IllusoryThrall's Sims 4 Hub
- Challenges, Tips & Stories
I started this WordPress Blog back in 2012. At the beginning, I assure you, I had no idea what I was starting. I posted a few things… but it wasn’t for several years that my blogging really took off. I dabbled in a few Sims 3 stories (which are still accessible on this site – just check my retired & completed simlit section). By August 2016, however, I was well and truly hooked on blogging, although at that point, I was still waffling between Sims 3 and 4. The waffling didn’t take too much more time, though, before I was thoroughly addicted to Sims 4. Once I hit this point, I’ve never gone back. I still had (and have) periods of writer’s block and inactivity, but I always come back.
Sometime in 2023, this blog really tripled in traffic. And it did so on a very consistent basis. Which made me really start seriously considering the thoughts and ideas for it that I’d had in the back of my head for YEARS. The host I was on prior to this one, wordpress.com .. was great. It was cheap, it was reliable, and it was easy to use. However, the amount of customization and control I had over the website design and add-ons was, well.. very very low. And even if I doubled the cost of the plan I was on, it was going to remain virtually the same…. which is exactly the opposite of what this growing blog needed. With my challenges gaining in popularity, and my livestreaming, I really wanted to be able to upgrade the graphics, layout, and things that the website offered… By October, it was clear my blog was getting 25,000 to 30,000 hits per month on a very stable basis – so when I noticed that my two year subscription to wrodpress.com was ready to renew on the 26th, I decided, spur-of-the-moment, that there wasn’t going to be a better time to upgrade. So I immediately started looking for a way to pay for a new webhost, and researching where I wanted to go, as well as finding out exactly what upgrades I wanted and needed for the site. Originally, I was going to do a fund-raising stream for the money, but a very lovely friend of mine kindly donated the full amount I needed to pay for the next THREE YEARS of hosting. When that’s almost up, I will certainly be looking for ways to raise the money for the next web-hosting fee, but that’s a problem for future me. (If you’re interested in helping to support this site and my streaming, check out my Support Me page. 100% of donations will go to the website and my streaming.)
All that being said, I do try to be pretty transparent on the effort that goes into this website – the background work, the time for upgrading, the work involved in moving the site, as well as what it takes to keep my challenges updated. I’m also in a long process of adding a knowledge database to this website to share the Sims 4 knowledge I’ve accrued over the years (expect that to start happening by January 2024 – I do have a few other major things on my list before I start devoting a ton of time into the toolsnlinks section, but it’s coming.) This transparency led to the need to have a page devoted to collecting the posts about website news and information…. so that’s where this page comes in. Obviously, there’s no real reason to go back to the news I was posting at the very beginning of the website, but it’s there buried in the archives if you’re ever curious!
Just jotting down a quick note to say I’ve finally finished the rest of the Timeline Adventure Challenge. Hours and hours of work finally published. I, obviously, still have a ton of testing to do, and things could conceivably change, but the rules are complete enough to publish. All links should be accurate, if you find a broken one, please let me know!
I’ve also updated the rotation schedule on the home page, although I’m still deciding how to combine it with streaming, I’ve decided to take things in smaller doses. Only one “story-blogged” challenge at a time, and only two “commentary-style” challenges with it. There is also a good chance I will be starting a couple of new challenges, eventually, as well. My existing challenges will all get updates before that time, though.
Continue reading →I’m currently working to finish my Timeline Adventure ruleset, and the next five generations have been published as of tonight. I should hopefully get some more done in the next week or so – I have all the rest of the generations in rough draft form, but they still need editing before they go “live”. It’s a lot of work, and obviously, I’m still very early on in testing, so things could change in the rules. (I’m getting ready to start Gen 3 for the second time. Rule changes and unhappiness with the family I had made me restart.) I’ve been putting quite a bit of my free time into these rules lately, and I’m feeling very inspired to start playing – so tomorrow I will be switching from my Not So Berry to my Timeline Adventure on stream for a while. I figure I had better work on it while I’m inspired because I’ve been dreading re-playing this generation. Anyway. That’s today’s public service announcement. Hope it finds you having a great day or night! <3
Continue reading →I have updated the main page with my Twitch streaming info, also adding a page with my current schedule linked from the above page menu. Also, at the right side of the page, I linked my twitter, twitch, and my Discord server. Yes, you read that right, I have a Discord server. I’m just getting it started, but it’ll hopefully become the go-to space to discuss my challenges as well as a hangout spot for those in my twitch or blog community. I look forward to chatting with any of you who join!
You may have noticed that I also deleted the link to the Townie Rotation – Whether it’s permanently tabled or in revision I don’t know, but I simply don’t have any current plans to go back to it, no matter how much work I put into it – I still wasn’t having any fun, so It’s gone. If you want to look at the info for it, there is a link to it on the Home page (linked above).
Now onto a different sort of update. I finally finished updating the Master Simmer Challenge, and the rules, goal sets, and cheat sheet all reflect that. I know quite a number of people have been waiting on this update, and I apologize for how long it’s taken me. There’s been a ton of stuff going on IRL, and coming up with extra energy and time for working on it has been tough.
Some of you know that I’m working on the Timeline Adventure Challenge (which I am still working on – expect the rest of the rules to be published in the next few weeks), but something I have only mentioned to a select few is that I have two other modified challenges I have been working on. One is a “hard mode” for the Decades Challenge, while the other takes the Not So Berry Challenge and updates and extends it into many more generations. I am specifically trying to stay with the original spirit of both challenges. At this time, both are on Google Docs, and they’re both linked from the Home page. (also here: Hard Mode Decades Challenge and All Packs Updated & Extended Not So Berry Challenge.)
Lastly, I want to update all my blog fans on what’s going on. I’ve been streaming on Twitch lately, which I have found is a lot of fun, and has some very nice side effects of increasing my self-confidence and decreasing my social anxiety. However, getting my channel going is going to take a lot of time, and I’m streaming at least 4-5 hours a day 6 days a week.. which leaves very little time for playing Sims on the side for updating my blog challenges. Also, I’ve picked up another MMO that I play once a week on camera, and quite often in the evenings off screen – which takes up even more time. I’ve been struggling to find a way to combine or compromise between all of this without making either my blog or streaming suffer too much, and unfortunately, it seems to be the blog that is suffering the most. I do want to get back to my other challenges (especially the stories), but it’s not going to happen right away. The five that are full blown stories (Tangled Yarn, Broomstick Files, Tails of Sulani, Foreshadowed Sunset, and Island Spirits) will never be played on livestream. I honestly can’t figure out a way to take as many pictures as are necessary for it, and put the actual story together while dealing with all that goes with being on a livestream, and I’m just not going to do it. However, the rest of the challenges, including the three that are “exclusive” to my stream (a Not So Berry, a hard mode Decades, and a Timeline Adventure Challenge that is replacing the now-retired Plumbobbing challenge) could possibly be worked on while on stream. At least the play part of it and the picture taking. The blog posts I would put together off screen. I am still working on how and when to include them – but they’re not abandoned forever. I promise. Meanwhile, check out my Twitch channel, the new challenge rules, the updated Master Simmer, and join my Discord for more updates. I’m also trying to post updates on my Twitter, so there’s that, as well. Hope to see and or talk to you guys more soon!
Continue reading →Just wanted to post a quick Season’s Greetings to everyone, and a small update on what’s been going on. I hope this message finds you happy, healthy, and cozy at home (or wherever you are)! Things are going pretty well, insurance has finally come through both on my new sleep meds, and on my son’s MRI for his shoulder injury from the car accident. I’m doing fabulous on the new meds, and we’re waiting for the results of son’s MRI. Currently, if nothing changes, his “return to activity and work” date is February 1st, so that will be the earliest that things will start getting back to normal. As soon as things calm down, I’ll be returning to both simming and streaming full time. And on the streaming note: I have GREAT news. On December 23rd (my hubby’s birthday), I got accepted as an Affiliate on Twitch (http://twitch.tv/illusorythrall) thanks to some very generous friends, and I already have gotten my first three subscriptions. I think it’s the first 10 people that get founder’s badges, so if you want one, you’ll want to get in pretty quick. My first stream as affiliate will be on my birthday, December 28, at 12PM (noon) EST, and run for four hours until 4PM. Then the Advent Manor tours will be as scheduled on January 1st at 4PM EST, and will go through all submissions as well as my build of the challenge, then get back into some Not So Berry Challenge or building the next shell challenge. For updates, watch this blog or follow me on twitter (which I’ve finally started remembering to use) at https://twitter.com/IllusoryThrall. Meantime, again, Happy Holidays to everyone! Have a safe and happy end of the year with much love from me!
Continue reading →I’m still around, and I will be back to doing stuff soon, I hope. The last couple months I’ve been putting a lot of time and energy into getting my twitch stream going, only to have the whole thing derailed because my son needs me. On November 11, he was in a middle of the night car wreck, and his dominant shoulder was badly dislocated, leaving him unable to do a whole lot for himself for an absolute minimum of six weeks. My husband and I have been spending a lot of time over at his apartment, keeping his spirits up and helping him out. Which explains where I’ve been. – and for that matter, where I will be for the next three weeks-ish. As soon as I can, I will be getting back to full-time streaming on my twitch channel, https://www.twitch.tv/illusorythrall, as well as working in some time on my blogged challenges here. If you’ve been observant, you’ve noticed that my header graphic has changed, as well as my avatar on my socials. Shortly before the accident, my son had finally finished my signature graphic, and I am high-key in love with it.
The character on my shoulder is based on my first tattoo, and the plumbob I’m holding is based on my second. The puppy paw on the shirt is from a tattoo I had done for a rescue animal charity drive, and I love it. I would link my son’s socials so anyone interested in similar art for them could contact him, but I will wait until he is actually able to draw again. (With the shoulder injury, he can’t even think of picking up a pencil or stylus, unfortunately!)
On other notes, I have unearthed my Twitter account, https://twitter.com/IllusoryThrall and I post whenever I have time to go live on twitch there. It’s also linked in to this blog, and I’m going to try to remember to post there more often. The other way to get in contact with me, and/or see what’s going on is my discord. https://discord.gg/XweHZmQKVX – I’m still in the process of setting it up, but please feel free to join and say hi! (And let me know if the link doesn’t work. I think it should, but I’m not 100% on that.) I will also start posting updates to my challenge rules on that discord, and will respond to questions there. Obviously, things will probably not get really going until this whole car accident injury thing goes away and son is able to get back to all the things he loves doing. I’m hoping it’ll be around the beginning of January that I will be able to start posting regularly again, but I will definitely announce on twitter, here, and discord when my twitter schedule re-starts and I can start posting here again, too.
Hope this note finds everyone else doing well, and please be patient with me, I will be coming back, but family most definitely comes first for me!
Continue reading →I apologize that I haven’t been doing a whole lot of posting lately – I recently went through a phase where I really just only wanted to play the game. I now have a bunch of screenshots saved up for future posts. Then, this last week I’ve spent a LOT of time working on my newest challenge rules that I’ve dubbed the Timeline Adventure Challenge. It’s a story-based generational challenge that will take you through history from the Stone Age into the future. It is not for the faint of heart, as it spans 30 generations with a “bonus” ending generation. I’ve done a massive amount of historical research on it, and it’s really been fun. If you’re interested, I have the pre-tested rules up through Gen 4, and have posted through Gen 15, including the overall challenge rules and set-up. They’ve also been added to the above site menu under the Challenge Rules heading. The second half of the challenge is fully mapped out in a spreadsheet and in process as the writing goes, but not quite ready to publish yet. I am also going to be publishing and linking historical-themed, play-ready, non-CC builds for the non-builders who want to play this challenge. You can find them in green boxes on the Generation pages after each generation’s rules and goals. At this time, I have builds uploaded and linked through Gen 4, but more will be coming as I continue my test playthrough(s). Obviously, these rules are subject to some change with testing still going on, but all the pages should be completely proof-read and ready to play. With all that being said, here’s the basic outline of the challenge:
I also am going to be re-starting my test save for the challenge, and (hopefully) recording it to post in video form. Don’t worry, I won’t be abandoning this blog, all the stories will continue to be updated on here, I just want to give streaming/recording a try with this one challenge. Provided, of course, I can get past the social anxiety and nerves to actually record some episodes. If/when I get things going, I will definitely be linking stuff for those who may want to watch.
Since I haven’t done a huge amount of posting this month, I’ve 100% decided to extend the monthly rotation I’m currently on for another month, because I feel like I’ve totally not done the rotation justice. So, expect more posts from my history challenge, baby boom challenge, board game challenge, and diversity experiment next month. I’ve also made some decisions on my Townie Rotation (namely, that it will be coming off hiatus in the near future, and I will be changing the aging on the file to be “short” instead of “normal”). I will definitely get back to my Decades challenge saves and the next rotation in November!
ALSO: In case you missed it, I have recently finished writing a CAS and Build challenge I called the #100DayCreativity Challenge. There’s no real game-play involved in the challenge, just building and creating themes to match the list of 100 different themes – so it’s a good challenge to practice your CAS and Build mode skills. Sorry that I haven’t mentioned it previously on my blog – originally I had intended to announce it when I started posting pictures of my run-through of the challenge, but it didn’t work out that way. My “Day 1” build used some doors and windows that are currently bugged in the Sims 4 game, so I couldn’t really take pictures to show it off. I have since uploaded a second version of the build with working (but not as cool-looking) windows and doors, and I should be posting some pictures of that in the next day or two. I’ve published the challenge to the Sims forums, and have been incredibly pleased to see several people who are playing along and uploading their builds and created sims to the gallery using the hashtag. It’s also linked in the site menus above under “Challenge Rules”, so it’s easy to find.
Continue reading →I realize I’m about a week late posting this, but things have been crazy for me the last few weeks. Towards the end of August I decided to make a change to my proposed rotation schedule, mostly just moving challenges around to make room for playing my Decades saves on a one-month-on / one-month-off rotation. So, officially, Decades is on break until November. Which is sad, but there’s other fun stuff coming “off the shelf” to replace it!
On the schedule (the full schedule as it is now can be seen on my home page, link at the top left of the screen) for September:
First thing I want to say: July was a stellar month for me. I ended up being the only Simnano Participant to get the “Plus” medal for topping 50,000 words for the month.
With that being said – I really had a blast doing it. I had a goals spreadsheet that I used to track my progress throughout July… and I’ve already created a second sheet in that spreadsheet to track for August. I’m not completely insane, I’m not going for 50k words again… but I am hoping to get over 30k – so I’m at least partially insane. *wink*
With the way my new rotation plans are (see my “home” page – which is linked in the above menu – for full info on this) the stories I was working on through July are now put “on the shelf” until November, and I’m pulling out some new ones. Here’s what’s to come on my blog for the month of August:
So… that’s what’s on the plan. I may also do some work on my Exploring History Challenge, but we’ll see if time permits on that one.
Continue reading →As the title states, my Master Simmer Challenge has now been updated to be compatible with all expansion packs, including Eco Lifestyle. I’ve also been informed that, even with the 80 goal sets, it is still mathematically possible to complete the challenge in 26 generations. I just wouldn’t recommend it, as it would be an extremely difficult challenge. Anyone who does complete it, let me know, I’d love to hear about it! I also have updated the cheat sheet page with all the new additions to the game. Enjoy!
Anyway, here are the three new Goal Sets added:
Get to Max Level (10) in the Civic Planner (Civil Designer) Career
Rally Voters 10 times
Draft 15 Municipal Concepts
Have 4 active Neighborhood Action Plans in your neighborhood
Turn a Community Space into a Marketplace (will need a Community Space in your neighborhood to do this, it can be placed there even if you’re not in Evergreen Harbor)
Max the Logic Skill
Get to Max Level (10) in the Green Technician (Civil Designer) Career
Turn a Community Space into a Community Garden (will need a Community Space in your neighborhood to do this, it can be placed there even if you’re not in Evergreen Harbor)
Farm at least one type of insect at a bug hotel and use it for BioFuel
Set up an upgraded vertical garden with at least one “Cruelty-Free Meat Wall” somewhere on your lot.
Draft and Submit 10 Eco-Invention Concepts
Unlock the Smog Vacuum Fabrication recipe via submitting Eco-Invention Concepts
Produce enough power and water on your lot that you can sell or store the surplus
Own at least one toilet converted to a Compost Container
Max the Logic Skill
Turn a Community Space into a Maker Space (will need a Community Space in your neighborhood to do this, it can be placed there even if you’re not in Evergreen Harbor)
Get Bits and Pieces via Dumpster Diving
Max the Fabrication Skill (10)
Make all the different types of Emotional Aura Candles at the Candle Making Station and display somewhere on your lot
Unlock at least 5 secret fabrication recipes through social interactions
Max the Juice Fizzing Skill (5)
Send off at least one of all 8 different emotional juices for Fizz Enthusiast evaluation
Get the Mark of the Maker Plaque by maxing out the job performance meter as a Freelance Crafter
I’m so very excited to be posting this, and I wish it was already tomorrow. Why? Because tomorrow starts the July SimNaNo Event at the boolprop forums. And.. not only am I entered, but I’m hoping to get to the highest medal goal – 50,000 words! Yes, I am more than a little bit crazy, but I looked at my initial goals and realized I was only about 11k shy of that top medal, and I had another story that I figured could get me there.. so why not?! (Although I could probably think of a million reasons why not.. but we’ll not go there…)
Here’s how it works: I’ll be posting two posts a day, and aiming to get at least 1600 words a day. I then total up all words posted across all of my challenge posts in July, and hope they add up to 50k. Which challenge stories am I posting? I plan to post 16 chapters of my Ramblers (a drifter challenge) and 15 chapters of my mermaids (Tails of Sulani), alternating days. The second post of each day will rotate between 8 chapters of Foreshadowed Sunset, my vampire story, and then the rest of the chapters will be in a new challenge, that I’ve dubbed “Plumbobbing Through Time.” It’s based on a ruleset that I found, and then modified.. a LOT. I will be posting the rules (at least the first few generations worth) July 2nd, and introducing the challenge then. The posts for that challenge will be commentary-style, although I reserve the right to switch to story if I get particularly inspired. It’s mostly for fun, and to test out my rules, hence the not-so-serious title. Anyway, here’s the banner that will show my progress:
I already have all the pictures taken for my vampire story, and I’m very excited to be publishing the story that goes with them.. some really cool stuff. As for the others, I have a few posts saved up as a buffer in case there are days in July that I simply can’t get the inspiration up, but for the most part, I’ll be playing and posting on a daily basis. I did this event last year, as well, and managed to get over 31,000 words then, so this will be a rather large jump up. It was a ton of fun, though, and I highly recommend trying it out if your SimLit writing needs a good kick in the rear. (Which mine definitely does!)
Oh, and one final note. This month will also be a testing-ground for a new story rotation plan I have – I will be picking four challenges per month to rotate, which should allow me time to actually connect with each challenge instead of having so long between each post. It does mean that whichever story is your favorite will only have one month of being posted per every four – but I think it’s better than being once every couple of weeks, if that. The whole idea is to try to avoid the major burn out I’ve been having because I’m not playing each save enough to get really interested in it. If you’re interested in the exact rotation of challenges, check out my home page (linked at the far left at the top of this page). The rotation listed there may eventually change, but it’ll do for now.
Anyway, see you tomorrow for Ramblers and Foreshadowed Sunset, and Wish me luck!
Continue reading → 
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Chapter One – Starting Anew
November 2025 Dev DiarySuperSweetBot Commands for Mods & BroadcastersOctober 2025 Dev DiaryProgress Report!Hacking Situation ResolvedHey all…
Welcome to my new webhost!!
Progress Report on Not So Berry & TimelineExtended Not So Berry 2.0 is coming!!
OMG A Thrall Post?? What?Not So Berry Updating
Jaynie’s Gems: By-The-NumberToday
