Lately, I've been thinking about how much I love gaming. Watching gameplay or playing a variety of video games is a fun little outlet. You'd witness me geek out about the latest horror games, beautiful virtual reality experiences, action and adventure playthroughs... At the moment, though, I have the popular game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) on the mind. That publisher was the birthplace of one of my favorites: The Sims series! EA and I go way back. I've had the most interesting, most funny experiences with the life simulation series over the years.

From the first, almost arcade-like installment to the current impeccably rendered 4th game, the series has gotten more and more immersive ever since. All of them have been fun and addictive, but so far I've been so in love with the Sims 4.

Since I love the game and my love for creative writing grows within me each day, I decided I'd do something that combines the two things. I did a fictional Sims 4 journal. What you'll see below is like a page out of a journal with a scrapbook sort of feel.

Why? I just wanted to one day.

Note that I actually did the following little fictional Sims 4 journal earlier this year as a simple writing exercise. As you'll notice, the first picture has a URL at the bottom. Unfortunately, it's no longer active. My plans had changed as far as continuing with this writing exercise as a regularly updated fictional journal, but--hey...Plans to continue could happen again but at a later time. So, here it is!

AJ…

Who are you?

My answer to you — A young adult going into (or already in) a quarter life-crisis, if I’m not mistaken. I’m a youngin’ in Willow Creek, born and raised here, and just really unsure what to do with my life. Become a student again, run away to San Myshuno to be a model? Eh, I don’t know yet. Just seems like time is ticking by so fast.

Yearbook pic, circa 2007 (no more pink hair for me):

Here’s my little fam:

I’m still here in Willow Creek with them. My dad’s Alphonse, and my mom’s Glenda. Love ‘em very much.

They’ve always pushed me to never get complacent. I’m afraid I’ve done that and now I’m not exactly sure what I have to show for all my years of being the one to play it safe all the time. If I had taken some risks in my life, I would have written that novel I always wanted to write, or I’d have talked to that scrumptious man from the coffee shop. I let fear of rejection get in the way a lot. Like A LOT, a lot.

I once wondered why my life just felt so…negative. I felt like a good person, but no matter what, something was always wrong with the way I’ve lived my life. I gave one too many people the power to bother me with unfair or just downright rude words. I’ll give you a few examples…One situation involves a considerable amount of yelling, and me inside the sweaty interior of terribly-made bear costumes.

Here’s me, at my last child's birthday gig. I’ve been Belinda HoneyBear, entertaining youth in Willow Creek for the last 6 years. I’m pretty much done. I quit yesterday, by the way.:



…Yeah; This is before I got beat up by those bad little kids. Got blamed for it somehow by the parents. I didn’t sign up for all that.)

The negativity keeps coming from different areas of my everyday life…not just from my job.

“If you don’t know how to handle stuff by now, then you’ll never get it.”

“Is there something wrong with you?”

“Help me help you to think.”

Just some examples.

Sometimes criticisms leave me in tears, and sometimes they don’t. It depends and…

Really, I can’t lie…I was feeling inadequate in many areas.

I’ve always been the recipient of the wisest words from my parents. They remind me that if I don’t like the way something is going in my life, to not just wallow in pity or anger. Channel the energy to changing my attitude, and create exactly I want or aspire towards.

I’ll figure out what I want, and stuff, but…

What if I were to…maybe…recreate myself? Or would that be weird? Actually, let me stop—I’m falling back into that anti-assured mindset. Who cares if it’s weird to anyone else? It’s not weird to me to step out of my bubble, run clear of the comfort zone, and set off to try new things and win. It’s not weird to want to win, right?