#thanks everyone for enjoying the sims it's been super fun to see the likes they got so thank you 😁

[moonfromearth]

- ...

Day 12 - The Killer "Iconic. The bringer of doom. It gives them pleasure to pick of the cast, reveling in their own cat and mouse game. No matter their backstory, it always leads to slaughter in the end."

from @windbrook's Slashed Challenge.

[igotsnothing]

Simblr Gratitude Day

Ok, ok- I was stuck at work until late today and didn't see this outpouring of awesomeness early enough.

Thank you, @simstrashkingdom, @lynzishell, @thebramblewood, @stargazer-sims and @maxfaiden, for remembering me and tagging me! It was honestly such a sweet surprise to find! It's really special- I hope you know that! And, of course: right back at you! ❤️

It may be a small thing, but I am truly grateful for all the kind support I've found here. "I love my moots" is a tag I use often and honestly. I joined Simblr at the end of March not really knowing what to expect. I appreciate all the friends I've met and the interactions I've had with so many talented people!

I tend to ramble, so I'll try to get to the point: every comment, DM, reblog, and "like" makes my day and makes me so happy. I want to especially show love and appreciation to the following people, who make my Simblr such a good place to hang out in:

@alinelie- My simblr birthday buddy! I love her ocs, her aesthetic, her ability to convey so much through her images! @damseljamsel, who is genuine- I mentioned feeling out of sorts once and she was right there, with kind words, offering an ear, and cheering me up. She also puts up with my completely out-of-control comments about her awesome stories. You're a good person, Damsel! STAY GOLD, PONYBOY! @agena87- an early moot who is super creative and has been learning and growing and sharing so many amazing images! They're also super cool and supportive! And there's @crabbeychick, who is sweet and generous with her comments and goes along with my wackiness (and drives our getaway car and feeds me snacks to keep me happy quiet). I hope that in 2024, you'll feel ready to share more about your OCs- I really enjoyed the little bit you let us glimpse! @akitasimblr is such a treasure- generous, so talented and fun- and Alexander Burns better find a way into Nat's family! 😆 @simarcana hasn't been around as much, but I hope they know how much their encouragement meant to me when I started posting here! They're funny and cool and their edits and ocs are everyone's favorites, with good reason!

I also want to send a virtual hug (or nod- whichever is more comfortable!) to these simblrs- some older friends, some newer- who always, always make me happy when I see them here: @silentsundown, @lynxsimago, @merrymomo, @eljeebee, @izayoichan, @smok3inm1rrors, @aheathen-conceivably, @theosconfessions, @aurorangen, @nata1997, @lilamausmaus @moonfromearth

And because this is about gratitude, I want to let the following super talented, big-league player simblrs know that they are so inspiring and bring so much heart and beauty to this game and community! @rebouks, @cinamun, @pralinesims, @lilis-palace, @strangestorytellersims, @arcanewonder, @panterabsims

...And I will never miss an opportunity to brag and gush about @greighish/@maxfaiden. I don't want to overdo it and bug you again, but I mean it from the heart when I say that you and your friendship are the best, most unexpected gifts I received when I joined Tumblr. I'm looking forward to sharing more books and music and marvelous and whimsical ephemera with you in the year to come! Thank you for always making me feel seen and welcome. *Bows* (*Immediately loses balance and topples to the side*)

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Howdy! First off, I wanna start by saying you're awesome for doing matchups, and for free no less. It's so rare to find someone enthusiastically doing something like this. So, thank you; I hope you're having a great time doing these :)

With that said, I'd love an X-men matchup!

I'm 18, they/he, and aroace. (The aroace thing makes dating difficult, obviously, but I thought it'd be important to include it!) I'm 5'5, brown hair+eyes and glasses, with pale skin. It's a bit hard to tell my gender, lol; I'm androgynous and lean towards masculine. I'm also American.

My hobbies are writing, reading, art in general, and video games. For my interests, I adore writing, and am going to Uni for creative writing. I'm big into fantasy writing, and my interests reflect that; Final Fantasy XVI and Elden Ring are my favorite games. I also like Minecraft, the Sims 4, and Resident Evil. I draw as a hobby, and I like to draw things I find beautiful. For books, I like Frankenstein, Picture of Dorian Grey, H.P. Lovecraft, and Shakespeare.

I'm fairly into politics and prefer to keep up with the news. I'm a bit radical for my area lol. I have strong convictions, but I'm willing to change my mind on things, and I love to learn.

I've been told I'm a bit odd, to put it lightly. (I don't know how to write this next bit without sounding like I'm gassing myself up lmao-) I have dry humor and I can respond pretty quickly with a joke, so I consider myself witty. I'm big on sarcasm; ironically, with my audhd, it can be hard for me to pick up on others being sarcastic.

I get through social interactions with hopes and prayers, but I've been told I have charisma (???).

Other random things: My favorite flower is forget-me-not; my sense of style is anywhere from frat boy to academic to divorced dad; I'm pretty messy (adhd lol); axolotls are my favorite animal.

I hope I provided enough info! Have a wonderful day, and thank you in advance!! 💞💓💖💗

Hi! I genuinely enjoy doing these matchups! Deep diving into characters, writing headcanons, and coming up with new - and cute - ideas is super fun for me. I love hearing about everyone's preferences and interests as well. I find myself finding things in common with people, which I love, too. :)

It’s honestly so fulfilling to see the ideas I create resonate with others and bring a smile to their faces. Knowing that something I’ve written can brighten someone’s day or give them a little joy makes all the effort worth it. That’s what really motivates me. <3

(Oof sorry for the long thing there XD Thank you so much for your kind words, and I hope that you like your matchup!)

<333333

Enjoy!

Matchup; X-Men

~~~

X-Men;

Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler) (I felt that Kodi Smit-McPhee's Kurt was a pretty perfect fit, in my opinion.) -

You first meet Kurt during your early days at the X-Mansion, when you’re just starting out as a student.

At first, you’re a little unsure of what to expect; being surrounded by so many different mutants can be a bit overwhelming, but Kurt’s presence is calming and comforting.

He’s often found in the library, reading or sketching, which is how you first start talking.

One day, you find yourself seeking quiet in the same corner of the library, flipping through a book.

Kurt, ever the curious soul, notices you and shyly approaches. "Ah, I see you like to read too," He says with a small smile, his thick accent making his words sound almost musical.

You exchange a few words about the book you’re reading, and that’s how it begins.

Kurt is naturally observant and kind, and while it takes a little while for him to open up fully, he starts to recognize you around the mansion.

Over time, the two of you begin to chat more often - about books, about life, about the world outside the mansion.

His thoughtful nature and dry sense of humor draw you in, and soon enough, you're both fast friends.

Kurt is the type of friend who’s always there to cheer you on.

When you’re working on a difficult project or stuck in a creative slump, he’s right by your side with a comforting word or a silly joke to lighten the mood.

You spend a lot of time together in virtual worlds, whether it’s playing 'Minecraft' and building elaborate castles or torturing Sims in pools without ladders in 'Sims 4.'

Kurt enjoys low-pressure hangouts, like reading together (you with your book, him with whatever comic book or fantasy novel he’s into).

He’s content with quiet moments, often curling up with you in a cozy spot while he talks about the latest things that are on his mind.

You two share long discussions about philosophical ideas, personal beliefs, and deep thoughts about life in general - things that he’s genuinely curious about, and that you’re happy to explore with him.

Kurt can tell when you’re going through a tough time or struggling.

He’s incredibly empathetic and will find little ways to make your day easier, like preparing a meal for you after a long writing session or leaving little notes for you with motivational quotes.

Kurt is a very affectionate person. He might surprise you with a random, “I’m so glad I know you,” while giving you a hug (his hugs are legendary, like being enveloped in warmth).

You are a major help to him when he is still learning how to teleport correctly.

You are always there for him if he is feeling upset after a failed teleport, and always there for him when he pulls one off successfully.

Kurt loves to try drawing with you.

He’s not great at it, but he insists on sitting by you and practicing, with the occasional humorous comment about how his drawings "look like they were made by a six-year-old." But even when he’s "bad" at it, he enjoys it just because it’s something you do together.

Kurt shares your love for nature.

There are many hikes and walks you both take together, especially around the beautiful grounds of the X-Mansion or the forests around it.

He loves showing you the best spots for stargazing.

Kurt often does things that make you smile without any big gesture attached.

Maybe it’s a random forget-me-not bouquet he leaves by your desk (he remembers you mentioned them once) or getting you your favorite snack when he’s in the X-Mansion kitchen.

It’s these little thoughtful gestures that make you feel appreciated.

When you’re having a rough day or feeling overwhelmed, Kurt will sit with you and let you vent or talk about whatever is bothering you.

He doesn’t rush you, simply offering a quiet presence while you work through your thoughts. He’s always patient, always understanding.

He might even take you out on a spontaneous trip to a comic book shop or an art gallery because he knows you’ll enjoy it.

Kurt’s the type to leave little notes for you around the mansion, like on your desk, under your pillow, or even on your favorite coffee mug.

He loves hearing about the stories you’re working on. Even if they’re just drafts or ideas, he listens to you speak passionately about your worlds and characters, and will often offer you positive feedback.

He loves sitting with you as you read Frankenstein or The Picture Of Dorian Gray out loud to him.

Kurt would memorize Shakespeare passages and recite them to you to impress you.

If you're ever feeling a bit overwhelmed with your creative writing or schoolwork, Kurt would be there to help you out.

When you need to restock on drawing materials, Kurt would excitedly volunteer to go with you, eager to help pick out things for your art.

He might grab a few extra things, surprising you with new pens or a new sketchbook.

If you ever feel like the world is a bit too much or your ADHD makes things overwhelming, Kurt is there to offer comforting hugs and listen.

Overall, he is just a really compassionate and attentive person, is what I'm trying to say here.

He often reminds you that you are not alone.

Kurt, for a special occasion, bought you an axolotl.

Kurt loves to challenge you to quick, impromptu drawing sessions where you both try to draw the same creature or fantasy scene in just five minutes. It's fun, chaotic, and a little silly, but always ends in laughter.

On lazy nights, Kurt would suggest watching a fantasy movie or a classic film you both enjoy, and he’d bring popcorn.

Kurt would occasionally slip into German when he’s complimenting you.

He might say something like “Du bist wunderschön,” (you’re beautiful), and it always makes you smile, especially when you don't understand it at first, and he explains it with a shy grin.

If you get stuck on a writing prompt, Kurt would suggest going outside for some fresh air, offering to help brainstorm ideas while enjoying a walk.

His strange yet charming way of thinking always helps get your creative juices flowing.

Kurt would occasionally read to you from one of your favorite books, doing his best to get into character with different voices, even if it’s a bit exaggerated.

It would always end with you playfully rolling your eyes, but secretly loving it.

#Cuddles!

[cyandreamz]

YEAH YEAH YEAH 2, 16, 17, 18

and 20 ! i like asking 20 (asks aren't open on your ace attorney sideblog btw)

(Oops maybe side blogs can't accept asks? Oh well I'll just have to answer them on my main blog instead of my ace attorney side blog then :P)

2: a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

Before playing aa4 and aa5 I wasn't sure about hcing Apollo as a trans male and Athena as a woman and austic. But once I finished both characters intro games I've come to adopt these hc's myself as I can see both of them socially transitioning as kids. Plus Athena having super sensitive ears and struggling more with that as a kid is very relatable as that's an austic trait I have (unfortunately it doesn't allow me to hear peoples emotions and just means I can't cope with vaccum cleaners and hand dryers (TT O TT)) so her backstory definitely led me to hc her as austic lol.

16: a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

I think the visual choices for sure. From both Miles and Franziska mimicking Menfred in both design and sprite animations (with Miles doing it more as a rookie and Franziska doing it even more than Rookie Miles), to small details like Phoenix having slightly shorter hair in aa3's flashback case (which I don't think enough people notice and often draw "Feenie" with same hair length, probably because it's that length in every other design, including child design), Ema's adult outfit having references to highschool uniform even in SOJ but doesn't straight up look like a highschool uniform thank goodness, Klavier looking more like his brother at 24 than at 17, and the list can go on and on and on!

17: the thing in canon that everyone loves and that you also love

I think I've seen enough people talk about how much they love this for it to count as an answer :3. The diversity of relationships. I'm all for romantic and/or sexual ships (I am a mulishipper lol) but, I do appreciate that in canon we have so many positive and friendly relationships between siblings, co-workers and friends with no hint of needing to "take things further" because they don't need to! Even with huge age gaps, characters can and will get along as friends! Which in society is seen as strange (at least it's seemed that way to me growing up. I remember in primary school I once got in trouble for having a friend that was "too young" & was told I was weird as a teen for getting along with adults??? So strange).

An example of a fun interaction between characters imo is in case 5-3 is when Athena is talking to Phoenix early on the case (I think before the body was found, can't quite remember sorry) because he clearly see's her as both his young employee, but also as a friend, and Athena both looks up to him, and is also able to joke/jabs about him, like saying she thinks he probably looked scary in college XD

18: a fandom tag that you track

I don't follow tags, I've looked at a few tags and honestly don't enjoy using Tumblr like that. Much prefer to look at the for you and following tabs instead of going there the popular posts in a tag :P

20: your very first fandom!

So even though I've casually observed fandom spaces since I was 12 I never engaged in fandom spaces until my late teens. It's hard to pin point which was my first fandom since my early fandom experiences consisted of jointing a bunch of Facebook groups (which wasn't really fun as only one group didn't have consistent drama and infighting) but I think it's a tie between the Gorillaz fandom (as in the band, been a long time since I've listened to them lol) and The Sims fandom (which I'm still kinda apart of, Sim fans are definitely more chill on Tumblr, but I mostly stick with Sims 2 side of fandom).

thank you for sending this ask ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧ it was a lot of fun answering all the questions

Fandom asks post can be found here!

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 8 Ep. 180: A Bittersweet Birthday

With boxed up cake in tow, the family arrived at the party venue in Newcrest and found their guests already playing inside.

The adults joined a cooperative alien invader defense game while Luigi was excited to battle his cousin with the newest voidcritter he’d been training.

The dads made sure to come over near the end of the match, and under Jack’s expectant gaze Luigi overcame his frustration at the narrow defeat enough to unclench his angry fists and congratulate Hunter on a battle well fought. For such mature sportsmanship a proud Peachy delivered a thank you kiss to both Papa Jack and the birthday boy before the jokesmith headed over to the bar where he had a microphone waiting for him.

---------------------------------------------

Luigi was still far from his dad’s biggest fan when it came to his comedy, but when Peachy had promised to produce a “super fun, video game themed” skit especially for the event Luigi had eventually agreed to let him perform at the party.

The comedian had researched and worked hard to craft good jokes about his son’s favorite hobby, given that he’d rarely done much gaming himself, and in the end the kids seemed to enjoy it. Even Luigi cracked a smile, which made his dad feel more like a superstar than any paying gig ever could.

---------------------------------------------

When the show was over it was finally time for the main birthday event.

Peachy and Jack’s cake took pride of place and the assembled family and friends cheered as Luigi blew out his candles and spun his way into teendom.

The young sim suddenly shot up in height and, although he hadn’t ditched his eczema flareup, showed every sign of his Papa’s good looks.

Luigi was quickly almost bowled over as Papa Jack delivered a big bear hug for his newly big boy. He and Peachy smiled indulgently as Jack babbled happily about the amazing things Luigi’s future held in store, everyone doing their best not to think about Jack soon not being there to see them.

---------------------------------------------

When he was finally released Luigi made a beeline for the bar, which had been taken over by Great Grandpa Don after the bartenders’ shift ended.

He’d learned a lot about fizzy and sweet drinks in the abstract from his relatives in Henford and Chestnut Ridge. The science of brewing drinks sounded like too much work, but Grandpa Don made the practice of pouring those drinks seem glamorous and fun. Now that he was old enough, the expert mixologist was happy to show his great grandson everything about the craft, starting with how to craft Papa Jack’s favorite drink.

---------------------------------------------

Luigi further indulged his Papa that evening at bedtime. He was “clearly” much too old to need tucked in, but when Jack asked to see him off to bed that night, he didn’t even consider saying no to the old ritual that had often helped soothe him to sleep as a child.

As Jack smiled down at his little boy, suddenly looking so big in his tiny single bed, he silently asked the Watcher to go easy on him and help him find success but, even more importantly, happiness. There was no response, but he’d never gotten one before, either.

Finally, Jack walked the short distance across the hall to his own room and drifted off to sleep one final time in his best friends’ arms.

-----------------------------------------

Want To See More? View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[holocene-sims]

15 oc questions!

i was tagged by @stargazer-sims - thank you so much!! ❤️ i've never done one of these tags in a character's voice, so it's fun to get extra practice writing as them 😊

i'll tag:

@dandylion240 @bl-sims-anime @idyllicephemera @elderwisp @nectar-cellar @minty-plumbob @crazykissim @mangosimoothie & anyone else who wants to do it!

ANYWAY i'm doing this for grant! idc if y'all have heard enough about grant, the honor goes to him

are you named after anybody?

my actual legal first name is joseph, which is my grandfather's name! so, uh, somehow yes, i am named after somebody! but i'm 99.9% sure it was out of laziness and not out of love. well, no, i'm 100% sure of that. it's not like my mom has ever respected her parents...but that's a whole different thing, we're not going there.

when was the last time you cried?

i'm a crybaby, come on! i'm known for being very emotional. i mean, sad animal commercials make me weepy. externally weepy. like tears running down my cheeks weepy. but the actual last time i cried? hmm, maybe like a week ago? i don't know if i could tell you why, though. i probably blocked it out of my memory! i'm great at that.

do you have kids?

do, uh, do cats count? because i do have a cat who i love and put sweaters on. sweaters! and he loves it.

do you use sarcasm?

it depends? sarcasm usually feels mean-spirited to me, so i'm not super into it, but then again, that's half the conversations i have with my family. i know in that case, though, that it's all bullshit humor and not serious. anyway, i think what i'm saying in a roundabout way is it depends a lot on context and audience. i don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or be a dick. i like being nice.

what's the first thing you notice about people?

okay, listen, in the most normal and not at all weird way possible, people's hairlines are always what i see first. i've been the first witness to so, so many fake blondes accidentally showing their dark roots or to dudes going bald. i'm sorry! i'm just freakishly tall! i can't not look down at all your heads unless i'm kneeling down on the ground. i'm not trying to spy on or judge the state of your hair, i promise.

what's your eye color?

brown! justice for brown eyes, the best eye color. i love being able to go out in the sun and not have my eyeballs bleached by the light. also, there's really not that many brown eyes in my family, so that's kind of fun. i'm a special boy.

scary movies or happy endings?

why not both? i love a good blair witch project, final destination moment. i also love a nice mushy gushy romantic movie with a happy ending. hell, i'd watch both in the same evening. start off with a fucked up horror movie and end it with pride and prejudice. sounds like a perfect night to me.

any special talents?

probably not anything relevant? i mean, i've played skyrim on survival mode without dying before. oh, and i guess back when i was still playing hockey, uh, a decade ago, i could score with the michigan goal pretty easily, which isn't all that common. in high school, i got my school the state championship win with that skill. but meh, i don't know how many people in the world know enough about hockey to care about that.

where were you born?

michigan! the part everyone forgets about, aka the upper peninsula, aka diet canada.

what are your hobbies?

i like to think i'm a well rounded person. i enjoy the super basic stuff like listening to music, but i'm also into into video games and tabletop RPGs like d&d. cooking and baking are fun for me, too. i did get into art semi-recently as well. i kind of had to have something i could do while laying down, like, 24/7 after i had spinal surgery.

if you're ever bored, just go fuck up your spine. you'll have SO much time on your hands to get new hobbies. actually, don't. please don't. i've been suffering for years and will continue to. i'm dying. don't be me. pretty please. pinky promise.

oh, duh, i also forgot that i'm into astronomy and um, planes. look, i'm not a car guy, i'm a plane guy. that's more fun, right?

have you any pets?

he's a cat named turtle, so, like, you know, the best cat in the world. sometimes i think about getting him a cat friend to hang out with but then i worry he'd get jealous, so i haven't done it. who am i to say whether or not he wants to live with a friend? or a sibling? being alone is so valid. i respect that.

what sports do you play/have you played?

oh, well, like i said, i played hockey for a really long time, like from, hmm, i think kindergarten and on! i even got a scholarship in college to play hockey. i'm glad to be done, though. some things ruined it for me. long story. but these days, uhh, i don't play any real sports anymore. i like hiking, you know, and i do work out at least every other day because it makes me feel better in a lot of ways, but that's kind of it. my sports days are over. i don't even skateboard anymore and i used to do that all the time.

how tall are you?

like 6'7" - though, i am rounding down a little bit. yes, down. not up. also, don't ask me how i ended up that tall. i have exactly one relative who is also tall. hi, chelsea! anyway, i am an accident or one hell of a joke. i'm laughing, i swear. it's very funny.

favorite subject in school?

i was overall a good student because i studied pretty hard but i was for sure a science and math kid. i loved physics in high school. and then in college, i got some way more fun science and math classes. just so you know, i am really holding back right now from rambling like a total nerd loser about my college classes...

but i mean, if you wanna learn about, i don't know, quantum mechanics or flight control systems, hit me up.

dream job?

that's such an easy question! when i was really, really young, i wanted to be a weather man, but then i changed my mind and wanted to be a pilot because, i don't know, i hit that time in every child's life where they have to become obsessed with a form of transportation. but then i never let that obsession go. my parents wanted me to be a doctor the whole time, though, but eww, no, i'm good. anyway, the dream of flying planes never died and somehow it worked out. now if i could just, uh, you know, go back to that job soon, that'd be sick.

[futuristicallyspeedyparadise]

I Picture You Longing For Me (Ki Tae x Lee Wan Story | Our Dating Sim)

Chapter 1: Viewfinder

Ki Tae adjusted his bag over his shoulder and eyed Sunny coolly.

She had clearly just woken up. Her dark hair was askew—though perhaps that did not differ much from the usual—and pillow marks lined her right cheek. He thought he even saw the markings of drool on the corner of her lip.

“You told me to be here at 7:00AM.”

Sunny just sighed.

“Late night. Gaming,” She said by way of explanation. "Also, didn't actually think you would get here on time."

“Why wouldn’t I be here at the time you said to be here?”

“Eddy—” she huffed, using his gaming nickname.

“There really is nothing left up to interpretation about a text saying to get here at seven in the morning,” he interrupted, crossing his arms. “Do you want me to show you what you sent?”

“Just shut up and come in,” she said resignedly and stepped aside to let him in.

He followed her into the small apartment. He did not come here often, only when Sunny graciously offered her home as a place to continue the fun after bar outings with their colleagues. Though he had often been in a mellow, alcohol-fueled haze by the time he arrived during his previous visits, Ki Tae still remembered the apartment layout.

Sunny and Ki Tae worked together at a small video game company. Given their small size, the company employees spent extraordinary amounts of time together. It was a multidisciplinary effort on everyone's parts: coders helped with character design, particularly organized members of the team stepped up to be project managers, and each member took their turn in beefing up their boss’s business acumen where it was sometimes lacking. Their boss was a good boss, passionate and friendly, but at times a bit silly.

Ki Tae and Sunny were both game programmers, so they often had to collaborate closely to get their work done. This had led to a good friendship between them, which eventually expanded outside of the workplace. Sunny was a blunt, not-exactly-nice-but-genuinely-kind person.

He made his way to the couch and gingerly sat on it.

“Tea? Coffee?” Sunny asked, turning towards the kitchen.

“No, thanks.”

He looked at his watch.

It was a Saturday morning and he had been up since the ass-crack-of-dawn for apparently no reason. He glared over at her again, and pulled out his phone to load a game.

“So when is the other guy supposed to come?” he asked, starting to press the screen navigation to move his character forward. He was currently stuck on one level and had been killed one too many times for his liking.

“He will meet us there,” she said, shrugging. She put her cup of tea down on the tiny coffee table and sat next to Ki Tae, peering at his screen.

“You’re still on that level?”

“Shut up.”

“I mean it was a bit difficult but not that difficult—”

“Shh.”

“I can help you if you—”

‘Game over’ called the tinny narrator's voice from the phone. He took a calming breath and looked over at Sunny who looked back unimpressed.

“I’ll change quickly then,” she muttered.

Today they were going to go on a hike. It had been some time since Ki Tae had gone hiking—he got most of his workouts done in the gym—but having just come off the adrenaline of launching a game, he figured he should see sunlight and enjoy nature that was not currently potted in his home or the office. Sunny had agreed that perhaps some sun would do them both some good. Judging by the paleness of her skin, he thought she was probably due for some vitamin D.

True to her word—‘but not her texts,’ Ki Tae thought grumply—Sunny changed with urgency and got them going in about fifteen minutes. They were driving up to a mountain not too far of a drive from Seoul’s city center to do a trail there. At first, it was just going to be the two of them, but Sunny had asked just last night if she could invite a friend. Ki Tae had sleepily agreed, not caring. The text had come in super late anyway.

“So…you have friends outside of work,” he stated dubiously.

“Yes,” Sunny hissed, scowling as she tried hard not to take her eyes off the road and smack him. “I met him at an art show.”

“Since when do you go to art shows?”

“I don’t just help with character design for the heck of it. I actually do like art.”

Ki Tae put his hands up in mock surrender. “OK, just asking! So…they’re an artist?”

“Yeah, they do mostly graphic design. He did some artwork for a few manhwas. That’s what the show was about.”

Ki Tae nodded, not having much to add. He wasn’t particularly big on art, and the only person he had known in his life that had allowed him to peek into the art world wasn’t around anymore. He shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat. He didn’t like to think about that person very much.

Sunny smoothly pulled into a parking spot. She turned off the car, and reached back to get some of the things she had dropped onto the backseat. Ki Tae opened his door, stepping out into the cool autumn air, feet crunching the gravel beneath them. Not many cars were parked, and he hoped that the trail would be relatively empty. It would be nice to just enjoy nature without having to deal with the general public.

The sound of the car locking, brought Ki Tae’s attention back to Sunny. She jerked her head towards the parking lot exit which led to the road where they would find the trailhead. As they walked she busily put up her dark hair into a very messy bun.

“He said he would meet us at the trailhead.”

Ki Tae followed her as he looked up at the mountain they were about to climb. Colorful trees dotted rock: greens, fiery reds, and oranges. The sun was already above the horizon, having peeked over the hour before, casting its warm light across the scenery. A light fog hovered on the peaks, shrouding the mountain in strokes of mist.

“Lee Wan,” he heard from Sunny distantly. She raised her hand to capture the attention of a man who was waiting by the signage announcing the trailhead.

Ki Tae's head swam.

Lee Wan.

He faltered in his step and looked up at the man Sunny was waving towards.

Lee Wan.

The first thing he saw were deep brown eyes that shone honey when caught in the rays of the sun. Then came the full lips and handsome face.

Lee Wan.

The name reverberated in his head as if it was in an echo chamber.

It was him after all this time.

“Hey,” Lee Wan said, smiling as he walked up to Sunny. “How are you today?”

“Peachy. Lee Wan, this is Ki Tae,” she said, quickly introducing him.

He had come back into his life just as swiftly and suddenly as he had left.

Ki Tae would have appreciated a bit of warning. As such his breath seemed to have completely vacated his chest, and a dull ache seemed to have taken its place instead. It was difficult to know how to react to someone who you had lost contact with but was such an integral part of one of the most defining moments of your life.

His senses were in spasm. A roaring filled his ears, his mouth dried out, and his vision was blurry. He felt his hands start to tremble as he took in the man before him. A breeze wafted and he smelled just the same, just the same as before—

Ki Tae snapped out of it.

“Hello,” he said, reaching out for a handshake.

He wasn’t going to let on that he recognized Lee Wan. It would be best to see how Lee Wan reacted. Did he recognize him in return? Did he even want to be recognized? Or was Ki Tae just something of the past for him, something that has not warranted a second thought in years.

Lee Wan’s eyes grew wide when they landed on him, the recognition flashing clear in his eyes.

“H-Hello,” Lee Wan stuttered, shyly shaking his hand. His hand was clammy, and his expression had shifted rapidly from pleasant interest to, shock, and settled on apparent nervousness. He remained silent after that, giving no acknowledgement of their past.

His timidness empowered Ki Tae. The memory of Lee Wan had held so much power over him for several years; he was proud to be able to stare at him in the eye unflinchingly.

“Shall we get started?” Ki Tae said, dropping Lee Wan’s hand and nodding towards the trailhead. They began to walk. Leaves and twigs crunched underneath their feet and the birds called to each other in the trees. The air maintained crisp, cooling them as they began their ascent. Autumn hiking was always a treat to the senses.

Ki Tae led, clearly the fittest of the pack. Sometimes he would scout ahead and enjoy some of the view while he waited for the other two to catch up.

“How was your last interview?” Sunny asked Lee Wan at one point as they rested on a boulder that jutted out enough to catch a glimpse of Seoul.

Lee Wan sighed, “It was OK, but I think they will probably go with someone else.”

“What do you do?” Ki Tae asked reluctantly.

Ki Tae had gone on to pursue his passion of video games by becoming a coder, but he had been deprived of the chance to see what Lee Wan had made of himself. When younger, Lee Wan had been bookish, smart, with a love and passion for art, particularly photography. He had definitely been more introverted than Ki Tae had ever been, which honestly had intrigued him more so. Ki Tae had enjoyed spending time with him despite the quiet, each doing their own thing, but still appreciating each other’s company. It had been calming to him then, allowing the energy that often flowed through him to settle into a soft hum. 

“I-I do graphic design…illustration for manhwa writers mostly. I also have my own illustration blog. If work is low, then I have restaurant experience. It is not much…”

“Don’t say that,” Sunny chided. “He’s really good. I read the manhwa he illustrated and honestly the art was really special. Plus his blog is getting a good following too!”

“Thank you,” Lee Wan said, a blush high in his cheeks. Ki Tae hated how he reacted favorably to the red tint.

“I see,” Ki Tae murmured. No photography had been mentioned.

“As I said,” Lee Wan said, misinterpreting his response for dismissiveness, “Not much.”

Ki Tae shrugged. “Art is important. I work in video game programming, but there is no game without art.”

“I assume AI will probably replace us all in a couple of years,” Lee Wan said cheekily.

“AI is soulless. No machine can replace human creativity.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Lee Wan agreed, raising his water bottle in Ki Tae’s direction, before taking a couple of gulps.

He had been struggling to get up the mountain. Ki Tae could hear his heavy intakes of breath from his position at the front as they hiked. It seemed that Lee Wan did not hike often–he pondered on why he would come today, especially to this hike which was deemed to be not exactly for beginners.

“So, what will you do?” Sunny asked Lee Wan, bringing the conversation back around.

“Well I still have some savings, so that should be OK in terms of covering the living arrangements for a bit. In terms of a job, I will keep on trying. I hope something will come up soon.”

“Are you trying to stay in Seoul?”

“Yes,” he said, eyes briefly flicking to Ki Tae. “I’d like to stay if possible.”

They climbed on, up towards the top where the morning mist hovered below them. Ki Tae tried to slow down, but Lee Wan was particularly slow. He had also run out of water, causing Ki Tae to share his extra bottle.

“Have you never hiked before?” He asked Lee Wan discourteously.

He knew had been rude when Sunny stopped and stared at him.

Lee Wan bit his lip. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t realized it would be this difficult—”

It was hard not to grow more frustrated with Lee Wan the further the day went on.

With each step, he thought more and more about the last day they had seen eachother.

Lee Wan had kissed him for God's sake.

Kissed him, professed to liking him, and then promptly left him alone on the rooftop of their school. When he had recovered enough from the confession to respond, Lee Wan had already left the rooftop. Ki Tae had searched for him everywhere but didn’t find him. He had ran around for so long and could not find him. He could not find him and when he had realized that he would not find him, he broke.

His devastation had lasted months. Friends had pitied him, his family had worried for him, and he had slipped into a depression that had been so difficult to grow to manage. Perhaps it was unfair to blame Lee Wan for all of the ache, but since when had Ki Tae ever been rational when it came to the man?

“—I am not a particularly active person, so I probably should’ve figured. You can go ahead at your pace, and I will eventually catch up. Don’t feel the need to wait.”

“We are in no rush,” Sunny assured, shooting another stern look at Ki Tae, effectively chastising him. Ki Tae swallowed what he wanted to say and just pushed on.

When they reached the summit, Ki Tae took a couple of pictures, enjoying the look that the morning light cast upon the landscape. He noted that Lee Wan didn’t take any pictures of his own, but had brought out a notebook to draw some sketches.

Sunny pulled him aside.

“What’s up with you?” she asked bluntly.

“Nothing,” Ki Tae replied, stuffing his phone in his pocket. He moved to sit on the mountain edge, so that his feet could dangle off the rock and over the scenery below.

Sunny practically rolled her eyes, but decided not to push which he was relieved by.

The walk down had been relatively painless. Lee Wan seemed to be able to handle the descent much better than the ascent. While he and Sunny talked, Ki Tae kept quiet, just listening to all the life Lee Wan had lived without him.

The departure was a blur, Ki Tae barely remembered acknowledging Lee Wan’s goodbye. He sat quietly as Sunny did him the favor of driving him home. He had also bid her good day distractingly, itching to just be alone in his home so that he could breathe easier.

Much later he found himself on the couch, thinking. Part of him hoped that it would be the last time he saw Lee Wan. The other part, the treacherous one that had existed and longed for much longer, ached to see him again.

-----------

I will continue posting updates to the story on Ao3.

[madeofcc]

OCTOBER UPDATE 🎃

Hellow everyone 👻

Finally, October is here and the spooky season that belongs to it ! Simblreen is turning slowly but surely in spooky mode and I already love to see some great content on my dash. As usual, this is a little post about what's going to happen during this month on this page. You'll find more info about Another Side in the blog update part.

Feel free to read or ignore this but always take very good care of you ♥

Also, thanks a lot to all of you for being here and remember, you're not alone ... This season in particular 👀

Life update : A hell lot happened in a month. I usually love September but this one was probably one of the hardest month of my life. To be short, after 6 months of full implication and hard work, I got fired after a burn out at work. I'm also living with my ex for almost a year now and it has become harder and harder to feel good living together. To be honest, I spend my nights crying these days so I'm fully commited to my sims story this month in order to have some kind of escape. Anyway, I guess that's all, sorry for being that negative this month, I'll get better don't worry. Here comes the blog update anyway :) More fun inside this one.

Blog update : Another Side is starting tomorrow 🎃

I'm soooo happy to see the little hype around this story and I can tell you that it's the one I've been putting so more efforts into it for now. The chapters are a bit longer than usually, I'm really trying to create the best cinematic experience for you dear readers. I made a little poll this week to check your desire about this story and the posting around it. So far, those who voted mainly voted for half a chapter a day so I guess that's what I'll do, but I reserve myself the right to post the entire chapter if it's a short one (like 2 parts).

The intro is already here in 2 parts, Chapter 1 will be called "Yuki" and will be 4 parts long. Tomorrow, October 1st, I'll post 2 parts of this chapter, the first one dropping at midnight (Paris time) and the other one a little bit later during the day. I'll make a timezone reblog and you'll get part 3 and 4 Sunday. Not all chapters will include 4 parts so I can't already tell you how many chapters there will be nor how many parts they will include. For now, the only thing I can tell you is that I'm trying to write it like a serie and so far, ep 1 to 3 include 7 chapters each so ... This should give you an idea. It should also go through October and November I think. Maybe a bit more if the story is longer than planned.

About Simblreen, I'm super excited for the event but I'm still thinking whether or not participating fully this year. For now I still have to fix my topaz clean on Photoshop (everything is installed correctly but nothing appears on Photoshop anymore, it worked fine 2 days ago U_U) but if I have the time I'd love to share some presents ! So far, I'm thinking of some CAS spooky backgrounds and also a new set of horror posters. Expect at least some new posters (who said A24 HORROR ?!) and if I have the time (and energy), some CAS backgrounds then.

About DH, don't worry my loves, Destiny and all should be back for some edits around the end of the year but the story will be officially back in 2023 for a full DH year 😍 I've planned a lot, including a casting call so be prepared !

And I think that's all ! As usual, thank you so much for reading this and for being here. You all are a daily strenght you don't even know 😊

Take very good care of you, enjoy a looooot this spooky season as much as I do (only for the medias part, otherwise, please October be nicer than September who was hell !) and always remember that you're not alone ♥

[melsie-sims]

Hi again 😅 i checked your pinned post and couldn't find it but is there a specific set of rules you're following for your ts2 bacc? I wanted to give it a try myself but the rules I found seemed confusing but you seem like you're having a lot of fun so I'm not sure if it's just the rules I was looking at

No, I don't follow any set of rules. I didn't want to restrict myself in case I got bored, I wanted the flexibility to just do whatever I wanted at the time.

This is how I started though:

Build a starter house for 6 sims, use the simoleons needed, cheat if you have to. Only add the essentials: kitchen, living room, SINGLE beds for everyone, a bathroom, then if you WANT TO you can add a bookcase, ONE item to build skills with, etc. I gave them a TV because I was feeling generous but I know some BACCs don't even start with electricity.

After that, make your first six founders. I decided to go with 2 knowledge sims, 2 fortune sims and 2 family sims. I thought they'd be the most likely to get my town going as quickly as possible. No shame on romance/pleasure/popularity but I was afraid all they'd wanna do was party all the time (I wasn't wrong).

After that you can add new playable sims whenever you find things getting a bit boring, or you can add them when you run out of romantic partners, or you just feel like it. That's how I'm doing it with mine.

Also, important bit about simoleons: I set my sims' household to zero after building the starter house (or maybe 100, I don't remember) and haven't given anyone simoleons since. So no 20k when moving sims in. So all of the money has been earned by sims.

I don’t have specific rules for community lots. I made a beach and a forest/park for my sims when I felt the need for it. I think generally speaking I’ll add a free community lot every time I open up a sim-owned business. But again, I just add stuff as I feel like it, no real method to the madness. I might also add taxes into my gameplay once I have a mayor/town hall and use taxes to “purchase” community lots... but that’s not something I wanna think about too much yet. 

No using buy mode on residential lots. This is one that's specific to my game rules. I haven't seen anyone else do it (they aren't THAT crazy). Sims can only use items they've purchased on community lots / from sim-owned businesses.

When they have computers then I will be allowing them to purchase buy mode items, but only if there's a store in town that actually sells the item type.

I have no rules on careers or anything like that.

Other than that, I think that's it? I just wanted my Sims 2 game to be super easy-going. I wanted to let my sims go wild and just enjoy the chaos, not worry as much about rules the way I do with my Sims 4 BACC.

Hope that helps you and I'm very excited to see your gameplay!!

Oh and if you do want some rules to follow, I suggest checking out PleasantSims' site. She has a ton of stuff you can read up on. I use her method of assigning aspirations/secondary aspirations, as well as a few other things too. She also has a very thorough list of mods and cc.

Thanks for your Q! 💚💚💚

[softcallofdutyimagines]

Hello!! Can we have an couple of HCs of the safehouse bois (COD: Cold War) loving their curvy fem s/o? (and maybe trying to make her feel happy in her body if she's insecure of feels weird?)

Thankie and sorry for the oddly specific request 😅

Djsjsjsj ok ik you have like two other requests, and they'll be coming!!! But this struck such a mood I had to skip the line lol.

Honestly, like the way I tried to treat myself to some ✨ s p i c e y ✨ lingerie that just arrived and it fits literally everywhere else except that, ofc the cup size is an absolute JOKE, i-

Anyway, I digress lmao. Thank you for the request(s) btw, and enjoy!!!

---

Adler

Personally, he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to have a particularly strong preference for any one "type"

But in the era where the super tall, super slim, super models reign supreme, he understands that sometimes it's hard to feel pretty if you're built like anything else

After all, I don't think any of the guys know how it feels to see yourself as "unattractive" more then he does

I mean, if he'd been cut a little deeper or on a different angle, he could've needed whole skin grafts, or even physical therapy for his jaw

And who wants a guy as messed up and broken down as that, right?

But you... Oh, you're gorgeous

Adler is very soft and gentle when it comes to his appreciation for you and your body

While he does know how to express himself, he's not really the grand gesture type, like some of the others are

He is the biggest self love hypocrite, always quick to get down on himself and his facial scars, but absolutely cannot STAND to see you upset over you body

You chide him for this now and then, but he usually jokes it away

I know I said Adler doesn't really have a type, but don't think for a second that he'd pass up on a great thing when he gets it

I don't want to say "handsy" but he definitely likes to just... Touch you, when you're alone together

Not even necissarily in a sexual way, he just likes to appreciate the shape of you, you know?

Very into hugs from behind, or really at any angle, as long as he gets to feel his arms around your waist

Also, you can catch him absent mindedly caressing your hips with his knuckles or a lone finger whenever he's standing around with you

Hudson

Oh y'all ain't ready for this one lmao

I am 99% certain that behind that steely facade, is a man who loves nothing more then a THICC juicy Queen™

I'm so serious, like the curvier the better for this dirty dog lmao

The best part is, that the fun isn't in that he just goes feral when you two are alone (although he certainly could, in a rare mood)

He's actually really shy about it, and he doesn't want you to feel like that's the only reason he loves you

And while you do appreciate the respect he has for you, you'd be lying if you said you didn't like to tease him

A favorite of yours is to walk into his home office half or fully naked and watch him, very obviously, struggle to stay focused on his paper work

He knows he's weak, but damn it he can never last long before giving in and handing over whatever kind of attention you're seeking

You know, whatever that may be 😏

When you're feeling insecure however, he can sense it immediately and always seeks to get to the bottom of whatever is causing you to feel that way

Although he's rather direct, he's tactful and tries his best to know the right thing to say

He's a great listener, and will never hesitate to tell you how beautiful and special you are to him

Lazar

Lmao, I don't think there is any universe in which Lazar would not be in full support of being with a curvy woman

Especially as a big guy himself, you two are an absolute power couple

He is both literally and metaphorically your biggest hype man when it comes to your appearance

Also, 10/10 likes to give you gifts of clothes and the like that he thinks you might appreciate/look pretty darn good in

Honestly, it is rare to feel down about your body when in a relationship with him, but everyone gets insecure sometimes, and he gets that

Thankfully, he's a master comforter, and is always at the ready to give you the treatment you need to feel better

Typically you can expect snacks and cuddles if you're just feeling sad, and stuff like a massage or body kisses and so forth if you need a reminder that you're literally the most gorgeous woman on earth

Oh, and he's very protective of you and defensive of your looks

I kind of hate to use this terminology lmao, but Lazar is the Alpha™ everywhere he goes, and he has no problem reminding other guys of it

So if he sees someome else checking you out, he'll be sure to block their view and do something like make direct eye contact until they leave you be

Have you ever had a 6'4, powerlifter looking, tank of a man sneer directly at you before?

Not a good feeling, I assure you

Needless to say, you don't have to put up with much, if any harassment or other stupidity on Lazar's watch

Mason

Alex strikes me as the type who doesn't buy into the paper thin beauty standard that society like to push

Obviously that's great if you're just naturally thin and all! But mostly he's totally down for the curvy, "built like a brick house" type of woman

He appreciates the way that you can keep up with him when he has to do physical things around or outside the house

Alaska is a rather unforgiving place after all, so he finds great comfort in the support and companionship you have to offer him

You're like his little amazonian goddess, and he's always in awe of not only how unbelievably beautiful you are, but also how hardy and tough you can be

In fact, you and your body are so normalized and loved by him in his mind that it genuinely catches him off guard when you say you're feeling insecure about it

But in times like that, he loves to tell you how beautiful your body is, not just for the way it looks but for the things it can do

You're built so strong and tough, but also soft and feminine... he can't even think about being with anyone else

He's very into body worship, like Lazar is, but Alex is a lot more gentle and is extremely conscious of making sure you're alright as he goes along kissing and caressing

If he could only show you how beautiful you are to him, he would in a heartbeat, but for now he just hopes his words and actions are enough

Sims

Oh, you already know Sims loves a thicc, curvy snack of a woman lmao

Skinny guys always love the curvy ladies

He doesn't really go feral when you two are alone, but he's not exactly shy about having this hands all over you either

For sure he always greets you with a compliment, whether it be a look, a whistle, or words... he's prepared

Also, he's very vocal in having you understand that there is not a single outfit you look "bad" or "unflattering" in, even if it's just sweats and a t-shirt

In fact, he is so confident in you, that he loves to show you off when he can and if you're comfortable

Always introduces you as "his girl" and is never afraid to point out your new outfit, hair-do, nails, ect

I feel that Lawrence would be another case where it's quite rare indeed to feel insecure about your body, and so when such times do arise he takes it seriously

He's basically a gentler, more emotional version of Hudson

By that I mean, he's the type to want to talk it out (if you're up to it) and ask what's wrong or if someone said something to you

You'll always have a reliable listener and food advice giver in him, and somehow that seems to always do the trick

Woods

Honestly, Woods is Hudson part 2, except that he has all the vocalized pride of loving curvy women as Sims and Lazar

He's still careful to make sure he doesn't come off as a creep or something, mind you, but complimenting and loving on your body just comes naturally to him

Extremely handsy in private, and you've definitely swatted his hands away from your hips, waist, back, ect more then once

In public, I wouldn't exactly say "handsy" but he's determined to make sure everyone knows you're with him

He usually escorts you places with a hand gently placed either just above your tailbone or protectively wrapped around your waist

As independent as you may be, you must admit, it's nice to feel like a princess everywhere you go, escorted around by your knight in shining flannel

He'll even offer you his arm if he's feeling particularly gentlemanly, because yes, miracles can happen

Unfortunately, Frank is probably the worst wordsmith of all the gang, and is next to clueless on what to say if you're feeling down and insecure

At least to his credit he'll usually start off by admitting to that fact before giving it a try

"Well, you know I'm shit with words, but... I hope you also know that I love you the way you are"

Thankfully what he lacks in words, he makes up for in physical affection

Even if you're really only comfortable with some cuddling, he's gonna cuddle you so good!!! He's determined and will stop at nothing

After all, whatever it takes to make you feel every bit as amazing as he knows you are

[gaypleasantview]

5,6, 15,17 and 31 for the baseic summer ask!

thanks!!!

5 - current favorite mod

i've actually discovered so many great ones for ts2 recently! i don't remember most off the top of my head but the ones i can say im super impressed with are the favorite color mod and its add-ons that make various objects different colors depending on what sim likes (sorry i cant link it because im on my phone and its a bit hard lol but if anyone needs any links i'll find them!) i was also blown away with some other things like: the asexual trait, the mod that lets you pick sim's reproduction options, werewolves get matching hair colors when they turn, pick your wand, spectral cat breeds, and of course the overlays like body hair and tattoos!!! i haven't even tried most of them yet but just the fact that you can do so many new things in this game are super exciting lol. i also feel the same way about ts1, there's even less mods of course but whenever there are new gameplay features i find it so sexc even if i never play it lol just reading about it and seeing pics feels like being reborn

6 - current favorite cc creator

ahhh so many!! if i were on my laptop i would probably actually look up who i have most in my folders but im not feeling like it rn so off the top of my head i can say ive been really into platasp things recently they're awesome!! im also super impressed by things jacky93 creates and im in love with monilisasims for all the awesome momma lisa content!! i won't tag them because im shy but i promise to tell them i love them next time i see them. there's also a creator i really love but im super embarrassed because i can't find their page but once i do im probably gonna spam it to make up for that

15 - how many hours have you spent playing the sims?

more than i could ever recall, earliest proof of me playing is dated either 2004 or 2005 i don't remember but either way i have been hooked since really badly. i assume my most played game is either ts2 or ts3, i played ts1 a lot as well ofc bc it's my favorite game and as for ts4 hasn't been as much but i did have at least two families i played for two generations so i think that's decent. the game i think i like the most in terms of playability is ts3, aside from the lagging rip

17 - in your gameplay, are you more task-driven or story-driven?

im gonna be honest with you. because of adhd i really need to feel motivated to do something esp play something so whether i play a story or just for the fun of it i need to also set gameplay goals so it's complicated lol and it also means i generally play with a story in mind and that keeps me going. and i love love love legacy challenges

31 - tag & give a shoutout to a simblr you really enjoy seeing posts from

im a fan of everyone i follow tbh but i seriously appreciate so much how i get to interact with you @profesionalpartyguest and with @annieshowell and @socialbunny on here you all make me feel happy thanks a lot!!

[thesimperiuscurse]

08.04

It’s The Kingston Legacy’s sixth anniversary, so here’s a throwback post to celebrate! Last month I forced myself to reread the entire legacy, and while I stopped, clicked off the tab, and emitted a soundless scream of pure cringe numerous times (I wish I was kidding)—the past generations are actually not as terrible as I remember. I think enough time has passed for me to detach myself from the childish storytelling and look back in nostalgia. 

Thank you to my fellow Wordpress writers who have come along the journey, some for many years now, through every high and low. It’s astounding how much has changed in the legacy from when I was 15, and 21. Follow me down the (very) long memory lane, as I reminiscence about each story and my perspective on them now ❤

Generation 1 — Fern (2015)

To my shock, I found myself genuinely enjoying Fern’s story. I think this was because the first generation was purely me commentating on gameplay, and not trying to write a story (that’s when the cringe began). I was inspired by one of the original stories, Alice and Kev, to make a homeless sim and document her struggle for a better life: Fern, a snobby aspiring writer. Reading this, a huge wave of nostalgia hit me, and it reminded me of how wonderful Sims 3 gameplay is. Although I’m long past it now, there’s real heart and life in the design. I think it speaks about the rich personalities and quirks that I could write a whole life story off it. It was super fun making Fern camp out at Old Pier Beach, stealing from townie picnics and roasting apples on the fire, finding little ways to scrounge money, giving her a makeover in the salon, watching the townie dramas unfold around her. Although she faced homelessness two times and a shitty first husband (yeah, fuck off, Xander), Fern grew into a strong and independent yet sweet and gentle character, in love with the ocean like her great-granddaughter comes to be.  

I never actually addressed this, but she (and her love Christopher) passed away in the story between the end of Gen 3 and start of Gen 4. It just felt weird to make it a big deal because they never died in game—still ‘alive’ and well, scattered across different backup saves and the bin.  

Generation 2 — Briar (2015)

Briar’s story was strange, because it was half gameplay and half story, which meant that there were things that just did not... make... sense. She was quite an ‘unreliable’ character to follow because of her Insane trait. The plot revolved around her as a fresh detective, investigating supernatural phenomena in Sunset Valley. Her character arc was almost the opposite to her mother’s: a naive, optimistic, silly girl hardening through trauma into a cold and ruthless police chief. Ash’s death was the one moment I felt true sadness in this legacy, because he did really die. Imagine me actually getting emotional over my characters, lmao. Wild. 

Also, Max is OP. To this day he is one of the best male characters in my legacy, a healthy and supportive best friend (to husband) in stark contrast to the following generation. 

Fallen Angels — Cherry (2016-2019)

Yes. It’s this generation. Square the fuck up, Cherry. I will fight her any day. Old readers will know of my pure hatred for this story. It’s been about two years since it thankfully ended. My verdict now?

It’s not quite as horrifically shitty, Gabriel and Lilith being a lot nicer than I remembered (Gabriel’s only a bit of a dick at the start), but it still has glaring problems, such as the pacing and clumsy handling of sensitive topics. The story would have been far nicer if it focused less on Cherry and Luc’s relationship and their respective issues, more on the found family and her relationship with Gabriel (which was rushed due to me despising the story by that point). During the first chapters, I was cringing spectacularly at the combination of Luc’s initial jackass behaviour and Cherry’s whining. Toxic as FUCK. I had to skip 3.8 and 3.9 entirely. These two (because of my own shameful mistake) tainted the generation in my eyes, and even though all of the characters grew from their toxicity, I can’t really see past that guilt to the better parts of the story. 

Jade has been telling me for years that this story isn’t all bad, and upon forcing myself to reread, I can see what you mean. I’m sorry LOL. Something that pleasantly surprised me was the writing quality (just the prose, not the actual story mechanics... lmfao), and Raphael, who made me smile every time he appeared. Every single careless, sarcastic line of his was a banger. The pictures are something else I like, too. Many of them stand up to the best ones in En Pointe—the fiery, gritty, industrial tones of Bridgeport just hits different. The world was rich and immersive, which is missing at the moment in En Pointe because of me being too lazy to build a proper Los Angeles world, but Act III is set in Boroughsburg so I’m excited to get back into the city scenes. 17 year old me wasn’t mature enough to tackle dark themes, but at least the visuals for them were nice, I guess. The atmosphere of the story I really enjoy. It’s just the toxic characters and way-too-angsty moments that ruin the whole thing for me. 

En Pointe — Evangeline (2019-)

And here we are now! The early chapters are kinda painful to read because 1) Mako looked so ugly and 2) the dialogue was so clumsy and generic. I sighed in relief when Chapter 5 came around, because it was then both of those aspects really began to improve. Eva’s voice was simple, with her punchy remarks, much less romantic and descriptive than Cherry, so it was interesting to see her voice becoming more complex and layered as I more understood her character. Also, me visibly struggling with the natural lighting and only getting a handle on it 7 chapters later has me shaking my head. 

I’m already beginning to identify issues with the story, mostly with character arcs and pacing. It’s a strange combination of fast pacing (spanning half a year in 8 chapters) and Eva becoming surprisingly comfortable with Mako’s touch due to their unusual pas de deux circumstances. It’s curious how real life time actually played into the pacing of the story—because of the slow publishing schedule, less time has passed in the story as real life, so it’s almost as if the time jumps were made up by real life time, making the jumps feel not too strange. Reading consecutively, however, Evako’s relationship growth doesn’t feel slow burn... a little underdeveloped, in a way, despite their lengthy conversations. I think that’s because of Mako being such a reserved and mysterious character, and that I’ve unconsciously come to rely on Tumblr to give more depth to the characters/relationships. Luckily, pretty much everyone who comments on the story also follows me here, so this dual-platform storytelling is okay, I suppose. I want to post more of #Mishako since there just isn’t enough time to explore their bromance in the story!

At the moment I’m not happy with the story, but it’s fine. I’m learning. There’s more than half the story to go, which means plenty of time to reflect upon the issues and improve. I’m really looking forward to Eva and Mako’s character arcs in Act III. At the moment their relationship is based on their natural chemistry and respect for each other, and since they are yet to face trials their bond isn’t super deep, but Evako are still my favourite couple in the legacy thus far, and feel much more real than any character I’ve written before. It’s been very interesting for my aro ass (and being way more logical than emotional) to figure out a dynamic that is actually compelling to me, because most of the time when I look at romance I’m just like 😐🤨 I’m liking it so far but we shall see how everything unfolds, because I have barely any idea what’s going to happen beyond Act II, lmfao. 

That’s it for my incredibly long throwback! I hope it was at least nice for the OG readers, and interesting for anyone else who managed to battle through this essay, haha. This family has been an integral part of me growing up, as a person and writer and artist (what I’ve developed in visuals I apply to architecture), learning a great deal of awareness about real life through story research, which is pretty cool now that I think about it. I’m aiming to finish En Pointe by the end of 2022. I’m excited for what unexpected changes are to come!

[deadlymodern]

Thank you for tagging me, @herpixels​​! 🌼

I'm not going to tag anyone specific because I literally wanna see everyone's take on this. So, please, if you want to, do it! 

I went a bit overboard, sorry 😗If you actually read it all, I will love you forever.

YOUR WRITING PROCESS 

Show us a part of your script or explain how you write your scenes. Do you write in screenplay format or novel format? Etc, etc.

I love writing in novel format but, for sims storytelling, I feel the need to write a screenplay.

I start by writing all the dialogue along with the action cues and setting descriptions. This helps me visualize how much space I will need for the characters, which and how many props will be necessary etc.

From the simple screenplay, I make a shooting script and a checklist. 

The shooting script is super helpful because it allows me to break my screenplay down into shots so I go in game already knowing exactly what I want from it. 

This will all sound like I think I'm some big shit but honestly... I just get brain farts WAY too often. So having everything kind of ready helps me remember little things like ADDING THE DAMN POSES INTO THE S4S for examples lmao.

SCENE BUILDING 

Show us you in the middle of scene building through pictures, gifs, or a video. Explain what is the best thing about scene building and what is the worst!

Scene/world building is 100% my favourite part of the whole process! 

I use a lot of references from the real world. The small coastal village of Brindleton is based on many places in England, mostly villages/towns in Cornwall and Devon. 

I enjoy looking for inspiration pictures on Pinterest and going on Google Earth tours, really LMAO.

Of course, there is only so much I can do with Sims to make it look realistic, but if you squint your eyes and shift your head, maybe? fjhgdfhjkg

I do the same for my residential lots and interiors. But interiors are a bit more fun for me because, besides not needing to worry about background extras, I can personalize the environment to my characters. 

CC/POSE MAKING 

Do you make your own cc/poses for your scene? If so, what is your process like to create? Do you just go off the top of your head? Do you use reference photos?

Nowadays, I make 98% of my poses. The remaining 2% is just me making some adjustments on pre-existing ones. I can't help it. I absolutely love seeing my visions come to life like this. 

I also enjoy making poses because I like giving my characters some distinguished body language. 

For example, Beth is the only character who slightly puckers her lips to the left. Usually, when she's thinking or when she's upset. It's basically the main part of her face - other than her eyebrows - that will give her true feelings away.

And Mary, on the other hand, is way less emotionally repressed. Any minor inconvenience will make her upper lips twitch upwards. She also pouts a lot more and has more eyebrow movements. 

Yes, I am a loser for paying attention to these things shhhhhhh.

Usually, I don't need anything other than an accessory or two. But lately, I've been LOVING to make recolours and convert objects into pose accessories. Whenever I have my script ready, I take note of what I will need for the scene in my checklist.

You probably don't even notice or care as much as I do, but still! They add much to the narrative imo and I feel like I'm giving depth to the characters by tailoring their accessories and the world around them. It's really fun for me!

GETTING IN THE ZONE

What do you do to get in the zone to work on a scene? Examples include: show us your playlist you use when working on a scene, what’s your go-to scene snack/drink, etc.

I have playlists on my Spotify for the main characters as well as one for the story. Beth and Mary's individual playlists are the ones I listen to the most and they are called Countryside Teacup and European Train Ride respectively because these are the vibes I get from the songs in there dslkfjsklfsd.

I also LOVE listening to instrumental playlists on youtube like this Cottagecore and this Royaltycore ✨massive points to you if you can find my comment on the royalty core video 🌚

I don't really snack while working on my story posts but I drink mate tea like CRAZY or, sometimes, I'll just have a beer to get my creative juices flowing ehe.

SCREENSHOTS FOLDER

Give us a look into your screenshot folder to show us just how much goes into ONE scene for your story. (Scrapped pictures encouraged!!!)

I never take too many screenshots with different angles because of my pre-planning! 

However, I do have, like, 10 to 15 repeated shots because I take some with DOF, some without, some with shadows, some without etc. And I'm always terrified of the screenshot not working, so I press the my hot keys like 5x jddjlkgd.

Here are some scrapped pictures from previous story posts:

CAPTIONS

Are you a caption on the picture kind of storyteller or captions in text box type of storyteller? Why? Do you do both?

I love doing the graphic novel format, with "speech bubbles" sort of. I personally find it immersive. But I also love and crave for the novel format, so I'll write a little "after scene" sometimes in the text box for extra depth ☺️

EDITING

Explain and show us your process editing a scene through a video, gif, or picture. A Before and after will suffice if you aren’t in the middle of editing a scene as you answer this.

Since I've done a few posts telling a bit about my editing - and, truthfully, not much goes into it - here is a before and after!

THROWBACK

Show us an ANCIENT story scene you done in the past and explain how you would do the scene differently today!

Okay, ANYTHING from my early simblr days is cringe worthy. The dialogue isn't good, the lighting is extremely yellow - due to my crappy laptop -, the outfits and the settings are all over the place, I--

I chose this one image because it was one of the first times I was doing a story post instead of just a gameplay update. I don't even have much else to add, just look at it jkljdfklgjdf. 

But I'm going to have plenty of scenes set in the past where I will get the chance to remake the school and dress my teen girls properly and I'm so excited. Like, making slate pose accessory excited fjdigjfido oh, boy.

[choerrypuffs]

i have been doing okies thank u so much for asking <333 how are u, hows life going for u? :3

but expanding on what u said, jaes characterization in electric bugaloo is definitely one of the best ive seen (esp for a free fic on tumblr) !! there is so much depth to his character, from the way he thinks and the innate care he still has for his sister, but at the same time hes unwilling to let go of his evil (what he deems “good”) deeds but at the end u can truly see that hes not heartless and is truly just a human but yet !! it makes u wonder how hes used that + the charmspeak to manipulate others and use their sympathy. so yes like u said, a villian is much more dangerous when u start to sympathize with them 😭 tldr; jaehyun evil but also not really but like very evil actually

also yes renjun is such a tsundere even to his members 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 but i loved how u charaterized him to consistently think “im in love w yn im in love w yn omg hug kiss mwah yn” and then be completely stoic on the outside. i was a bit frustrated at first bc i was like “just kiss her !!” but ykw thats just him and ill have to deal with it 🤞😔 #touchygfproblems

i hope u have a wonderful weekend lovely <333 also im sorry if im basically blabbering in ur inbox about ur fic and i totally dont mind talking about something else i just really really like the way u write lmao (/ω＼) and i rarely get to talk about tumblr fics so in depth (with the author too !!) so this is (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎) very nice

- morknon

ahhhh i’m so sorry for this late response, my love!! i’ve been doing great 🤩🤩🤩 my birthday was on the 26th so my friends and i went to an anime convention and just had a fun girls trip for the weekend 🥰 i’ve also downloaded the sims 4 bc it was on sale for $5 and now all i’m doing is downloading mods and playing dress up DJSJJS 🤧 how have you been, lovely?

omg pls thank you so much i’m so honored that you think so highly of my characterization of jaehyun you are too nice 🥺 i really did try to cram in as many layers as possible in the fic like a smushed onion or something 😭 bc i didn’t really give him any development in jeno’s fic which i regret </3 but you’re so right!! my goal was to humanize him bc i think it’s much scarier for the characters and the audience when the villain seemingly still has sound of mind y’know? and i wanted to people to think about what they would do if they were put in y/n’s position (obviously bc y/n is a self-insert but you know what i mean HDJSJS 😭) ! it’s also been super fun to see everyone’s reactions bc a lot of people feel sorry for jaehyun and even forgive him despite what he did, in fact, the scenes with jaehyun are actually the most talked about (from what i’ve seen in reblogs and asks) even more so than the romance 😳 it makes me really proud that so many people empathize with him bc that means i did my job properly :’))))

YESSS renjun’s characterization is my fav to write!! i just love a tsundere whose love language is acts of service 🥹🫶 if anyone has seen the anime “my sweet tyrant” renjun is literally akkun like pls 😩 OMFG I KNOW THE FEELING I’M SUPER TOUCHY AND CLINGY TOO 💔💔💔

please don’t apologize, my love!! i should be thanking you for taking the time to talk to me about my fic 💞💞💞 it’s every writer’s dream to engage with their readers about what they liked or didn’t like about their fics so i’m really happy you enjoyed the fic enough to write such kind feedback <3333333 thank you so so so much again 💖💓💘💝💟💕

[sageybear]

Sooo I made my own sims challenge 😳 I'm not sure if it's been done before or not but I wanted to try my best,

Its my first challenge so please be nice!

Also, sorry if some of these aren't that accurate to the aesthetic.. I tried-

--------

Basic rules:

-no cheating, especially for money, unless the rules give you permission.

-feel free to edit some things to fit around the packs you have! For example if you wanna live in an apartment, or if you want to have pets! Pets are allowed in any generation, just be wary of how many people will be in your household!

-feel free to start with no money/restart your money, house etc every generation! You don't have to, but if you want to you can :)

-enjoy! Feedback is super appreciated!

-------------

Aesthetics Challenge

Gen 1 - Cottagecore

Your parents were humble, sweet people with no mean bones in their body. They taught you to be kind and to follow your dreams, no matter what. As a young adult, you adventure into the world and see what's out there for you.

Traits: loves the outdoors, creative, clumsy.

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire.

Career: Freelance Painter/selling paintings.

Rules:

-live in a small, cottage-like house (tiny living: live in one of the tiers).

-max painting skill.

-make 10 sculptures via woodworking bench.

-complete aspiration.

-marry a creative/ambitious sim.

-have at least 2 kids.

Gen 2 - Naturecore

Taking after your parents, you enjoy the peaceful life surrounded by nature. They taught you that nature was a valuable thing, never to be taken for granted.

Traits: Cheerful, Good, Bookworm.

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist.

Career: Selling plants, flowers, etc.

Rules:

-continue living in a small home.

-have a garden, you like to grow your own food.

-complete aspiration.

-max gardening and fitness skills.

-[seasons: sell flower bouquets and honey].

-have a reading nook in your garden.

-have a small circle of friends.

-have a secret relationship with one of your friends, have a child together and then "ask to just be friends".

-own a pool.

-Adopt a child/children.

-3 kids max.

-complete the plants/flowers collection.

-never marry.

Gen 3 - Alternative

As a child you always craved more excitement, the easygoing, nature filled life was never for you. You rebelled a lot as a child, and was troublesome, as well as a bit of a player.

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Romantic, Non Committal.

Aspiration: Serial Romantic.

Career: Entertainer, Musician Branch.

Rules:

-live in your parent's basement.

-have a bad relationship with your grandparents.

-complete aspiration.

-reach level 5 career.

-no long term relationships until adult.

-after completing the aspiration, you meet your polar opposite and fall in love.

-elope and have 3 kids with them (may cheat for triplets if you want to).

-max career.

Gen 4 - Clowncore

When you heard your parent's story, you made fun of them a lot. You soon found you had a good sense of humour, and would annoy people with pranks to the point of hatred towards you. All apart from one person, of course.

Traits: Goofball, Hot-Headed, Erratic.

Aspiration: Public Enemy.

Career: Entertainer, Comedian Branch.

Rules:

-Own the sad clown painting.

-Master the comedy and charisma skills.

-Optional: collect aliens.

-Have lots of friends as a child, but slowly lose touch with all but one.

-Max career and complete aspiration.

-Date someone, but have a bad friendship meter with them. Leave them at the alter.

-After reaching the top of your career, realise your love for your friend and marry them.

-Have one child.

Gen 5 - Chaoscore

Due to a mediocre relationship with your parents, you became.. A little chaotic. You couldn't decide what you really wanted, and followed in the footsteps of a crazy household.

Traits: Kleptomaniac, Glutton, Lazy.

Aspiration: Master Chef.

Career: Your choice, have 3 different jobs through your life.

Rules:

-After the chaos of your parents' life and living in a crazy house, you follow those footsteps.

-Hook up with as many colleagues as possible, and get pregnant with two of them.

-Have a bad relationship with your children.

-Complete the frog collection, and display them around the house.

-Quit your job as soon as your oldest child is a teen. Let the kids bring the income.

-2 children only.

-Complete aspiration.

-Never marry.

Gen 6 - Dark Academia

After being used by your parent for money, you became a lonely, quiet person. You simply wished for a normal childhood, and so, at first you don't realise, but you'd like to have a family of your own.. Though, you don't know the dynamics of one very well.

Traits: Gloomy, Loner, Childish.

Aspiration: Best-Selling Author.

Career: Writer.

Rules:

-Only befriend the people you meet at the welcome wagon, or your neighbours if you don't move house. (you may find a spouse by going to their house if they don't turn up).

-Live with your sibling(s).

-Have a 50% relationship with your children. You're not good with kids as you never had a great childhood yourself, and spend most of your time alone.

-Have an office attached to your bedroom and lock the door for everyone but yourself.

-Focus on your career for the first half of your life. Only explore love as an adult.

-Marry as an elder.

-Have 3 children.

-Complete aspiration.

-Complete Elements collection.

Gen 7 - Angelcore

Thanks to a bad relationship with your parents, you spent a lot of time at a friends house and saw how a real family functioned. You fell in love with the idea, and wanted to be the best parent around!

Traits: Family-Oriented, Outgoing, Perfectionist.

Aspiration: Big Happy Family [Alternatively, Parenthood: Super Parent].

Career: Stay-At-Home Parent.

Rules:

-Max the cooking, charisma and have your partner max the handiness skills. [also for both, Parenthood: max the parenting skill].

-Marry your highschool sweetheart as soon as you're young adults.

-Have 4 children, the youngest being twins. (You may cheat for this).

-Have a family meal each weekend. [seasons: have a grand meal every weekend].

-Spoil your children.

-Have them age up with the happy toddler trait and graduate high school with As. [Parenthood: age up with one positive trait]

-Complete the postcard collection.

-Spouse must be an astronaut. (Can change to astronaut when they move in, it doesn't have to be their default).

Gen 8 - Gadgetpunk

Although you had an ideal childhood, you always felt yourself competing with your siblings for attention. You soon got bored of that, and your interest moved to videogaming, before your life began to revolve around it. Thanks to being spoiled, you had the best gaming setup around.

Traits: Geek, Foodie, Mean.

Aspiration: Computer Whiz.

Career: Tech Guru, E-Sports Gamer Branch.

Rules:

-Live in your parent's attic (or treehouse/garage/etc).

-Have a 'man cave' - fill it with gaming consoles, devices, and posters.

-Complete the MySim Trophies collection.

-Date your twin's best friend.

-Have as many kids as you want, and have a better relationship with one than the others. (The heir).

-Complete aspiration and max career.

-Elope.

Gen 9 - Light Academia

You had a better relationship with your parents than your siblings, and seeing how passionate your parent was about their career, it made you aspire to be just as successful. You srill make plenty of time for your family though, as youe grandparents were so loving.

Traits: Ambitious, Materialistic, Genius.

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim.

Career: Business/any to complete the aspiration.

Rules:

-Date and eventually marry an unemployed with the Mansion Baron/Fabulously Wealthy aspiration and help them achieve it.

-Complete aspiration.

-Have 5 children, you love family thanks to your grandparents.

-Leave your job as an elder after gaining a good, stable amount of money.

-Take up an instrument as an elder and max the skill/get it as high as possible.

Gen 10 - Your Aesthetic

Rules:

-Play how you like! This is the final generation, and you're free to do as you like!

[maxismatchccworld]

Welcome back to our latest - and last! - Deep Dive into the gameplay of The Sims 4 Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack. I’ve really enjoyed sharing the designs and development of this pack with you, and I hope to continue doing these sorts of posts in the future. It’s been a super cool experience, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these! In today’s post I’ll talk about the feature that is core to everything in this pack, Knitting! Once again, I have to remind you that we’re still in active development on the pack and so some things may change between now and the final game. Now, let’s talk about some nifty knits!

READ IT I PROMISE YOU GONNA LIKE IT!

In order to start knitting, you’ll need to purchase a Yarn Basket from the Build/Buy catalog. You probably remember voting on these baskets a while back. This was the winning design, presented to you now in all its colorful glory! Don’t like color? That’s okay, because we included a solid black and white variant.

We have one more knitting basket coming too! Remember this one?

The basket acts as the crafting catalyst(neat term, huh?) similar to the Easel or Woodworking Bench in The Sims 4 base game. But unlike those examples, the Yarn Basket is meant to live in a Sim’s inventory so that they can take their knitting anywhere they want to go. Knitting itself is relatively straightforward: click on the Yarn Basket in your inventory, OR, with the basket in your inventory, click on the chair you want to sit in while knitting (perhaps a rocking chair?) and select the Knit interaction. Your projects are saved to your Sim, so you can pause your progress at any time and resume later, and even juggle multiple projects at once. Starting a project costs a small amount of Simoleons for the cost of yarn, but nothing too outrageous.

(Children can knit too!) As a Sim levels up their knitting skill they’ll have access to new patterns. They’ll start with knitting socks and beanies, but as they grow more skilled they can tackle more challenging projects like sweaters and toys for kids. But if you only want to specialize in one thing - perhaps knitted mailbox cozies? - that's fine too! Just keep knitting anything and everything, and you’ll be level 10 before you know it. Speaking of knitting skill, sometimes your skill is reflected in your knitted work, or rather your lack of skill. Knitting projects can fail, and when they fail they can get weird. But it’s all subjective, and maybe you’ll end up accidentally knitting the cutest derpy companion, or the perfectly itchy sweater. No mistakes, only happy accidents!

(Just own it.) One of the niftiest parts of the knitting skill is unlocking the ability to Teach to Knit, where Sims sit down together and have a knitting pow-wow. We wanted this to feel special, so we got a really sweet animation for it (Thanks Haeju!). Now that you can infect other Sims with the knitting bug, no yarn ball will be safe!

(The knitting needles aren’t finished on the Teach To Knit interaction yet, but trust me it's SUPER CUTE.) So, what can you do with all these knitting projects? Lots of stuff! Not only can knitted objects be listed on Plopsy, but you can also Donate them to charity. If you want to surprise a loved one, try Gifting a knitted object too. If you want to destroy all traces of your knitted failures, you can Frog the object and start again! If it's a particularly nice Sweater that you made, consider Adding it to Wardrobe to make it available in Create-A-Sim to all family members.

(Everyone appreciates a nice gift!) We want Sims to be able to knit something for their whole family. Not only will Sims be able to knit Toddler Onesies, but Baby Onesies as well. So put your little grubworm in a handmade knitted outfit. I’m sure they’d thank us if they could! (And if they didn’t like it I’m sure they’d be polite about it.)

(Here’s a sneak peek at some of the concept art for new clothing for the littlest of Sims!) It also felt like a good idea to add an Aspiration to tie this passion for knitting all together. So if you want to master the fuzzy art of knitting, consider signing your Sim up for the Lord(or Lady) of the Knits Aspiration. With yarn running through your veins, there will be no knitting mountain too hard to conquer! Master the Aspiration and you’ll be rewarded with the Sacred Knitting Knowledge trait. What does it do? Lots of stuff! What does it unlock? Something special! Am I being vague? I am! Come on guys, I can’t share all the secrets quite yet.

As I’ve mentioned previously, we’re trying to get as much cross-pack functionality for knitting as we can. Cats can play with Yarn Baskets and Yarn Balls, there will be new Club rules for Knitting, new class electives at University, and knitting counts for Emotional Control, just to name a few. I’m hoping Knitting feels nice and snug alongside our other gameplay systems. Now let's have a chat with our lead Object Modeler, Beth Mohler! Conor: Can you tell us a little bit about what an Object Modeler does on The Sims 4? Beth: As an object modeler I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to make objects work in The Sims 4. This is actually a very involved process, and somewhat different from the wonderful work our environment team does. We work with designers, concept artists, engineers, animators, vfx artists (basically everyone!) to make sure that Sims can use an object properly in an animation, or that all of our objects will work with each other. Once we understand the design for a new object, we will create a rig, a block model (a very generic version of the object used to help us make more of the same object in the future), and a footprint (tells us where the object can go and how Sims move around it). Once those are tested by animators and other disciplines we can model the final version, create UVs, and add textures. We also hook up and test everything in the game to make sure it all looks good. There is a lot to think about when it comes to making objects because we know players can find so many interesting ways to place and use them in game. That makes it a very fun challenge to make them work with everything else we’ve built before. Conor: What feature are you most excited to work on in Nifty Knitting Stuff? Beth: I’d say I am most excited to work on the rocking chairs! I love that we are bringing them to the game and can’t wait to see them in some cozy living rooms or on porches. Conor: What are some of the challenges you are facing working on this pack? Beth: One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the knitting itself looks good and is fun to watch! This is a challenge given that it needs to work for everything you can create. Figuring this out takes a lot of iteration between modeling, animation, engineering, design, and art direction so that we come to a conclusion that will work the best given our time and technical constraints. Another interesting “challenge” is the fact that I crochet as a hobby myself! When you are knowledgeable about something (yarn!) in real life, working on it in the game it can sometimes be hard to separate the things you know and may expect in reality from what is possible or best within a video game. I have to make sure to keep a balance and to conceptualize how we can best convert the knitting experience into The Sims 4. As someone who also generally enjoys interior design and architecture, this is actually one of my favorite challenges and one of the things I love about working on objects in The Sims 4. Conor: What is your favorite feature you have ever worked on in The Sims 4? Beth: I think it has to be a tie between the mini fridge or the robotics table in Discover University. That pack was the first time I got to really take an entire feature from start to finish. I’ve been with Maxis for a while, but I’m relatively new to The Sims 4. Both of these objects had some complex features we wanted that required a lot of iteration. I learned a ton about the technical aspects of our game during the process as well. I’ve also worked on a few very cool things between then and now, but those can’t be shared yet ; ) As a fan of The Sims since the very beginning I am so happy to be able to share a little about what I do on a daily basis on The Sims 4 with you! I haven’t been on The Sims 4 for quite as long overall, but some of you may also recognize me from my time on Sims Mobile where I shared some of our workflows on Twitter for making a juice bar. Thanks! Conor: You shared a screenshot of the In-Progress Rocking Chair in our Rocking Chair Deep Dive. Can you share an updated screenshot now that the Rocking Chair is further along? Beth: I would love to! I hope everyone has been enjoying seeing the progress on this object so far! Here it is a little further along. This program allows us to set the rules for the object materials, footprint size and rig it should use, as well as all the color variants and swatch colors you see in the catalog.

Thanks Beth! By the way, Beth is on Twitter @SimGuruBeth, so be sure to Follow her! And thanks to all of you Simmers for following this pack’s development, this has been a really fun project in a very crazy time. A big thank you to my Stuff Pack teammates, and especially SimGuruSarah who edited my inane ramblings and wrangled the miscellaneous bits for these posts. While this concludes my design Deep Dives, we still have more forum posts with development insights on the way! Keep checking the Community Stuff Pack forum and we’ll have more fun stuff to show off in the weeks to come. Until next time, SimGuruConor

Source: The Sims Forum