Discussion: Reflections on Maxis Sim Shipping

[strangetomato]

I think the thing that really stands out for me now that I'm seriously considering my Maxis character shipping preferences is how I do not see either Dirk/Lilith or Angela/Dustin working out in the end. I never really have. Well, actually, I did have an early notion, when I first started to sim in Pleasantview, that Angela WOULD marry Dustin and live a terribly dissatisfying life of semi-poverty (Broke-style), with a criminal husband and a yard full of scary domerman pincers. (Have I mentioned my active imagination? This was way before I had any concept of sim storytelling for others. Just myself.) But now I just see Angela moving on to greener pastures, leaving Dustin to find someone else (Ginger Newson being my favourite contender at this point, given her parallel to Brandi, which is a life he knows all too well.)

I can't ever stop seeing Dirk eventually cheating on Lilith with Angela, causing a huge rift there. In my game, he always, always cheats on her, in fact. Usually with Angela, but sometimes with someone else, and often without any input from me. I don't know if he ends up with Angela, or if he eventually reconciles with Lilith, but somehow that HAS to happen for me. Lilith is all over the place for me. She nearly always gets tangled up with Don Lothario at some point in my game (*lowers voice* sometimes even while still a teen... Oh Don, you're just... yeah), and then I just see her as this amazing free spirit who maybe stays single forever. You know those amazing old ladies who were movie stars or artists or musicians, who were lovers to many famous people over the years (mostly men, but there were some exceptions, if you believe the rumours), but always stayed true to themselves and didn't settle down? Yeah, that's how I see Lilith Pleasant.

Also, Tara Kat/Chester Gieke is the nerdiest couple EVER, by far. Geeky nerds trump bookish nerds any day of the week. (That's one of mine, by the way, from my uberhood. The red hair is a bonus, but they also remind me of my cousin and her husband in an uncanny way, right down to the cat lady-ness and the too geeky/socially awkward to live hardcore videogame geek factors. I am so sold on that pairing. I've seen its proven results in RL, people! XD)

So, I'm opening the floor to other shipping chit-chat here. Please try not engage in any full-on shipping brawls, but if you feel the need to pen an impromptu shipping manifesto, then who are we to stop you? :D Go on and share your insights, amusing pairing stories from your game, and so on.

Comments

[skellington7d.livejournal.com]

I like to have Angela fulfill her dream of being a seaboat captain and hook up with a hot Twikki island native. Tybalt/Mercutio are interesting but extremely hard to do. With the help of ACR I literally had a slap slap kiss thing going on. They end up in a poly relationship with Delilah, who helped mellow them out. I always make Alexander gay and hook up with a literal goth. Either a resurrected Fricorith or that Tricou lovechild downtownie(though he grows up into a potato-face.) And my Mary Sue secretly has a vampire fetish on which ends up making her a lot cooler in Lilith's eyes.

I've pretty much fallen in love with Dina Caliente. I know Maxis just wanted us to think of her as an evil gold digger who got rid of Bella with an evil plan, but they made some mistakes with that. For one think, Michael Bachelor wasn't a rich sim, so she either loved him or really sucks at gold digging. OR she's a victim of child grooming, I mean he was her best friend who gave her her first kiss as a teen, even though he's like thirty years older than her. (I'm actually working on a story to make their love story less squickier. There's so many inconsistencies with Michael Bachelor and his age I decided to pick and choose.) Also her torrid affair with Don Lothario never went below the neck or even to the make out stage.

However, if I want to play an evil Dina, then she's OBSESSED with Bella Goth in every way possible, so first she marries the brother and then eventually decides she wants to BE Bella, hence the abduction thing. Either way, she always helps fund Brandi's pastry business, showing she's not all bad.

[themorganlegacy.livejournal.com]

Whoa, the wanting to be Bella angle is blowing my mind a little bit. I'd never looked at the situation that way, but if someone wrote something along those lines I'd read the hell out of it.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Have you read my Mirror, Mirror short? It has some elements of Dina wanted to be Bella in it.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Have you read this Mirror, Mirror short I wrote a while back? I think there are some similarities between our takes on Dina (well, some parts of mine and maybe both of yours?).

I tend not to put too much stock in the Maxis memories for details like that. In that case, I might assume that they messed up with the "married a rich sim" memory, but it's also a good opportunity to work on another reason... my own Dina's motives are far from that simple.

I think the game set-up means for Dina and Don's affair to be a new thing. I think it's her they prompt you to phone up at the start of the game, if I recall correctly.

I love all of your ideas here, by the way. Your game must be tonnes of fun!

[skellington7d.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think I actually discovered your journal around the time it was first posted! I especially loved your take on Flamenco's sunglasses!

The maxis sims ages and memories are so messed up. Like how can Cassandra only be 12 years older than Alexander if she's like 30 and he's a little kid? And I have to laugh at how the wiki's explanation for every single error is "Elixir of Life." It's like a drinking game at this point.

The story I'm working on is a prequel taking place between TS1 and TS2. Dina's not evil in this one (in fact, she's pretty much a jerkass woobie) but I'm going to provide the setup that she could still be pushed to become so by the time of Bella disappearance.

[aledstrange.livejournal.com]

I always make Alexander gay and hook up with a literal goth. Either a resurrected Fricorith or that Tricou lovechild downtownie
I was really surprised to see someone else nominating Alex/Fricorith. They are just so emo together! XD I totally <3 them!