Well it’ll be a monthly thing once I get into the groove of this.
Why did I leave a lot of stories I read high and dry? Let’s not rehash this tale. I’m trying to get better is all I wanna say.
Only condition is that I’ll only talk about stuff I’m caught up on to keep these lists a little tighter.
Friends and Family of Outrun the Scythe
a.k.a. People who do challenges on Carl’s forum with me. On the whole these tend to be more gameplay-based than Outrun and definitely take on the forum’s “milieu”. Do I have a stake in promoting them? Less than you might think. Did I prioritize them over writers in other communities? It was unintentional. Did I have fun? Of course. (This is one of those segments that’ll be a lot shorter in other monthly recaps due to the sparse flow of new stories)
The Blackburn Dynasty by Chubling. Without a doubt the greatest and gayest take on the Immortal Dynasty challenge yet. Greatest because it’s the gayest. It is packed with drama, affairs, cool genes, and lots of author notes to inform you more about the wacky world of The Sims 3.
Carr Immortal Dynasty by hazelnut. A really fun take on the challenge by an extremely skilled simmer. There’s a lot of 20th century nostalgia, cool cars, lovely sims, and a clone army (okay that part’s less exciting than it sounds). And best of all I learned a lot.
The Shayde Immortal Dynasty by Deklitch. He’s been trying this for eight years and we’ve definitely formed a kinship through challenge failures and writing. It’s funny, it’s geeky, it’s colorful, and it feels familiar at least to me.
The Timeless Short Dynasty by mpart. Can we say combo breaker? It’s ten generations smushed into the short lifespan and I don’t have to moderate it. mpart also takes the Perfect Genetics route with it so everyone’s extremely…purple…and honestly who doesn’t want to see sims spend their thirty-day lifespans in a gothic home? Updates can be sparse but I always look forward to them.
Black Widow Compatriots
I didn’t kill ten sims alone and there were people who did told their challenge with a far better story than I could muster. I gotta hand it to them for making killing look so cool. These were done on the Boolprop forum but I guess I’m linking to blogs whenever I can help it.
Poisoned Laurels by 108sims. One woman wants to upset her old flame Vladislaus Straud by beating him in the evil department. But following the stories of the kids turned out to be even better.
Til Death Do You Part by Ani-mei. Ever wonder what The Grim Reaper actually thinks of these black widows? Well wonder no more. Even better: this one has interludes about the evil life of Debbie.
Magic Misery Tour
No misery to be had here but I wanted the pun. Magic-based stories that have little in common except that I liked them. Please trust my impeccable taste here. Actually doing this in order of when I read them this year.
Atalan’s Anthologies by LivvieLove. This is actually four stories and the rabbithole to be lead down is deep and scary (good scary). It was good to come back to after one of those on-and-off relationships with the author (nothing salacious I just drop off the face of the Earth every year) and took up a scary amount of time of reading and re-reading. I have no need to explain the psychology of that one. Contained within snappy dialogue, lovely prose, and stellar screenshots is a lot of magic, worldbuilding, and ship bait if you’re into that one.
Crescent Moon Conspiracy by livinasimminlife. There are novels to be written about the body of work that Lizzie has put out over the years and I need it all injected into my veins. A sequel to a very literary ISBI involving her simself (quite a work in its own right), it’s only two chapters long so far but promises a fresh look at the sages from Realm of Magic and a new experience for her sim Parker Green. And that’s all I wanted for that kid!
Champion of Moonlight by NotJustaBook. An older story that I just got around to reading after my on-and-off friendship with Louise (nothing salacious I just drop off the face of the Earth every year) hey maybe I should stop that! It is complete and 11 chapters of self-contained magic, mystery, and a few sports movie tropes that combine in the most unlikely of ways. The use of props and effects is the real magic here. She also has a legacy but I am taking the path of least resistance this month. See ya later though!
Winter’s Alchemy by BlackUndecimber. I had no idea what to expect, but I got a legacy of alchemists and death looming over them like a spectre. There are no screenshots but the writing leaves more than enough to chew on. BlackUndecimber also was the first follower for Outrun, and for giving me a shred of motivation I think it’s fitting to finish with her legacy. Plus it’s a quick read.
It’s already 2021 in Boston and I still haven’t finished my beer. I did learn that there’s always something fun happening with sims stories and there’s always fun to be had in writing them. Or maybe I’m just coping with being stuck here. 😛
I’m a huge fan of Black Undecimber’s Winter’s Alchemy! Glad to see it mentioned here! Of course I love Lizzie’s stories, too. And it’s fun to hear about what’s up with the other forums!
Winter’s Alchemy is still hidden gem status and maybe I do have to write that novel about Lizzie’s stuff eventually. 😛
Thank you so much for the mention. I’m honored. A lot of good stories here… I have some more for my reading list now. 🙂
No problem! I do hope any patch-introduced problems clear up or already have.
I’m slow burning through CMC. I’m hoping to post soon but we’ll see what time and creative inspiration allow. I’m light years ahead on the outline, but snail’s pace on the story itself. 😄
Ain’t that how it always is! (’cause same 😔)
Interesting group of stories you’ve got! 😀
Thanks! It’s good to be open-minded.
You’re welcome!
I found my beer stale the next am .. I find myself in the same state as you .. lots of stories on Hiatus and a few are just done. Here is to a happy new year filled with lots of great scribbling!
I never leave beer out. It gets gross pretty quickly. And a happy new year to you too!
LOL it was not my intent .. I have liver disease from my Hep c so I do not often indulge so when I do I am sad that I wasted it.
I raise my daily cider can to smart individual decisions about one’s health.
Organic apple cider vinegar WITH the mother raised to you as well!