The Blogaversary: Let’s throw a party!

With the exception of Raerei (whose Simmer is currently on a real-life adventure), most of the longer portions of dialogue for these Sims was provided by their Simmers. Transitions and shorter responses were written by me. Thank you so much to all the participants!

CT: Hmm. Look at this. It was one year ago this month that I started this blog!

Raerei: I posted my first TS4 post on September 12, 2014. I found yours about that time, and then your reading list led me to many others that also started around then!

CT: Oh, gosh! I remember how excited we all were because it was so new. The first blogs I read were FloorRaisin’s Wolff Legacy, Meggles’ Ikeda Legacy, and Rachel Rosebud’s Gather Ye Rosebuds. Remember how inspiring it was to discover all these amazing stories?

Raerei: You know, inspiration is really what this entire first year of TS4 has been all about.

CT: Inspiration, friendship, and community! I wonder what we could do to celebrate this first year of TS4 and TS4 SimLit.

Raerei: Why don’t we throw a party? It can be a blogaversary party and we can invite all the TS4 bloggers who’ve been blogging since September 2014 and all their readers!

CT: Which is basically everybody we know! That’s a lot of people!

Raerei: Not so many! It’s a small world.

CT: Let’s do an open house, and I’ll just invite everybody I see, then!

CT: Hey, Ren and Kimmy! We’re thinking of throwing an open house to celebrate the one-year anniversary of TS4 blogs!

Kimmy: Oh, that sounds like so much fun!

Ren: Hang on a sec. I’m just reading the latest update on the Pruetts.

CT: Oh! Stories by Jes2G! That’s one of the blogs we’re celebrating! Man, Jes has made such an impact on SimLit this last year!

Miss P: What about Robinson Family? I loved the mini parts of Wookin pa’ Nub.

CT: Ha! Aspen Bough was part of that, remember? She didn’t stand a chance because of her taste in fashion! We’ll want to toast RobFam even if Marcus can’t make it. I think he’s still busy doing theater stuff.

Kimmy: Where is that blog? I can’t find it.

CT: Oh, dang. Marcus said he’d leave it up for a year, but I guess now that the year’s up, the domain name has expired. So, it’s sort of like a memorial to RobinsonFam. What happy reading that was!

Miss P: That was so funny.

CT: Hey, Rory! Can you come to our open house?

Rory: Oh! I’d love to come! Will there be ice cream?

CT: Lots! Rory, you’re such a huge part of our SimLit community. You’re there to encourage and inspire all of us, both with your wriitng and your insightful comments. Before long, we’ll be celebrating one year of Legacies of Sims!

Rory: Thanks for thinking of me. I’ll be happy to be join in.

CT: Hi, Joel! Wanna come to our party to celebrate the blogs that have been going for one year?

Joel: Of course! The Pruetts, right? I’ve got to be there to support my big sis!  I think the first story that I read was The Pruett Family Legacy.

Joel: If I were to recommend any story for anyone now, it would be the Pruetts!

CT: It’s so well-written, isn’t it? And I’m so glad you’re coming! Will you bring cupcakes?

Joel: Is that why you invited me?

CT: Of course not. I invited you because we love you! And we love your cupcakes, too!

CT: Cathrine, I’m so glad to finally meet you in the SimSelf! I know the Nunleys well, and I’m looking forward to getting to know your Ally soon, too, and it’s wonderful to finally meet you!

Cathrine (simlady36): It’s great to be here! Do I smell cupcakes?

CT: I really love what you’ve been doing with your blog, lately! So many new stories!

Cathrine: Oh, thank you. I love how both you and Carewren123 write what you want and how you both follow the story instead of the rules for the challenge.

CT: Well, I tried to follow the rules. It was my Sims that broke them!

Cathrine: Yeah, but you went along with it!

CT: Meggles? Is that you? What are you working on?

Meggles: I’m just getting ready to post the latest Suzu post!

CT: I love your blog, Megg! Last September I always looked to you to find out how to do it–how to play the legacy and how to write it. You were such a great role model for a newbie like me! Oh, and I hear that Book Club is reading the Ikeda Legacy this week, too! Congratulations!

Meggles: Thanks! I’m so excited.

CT: Yeah! And you’re also one of the first of us to complete the legacy! That’s worth a celebration right there!

Meggles: I don’t think I was the very first to complete a legacy.

CT: No. Friendsfan367 completed one last December or so! And I believe that Pinstar told Raindayz179 that, as far as he knew, she was the very first to complete the legacy. Think of how few legacies actually get completed. What you’ve accomplished is amazing!

CT: Hey, Laura! II’m so glad to see you. I just wanted to tell you how much I love the Whitefeather legacy. Your Sims feel like family to me.

Laura (capturedmuse): Really? I remember during those first few months getting to know everyone a bit. The community felt a lot smaller, like a little family. So many distinct styles and stories even when all of them were legacies. I also remember how good I was at keeping a schedule for myself, I should find that spark again.

CT: I think most of us that have been blogging for a few months or more find that our creative energy waxes and wanes. That’s just party of the creative cycle!

CT: Hey, Maria! You made it!

Maria Wolff (CarovnaMaruska): First of all, I would like to thank you, Cathy, for inviting me to your blogaversary party. It’s my first time participating in Sims-collaboration-kinda-thing so I’m really excited to be here. I’ve never even traveled through gallery before!

CT: And how did it go? Are you feeling that you’ve got all your pixels back in place?

Maria: Yes, I think so!

Laura: It does always feel weird to travel through the Gallery!

CT: Well, I hope once you feel settled that you’re able to update your Disney Legacy–it’s so much fun to read! And congratulations on completing the first generation! The children are beautiful!

CT: eXoKamikaze! It’s really you! And Sunny! You made it, too!

eXo: Of course it’s me! I’m here to celebrate all these amazing blogs! Each one is a gem in its own right, and I’m so glad that we get to learn more about Sim relationships, skills, and also about each other in the process of reading and writing alongside one another.

CT: I really enjoyed Ninja Pig’s latest adventure, eXo! That ninja writes a yummy travel diary!

Sunny Day: Hey, how’s it going, everybody?

CT: Sunny! You made it! I wasn’t sure you could, since I know you’re super busy right now with the Love Shot 2 Contestant Poll.

Sunny: Did you vote yet?

CT: Um. Not quite yet, but real soon! Today, ok?

Sunny: The poll closes Tuesday, September 22. Noon. Central Time.

CT: Aack! Is that? Could it be? Forgive me for a moment while I fangirl! Squee!

ShannonSimsFan: Did you just notice Sean Parodi, Cathy?

CT: Yes! The famous Seraphaeli! The writer of the TS3 ISBI that I absolutely live for!

Sean: Ah, please! You’re making me blush!

CT: Shannon, are you having fun here with all these amazing writers and readers? And it’s your TS4 blogaversary, too! I hope you’re coming to the party!

ShannonSimsFan: Oh, I wouldn’t miss it, CT! And yes, I’m having a great time. To have the opportunity to get to know each of you through your blogs, your comments, your sims, and your creative gifts, and now through enjoying time together is such a privilege.

CT: Shannon, I know! I’m totally tripping out on gratitude right now!

ShannonSimsFan: Me, too, Cathy!

eXo: Munterbacon warned me that you’d be even nuttier in person! But I am really happy to join in with spreading the gratitude!

CT: Hey, Half-Plum! Are you coming to the party?

Marty: Most plummingly!

CT: Good, because we’re celebrating one year of “The Willow’s Way.”

CT: Jes! Hey, you’ve got your tablet, I see!

Jes2G: Yeah, I was just catching up on Rosey and SummerFalls‘ latest posts.

CT: Oh, I need to catch up on SummerFalls! And I’m a secret fan of Rosey’s new evil Damion!

CT: Gosh, Rachel. I’m just so happy that you’re here. It’s great to meet you in the SimSelf.

RachelRosebud: You, too, Cathy!

CT: Remember a year ago when we were just getting started? Oh, man! I couldn’t believe “Gather Ye Rosebuds” when I first came across it. It is just so good! Back then, I had no idea how many talented SimLit writers there are. Now, it seems like we’ve got a new blog to read everytime we turn around!

RachelRosebud: Back in September 2014, it was all about Scarlet Firecracker. I posted my favorite screenshots and observations as I learned the game, but all on the forum. The more I played, the more I fell in love with other Sims, and my neighbor rotation could no longer live on the forums. I decided to start a blog to share my experiences. I’m so glad I did because I not only got to organize my game, thoughts, and story, I got to meet a lot of great Simmers just like me!

CT: And you gave us so many happy hours of reading, too! Jes, I can’t even believe that the Pruetts just got started last year! I can’t imagine a world without them! They don’t even seem like Sims to me–they seem like fleshies!

Jes2G: By the time I started Pruett Family Legacy, I had been blogging for ten years so it wasn’t a foreign concept to me. But, of course, I never really had to think about graphics that much, so I didn’t consider how big the screenshots come natively from the game. I ran out of storage space in WordPress in like six or seven months!

Jes2G: I learned so much this past year. I finally saw that when I am truly passionate about something, I can and will stick with it.

CT: I learned that, too! I never thought a year ago that I would have written around a thousand words nearly every single day for an entire year! I have no idea how I even found the time, but somehow, like magic, the time was just there! I think I learned that when I’m really passionate about something, time stretches to make room for it!

RachelRosebud: I’m thankful for the community that’s grown up around our Sims and our stories. I think we have something very special here, built not just on our shared love of the game, but on mutual friendships of creative hearts.

CT: Speaking of community, I’d better head out! I’ve got more SimSelves to meet and invite over! So, I’ll see you at the open house! Wear your dancing shoes and bring your appetite for ice cream and cupcakes!