#neverdoitagain

How old is your Sim? As of the latest, 19th, chapter, she is 34.

When is your Sim’s birthday? July 4th.

What is your Sim’s zodiac sign? Ironically, both she and Ron are cancers. *coughs suggestively*

What is your Sim’s ethnicity? American, though I do not talk much about it in the story.

Does your sim have any nicknames? Shari. Tiny Shari sometimes (I think @thesimperiuscurse once used it in reference to her, I liked it, and it kind of stuck).

Do they have a job? Technically, she’s a cartoonist, and has even released a couple books with her drawings. But no, she doesn’t have a “real” job, in terms of having set work hours, being forced to get up in the morning, etc.

Where does your Sim live? She currently lives in Appaloosa Plains.

Who does your Sim live with? She lives with her husband, John, and their three children, oldest James and twins – Jasmine and Justin.

What environment did your sims grow up in? She grew up in a loving environment. Although her mom, Candy, was technically a single mother, Shari was surrounded by many other adults she treated like family – “uncles” Reggie, Frank and Waylon, and “aunt” Hailey. And of course, she grew up with Ron and Becca (her peers), and two years older Clint. But throughout the years, she’d grown more and more jealous of the fact that everyone had a father except her. She deeply believed in importance of a traditional family dynamic, even to the point of feeling sorry for Clint for growing up without a mother.

What is your Sim’s favorite food? She loves sweets, and especially chocolate. She can eat a whole bar (or a couple of them) by herself when she’s stressed, which is often.

What is your Sim’s favorite drink? Shari loves tea. She often prepares herself the melissa one because she’s trying to convince herself it will calm her down during anxiety attacks (which it really doesn’t).

If they have one, what is your Sim’s favorite color? She doesn’t really have a favorite, though she started wearing a lot of red because of Ron (and the fact he connects red to her due to his synesthesia), and has gotten so used to it, she still unconsciously buys a lot of red clothes.

Does your Sim believe in any clichés (love at first sight)? She doesn’t necessarily believe in love at first sight, but she does believe in destiny, and that everyone’s fate is known before they are born.

What is your Sim’s sexuality? Straight.

What is your Sim’s gender identity? Female.

Is your Sim type A or type B? It’s hard to tell because she’s quantities connected with both – gets stressed easily, is impulsive, over-emotional, but definitely not a high-achiever.

Is your Sim introverted or extroverted? Introverted.

What is your Sim’s favourite woohoo position? In a way, she treats sex like a way to feel less alone, so she would pick anything that lets her feel it on a spiritual level. She particularly enjoys face to face positions with a lot of tight hugging, like the basket pose. But she doesn’t usually voice her preference and lets the partner decide because she’s desperate for just about any physical contact.

Is your Sim a pet person? She adores pets of all kinds, and can’t pick a favorite. She had always wanted a dog as a child, and was excited when her husband brought a rescued puppy home. Now, as she lives in the country, she feeds a lot of stray cats, dogs, and has also learned horse-riding.

Does your Sim have a best friend? She used to be very close to Becca when she was still alive. Now that she’s mostly distanced herself from all her past acquaintances, she doesn’t really have friends anymore.

What is/ was your Sim’s favorite school subject? Art.

Is/ was your sim a high, mid or low achiever in school? She was a low achiever because she was always too focused on her drawings to pay attention during classes.

Are they planning to go or have they already been to college? She studied fine arts for a short period of time, but then dropped out.

What are your Sim’s political beliefs (if they have them)? Shari is an ignorant when it comes to politics, and not once has she even considered voting, nor is she interested in what’s going on in the world.

What is one thing your Sim wants to do before they die? She wants to come clean to her husband, and admit she’s cheated on him multiple times with many other men.

Does your Sim have a favourite TV show (cable) and/ or movie? She doesn’t really watch TV.

Is your Sim a Netflix viewer? She doesn’t watch any series either. She once tried, but came to a conclusion that people there either seem too happy, or, in the dramatic ones, so sad she gets more depressed than she normally is.

Does your Sim like books? Not traditional books, but she loves comics, and likes to do fanart sometimes.

Does your Sim enjoy video games, if so, what is their favorite one, and do they play on PC or console? She used to play on console with Ron, Becca and Clint as a teenager, but she doesn’t do that anymore.

What is your Sim’s personal style? She wears girly clothes in bright colors. When she was younger, she sometimes liked experimenting with more risqué clothing and make up, but has grown out of it. She also loves flower themes, and midi skirts.

Does your Sim have a lucky charm? That would be the bracelet given to her by Ron on their anniversary. More about it in this post.

Is your Sim religious? Not really, but she believes that there exists something out there that’s going to eventually punish her for all the wrong she’s done, like cheating, which she feels extremely guilty about, but has no plans of stopping.

What kind of music does your Sim listen to and who is their favorite artist? She doesn’t listen to music with lyrics, only relaxation music to calm herself down during anxiety attacks. She loves when there are birds or sea sounds included.

Is your Sim a festive person? If so, what’s their favorite holiday? She doesn’t care much for holidays. Usually, her anxiety increases during Christmas when she has to leave the house and shop in a crowd.

What is your Sim’s favorite type of weather? She loves when the sun’s shining. It makes her a bit happier.

Does your Sim prefer to start fights or finish them? She avoids conflict at all cost. So, most likely, she will burst out crying and apologize even if she’s not actually guilty. Thankfully, she and John don’t argue often because he’s very peaceful by nature.

Does your Sim have a dream job? She doesn’t really know what she wants out of life. There was a time when she wanted to be a praised artist but now she feels nauseous at the prospect of being overwhelmingly famous.

Does your Sim have any siblings? She’s an only child, though she used to think of Becca as her sister.

Does your Sim get along with their family? She used to be very close to her mother, and all her extended family (not related to her by blood, but she thought of them as such), but now she’s distanced herself from them, so she isn’t anymore.

What is your Sim’s favourite hobby? Drawing.

What does your Sim look for in a romantic partner? She has never had a healthy relationship. Her marriage with John was a way of escaping from unfinished business with Ron, and she wanted someone who’d provide for her. All she’s done after that have been hook-ups with no emotional attachment.

What is a secret about your Sim? She has a calendar in which she notes down the dates and names of all the people she’s cheated on John with.

What is a wish your Sim has? She wants to die, but is too afraid to commit a suicide in fear she’ll get punished in the afterlife.

What is a flaw your Sim has? Her fear of rejection, which prevents her from building up a proper relationship with anyone.

How do others generally perceive your Sim? As shy, insecure, reserved and vulnerable.

Does your Sim have a greatest achievement? If so, what is it? She’s become quite well-known on the internet because of her comics. She was even invited to take part in a meet and greet to talk with her fans and sign her comics, but she didn’t go due to her anxiety.

If they have one, what is your Sim’s greatest regret? She deeply regrets breaking up with Ron, even though she continuously tries to convince herself it was a good decision.

Does your sim have a favorite emoji? ♥ – a heart, which she not only uses in her conversations with John and her children, but also the men she hooks up with. She often prefers it over actual words because she tends to overanalyzes her text to the point she doesn’t know what to say anymore, and then panics that the person on the other side will get mad for her at leaving them hanging.

Does your Sim use Simstagram? If so what’s their @? She shares her comics on @sharistinydoodles (it’s not an actual username, don’t check, lol).

1. I’ve already mentioned it a couple of times, but here’s the story behind Brittany and her mom: so, I actually created a pretty woman with black skin in CAS and mixed her genes with Darryll’s (that is, Shari’s father) a couple of times. So, I got a few not-so-good-looking lasses, and then what has evolved into Britt (whose skintone couldn’t be further in color from her mother’s, which irritated me a bit, because Sim’s genetics). Well, then I, for some reason, decided to delete the mother Sim (because I thought she didn’t matter anyway), and so it made sense for her to be revealed to be dead later in the story, and tied in well with the plot and why Britt was the right person to support Ron when he was grieving? Idk, I’m cruel.

2. When I first described generaion 6 as teenagers, so Shari, Ron and Becca, a good friend of mine mentioned how sure she was that Shari and Ron would wind up together. This irked me that I was going to be so obvious, and at that moment I decided to center the story around them not getting to ever be happy together. That’s my stupid personality for ya.

3. In the initial version of the story, Shari was not going to ever leave. She and Ron were meant to cheat with each other until the very end, but obviously this was not a good option. Why on earth could I ever deem Britt to be dumb enough not to suspect anything, or never to confront Ron about the whole thing, of that I have no idea. It was probably because in my initial notes Britt was referred to as “Ron’s wife”, and I had no idea yet of the Sim that would get to be the cheated on woman. Well, definitely didn’t think she’d be as likeable, and that I would love her character.

4. Of course, I changed the flow of the story with making Shari leave, and this had impact on the ending. So, I thought why not share the first two versions that won’t happen, since I guess it’s not spoilery any more. The first and too obvious one was that Shari would slowly start distancing herself from Ron, and Britt, who has been suspecting something was going on for quite some time, upon eavesdropping Ron’s conversation with Shari over the phone, would issue an ultimatum: either he goes to see Shari now and consequently loses her and Bindie, or stays. Ron doesn’t give it a second thought and chooses Shari, to which Britt desperately tries to make him rethink that, but Ron leaves anyway. When he meets up with Shari, she’s in tears and tells him that she’s pregnant, and she’s pretty sure that’s his child. Ron is overjoyed and wants to bail with her, but Shari is not having it, saying she loves John and it’s him that’s her husband, etc, etc. When Ron comes home, Britt is packing her things, he tries to get her back, of course, but she obviously refuses, as he’s had his chance. Consequentely, he loses both Shari and Britt plus his daughter who hates him for what he’s done to Britt.

5. The 2nd version was one that I quickly cooked up after making Shari leave. It still centered around Shari, but this one was again too obvious. In this version, John dies in a car accident, and Shari contacts Ron crying and mentions something about the twins. Ron, upon hearing about them, immediately decides to come visit her, believing these to be his children she hasn’t told him about. Of course, by doing that, he breaks the promise given to Britt. When he visits her, he finds out these are John’s kids, and that Shari only wanted to seek comfort in him, but is ever as frightened to have a relationship with him, and, just as in the first version, she pushes him away.

Rules! Answer these questions inspired by ShaelinWrites’ youtube lessons, or just think long and hard about ‘em. Tag some fellow story writers if you want to.

1. What does your character yearn for (this often is the intersection between character and plot)? Britt wants to maintain a relationship with Ron at all costs.

2. What is a contradiction your character has within their personality or beliefs? Britt is generally very reasonable and practical, and so are her actions, but then she is able to do things that seem irritational in the name of, for example, her love for Ron, or what she believes would be right for her daughter.

3. What is your character’s Mask and Counter-Mask? (The face that your character shows to the world, summed up in one or two words, vs their often opposite or inverse mask shown during vulnerability. Note, both these masks are true faces of your character). Britt’s mask is her immense inner strength – her counter mask is actually her being vulnerable.

4. What is a passion your character has, unrelated to the plot? Britt adores cooking, and is very talented at it.

5. Artful Incongruity is described as a trait which brings a character out of their type or trope, which is usually semi-contradictory. What’s your character’s? Britt defines herself as a feminist and has always said that she’d rather be alone than in a toxic relationship with a man who doesn’t deserve her (which also has a lot to do with her childhood and father cheating on her mother), but that’s exactly a situation she’s in right now. And she’s keeping it up.

6. Give me some specific examples or details about your character. This can be in appearance, personality, the clothes they wear, the way they keep their house, etc. She never wears make-up because she strongly believes in the power of natural beauty. She has never owned a pair of heels in her life because she doesn’t see the point of making herself uncomfortable – plus she’s taller than a lot of guys. She is vegan, very athletic, and does everything she can to keep up a healthy lifestyle. Cleaning the house always helps put her at ease when she’s stressed.

7. What is a way in which your character’s self-perception is flawed (e.g. a gap in their self-awareness, something they believe about themselves but is not true). She isn’t aware of the severity of her bad traits, and some she doesn’t even acknowledge as part of her personality – for example, she doesn’t see herself as a control freak, but rather very caring and loving. She is convinced people will see her actions as concern about their well-being, and not her trying to control their every move. Therefore, she doesn’t know when she’s crossed the line between suggesting ways of coping with an issue and making decisions for other people.

8. What’s an example of how your character’s internal world works? This is the lens by which they view and interpret the world. Because she’s been through so much in the past, Britt feels she’s the one responsible for fixing all the wrong in the world, and helping people put in a difficult situation, to the point of not being respectful of someone’s personal space or boundaries, and reaching out  to people no matter if they are ready to accept her help and want to let her in on the issue or not.

9. What is your character’s major flaw - the one thing that gets them hurt throughout the story, the result of which may be that they change this flaw? She puts so much heart into helping others and making decisions she believes to be right for her loved ones that she neglects the importance of her own good and comfort in the process.

10. Finally, what is in your character’s ‘dark room’*. This is the room of their house (or part of their character) they never show to anyone, the one that is never stated within text, but is alluded to.  The suicide of her mother was such a blow for Britt that she had to teach herself to feign indifference when this topic is brought up because otherwise, she would never be able to talk about it. She never tells anyone how much it still hurts, and would never admit to still crying over it when she’s alone (this is part of her façade of immense mental strength).

*Since you’re not supposed to state this in text, if you want to leave this blank for secrecy, go for it.

RULES: You can only say guilty or innocent. Don’t explain anything unless someone asks you.

Asked someone to marry you? – Innocent

Kissed one of your friends? – Guilty

Danced on a table in a bar / tavern? – Innocent

Ever told a lie? – Guilty

Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have? – Guilty

Ever kissed someone of the same sex? – Guilty

Kissed a picture? – Guilty

Slept until 5 pm? – Guilty

Fallen asleep at work / school? – Guilty

Held a snake? – Innocent

Been suspended from school? – Innocent

Worked at a fast food chain / restaurant? – Innocent

Stolen something? – Innocent

Been fired from a job? – Innocent

Done something you regret? – Guilty

Laughed until something you were drinking came out of your nose? – Guilty

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? – Guilty

Kissed in the rain? – Guilty

Sat on a roof top? – Innocent

Kissed someone you shouldn’t? – Guilty

Sang in the shower? – Guilty

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? – Guilty

Shaved your head? – Innocent

Slept naked? – Guilty

Made a boyfriend / girlfriend cry? – Guilty

Shot a gun? – Innocent

Still love someone you shouldn’t? – Guilty

Have / had a tattoo? – Innocent

Liked someone, but will never tell who? – Innocent

Been too honest? – Guilty

Ruined a surprise? – Guilty

Been told that you’re beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? – Innocent

Still have communication w/ your ex? – Innocent

Cheated on someone? – Guilty

Got so angry that you cried?  – Innocent

Tried to stay away from someone for their own good? –  Innocent

Thoughts about suicide? – Innocent

Thoughts about murder? – Innocent

How about mass murder? – Innocent

Stalked someone? – Guilty

Had a girlfriend / boyfriend? – Guilty