simulation-machine

[simulation-machine]

Friends, I’ve been hit hard with a creative block as of late, so I’ll likely be stepping back for a while. Not as in cutting back on interacting, if anything that will step up. Just not gonna be posting my own stuff for a bit.

Then game’s been glitching out of nowhere lately in a way that isn’t worth playing, and I don’t have any drive to dig into it and fix it after spending a lot of last winter doing the same sort of thing. When I do wanna play all I wanna do is build for a bit and that’s it.

My internship also requires staring at a screen a lot and so when I have free time I end up just wanting to do anything but game, y’know?

I have been s-l-o-w-l-y working my way through a DUrge run in BG3 (romancing Shart because I love her). Thinking about playing Fallout New Vegas or Elden Ring or something next. Just wanna get absorbed into a world that isn’t my own for a bit. But mostly I’ve been wanting to read and doodle.

So yeah, if I don’t post for a bit, don’t worry! I’m alive, just focusing on my last chunk of school and letting my brain rest where I can.

[simulation-machine]

Wolfgang's the bratty goth gay of this save, too skinny and scowly for his own good. He and Max are each other's first + final loves, which works since they'd be too much for anyone else to handle, probably. Unlike Max, Wolfgang jus barely graduated high school, but moved out the second he turned 18 because he hates his mom's new husband (some random I downloaded off the gallery). And he hates his brothers. His mom too. So he has no desire to stick around.

As soon as Max is 18, he uses his portion of his inheritance from his dad to move with Wolfgang to Del Sol Valley. Whenever Max goes back to Windenburg for some family event or holiday, Wolfgang stays home to keep the business going and their cats alive. In the rare instance that he is forced to interact with Max's family, he skulks in the shadows or tracks the nearest cat and doesn't say anything to anyone.

Age: 19

Traits: Mean / Gloomy / Loner

For additional traits, he would likely accept Loyal, Cat Lover, and Dislikes Children.

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Sofia Bjergsen has been the best friend of Luna since they were toddlers. Since graduating from high school, she's moved to Japan and her bedroom-pop music career has taken off. She's recently become engaged to Ito Kiyoshi, the star wide midfielder for the Komorebi Yetis, and together they've been something of a power couple.

By the time she starts showing up she's in the process of wedding planning, with Luna as her Maid of Honor, and Siobhan, Nanami (Kiyoshi's younger sister), and Elsa (her younger sister) as her other bridesmaids. It's a destination wedding in Tartosa. She's the first sim I've ever purposefully given that Upper Class beige aesthetic that is still popular.

Age: 24

Traits: Cheerful / Musical Genius / Outgoing

Will likely accept Materialistic or Snob, Ambitious, and Adventurous for additional traits.

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Holly Snow is a Maxis gallery sim I downloaded because there weren't really a lot of viable singles left in the ol' Harris Save. Kept her personality and aspiration but changed up her looks a whole lot while hopefully keeping her overall vibe intact smidge.

She's a rural-midwestern girl who moved to Windenburg after dropping out of college (where she majored in Communications), pissing off her small-minded, conservative family enough to be written out of the will. She likes skiing, baking, and bicycling when it's nice out. She doesn't like whining, food that doesn't taste amazing, scary movies, or people who take themselves too seriously. She's generally a really upbeat person with great taste in food and sense of humor.

Age: 20 (when she enters the story, which isn't for a bit. Where we're at in the posts, she'd be 17 and still in Granite Falls, MN)

Traits: Foodie / Cheerful / Clumsy

She'd probably accept cat or animal lover, family-oriented, loves the outdoors, or loner.

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Elsa Bjergsen is the younger sister of Luna's childhood BFF Sofia Bjergsen. She was the golden child in her family until she came out as lesbian in middle school, which then relegated her to the ignored child while Sofia was supported. Elsa is genuinely unfazed by this. She is close enough with her sister to be a bridesmaid when Sofia gets married.

She is currently a Sophomore at Foxbury Institute, majoring in Computer Programming with a specific focus on video games. She interns with Feng Games over the summer and meets Yuki this way, and they become fast friends.

Age: 19

Traits: Genius / Geek / Jealous

Will accept Romantic or Loyal, Overachiever, and Socially Awkward or Cringe.

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Ah Max, the second most edited member of this family thanks to that weird glitch that messed up kids' noses if they lost their teeth. His aesthetic is basically "gay greaser." He's still a little asshole, but a very lovable one who is still very easily cowed by his big sister.

He's the only Villareal sibling who is close to Jacques, mainly since he clearly has the most in common with their bonkers dad. He ends up dating Wolfgang Munch (who in this save is 2 years older than Max) by the time he drops out of high school (in senior year, right before graduating, just to be a brat). He ends up taking over his father's crime business and taking it to Del Sol Valley with Wolfgang but keeps in touch with his family (mainly just Luna) and visits on holidays.

Age: 17

Traits: Evil / Mean

Will eventually accept Loyal, Cat Lover, Childish or Goofball, and Maker

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Even though she was pregnant, she graduated as her class's valedictorian when in high school. She attended Foxbury Institute online to earn her graphic design AFA and has been making a name as a video game streamer named YukiBear V. She eventually wants to help create a new video game.

Yuki is a dedicated mother and wife but feels a lot of resentment about where she is in life. She saw herself as becoming a mother in her 30s, ideally after spending her 20s pursuing post-secondary education and maybe even getting her PhD. She is great at masking these feelings.

Age: 22

Traits: Loner / Geek / Genius

Would accept Romantic, Ambitious, Perfectionist.

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Hugo Villareal was 16 when he knocked up his girlfriend (and later wife), Yuki Behr. He dropped out of school and started to work in kitchens, eventually earning his GED online when he realized that he honestly loved working in the restaurant business. At this stage, he and Yuki have been married for 3 years, and he's made his way up to sous chef. He's beginning to consider opening up his own restaurant in Windenburg. When he's not at work, he enjoys playing with his kids (at this point there are two sons: Geralt and Link), and video gaming with Yuki.

Age: 22

Traits: Loner / Foodie / Ambitious / Active

Would accept something like either Gloomy or jealous, or perhaps even Squeamish.

[simulation-machine]

Luna Villareal reads as your typical spoiled rich Euro-trash girl, but she's much more down-to-earth than anyone would initially guess. She also has a ton of trauma surrounding the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Carlotta, whom she was incredibly close with. Her best friends are Morgan Fyres and Sofia Bjergsen (who is currently in Japan and will likely pop back up at some point).

She was immediately attracted to Jeb upon seeing him but has no interest in rushing anything. She absolutely loathes her father, Jacques, who she suspects killed her mother. As a result, she's very low-contact with her family, even though she adores her younger brothers.

Age: 24 <- In the save, in recent pictures, she's 20. Traits: Romantic / Childish / Loyal /Creative / Squeamish

Hoping she'll gain the Family-Oriented trait or perhaps Loves the Outdoors.

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The StrangerVille hero in the process of becoming a detective. Jeb's already done a lot in his young life: saved an entire city from a sentient plant, climbed to the top of Mt. Komorebi with his dad, quit smoking cigarettes, and is now on the path to being "murder police" (yes I have recently watched The Wire, shut up). He still smokes the devil's lettuce on occasion, mainly as a way to get a handle on his PTSD.

Anyways he's the deuteragonist of this save alongside his future bride Luna Villareal, and I love him, the end.

Age: 28 <- in the current save, he's closer to like, 24-25 in the post y'all have seen so far

Traits: Gloomy / Good / Romantic / Active

I can see him accepting Bro, Loyal, or maybe Family-oriented eventually.

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Iiiiii'ts Lux Hart! Hands down Morgan's longest relationship and probably second-ever monogamous setup? She met Morgan when she bartended at Pepper's Bar. She has less than no interest in post-secondary education, she's all about adventures, traveling, and making sure she's supporting her local women's basketball team loudly.

Age: 27 <- This is as of the current save, we're not caught up to that just yet

Traits: Adventurous / Perfectionist / Bro

I can see her accepting Active, Loyal, and Glutton maybe.

BTW I did not make her and maybe downloaded her from the gallery but haven't managed to track her down. Maybe she's the very rare not-hideous maxis townie?

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The Morgan in this save spent a lot of it just making out with any lady who consented to it (it was a lot. She had like 6 FWBs at one point, two of whom were married to men), but eventually settled down with her partner, Lux Hart.

Age: 24 <- This is where we are in the save, at least. In the most recent pictures, she was 20-21.

Traits: Good / Outgoing / Genius / Cheerful / Geek / Ambitious

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Their romance did eventually blossom! And at some point, I'll need to play them more because this is where I stopped and started playing the heck out of the Orson's. So liiike, July of 2023? I'm currently obsessed with this save since it's really easy and requires little to no narrative intervention on my part, so expect to see these pixels a bunch!

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Jeb helping Luna out with a homework assignment

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Jeb spending way more time at Luna & Morgan's than his own place

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Luna staying on top of school, Jeb staying on top of his 8 minute mile

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Jeb trying so so hard to ignore that he somehow inserted his hand and homework into his crush's lesbian roommate's right tit