Lauratje86's Simblr

November is here, which means that it's time for Nostalgic November 2025!

During each year's Nostalgic November I reread some of the books I loved as a child/teen. Not sure I will manage to finish all of these!

This year's books are:

The Tomorrow series, by John Marsden. The Tillerman Cycle, by Cynthia Voigt. The My Side of the Mountain trilogy by Jean Craighead George. 'Under the Hawthorn Tree' and 'Wildflower Girl', by Marita Conlon-McKenna.

I read 'My Side of the Mountain', which I'd read as a child, and started the next book in the trilogy but didn't enjoy it.

I read 'Under The Hawthorn Tree' but ran out of time to read the other two books in the Children of the Famine trilogy - I don't think I've ever read 'Fields of Home', but I read the first two as a child.

Send me some names in my inbox and make me choose between:

1) This sim or that sim? 

2) This couple or that couple? 

3) This save or that save?

4) This premade or that premade?

The last 18 months or so have very much been about surviving mental health problems for me. I've barely played The Sims 2, or indeed engaged consistently with many hobbies. I think (hope?) that things are improving, and there are plenty of TS2-related things that I hope to do this year!

In no particular order, here goes!

1. Get a 'hood, any 'hood, set up in a way that allows me to play in the way that I enjoy. OK, I guess that these points are at least slightly in order, as this is the main thing that I want to do!

2. Set up and start playing an "Alaskan" (rural, isolated and very cold!) version of PeniG's Widespot. Possibly as a connected-but-not-geographically-nearby subhood of Nekojima.

3. Set up and start playing a themed 'hood. I'm struggling to settle on a theme, though? A space station? An Antarctic research facility? A Victorian 'hood? A supernatural 'hood? A prehistoric 'hood? An Iron Age/Roman Britain 'hood? So. Many. Choices!

4. Sort out my Downloads folder - primarily this will involve ensuring that all of the mods that I use work together properly, as well as getting rid of a few bits of CC that I don't use and making sure that everythings organised.

I didn't actually achieve any of the simming things I'd hoped to do last year. I was mistaken when I thought that my mental health was improving - though the weirdness of 2020 obviously didn't help! I managed to get Nekojima set up for the way that I play, but I only played one round. I just couldn't focus on it. That's definitely a me thing, because it's a fabulous 'hood!

I am sad that I didn't achieve any of my goals, but only because I wanted to have fun with TS2, not because I think that I should've done better. 2020 was a challenging year and I did my best! I have simplified my simming goals for 2021, in the hope that I may manage to get back into playing the game this year.

1. I want to get a neighbourhood set up and actually get in to playing it on a semi-regular basis. I'm toying with giving @katatty's Europa a go, or perhaps having another play with my all-time favourite - @penig's Widespot. We shall see how things go!

2. Downloads-wise I would really like to stop using Inteen, which requires me to find mods to replace the aspects of it that I want to keep and get my mods folder organised and functional. Eeeek!

3. Have fun with The Sims 2, in whatever way works for me. Perhaps that'll be thinking about my favourite premade sims and my head-canon for them, or working on the "paperwork" for the uberhood that I know I'll never set up and play, or planning loads of 'hoods and never creating any of them, or admiring and downloading all of the amazing CC that I see (Archery! ARCHERY!) but never actually playing the game. I just want to enjoy the game in some way without putting pressure on myself, even if that means not actually playing it!

Does anyone know where I can find bienchen83′s sausages for download? They used to be on their website, but the site no longer exists and I don’t think they ever uploaded them onto Mod The Sims. I’m looking for the one that’s just sausages - there is also one which is sausages with some kind of salad, and I think also one which is sausages with mustard. I’m after the one that’s just a plate of plain sausages.

[Reblog to get the questions in your ask box]

💚💚💚

1. Pleasantview vs Strangetown?

2. Veronaville vs Bluewater Village?

3. Belladonna Cove vs Desiderata Valley?

3. Riverblossom Hills vs Downtown?

4. Favourite family from Pleasantview and why?

5. Favourite family from Strangetown and why?

6. Favourite family from Veronaville and why?

7. Favourite family from Bluewater Village and why?

8. Favourite family from Belladonna Cove and why?

9. Favourite family from Desiderata Valley and why?

10. Favourite family from Riverblossom Hills?

11. Favourite female premade sim?

12. Favourite male premade sim?

13. Favourite vacation hood? Twikkii Island, Three Lakes or Takemizu Village, and why?

14. Do you play with premades or your own created sims?

15. The weirdest glitch you’ve encountered

16. Who amidst the premades and within the original plot deserved better according to you?

17. What do you love about this part of franchise?

18. What do you dislike about this part of franchise?

19. Favourite female and male townie & favourite NPC of yours?

20. Your favourite ’premade’ household lot from the entire game?

21. Your favourite ’premade’ community lot from the entire game?

22. A funny story connected to the game you can share

23. Post the latest picture you have taken in that game

24. Your favourite CC creator creating for this part of the franchise?

25. Your favourite Expansion Pack?

B: Preferred Neighbourhood.

C: Favourite Pre-Made

D: Favourite Current Sim

E: Free Will: On or Off? (Story Progression?)

F: Gameplay With or Without Cheats

G: Favourite Expansion Pack

H: Stuff Pack vs Expansion Pack - Which Do You Prefer?

I: Your Bella Goth Theories!

J: The One Piece of CC You Couldn't Play Without

K: Your S3 Traits or what is your Aspiration?

L: Have Your Sims ever Cheated?

M: How Long Have You Been Playing any of the Sims?

N: Natural or Dramatic End to a Sim's Life? [Do they get Hula Zombies?]

O: Do You Prefer Your Sims to Have Skills or Popularity?

P: Pose or Play Your Sims?

Q: EA, The Store or CC?

R: Cartoony or Realistic Sims?

S: Pit a TS2 EP vs a TS3 EP

T: Worst Sims Experience

U: Best Sims Experience

V: How Did You Start Playing the Sims?

W: Favourite Sim-Title (Medieval, Castaway, PSP etc.)

X: Do you use the Lifetime or Career Rewards?

Y: Favourite Career

Happy new year guys! I didn’t get a picture or anything nice done in time, so I’m making this instead! Send in the numbers for an answer!

Simblr Specific Questions

1. Favourite hood you’ve played this decade? 2. Favourite family you’ve played this year? 3. Who’s your Original Sim Of The Decade and/or your Premade Sim Of The Decade? 4. What creation this year (build, hood, original sim, writing, cc, art, photo-set, etc.) are you most proud of? 5. What sim-related things did you learn this year? (e.g - modding, game feature, lore, trick, etc.) 6. Three things other simblrs did this year that you thought was really good? 7. One sim, from another simblr’s game, that was memorable for you this year? 8. How has your game’s aesthetic changed this decade? 9. Three things you enjoyed in your game this year 10. Three things you’re looking forward to in your game / on simblr for 2020. BONUS: Guess / Estimate what year Sims 5 will drop in

General Questions