extras so that Obi Wan could remove the details of what as going on from their mind, for safety reasons), but most were willing to follow Cody and Obi Wan as soon as it was clear that Jango has sworn himself to them (non sexually and non romantically, Jango is very AroAce, and very Sex/Romance repulsed).

The next step is starting to remove the already embedded chips, which went quickly with the help of the Kaminoans, and partially demilitarizing the education of the cadets. While they would be Mandalorians (as a warrior culture there is a certain level of military in their education) the cadets training would no longer be solely focused on being soldiers and nothing else. The Kaminoans also keep cloning (Technically the original order was for 1 million clones for the Jedi, they may be taking Tyranus’s money and ghosting him, but they would fulfill their contract-It was decided by the Kaminoan Council that Obi Wan qualified as ‘Jedi’ for the purposes of the contract, so giving him the clones is really fulfilling their written contract)

Cody and Obi Wan, with the council from the remaining trainers and Jango, decided that they would spend the years between their arrival and one year before the Clone Wars was due to start on Kamino, still largely out of contact with the wider galaxy. In that time they develop their own culture (their own version of ‘how to be mandalorian’ built in part from the remaining True Mandalorians, the clone culture Cody brought from the previous timeline mixing with the ever evolving clone culture of the current timeline-which quickly became different from how Cody remembered it, Part of the Jedi traditions that Obi Wan brought with him from the previous timeline-some of which he may or may not remember correctly due to trauma and the length of time he spent repressing those memories). They also worked over talking points on how to unite their faction with the New Mandalorians, including going over what traditions/parts of their culture they would be willing to relinquish as a compromise and what parts they absolutely will not. On Jango’s occasional trips out into the wider galaxy, to take jobs, he makes a point to get as close to Keldabe as he can to get a feel for the New Mandalorian as a faction (Obi Wan has inside knowledge, but it may be early or outdated is all kinda colored with ‘Satine died in my arms and it was my fault’). There was also a concerted effort to discreetly acquire enough ships for everyone.

So we are one year before the Clone Wars were due to erupt. Palpatine is on Coruscant waiting for the perfect opportunity to enact his plan, believing that he had a handy clone army at the ready for the war he has been fanning. Tyranus, who has still not realized he has not spoken to Kamino in about 4 years, is quietly building his forces with the droid armies about 4 months from being completed.

The Newer True Mandalorians (The name suggestion was from Rex’s-He still picked the same name and was adopted by Codywan along with Fox and Ponds, batch; the name is being workshopped) leave Kamino for Concord Dawn. They take with them a treaty between them and the Kaminoans that includes mutual protection, a live and let live clause, a few NDA’s about the Kamnoan’s gene manipulation process, and a decent trade agreement where the Kaminoans provide genetic research and the clones provide free advertising for the success of the Kaminoans cloning process.

Basically out of nowhere, as far as the galaxy is concerned, the True Mandalorians reemerge after being all but wiped out almost 20 years prior, and in far greater numbers than they had before. Numbers that sharply spike, as outcasts from the New Mandalorians and Death Watch, plus other remnants of the True Mandalorians flock to their banner. These are great enough numbers that when they reach out to discuss a treaty, and a possible merger for factions, with the New Mandalorians, the New Mandalorians actually take it seriously.

This faction, the entire galaxy is surprised to learn, is being led by someone who looks an awful lot like Jango Fett, but is clearly not since Jango Fett is standing next to him (by this point Cody and Jango call ach brother, further confusing the issue) and a red haired man going by the name of Obi Wan Kenobi, who clearly is, or was, a Jedi.

Tyranus and Sidious, realizing that Jango Fett showing up anywhere with a massive amount of being might be contrary to their plans, try to contact Kamino. Kamino doesn’t answer and their ‘we’re busy, don’t call us we’ll call you’ message included a virus that made it so they cannot find or contact Kamino again.

The heads of the New Mandalorian Government arrange to meet with the heads of the Newer True Mandalorians, including Cody and Obi Wan. Satine recognizes Obi Wan. It is at this point that they find out this timeline’s Obi Wan has been dead for almost a decade. They had known that this timeline’s Cody was never born, but had never thought to check on Obi Wan.

The negotiations between the New Mandalorans and the Newer True Mandalorians lasts months, but eventually is hammered out between them, along with a new government structure. Cody and Obi Wan would jointly preside over a council made up equally of New Mandalorians and Newer True Mandalorian (and, should Death Watch want to actually come in from the cold, Death Watch representative, but the faction would have to swear to the agreed upon laws and to follow the joint Mand’alor’s- Satine insisted). While Obi Wan and Cody would have the final say in most cases, if at least 90% of the council agreed they were wrong there was a veto power that could be used. Membership on the council is decided by the faction in question, and if a new faction splits off and gets to a certain size (Generally enough people to populate a medium sized planet) that faction will also be able to put representatives on the council.

Meanwhile in the Republic the reappearance of the True Mandalorians (it doesn’t matter that they have a new name as far the Republic is concerned) has derailed 90% of Palpatine's plans (he does not have time to grow another army, even if he could get in contact with Kamino again and he cannot start the war without an army). The news that the Red Headed leader of the reemerged faction appeared to be Presumed Dead Obi Wan Kenobi, famed in song and story and all but sainted in Anakin Skywalker's head, derailed 90% of the rest.

Padawan Anakin Skywalker, upon hearing that Obi Wan Kenobi might be alive, vanished from Coruscant. Just took off for Concord Dawn to potentially rescue his hero, or avenge him if it was someone else pretending to be him. Or something like that, Anakin was not thinking at all beyond that he needed to see Obi Wan, the man he knew for maybe a week when he was nine. He also left prematurely, had he waited six more hours he and his master Qui Gon Jinn would have been assigned to investigate the identity of the presumed Obi Wan.

Qui Gon did not know where Anakin was headed until he reached Concord Dawn (Anakin left a note that he was going radio silent to work on some course work he was behind in, so Qui Gon left him off the mission-This Qui Gon is just a little oblivious) and was promptly led to a holding cell by some of the Mandos (I kind of want it to be Waxer and Boil, or one of the Alpha’s) who gestured at Anakin inside, glowering like a bristly wet cat, going ‘is this yours?’

I Imagine this ‘reunion’ is weird and awkward from every angle. Like this Obi Wan remembers holding Qui Gon as he died, raising Anakin, Anakin’s Fall, everything of the original timeline. But this Qui Gon held his Padawan as he died (which hold the residual guilt of surviving, plus the guilt of Obi Wan dying to save his life), has added the normal rosy shine to his memories of his padawan (gloss over the bad times to focus on the good times). This Anakin has few actual memories of Obi Wan, but a massive case of hero worship. possibly to the point of Obi Wan being akin to a deity to Anakin, so massively unhealthy(Which Qui Gon also realizes for the first time) but in a way that is difficult to break. Palaptine inadvertently created the Cult of Obi Wan, with one cult member and brainwashed him so well that he fucked up his own plans. Now that there is a living Obi Wan, it is everyone's problem. Cody is prickly with both of them, because he remembers the things Obi Wan, his husband, told him about his Padawanship AND remembers both Reckless General Skywalker and Darth Vader.

I am not sure how much they actually tell the Jedi, but they definitely tell them that Obi Wan and Coy are from a different timeline, and no they can’t go back. Just so that they do not start thinking that Padawan Obi Wan somehow faked his death (they are just a little concerned how Anakin would react).

Eventually Cody gets to kill Palpatine, as a treat.

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patrycarro · 7 months ago

Text

TS3 - LS3SR03 (No CC)

ENG:

I never say no to a good challenge, so when @joshttew challenged me to build a modern-style apartment building on a small lot, the only viable answer was YES. And, well, @joshttew, I hope the result meets your expectations.

I'm not entirely satisfied, but that's pretty typical for me. I would have liked to make a taller building, and I tried using several tutorials and tricks, but the lot kept bugging out, the game would crash, or it just didn’t feel right or fit what I had in mind. Because, even though it's possible to bypass the height limit (or at least make it look like you did), the "floors" added above that limit are really limited in too many ways. Well, EA making things tough for us... What a surprise, right?

Initially, my idea was to make a building with many floors (10-15), with the livable apartment on the top floor, and everything on the outside made of glass. Literally everything. But I ran into two problems: following this tutorial, the livable apartment couldn’t be at the very top, and this method, although it would let me do it, wouldn’t let me make it entirely glass, mainly because you can’t place windows on the levels altered this way.

So I gave up and decided to build something simpler to start with. And when I say start, I mean this isn't finished yet. I’m pretty stubborn, and I still don’t know how I’m going to make that idea a reality, but it will happen.

(If any of you know a way, I’d be very grateful if you could share it with me.)

I hope you like this build, and most of all, I hope @joshttew thinks I’ve completed the challenge. It would be a relief to know that all the rage, anxiety, and frustration I went through in the process were worth it HAHAHAHA.

Enjoy. 💙

Features:

Lot type: Residential

Lot size: 30x30

Location: Bridgeport

Furnished lot value: 90.885 §

Unfurnished lot value: 8.357 §

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2

Packs used in this build: EP02, EP03, EP06, EP07, EP08, EP09, EP10, EP11

Terms and conditions:

DO NOT claim my creations as your own.

If you want to use any of my builds in your custom world or save file, you are allowed to do so, BUT make sure to credit me as the original creator.

DO NOT re-upload my content under any circumstances; share it with your friends using my own links.

If you experience any issues, let me know and I’ll try to fix it as soon as possible.

Download it here. 🤍

SPA:

Yo nunca digo que no a un buen reto, por lo que, cuando @joshttew me desafió a construir un edificio de apartamentos de estilo moderno en un solar pequeño, la única respuesta viable era SÍ. Y, bueno, @joshttew, espero que el resultado esté a la altura de tus expectativas.

Yo no estoy del todo conforme, pero muy pocas veces lo estoy. Me habría gustado hacer un edificio más alto, y lo intenté por medio de varios tutoriales y trucos, pero se me bugueaba el solar, me crasheaba el juego, o simplemente, no me convencía o no cuadraba con lo que tenía en mente, porque aunque es posible evadir el límite de altura (o al menos que así lo parezca), la verdad es que los "pisos" que añadas sobre ese límite estarán muy limitados en demasiados aspectos. Vaya, EA poniéndonos las cosas muy difíciles... Qué sorpresa, ¿eh?

En un primer lugar, mi idea era hacer un edificio de muchas plantas (10-15), que el apartamento habitable estuviese en la planta superior, y que, además, todo su exterior fuese de vidrio. Literalmente todo. Pero me encontré con dos problemas: siguiendo este tutorial, el apartamento habitable no podría ser el de arriba del todo, y este método, aunque sí me lo permitiría, no me dejaría hacerlo enteramente de vidrio, básicamente porque no se podrían poner ventanas en los niveles que se alteraran de esa manera.

Así que me rendí y decidí construir algo más sencillo para empezar. Y digo para empezar porque esto no se ha terminado. Soy muy cabezota, y aun no sé cómo voy a conseguir que esa idea pase a ser una realidad, pero así va a ser.

(Si alguno de vosotros conoce algún modo, le estaría muy agradecida si lo comparte conmigo)

Espero que os guste esta construcción y, sobre todo, que @joshttew considere que he cumplido el reto. Sería un alivio para mí saber que toda la ira, ansiedad y frustración que me ha generado en el proceso han servido para algo JAJAJAJAJAJA.

Disfrutadlo. 💙

Características:

Tipo de solar: Residencial

Tamaño del solar: 30x30

Ubicación: Bridgeport

Valor del solar amueblado: 90.885 §

Valor del solar sin amueblar: 8.357 §

Habitaciones: 2

Baños: 2

Packs utilizados en esta construcción: EP02, EP03, EP06, EP07, EP08, EP09, EP10, EP11

Términos y condiciones:

NO proclames mis creaciones como tuyas.

Si quieres usar alguna de mis construcciones en tu mundo personalizado o save file, tienes permitido hacerlo, PERO deja claro que yo soy su creadora original.

NO resubas mi contenido bajo ninguna excepción; compártelo con tus conocidos usando mis propios enlaces.

Si experimentas algún problema, házmelo saber e intentaré solucionarlo lo antes posible.

Descárgalo aquí. 🤍

#no cc build #sims 3 build #sims 3 builds #sims 3 download #ts3 #the sims 3 #ts3 build #s3house #sims 3 #sims 3 lots #ts3 house #ts3 dl #ts3 cc #ts3 download #s3cc #apartamentos #30x30

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weirdmarioenemies · 9 months ago

Text

Name: Toad's Turnpike Debut: Mario Kart 64

Ah, Mario Kart 64, an iconic game for many reasons. It was the first 3D Mario Kart game, the first game to feature the Spiny Shell, the first Mario Kart where you could select Wario, and also the first good Mario Kart game! Or maybe it also sucks, and I'm just blinded by nostalgia. It is the first game I ever played.

While Mario Kart 64 featured many of the same course themes as Super Mario Kart, it also introduced a handful of new ones into the fold, like "busy highway!" Toad's Turnpike is the first course in the Mario Kart series where you have to dodge traffic. Now, holding a go-kart race on an active road might seem dangerous, but thankfully, having gotten my license earlier this year, I learned that driving on a road is what you're supposed to do, so it's probably fine.

What's NOT fine however, is driving against the flow of traffic! In Mario Kart 64, Toad's Turnpike is infamous for its Mirror Mode layout, where not only is the layout of the course mirrored, but the cars will move in the opposite direction as well! The penalty for crashing into a car is pretty severe in this game, and combined with the brutal CPUs who love to cheat, Mirror Mode Toad's Turnpike ends up being a very difficult race.

The Mirror Mode variant ties into a mechanic in Mario Kart 64 where the speed of cars will change depending on the cc. Are you late on the commute to work? Too bad! Toad has declared that he's doing a 50cc race today, and as the owner of this turnpike, you BETTER abide by his speed limit...!

But why are you commuting on Toad's Turnpike in the first place?! This road just loops back in on itself, with nowhere to get off! Heck, there's nowhere to get on, really, either. I have no idea how you or anyone else got into such a precarious situation. This is true of nearly every traffic course (besides Mushroom City), but this post isn't about any of those.

But what if I told you the cars may not be real cars at all...? You see, in Mario Kart 64, the cars on this course have no hit detection with anything besides the player. Items will pass straight through them, and so will any racer that's currently in a star. Is it possible these cars... are GHOSTS...? Jeepers! It would seem that after being trapped on this road for so long, that all the cars died off, and now nothing but phantoms remain...

You can still crash into phantom cars though, so be careful while driving.

It would seem that Mayor Toad of Toad City thought that something had to be done about his turnpike's ghost problem, so in the time between Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart 8, he had a service station built on the side of the road. This must have worked out big time, as the cars have proper hit detection now! Hooray for necromancy!

Mayor Toad did not, however, pour any funds into building roads in and out of Toad's Turnpike. In fact, he turned the starting line into a toll gate, meaning not only are you trapped on Toad's Turnpike, but you have to pay for every lap you drive! The course was also scaled down quite a bit, meaning you'll be passing the starting line much more often. Clearly, the government of Toad City is very corrupt.

I guess this is my segue into talking about the Mario Kart 8 version of this course, huh? If I'm being honest, I don't like this version of the course nearly as much! But it's not really for anything that has to do with the gameplay...

Sure, it's disappointing that Mirror Mode no longer reverses the flow of traffic. Sure, the anti-gravity walls feel shoehorned in and kind of defeat the purpose of the course. Sure, the road being widened and the track being scaled down makes the cars much easier to dodge, and getting hit is much less impactful than before.

But none of those things really bother me. I mean, they added cars with glider ramps and whatnot! It's definitely easier than the N64 version, but I do think it gains some from its more dynamic elements. But you see, the reason I don't like the Mario Kart 8 version of Toad's Turnpike is because of a much more egrigious sin:

The vibes are off.

You see, the thing I love the most about Toad's Turnpike in Mario Kart 64 is the atmosphere. You know I'm a sucker for good atmosphere! It affected a few placements in those Galaxy rankings I haven't touched in like a year! But yeah, between the late sunset skybox, the excellent music, and the remote feeling of it all, Toad's Turnpike in Mario Kart 64 is a course with A+ vibes. Between that and its unique obstacles, it becomes a highlight of the game for me despite a pretty bland layout.

With Mario Kart 8's version, the time of day was shifted from the late evening to the middle of the night, the music was given a new arrangement that's much more energetic, and the course was reimagined as being in the middle of a big city. I definitely get what they were going for—the big city theming fits the highway environment, and it definitely feels more fitting for a fast-paced racing game. But to me at least, the relaxing evening drive feeling of Toad's Turnpike is a lot of what I loved about the original, and I feel like that was ultimately lost in the remake.

Despite my complaining, I find it important to emphasize that change is not an inherently bad thing! It's good to appreciate the things in our past, sure, but nostalgia can be a prison of our own making! People who refuse to accept change often end up like the Old Norm, grumbling about pronouns and rainbow beer. Heck, Rainbow Road is another course with great vibes from Mario Kart 64 that got a massive aesthetic overhaul in Mario Kart 8, and I love how they handled that remake! Sometimes you just gotta learn to appreciate the new and the old on their own merits.

With that out of the way, the changes made to Toad's Turnpike were bad and I don't like them. They totally should've kept the sunset.

#toad's turnpike #mario kart #mario kart 64 #mario kart 8 #weird mario locations #mod hooligon #sorry i'm not doing a postcard this time #hopefully the kinopio highway image is postcard enough

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foreingersgod · 1 year ago

Note

Can you write a CC x country reader that has a heavy accent, like Texas or smth and how it makes people react to it?

this is such a cute idea, i decided to put my own little twist on it so i hope you like it!

Texas Twang . CC

pairing: caitlin clark x reader

synopsis: you were born and raised on a texas farm, eventually moving away for college where you met caitlin. here’s a list of 5 times she’s fallen in love with you and your accent

A/N: #5 is a wee bit spicy (trying to feed ya’ll as per request) so please skip it if you’re uncomfortable with that!

also i got these sayings off of google cause i dont know any texas slang or how to convey the reader having an accent so sorry if they’re literally not real 😭

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

1. when you first met

you were panicked, running around your small room trying to find your stupid fucking phone. you were already running 5 minutes behind, the clock on the wall told you, but you wouldn’t be able to find your first class of the morning regardless if you didn’t find your phone. checking under your heap of blankets, in the drawers of your desk, and even in your laundry basket, you found nothing.

then, after throwing every book out of your backpack as a last resort, you saw it laying below discarded orientation papers and sticky notes. with a sigh of relief, you snatched your phone and sprinted out of your building.

you were running at full speed, which was a little embarrassing considering every one else on campus was just walking normally. but you were extremely behind and would be so mad if you were late to your first class at this school. so you continued to weave through people. you dodged campaigners, sped through large groups on the lawns, probably knocking down a few people in the process.

your sprinting seemed to pay off when you noticed the building up ahead. you glanced at the time, seeing you still had a few minutes to make it if you really hurried. your legs ached as you continued to speed walk past bypassers.

then, without notice, you ran right into someone passing by. the force of your impact causing the both of you to fall to the ground in the middle of the quad. if you weren’t late already, you surely would have been now.

“shit” you heard the other person cuss under their breath. you looked up, still planted on the ground, to the person in front of you.

she was an insanely attractive woman. lean, about 6 foot, muscular, just your type you might add. she was pushing herself off of the concrete side walk, brushing the gravel from her pants. you followed suit, standing up then apologizing profusely for running into her.

“oh my hell, i’m so sorry” you exclaimed “i was goin’ way too fast, i apologize”

she gave you a crooked smile, shaking her head.

“no you’re ok, it happens, i should’ve been paying attention”

“no, really ‘s my bad”

her face twisted ever so slightly as you talked “you’re not from around here are you?” she blurted “sorry, that’s completely irrelevant, i just noticed the accent”

you laughed, this wasn’t the first time someone was confused by the heaviness of your accent “it’s fine, i don’t mind. yea, no i’m from a small town in texas, i moved up here for college recently”

“oh really? that’s cool” she smiled, extending her hand to you “well, i’m caitlin by the way”

“i’m YN” you returned her handshake “ ‘s so nice to meet you, but i’m runnin’ late for class”

“wait” she stopped you before you ran past her “do you think i could grab your number, maybe i could take you out sometime?”

you were all smiles “i’d like that, i’d like that very much”

2. your first argument

you don’t even know how it started. all you knew is that some girl was getting flirty at the bar and, according to your girlfriend, you were letting her seduce you. this was obviously not true. you and caitlin hadn’t been dating that long, but it has going really well and she’s incredibly important to you. important enough that you wouldn’t just be flirting with other women at the bar.

nonetheless, you were being dragged out of the bar. caitlin was oozing jealousy as you headed back to your place for the night.

“she was all over you, YN” caitlin sneered, following you into your apartment and slamming the door.

“oh my god, she wasn’t!” you rolled your eyes “good lord, arguing with you ‘s like tryna piss up a god damn rope”

“what?”

“what do you mean what?” your accent was thick, rolling off your tongue.

“what the hell does ‘pissing up a rope’ mean?” she looked at you confused, dropping the girl from the bar entirely.

you looked at her equally confused “you don’t say that here?”

“uh no, i think that’s a you thing” she said “your texas slang is distracting me and it’s making it very hard to be mad at you right now”

you chuckled, kissing her cheek “ ‘s just my southern charm, baby”

3. when you sing in the car

caitlin hated country music for the most part. but when you came along, you made it your duty to get her to enjoy it at least a little bit. she had never been subjected to small farm country music and to you, that was a sin.

so you’d play it for her on occasion, if she let you. and surprisingly it was pretty often. she would never tell you, but she only put up with country music just to hear you sing it. she was completely mesmerized by the way your accent mixed with the tune of the songs.

one day you were in the car together, on the way home from a get together with friends. it was a warm summer evening, sun on the brink of setting causing the sky to glow shades of orange and pink. cait was driving, per usual, you being her honorary passenger princess. she rolled down all the windows for you (even the sunroof) just how you liked it. you loved feeling the hot summer breeze blow through your hair with the radio turned all the way up.

“you follow me, and lead me on..” you hummed lightly, ‘all your’n by tyler childers sounding through the car radio.

she snuck glances at you as she drove down the empty street, watching how you let your arms hang out with window and let the wind fan over your face.

“so ill love you till my lungs give out” you closed your eyes, lost in the moment “i ain’t lying’”

caitlin so desperately wanted to pull over and listen to you sing all night long. your voice was like a gift from the gods. the way your accent slurred with each word had her melting in the drivers seat.

“i’m all your’n” you looked over to caitlin, smiling “ ‘n you’re all mine”

she smiled back, reaching across the console and resting her hand on your thigh.

she let you play your music the rest of the way home, just wanting to listen to you sing for a little bit longer.

4. when you met her family

you had waited months to meet caitlin’s family. no really, families were your thing. growing up in texas, it was common to be in or surrounded by a big family. and you knew big families more than anyone else, having 9 siblings, you being the middle child. it was a setting you thrived it and you tended to get along with people pretty well.

caitlin was hesitant to introduce you, she was freshly out of the closet and had never brought a girl home before. but this thanksgiving, she thought it was the perfect time to introduce you.

“so, YN” caitlin’s mother asked from across the table. “i’m sure you’re not used to such a small family, caitlin told me you come from quite the family tree?”

caitlin’s hand found your knee under the table, squeezing it lightly for comfort.

“oh yea,” you chuckled “my mama had a whole litter with 9 ‘a us. it was always crazy around the house, with 5 brothers n 3 sisters. and my daddy wasn’t around to help out off’n, but that’s a whole ‘nutter can a worms”

the way her family reacted to your voice made caitlin laugh under her breath, watching how they slowly dissected your sentence trying to make out the words from beneath the accent. she thought it was cute, lucky to have such a unique and special girl.

even the way you interacted with her younger cousins had her fawning over you, you were just so sweet and gentle.

“hiya, sweetie” you smiled as caitlin’s baby cousin accidentally fell into you “took a bit of a spill there didn’t ‘cha?”

you were the perfect picture of a warm welcome, full of beauty and grace and kindness. caitlin knew, from this moment, you’d be in her life forever.

SPICE AHEAD

5. during sex

she’d be lying if she said that damned accent didn’t get her riled up. because truly, it had her wet the second you started talking.

when she would have you pressed up against the wall, one leg wrapped around her torso as she kissed down your collarbone and onto your cleavage. the way you would moan “oh darlin’” oh so sweetly in her ear had her going crazy.

the rare instances in which you would take the lead in bed, watching as you crawled atop of her, stripping her bare. how you would hook your fingers under her underwear, tugging them down her long and toned legs. she was already bucking her hips into nothing. then you’d fasten your arms under her thighs, pulling them apart to place delicate kisses along the insides of her legs.

you’d tease her a bit more before dropping your head low, hot breath fanning against her glistening cunt. she bit her lip, trying to suppress moans of pleasure, and you had hardly touched her yet. you took your time with her, tongue dragging deliciously against her, savoring the taste.

“well you’re just sweeter than cherry pie, aren’t ‘cha baby” you’d praise, having her arching under your touch. with that, she couldn’t hold her moans any longer, completely coming undone as you continued to treasure every inch of her body.

you were going to be the death of her.

༶•┈┈୨♡୧┈┈•༶

A/N: alright guys i tried to make it a little spicier, so feedback is much appreciated cause i honestly feel like it sucked lol

#caitlin clark x reader #wcbb #caitlin clark #wcbb x reader #iowa wbb

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miraraeblog · 6 months ago

Text

MiraRae's Royal Tropes & Legacy Challenge (aka The Royalty Challenge)

You can find the video where I go over the challenge and share images from my own attempt at the challenge here.

Here’s the overview, general rules, and cultural suggestions for your 10-generation Sims 4 royalty challenge. This challenge focuses on celebrating different cultures while allowing flexibility based on available packs and gameplay preferences.

Sims 4 Royalty Challenge Rules and Overview

Overview

No CC or mods required

This 10-generation challenge builds a diverse and culturally inspired royal legacy. Starting with Windenburg (or another world of your choosing), each generation introduces a new royal family and unique storyline, encouraging players to explore different cultures within The Sims 4. Packs are recommended to enrich gameplay but are adaptable based on availability.

Required and Optional Packs

Required: Get Famous and Get Together for fame, Windenburg, and the club system.

Optional (Choose at least 3-4 for added cultural depth):

Island Living (Sulani, Hawaiian-inspired)

Snowy Escape (Mt. Komorebi, East Asian-inspired)

High School Years (Copperdale, Native American-inspired) or Horse Ranch (Chestnut Ridge, Native American-inspired)

Wedding Stories (Tartosa, Spanish/Portuguese-inspired)

For Rent (Tomarang, Southeast Asian-inspired)

Love Struck (Enamorada, Latin American-inspired)

Life and Death (Ravenwood, Romania-inspired)

Note: If certain packs aren’t available, substitute suggested cultures/worlds with other packs/worlds you have available. You can also

Click here for a list of suggested cultural traditions and events for each kingdom

General Rules

Starting Funds: Each family begins with 1 million simoleons to simulate royal wealth. (type "money 0" then "money 1000000" in the cheats bar)

Weekly Stipend: The primary royal family receives $100K every Sunday (type "money 100000" in the cheats bar), symbolizing royal taxes or revenue. During the financial hardship generation, this stipend is suspended.

Fame Requirements: Each main family’s heir should ideally achieve "Global Superstar" fame before they take the throne, marking them as worthy in the eyes of their royal peers. If an heir ascends to the throne without this status, they face skepticism from other royals, who may question their worthiness. Use Mean interactions from other royals, such as Mock Celebrity Level or Insult, to show this tension.

Succession: If the reigning monarch dies, the heir immediately ascends the throne, regardless of whether they’ve reached "Global Superstar" or completed other personal goals. If this happens, the new monarch can still work to achieve "Global Superstar" while ruling but must endure the added challenge of earning respect from other kingdoms.

Marriage Dowries: Royal marriages bring in $200K, noble marriages bring in $100K (nobles must be descendants of other royal families), and no dowry is given for commoner marriages.

Interactions: Use Mean, Friendly, or Romance interactions as directed by each generation’s storyline to build relationships, rivalries, and romantic conflicts.

Click here for suggested titles by culture.

Generation Rules and Assigned Tropes with Clear Heir and Monarch Roles

Generation 1: Founding the Royal Line

Aspiration: Successful Lineage for the Windenburg king.

Trope: Establish alliances through arranged marriages.

Setup:

Create the Windenburg Royal Family: Start with a king and their spouse (either a queen, prince consort, or sovereign consort). Both should be young adults or adults. Assign the Successful Lineage aspiration to the king.

Enter Live Mode: Have the Windenburg royal couple conceive or adopt at least two children.

Raising the Heir:

Raise the children until they reach the child stage, focusing on building skills and preparing the heir for their future role.

Begin involving the children in clubs or other social events to start developing their social networks.

Introducing the Willow Creek Royal Family:

Once the Windenburg children reach the child stage, create a Willow Creek royal family with similarly-aged children. Set up a king and their spouse (either a queen, prince consort, or sovereign consort), who should also be young adults or adults. Assign the Successful Lineage aspiration to the Willow Creek king.

Arrange Friendships: Have the Windenburg and Willow Creek monarchs meet and develop a high friendship level to foster diplomatic trust.

Betrothal Arrangements:

Betroth the Windenburg heir to the second eldest Willow Creek child.

Betroth the younger Windenburg child to the Willow Creek heir, creating a dual alliance between the families.

Life Span and Succession:

Life Span: Playing on a short lifespan is recommended to help move the story along and set up future generations.

Succession: The Windenburg heir will ascend to the throne upon the current monarch’s death. To speed up this process, you may use cheats to arrange an early death for the monarch, allowing the heir to take over once the marriage alliances are secure.

Transition to Next Generation: The Windenburg heir becomes the new monarch after the current monarch’s death, with the Successful Lineage aspiration complete. This begins Generation 2.

Generation 2: The First Female Monarch

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim for the female heir, focusing on skill-building.

Trope: A female heir breaks tradition to rule.

New Royal Families: Create an Oasis Springs royal family with a supportive female or non-binary ruler.

Setup:

Heir Requirement: The current monarch from Generation 1 should only have daughters, or the oldest child should be a girl. If there are older boys, arrange accidental deaths when they are infants or toddlers using cheats so that the female heir is next in line.

Societal Challenge: Other royals and commoners, particularly from Willow Creek, may treat the female heir with less respect, creating added challenges. This represents societal resistance to a female ruler.

Heir’s Goals Before Ascending:

Alliance with Oasis Springs: Develop a strong relationship with her betrothed from the Oasis Springs royal family, whose monarch is supportive of a female heir.

Skill Development: Reach "Global Superstar" fame and max out three skills (suggested: Charisma, Logic, and Writing).

Proving Worth: Complete the Renaissance Sim aspiration to showcase her abilities. Unlike previous heirs, she does not need to maintain positive relationships widely, as her success is based on accomplishments rather than likability.

Monarch’s Goals:

Establish the female heir as a capable and skilled leader, respected for her talents rather than societal approval.

Transition to Next Generation: Once the heir becomes monarch, having completed her aspiration and skill goals, move on to Generation 3.

Generation 3: Sibling Rivalry

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack for both the eldest (heir) and younger sibling.

Trope: Sibling rivalry challenges succession.

New Royal Families: Add a Sulani royal family if Island Living is available.

Setup:

Family Requirement: The current monarch (from Generation 2) should have at least two children. The firstborn is designated as the heir.

Life Span: Play on short lifespan until the oldest child reaches their teen birthday, then switch to normal lifespan.

Sibling Rivalry:

From childhood, the younger sibling initiates Mean interactions with the heir to create rivalry and tension.

The younger sibling tries to gain favor with the monarch, using Friendly interactions to turn the monarch’s opinion against the heir.

Heir’s Goals Before Ascending:

Club Leadership: Both the heir and younger sibling should pursue the Leader of the Pack aspiration by forming a club with other royals. The heir must work to become the respected leader of this club, gaining influence and support.

Romantic Alliance: As teens, the heir must develop a romantic relationship with a royal from Sulani and secure a betrothal.

Proving Worthiness: Build friendships with the monarchs of Sulani, Oasis Springs, and Willow Creek to prove the heir’s diplomatic abilities.

Fame Requirement: The heir must reach "Global Superstar" fame before becoming a young adult to secure their position.

Monarch’s Goals:

Encourage unity among siblings while assessing their skills and alliances. The monarch will ultimately decide which child is worthy based on their accomplishments and relationships.

Consequences of Success or Failure:

If the heir completes all goals before reaching young adulthood, they ascend as monarch, while the younger sibling becomes a low-ranking noble or commoner.

If the heir fails, the younger sibling is appointed as the new heir, and the eldest becomes a low-ranking noble or non-royal.

Transition to Next Generation: The designated heir ascends the throne after their mother dies and completion of the Leader of the Pack aspiration, beginning Generation 4.

Generation 4: Forbidden Love

Aspiration: Soulmate for the heir.

Trope: The heir defies tradition by falling for a commoner.

New Royal Families: Add a Mt. Komorebi royal family if Snowy Escape is available.

Setup:

Family Dynamics: The monarch from the prior generation could only conceive one child, increasing the stakes for the heir’s choice of partner.

Life Span: Play on a short lifespan until the heir reaches their teen years, as this is when the storyline begins.

Heir’s Goals Before Ascending:

Forbidden Romance: Develop a relationship with a commoner through Romance interactions, defying the monarch’s arranged match with a Mt. Komorebi royal.

Commoner’s Challenge: The commoner must work to max out their Charisma, achieve "Global Superstar" fame, and attain a pristine reputation before reaching young adulthood. If they fail, the heir will be forced to marry the Mt. Komorebi royal.

Aspiration Completion: Complete the Soulmate aspiration by strengthening the relationship between the heir and the commoner, focusing on emotional depth and commitment.

Family and Political Obstacles:

Monarch’s Disapproval: The monarch discovers the relationship and expresses their disapproval with Mean interactions toward both the heir and the commoner.

Rivalry with Mt. Komorebi Royal: The Mt. Komorebi royal (or a substitute family from another available world) becomes a rival, using Mean interactions and spreading rumors about the commoner to complicate their relationship with the heir.

Transition to Next Generation: The heir ascends as monarch after securing their chosen relationship and completing their goals, beginning Generation 5.

Generation 5: Financial Hardship

Aspiration: Assign Fabulously Wealthy to the heir (the one who experienced forbidden love in the previous generation) only after they become monarch and the financial hardship begins.

Trope: The royal family faces financial struggles.

New Royal Families: If High School Years or Horse Ranch is available, add a Native American-inspired family in Copperdale or Chestnut Ridge.

Setup:

Marriage Alliance: When the monarch's heir is a teen or young adult, arrange a marriage with a royal from Copperdale, Chestnut Ridge, or another available kingdom to support future alliances.

Financial Hardship Begins:

Depletion of Wealth: Once the sim who experienced forbidden love in the last generation becomes monarch, reduce household funds to $50K (type "money 0" then "money 50000" in the cheats bar), simulating an economic depression.

Aspiration Activation: Assign the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration to the new monarch as they begin the struggle to restore financial stability.

Sunday Income Suspension: The family no longer receives the weekly $100K income, making them rely solely on career earnings, marriage dowries, and resourcefulness.

Monarch’s Goals:

Career and Earnings: Family members, including the monarch, must join careers and earn money. They may also sell off valuable items from the castle.

Marriage Dowries: Marry off children strategically to nobles or royals, bringing in dowries to aid household finances.

Wealth Restoration: Complete the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration by reaching a total of 1 million simoleons to ensure a stable future for the next generation.

Consequences for Failing to Restore Wealth:

If the family fails to reach 1 million simoleons by the monarch’s death, they will forfeit the weekly stipend for the rest of the challenge, adding difficulty for subsequent generations.

Transition to Next Generation: Progress to Generation 6 once the monarch has died and the family’s wealth has been restored, securing the legacy for future heirs.

Generation 6: Tragic Loss

Aspiration: Friend of the World for the heir (motivated by the tragic loss of their elder sibling).

Trope: A tragic loss leads to an unexpected succession.

New Royal Families: If Wedding Stories is available, introduce a Tartosa royal family.

Setup:

Sibling Bond: The eldest sibling and second eldest (now heir) are best friends, making the sudden loss more difficult to bear.

Unexpected Tragedy: The eldest sibling dies as a teenager, and the suggested causes could be a fire or accidental death from extreme heat, cold, or anger (symbolizing a sudden heart condition).

Heir’s Journey Before Ascending:

Personality Shift: Before the tragedy, the second eldest was cheerful and lighthearted, likely in a relationship with a noble or minor royal, as their betrothal was not a high priority.

Transformation after Loss: After the sibling’s death, the heir adopts the Gloomy trait, reflecting a sorrowful and serious new outlook on life. They lose their lightheartedness, straining their relationship with their former sweetheart, who struggles to understand their new disposition.

New Betrothal: The heir is betrothed to a Tartosa royal who was possibly intended for their late sibling. This new match brings empathy and companionship that resonates with the heir’s grief.

Heir’s Goals:

Aspiration and Friendships: Complete the Friend of the World aspiration by building meaningful friendships as a way to honor their late sibling’s memory.

Skill and Fame: Catch up on skills and achieve "Global Superstar" fame, reflecting their dedication to fulfilling the role their sibling left behind.

Monarch’s Goals:

As monarch, focus on building alliances and nurturing friendships, creating a legacy of compassion and unity inspired by the bond with their lost sibling.

Transition to Next Generation: The heir becomes monarch after completing the aspiration and building a strong support network, leading into Generation 7.

Generation 7: Betrayal and Unity

Aspiration: Assign Neighborhood Confidant to the heir only after they become monarch; Chief of Mischief for the betrayer (optional).

Trope: Attempting to unify kingdoms while facing betrayal from within.

New Royal Families: Add a Del Sol Valley royal family (Middle Eastern-inspired) or another available kingdom.

Setup:

Life Span: Play on short lifespan while the heir ages up, as most of the storyline occurs once they become monarch.

Betrothal: Arrange a betrothal between the heir and a royal from Del Sol Valley (or another available kingdom) to promote unity among kingdoms.

Heir’s Journey as Monarch:

Goal of Unity: Upon becoming monarch, the heir is assigned the Neighborhood Confidant aspiration with the goal of uniting the kingdoms through diplomacy, trust-building, and alliances.

The Betrayer: Create a royal advisor as the betrayer (alternatively, a sibling or member of the spouse’s family can be chosen). Play as the betrayer occasionally to sabotage the monarch’s reputation using Mischief interactions, Gossip, and Spread Rumors.

Betrayer’s Motivation: The betrayer might fear unification, have personal ambitions, or oppose the monarch’s influence. They work to undermine the monarch’s mission by sowing distrust and spreading rumors.

Monarch’s Goals:

Repair Reputation: Switch to the monarch’s perspective to counter the betrayer’s efforts, completing the Neighborhood Confidant aspiration by assisting others and winning back trust.

Reputation Requirement: The monarch must achieve and maintain a good or pristine reputation by the end of their reign. If they die with a poor reputation, their heir will inherit a negative reputation (use cheats if necessary).

Transition to Next Generation: Move to Generation 8 after the monarch’s death, with alliances and reputation intact or damaged, setting the stage for the next generation’s challenges.

Generation 8: Enemies to Lovers (or Friends)

Aspiration: Serial Romantic for the heir (switch to Soulmate or Friend of the World after completion).

Trope: Rivals in an arranged marriage who eventually develop a deep, genuine romance or friendship.

New Royal Families: Add either Tomarang (Southeast Asian-inspired) or Enamorada (Latin American-inspired).

Setup:

Life Span: Play on short lifespan until the heir becomes a teen, as the main storyline begins with their arranged marriage as young adults.

Arranged Betrothal: The heir is arranged to marry a royal from Tomarang or Enamorada, creating a union meant to strengthen alliances but marked by initial rivalry and tension.

Heir’s Journey Before Ascending:

Establishing the Rivalry: Use Mean interactions between the heir and their betrothed to create genuine resentment or frustration, establishing a rivalry rooted in clashing personalities.

Serial Romantic Aspiration: While still at odds with their betrothed, complete the Serial Romantic aspiration, pursuing other romantic interests to heighten the complexity of the arranged marriage dynamic.

Bastard Child: The heir should have a child with one of their romantic interests outside of the arranged marriage. This will setup for the next generation.

Character Growth and Friendship: After completing the Serial Romantic aspiration, work on building a strong friendship with their betrothed using Friendly interactions. This should create a foundation of trust and understanding before any romantic developments, if they choose that path.

Developing a Lasting Bond: After establishing a solid friendship, the heir can either pursue a romance by switching to the Soulmate aspiration or cultivate a supportive platonic bond by switching to Friend of the World. This bond, whether romantic or platonic, represents growth and mutual respect.

Monarch’s Goals:

If the heir becomes monarch before the “enemies to lovers” or friendship arc resolves, they should focus on presenting their relationship—whether romantic or platonic—as a symbol of harmony and unity for their kingdom.

Transition to Next Generation: Move to Generation 9 after the heir embraces their role as monarch and completes either the Soulmate or Friend of the World aspiration, establishing their relationship as a symbol of unity, through love or friendship, despite their turbulent beginning.

Generation 9: The Dark Monarch

Aspiration: Public Enemy for the dark monarch, driven by ambition, manipulation, and resentment.

Trope: A ruler with sinister ambitions and dubious alliances.

New Royal Families: If Life and Death is available, add a Ravenwood royal family (Romania-inspired), or substitute with another mysterious, gothic family.

Overview: The bastard child from Generation 8 ascends to the throne under controversial circumstances, using cunning and manipulation to establish their rule and assert a place in a family that once excluded them.

Setup:

Starting Role: Have the current heir marry into the Ravenwood royal family. Upon their marriage, shift focus to the illegitimate child who takes the throne.

Ambitions and Dark Interests: The new ruler harbors a fascination with hidden lore, arcane knowledge, or crypts. If Life and Death is available, they may have the Macabre trait, which fuels a desire to access Ravenwood’s hidden tomes and ancient secrets.

Pregnancy: Ensure the banished royal has a child during their exile, laying the foundation for the drama and redemption of Generation 10.

Heir’s Goals as Monarch:

Manipulative Relationships: Use Mean and Mischief interactions to destabilize alliances and assert dominance, ruling through fear and underhanded tactics.

Public Enemy Aspiration: Complete the Public Enemy aspiration by creating conflicts among allies, sowing distrust, and displaying a complete disregard for ethical rule.

Legacy of Fear and Exile: Establish a reputation of dominance and intimidation. To consolidate power, the dark monarch banishes the rightful heir and their family (including the former consort) to a distant world like Newcrest. This exile creates resentment and a desire for revenge among those banished.

Transition to Next Generation:

This setup leads to Generation 10, where the rightful heir’s descendants, now growing up in exile, seek to reclaim the throne and redeem the family’s reputation. Generation 10’s story will focus on taking back the kingdom and dismantling the dark legacy established by the previous ruler.

Generation 10: Restoration and Unity

Aspiration: Party Animal for the heir, reflecting their efforts to bring people together and restore the family’s reputation through gatherings and celebrations.

Trope: The rightful heir returns to repair the darkness introduced by the previous ruler, creating unity and peace across the kingdoms.

New Royal Families: Add any royal family not yet introduced from the list of optional kingdoms.

Overview: The exiled rightful heir returns with the support of an ally, using events, diplomacy, and celebrations to regain the throne and repair the family’s reputation.

Setup:

Would-Be Heir’s Background: Begin by playing as the rightful heir, raised in exile and determined to reclaim their family’s place. They develop a friendship and romance with a royal from a new or existing family, who helps them gain the support needed to reclaim the throne.

Alliance and Support: The romantic interest becomes a critical ally, leveraging their own influence to help the heir gain supporters across the kingdoms.

Heir’s Goals:

Gathering Support and Building Alliances: Use Friendly and Charisma interactions to build alliances and sway others to support the heir’s return.

Reclaiming the Throne: Rally allies, turn family members against the current ruler, and work to secure the throne peacefully or through a coup.

Restoration of Unity: Host frequent gatherings, celebrations, and diplomatic events to promote unity, rebuild alliances, and complete the Party Animal aspiration.

Symbolic Celebration: Host a final, grand celebration that brings all allied royals together, symbolizing the restoration of peace and trust across the kingdoms.

Monarch’s Goals:

As monarch, the heir continues to prioritize unity, ensuring the legacy of restoration and harmony is secure for future generations.

Challenge Conclusion:

The challenge concludes with the rightful heir fulfilling the Party Animal aspiration and hosting a unifying event that repairs the family’s reputation, securing a legacy of harmony and peace.

Optional Heir Training Requirements for Kids

These skills help develop the heir’s personality and abilities. Completing each skill offers unique benefits, while neglecting them may lead to challenges when the heir becomes monarch.

Toddler Skills (Foundation for Royal Training)

Benefits of Toddler Skills: Toddlers who excel in Communication, Imagination, Thinking, and Movement build strong foundations for future skills, improving confidence and early social connections, making them more adaptable and expressive as they grow.

School Performance for Heir Children

Grade A: Demonstrates discipline and intelligence. An "A" student is seen as a capable future leader, gaining confidence and public respect.

Grade B: Shows responsibility and diligence. A "B" student maintains a solid reputation, though not as outstanding as an “A” student.

Grade C or Lower: Indicates a lack of focus or rebelliousness, leading to doubts about the heir’s abilities. A "C" student may struggle with confidence and need to work harder to build a positive reputation as monarch.

Child Skills for Heirs

Core Skills

Creativity

Benefit: Enhances cultural sophistication. High Creativity allows the heir to host or attend artistic events confidently, boosting their public image.

Consequence: Low Creativity makes the heir appear out of touch with the arts, leading to lower public favor, especially among cultural allies.

Logic

Benefit: Essential for strategic thinking and decision-making, a high Logic skill ensures a capable and respected leader.

Consequence: Low Logic can make the heir appear impulsive or easily manipulated, weakening alliances and trust among advisors.

Charisma

Benefit: High Charisma makes the heir a persuasive speaker and well-liked by allies and subjects.

Consequence: Low Charisma results in awkward public appearances and difficulty gaining allies, leading to potential diplomatic challenges.

Secondary Skills (Choose 2-3)

Piano, Violin, or Pipe Organ (Choose One)

Benefit: Proficiency in an instrument adds elegance and discipline, helping the heir impress at royal gatherings.

Consequence: Lack of musical skill may lead to perceptions of the heir as rigid or less cultured.

Horseback Riding (Requires Horse Ranch)

Benefit: Represents physical fitness, courage, and a connection to tradition. Skilled riders gain favor with allies who value athleticism.

Consequence: Lack of riding skill may portray the heir as unadventurous, causing potential friction with more traditional or outdoorsy allies.

Singing

Benefit: Provides an entertaining and charismatic presence, enhancing public opinion and adding warmth to the heir’s image.

Consequence: Lack of singing skill may make the heir seem less approachable or expressive, affecting connections with commoners and allies.

Cross-Stitch or Knitting

Benefit: Demonstrates patience and creativity, appealing to those who value craftsmanship and dedication.

Consequence: No skill in these areas may make the heir seem impatient or uninterested in detailed work, affecting perceptions of their dedication.

Mischief

Benefit: A mischievous heir can navigate court politics and handle potential threats with ease, adding charm and cunning to their personality.

Consequence: Low Mischief skill makes the heir vulnerable to manipulation and may lead to difficulties in handling rivals or potential threats.

These skills allow heirs to grow with unique strengths and weaknesses, influencing their journey to become monarch based on their well-roundedness and adaptability.

#sims 4 royal family #thesims4 #miraraeroyals #sims4cc #sims 4 challenge #sims 4 legacy

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allisas · 10 months ago

Text

lovestruck stream thoughts

I really like the "way of life" turn-ons and turn-offs and that they're combined into slightly broader categories instead of being based on single skills. They also include broke, wealthy, taken (already in a relationship) which is nice. 👍

I'm really bummed that the only physical turn-ons and turn-offs are hair color, clothes related. Maybe the game doesn't track tattoos, body hair, eye color etc and that's why they're not included or maybe they just want to push the "the inside is what matters"-part really hard? Not clear to me why there weren't more. I'd also liked to have turn-ons based on different occult states, like attracted to vampirers, werewolves etc.

We're finally getting a copy to all outfits button in CAS as a BG update! 🙌

I'm super happy that lashes are separated into a new category and I'm crossing all my fingers that the CC-lashes will be updated to be compatible with this. I'm not sure if I'm maxis match enough to use those BG-lashes..

The world seems similar to many of the last EP worlds with 12 lots including a gym, nightclub, park & lounge. I wish we had gotten a few new apartments in addition to the penthouses. I'm having a hard time getting excited for new worlds these days, they often feel a little lackluster and empty. With the same tired food stalls everywhere, a lack of things to do and the areas to big to be populated.

What really struck me during the gameplay showcase was how they still to this day can't seem to make the sims react in any visible way to most of the interactions in game. Many times the only way to know if an interaction was "liked" or "successful" is to read the pop-up because the animation wont tell you anything. The first thing that happened was a sim telling (throug a pop-up) that they were super unattracted to another sim and the next second they were flirting with the same sim. I was just like 🤔..

Sims break up via text pop-ups instead of animations. Meh..

The sky gazing animation is cute and picking the date activities seems to be basic enough that it shouldn't be gamebreaking. It'll be nice to have dates with different goals than the BG date which becomes quite tedious after playing for so many years.

Love that the date can ask to continue at your played sims' house the date if it's going well. 😘

Build/buy seems a little lackluster to me personally, mostly new bars, workout equipment & mis-matched windows and doors. I really, really, really don't need another bar in this game.. But, on a more positive note, I like the new decorative items and the collectible, breedable axlots looks fun. 😊

All in all I'm not super impressed or excited. The UI in this game is becoming soo bloated with all the personality stuff that ultimately mostly shows up to you as text pop-ups or moodlets and doesn't result in any unique animations or interactions in game.

I'm still going to try it out when it arrives and see what it feels like when playing. I'm thinking that playing through a scenario with a limited amount of packs might be a good way to do that.

What are your thoughts on the new pack?

#the sims 4 #sims 4 lovestruck #sims 4 dev stream reaction

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offtorivendell · 1 year ago

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Is an oily residue corrupting Azriel's hypothetical mating bond and making him feel off kilter? Is it related to Valg-type magic?

Disclaimer: this theory is a continuation of a few of my others that I've been too lazy to post until now - first I was going to post it for Elriel Month 2023, then Azriel Week 2023... it never happened - but like everyone else I'm having massive FOMO before HOFAS, so here we finally go, even though I know I've forgotten something lol. As usual, this makes no claims of being accurate, it's just theorising for fun.

A massive thank you goes out to @wingedblooms, @tswaney17, @silverlinedeyes, @psychologynerd, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and anyone else I've forgotten (sorry!) for all of our discussions that finally became this post. Love you guys. 💜

Spoilers: this is a Maasverse post, and draws from the ACOTAR series, CC 1 & 2/HOEAB & HOSAB, and the TOG series. It is CC 3/HOFAS spoiler free, as I'm waiting to read it in its "original English" 🤓 on the 30th of January. Please be respectful of that if engaging in the comments before it's published!

Plenty of people, including @silverlinedeyes, @icedflames and myself, have posted our thoughts on mating bonds in the Maasverse, and this theory builds on those previously established - though again, as yet hypothetical - ideas. Specifically, this post about the use of “oily” throughout the ACOTAR series is recommended reading.

What we do know is that:

Mating bonds contain threads, and so do spells.

Mates are the song/music of the soul, and their laughter is likened to music.

Different fae, and magics, contain different scents, be that personal or regional

First, let's go back to ACOWAR, when Feyre described the Ravens' entrance into the library as being like an off-kilter chord:

I felt it at the same moment she did. The ripple and tremor. Like … like some piece of the world shifted, like some off-kilter chord had been plucked. We turned toward the illuminated path that we’d just taken through the stacks, then to the dark far, far beyond. - ACOWAR, chapter 30

Initially, I had wondered if the King of Hybern had had Jurian use the Harp to infiltrate Velaris, but it was @merymoonbeam (I think) who theorised that the Cauldron might be mimicking the Harp, and maybe not doing the best job of it. Which made me wonder, could it do the same with mate bonds?

He left the rest unspoken. Because her mate was here, sleeping a level up. Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn't stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much. - ACOSF, Azriel's bonus chapter

Looking at her now … She was pale, yes. The vacancy still glazing her features. But he couldn’t breathe as she faced him fully. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. Betrayal, queasy and oily, slid through his veins. He’d said the same to Jesminda once. But even as shame washed through him, the words, the sense chanted, Mine. You are mine, and I am yours. Mate. - ACOWAR, chapter 24

What if the Elucien bond, as either a spell or piss poor Cauldron-Made approximation of a bond, causes Azriel - and maybe Elain, possibly Lucien - nausea when Lucien is around because it's constantly changing, or reverberating over the top of, what remains of a hypothetical Elriel bond?

What if it's making the Elriel bond off-kilter, out of whack, imbalanced?

Does this make Azriel feel sick, nauseous, or simply overwhelmed/overstimulated?

When people are feeling off-balance, for whatever reason, they can feel sick or nauseous. It's one of the symptoms of vertigo, which can be triggered by severe headaches such as migraines. And guess who rubs their temples? Azriel!

Alternatively, certain chords played loudly enough on a string instrument can really mess with your chest - and where do mating bonds attach - if you're standing close enough for them to vibrate through you (at least, they do for me haha). It can be weirdly disconcerting, and I'd imagine that if Azriel or Elain feels something like this, no wonder he describes such severe discomfort that he needs to leave, and she shrinks away from Lucien, the unintentional cause of her pain.

Same with the smell; if the magic of the Cauldron, in whatever way, is messing with the smell that should be there? Contaminating it? Unbearable.

Is this too crack for you? Well, let's get even crazier.

I have previously suggested that the Cauldron's actions throughout the series could be tracked, in part, by SJM describing a feeling or quality as “oily,” and I've also wondered if the dark maker of the Cauldron - Koschei? - could have hijacked it in some way, as the Book of Breathings being made from leftover iron gave me “One Ring” vibes. I still stand by that, but with a clarification (and here is where the TOG and CC spoilers come in, FYI). I think it's only half of the magic belonging to the Cauldron that is "oily":

Throughout TOG, the Valg are heavily associated with “oiliness,” in terms of their blood and magic. The smell “reeks” and always results in the involved characters experiencing extreme revulsion, including headaches. Sound familiar?

Wyrdstone has an oily, hideous aftertaste.

Even in CC 1/HOEAB, Danika was described as oily when she came into Griffin Antiques.

Celaena looked at the sealed door, her stomach turning. A half-dried pool of blood lay at the base of the door, so dark it looked like oil. She crouched, swiping a finger through the puddle. She sniffed at it, almost gagged at the reek, and then rubbed her finger against the pad of her thumb. It felt as oily as it looked. - COM, chapter 45

“What the hell is that?” Rowan demanded, kneeling beside her, sniffing her outstretched hand. He jerked back, snarling. “That’s not dirt.” No, it wasn’t. It was blacker than night, and reeked just as badly as it had the first time she’d smelled it, in the catacombs beneath the library, an obsidian, oily pool of blood. Slightly different from that other, horrific smell that loitered around this place, but similar. So similar to— “This isn’t possible,” she said, jolting to her feet. “This—this—this—” She paced, if only to keep from shaking. “I’m wrong. I have to be wrong.” There had been so many cells in that forgotten dungeon beneath the library, beneath the king’s Wyrdstone clock tower. The creature she’d encountered there had possessed a human heart. It had been left, she’d suspected, because of some defect. What if … what if the perfected ones had been moved elsewhere? What if they were now … ready? - HOF, chapter 45

The overseer roared, thrashing as her magic swept into him, melded with him. But there was nothing inside to grab on to. No darkness to burn out, no remaining ember to breathe life into. Only— Aelin reeled back, magic vanishing and knees buckling as if struck. Her head gave a throb, and nausea roiled in her gut. She knew that feeling—that taste. Iron. As if the man’s core was made of it. And that oily, hideous aftertaste … Wyrdstone. The demon inside the overseer let out a choked laugh. “What are collars and rings compared to a solid heart? A heart of iron and Wyrdstone, to replace the coward’s heart beating within.” - EOS, chapter 15

* Side note, it's giving Tamlin and his stone heart.

Danika didn’t just look like she’d been rootling through the garbage. She smelled like it, too. Wisps of her silvery blond hair—normally a straight, silken sheet—curled from her tight, long braid, the streaks of amethyst, sapphire, and rose splattered with some dark, oily substance that reeked of metal and ammonia. - CC HOEAB, chapter 1

The Hind held Ruhn’s gaze as the game began. She was the spitting image of Luna, with her upswept chignon, the regal angle of her neck and jaw. As coldly serene as the moon. All she needed was a pack of hunting hounds at her side— And she had them, in her dreadwolves. How had someone so young risen in the ranks so swiftly, gained such notoriety and power? No wonder she left a trail of blood behind her. “Careful now,” the Harpy said with that oily smile. “The Hammer doesn’t share.” The Hind’s lips curved upward. “No, he doesn’t.” - CC HOSAB, chapter 33

I think the dark maker of the Cauldron could have been Valg, whether that's Koschei or someone else I don't know though Koschei currently makes the most sense. I also don't know when the dark maker would have had the chance to influence the Cauldron; was it always made from dark and light, or - as @fawnandshadows theorised a while back - did Koschei bastardise it after the fact? Where the Valg would fit in with the Daglan and the Asteri is also a mystery, though my current train of thought is that they could be family names or allegiances, like different clans of the same parasitical species, thanks to the description of Danika in HOEAB.

But, back to Azriel and his severe reaction to the Elucien bond.

I know I'm not the only one who wonders at the very Valg-ish themes with which Rhys and Azriel's powers have been described - maybe one day I'll post my thoughts about the possible link between lightsingers, shadowsingers, daemati and the Valg (but it is not this day lol) - and how that may have come about. For example, are the Valg interwoven, genetically, with the Avallen people, or is it because the Princes of Hel are also involved, and have similar magics? Are the Princes of Hel a similar species as the Valg, Asteri and Daglan, or completely different? Ugh, let's stop this spiral here.

Oily: the obvious train of thought being that oily things are slippery, which can lead to an imbalance… ie. becoming off-kilter.

Sounds like Azriel could be suffering from some sort of vertigo, of which symptoms can include nausea; severe headaches, such as migraines, may trigger an episode… and who rubs his temples enough that Elain noticed it?

Maybe Azriel can sense the corruption in the bond, either the current Elucien bond, or the hypothetical original bond between Elain and himself; if like calls to like, and his shadows are Valg-ish, maybe it is because his OG bond was fucked with. So, what if:

Azriel's shadows can slip away from spells and binding magic (Slippery > oily > Valg).

The guards at the prison know what he is.

Valg magic making Azriel nauseous and Elain sourcing/making a healer's powder for him? It's giving Chaol and Yrene. Especially since Elain (and Mor) make his shadows brighten.

So, we have in-text mentions of Azriel feeling overwhelmed due to the proximity of the Elucien bond, as well as Elain shrinking from Lucien - an action that parallels Azriel hanging out in the doorway, and even Lucien retreating to the human lands, if he feels any bond-related discomfort around Elain. But what about his initial response to seeing Elain, and thinking she was the most beautiful female he'd ever seen? The quote that sent me down the “oily” rabbit hole to begin with?

Well, Aelin felt oily disgust at the thought of marrying someone who wasn't Rowan:

“There are no allies,” Darrow said. “Unless Her Highness decides to be useful and gain us men and arms through marriage”—a sharp glance at Rowan—“we are alone.” Aelin debated revealing what she knew, the money she’d schemed and killed to attain, but— Something cold and oily clanged through her. Marriage to a foreign king or prince or emperor. Would this be the cost? Not just in blood shed, but in dreams yielded? To be a princess eternal, but never a queen? To fight with not just magic, but the other power in her blood: royalty. She could not look at Rowan, could not face those pine-green eyes without being sick. - EOS, chapter 5

This example from Aelin could describe Azriel and Elain’s potential future if Elain accepted a theoretically Cauldron spelled bond to Lucien, but also for Lucien and Jesminda, if they were originally true or fated mates before she was murdered.

Some final thoughts:

We know from TOG that healing light is known as the Valg executioner. In a parallel to Yrene killing Erawan with her healing light in KOA, Elain killed the King of Hybern - who I suspect was possessed or assisted by a Valg, as Feyre described his magic as a “galaxy” in his palms - with Truth-Teller, which had recently devoured the (her?) sunlight; does this mean that Elain could heal or purify Valg possessed things, with or without the magical, Made dagger? Could this be extrapolated to Azriel's magic, the Dread Trove, or even the Cauldron (possibly with Feyre and Nesta for the bigger ticket items)?

If the Asteri are the same species as the Valg, and the Valg somehow had a hand in making or twisting the Cauldron, it could follow that they used the Cauldron to create offspring bonds for a more powerful food source. If this pans out then Elain, bright light, could hypothetically heal the Cauldron. Maybe that is why Azriel describes her with purity language? Not because SJM wants to display Azriel's apparently toxic thoughts about her (🙄), but because she, along with her sisters, will be his/their salvation? Rhys once said as much to Feyre!

@mrspettyferr has suggested that Azriel's shadows ability to hide him from binding magic - see: the High Lord's meeting in ACOWAR - could have prevented his true bond from snapping with Elain when she came out of the Cauldron. This could be supported by any Valg/shadow link.

Thank you for reading! Please don't mention any CC HOFAS spoilers in the comments or reblogs until after it has been officially published. 💜

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