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Random Reading Roundabout

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  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    Since the forums love to mess up links that have mundane words in them that they deem unacceptable, I already have that link Stories and Legacies Index-ified (which means I've run it through Google URL Shortener... for one this means I can fit waaaaay more Monthly Site Updates onto a post, but the other benefit is this gets around such problems, mwahahaha. Sneaky librarian is sneaky). So the link above, rectified:

    As Tears Go By Ch. 9

    Crazy, isn't it? But thankfully, sneaky you found a way around it. :grin: sorry you had to go through that extra step though. The shortener thingy does seem to work so at least there's a solution for when the links get messed up.
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    Simming With Sweet Nightingale.Forever in Time, Short Stories, and much more
  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 995 Member
    Hiya, wonderful! I had a crazy week myself so far really. Last Saturday my 3 yr old daughter wanted to smell a small button thinking it was a flower or something and accidentally stuck it up her nose :o I don't know why lol Ended up going to the ER with her and they couldn't just get it out of the nostril either. Now I need to go to the hospital two more times with her this week. Sunday my 'better half' hehe decided it was a good day to fall from the stairs breaking his ankle on the way down. So I spent another day at the hospital. Besides that my mom is moving soon and there is still a ton of sanding and painting to do. AARGH lol

    This craziness also means I haven't read up on the stories as much as I'd wanted to by now :( I'm spending the night at my mothers' so I wont have time today. I hope to squeeze an evening of reading in on Thursday. I will keep you posted :smile:

    To get back to my comment earlier this week...
    Twiggy wrote: »
    Hello, everyone!

    The main goal of this reading circle is, the name says it already, creating some traffic for your story and story updates (ánd discover awesome simlit too of course). I also think the idea is to comment on the threads specific to the story/challenge itself so that we have and can build a loyal fan base, receive comments/feedback. We also build community involvement by asking each other questions and discussing things such as creating backstory, characters, plot dialogue, world building, and any other elements that I'm missing related to Simlit or how we allow the gameplay to help us craft our stories. Always feel free to share your goings on here and make sure to bookmark the thread! :smiley:

    Okay, today we have a full circle so... it's time to get our heads together! :smile: I was wondering how we see our expectations for this reading circle. Myself, I want to suggest we catch up on each other's stories first. Since some of us have more chapters than others and some may have more available time to read, I think a first open discussion on the shared stories would be around next weekend taking into account that @mastressalita is otherwise engaged this week? Let me know if you all agree with this tactic and what days would suit, maybe?

    I want to propose after the first open discussion of our stories, we do a weekly round up ourselves of the updates of the previous week, maybe each weekend also. Whatever we decide about this, I want to respect that we do not all share time zones and commenting can be done during the course of a day or so.

    Would you like to see a summary of the week's updates in one of the first posts on this topic or do we click em when members share an update (link) here or as they come along in our reader or do you have other suggestions? I think posting a comment here whenever an update is shared on our blogs is the least we should do lol and I don't mind doing a roundup each week either.

    Also, I've noticed that a novel idea started by @Marialein over in the A Novel Idea Reading Circle to introduce yourself as a member by using a questionnaire. More than one reading circle has adopted this idea and started using it too. Would you be interested in sharing some personal info about yourself also so that we all get to know our fellows a little? If not, I'm totally cool with that <3
    Real name (if you want to tell it, optional nickname you prefer):

    Country:

    Do you have a pet:

    Favorite season:

    Hobby (not playing sims):

    Dream job if everything is possible:

    Any sports you do?

    Favorite food:

    Favorite superhero:

    Favourite Disney princess:

    My favorite film right now:

    First film you watched where your parents said you are too young for it:

    The first book you cried like the world is ending right now:

    How would you dress yourself the whole time without thinking of the weather: summer dresses

    Picture of your simself:

    Favorite sim right now and picture:

    First time you played sims happened what:

    Dream expansion pack for sims 4:

    Then last but hopefully not least lol I 've been doodling in Ps and came up with a little item to adorn our first page. Just a draft but would like to hear what you guys think.

    simsmosaic-small.jpg

    I promise that's it for me for now... :sleeping: time

    I would like a couple more responses to some of the suggestions done and your take on it @writtenfae @lisabee2 @mastressalita and @cuddles5427

    @sweetnightingale Thank you for commenting naturally ;)
  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    Oh, no, @Twiggy ! Dang! Kids do the darndest things, don't they? What a scary thing for you all to go through! Hopefully, they'll get everything to come out okay (ah...pardon the pun) and she'll be on the mend soon. I bet she'll be mroe careful when she wants to smell something from now on. LOL! Poor baby. :(

    When it rains, it pours. Hopefully your hubby's ankle feels better soon. Sounds painful, but thankfully it didn't turn out much worse. Falling down the stairs can be extremely dangerous.

    It sounds like what we went through one time when I was a teenager. I have two younger sisters, one about 6 years younger and the other 8 years. Anyway, the middle sister hurt her arm so Mom took her to the ER. Low and behold, the younger sister hurt herself (can't remember what happened now - ankle, I think), so Mom had to come back and get her to take her to the ER. Just before she left, she said, "Now Sharon, YOU'D better remain healthy or I'm going to lose it." LOL! Poor Mom. Nothing happened to me; I think I just hung out in my room for the time being and played some music. LOL! I figured it I sat still, the bad luck wouldn't rub off on me.

    It's no wonder you haven't had time to read. Hopefully, the craziness will die down for you this week and you can get in some relaxation. Speaking of reading, I'm about halfway through your story. I think I'm on Chapter 14. I left comments on the blog but looks like you have to approve them before they show up. Going to try to get in some more reading time this evening. Yesterday was a bit crazy since I was out all day at a meeting. Then when we got home, the hubby wanted me to sit outside with him for a couple drinks...so yep. After that, it was conk-out time. LOL!

    I'll get to the questionaire today. Got that as well as getting my Spirit Animal Awared acceptance up on my nominated blog. :) I wanted to get that up on Sunday but life just didn't let me.

    You're welcome for the comments. :) Love the logo and am looking forward to seeing it on our front page. :)
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    Simming With Sweet Nightingale.Forever in Time, Short Stories, and much more
  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    As promised, here are my answers to the questionaire. :)
    Real name: Sharon (I won't put my last name since I'm kinda leery of doing that on things like social media or forums.)

    Country: USA

    Do you have a pet: Yep. Three dogs. We have two mixes - one is a part beagle named Sheena, who is my daughter's dog. The other is Turbo and we're not exactly sure what he is. LOL! He's mostly black with a tail that curls up and erect ears. His fur is super dense and when that boy sheds, he REALLY sheds. My Golden Retriever is 9 1/2 years old and is my guide dog. Yep, I'm blind in one eye and can hardly see out of the other. LOL!

    Favorite season: Spring. I hate it when it's terribly cold and I'm not much on extreme heat. So, without the rain, Spring is it for me.

    Hobby (not playing sims): Crocheting, knitting, reading, writing stories, journaling and journal collecting, scrapbooking, and I'm a huge fountain pen enthusiast and collector. I also love singing, although I can't really say it's exactly a hobby since I do it semi-professionally.

    Dream job if everything is possible: A world famous singer and author.

    Any sports you do? Nope. There's not an athletic bone in my body. A cream puff cold beat me up. Haha.

    Favorite food: Pasta! Definitely pasta of any kind. :grin:

    Favorite superhero: Wonder Woman. For some reason, I just always loved her as a kid and will turn on my DVD's of Wonder Woman from time to time.

    Favourite Disney princess: Ouch, this is a tough one! I love Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) dqually, I think. But I guess if I had to pick just one right now, I'll say Cinderella. She loves animals, which I do. She's a hopeless romantic, which I can identify with. Plus, she sings to herself while she's doing something, which I ALWAYS do. LOL! Besides that, the song "O Sing Sweet Nightingale" inspired my username. There's a story behind that if anyone wants to hear it. :)

    My favorite film right now: I'm really loving "Anne of the Thousand Days." It's an older movie from 1969 (I think). It's based on the story of Anne Bolyn, although the powers that be took some poetic license for creativity's sake. The acting was superb and the Medieval style costuming was beautiful.

    First film you watched where your parents said you are too young for it: I think it had to be the Rambo series with Sylvester Stallone. I believe the movie was called "First Blood" and I wasn't allowed to watch it when I was younger because of the violence adn quite a lot of death. It's been eons since I'd seen it, and I think there was a lot of cussing too. LOL!

    The first book you cried like the world is ending right now: Strangely enough, that had to be Little Women. The last scene where Jo and Beth spent time together before her death about killed me. :( Then when Beth died, it broke my heart.

    How would you dress yourself the whole time without thinking of the weather: If I had the figure, I'd be in summer dresses a lot. Other than that, it would be comfy shorts, t-shirts/tank tops, and sandals.

    Picture of your simself: Sweetnightingale%20Picture_zps7snhw11x.jpg

    Favorite sim right now and picture: This is going to be a long answer, so I'm sorry for the lack of simplicity for this one. I have two favorite Sims right now from my story "Forever in Time." The first one is Lenora Landgraab, who, along with her husband Tyrone, is the founding generation for the story. She has a very detailed backstory and the more I wrote her, the more I loved her.

    Lenora%2B%2526%2BAurora%2B3.jpg

    This is Lenora next to her daughter, Aurora, as a teenager.

    I'm also loving Lenora's daughter, Aurora, who is the second generation for "Forever in Time." She and Silvan are becoming one of my favorite couples just like her parents. :)

    Aurora%2B%2526%2BSilvan.jpg

    This is Aurora with Silvan, her fairy prince. :)

    So, as you can see, this is a toss-up. I couldn't pick just one to be my absolute favorite.

    First time you played sims happened what: The first time I ever played any Sims game was in October of 2011. I started off with a big family (ha! Utter chaos) and forgot to fill the dog dish up. Poor Baxter (a Golden Retriever) ate the human food sitting on the counter. Then, he got fleas, which transmitted to the ENTIRE family. I spent one Sim day getting everyone cleaned up, the house put back in order (yeah, also had vile surroundings), and Baxter's dish filled.

    Dream expansion pack for sims 4: Supernatural, definitely. I love fantasy stories and Sims 4 just seems to...blah...without my beloved witches and fairies.
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    Simming With Sweet Nightingale.Forever in Time, Short Stories, and much more
  • cuddles5427cuddles5427 Posts: 101 Member
    Hello all, I apologize for my late response. I think you have wonderful suggestions, @Twiggy and the logo looks incredible!
    Real name (if you want to tell it, optional nickname you prefer): I enjoy being called Cuddles :smile:

    Country: USA

    Do you have a pet: Not currently, but I'd like to have a dog eventually.

    Favorite season: Probably winter. I love being in the snow and I feel the cold forces you inside and that can lead to interacting with others more than usual.

    Hobby (not playing sims): Definitely making art. I sketch, paint, sculpt, etc.

    Dream job if everything is possible: Eh, that's kind of my issue actually. I either want to go into politics (specifically diplomacy) or art. We'll just see where life takes me.

    Any sports you do? I am actually incredibly allergic to sports.

    Favorite food: Dessert most definitely.

    Favorite superhero: Deadpool, but I'm not sure if he's a superhero per-se

    Favorite Disney princess: Probably Mulan. Something about her entire story is just a little different than the typical princesses.

    My favorite film right now: ooh, I'm not sure.

    First film you watched where your parents said you are too young for it:

    The first book you cried like the world is ending right now: It takes a lot to make me cry but Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes did it.

    How would you dress yourself the whole time without thinking of the weather: Costume attire. I'm serious.

    Picture of your simself: mysims4%20simself_zpsbyrtji1o.png

    Favorite sim right now and picture: Well, there's two. Max Wingfield and my simself. I held a mini contest years ago on the sims 3 forums to find my simself a mate and chose Max. I kept free will high because I wanted to see if they would actually get along. They fell in love. I adored them so much that I recreated them for the sims 4 even though I play there descendants on the sims 3 still. I'm bad with playing legacies so to be on generation 8 is a huge accomplishment.

    sims 3

    Screenshot-67_zpswrcv2zt7.jpg

    sims 4

    06-11-16_10-48-16nbspPM_zpsdrbxfpkv.png

    First time you played sims happened what: I began playing the sims with the sims 2 ten years ago. I discovered it at my cousin's house and would play it there. When the sims 3 came out I was able to get it for my own house (at the time my family had a terribly old computer that couldn't even handle the sims 2 - nevermind the sims 3 - so we spent a small fortune getting it fixed up for the game)

    Dream expansion pack for sims 4: Supernatural and Generations. I loved both. I love werewolf toddlers. :smiley:
    SiggyForSimsNow_zpsk1i15rwv.png
  • writtenfaewrittenfae Posts: 192 Member
    @Twiggy I love the idea of people posting their updates here, because it means we'll be notified when the stories get up dates, but I also think it'd be kind of cool to have a weekly roundup so if someone missed posting an update here we still can talk about them because we're aware of them. And that logo is amazing!

    Hope your family is healing and staying out of any more trouble!
    Blackmoore Legacy
    Draco%20Banner_zpsjy1lrxr1.png
    My YouTube channel here! Rosebud Challenge & Tiny Living Challenge.
    Disney Princess Bachelor Challenge!
  • writtenfaewrittenfae Posts: 192 Member
    And forgot the questionnaire!
    Real name (if you want to tell it, optional nickname you prefer): I go by Meri or Lizzy

    Country: USA

    Do you have a pet: 2 cats. The older is Dexter, bright orange and very much a lap cat. If I'm still for any length of time, he has to curl up in my lap, or on me, or against me. And the younger is PT (short for the Egyptian God Ptah), a pale, pale orange/blonde who is going on two in August. He's kind of a terror. He goes from sweet and loving and wanting petting to attacking. I currently look like my arm had a vampire bite it, no lie, because he attacked me.

    Favorite season: Spring. I love the not too hot, not too clod, and I kind of love the rain - so long as I'm not caught in it.

    Hobby (not playing sims): crocheting, knitting, writing, world of warcraft, cross stitching, and drawing

    Dream job if everything is possible: author. I'm trying to finish a few novels actually.

    Any sports you do? I'm not a great sports person, I tend to hurt myself when I try - my ankles spent most of my grade school life sprained. Though I do love soccer.

    Favorite food: Chocolate.

    Favorite superhero: Supergirl

    Favourite Disney princess: hmm.. that's a hard one. Ariel if I had to pick one. I've got a lot of memories associated with her, down to going to see it in the theaters when she first came out (geeze, I feel old)

    My favorite film right now: That's a hard one, Can I just choose all the Marvel movies?

    First film you watched where your parents said you are too young for it: This one is hard, because my parents weren't overly strict about movies and ratings. My mom hated it, but my dad would let me watch horror movies growing up. So kind of that since one parental didn't approve? It's left me with a seriously large collecting of horror movies, and a love for all things spooky and nightmare inducing movie wise thanks to my dad though.

    The first book you cried like the world is ending right now: Bridge to Terabithia.

    How would you dress yourself the whole time without thinking of the weather: A comfy pair of shorts and a tank top, no shoes. I hate shoes and go barefoot where ever I can, and I hate sleeves on my clothes.

    Picture of your simself:
    me-lone.png?w=118&h=300


    Favorite sim right now and picture: That would have to be Abigail.
    111t8gm.png
    She's the founder of my Blackmoore Legacy simlit, and I just absolutely loved her so much. Even though she's no longer alive in my simlit, she remains my favorite Sim.

    First time you played sims happened what: Geeze, I don't remember really. I think there was a fire. I started out shortly after Sims 1 came out, and that seems like forever ago now.

    Dream expansion pack for sims 4: I would love a Supernatural pack. I loved the vampires and werewolves. I'd also love a University pack. I loved being able to send my sims to college.
    Blackmoore Legacy
    Draco%20Banner_zpsjy1lrxr1.png
    My YouTube channel here! Rosebud Challenge & Tiny Living Challenge.
    Disney Princess Bachelor Challenge!
  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    I'm so loving the answers to these questionaires. :) It's so cool to have something like this to helps us get to know each other better.

    @writtenfae- Ha! Another knitter and crocheter! Yeah, LOVE IT! I like latch hooking too but haven't done it in eons.
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    Simming With Sweet Nightingale.Forever in Time, Short Stories, and much more
  • mastressalitamastressalita Posts: 2,874 Member
    Aww, @Twiggy ! *hugs* Hope your nooboo and hubby get feeling better soon.

    Things have been a bit hectic for me between the fulltime job, the migraines, and organizing Sims Pride this month, so apologies for being so behind here.

    I love the logo!

    I don't see why we don't post site updates in the thread, though to be honest, since I'm running The Stories and Legacies Index and I track updates over there, I myself would never really need update summaries... I'm acutely aware of site updates from updating S&LI every evening, and all but one author of our Reading Circle is registered at the S&LI so I'm going to be getting those updates every day they roll out through my Wordpress Readers/Blogger Reading Lists/other automated services regardless, heh. (For the one author that isn't registered there though, I can see how that might be handy, and by all means, if it is handy and useful to others, go for it! I'm only saying that since I am tracking story updates on a mass scale, I am more aware of updates than most. ^_^;; )

    Mass-reading to be all caught up is a big endeavor. I know some of you have already blown through this (wow!). I'm not sure how long it will take me to get all caught up... I wonder if we could do a book club schedule? Like each week have a selection (so many chapters) from one of the stories and it rotates each week until they are all caught up to present? Just an idea, if everyone likes to just catch up at their own pace, don't mind me.

    So, onto the survey...
    Real name (if you want to tell it, optional nickname you prefer): Because of the ToS on these forums, I typically won't give out my name on here. That said, that's just an "EA's fussy rules" thing, and has nothing to do with me being stuck up about giving out my name. Off the forums, I am more than happy to give out -- and be called by! -- my actual name. If you would like to know it, check out the first question on the Q&A I give on my Blogaversary: Year One post. My e-mail can also be found on my About Me page and you can ask me pretty much anything via e-mail, including Skype info. ^_~ Basically... EA ToS doesn't mean diddly OFF their website. *wink wink*

    Country: Idaho, United States

    Do you have a pet: Yes! I have an old cockatiel named Kali. He/she (I honestly have no idea the gender of this bird, so I joking call her my Drag Queen bird, because she knows she's fabulous... the only thing she can say is "Kali is a pretty bird!") is 17... maybe 18 now? years old, which is quite old for a cockatiel! The average lifespan is 15-20 years. I've had her since I was 16! When I moved out of my family's home she came with me so I wouldn't be all lonesome-like in my apartment, since the only pets this apartment allows are birds and fish. Here is a picture of her. (I really do wish my apartment lease allowed cats... it is my dream to own one someday, and it was my yearning for a cat which led to me getting Sims 3 plus the Pets expansion and creating my Simself with her kitty Casanova, and later got the idea from watching their antics together to do The Cat Chronicles story!)

    Favorite season: Autumn! I love that brisk feeling in the air, and when it's a bit chilly but not really cold... perfect weather. I love the smell when the leaves are turning, and the look of the foliage. And I loooooooove pumpkin-anything, and that is the only time of year the stores bring out the pumpkin-spice food!

    Hobby (not playing sims): I'm a bonafied geek. I've been into Japanese culture since I was a tween, am a huge fan of anime, manga, Japanese "visual novel" PC games, Japanese history and language, etc. My story The Yandere Diaries is based on a popular character trope in Japanese media, and my love of anime/manga seeps into my work in other ways, too). I love reading sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural novels... anything that takes me to another world! (A few of my favorite authors are Anne McCaffrey and Anne Bishop... I'm going to meet Anne Bishop at a convention this next fall!) Ah, which leads me to my next bit of geekitude... I love going to fan conventions! I go to a few anime/sci-fi/other random-fandom-type conventions a year with my BFF (who lives in another state; we meet up at these conventions!) My favorite TV series tend to reek of geek as well... Doctor Who, BBC Sherlock, Big Bang Theory, Firefly, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, etc. I'm also a big fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000/Rifftrax... I'm writing this just after getting home from a livestream of an MST3k reunion show that was hilarious!

    Dream job if everything is possible: I have my dream job, and feel so grateful for that! I'm a fulltime librarian! I love books and believe deeply in providing stories and education to the public, so it really is the perfect fit. I even am in my dream *spot* in the library... Technical Services! This is where the "behind the scenes" stuff happens -- repairing books, processing new materials, cataloging books, all the bells and whistles to get items out to the patrons!

    Any sports you do? I do not. In the words of the great Drag Queen Latrice Royale, I'm "large and in charge, chunky yet funky." In other words, my rotund body is not sports material. ^_~ Though I do know how to do a form of Japanese dancing known as parapara, if one really wants to count that. And I enjoy watching baseball! My team is the Seattle Mariners. This Labor Day Weekend I'm visiting my Dad and we are going to three games at Safeco Field over the weekend, and I'm really looking forward to it!

    Favorite food: I like far too many! Ice cream is my guilty pleasure. In general, I love most types of Asian food. The food I can't stand above all? Bananas!

    Favorite superhero: Batman. I grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series on Fox Kids after school. I still love that show!

    Favourite Disney princess: I'm actually not a huge Disney fan... I prefer my fairytales in their original, gothic forms, without becoming all family-friendly and turned into musicals (I really dislike musicals... I know... people think I'm weird for that). I still enjoy my trips to Disneyland and have some fond memories of the movies I did see as a kid, but I don't really watch anything current or go back and rewatch anything. In other words... I'm no Disney princess expert, I don't really have strong feelings about them. I'm going to say Ariel, only because I love mermaids and collect them... but I don't think the Disney version even holds a candle to the real Hans Christian Anderson story, which is dark and depressing and I love it. ^_^

    My favorite film right now: Hmm, I don't watch movies as often as most people. I think the last thing I saw that really tugged my heartstrings and I knew I had to put on my Top Ten list was Inside Out.

    First film you watched where your parents said you are too young for it: No idea... I suppose there must've been something, but my parents were a lot more open-minded than many. They let me watch anime when I was quite young and my mom didn't even bat an eye despite the fact that the style includes many nudes, because she was an artist and was just like, "Meh, it's the drawn female form, it's art!" I know sooooo many parents that would've blown up over that kind of thing. I had it pretty lucky. ^_^

    The first book you cried like the world is ending right now: My memory is so bad... Lots of books, movies, video games etc. really get my feels. I don't think I could ever remember the first. I have Chronic Daily Migraine, which means I (quite literally) get a migraine nearly every day. All the medications I take affect my memory, both long and short term, quite badly. My official nickname is "Derpy" because of it. ^_^;; I can say I remember I cried so hard at the ending to the video game Secret of Mana for SNES when I was a kid... I was like... I finished the game and that happens? Mega tears. Not exactly a book, but certainly a story...

    How would you dress yourself the whole time without thinking of the weather: I actually always dress pretty much the same from day to day, because certain types of cloth make my skin break out in rashes, so I avoid them (denims, anything that feels "rough" or "harsh" to me). Therefore, I wear lots of cotton! Black cotton pants are my mainstay. Add a comfy loose geek-themed t-shirt and I'm really happy. I loathe skirts/dresses.

    Picture of your simself: She is featured on my story site in a few places. In fact, just going to the main site you can see her in the banner at the top! But she also features in The Writer's Lament, Blogaversary: Year One, Sims Pride 2016!, and on a few silly holiday cards.

    Favorite sim right now and picture: Even though Yandere Diaries is my most unpopular work, the main character in it, Cora Samaras, is this really special Sim to me. She just makes the most amazing faces at the camera... it's like she just knows something is going on. Her expressions and actions are priceless. She really feels "alive" to me, and she cracks me up... even though she disturbs me by just how aware she seems to be! This is "not her best selfie".

    First time you played sims what happened: Well, I knew nothing about Sims or how to play it. I made my Simself and was just really struggling to make any money as a writer, and I had no idea you had to click the mailbox and pay bills, so I pretty much immediately got stuff taken by the Repoman. I was dirt poor and a burgler came and stole and toilet and litterbox from the bathroom! I didn't have the money to replace them (in what universe do litterboxes cost $75?) apparently it was "animal abuse" to allow a kitten to piddle on the floor for a night waiting for my weekly writing royalties to come in, and it was taken away by animal services... and at some point when the computer broke down I got terribly electrocuted trying to fix it to keep writing. Basically, everything that could go wrong did go wrong! But I learned an awful lot about playing the Sims from that, hahaha!

    Dream expansion pack for sims 4: Well, I'm a TS3 player, and don't even own TS4, and have no real desires to at this point in time (no, it is nothing against TS4 as a game, I think it is a great game! I'm just not really a fan of Origin, and just don't like there is no "Origin-free" version of the game. Plus, I kinda like "completed" things. Maybe by the time TS5 rolls out, I'll be interested in TS4. Oddly enough, I bought TS3 the week TS4 released! Yes, that's right. Because then I knew it was "completed" and I wouldn't have to deal with constant patches and updates and more EPs and SPs and whatnot! That's me, always living behind the times. ^_~) Buuuuut... theoretically, Pets, for sure. I love my virtual kitties too much!
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  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 995 Member
    Thanks for the hugs, well wishes and other reactions... and of course for those wonderful answers given in the questionnaires! Happy to get to know you a bit better <3

    @sweetnightingale The craziness is not over yet. Adinde will undergo surgery this Friday. Need to be up at the crack of dawn to take her to the hospital then. Hopefully, her nose will not be too sore after the procedure :( And it sounds so familiar. I've been telling my boy all day not to jump on or off of things because I don't want to see another visit to the ER this week lol

    @writtenfae I'm an old World of Warcraft player myself! It's where I met my bf and father of my twins so it will always have a special place in my heart. I just don't have the currency to keep both the Sims and WoW up to date lol
    Mass-reading to be all caught up is a big endeavor. I know some of you have already blown through this (wow!). I'm not sure how long it will take me to get all caught up... I wonder if we could do a book club schedule? Like each week have a selection (so many chapters) from one of the stories and it rotates each week until they are all caught up to present? Just an idea, if everyone likes to just catch up at their own pace, don't mind me.

    That is a very good idea! I don't expect us all to be caught up this weekend by all means. This can use some fine tuning indeed. Any suggestions or preferences anyone on what to read or discuss first and how many chapters would be okay and clear to read for every one of you? So, basically, how are we all faring in getting caught up? I must say I have only read your story front to back @mastressalita and have yet to find the time to read the others fully. Hopefully tomorrow I can read some more, though.

    ... And now: sorry for not filling in the questionnaire earlier but I wanted to sit down for it and so far I haven't even found the time to write a chapter yet :D here goes:
    Real name: Sanne (which is short for Suzanne but don't call me that lol I prefer Sanne)

    Country: The Netherlands

    Do you have a pet: yes, I have an old cat. The last out of three. She is a very skittish creature, always has been and even more so now that the twins are around though I love her all the same :)

    Favorite season: Can't decide between spring and autumn. I like the seasons in which you can either see color coming or going out of our everyday life due to the first spring flowers blossoming or the leaves changing color.

    Hobby (not playing sims): Building and writing in and around the sims lol Next, and this is going to sound corny perhaps but it's true lol Walks or afternoons on the beach or countryside as a family no matter what season really. I also like drawing, sewing, spending time in the garden and spending time with my family in general.

    Dream job if everything is possible: I still wouldn't have the slightest clue (and that at my middle age of 39 haha). I can feel at home in many a job tho; it's the surroundings, atmosphere and attitude of employer and employees that make a job worth my while.

    Any sports you do? I guess sports are not really my thing... I don't shy away from running around and playing soccer with my kids. I even enjoy the swing or slide lol but that's as far as it goes nowadays really

    Favorite food: I like authentic Italian food, pasta's and such and I love seafood

    Favorite superhero: Definitely Batman (those awesome animated series haha) and when it comes to the ladies: Catwoman. I really like the way she is portrayed in, Gotham, a series (FOX) I've watched recently.

    Favorite Disney princess: mmm, not that much into all the Disney princesses (more of an antihero kinda gal). The Disney stories I like most don't have princesses in them at all. Take for instance 'The Rescuers', 'Aristo Cats', 'The Black Cauldron', 'Up', 'Jungle Book', 'Dombo' and I can make that list go on some more hehe, Ok, I will not be a total spoilsport, though, so maybe one or two I like for being outspoken and exotic like Jasmine ;)

    My favorite film right now: I don't keep track of movies coming out to theaters. I'm not much of a movie buff at all. There are movies that always stick with me and I can always drum up although both are old. Those movies are 'In the name of the rose' after the book of Umberto Eco and my all time favorite; a Jim Henson movie called 'The Dark Crystal'

    First film you watched where your parents said you are too young for it: My parents have never been like that really. The first movie where they said I might be too young to be able to follow or like (It was in English and I was around 8) was in fact 'The Dark Crystal'

    The first book you cried like the world is ending right now: That would be a book by a Dutch author, not that well known. But also parts of 'Lord of the Rings' by Tolkien which I've read as a young teen or 'Memoirs of a Geisha' I've read about that time also...

    How would you dress yourself the whole time without thinking of the weather: long skirt and blouse but at least casual yet colorful

    Picture of your simself:
    02-28-16_2-08-29c2a0am_result-e1467233689955.jpg

    Favorite sim right now and picture: Yes, well, this might be a bit of a spoiler but there is a certain sim who is definitely growing on me recently for the characteristics. I like the combo of traits and aspiration of...
    Agnes Mezilkree
    06-28-16_1-44-54c2a0pm_result-e1467233035905.jpg

    First time you played sims happened what: That's way back when I still lived with my parents. My younger brother introduced me to the vanilla Sims with the words: "This might be something for you since I don't really like the gameplay, but you might." It was just another one of the games he used to download. When behind his computer I immediately liked it. So not long after I went out and bought myself a copy of the game and played all through The Sims and The sims 2.

    Dream expansion pack for sims 4: I would like a bit more diversely styled catalog. For the current game with the content as it is now I would say for now definitely some more beds and bedding, please. As far as gameplay is concerned; I like to be surprised. I would like a little more possibilities with saying sleepovers, vacation destinations (Granite Falls is getting a tad old) and diversity in sims (supernatural perhaps ;) ).
  • mastressalitamastressalita Posts: 2,874 Member
    edited June 2016
    Well, I was thinking we could set something up with a weekly set of readings, but of course we wouldn't want it to be too overwhelming for anyone, and if someone had already read that particular story featured that week, well, they get a week off, heh. Just until we call get caught up and then we can just read new chapters as they come out?

    Here are the current chapter counts for the works:

    Monstrous Mezilkree (30)

    Insane Asylum Challenge (13)
    Snow White (11)
    Snow White and Prince Redux (14)

    Cat Chronicles (38)

    If It Doesn't Kill Us It Makes Us Stronger (9)

    As Tears Go By (10)

    The Blackmoore Legacy Gen 1 (50)
    The Blackmoore Legacy Gen 2 (40)

    So if we set up a schedule that split the readings up and rotated them, we could do something like, say...

    Week 1: Blackmoore Legacy Gen 1 Ch. 1-25
    Week 2: Monstrous Mezilkree Ch. 1-10
    Week 3: Insane Asylum Challenge Ch. 1-13
    Week 4: Cat Chronicles Ch. 1-15
    Week 5: If It Doesn't Kill Us It Makes Us Stronger Ch. 1-9
    Week 6: As Tears Go By Ch. 0-9
    Week 7: Blackmoore Legacy Gen 1 Ch. 26-50
    Week 8: Monstrous Mezilkree Ch. 11-20
    Week 9: Snow White After the Asylum Ch. 1-11
    Week 10: Cat Chronicles Ch. 15-30
    Week 11: Blackmoore Legacy Gen 2 Ch. 1-20
    Week 12: Monstrous Mezilkree Ch. 21-30
    Week 13: Snow White and Prince Redux Ch. 1-14
    Week 14: Cat Chronicles Ch. 31-36 (plus "The Stray" and "Remembering Earl" short stories)
    Week 15: Blackmoore Legacy Gen 2 Ch. 21-40

    If we did something like that, it would take from July to October to finish off the backlog, but it would also break things up into little chunks and we could have discussions that week as we read like the book club thread if we want. Obviously as more chapters in another work came out, maybe it could be adjusted, I'm just kinda throwing together an example of where may brain is going based on current chapter counts. This is simply an idea. If folks have a preference for "everyone just goes at it on their own" then feel free to discard this idea.
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  • cuddles5427cuddles5427 Posts: 101 Member
    @mastressalita I quite enjoy that idea. Kind of just like going in a story circle. That way we are all focused on 1 story for that week and could come together on the weekend to share thoughts on that week's story's chapters. I'm all for it.
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  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 995 Member
    I do like the idea of being kinda on the same page when it comes to catching up with the backlog. For me, I suppose in the summer months I will be least active probably due to wonderful weather and having the kids around for weeks on end. It might be totally opposite, though, I have no idea yet lol I'm only blogging and reading simlit since last October.

    So in short, thank you, your suggestion would fit in purrfectly with having that weekly round up, so to speak, until we are all caught up when summer has come to an end @mastressalita :smiley:
  • writtenfaewrittenfae Posts: 192 Member
    @mastressalita I think that's an awesome idea. I love that we'd all be on the same page for discussing everything, and catching up. =) It will lead to better, more fun discussions everyone can participate in because we're focusing on one specific section of a blog.
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  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    @mastressalita I quite enjoy that idea. Kind of just like going in a story circle. That way we are all focused on 1 story for that week and could come together on the weekend to share thoughts on that week's story's chapters. I'm all for it.

    Yep, I'm all for that too. It makes the task of catching up to be not so daunting and we'll all know what we're supposed to be reading that week for discussion. :)
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    Simming With Sweet Nightingale.Forever in Time, Short Stories, and much more
  • lisabee2lisabee2 Posts: 3,708 Member
    edited July 2016
    I am so excited that my short story is in the June short story contest ... not gonna lie I am proud of this story :) If you have not given it a read then here is a link .. https://lisabeesims.wordpress.com/2016/06/08/the-chair/

    promo_zpshfihungx.png

    if you like it go please go vote (you have to pick 3 stories for the poll) all story submissions are listed ... (I might throw in a plug for our own @mastressalita too :)

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  • mastressalitamastressalita Posts: 2,874 Member
    Heh, I've been doing the Short Story Challenges every month since I discovered the thread last October! I enjoy challenging myself by coming up with ideas for the rotating themes every month. @Twiggy has participated a few months in the past, too! It's a really great thread and I'd recommend it to any writer that enjoys prompt/theme writing!
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  • lisabee2lisabee2 Posts: 3,708 Member
    Heh, I've been doing the Short Story Challenges every month since I discovered the thread last October! I enjoy challenging myself by coming up with ideas for the rotating themes every month. @Twiggy has participated a few months in the past, too! It's a really great thread and I'd recommend it to any writer that enjoys prompt/theme writing!

    I agree .. it can push you to change up your style and branch out a bit in a direction you might not go all them time
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  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    @lisabee2 - Awesome! I'll definitely go over there to vote for your story and will have a read. :) in a way, short stories are harder because of the nature of being short. LOL. Like you said though, it's a good challenge and is a way of branching out into something a person may not normally write. Hoping I can participate in July. Life has been crazy so hopefully I can find the time to do one. :) Good luck.
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    Simming With Sweet Nightingale.Forever in Time, Short Stories, and much more
  • mastressalitamastressalita Posts: 2,874 Member
    @Twiggy : When are we going to start the weekly readings and what will be the schedule? Seems like everyone really likes this idea for getting caught up on all the stories!
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  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 995 Member
    Hi hi, sorry for being missing in action atm due to all the happenings here in RL. I think your schedule is awesome, Sara! I really wanted to start this weekend but since it's already Sunday I clearly didn't make that deadline :( I realize it's also a bit late to ask any of you to lead the discussion on this first reading and I don't have time now to get things going due to the bday of my eldest daughter. I suggest we start the weekly roundabout discussions next weekend? I'll make sure the schedule and any updates are added to the first posts then so we are all informed and have read the same chapters. This is on my to do for tomorrow. Hope I don't disappoint anyone with this little delay! :)
  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 995 Member
    Hi, all! I hope you're all having/starting/finishing a great day! @writtenfae @lisabee2 @cuddles5427 @mastressalita and @sweetnightingale

    The first two posts of the Random Reading Roundabout are updated and now among others holds info on this week's Weekly Roundabout Reading. I'll give a shout out on Cathy's reading circle thread so readers are able to join in if interested in this weekends 'Coffe Hour' which for now is set on Saturdays. This is not a static. Feel free to chime in when you have time. I intend to come up with some questions for Meri later this week which I will post as soon as I've read all the chapters (half way there now). You'll probably have some messages to approve on your blog, Meri ;)
  • sweetnightingalesweetnightingale Posts: 2,084 Member
    Hey @Twiggy. Great to see you pop in but sorry to hear the craziness is still happening. Let's hope things will calm down after your daughter's surgery. I'm having a great day and spent a lot of it writing my submission for the short story monthly challenge. It's the first time I'll be participating, so hopefully my little offering will do it justice. :) I'll be sure to look at the updated posts and concentrate on our assignment for this week. :)

    I hope you all don't mind if I post this here since it doesn't have much to do with our reading circle. However, I thought I'd share my story submission for the short stories challenges in case anyone would like to read it. :)
    Aurora%2B%2526%2BTyrone%2B2.jpg
    Daddy's Little Girl

    This story features characters from "Forever in Time." It's a sweet little father/daughter talk between Aurora (my gen 2 heir) and her father, Tyrone, who has reservations about his daughter's relationship with former Casanova Silvan McBeth, Prince of the Fae.

    I love the them that's going on over there, especially since it's a Harry Potter reference. :grin:
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  • TwiggyTwiggy Posts: 995 Member
    @writtenfae, members and readers alike: A few questions for this weekend's 'Roundabout Coffee Hour' where we discuss the first 25 chapters of The Blackmoore Legacy. I'll drop them here now so you have some time before answering them. ;)
    1. I like that this legacy is set up as a journal. Reading through the chapters readers get a view of Abigail's family growing. The home improvements with the complementing screenshots add to the feel of looking into her life. Is it a deliberate choice to give the reader the idea he/she is peeking into her actual diary?
    2. Not all that familiar with legacy's and rules myself, though, so I'm wondering: Is there a set point in the story to choose your heir or is there a personal reason for choosing this point in the story to have your heir vote? Did you have a personal preference for possible heirs or were you all good with any outcome the poll might have given?

    Maybe a question for our readers also...
    1. I really feel I'm having a peek into the diary of a humble family-oriented sim. Do you get the feeling of being that fly on the wall too? What do you think of this style?
    2. We are jumping into the story too late to cast our own vote. Did you have a favorite sibling you were rooting for?

    Okay, looking forward to your answers later this weekend when we get things started. If any other members of our circle or readers have questions for @writtenfae or for us readers feel free to drop em here too. :)
  • writtenfaewrittenfae Posts: 192 Member
    @Twiggy I'm glad you like the journal style set up, and yes, it was a deliberate choice to do the sneak peek into journal/diary. I've written a lot of novel kind of stories in the past, not sim related but still, so I kind of wanted to to the route of more of a one voice coming through specifically than trying to focus on keeping track of everyone. And I though it would be a more fun, personal feel to do it journal style this way.

    As for question two, the legacy has a couple options for how to choose your heirs and I decided with doing the blog and my hope for readers, to use the democracy law for how the heir is chosen. I thought it would be a fun way to engage the reader from time to time, and while I may have my favorites - like this Gen 3 heir poll, I was actually rooting for a different outcome, but it means that I occasionally have to adapt and roll with it which is fun too.
    I do usually have a personal preference for which heir I'd love to see chosen, and I use my one vote to vote in the polls as well, but I will say it's kind of fun to see who the readers are rooting for.

    As for when to choose the heir, there's really no set time. I usually try to do it once all eligible heirs are teens, so we have a better sense of who they are and the readers know who their favorites and who they'd love to see continue are. But I try to do it before they become a young adult, because their young adult birthday is usually when I try to pass the story on for the next Gen. =)
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