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Too Good at Goodbyes (Updated 06/25/2021)

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  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    @_sims_Yimi @mercuryfoam
    Thank you for sharing about your experiences. I struggled with my weight (and still do) :grimace: and how I feel about myself. I was always thin growing up, but when I went away to college I struggled with anxiety, depression, and PTSD after a toxic relationship. Unfortunately I didn't have the courage to share with my family when I came home one summer and so they set me up with a nice guy. He was older than me and kind, but I was really struggling and kinda stopped eating. I became dangerously thin. It wasn't until I stopped dating and started focusing on myself that I regained weight and confidence.

    Now I'm a very curvy woman who can stand to lose weight but I love food again. It's hard to find clothes that are flattering and fit because of the general design of clothes in American stores and because I have larger proportions in some places and smaller elsewhere. Every time I feel sorry for myself I feel like someone tells me they love/want the parts of me that I dislike. I was actually thrilled to walk into a store the other day to see a display photo of real looking women with rolls and curves in bathing suits.

    It's a struggle and I have to remind myself not to play the dangerous comparison game. I try and focus on the things I love about myself and the things other people say they love about me. I try to read/watch body positive media when I can. I try to encourage other young women to love themselves and their bodies. That's why I always love seeing curvy or larger people in the Sims. The game often exaggerates or even pokes fun of extreme weights and it makes me sad. At least with TS4, I have tried to include curvy and larger Sims in my stories.
    I'm really glad to hear that you've got your weight and confidence back. I don't live in America so I don't know how expensive it is, but do you have the option of having clothes custom made for you? I have the biggest issues with finding pants, and that's what I've ended up resorting to.

    Focusing on the parts you do like seriously cannot be overstated. It really helps, even if you only sum it up in your head from time to time. You're right about the sims not really handling weight well. Every time I try and make one that isn't a model or bodybuilder, the game just inflates them around the waist area like a balloon, instead of actually adding weight evenly. They don't even touch the arms and head until halfway up the slider... or at least, that's how I've experienced CAS.
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  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @_sims_Yimi
    Absolutely. I also hate it that when a sim gets bigger their arms disappear into their hips. Really? Was it that hard to make the arms fit the bigger model? 😅
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    Chapter 36: If I Was Your Boyfriend, I'd Never Let You Go is out! Hugo meets up with Nelson and discusses some important feelings with him.

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  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    Chapter 36
    Nelson has a very good point there, about how Hugo shouldn't be trying so hard to look after other people and fix their mistakes. That's exactly what caused him to become such an enabler to Sofia. I really like how you linked back to that flaw. Hopefully Hugo can learn to put up some boundaries for himself in the future, perhaps with Nelson's help? It's hard to care less, though. Especially if you're programmed to worry about everyone but yourself.

    And yay! They're an official couple! :smiley: It's good that they're taking it slow so both of them are comfortable. I wonder - now that Hugo has some news of his own, would that justify reaching out to Luna? If it were me, I'd probably be holding a grudge and not contact her. But I'm petty like that. Maybe Hugo is the better person. We shall see. :D
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  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @_sims_Yimi
    It's hard not to hold a grudge against Luna! I think Hugo is still very sad and even though he wants to share this hopeful, amazing news with his twin sister, it doesn't feel right when there's so much standing between them. The air needs to be cleared. But how? That's what we'll find out soon.
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    Chapter 37: I'm My Own Hero is up. Allyson and Luna run into some trouble together.

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  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    Chapter 37
    Oof, mother-daughter problems. That must be tough on both of them. I don't have kids of my own and I was the "sweet" kid when I was growing up, so there's no firsthand experience here, but my baby brother rebelled against our mum like crazy, so I can empathize with Luna's pain by distant proxy. :sweat_smile: I wonder what it is that sets Allyson off so much. From the chapters so far, Luna didn't seem like an incredibly overbearing mother. But then again, we haven't seen that much from Allyson's perspective yet.
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    Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @_sims_Yimi
    Allyson is incredibly sensitive and Luna specifically started working at her school to be around her all the time. I get why it could feel overwhelming and overbearing for Allyson. She wants the room to make her own mistakes. And the loss of her dad at a young age is coming down on Allyson hard. The older she gets, the more she starts to realise.
  • AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    Chapter 37
    I genuinely wanted to be happy for Allyson being her own hero at the end of the chapter but I was really disappointed with her behavior. Even if she has a behavioral issue of some sort or difficulty processing her emotions, her outbursts were just ugly.

    I was really nervous that it would hurt Jacqueline because she's already so insecure. I'm also not sure it was the best idea for Luna to bring Allyson to karaoke/open mic. Seems like a more grownup activity.

    Maybe Luna just wants to bond with her daughter or gloss over the earlier conflict (the twins seem conflict averse) but it may have been better to leave her daughter with a babysitter. Luna needs some adult friends and an emotional outlet that's not Allyson. And Allyson seems to need help with processing situations and emotions.

    I didn't think "grounding" or forcing the homework made sense and a conversation would've been more appropriate. I was genuinely happy for Luna's promotion and I don't think it was necessarily a bad thing to burst into the room excitedly wanting to share. I probably would've done the same thing. But it would help if Luna could confide in another adult or have another parent around to help with Allyson. I'm not sure Sofia is the best option right now though.

    Your chapters evoke strong emotions in me. That's a good thing.
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  • AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    Oh it doesn't look like ch 36 linked. I did read it though.
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

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  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @AdamsEve1231
    Thank you so much for your long comment.
    I agree with basically everything you said. Allyson's outbursts are irrational and Luna needs to start dealing with them in a healthy way. Having actual conversations with her daughter are so important and she's not doing it. That doesn't make Luna a bad parent, just one that has no clue how to deal with her kid. Luna needs to confide in someone who's not Allyson. It would help if she started by contacting Hugo. He's always been her rock.
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    @AdamsEve1231 @Duvelina

    Oh I suppose I have the unpopular opinion here but I'd love to present the idea for discussion.
    I saw Allyson's behavior as a natural reaction and progression to her circumstance. From what has been elaborated upon in the chapter and the previous chapter that Luna was featured (giving her mom flowers), Allyson genuinely loves her mom, but there is a white elephant/unresolved issue which has been bothering Allyson up until that point and of all the times to present it, this was obviously one of the worst.
    "Sticking her nose in her life, crushed her and pushed her into this ‘sensitive’ box she didn’t want to be in. Every parent-teacher conference, every play date, her mom was always looking out for her, making sure she wasn’t overwhelmed. Always mentioning to the other parents or teachers how her daughter had to be kept in check"
    This tells me that Allyson is an emotionally repressed child. Combined with her sensory disorder, and (I assume) lack of social-emotional reasoning due to her age (also the fact that Luna can sway her teacher's opinion, which means the teacher is not teaching social-emotional skills critical for children to build self-awareness and emotional regulation), Allyson might not know any other healthy ways to express her emotions. Due to there being no one to assist her emotional development, she expresses herself in waves of outbursts.

    All in all though, she's still a good kid because after her self-expression, she becomes reasonable. I agree with AdamsEve1231 that mother and daughter needs to have a conversation. The best time for that would be when she calms down and even then, Allyson's needs has to be prioritiseed and a solution found, otherwise she will grow up to look out for herself than for others as evident of her branching out and 'becoming her own person' in the monster under the bed scene and looking out in the rain'.

    I come across as a robot at times but I genuinely am rooting for your characters. :lol: I like Allyson and whichever way she turns out I'll be sad but I won't lose hope on her.
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @mercuryfoam Hahaha, don't worry! I know every comment comes from a place of love and encouragement.
    I like that you try to analyse the situation and I feel like you're hitting the nail on the head with it. This is exactly what I was trying to show. But I'm leaving the story open for interpretation so everyone can put their own spin on it. I like seeing discussion and how different perspectives can be on one situation. It's fun. Seeing Allyson as a mostly bad kid with good moments or the other way around, it's all a matter of how you interpret everything that's happened so far.

    Thank you for putting your thoughts out there. ☺
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    Chapter 38: Big Trouble is online! Max figures out that Veronica is in major trouble.
  • SkeilahSkeilah Posts: 1,762 Member
    Sorry for not commenting on a regular basis, but I'm just a silent reader. I just wanted to say "Wow Veronica. Now you did it." xD
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  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @Skeilah That's okay! If even Max is surprised by what you've done, you know you've really messed up.
  • SkeilahSkeilah Posts: 1,762 Member
    Duvelina wrote: »
    @Skeilah That's okay! If even Max is surprised by what you've done, you know you've really messed up.

    That's sooooo true, haha!
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  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    Chapter 38
    I love how you're using things that the game throws at your to enhance your story. Especially while putting that kind of spin on it! It's really creative, and this way, the story keeps surprising you, as well!
    That made me wonder - do you rotate between households and loosely keep up with them while they're not in rotation? Or do you have them all in one big household, and switch homes depending on who you play? I believe there's a mod to purchase multiple homes in one save, and I've been using that for Camelot.
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  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    I forgot to mention that I really like the first screenshot. It's so pretty!!!! Such a shame Max didn't just stop and savor the beauty around him. I mean... the only thing (the impression he gives me in this chapter) he has his eyes on is money and status. The juxtaposition that Max appreciates the final screenshot than the first screenshot is kinda telling of his character. I really like the symbolism you did there even if it made me hella sad for him, but many people are like that and there's no wrong or right just my preference. :joy:

    OOh and Max reading a mystery! That intrigues me. Hope he's reading for fun and not trying to get ideas for schemey stuff. And haha his reading habit reminds me of my own, but I have a bit more self-control (hopefully)
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    edited July 2020
    @_sims_Yimi
    Thank you! This one threw me for a loop but ended up being a pleasant surprise for the story. I play in rotation, but I do have all MCCC notifications on so I got a notification that Veronica moved out. I don't check on everyone all the time. At first I played whoever made sense at the time, but it doesn't balance out so well. Now I try to play whomever I don't have any pictures for anymore. But they do all have their own houses and they're not one big household.

    @mercuryfoam
    Thank you! It's true. Max is trying very hard to gain money so he can buy something for himself. He's not a 'stop and stare' kind of guy. The house was something else though. If you look really closely, you can see the simoleon signs in his eyes. 😂
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    @Duvelina
    Definitely touched him right at the core there. I mean. There he is going "Ahhh my heart." :smirk:
    Also forgot to say. Love his sleeve and face tattoo!
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    @mercuryfoam
    Suits him, right? He had to have those badboy vibes!
  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    Chapter 39: Leave It to Me is online. Max does something... selfless for once?

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  • DuvelinaDuvelina Posts: 2,619 Member
    Chapter 40: A Harvestfest to Remember is up. The author's note says it all: I'm really sorry for this (unlucky) surprise.
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