SimStories@equinoxx.net

So, apparently, it’s been a year since I last posted anything here, although folks have been by and left comments as recently as a month ago. What have I been up to, you’re probably not asking yourself. Well, it’s like this…

You may recall that in my last post, a whole honkin’ year ago, I mentioned some of the factors that led to my taking some time off from “The Experiment.” Well, that relationship… didn’t work out, sorry to say. Life, it continued apace. But the thing that most directly affected TPvX was that my computer suffered a massive meltdown from which I was unable to recover. I ended up buying a new(ish) system to replace it, and to date, I haven’t even installed TS2 (or anything Sim-related) on this machine. Meantime, I’ve been dabbling in machinima, first through “The Movies,” and currently with Moviestorm.

Anyway, that’s pretty much where my head is at for the moment. Will The Pleasantview Experiment return? In the immortal words of the Magic 8-Ball®… “Cannot predict now.”

First, let me acknowledge and express my gratitude for the kind things folks have had to say about The Pleasantview Experiment. Thank you very much. Your responses are deeply appreciated.

Now… some of you may have noticed that there hasn’t been a whole heck of a lot of activity on the PVX front in a while. I’ve been meaning to address this for some time, but never got around to it. However, after the very nice email I received from a reader at the Hullabaloo, expressing enjoyment of my storyline, eagerness for its continuation and curiosity over its status, I realize it’s time to get off the dime and speak.

Point one: let’s get it out in the open right now… the Experiment is not over. I’m not done with these characters (and I’m fairly certain they’re not done with me).

So what’s taking so long? Well, there are a number of factors, really, which in aggregate, can simply be termed “life.” Among the highlights: I’ve been settling into a new relationship, which has occupied quite a bit of my attention as you might imagine. Also, the machine on which I compose the chapters of the Experiment has been engaged in beta-testing Windows Vista.

Still, I suppose the biggest factor has to be my admittedly cyclical attention span: I got… well, bored, I guess… and needed to step away for a while. I didn’t expect it to be for as long as it’s been, but the Vista beta and a couple of other shiny gew-gaws (notably, the Stunts & Effects expansion for The Movies) attracted my attention, and have held onto it for a bit.

So, the bottom line is, the Experiment WILL continue (you can pretty much rest assured of that, as the S.O. is a fan as well, and she keeps asking when I’ll pick it up again)… I’m just not sure when. Hopefully, when I get back to it, those of you who’ve enjoyed it will still be around.

Thanks.

(Yeah, it’s another outtake post. I like outtakes.)

So, in the midst of day-to-day life, Dustin Broke became close with new girl in town Jodi Bradford (more details about this to unfold soon). One evening, on the Brokes’ front porch, Jodi grew bold, and stole her very first kiss from Dustin. Almost immediately, Dustin’s little brother Beau came out onto the porch. The sequence went something like this:

In actuality, Beau came out to ask Dustin to read to him… but I like my version better.

Just wanted to make an appearance to reassure you that The Pleasantview Experiment hasn’t had its funding pulled or anything like that. There’s more on the way.

Like many Hollywood productions, PVX shoots out-of-sequence (translation: I get bored, and hop around to play other lots for a while). And from time to time, there are unexpected happenings on set. That’s right: it’s time for another round of outtakes. This batch is from a storyline that’s not scheduled to debut for another two or three chapters, at least… so look on it as a little preview. 

Continued...

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