One good thing about having the Sims, other than mindless, soul-eating entertainment, is the ability to make original characters and play around with them in a setting outside of their stories. I do this quiet frequently, and have the most fun with it – I also get a lot of character ideas from interactions they make in the Sims. For example, when I created Aisling and Alistair from Changeling in the Sims, I got ideas for their future and more characters.
When I had the Sims 2, I made a replica of Caitlyn’s house and made her and Fane. But now that I have the Sims 3, I changed it up a bit. Caitlyn, I’ve made before. I know my way around her head pretty well. So instead, I made Fane and Verity, his long ago love from 1809.
I adore Verity. Let’s just make that clear early on. She’s a hotheaded, seventeen year old uber-devout Catholic hellbent on serving God and her Pope, but she’s also sweet as sugar. She changed Fane’s mind on religion and faith and the differences of them, and their relationship was built on mutual respect and admiration, and was purely wholesome.
It was fun making her in the Sims. Especially because they have a hotheaded option.
Stuffed into an alternate reality where they were able to stay together, Fane launched to the top of the political career while Verity worked first as a businesswoman, then as a teacher. It was the most fun building a life for them.
So here’s an idea of what Fane and Verity look like! (Keep in mind, in my head Fane is a lot skinnier and pointier, due to the being dead thing.)
Oh, and this is this one time Verity was eating dinner, nude, in front of her son, after going to work, nude. Thanks for glitching, Sims!
I have this thing we shall call writer’s block, and it is crippling me. For the past few weeks, I’ve been entirely incapable of writing anything – Changeling, which usually has a plethora of ideas bubbling about, has become stagnant; Of the Kingdoms, while at an interesting yet early part that kickstarts the plot, is doing little to keep me going. I’m writing little bits here and there, but nothing of any substance.
As for the Purity rewrite, I’m around 50 000 words in, and the main plots are all underway, but due to a technical issue, I have almost zero desire to write any more. More on that shortly.
I think part of this can be blamed on the summer sale on Steam. Thanks to glorious 50-75% off sales on most of their titles, I finally got the pets expansion to Sims 3, as well as the GOTY Morrowind. I have Morrowind for xbox, but I can’t play it, due to the horrible graphical and engine-related deficiencies in a game ten years old. So while they were installing, I found a Morrowind graphics and sounds overhaul package, and modded it in. So Morrowind looks great, and even though the engine is still difficult to play, I’ve worked around it and got into a sort of pattern. It helps that I play as a mage, so it’s easier to actually hit enemies and level.
Then, just yesterday, my brother pointed out that Saints Row the Third and all expansions etc, is on sale for $13. Regular $104. 87% off. How could I not, after how much I enjoyed Saints Row 2? That’s still downloading now, because I accidentally paused it overnight.
So with virtual kitties and horsies and puppies and Ashlanders and Caius and the Nerevarine, it seems to make sense that I haven’t been writing. It’s painful, but still.
Does anyone have any suggestions for overcoming writer’s block? I want to write, but I’ve stalled. Short of turning off my internet so I can’t get distracted by comics, social media, and video games (because, as it turns out, I can’t survive without constant access to the interwebz), is there anything anyone can suggest?
On a side note, one of my many t-shirts that I order online has come today: Vader vs Hitler from Epic Rap Battles of History. The others (Rub Some Bacon On It, Enchantment, Adept, and Mother of Dragons) are on their way still. Soon, hopefully!
Chillin’ like a villain. This is me on an average day.
Also, I’m going to do a review sort of of one of my favourite webcomics, Blue Milk Special (for that matter, maybe of my other favourite, Unsounded), and I feel like I had some other sort of post planned, but if I forgot it, must not be that important.
Oh, and the issue with Purity. When I went to write more the other day, I clicked on an past scene (as I’m writing it in Scrivener, rather than my usual lover, MS Word, and Scrivener separates each individual scene) and for whatever reason, Scrivener didn’t like that. I only clicked on it, for Heaven’s sake, and some sort of message popped up. It didn’t seem particularly aggressive or notable, and my only option was to click OK.
So I did, and promptly lost that ENTIRE SCENE. With NO way of getting it back other than rewriting it. So I’m pissed. I’m glad I haven’t actually bought Scrivener, because that’s just silly. I think I’ll stick with my baby, Word, from now on.
But yes. Help me with my writer’s block! Any suggestion is a good one at this point. I’m desperate, here.
Steam is a benevolent deity. Why is this? Well, my brother informed me that they’re having a sale, which I had a vague inkling of due to LucasArts tweeting about it. So when Spencer ran upstairs to tell me, I immediately thought:
AMG WHAT IF THE SIMS 3 IS ON SALE.
So I checked.
And it is.
Half off everything.
I bought and am in the process of downloading the Sims 3, plus two expansions. I’ve waited so long for this. So long.
Oh shit, I just realized I forgot to download the pets expansion. Oh well. I’ll make do with whichever two I bought, because it’s been five minutes and I already don’t remember.
Anyhow. Steam also told me that I’ve played 75 hours of Skyrim. I should really be shot. I’m such a nerd. But at least I’m getting ideas, right? And I still have a social life, sorta. I’ve been writing a little more lately, which is just awesome! Yay!
Okay. Maybe going to go play Skyrim while the predator drone ruthlessly downloads the Sims. Time to frolic around and steal for the Thieves Guild, oh yes oh yes.
Also! I had a moment of Oblivion love, when in the Dark Brotherhood I was given the daily power to summon the ghost of Lucien Lachance, and then was subsequently given Shadowmere as a steed. Hearing Lucien greet Shadowmere, then having a jolly old time with the two of them, felt like home ♥
JP Marshman 