#honestly this was the first sims challenge i've ever written

[morrigan-sims]

ramble about your story!!!

(i am sorry to hear about your mom, stay safe!!!! hopefully it’s just a mild case and she can get lots of rest)

Mirandaaaaa!!! Thanks for the ask!!! Idk where to even start!

I'm going to tell you a story about my story. So, a really long time ago, over a year ago, I had a story idea that I thought I liked. I still love the title, but the story and characters were nothing special. I wasn't attached to them. Chances are it was doomed from the start, so maybe what happened next was a blessing in disguise. (No maybe, actually. It was.)

In August of 2021, I lost all my saves, tray files, mods, everything. I was very, very mad about it. I slowly rebuilt my mods folder, and I tried to remake the sims from the story idea I had before. But my heart wasn't in it.

On December 18th, I made a sim. She was very pretty. Inspired in part by you, Miranda, I dressed her up in some fancy gowns, and gave her a crown. I named her and saved her to my gallery. That was the first version of Fallon.

I wanted to do something with her, but I didn't know what. I ended up coming up with the idea for a bachelorette challenge, because hey, I'd done a bachelor challenge on my old blog, I know how these work. But my brain was still in story mode.

I came up with Fallon's backstory, and things started getting more complicated. It was clear from very early that RTQ was going to be mostly story.

Two people made sure that it would be 100% story, though. I can't tell you who they are, or even tell them who they are, because that would be spoilers. But two people gave my brain the fuel I needed to make this a 100% story, and make it into something I'm very, very motivated to finish.

This story means a lot to me, and I really, really hope that I can finish it sooner rather than later. It's nearly been a year, and I'm not even 2 chapters in, out of 30+ chapters I have planned, but I have to finish this story. It will eat me alive if I don't.

on a more personal note, some things under the cut about themes

So, this story (like every story I write) is about love. Not just romantic love, but love in lots of forms. More specifically, one of the central themes around the story is learning self love in order to love others. It's something that Fallon most certainly needs to learn, and it will come back around multiple times in the story.

But the real reason this story is about love, and about happiness, and why there is no way I could ever give it an unhappy ending, is because this story is first and foremost for me. People say "write the story you want to read, or need to hear", and that's what I did. Before I even realized what I was doing.

My whole life all I've ever wanted was to be loved, in any sense of the word. And also, I grew up without a lot of good examples of love in my life. I found out right after Thanksgiving that my parents are getting a divorce. So, basically, this story boils down to me proving to myself that real love does exist, that love is a choice, and that if people work on it, even flawed people can have a strong, healthy relationship.

I've become a lot more self-aware over the time I've been writing this story (and other things I've written since this story started), and honestly I think it's made my life healthier. And I will forever be grateful to Fallon and this story for that.

[coolunspokenforname]

Sims 4 legacy challenge: Flower symbolism

This challenge was made for @cowoman and it follows flowers and some of their symbolism (Disclaimer: This is probably not completely accurate, and in general flowers have different things associated with them through time periods and cultures)

Rules:  - Normal lifespan  - No cheating (Resetting sims is okay, of course) - Unless specified in the generation you can live anywhere - Unless specified in the generation you can have as many partners and children as you want - Basically regular rules of legacy challenges

Gen 1: Daffodil- New beginnings

Aspiration: Super Parent Traits: - Family-Oriented   - Loner   - Ambitious

Left on a doorstep of an orphanage when you were a baby, you’ve always felt alone. You were never able to find a family, but found accomplishment in raising the younger kids. When you finally age out of the system, you are ready to follow your dreams. You move into the big city and find yourself a job as a teacher. Though you love it, you need more. When you are able to afford it, you have kids. You love being a parent, and do your best to be amazing for your children. You love going to the parks on weekends and having pizza nights. It’s your goal to be the best parent you can for your kids, and you pass those goals with flying colours.

Goals:

Start in an apartment

Complete aspiration

Only have kids after getting to level 4 of the education career

Max education career (Professor) 

Adopt at least one kid

Reach level 10 parenting skill

Gen 2: Gladiolus- Strength, Victory

Aspiration: Bodybuilder Traits: - Athletic   - Ambitious   - Self-assured

You were adopted when you were a little baby, and you are incredibly grateful. You were raised in a loving family, but were never spoiled. You were taught that if you want something, you need to work for it, whether it be doing chores or getting a part-time job. As you grew up while your siblings loved watching cartoons and kids shows, you loved watching bodybuilding competitions. As you grow up, that interest also grows. You join the athlete career and love it! You love going to the gyms, and there you meet your spouse. However, you tend to spend a bit too much time at work or at the gym, and barely see your children. 

Goals:

Have manual labor part-time job as a teen

Complete aspiration

Complete athlete career (Bodybuilder)

Meet spouse at a gym

Have a low relationship with their children

Gen 3: Marigold- Jealousy, Despair

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim Traits: - Jealous   - Self-absorbed   - Self-assured

You never had much of a relationship with your parent, and always felt jealous of your friend’s relationships with their parents. Eventually that lead to being jealous about anyone who had better than you.  You tried a bunch of different jobs, but never really cared. You loved being around celebrities, and one day you even had a one night stand with one. After finding out you’re pregnant, you tell the celebrity hoping to marry them, but they don’t even listen. Angry, you keep your child from ever meeting them.

Goals:

Complete aspiration

Careers: Actress, Artist, Style Influencer (Any order you wish)

Get level 10 charisma

Have a one night stand with a high level celebrity and have their child

Never let the child meet their parent

Gen 4: Bluebell- Humility, Everlasting love

Aspiration: Soulmate Traits: - Romantic   - Loner   - Bookworm

You were never able to meet one of your parents, and felt a small emptiness. Your other parent didn’t seem to care much about you, and you two didn’t have the best relationship. The one good thing in your life is your best friend. Unfortunately your parent decides to move to a whole different world right after you became a teen. You still keep in touch with your friend, and the friendship evolves into a romance. As soon as you can the two of you get married and move in together. For quite a few years you live together, but after becoming adults you decide to have a child. The love between you somehow grows even more with the new child.

Goals:

Complete aspiration

Be best friends as a child with your neighbor, but move away soon after becoming a teen

Stay close friends with the neighbour over long-distance and eventually fall in love.

Complete writer career (Journalism)

Get level 10 writing

Gen 5: Columbine- Foolishness, Folly

Aspiration: Joke Star  Traits: - Goofball   - Clumsy   - Outgoing

You had the best life you could ask for. Your parents love each other so much and you always wanted that too. You always loved comedy, and so you became a comedian. As time went on you met someone and finally found the one. You have a wonderful few years and eventually have kids. You are the happiest person in the world! Unfortunately happiness doesn’t always last long. You die young, leaving your spouse and children alone.

Goals:

Complete aspiration

Marry someone

Get level 10 comedy

Get at least level 5 of entertainment career (Comedian)

Die young

Gen 6: Purple Hyacinth- Sorrow

Aspiration: Professional chef Traits: - Foodie   - Loner   - Ambitious

One of your parents died when you were young and it really affected you. While your family seemed to move one, you just couldn’t. So, your main goal in life is to learn how to bring back the dead. You make good progress, but one day you meet someone who lets you forget your goal. While at first you learned to cook to revive people, you learn that you love it. You stop thinking about revival and instead focus on the present. That is, until that person dies. After their passing, you go straight back into the little hole you had made for yourself all those year ago. You revive the person, but they don’t look at you the same way anymore.

Goals:

Get level 10 cooking and gourmet cooking

Complete aspiration

Complete culinary career (chef)

Have a friend or spouse die

Make ambrosia

Revive the person that died (but they are more distant with your sim)

Gen 7: Lavender- Distrust

Aspiration: Serial Romantic Traits: - Noncommittal   - Dog Lover   - Vegetarian

Your parent always told you to never trust anyone, and you’ve taken that advice to heart. You refuse to get close to anyone, and actually try your best to make others understand your viewpoint. How do you do this? You break as many hearts as you can! However, you’re not completely lonely. You have loved animals, mainly dogs, since you were a kid. When you aren’t breaking hearts, you curing animals in the little vet clinic you made yourself. You try to do it all alone, but as your clinic gets more well-known you realize you can’t, so you hire a couple employees. Now, with the extra help, you can focus more on breaking hearts. Oh, and you have a child, but they aren’t your main priority.

Goals:

Complete aspiration

Own a vet (get 4+ stars)

Max veterinarian and pet training skill

Never have a long-lasting relationship

Gen 8: Black-eyed Susan- Justice

Aspiration: Academic Traits: - Family oriented   - Genius   - Unflirty

Your parent never cared for you. They were always either at work or around the town. You always tried your best to be a good child. You did your homework and got good grades. Sometimes you even did school projects when you didn’t need to! Still, they never seemed to notice. When you became a young adult you decided to go to university. You always were interested in history, so you took that degree. Soon you learned that you enjoyed law, and decided after university you would be a judge. While you enjoy your work, you aim to be the best parent you can for your child. You promise to yourself you won’t be like your parent.

Goals:

Go to university (History Degree)

Complete the aspiration

Join law career (Judge) after university

Complete Law career

Have only one child

Gen 9: Angelica- Inspiration

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire Traits: - Art Lover   - Creative   - Self-Absorbed

You were an only child, and you loved it! You were always the most important, and you loved it! In fact, You loved it so much that you never wanted the attention to go away. You’ve always loved art, right? So, you start recording videos of painting and stream it. You actually become quite popular. Sure, you still have to work as a freelancer to live comfortably, but that just gives you more freedom to stream, record, and edit. You meet someone, and get along great. A few years after you marry them, though, you both realize you aren’t meant for eachother. You split up on good terms, and stay friends. Eventually you do find the one, and you are ecstatic. Even with your busy schedule of recording, streaming, editing, and doing works for clients, you find a way to spend time with your family. You couldn’t be more grateful.

Goals:

Get level 10 art skill

Be a freelance painter

Record and stream painting

Get to at least B-tier celebrity (3 star)

Max media production skill

Divorce someone but stay friends

Have an excellent relationship with family

Gen 10: Sweet Pea- Goodbye

Aspiration: Party Animal Traits: - Dance Machine   - Outgoing   - Good

You don’t know why, but all your life you’ve felt like something was ending. Like a book was about to close. There was always this feeling in the pit of your stomach. While many may let this get them down, you don’t. If the world is going to end, your going to live your life to the fullest. Who said the end of the world can’t be fun? You spend your life laughing and smiling. You do your best to help others as well. You give away a lot of the money your family has made over the generations to charity. When you aren’t partying you’re volunteering. You decide that, if everything is going to end, your going to do your damndest to make the world a better place beforehand.

Goals:

Complete aspiration

Get level 10 Charisma

Complete politician career (Charity organizer)

Volunteer a lot

Host at least one charity event (You can host one by getting a great reputation)

Notes:

This is just for fun! If you don’t complete the entire challenge or miss a couple goals that’s fine, as long as you have fun! I’m not going to hurt you if you do something wrong. Feel free to add extra drama or goals if you want!

I’m pretty sure if you have high charisma skill you are able to talk to celebrities.

You can have a “long-distance relationship” by chatting on the computer with the other sim and sending love emails (unlocked around level 3/4 of the writing skill)

Sims with the goofball trait can die from laughter, but there are many other ways to kill a sim.

To make ambrosia you need a death flower, angelfish, and potion of youth. You can find ways to get the ingredients if you google it, but i don’t mind if you cheat for the ingredients just this once. Getting level 10 in both cooking and gourmet cooking is hard enough, lol.

Also, for the 8th generation, If you go to live on student housing or dorms in university any pictures in your household inventory will turn blank, and any business ran by sims in you household will no longer be yours when you get back. Just letting you know!

If you have any issues, then please tell me! I haven’t tested this challenge out yet, so if something is impossible I’ll try to fix it! This was a lot of fun to make! :)

[finnlongman]

Speaking from inside knowledge, you won that prize because there were extremely few submissions, exactly no one takes your work seriously except for the moronic zoomers desperate for attention and legitimisation. UCC has been steadily declining in the views of most of the academic world for some time now. Do you actually think anyone worth their salt thinks Cú Chulainn is a “trans man”? When this garbage stops being trendy I hope you’ll be gone along with it. The sooner the better.

Lol, way to give away that you haven't actually read any of my queer theory work, since that's not a claim I've ever actually made, except possibly in casual, colloquial discussion without any claim to academic argument. Nor have you read any of my subsequent work, which is on entirely different areas. I hardly think editions of fragmentary explanatory texts about naming conventions are "trendy", or that "zoomers" desperate for "legitimisation" are the ones who might find a comparative study of the Maines useful. That article was probably the least trendy thing I've ever written. It didn't even have any (gasp) theory in it. Just an edition, translation and commentary.

And, true, I suspected there weren't a lot of submissions, considering it's the first year of the prize. But they didn't have to award it to anyone, and they certainly didn't have to publish my work if they thought it was inadequate. Honestly, I've had my days of wondering why they picked me, but... Patrick Sims-Williams, Erich Poppe, an anonymous reviewer, Kevin Murray, and Emma Nic Cárthaigh all saw value in that piece of work, and who am I to disagree with a bunch of well-respected scholars with years of experience in the field?

But thank you for revealing yourself as a bigot; I suspected, but you never know whether someone is actually just really angry about how you translated the challenging word "gon-geodain" in your article, or where they're the resurrected spirit of John Rhys here to get mad at me for saying his arguments didn't stand up to scrutiny. Good to have some clarity on what exactly it is that bothers you about me.

And I doubt you actually have "inside knowledge", but if you do, then I hope the rest of the department at Aberystwyth is aware that you're an execrable coward who chooses to abuse other junior scholars on the internet because you're... what, jealous? I find it hard to imagine there's much to be jealous of over here (you, too, can become an independent scholar having opinions about the Ulster Cycle on the internet! it's very easy and there is no money in it), but I also can't fathom another motivation for your behaviour.

You can keep going like this for as long as you like, but you're not going to chase me out of academia (insofar as I'm in it in the first place), and considering I know a lot of people in this field who do like me, I don't think you're going to make many friends doing this.

[ambrosia-ghostie]

when is your birthday? february 13 what is your favorite color? it's funny, i just told my mom yesterday - it was always light blue, but now it's evolved to light purple what’s your lucky number? 12 do you have any pets? i live at home right now so i suppose i have our family dog, charlie - a very excitable goldendoodle how tall are you? 5'4

how many pairs of shoes do you own? i have many old pairs just there in my closet, but i would say i actively wear about 5 pairs

favorite song? yikes, one? it changes - as i'm sure it does with most people. for some reason i've been obsessed with "suddenly seymour" from little shop of horrors the last few days so let's go with that haha

favorite movie? zodiac. david fincher, always.

what would be your ideal partner? someone who is either asexual/demisexual (i'm still figuring that out which for myself), someone i find handsome or pretty (not necessarily conventionally - but hygienic, well-groomed, a face i enjoy looking at... i feel like i sound petty, but basically just someone i find cute on a personal level), someone who is more of an extrovert than i am and challenges me to be adventurous, someone i have at least a few things in common with (theatre, film, sims), and - importantly - someone who makes me laugh a lot

do you want children? i do, but i don't. i love kids, but part of me knows that i may not be capable of being responsible for a child's life when i am living with multiple disorders

have you gotten in trouble with the law? nah - unless you count a few speeding and traffic tickets, but long island is one giant speed trap

what color socks are you wearing? none! i don't like wearing socks in bed

bath or shower? shower, for sure. i love good pressure, i can control the temperature better than a bath, and i feel less self-conscious. by that i mean that i'm in a less vulnerable position when i'm standing up as opposed to laying down. it usually makes me feel claustrophobic and i don't love looking down at myself. a jacuzzi sized tub would probably be really lovely though!

favorite type of music? musical theatre - i love songs that tell stories and that's what musical theatre does (or should do if it's well-written)

how many pillows do you sleep with? two.

which position do you sleep in? i do this weird thing where i turn a couple of different ways on my side before i get comfortable leaning partially on my side to the right (where my wall is) lol

what don’t you like when you’re sleeping? being woken up by my dog scratching at my door. due to the medication i take, i have to take a few additional meds and supplements to fall and stay asleep. so when he scratches just to get my attention and walk away it's really frustrating and hard for me to fall back asleep. i still love him to pieces though.

what do you have for breakfast? i usually have a thomas everything bagel with temptee cream cheese. it's the only cream cheese i'll eat and it makes any bagel taste good - i swear! my jewish grandmother from brooklyn trained me well haha

have you ever tried archery? i did once on a first date! it was a nice way to get to know someone. i was actually pretty good to my surprise

favorite fruit? pineapple

favorite swear word? fuck - it's so versatile!

do you have any scars? i have a scar on my left breast from when i had a cyst removed when i was 16. i checked myself like they told us to do in health class and i actually had a lump. it was benign, thankfully

are you a good liar? i'm a very good liar, yes. i don't know if it's because i'm a performer, but i've become alarmingly good at it. i really want to stop doing it though. typically i only lie to avoid confrontation or when i don't want to tell someone my mental health is not great

what’s your personality type? i forgot so i honestly just took a test and apparently i'm an infp-t. the mediator. based on the description, it's remarkably accurate.

what’s your favorite type of girl? a loyal friend, honest when honesty is needed the most, makes time for their loved ones

left or right handed? lefty!

favorite food? i really love thai drunken noodles - i just had them last night and it's definitely my comfort food dish

are you clean or messy? i like to think of my habitat as organized chaos haha. i have some clutter, but i keep my space clean. i think i just have too much stuff!

favorite foreign food? i love good chinese food - thankfully i have a lot of options in new york. however, i also love mall food court chinese food once in a blue moon. it's its own thing in my opinion haha

how long does it take for you to get ready? it depends where i'm going. i could get ready right now in 10 minutes to go to the drug store and not care what i look like, but if i'm seeing friends or going to an event i usually take an hour or two to shower, blow out my hair, put on makeup, get dressed (and possibly change outfits a few times)

most used phrase? "no problem" - but usually there are problems lol

are you a good singer? i would never "make it" on broadway, but i am a skilled singer. training has helped tremendously and the right technique can make such a difference. i had the amazing opportunity this year to challenge myself when i was cast in a production of "titanic" the musical (not based on the movie! ahh) and it was so great to go back to my roots singing classically since the musical is more of an operetta than traditional musical theatre. so, in short, yes - i am haha

do you sing to yourself? i used to all the time when i had my own apartment, but now that i'm living at home again i feel a little self-conscious so i save it for the car. i don't know why i can sing in front of hundreds of people and be fine while the idea of my dad or brother catching me singing terrifies me, but i guess being weird comes with the territory of being a creative-type

biggest fear? my parents dying

do you like long or short hair? on myself? i grew out my hair over the last two years and i really love it. however, i reaally need a trim to get rid of the dead ends. but i've enjoyed having shorter hair too - especially in the summer months

are you into gossips? i work for a theater and i'm deeply involved in my local theatre community so gossip is inherently part of my day-to-day life. however, i've learned the hard way that it's always best to not get involved, be kind, and try and remain respectful for people who are unkind

extrovert or introvert? i can adapt depending on situations. if i know i need to buck up and put on a face for the sake of mediating a problem or something i can definitely conjure up "extroverted jaime," but i definitely am an introvert by default

favorite school subject? i loved english. i would write witty titles for all my essays and sometimes even include a graphic for the cover page... which probably explains why i'm a social media content creator now

what makes you nervous? i've realized the root of my anxiety is when i am dealing with the unknown - whether it be the outcome of a heated meeting at work, if my doctor's office will actually get my prescription to the pharmacy in time, or anything that leaves me waiting for an answer. i want immediate resolutions and i know that's not realistic

who was your first real crush? a guy at theatre camp who ended up being gay... and an awful person

how many piercings do you have? just my ears. i had a nose stud, but i took it out for a show years ago and it closed up because i lost it. i'd like to get one again in the future, but it depends on the office environment of my next full-time job... which i am currently looking for

how fast can you run? "no." - the person who filled this out expressed my answer perfectly.

what makes you angry? life treating bad people well

do you like your own name? i do, but i wish people would spell it correctly because that causes all sorts of issues. people assume i'm "jamie" when i'm "jaime" --- this season of the umbrella academy really turned me on to the "jayme" spelling though. or maybe i'd like "jaymee" --- i'm too lazy to ever change it, but i'm tired and i barely know what i'm typing at this point. i do not recommend pulling all-nighters for absolutely no reason

what are your weaknesses? i care too much about what people think about me. i have trouble staying productive and focused on work unless it's something that comes easy to me like creating graphics and writing copy. i'm overly sensitive to mental and physical stimuli (which can be good because i'm very empathetic and creative) and i can lose control at times

what are your strengths? i'm empathetic, creative, and passionate. i have a really good support system in my family and close friends. and, oddly enough, my sensitivity. i wrote that it can be a weakness, but it's the reason why i'm so emotionally moved by theatre, music, and films. it's the reason why i can find a deeper meaning in texts and in life in general

what is the color of your bedspread? it's dark grey, but i just ordered a mint one that will be good for days when it's not quite hot enough to turn on my air conditioner

color of your room? (faded) light blue. i want to have it painted lavender soon