Liebster Award

Well, aren’t I chuffed! After a year of lousy updating, you guys still have the goodness in your hearts to do stuff like this. Thanks a bajillion to umbramuse who nominated me first, and to Heather and MichelleLynn who also nominated me for the Lobster Liebster Award!

I don’t usually do the warm and fuzzy stuff, but I’m gonna have to slip in some realtalk. It’s a funny little community we have here, with our Simming and our pictures and funnies and scorekeeping and whatever else. Have you ever sat back and looked at your blog and thought “What even is this?” It’s hard to explain what we do to most people, or even find a WordPress category that can begin to contain it. But however little and however specialized, I love being a part of a blogosphere where everyone is so supportive of one another’s creative endeavours, and in general, just so dang awesome.

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The Rules:

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.

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My nominations:

I’m late to the gig, so a lot of my choices have already been nominated written their Liebster posts. (Not to mention Stephanie, Heather, and Michelle – I adore your blogs and would nominate you back if I could!) On top of that, I feel awful because I have a lot of awesome blogs on my “to read” list but haven’t had time to get into them yet. That said, here are my nominees:

Loki Is Surrounded by Idiots by laserkatt – Julia claims she’s “not even a writer” but I’m calling bullshit, ‘cause her commentary on these shenanigans kills me every time. Not an ISBI anymore, and Loki’s long dead, but still idiotic in the best way possible.

The Scatterday Matriarchy by whalers – Ainsley is probably one of the coolest founders ever, and her husband might be the most incompetent first-gen father next to Tewl. Features crazy-coloured hair, hilarity, and many loveable Sims.

The Valkyrie Legacy by xkaylanicolex – Kayla starts lots of legacies and never finishes them, just like me! Don’t even care though, ‘cause I’ll read whatever she writes. This is her latest one (I think) featuring a COMPLETELY ACCIDENTAL firey murder and a baby with a moustache.

The Darroch Legacy by janeeyreforce – Laura’s clever wit is right up my alley, but I hope her sims aren’t because that would be terrifying. This legacy will make you laugh until you cry, and then you will see a picture of Albert and the tears will be real.

The Chance Random Legacy by grumplebottom – Her founder is married to a green clone of herself. The babies are named after furniture. There is nothing not to love here except the recent lack of updates. 😥

Meet the Derps by uggles – An ISBI founded by Herb and Max Derp, expertly crafted in CAS with all sliders on min and all sliders on max (haha) respectively. Simultaneously hilarious and quality storytelling. Basically the legacy my legacy set out to be.

Mister Wolfe Legacy by misterwolfe86 – A really cool take on the legacy challenge where he installs a new expansion pack for each generation and focuses the heir’s LTW/activities around that expansion. The chapters are logbook style, easy reading, and have taught me things about TS3 that I didn’t know I didn’t know!

Sample a Brave Legacy by echoweaver – Total mastery of observational commentary and dry humour. Susan really knows her stuff when it comes to the Sims, and will not hesitate to point out ironies and idiocies. Witty, concise, character-driven, and an all-round good time!

Note: A lot of these guys haven’t updated in a while. Even so, their blogs are good for a laugh! And maybe this nomination will help spur them into action again. 😉

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UMBRAMUSE’S QUESTIONS!

1. To be or not to be?

Neither. Stop brooding on a rock and go avenge your father, Hamlet you little shit.

2. Okay, let’s get serious. Why did you decide to write a sim legacy/challenge/story/clusterf**k?

Well, it all started when I was twelve and the ultimate goal was getting as much computer time as possible. Ten generations of laggy Sims seemed like a good way to do that. But on the blogging front? I freakin’ loved what was already out there (shout out to the Creepers and the Southern Prettacy – also Candi’s original uglacy!) and I wanted to try my hand at it, too.

3. Do you have a favorite sim from your challenge/legacy family? It’s okay, the others don’t have to know.

The others can go to hell, we all know Katana is king. The best thing about her is that she didn’t get cool until I shared her with you guys. After I played through Generation 2, I was convinced that Tommy or Lance would be heir. Then I started captioning pictures and responding to your comments, and I dunno, some kinda magic happened.

4. Are you the only Simmer in your family? If so, do they think you’re totally crazy for bossing around a bunch of little pixels?

Currently yes, but not always. My sister owned TS1. We shared TS2. She lost interest, so I bought TS3 and continued on my downward spiral. Everyone is their own breed of crazy in my house so there’s no judgement, but I wouldn’t say they really get it. My brother especially is a more hardcore gamer, so he’s all “LOL Sims, such a girl’s game” and stuff.

5. What’s your favorite Sims 3 expansion and why?

Speaking rationally, Seasons and Generations probably added the most to gameplay. But looking back, I enjoyed World Adventures way more than I thought I would. (Dat scenery.)

6. What do you love the most about the Sims 3 (or the Sims 4), besides sating that god complex?

It’s such a unique storytelling medium. Yes, the game dictates your “plot” to some extent, but there’s just SO MUCH STUFF in this game, and all this freedom to make it your own, and those glitches and loopholes might be frustrating but they add another dimension of originality. Writing a legacy is like watching a TV show and making one at the same time. There’s nothing like it.

7. Would you rather Nick Alto, Gunther Goth, or Geoffrey Landgraab? For any lady lovers: Vita Alto, Cornelia Goth, or Nancy Landgraab.

I approached this question very methodically. First, I closed my eyes and pictured myself making out with each of them in turn. Then I swallowed some vomit and wondered if anyone would notice if I deleted this question. Ultimately, I decided on Gunther, but only if he looks like this:

8. Favorite world? Custom, store, or EP are all acceptable.

Joke’s on EA, ‘cause they tryin’ to sell me all these fancy worlds and I actually just love Sunset Valley.

9. Are there any other video games you enjoy playing?

Pokémon is life. Blue Version is running on my Gameboy as we speak. Also, I will kick your butt at DDR and destroy you in Smash Bros with Jigglypuff’s super sekrit move.

10. What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

Oh lordy. Absolutely everything. I love folk and instrumental, but I won’t shun a catchy pop song. Current favourite artists are Two Steps from Hell, The Band Perry, Fall Out Boy, and yes, I’ll admit it, I’m a Directioner.

11. And finally the most important question of all: Coke or Pepsi? Admission that Dr. Pepper is the one true soda is also acceptable.

Sadly, I have no loyalty to cola. Crush Rainbow Packs are my jam, and we call it pop over here. (Sorry, you basically just asked me “here or there” and I answered “pineapple.”)

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HEATHER’S QUESTIONS!

1. Did you ever play TS1?  How about any of its expansions?

My parents got the Deluxe edition and Unleashed for my sister. She let me play occasionally. I had a family called the Gobbledegucks. The father was named Jibberbob. Then I accidentally screwed up one of her save files, so she banned me…

2. Do you like to have the last word?

Always. I argue like it’s a competitive sport, and then I lose friends because people think I’m serious.

3. What’s your favorite pizza topping?

Tomatoes and feta cheese!

4. What is something you want to accomplish in the next 5 years?

Publish a novel. Oh, and finish this legacy. XD

5. What’s the last book you read?

Kody Keplinger’s The Duff, specifically so I could watch the movie and judge it freely. I was pleasantly surprised when I didn’t have to judge it as much as expected.

6. S’mores – necessary camping treat, or gross?

Whoa, there are people out there who think S’MORES are GROSS??! Dude. Necessary. Also, try stuffing a roasted marshmallow with banana, chocolate, or a bite-sized candy of choice.

7. Do you have TS4?  TS3?  TS2?  Name something you like about each one you have.

All of them! TS2 had the best-looking sims and great music. TS3’s open maps make me weep with joy. I haven’t delved into TS4 much, but I love having the freedom to create realistic body types (finally)!

8. Can you speak Simlish?

I could get as far as “Hello, goodbye, what a cute baby, this refrigerator is in my way.”

9. How many Sims have you intentionally killed, and why?

I feel like I’m being interrogated by Rick Grimes! 😛 Um, a lot, actually. A few because they displeased me. One to achieve the “Gold Digger” LTW. Several to see the different colours of ghosts. And then there was this game show I used to orchestrate years ago that was basically The Hunger Games before The Hunger Games. So yeah, let’s put it this way, I don’t think I’m getting into Rick’s group anytime soon.

10. I was asked this question, and I liked it – Who’s your favorite legacy spare?  How about Heir?

Lance because she stayed interesting in Story Progression, followed closely by Florin. And Katana for heir, obviously!

11. Do other people in your lives know you play and blog?  Do they care?

I’m pretty choosy about who I let into this part of my life, just because it’s hard to explain how great it is. But my family knows, and a couple of friends read this blog. (Hi, Bethan and Jen! 😉 )

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MICHELLELYNN’S QUESTIONS!

1. Salty or Sweet? What’s your favourite snack food?

Don’t make me choose, just give me food! I can stomach more sugar than most people, but I will go to town on a bag of Smartfood white cheddar popcorn. (Especially dangerous when drunk at parties…)

2. If you could BE any animal (real or fantasy) what would you be? Why?

I love water, so I’d be a crazy happy don’t-give-a-shit dolphin that shoots magic sparkles out of its blowhole. Or something.

3. Who is your favourite Sim you’ve ever created or had in a legacy/challenge?

Another shout-out to Katana. She’s like Taylor Swift at the BBMAs.

4. Do you play any boardgames or card games? If yes, what’s your favourite? If no, why not?

Only casually. I’ve recently started playing Settlers of Catan, and it’s pretty cool. I’m also a big fan of Balderdash.

5. Besides The Sims games, do you play any other console, PC, mobile games?

Yes, Pokémon and DDR! I also recently rediscovered Zoo Tycoon and this PC game called “The Movies” where you run a studio lot and make your own films.

6. If someone wanted to turn your story into a novel/graphic novel would you let them? Would you change anything?

Bahahahaha, you mean this story? Hard to imagine! But if it happened, I’d probably want to do it myself. I don’t even trust people enough to lend out books or let them sit on my furniture.

7. What is your favourite movie of all time?

How to Train Your Dragon.

8. Which Sims game do you like best (1, 2, 3, or 4) and why?

TS3. Open maps… Aging townies… So much detail… All those little pop culture shout-outs (Flameo by Hotman, anyone?). I know it’s full of issues, but overall it’s been the best fit for me.

9. On the flip side, which Sims game (1, 2, 3 or 4) do you like the least and what would make it better? (Give as much or as little detail as you want!)

TS4. Let’s put it this way: TS1 is Charmander, TS2 is Charmeleon, TS3 is Charizard… and TS4 is Zubat. Where’s my Mega Charizard, EA???

10. If you met a genie what would you wish for? (You have up to three wishes, share 1, 2 or all!)

One: Three years’ worth of financial stability to establish myself in my creative pursuits. Two: Crush the patriarchy. Three: Crush the people who think “crush the patriarchy” means “kill all men and let women rule the world.”

11. What is your favourite day of the week?

Wednesday.

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MY QUESTIONS!

1. Black pen or blue pen?

2. Is a hamburger a sandwich? Discuss.

3. If you went to Hogwarts, what house would you want to be in? And let’s be honest, what house would you actually be in?

4. If you could manipulate one of the four elements (Water, Fire, Earth, Air) which would you pick and why?

5. What accomplishment, besides being nominated for this award, are you most proud of?

6. How long have you been simming for?

7. What kind of rig are you running the game on?

8. Do you play any musical instruments?

9. Who is your favourite sim you’ve ever made/played/written/micromanaged?

10. What is your opinion of TS4?

11. And finally, which came first, the chicken or the egg?

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