Liebster Award

I was nominated by two very wonderful simmers, Sunny and Cali, and could not feel more honored. Especially with my stories on the back burner lately. I love that you both love them enough to still think of them, and me, for something like this. Thank you both!



The rules for receiving this award are:

1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Thank the blogger who presented the award and link back to their blog.
3. Nominate 5-11 bloggers whom you feel deserve this award and have fewer than or equal to 3,000 followers.
4. Answer 11 questions posted by the nominator, and ask your nominees 11 questions.

My Nominees:

• Any story by spladoum. All her stories are told beautifully, yet each story is unique and has wonderfully developed, and flawed, characters.
• Pixel Rust by buckley. Another wonderful author with many stories I could nominate. Pixel Rust has beautiful sims and a tangled, interwoven storyline that will keep you on your toes.
• Witchwolf !AU by fairsteadsims. Adrian and Becca, otherwise known as Beedge, have many different lives but WitchWolf has thus far been my absolute favorite. 
• Treason-and-Plot's sims. These sims are wonderfully written: each has horrible character flaws that should leave them hated but instead, they're multi-faceted that even the most despised somehow becomes that character you love to hate.
• Ripples in Paradise by kaleekalo. Despite my disinterest in TS4, this story (like all her others) is really fantastic and was completely worth whitelisting it to make sure I don't miss a post.

Honorable Mentions (stories that have not been updated in awhile)

• The Beehive by Owl Face. Though real life has taken priority, this story is still well worth the read! Who knew aliens could be so fun? Warning though: once you start, you won't be able to stop until you get to the end. 
• Bennos World by angiebenno. Sadly, this is another story that has not been updated in a very long time. It was one of the first Blogger sim stories I read though and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Questions from Cali: 

1. What got you into writing stories with the sims?

When I played sims, I typically always had some kind of narration running in my head with plans for each of the characters I created. Writing them down was the natural progression. It also helps keep me invested in my save, rather than tossing it and starting again.

2. If you could pick five personality traits for your Simself, what would they be? I know when I do it, there’s always more than five I want to use, but just think of the first five that come to mind.

I actually already have these picked out! Haha! They're on my tumblr, though I gave myself a sixth (I figured I earned it since I graduated uni). I'll play fair though and just go with my freshly aged to YA traits: Animal Lover, Bookworm, Clumsy, Hopeless Romantic, Loner.

3. Is there a time of day that’s the best time for you to write?

Usually first thing in the morning. As the day goes on I start getting distracted. 

4. If you could jump into a time machine like the Sims can, where would you choose to go and why?

Sims can jump in time machines? :D Just kidding. I'm honestly not sure I would. While the idea is fun, I feel like it'd be like that episode of Supernatural - get back to the Wild West and find out stuff is not nearly as awesome as you thought.

If we're talking about turning back time and actually reliving a part of my life, I'd probably go back to high school: try harder to dissuade my grandmother from remarrying, work harder at figuring out what I wanted in life (career wise) and actually going for it, and enjoying my school years. 

5. Have you got a favourite sim?

Camille is by far my favorite. In part because Generation 5 was my favorite to write so far. I do quite like Ben a lot as well though.

6. Are any of your characters or situations based on real life?

A lot of what I write is based on real life. Maybe not a direct experience. Maybe not an exact model or even parody of a person. But I put little bits and pieces from people I know and situations I'm familiar with into my stories.

7. What made you start playing Sims?

My grandmother. I was in middle school and she got a computer. I can't remember why she got the Sims 1 but I remember we would play together. We occasionally spoke to each other in simlish. Even when I grew up and got married, she would ask me how my sims were. She also always requested that houses I built in the sims have room for the grandmother.

8. Other than Sims and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Reading which probably isn't that much of a surprise. I also enjoy gaming of other kinds (Fallout, Elder Scrolls). There are more games I would enjoy playing but I hate leaving projects unfinished so typically my sims come first.

9. What is your favourite aspect about writing?

I love having the world at my fingertips. Through my characters, I can be anything and do anything.

10. What is your least favourite aspect?

Making it all fit together. In my head, it all works so well but getting it from there to paper (virtual or otherwise) is a different story. 

11. What inspires you the most? Music? A great book? A walk outside? Something else?

Random snippets. My best friend can tell me something and all of a sudden, it blooms into a story in my head. Sometimes a book will leave me with questions or thoughts and those twist and turn until suddenly it's become very different and is now my own story. Most of this never makes it on to paper directly but the thoughts spiral around in my head until it finally forces its way out somewhere.

Questions from Sunny: 

1. What got you hooked on The Sims franchise?

My grandmother got me started but what got me hooked and has kept me coming back is the same thing I love about writing: I can be whoever I want to be. I can decorate however I want without any true commitment. And if it all goes wrong, there's always ctrl+z or quitting without saving. 

2. What is your essential CC site? It can offer mods or clothing, or that one piece of CC you can't play without and can be made by you or someone else.

I could not live with NRaas. Just no. The thought is unbearable. I also love just about anything made by Sandy from AroundTheSims. All of her stuff breathes life into my lots and make them look lived in.

3. How do you find your CC?

What usually happens is that I see something I want in someone's screenshots. I hate asking WCIF right off, so I start looking for it. Instead of admitting defeat and asking, I then spend hours and hours scouring google until I am successful and no longer interested in playing. Said item then sits in my computer downloads folder for weeks until I get around to adding it to the game and probably longer than that before I ever use it.

I am a CC hoarder.

4. Where were you when the idea for your story first come to you? What was going on?

I honestly can't remember. I've had so many ideas for stories, some not written down, some not blogged or shared. I've been making up stories ever since I was a little girl. I can't remember not having ideas for stories and that just rolled into sims.

5. Where do you stand in the Oxford Comma debate?

Haha. I use it when it feels like I should. Grammar is not my strongest suit so I probably also use the comma when I shouldn't. I like commas. And ellipses.

6. If you could try one of the foods in the sims game, which food would you choose?

Porcini risotto. I'd actually try to find a recipe to make it myself but mushrooms are a no go in my house. My husband is dreadfully picky.

7. Do you have an all-time favorite sim?

Answered above in #5.

8. What is one thing you can do in TheSims (1,2,3,4) that you have yet to try? If you've tried it all (Geez, I'm jealous) what is your favorite thing to do with your sims?

My gosh, there are so many things I haven't done in the sims. There are careers I haven't tried. I haven't sent sims tomb raiding. I've never even sent a sim to China. I've never played a supernatural sim. I've never made a plumbot. There are probably more things in the Sims 3 game that I haven't tried than I have.

9. How do you deal with writer's block?

Not very well. Usually I try to force stuff, then get frustrated because said stuff doesn't work, until finally just distracting myself with something else entirely.

10. Have you ever based a character off of someone you know? If so, does this person know you based a character on them? Why or Why not? And if not, why?

Going off my answer from Cali's questions, there are little bits of people I know rolled into my characters, including myself. I don't have any single character based on one single person that I know. As for telling people, I don't particularly talk about sims with anyone in my life anymore. Most people I know (in person) don't get it so we do not talk about the game, character development or otherwise.

11. What do you draw inspiration from?

This was the previous #11 as well. :)

Questions for my Nominees:

1. What expansion is your favorite and which is your least favorite?

2. When you write a chapter you're not 100% happy with, what do you do? Publish or continually work it until you're satisfied?

3. How do you deal with the game's surprises: write them in, ignore them, or restart the save?

4. If you could live in any of the sims worlds, which would you choose and why?

5. When you write your stories, are they written first and then staged? Or played and then written to match in-game events?

6. For offspring, do you create them separately in CAS, edit them, or accept them as the game gives them to you?

7. Do you have a favorite sims challenge to play or do you play to the beat of your own drum?

8. Do you discuss your sims and stories with family or friends?

9. We've all accepted that Sims isn't quite what we each want it to be. What would it take for it to be the "perfect" sims game?

10. Do you create CC for yourself? Whether yes or no, is there anything you wish you could do/make but don't have the skills for yet?

11. Let us in on a little secret about your story from an upcoming chapter. :D