jonquilyst

Maggie | She/Her | TS4 Storytelling & Gameplay

[jonquilyst]

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Hello! Welcome to my Simblr 💜 I’m Maggie and I’m a graphic designer hailing from the United States. I’m a long-term and nearly life-long Sims player; I've been playing since the late Sims 2 days! I primarily share Sims stories and host community challenges, but I also post casual gameplay and in-game screenshots!

This blog is a safe place for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled/neurodivergent, and all religious faiths and nationalities 💜

This blog does not use AI in any images or text ❌

My content is best viewed on a PC/computer 💻

Ongoing

The Sage Legacy (gameplay/story)

Generation 1: Start from the Beginning | Most Recent

Previous Generations | Legacy Rules/Info

Completed

The Runaway (story; 322 episodes long)

Start from the Beginning | Most Recent | Chapter Summaries

Total Drama Sims: Season 3 (gameplay w/ community-submitted sims)

Start from the Beginning | Most Recent | Entries

Total Drama Sims: Season 2 (gameplay w/ community-submitted sims)

Start from the Beginning | Most Recent | Entries

Total Drama Sims (gameplay w/ community-submitted sims)

Start from the Beginning | Most Recent | Entries

One Life Challenge (gameplay)

Start from the Beginning | Most Recent

Other Stuff

The Runaway Extras (facts + extra content related to my story "The Runaway")

In-game scenery (just some pretty screenshots unrelated to any story/gameplay)

Bloopers (cursed photos and shenanigans galore)

[jonquilyst]

070. Generation 1, Episode 70

SILVIA SAGE

Generation 2 spare

This morning, our beautiful second daughter, Silvia, was born through the amazingness of science! We are over the moon to have not one, but two amazing girls as our children!

Yes, I have a nickname for Silvia too. It's "Silvie." Since I call Fernanda "Fernie," it wouldn't be right if I didn't call Silvia "Silvie".

So I'm sure you're all wondering what Fernie thinks of being a big sister now. I'd say she's pretty happy about it!

"Silvia will be living with us from now on!" I tell her.

"Weally?" Fernie asks.

"Yep! Can you say, 'Hi Silvia!'"

"Hi Sivva! You like pwincesses?"

I laugh out loud, "I don't think Silvia knows what a princess is yet! You should tell her about them."

We spend the day setting up Silvie's nursery and sprucing up Fernie's room with a new dresser, since she no longer needs a changing table!

And of course, Rhonda is enjoying the freedom of riding Titus, since she didn't have to give birth!

@invisiblequeen

[jonquilyst]

069. Generation 1, Episode 69

Fernie's been spending a lot of her time with the animals recently. The animals have been a little shaken from the move, so hopefully her encounters are calming them down... somewhat.

"Hi Pita!" she says to Pepita on the other side of the fence.

"Neigh! Neigh!" she neighs to Titus, swinging her horse toy around, "I'm horsie too!"

Fernie's been making great progress on the potty. She's been getting more confident using it, and we're slowly transitioning her to using it unsupervised! (Though we're always nearby, because accidents happen...)

Rhonda and I talk about our future kid in the evening.

"I've thought about it now, and... I don't think I wanna be pregnant again," Rhonda says, "I remember feeling sick at the beginning, and the back pain towards the end. Not to mention labor... It was terrible. I really didn't like being pregnant."

"I definitely think we should spend the money to choose a different option, but then again, I don't want to go through the legal hurdles of adoption, either... It's expensive, not to mention time-consuming."

"Well, then I think we know what we wanna do, 'cause if pregnancy and adoption are out, that leaves us with having a kid through science." I say.

"Yea... You're right," Rhonda says, "I guess that is the only option left, isn't it?"

"Yep."

@invisiblequeen

[jonquilyst]

068. Generation 1, Episode 68

Well guys... We did it. We bought that nearby 4-bed, 2-bath house!

It's bittersweet leaving the old house. I remember stepping in it for the first time and meeting Titus... I hope whoever owns it next will make a lot of memories in there like I did!

And I certainly hope we make a lot of memories in this new house, because it's double the size of our old house. Titus's stable is literally built into the house too, eliminating the need to go outside to get to the stable.

The only downside is that the animals have less land than the old house, but since Pepita and Nimbus are small and there's lots of space between us and our neighbors for Titus to exist in, we figured it wouldn't be that much of a problem.

Fernie LOVES the new house, particularly the stairs. She's not too bothered leaving the old place behind.

After a day of unpacking, we spend the evening outside with Fernie.

"What's this number, Fernanda?" Rhonda asks, holding up a flashcard.

Fernie blinks, then shouts out, "EIGHT!"

"Yes, that's right!" Rhonda praises, "Fantastic job."

@invisiblequeen

[jonquilyst]

067. Generation 1, Episode 67

I'm deep in thought, typing away on the laptop. Then I hear footsteps come from behind.

"What are you looking at?" Rhonda asks me.

"There's a 4-bed, 2-bath house for sale for 90,000, and it's pretty close!" I say.

"That's excellent," Rhonda says, "Not a bad price if we'd get an extra bedroom along with it."

"Right?!"

We spend the day picking up some extra cash through our animals and artifact authentication. Since we're both pretty on board with adding another kid to the fam (however it may happen), we're making sure there's room for them whenever they come.

Part 2 of preparing for kid #2: getting Fernie out of diapers, because having two kiddos in diapers at the same time sounds like a nightmare. We think Fernie is ready to graduate from diapers, anyway.

We sit together for maybe 10 minutes, until I hear a toot.

"Yeah! Good job, Fernie!" I say as I hear her going.

Later that night Rhonda and I talk about our plans for a little while.

"I still don't know how I wanna go about having another child..." Rhonda says, "There's pros and cons to each option, and it's so overwhelming."

"It's okay, Rhonda," I say, kissing her cheek, "As long as we both know we want another kid, that's all that matters. Let's just focus on moving to a new house first, and then we can figure out how the kid's gonna get here. Ok?"

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Atlas." Rhonda smiles.

@invisiblequeen

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

A tale as old as time, in three pictures nonetheless.

@sanitysims @aliengirl

[jonquilyst]

066. Generation 1, Episode 66

"Hyah! Bye bye!"

I hear a big crash come from the kitchen. I run over and see food all over the floor and Fernie's high chair.

"Food go bye bye!" she giggles.

"Fernanda!" Rhonda scolds, "Bowls are for eating, not throwing. Now, there won't be food until lunchtime."

Fernie looks totally offended right now. I want to laugh so bad, but I know I need to keep a straight face. I walk away so I don't risk bursting out laughing.

The storm has come and gone, and now warmer has arrived just in time for spring. The snow is already melting.

Rhonda has decided to take Titus down to the Equestrian Center to participate in a competition, just to see how she fares against other, more serious horse jockeys. A fun way to pass the time while the snow melts and everything's muddy.

Fernie and I spend time together while Rhonda competes.

In the end, Rhonda and Titus earn a silver medal in the Western Pleasure category! Titus was praised for his friendliness and temperament. Wooo!

Late in the evening, Rhonda and I have a discussion about our family. I've been thinking, and I think it would be nice if Fernie had a sibling so she can grow up with another similar-aged kid. Sure, she could always make friends, but Chestnut Ridge is a small town with not many children her age, and we're definitely not interested in moving away.

But most importantly, will Rhonda think the same way?

"It's definitely worth considering," Rhonda says, "Because you're right, it would be nice if Fernanda didn't only have us around. A sibling would be good for her development, but this house is not big enough for 4 of us. If we decide to have another baby, we would need to move."

"Well, good thing this house is on the smaller side of houses in Chestnut Ridge, right?" I say.

"Yes, but we need to consider if we're financially ready to both have another baby and buy a new house."

"True... But if the house thing wasn't a problem, would you think having another kid would be a good idea for us? Do you... wanna be pregnant and give birth again?"

"Well, I certainly don't think it's a bad idea. I'd just want us to actually be prepared this time," Rhonda says, "Now that it's been some time since I gave birth, I think my body would be able to safely handle another pregnancy."

"Ok, but do you want to be pregnant again? I mean, we could always adopt..."

Rhonda hesitates for a moment, then sighs, "You know, I love that you care so much about how I feel about being pregnant... It's rare for men, you know?"

"I know... That's why I care so much. It took me two seconds to help make Fernie... It took you a whole lot longer. It's stupid, in my opinion. If I could, I'd be pregnant for you."

Rhonda smiles, "I appreciate you, Atlas... To be honest, I don't know if I want to be pregnant again, but adoption is very expensive, and there's the whole legal battle with gaining custody. We'd also need to buy formula or donor milk because I wouldn't be lactating... Let's first decide if we're even financially ready to have another baby first, ok?"

"Ok," I nod.

@invisiblequeen

[jonquilyst]

TLDR; I'm currently struggling with my job and I believe I'm going through corporate burnout (No need to read this if you don't want to, it's p long and I mostly just wanna get things off my chest)

I need an outlet other than my fiance, since he's been hearing so much of this over the last few months and although he's been v supportive I don't wanna dump everything on him all the time, so I wanna talk about things here

Basically, things are not going well at my job. I am so frustrated because it took me 8 entire months to even get this job, but lately my coworkers and I have been dealing with micromanaging, condescending comments from the company president, and lying.

Even after 8 months of working here, I'm not independent and my department head still has me go through him when making judgements about orders/customer service. I feel like I'm just his and the president's puppet, forced to go with their judgements rather than letting me figure it out and solve problems on my own. When I'm working on marketing projects, my projects have to be approved twice (once through my department and again through the company president) in order to be sent/posted. It used to only have to be approved once, but it wasn't until I started taking over some marketing duties that the company president decided to start having them get approved twice...

I feel like my work is not valued and that I'm not trusted. This place strives for perfection and mistakes are frowned upon to the point I started questioning my own talents... I later figured out that these people care about how things are done, rather than the end result.

The president has been known to have a sensitive attitude (it's p easy to make him angry) and make condescending comments towards people and people are just at their wits end over him bc of it. The turnover here is a nightmare. I've been here for less than a year and I've seen maybe 10 or 12 people come and go (and my company is small, ~12 employees).

Since January I have also been the primary shipper ever since the one we had quit (I was not hired to do any shipping whatsoever). I was led to believe it was temporary until a new shipper could be hired, but in February upper management had a meeting on a day I took off and they decided, without any of my involvement, that I would be the permanent replacement for the shipper who quit. It's almost June now and they STILL haven't told me that my role in shipping is permanent. I do not want to do shipping and many packages are large and exceed 30 pounds (14 kg) which can be v hard for me physically.

To be totally honest, I would have been happy to help out in shipping if they would have just communicated with me what their plans were... but they didn't. They hid this behind my back, and the fact that they did this pisses me off the most. I'm grateful to the coworker who told me about this meeting because without her, I still wouldn't have known this was permanent and they just don't wanna bother hiring an actual shipper/warehouse employee.

I work 8 and a half hours 5 days a week, and I feel like I barely have time for myself anymore. Weekends are only serving as periods of recovery. I don't feel passionate about my work and because of that I don't really feel like I'm living 100%. I'm tired every day and sleep only helps partially.

I just don't know what to do. The job market is absolute shit. I tried applying to a few internships, but I was rejected with no interview at two and the one place where I have several connections at eliminated the role. I don't wanna wait another 8+ months to leave and potentially end up in another corporate hellfest. I am heavily considering starting my own business, as a result, and finding part-time work to supplement my income.

Idk how sustainable it would be, but Ik for a fact that endlessly searching for jobs for months on end isn't sustainable. If these companies can't help me, then I should help myself, bc I can't rely on anyone to accept me and "save" me. Only I can do that.

For my entire life I envisioned that I would be in a great office job with people to mentor me. It's what I've wanted. I'm starting to think that maybe the future I've been wanting and envisioning doesn't exist.

It's a sad thing to say but I have hope that a great future, even though different than what I originally imagined, is still in store for me. Besides, there are plenty of things to look forward to: I'm getting married this summer, my parents bought a house in Arizona which I will soon be able to visit, I'm planning to honeymoon in Hawaii...

Also besides, I've never had a normal life trajectory, like, ever. So why should I expect myself to have a normal office job? (Not that a graphic designer having their own business is that unusual, but still)

Atm I'm currently searching for part-time work and researching how to start a graphic design business from a free book I got in college, bc regardless of what happens, I need to get out of this job now

Here's to the still-v-uncertain future!

[jonquilyst]

065. Generation 1, Episode 65

Today's New Years Eve, and even though it's almost spring, we're being pummeled by a rare blizzard...

Fernie doesn't mind staying inside to watch TV and play with her Le Chat toy, but Rhonda and I wish the weather wasn't doing us dirty like this... Staying cooped up inside is the worst.

Fernie goes to bed relatively early, and that's our cue that the fun part of the day is just about to begin. Despite the blizzard, Sam and Javiar are still joining us for a New Year's Eve party! Just glad they came in one piece, since it was only raining in Oasis Springs.

It's boogie time! What a year this has been. I started out living alone in Willow Creek, and I'm ending it married, a dad, and living in Chestnut Ridge. Who knew life could change this much?

Sam and Javiar's lives have been changing since I met them. Sam has a new boyfriend, and Javiar's just told me he has a crush on a woman named Alessandra and is planning on asking her out.

"Glad you and Matteo are going well," I say to Sam, "Think it's getting serious?"

"It's sure panning out that way," Sam says. Sam has dated a few people before, but nothing serious or exclusive. "Dating Matteo has just felt different, y'know? I never really knew what it felt like to actually be in love..."

"That's sweet, man!" I say.

"I really hope I'll have your luck," Javiar says to Sam, "Alessandra is just... amazing!"

"I'm praying for you, bro," I say to Javiar.

"Thanks, man," Javiar says.

A few minutes before the countdown, Javiar gathers us for a toast "To us!" he says, "For our adventures together and Selvadorada in general!"

"Hear hear!" Sam cheers, "Even though I didn't go on said adventures..."

The clock strikes midnight, and in the moment I feel thrilled to celebrate the new year among friends.

Here's to another great year ahead!

@invisiblequeen @nakasumi-sims

[kirsicca]

Quick peek at the Vinca household where Marcella and Ral are taking some big steps themselves...! 🍼

@jonquilyst we have a reason to celebrate our girls again! 😭🍾💖

[air-so-sweet]

I think a lot of people who are complaining about the lack of content in Paralives are forgetting just how fucking bare bones the sims 4 was at launch.

for example:

[authorspirit]

I just realized in my review to @bloomingkyras I said that when I'll get bored when there are no more quests in Paralives, the boredom will be worse than in TS4.

Which I think is true BUT with the storytellers, I kinda always have quests.

If people really want to compare TS4 and Paralives (I can't say for InZoi), Paralives definitely leans more into the "you play a game, you have objectives and you do them" than "you can create a story".

While I love the Picture mode in Paralives (and there is something else I need to try that will solidify my opinion), Paralives in its current state is not meant to be a storytelling tool but to just live through the story.

TS4 though? To me part of the fun is storytelling through the builds, creating the sims in the world and imagining how they will interact with my sims. I like taking pictures with it. But I have to give myself the goals because the game itself won't give them to me. Part of the fun is imagining what they want.

In Paralives you don't really imagine that. (I mean you could, but the options are limited for now and the game constantly bombards you with objectives, in a less avoidable way than TS4's incentives to discover gameplay.)

And this is why both games can definitely coexist and I'm happy they are. Not one is going to supplant the other (maybe in numbers because we still have an indie on a side and a big franchise game on the other), but both have very different feelings of playing.

[sleepyz-sims]

Little Fall Adventures Conversions

child to toddler/infant conversions of @luxysims and @liyahsim's Little Fall Adventures dress, overalls, and overall dress

base game compatible

all LODs

the infant versions weights are not the best but it looks fine when they're crawling and being held, just looks a bit warped when they're sitting. if you have a cas mod that makes the infant stand up, it will be weirdly warped but it doesn't look like that in game!

child meshes are not required, but you can (and should) download them here:

Dress | Overalls | Overall Dress

download: patreon (always free)

anonymously requested

respect to all the infant clothes creators out there cuz damn their proportions are so awkward to work around lol

[jonquilyst]

064. Generation 1, Episode 64

Introducing Nimbus, our new mini sheep! Since getting Pepita, we knew somewhere down the road we'd get a mini sheep too. Now that Fernie's a little older, we figured now would be the perfect time to expand the ranch.

Nimbus's wool is so incredibly soft... I never knew an animal could feel so much like a cloud! (Hence why he's named Nimbus).

It's Fernie's turn to build a snowpal! I helped, of course, but after we finished this girl decided to destroy our new snow friend...

Now that Fernie can walk and move around, Rhonda and I bought her a new slide and play tent so the snow isn't the only thing she can enjoy outside. After all, spring is coming soon, so the snow won't last much longer anyway.

Since Fernie doesn't have the greatest coordination yet, I helped her climb the slide. Then, all on her own, she slipped on down right into my arms! What a brave girl she is!

Fernie is quite fond of her play tent; it's got her toys inside and keeps her protected from the cold wind. It'll also protect her from the hot sun when it's summertime! I bet Fernie's gonna have this tent for a long time.

After playtime, we have dinner and play with flash cards!

"Alright, Fernie, can you tell me what this is?" I ask, holding up a card of a toothbrush.

"Toofbruh!" Fernie says.

"Yea! That's right!" I say, not minding she still needs to get the pronunciation down, "Great job, Fernie."

Just before bed, I hear Rhonda send a message to her dad through the relic:

"Dear Dad, Fernanda is getting so big now! She can walk, say one-word sentences, and we'll be potty training her pretty soon. I never knew babies could grow up so fast... I knew you warned me they would, but... I didn't think it would be that fast."

"My ranch is up to three animals now. We've purchased a mini sheep for wool. Caring for these animals has been such a rewarding experience, and I'm so happy that I get to be the one to take care of them. I also feel fortunate that Fernanda will grow up with these animals. I know that it'll be so beneficial for her. I really hope she will grow up with the same appreciation for nature that we and Atlas have."

@invisiblequeen

[jonquilyst]

063. Generation 1, Episode 63

I'm in disbelief over how quickly Fernie is growing up... It seems like just yesterday she was just a helpless newborn. Now, it's her birthday, and she's getting up on her own two feet and leaving babyhood behind!

Time to upgrade the crib! Fernie's getting too big for it. While I disassemble the guard rails, Fernie climbed into the rocking chair and began... well, rocking in it in her own way.

Today's the day we've all been waiting for... Now that Fernie's bigger, she's discovered the ranch and has officially met our animals! Pepita was not amused, but Fernie doesn't yet understand what being annoyed means.

Titus was more willing to listen to her, though. He's always been a gentle giant.

I won't be surprised if Fernie grows up to be a dancer, because her moves are getting better by the day!

Snuggling up in her newly-upgraded bed in her brand new blankets, Fernie gets read a bedtime story by Mama!

Rhonda reads with an enthusiastic voice, "'Mister!' he said with a sawdusty sneeze, 'I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.'"

@invisiblequeen

[simandy]

Btw. If you're a teacher and you catch one of your students (kids, tweens, teens) using AI for the first time, please be gentle with them.

Last week i was looking into one of my teen's homework when I noticed she was writing words she "wasn't supposed to know" in english (like "furthermore", for example. They only know very intermediary english) I got a bit mad for a second. I wear an "anti-AI" button all the time, i even told them before why i was anti-AI, yet she didn't listen to me and thought she could get away with it... But i decided to keep it cool because i didn't know why she would do this, since she never did.

Okay, one week after, this Wednesday, it was time for their class again and, when she arrived, i told her to come to my desk and asked her: "what is furthermore?" She went pale when she noticed the paper in my hands. I asked again: "darling, what is furthermore?" Then, she shuttered: "I don't know, teacher. I'm sorry, I had to ask Gemini because I had no time..." then I sat her down, she was clearly upset (she is just 13) and I asked her what happened. "I didn't have any time left because of my exams and there were too many units to go through. So I asked my mom to help me and she told me to use ChatGPT but I asked google instead." Okay. So I looked into her eyes and told her it was okay, that she didn't need to be upset, but she would have to re-do that paper and bring it back to me by the next week. I told her she didn't need google or gpt to do her work, because she got a very high score at her english exam (both at school and at the course). She got right back on her feet and we started class as normal.

The only reason why I'm telling you this is because I hate AI. I hate it SO much. But, as a teacher now, I hate ANYTHING that takes the learning process away from kids. I hate the GLOSSARY in my kids' books as well for the same reason bc they don't want to figure the words out with me, they want to check the answer as fast as they can to get rid of that boring thing and I don't blame them for wanting to get rid of the boring task! But I blame ADULTS for allowing the kids to go the fast way, when they need the slow process to learn something! Her MOM told her to use ChatGPT to ace her homework. You know, the person PAYING the course bills so her daughter can learn english at an early age doesn't care about her learning process. But I do. I care. And you should care too. It's not my student's fault, it's about the learned helplessness, it's about wanting to be the fastest, it's about the knowledge scrapping, the way nobody cares anymore. And the kids are being affected by parents who don't care anymore. They're byproducts of this. So please, when teaching them why AI is bad, be gentle. It's not their fault the world around them is teaching them how to be dumb in a smart, sneaky way.

[simandy]

Someone pointed out the issue here is ALSO the educational system failing my student because of the amount of stuff they have to do (like at school and at the course) and yes!!! You're very right, this is part of the issue. That's why I sent her home with the homework again and without any punishments, because her finals week is over and she has more time to think for herself now! Forgot to add this in the original post. Otherwise I would schedule an hour with her in here just so we could go through her homework together :)

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

But something else is afoot in the Total Drama Haus!

Much like @jonquilyst, I did think that Brendan and Marilyn had potential to end up together on the show. Alas, while they as a couple may have had potential, Team Success itself had anything but. Therefore their time together was fleeting.

While all this is okay according to Ziggy's boundaries, Marilyn may want to workshop her poetry a little more 😅

@sanitysims @aliengirl