Big decisions + new ideas.

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FIELD NOTES is where I share my latest experiences, observations, and discoveries from playing The Sims 4.

Hi, my loves!

I guess it's safe to say that I've not been great at keeping up with a weekly posting schedule. 🤪

Truly, it's not because I don't want to, but I think I've been letting fear get the better of me while keeping to the shadows again. I've caught myself wondering whether you guys find these Field Notes or my newsletter or any of my world-building content to be interesting enough to be worth sharing–but, I'm starting to understand that that sort of uncertainty just comes with the art of being visible, vulnerable, and honest about what you love to create.

If you're out there bravely sharing your own content and having the same thoughts, trust that it's a sign that you're on the right path–you're just stretching outside of your comfort zone, and that's a good thing! 🤍

Before you read on: I've been rethinking my newsletter (the Simday Paper) and wondering if I should break it up into more pieces of content, rather than one long paper. Some of the posts will be paid content, but maybe breaking them up into different "columns" (similar to my Field Notes or my Save File Diaries) might help me post more consistently.

Which would you prefer? 💭 Let me know in the comments!

Alright, here's what I was up to in game this week! 👇

Letting go of the old to make room for something new.

When I launched my Patreon last year, I had the intention of recreating my cinematic world of Twinbrook from The Sims 3, but I've recently made the terribly huge, terribly difficult decision to let go of my old world–and my old stories, too. 😳 Hear me out:

I've been working on the cinematic universe of Twinbrook (& Bridgeport) for over 10 years. It's one that I originally started with friends–more so with one friend in particular, she'll know who she is if she decides to read this 🤭–and while continuing the story solo once held a lot of promise for me, I've struggled all around with creating the world and writing within it. It's no longer inspiring me, and I'm starting to think that what I need is something that's entirely my own. No history, no strings. Just me and a fresh new canvas.

Nothing's permanent, and there are chapters & seasons of life, right? So letting go doesn't mean quitting or forgetting. It means opening space for new possibilities, discoveries, and finding a new way forward with a breath of fresh air.

So, instead of building another version of Twinbrook, my forever save is going to be something totally new. For now, I'm sticking with the game's lore for each world, but as I get into gameplay and let some new characters come to life, I suspect the world will start to build itself–and spark new story ideas for me along the way.

What about Ryan and the O'Neil household? For anyone who might be wondering about Ryan and the twins, don't worry, I'm not walking away from them forever. 🤍 Ryan is my oldest character, so I could never let him go entirely. Their story may change to fit into this new world I'm creating, but we'll see what unfolds.

Riverrun is officially done!

ICYMI Riverrun is the medieval village I've been working on for the last several months.

I still need to get photos and a final video of the completed build, but expect a showcase to be posted sometime this week or next! I've been sharing some video clips from the village on my Youtube channel, too, if you want to check those out.

I will also be sharing some info about the villagers in a separate post, and–yes–you will be able to download a LITE version of Riverrun along with the characters I've created to use in your own medieval world.

New characters. New stories.

This applies to both my medieval and gameplay save–I'm going deep into character creation mode because I want to start focusing more so on stories and less so on building. I think it's so important to find balance while creating save files, and to get crystal clear on what actually matters to you.

I love building, but what I'm really here to do is write and share stories about my quirky, (mostly) lovable weirdos–and if I have to wait for me to finish an entire save before I can ever play with them, then I'll never get around to storytelling.

Instead, I'm working on one map per save right now (Willow Creek for my forever save, and Henford for my medieval save) and just focusing on getting them where they have to be (to function) so I can get into gameplay and see what stories these characters spark within me that I can share with you!

Coming up next:

• New faces: let's meet the villagers of Riverrun.

• Field Notes: the Video Series – experiment and gameplay-test mods with me.

• Build Showcase | The Village of Riverrun

• CC drop: deco sheep are coming to Henford-on-Bagley! 🐑

• March's newsletter

• World lore – My vision for Willow Creek!

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