#but I might post some occasional gameplay screenshots

[xbrilliantsims]

Had to uninstall and reinstall my game to fix it. And the save I was using to play through Werewolves was corrupted... Sooo, I had to start over. Luckily I hadn’t played that much. The good thing that came out of it was this beauty. I am, as per usual, totally in love with her. She, in turn, it totally in love with Celene.

Her name is Hedvig Smallwood. (click for higher res jao)

[lazynectarine]

New Simblr!!

Hello! I know this is a little late since I made this blog about a month ago, but I’d like to go ahead and introduce myself. I’m Taylor (she/her), a 20 y/o, black, college student that enjoys the Sims franchise as well as some other games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Ooblets. I started playing the Sims 4 back in 2016, but even before that, I used to watch YouTubers play the Sims 3 when I was younger(I remember I couldn’t wait to start college just because of the Sims 3: University Life gameplay). I occasionally dabble in the Sims 2, but lately, I’ve been focusing on Sims 4. I typically like to use my game as a glorified dress-up game, and I’ve posted some of my sims, but I’m also slowly rediscovering my love for actual gameplay, so I might share some screenshots on here. But that’s a brief description of myself; if you’re a simblr feel free to interact; I’d love to become mutuals and get more involved with the community.

[tau1tvec]

hey, maybe you have some advice..but how do you make your gameplay pictures so beautiful? The colours, your sims faces don't look awkward even if they aren't posed, the interior/setting always matches the vibe. Your game looks so so beautiful! Every time I'm playing for fun and take screenshots I feel good. But then I see all those posts on my dash and begin to feel bad about my own.. I want to make my game look magical too. You inspire me to play the game again, every one of your posts is so magical to me and also captures the beauty of gameplay itself. Sorry if this is too much/confusing

Okay, I’m gonna use this ask as an opportunity to be real with you, and anyone else who’s reading who also needs to hear this.

I know it’s common for everyone who’s asked this to be like, “oh no nonny, don’t do that, don’t compare your stuff to other ppl’s stuff, you’re fine the way you are,” and that’s all well meaning and sweet, but sadly this is the real world and society sucks. ✨

Despite how good it is to hear that what and how you do things shouldn’t matter, it doesn’t change the fact that social media doesn’t really care about that, and isn’t built around that mindset. In general, not comparing yourself or your work to others is incredibly difficult to do. Even I do it occasionally, impenetrable self-esteem isn’t a thing, it’s something that’s fragile and easily broken, sometimes without our ever even knowing until it’s too late. So I realized the best way to look at it, is to remove some of the negativity from it.

Controversial take, as a creative, comparing your work to others doesn’t always have to be a downer experience… it can be good, and enlightening even. The great thing about consuming media is that it can do so much for us, the appreciator, like bring us joy, bring us sadness, start a conversation, or stir inspiration, that last bit especially.

Lean into those inspirations, and no I don’t just mean other sims content. Rewatch your favorite old movies, replay your favorite old games, start a Pinterest board, go through some old family photos, create a Spotify playlist that transports you somewhere you’d rather be. Examine them, study them, focus on the colors, the lighting, the textures, there’s formulas in all kinds of media, even your mom’s old Polaroids, aim to create your own.

Learning is a never-ending journey. You can never learn enough about anything. There are so many tutorials on YouTube, and hell, even on here, if you feel like you’ve got somewhere you can improve, don’t be ashamed to do so, and change is good, bc the great thing about change is that you can do it again, and again, and that’s totally okay. Don’t be set in your ways when it comes to content creativity, it’s too beautiful a hobby for there to be any one way to be.

I think the one reason why I love Simblr so much over all other sims communities, is bc everyone here does things their own way, and everyone ( at least I hope ) appreciates each other for that. This adds variety to my dash, and makes it all the more enjoyable to look at. My game looks the way it does bc that’s how I see it in my head. I’m heavily influenced by Hayao Miyazaki, Guillermo del Torro, and old 90’s movies. I lean into the bright colors, I lean into the ideal big kitchen, I lean into the excessive neon lights, and I lean into the cringe dialogue, bc that’s what brings me joy, and that’s what brings me nostalgia.

The Sims itself brings me joy and nostalgia too, and that’s why first and foremost I enjoy playing it, lol, everything else… having a space online to share it with others who also enjoy playing it is just an added bonus.

Now as for the funky faces, there are mods out there that minimize the awkward grin, whether they still work idk tho.

You can also try putting a little more space between the bottom of your sim’s nose and their top lip, it might look weird in CAS, but this will help avoid a lot of the wonkiness from the over-exaggerated smiles in-game.

Learning to love sims for all their quirks, bad animations, and goofiness is also a good tip. 😆

[windslar]

i'm thinking of starting to tell sim stories on tumblr. what are some things you wish you'd known before starting that would have made your life easier as a creator? ps i am absolutely obsessed with you.

That's so sweet! Thank you, anon. Sorry if this got really long and out of hand, but apparently I'm quite passionate about this topic. Oop.

To be honest, I didn't think of myself as much of a sim storyteller. There are definitely simblrs out there telling elaborate stories with developed characters. Personally, my style is more gameplay-focused and then adding context. 95% of the time, I take random screenshots and build a story based on that. The only real planning involved is that I try to follow the rules of the legacy challenge I'm playing. That being said, I use it more as a guide for storytelling rather than a checklist of tasks I have to complete.

I've attempted focusing more on storytelling with Lightflower. I have a google doc plotting the scenes and dialogue, and linking to pose packs I want to use, but I've been on a slump with that particular save. Don't get me wrong, I love those sims but the idea of opening that save and posing them and coming up with dialogue is like pulling teeth for me (at this point, anyway). Motivation to play a save is huge. This is a hobby, and the last thing I want is for this to feel like work.

All that to say I wish I'd known NOT to put too much pressure on myself. I think, in the beginning, we all get inspired by other simblrs and we want to create great stories and original edits that get a ton of likes and reblogs. So we consciously or subconsciously emulate what's popular. It's one thing to be inspired and motivated by others, but it's another thing to feel like you have to measure up to popular simblrs with an established audience. With anything in life, if you compare yourself to others, it's not going to be an enjoyable experience.

So my advice is to just do what you like, post what you enjoy, and share your excitement about your sims. Some days, I like to post slice of life screenshots of sims just living their lives on live mode. Other days, I like to pose my sims and add some more story elements to my gameplay. I don't limit myself to one thing or one style because I know I'd get bored with my save. This approach works for me, and it might be different for you. There's no one way to play this game.

I also don't limit myself to the game's narrow "personality" system. I like to explore why my sims have certain traits and how it motivates them to do certain things; it's stuff like that that makes sims more fleshed out and more memorable for people following your story or gameplay. If you sprinkle in some context or elaborate a little on your sims' personalities beyond "so-and-so has these three traits", it allows you to be more attached to your sims and less likely to burn out.

Oh, and maybe this is just me being a chronic queue-er who posts 99% of the screenshots I take, but stop second-guessing yourself because you think your post isn't good enough. I see it occasionally on the dash -- people being overly self-critical about their creations and choosing not to post or deciding to delete it because it didn't get the numbers they wanted. We all start from somewhere and we're all learning new things as we go. SHARE your stories and edits and WIPs. If you show you're enthused about something, it carries through in your work and you'll find that others will start caring about the stuff that you post.

[mothguy34]

Hi my frinends call me Chris

and this is where I dump everything I like with no real theme, you may find this pinned post perfectly reflects that. I'm czech and as such I speak Czech and English fluently. I am also learning Spanish and have a great interest in Latin and Italian, which I am also very casually learning.

BLOG WARNING: There's a good chance I will reblog insects without tagging, as well as suggestive art or non sexual artistic nudity and blood or injury. If you don't want to see these, it's best you do not follow me. I rarely think before I reblog and cannot guarantee anything, even if I was actively trying to tag.

About me: -I like to draw and research stuff that interests me.

-I am a bigender transsexual male, any gendered terms are fine for me. I dislike exclusionists and generalizing other people within the trans community, but I'm happy to explain anything - about myself only - to the occasional curious onlooker whether it's trans related or not :3.

-I use a lot of sexuality labels interchangeably for fun just because idfk what applies to me either, I probably fall under the asexual umbrella somewhere too, but I have a job so idrc about that rn (translation: I'm in a ldr and it's not relevant to my life) -I'm vegan-ish as in that's what I buy and cook for myself, but I still live with my parents so sometimes I scavenge their scraps or leftovers out of the fridge - it is primarily for environmental reasons, but I really enjoy the food I make so far and I like cooking, always happy to exchange recipes.

-I also like horses it is a recently rekindled (by rdr2) childhood interest.

-I consider myself to be religious, but I have a personal belief system that is not tied to any specific organized religion.

-If you'd like to talk I'm always open to DM.

Interests: -I love music of most genres and discussing it, but primarily I am a fan of various rock and metal subgenres and to a lesser extent rap but almost all I know about rap I learned from my girlfriend. I get real specific with what makes me tick and what bores me however. Lately I listen to a lot of old folk music, blues and americana.

-I am a massive vocaloid fan. My all time favorite producer is Kikuo, I have been a fan of his work for maybe 7 or 8 years now. I am also very fond of Pinocchio-p and various others. My favorite vocaloid overall is Meiko, but flower might be my favorite voicebank wise. -I'm a fan of many a videogame including but not limited to Fallout (I specifically like 1 2 and New Vegas but I can enjoy the others and talking about them) FFXIV and Elder Scrolls, those are probably the main ones I'm obsessed with. I'm currently REALLY big into pjmoon, Lobotomy Corporation rly hit the right spot for me gameplay wise and I keep up with Limbus Company story (except canto VI due to ruina spoilers), though I have not yet touched Ruina. I also like Neuro-sama. I don't really watch other vtubers, though I do like some of their non-stream content sometimes. If you ever want someone to raid with on FFXIV or do literally anything with especially if youre new to the game or high end content pleaseeee hmu it will be so fun but also hmu about your wol lore Im obsessed with it you could be a completely random ass stranger with 0 posts and no profile picture but I have to hear about your catboy especially if you want me to dump wol lore on you also. My favorite FFXIV character is probably Hermes as far as actual writing goes, but I have a folder for Asahi made up entirely of in game screenshots that contains let me check yeah 961 images so that's a fun fact about me, there really isn't a whole lot to his character but that never stopped me before. (I'm currently on a short break from FFXIV, but I am continuously working on character lore and working on making a WoL comic.) -Other than games other fandom stuff I like is a lot of animated shows. I love watching moe and anything cute and high energy, aside from that to list my favs I really like Gintama, MP100, Mushishi, Kino's journey, Mononoke, K-On, Bocchi, Eizouken I also like One Piece (watching the anime atm), but I have some polarizing opinions on the anime I think Im gonna switch to the manga frankly. And yea Jojo but Im mostly an anime only, part 4 is probably my favorite but Joseph is my favorite protag. I love Arcane, but Ive never touched League of Legends, I just watch the cinematics. I'm also a Futurama fan, it was my fav childhood show I've seen it maybe 5 times and I still like it now. Also I like hxh a lot and my all time favorite character in any visual medium ever is Illumi but I hate Hisoka and have all tags related to him blocked so life is hard for me sometimes.

-As for manga Im reading Witch Hat Atelier, Spy X Family, Ya Boy Kongming! part 7 of Jojo and Golden Kamuy rn mostly, I'm not much of a manga reader as reading anything online bothers me. I love Junji Ito's works. I haven't read very many other comics recently, only Watchmen and V for Vendetta, which I thought were good. My all time favorite manga is Shimanami Tasogare. -Been watching X Files, Twin Peaks and Columbo and I'm a fan of all of the above. I've already seen Twin Peaks once, but I was a child and didn't get it and don't remember anything and my girlfriend rarely wants to watch it with me but Im tryiung to force them. Many such cases. -I love reading, lately I really enjoy Camus, also I read Hesse's Demian the day before I had top surgery and it left a strong impression which I pondered over when waking up from anesthesia, so now that book is very dear to me as a result. I have been raised to have a positive relationship with literature, so just being around or discussing books can make me happy, though I tend to alternate between an infinite amount of them and struggle to finish them, which is the same thing I do with all media teehee. I've liked E. A. Poe basically my entire life. I also like reading plays and poetry, I'll read basically any form of writing so go ahead and send me recommendations! But keep in mind I have a lot of classics to catch up on, so I don't read much recent literature. I also will not read fanfiction unless it was written by somebody I care about. I'm open to reading VNs and have read a few of the popular ones, but I already have some on my backlog and am currently reading through Subarashiki and Slow Damage (Towa as a character rly resonates with me so its hard to hate the game despite the rough points but I wouldnt rly recommend it to anybody I dont know well...idk) -I like a lot of movies, but my main passion lies in horror. I am equally passionate about movies I hate however so watch out! I do not criticize the media I consume to bask in my hatred and be negative, I love analyzing things and what I like or dislike about them, but I understand completely if you do not like this as much as I do. I generally tend to be more critical of media that takes itself seriously or is propped up as a masterpiece or something very unique for its respective genre, when it doesn't live up to those expectations. Though I do not consider myself a snob and will often watch bad movies for fun or enjoy things I am critical of. I recently saw all of Little Nicky with my friends and it was a great experience. I think the movie is probably one of the worst I've ever seen in my entire life so do check that out. I'm way too into the SAW franchise, I also recently got into Star Wars (I also love kotor 1 and 2 and play swtor sometimes). My favorite slasher series and some of my favorite movies of all time are Child's Play I am also very passionate about John Carpenter's apocalypse trilogy - everyone knows The Thing but what many people don't know is that he has made 2 other movies which are also as you may have guessed about possible ways the world could end, I adore In The Mouth of Madness one of my favorite movies ever. I also like several czech films/films by czech directors they are very dear to me.

There is definitely a lot I forgot here, I have an interest in way too many things and am also glad to learn about ones that are new to me. So in summary I'm open to discuss basically anything, I enjoy texting new people and learning about people, I absorb it like a sponge, you want to give me your opinion on the industrial revolution? Ok! Yay ❤️ I'm a relatively open ''what you see is what you get'' kind of person, but sometimes I struggle to convey what I'm trying to say. I love my gf and friends - and the world and people in general, though I may slip up and imply otherwise if something makes me mad.

Side note: I don't rly have a DNI but if I don't like your blog I'll just block you. This is generally not personal (although it could be ig) instant block reasons range from tangible reasons I might have to dislike someone (right wing or conservative views, smug person etc) to personal distaste and petty mild annoyances (profile says your AGAB in some form for 0 reason, hard to read typing quirks/grammar, talking about your distaste for bugs under every post that so much as mentions them and so on) or simply filtering out content I don't care to see when filtering tags fails me. If you don't know why I might have blocked you, it's very likely it's just a random small reason and says nothing about you. I like most people and I enjoy keeping it that way so when I get online I try to filter out even speech patterns I dislike, because someone I would roll my eyes at on here could otherwise be my friend in a nuanced setting and I don't want to think badly of them. Also. I don't think proship and anti are coherent enough descriptors so I will say personally I think more or less anything goes except for the sexualization of characters that explicitly look like children or animals. Also, a lot of "dark topics" are just an excuse to use shock value or fetishize certain scenarios but I think that is its own problem and boils down to that piece of media sucking. That said I dont like to/want to engage with people who label themselves as proship as a general pointer. If you actually read this far or like, any of this at all thanks smile. check this out

[beardedmrbean]

Ah the rumors are true (and these gaming companies coordinate)

https://x.com/xbox/status/1785308276063633588?s=46

I already figured out given last year Xbox revealed Star Wars outlaws and next day we had a gameplay reveal at the Ubi forward

Remember that leak AC red menu I sent? Well that was taken down to copyright, but I think that was a Xbox not a Ubi move.

Because the leak show the build being April third and most press conference game builds are usually a few months old as they are the most stable

So I heard original red would have it reveal in May 31st…hmmm if that still true

May 31st- a press event where we get a pre render cgi trailer, proper Yasuke and Naoe reveal, details, in game screenshots. And title reveal

June 9th- Xbox will have a gameplay demo showing off the capabilities of Xbox (and if Xbox bribed them enough. Ac red will be the first day one ac game on gamepass as the last three ac rpgs on it)

June 10th- a story trailer and “bts” video where they show how yes finally we are going to Japan and their ideas and inspirations for it

With probably the nice explanation why Yasuke was chose for the second playable character

Because people want red to be reveal at Ubisoft forward…but people need to digested Yasuke at first

Like my theory craft on how to use Yasuke in a what if continuation is interesting…but modern writers are not exactly smart.

Also there a fundamental difference between my black teen dad Jrpg idea vs writers who have critical theory plaguing their minds

Not to mention they think having more non whites will bring black people into fantasy games.

When the last time they went to the cookout? The vast majority of casual players only enjoy playing Cod, GTA, tekken and other fighting games, and the occasional license hero game

Okay okay fornite

Like here my pitch

Hey casual black gamers (who barely desire to play Normie games. WHAT I still deal with it) you remember Afro samurai? Well here a game where you play as the weapon bearer Yasuke in this game Assassin Creed Shadows (that is what some people saying the game is going called) where you help a secret ancient order unify Japan. And there more it’s a RPG where you can spend over 100 hours into and explore the beautiful recreation of feudal Japan!

Warning your dumbass might become a pseudo historian and desire more knowledge

(Or you might be interested in more ac games. Hmm here an Egypt one! Now might give you more! HEHEHEHE)

And noting bad wait- okay probably will be 70 dollars…..oh great a season and battle pass!….wdym online only?!

Ubi you now got 5-6 months to reform red market system (most ac game comes out on October or November) because you seen how your own game skulls and bones and SS kills JL flopped

Ugh why I had to be born during the hard times of gaming?

Maybe in May I get more leaks

Also college educated students, people do like organic diversity.

But white people don’t like the demonization of themselves from people who make more money they do in their lifetimes

Seriously what the fuck is the culture in California and New York where it socially acceptable to treat white people like fictional characters

June 10th- a story trailer and “bts” video where they show how yes finally we are going to Japan and their ideas and inspirations for it With probably the nice explanation why Yasuke was chose for the second playable character.

This all was the official timeline then, nice of them to post it, probably gonna be a few more leaks tho

Like my theory craft on how to use Yasuke in a what if continuation is interesting…but modern writers are not exactly smart. Also there a fundamental difference between my black teen dad Jrpg idea vs writers who have critical theory plaguing their minds Not to mention they think having more non whites will bring black people into fantasy games.

They need to stop with all the tokesism crap, even a MC can be a token if it's all just stereotypical nonsense. Then again certain parts of the audience that's all they want.

Gay guys need to be flaming, lesbians are lipstick or mega dyke, Latinos are gardners, and black people are thugs or you're doing it wrong.

If Yasuke breaks into a Undercover Brother type monolouge at some point I would laugh and cry.

When the last time they went to the cookout? The vast majority of casual players only enjoy playing Cod, GTA, tekken and other fighting games, and the occasional license hero game.

Oh I miss the cookouts, had a few friends that would invite me to different ones, damn fine food. Sometimes I acted extra white just to be funny too.

Prev and Warning your dumbass might become a pseudo historian and desire more knowledge (Or you might be interested in more ac games. Hmm here an Egypt one! Now might give you more! HEHEHEHE)

I like it, I also like tricking people into learning, makes things fun and interesting.

And noting bad wait- okay probably will be 70 dollars…..oh great a season and battle pass!….wdym online only?!

Grrrrrr

Ugh why I had to be born during the hard times of gaming? Maybe in May I get more leaks Also college educated students, people do like organic diversity.

There really was a golden age for it, late late 90's till the 10's when things all started to go online, get really good complete games and y you could hit up gameFAQ's if you needed help with something (used to have to know someone who knew or call the Nintendo Power hotline at $1.99 a min if you were stuck.

Think most college educated people like that too, it's just the loud ones that are the issue.

Seriously what the fuck is the culture in California and New York where it socially acceptable to treat white people like fictional characters

Speaking as a Californian let me say, fuck those guys doing that.

this is more like it

[buttertrait-old]

honestly might do some gameplay with the sim i just posted. idk if i’ll post screenshots because obviously we all know my track record with gameplay. i might post them occasionally,,, but again don’t hold me to it😭

[thatgamefromthatad]

Ads vs. Gameplay (Royal Match Review)

Ads on the left, gameplay on the right (cropped for formatting, some full screenshots are included below).

This is a match-3 game and it’s a much simpler match-3 game than the ads would make it seem. However there is a small bit of truth to the ads which is the same type of mechanism Playrix games like Homescapes use to try to get away with less-than-honest advertising; there are bonus levels called “King’s Nightmare” that appear occasionally where you have a limited time to complete the level goal and save the king from a precarious situation. But even these levels aren’t exactly like the ads because there’s a less direct relationship between the tile-matching and the danger - there’s just an animation of the king in danger on top and a separate timed board underneath, rather than the tiles pushing on a lever or something.

That being said, this is actually a very good match-3 game in my opinion, in fact it’s one of the best I’ve played just in terms of gameplay. One thing I really like about this game is that it’s in a vertical orientation which I personally find more convenient and comfortable for a hyper-casual type game (having played other games with horizontal orientations like Homescapes and Project Makeover). Another thing I really like is the haptic feedback although this might only be applicable to certain devices since I just recently got an iPhone 11 and just noticed this feature in a few games I’ve played. I guess later generation iPhone’s have this kind of clicky tactile thing that’s not a vibration but is some kind of motion from inside the phone. It’s hard to explain but this game uses it really well and adds a sort of satisfying sensory aspect to playing the game.

More positives of the game would be the ability to play for long stretches of time and decent variation in gameplay. The stamina mechanism is such that you don’t lose “hearts” unless you fail a level, so it’s kind of merit-based - if you pass all the levels you can play indefinitely basically. However it’s also extremely easy in this game to get unlimited lives for a long period of time, as these powerups stack on top of each other and can add up to one or two hours or even more. There are lots of miscellaneous events that give you rewards just for passing levels or using a certain amount of powerups so you can get unlimited lives from those plus more powerups to help you pass the levels more easily. As far as variation, there are some similarities to other match-3 games (similar powerup types and obstacles you need to match next to) but there are also many different obstacles that are continuously introduced, I played 100 levels so far and the most recent one was introduced a few levels ago, a safe that opens after you use a certain amount of powerups on it.

The only negatives (other than fake ads) would be lack of storyline, although I don’t see that as a big negative since that’s not always necessary for a hypercasual game, and the game in some ways being excessively easy due to the massive amount of powerups the game throws at you, plus the fact that most of the levels are pretty easy to pass anyway. It wasn’t until around level 80 that I started failing levels and needing to use a bunch of powerups to pass. But overall with the other positives I mentioned, plus there being no interstitial ads or excessive pushing for you to buy something, this is a great match-3 game and I would definitely recommend it if you like hypercasual match-3 without the game being cluttered up with dialog or cutscenes or anything.

Ad Honesty Rating: 3/5

Overall Rating: 5/5

Thanks so much for reading! 🥳 I didn’t put a read more on this one cuz I guess Tumblr has a feature now that automatically cuts down long posts (and Tumblr always messes up my post format when I try to put a read more in anyway). But let me know if you would prefer I cut these longer reviews for any reason since the feature is new and I’m not 100% sure how it works yet.

[buddydollysims2]

📌 pinned post! pinned post! 📌

this should be everything you might need to know about me / this blog.

HIATUS NOTICE:  I haven’t been super active on tumblr lately, and I have forgotten most of the minimal coding I learned to make my blog pretty. I can’t seem to find the time to fix my blog theme (buttons are broken), so I do apologize for that. If you’re on desktop you’ll just have to manually navigate through the pages using the url bar. ): sorry! also, I barely check my activity tab anymore so if you happen to tag me in a post, please send it to my DMs here too so when I do hop on I see it! thanks and sorry again for the mess! xoxo — okay that’s all ♥

quick rundown:

♦ buddy / dolly ♦ she / they ♦ 26 ♦ aquarius ♦ creativity or pleasure × knowledge ♦

💚 my non-sims sideblog is @buddydolly; I don’t typically follow non-sims blogs, as this is my main blog, and I like to try to stay on topic here. you may occasionally see non-sims posts here though, especially if they’re about aliens. 💚

⚠️ I cuss a lot. 🔞 this blog is not intended for minors.

♦ I reblog a lot of cc, and I'm considering making a separate cc blog, but until then, here’s my incomplete directory page. you're probably better off just scrolling through and seeing if you like anything though, because I’m very disorganized at the moment and haven’t been keeping up with my tags.

disclaimer:

This blog is not endorsed by or affiliated with Electronic Arts, or its licensors. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Game content and materials © Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved.

projects:

I have a lot of sims-related projects going on at any given time, but I'm also very lazy, so here's a list of what I'm up to/intend to do eventually:

♦ screenshots / rename all my screenshots and download some content to make my game a little more photogenic. (bucket blue night skies anyone?)

♦ blog / fix my tags and pages, which are basically useless at the moment. possibly make a sideblog to reblog cc. 

♦ exchange / cull through and upload my old TS2 exchange downloads so others may enjoy them. (I haven't forgotten about you, @caramelsmiles12!)

♦ archive / maintain an archive of TS2 custom content from creators who are no longer active, so that if someone is looking for that content, I can give them a link to it, complete with descriptions and preview images.

♦ mediafryer project / last year I helped archive some content that was in danger of being deleted by mediafire. some of it is available through this spreadsheet, which is a good resource if you know what you're looking for. (related to the above bullet point, I plan to re-upload this content again later in a more accessible way. I just don't have the time or the spoons to go through it right now.)

♦ downloads / empty my downloads folder and start from scratch, pick new defaults, and be a lot more selective about the cc I keep in my game.

♦ gameplay / start sharing my screenshots again after I make my game a little more photogenic.

♦ my own cc / make and upload my own wall and floor recolors + hair color actions and recolors. (this project is still in its literal infancy; do not ask me for actions, I'm still experimenting with colors and haven't made them yet.) also face templates??? eventually???

[peebsplays]

CHECK IN TAG  ✔️

Thanks @sims4americangirlchallenge for tagging me!

Why did you choose your url?

I wanted just Peebs but that’s pretty much impossible to get at this point anywhere on the internet. I originally thought I was going to be a gameplay blog for several games so it would be like Peebs plays (game I was playing) but ended up just being a simblr. So now it’s basically just Peebs plays sims.

Any side blogs? If you have them name them and why you have them.

I have one @simshistoricalfinds. It’s obviously a finds blog and I’m very slow at keeping it updated but it is active. I started it so that I could keep my main simblr a bit more organized. 

How long have you been on tumblr?

Not very long, since December 2018.

Do you have a queue tag?

Nope.

Why did you start your blog in the first place?

I started my tumblr originally so I could keep up with @historicalsimslife story, but then @javitrulovesims Victorian townies inspired me to start sharing some screenshots of my own sims and eventually I learned how to make cc.

Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

It’s my simself, and I used to change it with the season/time period of my game but I’ve been lazy/pretty busy.

What’s your post with the most notes?

My Unrequited hair apparently. 

How many mutuals do you have?

I have never really paid attention to this but apparently I have 178. Lots of them have left tumblr which is a bummer, but the ones that are still here please know I love your posts and I appreciate you! ❤️

How many followers do you have?

When I first started I would share follower gifts when I reached certain milestones but then I quickly realized one of the things I really appreciate about tumblr is that you can’t see how many followers people have. My day job is in digital marketing so having a place where I don’t worry about follower counts is really really nice! I also think it’s good for mental health reasons to not worry about the number of followers you have. So I won’t be sharing how many I have but if anyone feels like they really want to know you can send me an ask.

How many people do you follow?

I follow 533 people, I would say 99% of those are simblrs. Quite a few are mutuals that aren’t here anymore but I can’t bring myself to unfollow them yet.

Have you ever made a shitpost?

I’m not sure but I don’t think so?

How often do you use tumblr each day?

Usually once a day but if I’m at my computer most of the day I’ll check it periodically. That said I will take breaks from time to time where I don’t check it at all for several days.

Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? who won?

No, I try to keep things pretty positive here and not waste my energy one people who don’t deserve it.

How do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts?

I feel like I don’t see a lot of these kind of posts but I do understand how they can be important in spreading awareness. However I also know when it comes to social media I don’t need to do anything.

Do you like tag games?

Yes, I’m not one to share a lot so I find it’s a good way to share things that people might be interested. As well I think it’s an fun a way to learn more about other simblrs because I would never think to ask most of these things. 

Do you like ask games?

Occasionally. It’s a case by case basis.

Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

I’m not 100% sure. I’m sure if I wanted to I could guess at a few but it’s not really important to me.

Do you have a crush on a mutual?

Not like a real crush but I do crush on their skills and abilities! I have so many that are so, so talented! 

Since there’s been so much talk about mutuals I’m going to tag @antiquatedplumbobs, @faerie-tempest, @waxesnostalgic, @pixelnrd, @javitrulovesims and @simulatedstyles.

[mistysensation]

simblr community challenge

I was tagged by @lesyasun and @frownyyy! Thank you both 💖

How long have you been playing the Sims?

Ooh, I’m not completely sure. I first played Sims 2 on my friend’s computer (this would have been circa 2008?) and we did all the classics: setting sims on fire, drowning them by deleting the pool ladder, making sims by sliding all the sliders to all extremes, that kind of thing. Then I didn’t touch it at all until Ultimate Collection was released, at which point I learned to download and hoard cc and make my game prettier.

How long have you been a Simblr, and why did you become one?

Not that long! My first ever posts were on in August 2018 (on a sideblog that’s now abandoned), but I didn’t post again until May 2020. I originally just wanted to take and share pretty screenshots. When I started posting again, I really, really wasn’t handling quarantine well. I was avoiding all my real-world responsibilities and literally never leaving my room. My grad advisor was really upset with me, I thought I might get kicked out of my program because of it, and all I could do was make wallpapers and play. It’s not the worst coping mechanism I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t fantastic either.

These days I’m doing a bit better! I’m having more fun with the game, I have a therapist now, and I’m chugging along.

What type of Simblr are you?

I think I mostly post gameplay and edits at this point. I’m still working on my Stardew Valley generations challenge (about to enter Gen 3, exciting!). I make cc occasionally, but it’s few and far between. I have some unfinished projects that I’ve been meaning to polish and release, though.

Also, I’ve never played any premades before. I’d like to do that at some point, haha.

Which generation of Sims do you primarily play?

Sims 2 always! I have an Arr! version of Sims 4 that I played briefly, but I couldn’t get into it.

Tagging @simblobsquarepants, @plumbbobtoggle, and @landgraabsims! But feel free to ignore :)

[louiserandom]

Play Games with Me

Pairing: Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara | Rating: E

A/N: Commission for the amazing @rookie-d​💙💗 thank you so much! *hugs* 

Read on AO3 or continue under the cut :3 Ko-fi and fic commission info in the header!

Tobirama SenJERK has never had sex in his life, Madara types, as always brimming with spite when it comes to his least favorite person in town. Maybe on the planet.

Rereading the comment and satisfied that there aren’t any typos or any hint whatsoever at some kind of hidden affection (which isn’t there, never was and never will be, Madara reminds himself firmly), he hits ‘Comment.’

“Take that, you dumbass,” Madara mutters under his breath, and really, this could be classified as childish, were he not completely in the right to take vicious revenge upon the fucking asshole who dared refer to Madara as ‘so idiotic it’s pitifully adorable’ on his last stream. Hah! Like Tobirama isn’t the less intelligent one of the two of them; Madara has watched enough of his Uncharted 4 gameplay to note that Tobirama took twelve seconds longer than him to figure out arguably the most difficult puzzle in the game. And although Madara’s sub count doesn’t quite reflect his superior intellect compared to Senju’sーnot that he’s checked in a whileーit’s likely a testament to the viewers’ total lack of taste, if anything else.

(Two thousand, nine hundred and thirty four viewer’s, to be precise, according to this morning’s stats and minus the handful of Madara’s fake accounts that he created just in case to keep up with his chief competitor. Admittedly, it might be a tad annoying.)

A notification pipes up.

Hm, I wonder how you’d know that, MaddyGamerboy? Are you stalking me? I must admit, I’m flattered.

Madara sputters at the reply. At yet another butchering of his perfectly adequate nickname. The fucking nerve of the guyーand people fucking wonder why Madara hates his guts?

(Madara knows it doesn’t really help his case that he’s touched himself to fantasies of the younger Senju more times than he’d care to count, but hate-fucking a thing isn’t it? Hate-masturbation must be too, he supposes. Not the healthiest outlet for negative feelings, but it makes him feel good enough.)

(Heavenly, to be precise.)

I AM NOT, YOU SELF-OBSESSED DUMBASS, Madara types, simultaneously taking care of the half-a-dozen typos that appear of their own accord.

No.

Deep breath. Stop fingers from shaking. Think about something witty to say.

Pff, he writes, for lack of any better word to express his indignant huff, like I give a shit about you. You’re dumb.

It did sound much better in his head, but Madara has spent over a minute writing the comment already, and he doesn’t want to appear as if he’s thinking too hard on it.

He posts his answer, not dwelling too match on the number of likes on Tobirama’s comment far outnumbering the hundred Madara’s garnered. Again, Tobirama’s audience is clearly not the best judge of character.

“FUCK. YOU. SIDEWAYS, SENJU!” Madara shouts at the reply that follows, consisting only of the words:

Thanks for the sub btw.

“You fucking piece of shit,” Madara hisses. “Like eight fucking fake accounts do anything to boost your stats, I don’t even like all your videos from each one of them, you ass!”

I DID NOT SUB DONT BELIEVE HIM

I’m happy to have another loyal fan ;)

HE IS FUCKING LYEING!!!

With seemingly every single person in the comments raving about how it’s about time MadGamer69 and admitted he admires FlyingThunderGod’s skill, Madara has to consciously restrain himself from smashing his laptop against the wall.

“You can just tell him you like him, you know.”

Madara startles, almost stumbling to the floor when Hashirama returns with their drinks and quickly put-together snacks, always the one to rummage through Madara’s kitchen because Madara hardly cares what edible and inedible things existed there or what to do with themーthat’s Izuna’s job.

“I do not,” Madara snarls, as Hashirama flops next to him on the couch, “like that stupid clusterfuck you call a brother!”

“Madara!” Hashirama whines, with that ever-present pout on his face. “Be civil.”

“Yeah, when he returns the favor,” Madara glowers, grabbing a milkshake from Hashirama’s hand. “Did you forget that he fucking started it? Do I need to quote his “pitifully adorable how so much stupidity can fit in such a short man” again?” Madara can’t help flailing his arms a little, though far too conscious of this habit now since the Tobirama has started pointing it out. He makes up for it with what he hopes is a deadly enough glare. “Did no one in your family bother to teach him manners? Did you?”

Hashirama only sighs. “And did you forget,” he asks, “how before that you abused my invitation over to our place to hide his Golden Youtube Gamer Tablet?”

Madara groans. “It’s called a Gold Play Button. Idiot.”

“Now you’re insulting me,” Hashirama grumbles, “and who cares? The point is, you’d be upset too if he hid yours.”

“Youtubers care,” Madara says, “and also, that’s irrelevant, that was revenge for him making fun of my perfectly adequate gameplay.”

“To be fair, you were dying quite a lot in that playthrough...”

“He took twelve seconds longer to figure out that puzzle in the game!” Madara growls.

Hashirama rolls his eyes. “Well, of course, because that Yellow Flash guy was flirting and distracting him in the chat.”

Madara blanches. "That good-for-nothing pipsqueak was what?”

“See,” Hashirama drawls, “you are jealous. Why would you be jealous?”

“I-I’m not!”

“Madara, you are so far in denial, that as your best friend,” Hashirama says firmly, slapping a hand over Madara’s mouth before he can muster another protest, “I cannot stand by and watch you suffer. Anymore, that is, because this has reached a breaking point. So, please, for me, I am begging you, just try politely asking if maybe Tobirama would like to accompany you for coffee somewhere tomorrow? Maybe brunch? I mean, come on, I know you guys don’t hate each other anymore. Seriously, you guys seem like you enjoy arguments, and hey, who am I to judge how people express affection?”

“Affection?!” Madara shrieks, shoving Hashirama’s hand away.

“And please stop pretending you don’t have printed out screenshots of my brother’s videos hidden under your mattress because Izunaー”

“Is a fucking snooping rat!” Madara hisses.

Hashirama sighs. “If it helps you feel better, maybe Tobirama might possibly not feel extreme dislike towards you but actually the opposite,” he says, smiling nervously as Madara blanches.

Because... what?

He blinks, running Hashirama’s words through his mind again.

“And how would you know that?” he asks, suspicious. “I swear if you dared tell him anything about my possibly nonexistent feelingsー”

“Possibly?” Excitement starts bubbling in Hashirama’s eyes. “That’s progress!”

“Definitely nonexistent feelings, dammit!”

Hashirama, the asshole Madara calls best friend for some reason, giggles. “Don’t worry, I didn’t. I promise, stop glaring or I will start pouting,” he threatens, and Madara schools his expression back into a light scowl to avoid the infamous Senju pout.

Like a curse, memories of said pout curling Tobirama’s lips spring to mind, and Madara has to physically shake his head to banish those thoughts.

“Listen, the fact that we’re not as... aggressive as we used to be,” Madara says, “doesn’t mean we suddenly like each other.”

“Madara, you insist on coming along every time we hang out,” Hashirama points out.

“I like hanging out with you.”

“Yet every time we do,” Hashirama presses on, “you’re hyperfocused on bickering with Tobirama instead of talking about wholesome stuff with me. Did you even notice that I brought Mito with me the past few times and it was literally a double date?”

“Was not!” Madara shoves at Hashirama with his shoulder and stands up to pace, because there goes the tell-tale sweating of his hands, the fluttering in his chest and stomach and the memoriesーof him and Tobirama secretly filming the other on camera when they do stupid shit, their almost daily Best Playground Insult Contest that’s been memed half to death on Twitter, the one time they got separated from Hashirama and Izuna in Disneyland because they’d got caught in their arguments so much it devolved into discussing their favorite games and an actual conversation that had Madara’s insides tingling.

No.

No, no, no. If anything, they were just gradually becoming something not unlike friends. And Madara’s occasional fantasies behind closed doors were nothing but a means to a pleasant end.

Not. Feelings.

No matter how much he’s grown attached to the site of messy, white-gray hair that he knows is soft to the touch from all the times he’s tugged on it to irritate him. No matter how piercing Tobirama’s unique red eyes may look. No matter how objectively hot his recent workout routine video wasーand Madara knows he’d only watched it so many times because he wants to improve his own routine, right?

Right?

Madara groans. “Why are emotions so fucking confusing!” He slumps onto the floor and wraps his arms around his knees, hitting his head over and over again on his kneecaps because, “I don’t even know what I want from him, okay?”

There’s a brief silence before Hashirama joins him and keeps him from abusing his head further. “How about,” Hashirama suggests, rubbing a comforting hand on his back, “you just ask? Listen, he’s my brother. And you’re my best friend. You two fighting less and at least making an effort to get to know each other better?” Hashirama brings out the puppy dog eyes. “That would mean the world for me.”

Madara glances at him before looking away again, focusing on a random photo of the wall. One featuring Tobirama right after his university graduation with a wide smile on his face. Quite the adorable face, too, and the unprompted thought makes Madara want to descend into oblivion. Preferably forever.

“That’s difficult,” he says lamely.

“But not impossible,” Hashirama says, “and hey, it’s better than waiting for the Yellow Flash guy to actually make a move on Tobi and start occupying all of his time. He’s a really big fan.”

“Fuck Minato,” Madara scoffs, “the guy just showed up and is just shamelessly emulating Tobirama’s style. That’s dumb.”

“Dumber than you claim Tobi is?” Hashirama prompts.

Madara thinks about it. “You know what? Yes.”

“As I saidーprogress!”

Madara can never go through with his impulses to punch his well-meaning best friend, and so grabs the nearest pillow from the couch and smashes it into Hashirama’s face to shut him up.

Tobirama returns home only to find Hashirama and Madara standing by the front door, frowning as they watched something that sounded like a tsunami of some kind.

“Listen, it’s gotta be one of those black holes or something twisting that vortex. Look how stuff disappears right into it!” is his brother talking, and Tobirama is already heaving a frustrated sigh.

Please don’t tell me you think there’s a black hole on Earth.

“There’s no black holes on Earth, idiot! The nearest one is way off, like near Pluto or something,” Madara says.

Ah. Even better. Tobirama chuckles under his breath, crosses his arms and leans against the wall, observing the two idiots he knows and loves.

He mentally kicks himself.

Well, one of them, he loves. Of course he loves his brother.

The other is... complicated.

“And besides, that could just be the Loch Ness monster or a cthulhu or something. See how dark the water is?”

“Or maybe,” Tobirama says, making them both jump, “it’s a natural phenomenon that’s a tad too difficult for both your brain cells to comprehend? I’m happy to explain though.”

“I’m happy to see you fuck yourself,” Madara greets him his usual way, scowling despite the exceptionally conspicuous blush painting his cheeks.

The contrast never fails to make Tobirama’s heart beat faster. He hates himself for it.

“Mm, Madara,” Tobirama teases, “not in front of my brother.”

As expected, Madara starts spluttering, and Tobirama is left wondering again how he avoids making a total fool of himself in each and every one of his videos. It seems Madara saves most of his flailing for the comment section.

“You,” Madara snarls, pointing Tobirama’s way, “are an asshole, Senju, but spending time with the better part of society might do you some good. So see you at brunch tomorrow and do not be late.”

And with that, Madara gives Hashirama a cursory wave and stalks off, leaving Tobirama frozen on the spot.

Did Madara just?..

Tobirama blinks, swallowing heavily as he feels his throat running dry and his heart rate pick up.

No fucking way.

He must have imagined it. Through his stupor of trying to figure out what the hell just took place, Tobirama vaguely registers Hashirama’s facepalm.

“Sorry for that,” Tobirama hears his brother speak through the rush in his ears. “He meant, uh, will you please join him for brunch? Tomorrow at 11 am, Eggspectation?”

Tobirama blinks harder.

“I,” he starts, “I don’t... Did you blackmail Madara into asking me out?”

Hashirama looks scandalized. “What? No!”

“Did Madara just ask me out?”

“Well, yes, Tobi.” Hashirama chuckles nervously. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”

Tobirama glares. “The idiot’s wake up text to me today was literally a collection of trashy limerick poems about how much I suck. Sorry if I’m a little skeptical.”

“You,” Hashirama says, wincing as a long-suffering expression settles on his face, “you guys send wake up texts to each other?”

A moment of awkward silence hangs in the air.

“Sometimes,” Tobirama says, defensive, although the damage is already done.

“And you’re still not going out? Tobirama, you do realize he’s in love with you, right?”

“Don’t say things like that, Anija!” Tobirama snaps, hoping the dim lighting in the corridor conceals the blush he can feel heating up his cheeks. Fuck. Now he’s turning Madara. “Yet, I mean.”

“I’ll save the celebrations until after your date then!” Hashirama sing-songs like the idiot he is.

Tobirama resigns to his fate. “I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You’ll thank me for this.”

“If it goes well,” Tobirama glowers though it’s ineffective, really, against his brother’s bubbling positivity, and the sheer awe still coursing through him from Madara asking him out on a fucking date is actually enough to make Tobirama want to hug him. He refrains. "Now, thanks, Anija, but I have work things to attend to.”

“Sure! Just don’t forget, 11ー”

“Eleven eggs and uh, no expectations, got it.”

“Wait, Tobi, noー”

With no time to waste, naturally, Tobirama bolts into their apartment and straight to his room to choose an appropriate outfit. And to mentally prepare himself for something he’s almost given up hoping for.

Tobirama cannotーwill notーmess this up.

Tobirama makes sure to arrive about ten minutes early. Not because he’s worried or nervous, of course; maybe just a little, but mostly just to get his bearings beforeーfinallyーa date with Madara goddamn Uchiha.

Madara, who’s been Tobirama’s stupid crush since high school, and just as in love with gaming as he is, only that didn’t turn out to be such a great bonding point between them, as Tobirama had hopedーbefore he actually got to know his Anija’s best friend.

Madara, who seemed to dislike Tobirama at first sight and only grew to hate him more over the years as they both found more joy in arguing than they did in talking.

Madara, who, despite this, blushes every rare time Tobirama genuinely smiles at him or drops a suggestive joke, who has an arguably unhealthy obsession with Tobirama’s ass which he always ogles when he thinks no one is looking.

Madara, whose plastered ass Tobirama had to drag home the other week, amid drunken speeches about capitalist injustice, some wacky conspiracy behind the disappearance of the dodo bird and... something quite interesting.

 “Listen, Senju,” Madara was slurring against Tobirama’s shoulder, as the latter cursed every single nonexistent god that Hashirama had chosen that fucking day to go on a road trip with Mito, Toka and Izuna, leaving Tobirama in charge of this walking trash fire of a man. “Listen. Tobira... Tobi. Tobirama. You’re so hot.”

The words almost made Tobirama stumble.

“What, Uchiha?”

“And cute... So pretty, too, I wish you could see that...” Madara went on babbling. “I think you do. But still. Wish you could see me like I do. I mean see you. Like I do...”

“Tobira, you’re just, you’re unfair...”

“I hate you and I like you then I love you and I hate you again, why you’reー” A hiccup. “How do you exist...”

“I just want to hold hands and just... walk and talk and be together and...”

Tobirama watched in ever mounting confusion as Madara leaned completely into him, humming as he hugged Tobirama tightly and said,

“Is that too fucking much to ask...”

Tobirama stood, shell-shocked, with Madara whispering impossible nonsense in his arms, wondering if he was in a dream.

 The next day saw Madara returning to his usual self insulting Tobirama at every goddamn opportunity, which left Tobirama... confused.

Confused, and conflicted, and sleepless for the rest of the night, thoughts held captive by the utter idiot whose ultimate goal seems to be to ruin Tobirama’s life.

It’s maddening.

Of course, he’d suspected that Madara’s flailing and constant blushing interspersed with screams and insults (the most creative ones, reserved only for Tobirama, it seemed) were signs of not so much dislike, as the complete opposite. Of course, Tobirama had tried flirting with Madara, just bordering right there on the edge of suggestive, only for his advances to be seen as patronizing or condescending. And hearing Madara speak to him this way, in a drunken stupor no less, when he’d probably have no causeーor abilityーto lie is...

Maddening. Annoying. Exhilarating. A tantalizing opportunity. Maybe a glimmer of hope.

And of course, Tobirama told his brother; they never really had any secrets between them. And of fucking course Hashirama had a hand in convincing Madara to change his usual behavior, which is nice and all, but doesn’t help the nerves wracking through Tobirama’s body, nor the crippling fear that he’s going to somehow screw this up.

But no. Deep breath. Exhale. And remember Anija’s advice.

Tobirama takes the last turn before he’s faced with their meeting place, surprised to find Madara already there.

Even though he’s usually always late. Sitting inside by the window, looking out onto the street with a slight frown, Madara keeps worrying his bottom lip and, apparently, trying to break a spoon.

It paints an endearing picture. Tobirama sighs, feeling a smile tugging at his lips.

This man...

Tobirama comes in, approaching him slowly, allowing himself a few moments to watch Madara needlessly fix his wild mane of hair, appraise his reflection in the spoon, try out several fake-looking smiles before settling on a scowl and going back to his nervous tics again. With another sigh, Tobirama takes the few steps left to his date, repeating Hashirama’s advice over and over in his head.

Just be yourselfーand have fun!

Just a few minutes into their date, it becomes obvious that Madara didn’t get the same advice from Hashirama.

Or just didn’t get the advice, period.

With their orders made and beverages served, they’re left to wallow in a less than comfortable silence, broken only by Madara’s... uncharacteristic attempts at conversation.

“Are you enjoying the tea?” Madara asks Tobirama with all of the softness of a brick wall.

Tobirama isn’t used to the man being eloquent, much less polite, and he has yet to have at least one conversation with Madara that doesn’t devolve into a pissing contest. So theoretically, Tobirama should be enjoying this.

But it only seems wrong. Annoying. Not them.

He tries to recall if, maybe, their first meeting was an adequate exchange? Tobirama thinks to the day Hashirama first introduced them. Only flashes of spilled milkshakes and jibes at intelligence run through his mind, and of course that was the very first time he’d called Madara an idiot pipsqueak, receiving quite the lame ‘stuck-up dandelion’ in turn.

Unsurprising.

“Yes,” Tobirama says, taking another sip as he eyes Madara struggling on the other side of the table. Struggling to do what is the question: either sit straight, or assume a more relaxed posture, or reach towards his own drink, or avoid eye contact, even though he keeps glancing his way when he thinks Tobirama won’t notice. Tobirama does, every time, and that just makes the whole ordeal more awkward. “Nice weather,” Tobirama says, with about as much enthusiasm.

If Madara wants to play this stupid game, Tobirama will indulge. Just to see how long it takes for Madara to break and return to his blustering status quo.

“Yeah...” Madara clears his throat, eye twitching as he manages to hold Tobirama’s gaze for a commendable three seconds this time. “Hate the sun. I meanーI mean I love the sun. Ugh. It just, uh. Burns.”

It’s both saddening and funny to see Madara visibly deflate.

“Skin too sensitive, huh?” Tobirama starts small. “Just like your ego?”

Madara’s jaw clenches and his nervous look shifts into a glare before he looks away again, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself down before he flashes an unnaturally cheery smile.

“Heh, nice,” Madara grits through his teeth, “nice joke, Senju.”

Tobirama raises his eyebrow as Madara flinches at his own words.

“I’m glad you appreciate my sense of humor,” Tobirama says, barely reining in a smirk.

“Sure! You’reーyou’re funny.”

“And?”

“And what?” Madara frowns, confused.

“And what else am I?” Tobirama demands, feigning thoughtfulness. “A recent assessment of yours was that I look and act like a self-obsessed dumbass, I think.”

“No-no,” Madara blurts out, looking much a cornered animal, “I think you... you are... you look not at all so terrible today?” he finishes with a nervous chuckle, running a hand through his hair.

Tobirama wants to scream from the agony.

No. This won’t do, otherwise he might as well leave.

“Can you just call me a stuck-up asshole like you always do or recite one of those horrible limerick disses?” he demands.

Madara actually yelps. “What? No! I mean, wait.” He narrows his eyes. “Why?”

“Because you’re acting weird.”

“We’re on a date, if you were too stupーpreoccupied to get my invitation, Senju,” Madara says, jaw still clenched as he doubtless refrains from swearing, “and I’m being civil!”

That’s the advice he must have gotten from Anija, Tobirama thinks.

What a tragedy.

“Madara,” Tobirama implores, leaning his eyebrows on the table and meeting Uchiha’s gaze, “have you considered thatーI prefer it when you aren’t?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, thank fuck!” Madara slams his hands on the table, heaving a massive sigh as Tobirama laughs in relief. “I was ready to fucking die, you piece of shit! How does your brother stay so fucking kind all the time, it’s fucking torture!”

Tobirama rolls his eyes. “It’s a talent, naturally. Just like your talent at embarrassing yourself and mine at being awesome.”

“You’ve got it a little backwards, Senju,” Madara sneers, “but it’s excusable, given your level of intellect.”

“Twice as high as yours?” Tobirama parries.

“Twice as little.”

“That’s more like it,” Tobirama says, grinning despite himself, “I thought you were a decoy or something. You’ve told me to fuck off every single day since we first met and this was getting worrisome.”

Madara’s laugh is sudden, melodic, sending those irritating tingling sensations through Tobirama’s body. He makes an effort to appear outwardly calm.

“Maybe because you managed to piss me the fuck off every day that I’ve known you,” Madara scoffs, “but you’re all right sometimes. I guess.” He shrugs, feigning nonchalance even as he keeps nervously fixing and running his fingers through his hair.

A stupid, tantalizing habit. Tobirama imagines carding his own hands through the messy locks, tugging Madara’s head back toー

He forcefully aborts the thought process before he’s faced with a problem of the harder kind. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll try to strangle each other when we game together.”

“We’re playing today?” Madara asks.

Tobirama tilts his head to the side.

“You haven’t planned one gaming session after our date?”

“Um,” Madara says, blinking rapidly, “why should I be the one with the plan?”

“Because you’re the one who invited me,” Tobirama deadpans. And anyway, Madara is always the one to egg Tobirama on to gaming, which would usually only ever lead to semi-playful brawls and their fighting making Hashirama cry.

And without Anija there to assault them with his antics, Tobirama wonders what their play-fighting might lead to... and promptly shuts off those thoughts again. Control, dammit.

Madara opens his mouth, then closes it, sighs explosively and says, “All right, fair enough. But you’re the strategy pro here. And my thing is RPGs.” He smirks. “I can improvise.”

And Madara does, in fact, improvise, leading Tobirama on what he hopes is a satisfying daylong adventure. It’s strange, walking by themselves around Konoha without anyone else with them (not that they’ve taken to ignoring Hashirama and Mito anyway on their most recent group outings), free to talk about and do anything they want. Strange and perfect, the way Tobirama switches between poorly concealed bashfulness and his usual confidence, as their jokes and jibes at each other, every little prank they pull never fails to make them both laugh.

It’s perfect.

Just like Tobirama’s smile is, directed at him without any pretenses as they set off to explore the lush, gigantic forest surrounding the city, rumored to be home to mythical, many-tailed creatures. And that’s followed by their forays into an abandoned chemistry lab; the scares they get in the woods from intermittent growls coming from the shadows are nothing compared to the horror Madara feels when Tobirama insists on touching broken vials and experimental equipment, and going through doors with dilapidated ‘DANGER. CHEMICAL HAZARD’ signs.

“If we’re infected by some deadly and insidious poison,” Madara whispers as they explore the lab’s tunnels, “I’m going to fucking kill you before it does. Painfully.”

“It’s for science,” Tobirama says. “And trust me. We’re safe. I got a degree in this.”

“Youtube is practically your full-time job at this point. What the fuck else do you need?”

“The satisfaction of discovering something cool?”

“And deadly.”

"Unlikely.”

Madara groans, cursing his life, as well as his inability to say no to hisーapparentlyーnew boyfriend.

The boyfriend who’s just discovered another hidden pathway to a deeper level and has scurried off towards it like an excited five-year-old. Despite himself, despite his intent to keep complaining, Madara can’t hold back the grin tugging at his lips.

Still perfect.

Just like their lunch date which turns into a picnic by the Naka river, where Madara remembers meeting Hashirama way back when. Just like the first time Tobirama grasps his hand, fingers gently massaging it as he laughs at Madara stuttering to a stop from whatever rant he’d been on, heart in his throat and mind suddenly focused on whether his palms are too sweaty or not.

His mind goes blank. Eyes focus only on the man in front of him, whom he yearns to strangle just as often as he craves to tackle him onto any surface and ruin him completely. And it should feel wrong, it should be, only Madara hasn’t quite felt so right about anything in a long time, and with every minute they spend with their familiar bickering, just with a layer of something more behind it this time, it becomes harder and harder to deny how good being near Tobirama makes him feel. Happy. Complete.

Madara winces. Oh, gods. He’s waxing poetic now.

All worries about that fly out the window when Tobirama, without so much as a word of warning, leans in and draws Madara by his collar into a kiss.

Surprisingly, he doesn’t spring up to awaken alone in his bed like he always does, after dreams like these.

And, unsurprisingly, it turns out to be Madara’s best kiss to date.

Maybe he’s exaggerating, if just because he’s been craving this so damn much. Tobirama’s lips are hot, gentle, and welcoming against his, a curious tongue darting out to coax Madara’s lips open and deepen the kiss. The delightful drag of his tongue, his hands, rough and demanding on Madara’s chest, waist, thighsーit’s not long before he’s dizzy with it, barely holding back moans of pleasure for fear of sounding too desperate.

“Fuck,” Madara gasps as they pull away for breath, lips still touching as their eyes stay locked and he’s treated to Tobirama’s downright ravenous gaze. “That wasー”

Tobirama cuts him off with another kiss, then another, and it’s not long before they find themselves tangled in a mess of limbs and loose clothing. The hard ground presses against Madara’s back as Tobirama settles on top of him, ravaging Madara’s mouth with a passion that soon has his pants feeling too tight.

Fuck.

He groans, hips thrusting of their own accord and feeling Tobirama's own erection through the fabric.

Madara makes an immense effort to pull away, stifling a whine at the loss of contact.

“Bed,” he says, mortified at his own crudeness far too late after the word comes out. “Fuck, I meantー”

“Yes,” Tobirama growls, capturing Madara’s lips in another open-mouthed kiss before he hauls him up to start gathering their things. “Your place or mine?”

“Yours? Izuna,” Madara rasps, head too clouded to explain more in-depth, but Tobirama seems to understand.

“Anija shouldn’t be back for a while,” Tobirama says, a devastating grin on his face, “lots of time for us to play.”

Gods.

Madara scrambles to his feet fast enough to stumble, and for once, Tobirama has nothing to say about his clumsiness.

They all but crash through the front door, not even bothering to lock it as they rush through a cursory check to make sure Hashirama is out like he said he’d be.

“Fuck, thank the gods,” Tobirama sighs in relief before dragging Madara back into liplock.

Madara can’t hold back a moan this time, heat ratcheting up between them as he wraps his hands around Tobirama’s neck, pulling him closer as they stumble to the couch. Madara ends up straddling him just so that their cocks brush through too-rough clothing, kiss growing urgent and sloppy, as wandering hands touching every inch of uncovered skin.

Clothes fall away, leaving them both shirtless, and Madara needs a few moments to take in the miles of pale skin, so soft to the touch, toned muscles rippling as Tobirama squirms under him, gasps and groans escaping his lips in answer to every one of Madara’s touches. He leans in to mouth Tobirama’s neck, sucking bruising kisses onto the soft skin there pleasure flaring at the base of his stomach each time Tobirama moans and arches against him.

“You’re so sensitive,” Madara whispers, with a hint of incredulity. “That’s... fuck.”

“Yeah,” Tobirama rasps, eyes unfocused, “because... just get on with it.”

“If I knew this is what it took to finally get you to shut up,” Madara chuckles, “I would have tried this a long time ago.”

If he weren’t so sure Tobirama genuinely despised him. Butー

“I fucking wished you would!” Tobirama snaps, though the irritation rings hollow with the breathless tone.

Madara blinks in shock.

“You did?” Madara asks, moving lower to lap at Tobirama’s nipple, sucking the hardened nub into his mouth and eliciting another delicious whimper. “You thought about this? About my hands on you, touching you?”

“Yes!” The desperation in his tone only adds to Madara’s mounting confidence, one that he so rarely ever feels in Tobirama’s presence.

“My mouth on your cock,” he continues, heart hammering against his ribs as he trails kisses lower and lower, “would you like that? While I finger you, getting you ready to take me?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Tobirama’s hips jerk, making them both moan at the friction.

“Off,” Madara grunts, tugging at Tobirama’s pants with one hand as the other works the belt off his own. They scramble, a bit awkwardly, until they’re both naked and sprawled on top of each other, and Madara all but drools at the sight of Tobirama’s cock, hard and straining, beads of precum already leaking from the tip.

Perfect.

It’s tempting to just let go but Madara decides to take his time. Strokes Tobirama’s sides and chest, fingers his nipples, kisses every inch of skin he can reach, sucking bruises and biting slightly. He marvels at every little keen and groan he wrings from Tobirama, relishing how needy he grows with each second, how he moans Madara’s name, curses him and urges Madara to touch him, sliding his dick against his and huffing when Madara doesn’t do anything about it, before finally devolving into pleading.

Just what Madara’s been waiting for.

“Madara, please,” Tobirama’s whines, a soft, desperate sound that makes Madara groan in turn.

“Please what?” he asks, knowing he’s being a tease and enjoying the hell out of it.

Tobirama musters a pretty non-intimidating glare. “Just... fuck.”

“Tell me.”

“Fuck you.”

“Is that what you want?” Madara raises an eyebrow, making sure to wet his lips, letting his tongue gently graze the head of Tobirama’s cock. “I can bottom. I don’t mind.”

“Fuck!” Tobirama squeezes his eyes shut, heavy breathing interspersed with desperate whines. “Just... suck me off. Please. Now.”

“That’s it, Tobirama,” Madara drags out the syllables of his name, a smirk tugging at his lips, “when you ask so nicely, how can I refuse?”

He wraps his lipsーfinallyーaround the head, licking at the salty fluid gathered there, ears ringing from the heady feel of Tobirama’s cock against his mouth, his hands tangling in Madara’s hair, the sounds slipping from Tobirama’s lips that are borderline fucking obscene. Madara takes a breath to brace himself and takes Tobirama a few inches deeper. His length is hot, stiff, and heavy in his mouth as Madara presses the flat of his tongue against the underside, sucking hard, wringing another delectable whimper. Tobirama’s thrusts up, cock hitting the back of his throat, and Madara chokes for a moment, his own dick jerking at the sensation.

“Madara,” Tobirama breathes, “Madara, gods, you feel amazing.”

The words send another rush of pleasure through him, and Madara takes himself in hand to release some of the unbearable tension, stroking himself slowly as he relaxes his throat and sinks down to take Tobirama to the base.

Tobirama’s moan is a sweet, drawn-out melody. One that Madara enjoys making louder and louder as he starts moving, setting a fast-paced rhythm, uncaring for how debauched he may look, drool leaking out of his mouth and coating Tobirama’s cock, throat constricting around it as he takes him deep, lets him stay there, tongue gliding along his shaft. Tobirama soon devolves into barely coherent pleading, until ‘please’, and ‘more’, and Madara’s name are the only words coming out of his mouth.

It’s intoxicating. Overwhelming, far too much. Madara gives up stroking himself, the pleasure ramping up far too quickly, too soon, though Tobirama isn’t doing much better. Madara draws his lips up along his length, lapping up more precum gathered at the head, even as Tobirama’s hips jerk again and the hand in Madara’s hair tightens, urging him back down.

“Madara, please,” Tobirama keens, “I need...”

Madara has a pretty good idea of what he needs. He swirls his tongue over the head, descending again until his nose is pressed against Tobirama’s stomach. Madara swallows around him once, twice, a third time before he feels Tobirama nudging at his shoulder in a warning he doesn’t pay heed to, starting to bob his head again, wrapping his fingers around the base of Tobirama’s cock, using both his mouth and hand to bring him to completion.

“Fuck, Madara, Iー”

Madara lets out a muffled groan once he feels cum spilling against his tongue, swallowing rapidly as Tobirama’s cock pulses, again and again, through an orgasm that has him writhing and and trembling underneath him, hands tightening in Madara’s hair enough to hurt with the kind of tantalizing pain that only adds to the pleasure.

“You feel so fucking good,” Tobirama pants, watching Madara through white lashes, eyes dark and hazy as another shudder runs through him, “fuckーI want...”

Madara releases him with a wet pop. “Want what, Tobirama?” he whispers, voice too hoarse for him to speak properly.

Tobirama grips his shoulders in lieu of an answer, directing Madara to turn around so his back is pressed against his chest.

Then Tobirama’s hand wraps around his cock andーoh.

Madara has pretty much forgotten about his own pleasure, too focused on not coming too soon and making sure Tobirama was enjoying himself.

“My turn,” Tobirama murmurs against his ear, tone still breathless but with a commanding edge to it now that makes Madara shiver, “and lemmeーlet me hear you, Madara.”

Gods. He groans just from the sound of Tobirama’s voice. The feel of his teeth nibbling at his earlobe, his hand setting a quick, harsh rhythm that builds up the pleasure to impossible degrees. Tobirama’s heated skin pressed against his back, his thighs, the fingers of his other hand carding through his hair with a gentleness that contrasts with his harshness before.

It’s too much.

“Go on, Madara.”

Tobirama’s fingers swiping at the precome gathering at the head of Madara’s cock, smearing it over his shaft. His voice, a muffled whisper coaxing Madara to let go, to come for him, to say Tobirama’s nameー

“Just like that, Madara,” Tobirama grunts, “louder for me, come on.”

Madara thrusts into his grip, all but fucking into Tobirama’s fist at this point, moans his name as the heat grows unbearable the closer he gets to release.

“To-bi-rama...” He comes with a broken groan slipping from his lips as cum spills all over his stomach and Tobirama’s hand, each pulse coming stronger than the last, leaving him dizzy and boneless in Tobirama’s arms for however long it takes for his orgasm to abate.

Feels like forever. Probably a lot less. Time does seem to slow down, though, both of them collapsing against each other onto the cushions, breathing raggedly and curling into each other as Madara turns to bury his head in the crook of Tobirama’s neck.

It still seems unreal. Too perfect. So right.

They lie there for a minutes, coming down from the high, limbs tangled and lazy kisses exchanged here and there. Tobirama looks so peaceful, like Madara’s never seen him before: eyes half-lidded, hair messier than ever, sticking in every direction, skin still flushed and marked, all over, with hickeys and teeth marks, the mere sight of which has Madara’s dick stirring in interest, recent orgasm or no.

“You know,” Madara says, hands running over Tobirama’s chest, barely grazing his still sensitive nipples and making him shiver, “if this is the game you want to play, I’m really not against binging it. The rest of the dayーweekend, if you want.” Madara presses a kiss to Tobirama’s neck. “Make the playthrough as thorough as possible.” To his collarbone. “Unlock all achievements and, uh,” Madara trails his hand along Tobirama’s chest to his groin, past his length and to his ass, "explore every location.”

“If that was some thinly veiled euphemism,” Tobirama says, barely holding in laughter, “for you wanting to fuck me sideways...” Madara holds Tobirama’s gaze as his fingers hover just over Tobirama’s hole. “Then Madara, for fuck’s sake, stop trying to be subtle and get to work.”

Madara barks out a laugh.

“Whatever you say, Tobirama.”

Madara dips his voice low and deep, like he’s noticed Tobirama loves, and relishes the whimper it earns him. Relishes the way Tobirama arches against him, looking for friction, how delectable he looks, ready and responsive, so eager for Madara’s touch.

He knows then and there that if it’s up to him, Madara will do anything to make this last.

[kyndaris]

The Busywork of Sniffing Roses

A few weeks back, I was discussing the mounting pressure I felt to provide a consistent flow of content on my blog with one of my friends, particularly when it came to impressions for the video games I play. These always seem to be the ones that draw quite a few readers than my other ones. And these posts also seem to occasionally warrant a like from a random person on the internet, thus validating my very existence. So, you can see why I push myself through the games I play, taking screenshots of inappropriate stunning moments that would further serve to wow or astound my audience.

Yet the way I play my games flies in the face of maintaining a regular schedule. Most of the games that draw my attention are lengthy behemoths. Much like the books I buy, the games I play can get to upwards of eighty or ninety hours depending on how much of a completionist a person can be.

Though I’m not one to chase trophies, I do like to experience most everything a game has to offer before I see the credits roll. For me, the credits are a way to tell me that the game is finally over and that I can set it aside for something else. It is because of this strange perception that I have on games that I strive to do absolutely everything I can before the credits roll. While it does mean I might miss out on playing through the additional post-game content (which is rare in most games but a staple feature in many a role-playing game), it does mean that I’ve basically explored the entire world and done most of the sidequests and minigames that have caught my eye.

In fact, when I platinumed Ghost of Tsushima, the trophy popped just as I wrapped up the main narrative. Why? Because I had essentially cleared out all the outposts, found all the foxes, composed all the haiku and completed all the shrines.

It is also the reason why I spent an entire DAY simply sailing around the Skellige Isles in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. If there is a question mark, I will find out what it is and make it known! The latest entries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise also saw me spend far too much time roaming around the vast playgrounds Ubisoft gifted the players. 

This ‘habit’ of mine also very much helped in several other games that I somehow managed to platinum. Like Horizon Zero Dawn. By that game’s end, I was only one trophy away. And, in order to get it, I just needed to hit the straw deer scattered around the village. Easy. Done within the hour.

The problem that comes from my playstyle is that I’m unable to provide a complete and multi-faceted view of a video game until I’ve finished and seen the last few cutscenes. True, I could give an impression of the first few hours and the gameplay, but for this humble blogger, the narrative of the games I play have always been the driving force. Everything else is secondary. My video game literacy is decent. I pick up controls quickly. And while good mechanics do contribute to an enjoyable experience, they’re simply just that: mechanics to move the player from Point A to Point B.

In all honesty, I’d probably struggle through Tetris after the first hour. If, however, a developer could slap on a somewhat riveting storyline for why I was moving all these tetromino blocks to create solid lines, I might be able to push through.

So, despite howlongtobeat.com telling me that the games I’m playing should take a certain amount of time to complete, the yearning I have in open-world games (for which there was a lot released in Holiday 2020) often means that I can’t complete the video games I play within as timely a fashion as I would greatly desire in order to churn out interesting content for all my followers to read. 40 hours? Okay. But why does the game clock say that I’ve already put in 38 hours and after perusing online walkthroughs I only seem to be halfway through?

Gosh darn it! Why did I spent four hours playing Orlog? 

At time of writing, I’m still plugging away at Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon. When this goes up, I’ll probably have started Immortals Fenyx Rising or just bought Bravely Default 2.

The one thing I’m struggling with is how slow it is to level up even during Chapters 9 and 10. Nearly 60 hours in and I’ve done plenty of karaoke, bashed away at dream sheep and got my company to the Number 1 spot on the local Yokohama stock market, but none of my party members have actually hit Level 30.

In saying that, I’m still a level or two higher than the bosses I faced and I haven’t experienced too much of a difficulty curve...

But the progress just seems a little jarring to me. It would have been better if there was a more even grade to the levelling (particularly for jobs). Then again, it IS a Japanese role-playing game and if there’s no grinding...is it really a Japanese role-playing game?

Still, that’s no reason for me to cut out all the things that I enjoy doing in a video game just to make sure I beat the game in a timely manner. There are other things to write about than the video games I play. And maybe there’s an audience for that kind of content as well. Although, truth be told, I’m not sure how many people actually read whatever I throw out into the void that is the internet. Perhaps most people skim through whatever nonsense I write and toss in a like. While others barely glance at my weekly attempts to ensure some kind of routine.

In any case, what I often have to remind myself is that this blog isn’t a job. It’s something fun that I enjoy. The moment it stops being that, it should be an indication to perhaps stop or at least give some thought as to why what previously gave me joy now seems like such a chore.

And that includes the playing of video games. Because, if I’m not having fun with a game, what’s the point? Time is precious and it needs to be spent wisely.

[ommsims]

story process challenge

i was tagged  by @xldkx​​ to do this challenge, created by @herpixels​​​ , like a month? a month and a half? ago and it’s been sitting half finished in my drafts for nearly as long. *sigh* (regardless, i love stuff like this so even if it takes me forever to get to it, i appreciate the tags! 💕). 

i decided to answer all the qs because it took me damn long enough to get to this, so i might as well put some extra elbow grease into it (plus it was fun!). btw it’s all going under a cut b/c it is long. i apologize in advance.

1. My Writing Process - used to be a hot damn mess. literally word docs strewn throughout my pc. However, I recently switched to using Onenote (it’s what i use to organize my d&d campaign notes) and hoo-boy is it so much nicer. this is how it’s set up and it’s honestly night and day. i can have a page with outlines, a page to organize & order screenshots, and a separate page for drafting text, and i can easily toggle though them without having to switch windows? a big thumbs up from me.

When it comes to actual writing- I used to write my drafts in novel format, which i enjoyed but it made “converting” them into tumblr posts time consuming and frustrating. I ended up scrapping most of the text in the process, retaining pretty much only the dialogue. 

Anyway, nowadays I write in more of a screenplay format: dialogue only + key scene information with the occasional note to self. 

I do keep a master “arcs” page with key events and each individual character’s arc from beginning to end and secondary “outline” pages with slightly more detailed outline for each leg of the project. No screencaps b/c spoilers galore! 

My typical work flow process for a scene goes: (1) brainstorm scene ideas, (2) take screenshots, (3) organize screenshots into a rough storyboard, (4) add 1st draft of text, (5) edit photos, (6) edit text, (7) upload to "drafts” here on tumblr, (8) let sit for a bit (9) take a final look at things/proofread and edit as needed. It may sound counterintuitive, but i find it much easier to write dialogue for a set of images rather than attempt to take images based on prewritten text. I feel more comfortable editing and tweaking tone and content in the text this way. Otherwise, I get frustrated when I “can’t” shoot a scene exactly as it appeared in my head.

2. How I build my scenes - A lot of what i do is rooted in gameplay, therefore my sets are usually (a) play-tested and (b) not super pretty. I’ve certainly improved at decorating & building over the years but more often than not I download lots off tumblr and the gallery because I don’t have the patience, aptitude, or time to build all of my own sets. That being said, I frequently gut builds only to build a number of completely unrelated mini sets inside to reduce the number of times i have to replace lots. I also keep a list of “important locations” and where certain characters live / will move to, to help keep this all straight as there aren’t nearly enough lots per neighborhood or even per world in this damn game...

my least favorite part of scene building is actually decorating. lol. Don’t get me wrong, I love clutter. I honestly do. but fuck me if i expect myself to spend hours meticulously decorating a set, spend another 3 hours toggling back and forth b/w BB & live modes adjusting things to get rid of the damn routing errors. (yeah, yeah, i know i could ignore them, they’re not important, especially in those scenarios where i’m using a set for screenshots and nothing else, but idk. it really grinds my gears.) and then have to replace the lot like a week later because there aren’t enough lots in the game. *sigh*

3. CC/Pose Making - i do not consider myself to be a cc creator nor a pose maker but i do dabble occasionally. And to be completely honest i’d much rather spend my time doing other stuff, so it’s not high on my list of priorities atm. plus there are so many talented cc creators in this community; i can usually get by with what’s already out there.

4. Getting in the zone - Honestly, I do a lot of brainstorming for plot & dialogue in the shower. I don’t have any particular playlists to get me “in the writing mood” but I do enjoy listening to music as I work. Either instrumental stuff or simply artists/songs I like. If something just so happens to “fit” a scene I’m working on, one i’ve got planned, or even just gives me vibes for a certain character or group, I add a quick note to the top of said scene’s draft. Most of the time I stick it in the recesses of my brain and add a quick link when I finally get to the point of posting the draft to tumblr. For whatever reason, when I have one of those “oh this song is perfect for X” moments it’s essentially ingrained in my mind for the rest of eternity. 

5. The screenshot folder - this will most likely give some of you out there major anxiety. but i swear it’s an organized chaos. :)

yep. 32.9gb of screenshots & related things... 

So with the raws from a single random scene selected, you can see i take roughly 10 screenshots per image posted. not terrible i guess but i’m working on it. Typically I take screenshots and once I’m done editing a scene I’ll move them from the general folder to a more specific project folder.

6. Captions - I’ll answer this in three parts:

for my townie story. not really. I prefer using the text box. I tend to write (& re-write) the dialogue for each one of these scenes several times over as I add more “scenes” into my drafts. It would be incredibly inefficient, time consuming, and would waste a lot more space on my pc to have to save .psds of each image just so i could edit dialogue when I decide: “oh hey maybe so and so needs to bring up X in this scene” and then change my mind an hour later.

for niko, noor, & co. I’m a text on image type gal here. don’t really know why, but it gives the project a different energy. ironically it makes it feel more laid-back to me. which i guess makes sense, it’s a much more light-hearted “story” than my townie project. which is, imo, very soapy haha.

for legacy stuff. all text goes below the images in the text box. reasoning: it’s gameplay, I don’t brainstorm, outline, or pre-write for this. I play the game, take screenshots, plug ‘em into my drafts and write some commentary / dialogue to go along with it.

7. Editing - i am a creature of habit and have not majorly changed my editing process in probably a year and a half (when I began using reshade and had to adjust my color correcting psd). it’s a super basic system:

drag & drop my “color correction” psd.

run actions in ps. (i made my own “all-in-one” actions to really streamline the process; i have different “actions sets” for my premades’ story and for other things that get posted to tumblr. even if no one else notices it, i like the little details that keep my projects separate and “identifiable”. 

voila. all set to upload.

sometimes i crop images, add “text effects”, or do more in depth editing (i.e. editing a phone screen or adding rain etc.) but overall i try and keep it simple for myself. 

8. Throwback - i posted an image of one of the first (but never posted) scenes I’d written for my townie project up above. but as for how would i redo a scene i’d already posted. well i’m currently re-doing my townie story so i guess i’ll just say you’ll see how it’s redone when i get to part 1! 😉

anyway, no tags because i’m so embarrassingly late to this party but if you hadn’t gotten around to this tag, wanted to do it but didn’t get a tag, or started it and left it to sit and now you’re thinking “oh god that was months ago should i even post this anymore?!?” consider yourself tagged by me and go ahead and post it for all to see!

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

G’day everyone!

Thanks to the EA Game Changers Program, last Sunday SimGurus Jill, Morgan and Geoff hosted a super secret private live stream for those of us in the program who weren’t able to attend EA Play and I am so excited to finally be able to share all the information I learned about Island Living and the upcoming free patch with you guys!

I don’t have any new screenshots or gameplay to show you but I did take pages and pages of notes so I’ve spent the better part of today trying to condense those down and put them in order so that you guys can have a look over them and read about some of the amazing new stuff that’s coming in this pack.

Just be aware that because we weren’t able to take screenshots or record the stream, all I had to refer to while putting this all in a post is my own notes and while I did my best to simultaneously listen carefully, write everything down, fend off my cats, and stop myself falling asleep... I could have easily missed something or some information could be wrong because it was 4am in the morning and my cats get bitey when I don’t pay attention to them lol You should definitely check out some of the other Game Changers posts and videos to see if they have any information I missed too!

SO! All that being said, I’m going to put this all under a cut because it’s long and also because spoilers!

If you have any questions about Island Living, I can’t promise that I’ll know or be allowed to tell you the answer, but my inbox is always open and it never hurts to ask anyway 😊

ENJOY!

New World - Sulani

    🌴 The beautiful tropical Sulani contains 14 lots spread out over 3 island            neighbourhoods:                 - Ohan’Ali is a town/commercial area containing 6 lots.                     Festivals/Events take place every day in town, keep an eye out for                     balloons to find out where                 - Lani St. Taz is an upscale residential area containing 5 lots                 - Mua Pel’Am is a Natural Island containing 3 lots. There is also a                     beautiful (and useful) waterfall and possibly a hidden cave but                     shhh, it’s a secret!

    🌴 All lots are fully editable and can be changed to any lot type you want     🌴 There’s a new Beach venue type     🌴 The weather in Sulani is generally pretty mild, but if you have Seasons            installed you may get the occasional tropical storm

Traits + Aspirations

LOT TRAITS

    🌴 Volcanic activity               - Can be used on any lot               - Causes lava bombs to fall on the lot               - Lava bombs can catch your sim on fire if they touch them too much                   while they’re still hot               - Once cooled lava bombs can be broken open and looted or turned                    into decorative objects

    🌴 Off the Grid               - Free base game trait to be added in an upcoming patch               - Your sims bills will be lower BUT most electronics will not work on lots                   with this trait and you will have limited internet access               - Objects in the buy catalogue will display “Off the Grid Functionality” if                   they can be used on this lot. Eg there is a new sink in Island Living                   that looks like a sort of natural spring water pump, it’s perfect for off                   the grid lots

    🌴 Clothing optional               - Free base game trait to be added in an upcoming patch               - Sims will react differently depending on traits. Eg. Self-assured sims                   will be more willing to strip off than sims with other traits like Childish

ASPIRATION

    🌴 Beach Life               - This sim wants to take it slow and enjoy the beach life

SIM TRAITS

    🌴 Child of the Ocean               - Answer the call of the ocean! Sims with this trait will prefer water                   related activities and feel closer to their denizens of the sea.     🌴 Child of the Island               - These sims experience a spiritual connection to the islands of Sulani.                   Honor the islands by partaking in their culture, summon powerful                   elementals and reap the rewards of their blessings — or the                   consequences of their disfavour.     🌴 Sim trait randomization will also be added to the game in a free           upcoming patch!

Careers

   🌴 Fishing/Diving Career               - Fishing will also be getting a big update (I think in the upcoming free                   patch). There will be new fish to collect, a fish trap, a high skill cast,                   re-tuning and new fishing spots in lots of worlds

   🌴 Lifeguard

   🌴 In an upcoming patch, all teen part-time careers will be made available for          all ages

Gameplay + Activities

MERMAIDS!!!

   🌴 Sims can become mermaids via gameplay or you can make one in CAS           (they are under the occult life states menu)    🌴 There are a ton of new customization options for mermaids in CAS,           including eyes, tail shapes and textures, teeth, tops that match the tails.    🌴 Instead of a hygiene bar, mermaids have a hydration bar that will slowly           drop the longer they are out of water    🌴 Mermaids who spend too long out of water might get a cramp, or a           sudden chill, or get very tired if their hydration becomes too low    🌴 You can raise their hydration by having them drink a glass of water, take a           shower, go out in the rain, splash about under a waterfall, or have a bath    🌴 If your mermaid decides to have a bath (even a bubble bath) their tail will           reappear and hang over the side of the tub!    🌴 There was no mention of whether or not mermaids tails reappear when           they’re in a pool but I would assume so?    🌴 Mermaids can give birth to Merbabies!    🌴 While Merbabies can be born, Merchildren won’t manifest into their tales           and power until they’re teens    🌴 Mermaids have some pretty cool powers               - Siren Lullaby - Sing one of the four different siren songs to a                   human sim to provide them with a moodlet… for good or bad is up                   to you               - Summon Ocean Threat - Will drag a sim underwater and drain the                   needs of a human sim to a dangerously low level. If done on a sim                   with already low needs, this may lead to death               - If you have Seasons installed, your mermaid can summon a                   thunderstorm               - There are more but they didn’t have time to show us them all

   🌴 Using powers will drain your mermaids hydration quicker    🌴 Mermaids have their own cool little plumbob, similar to aliens and           vampires    🌴 If you’re sick of being a Mermaid (we can’t be friends anymore), you can          find some special kelp to help you with that

OCEAN SWIMMING

   🌴 Sims can now swim in the ocean!    🌴 Ocean swimming is only possible in Sulani, not other worlds BUT the           Gurus did say that extending ocean swimming to the rest of the worlds is           not off the table just yet and may come at a later date. They just really           wanted to nail it for Island Living before even thinking about making it           possible in other worlds.    🌴 Toddlers can’t swim (obviously) but there are little shallow areas of the           ocean they can sit in and splash around    🌴 If you have Cats & Dogs installed your pets will also be able to swim in the           ocean    🌴 Sims will receive moodlets depending on what’s happening while they           swim. Eg. If they see a shark, or a beautiful sunset    🌴 Sometimes while your sims are in the ocean, they might think they see a           shark… they might be right, they might not. Either way, I wouldn’t stick           around to find out!

SNORKELING + SCUBA DIVING

   🌴 Sims can snorkel around Sulani’s reefs and shallows    🌴 Snorkeling is fully animated    🌴 Sims can also scuba dive by clicking on a buoy and paying the fee for           scuba gear    🌴 Scuba diving is a rabbit hole activity, there a no animations    🌴 Sims can take photos underwater whilst snorkeling and diving and keep           them as souvenirs    🌴 There may be treasures and a secret area to be found whilst diving as           well but don’t quote me on that, I was distracted by my cat jumping on           my keyboard at the time lol

DOLPHINS

   🌴 Your sims can now befriend a dolphin!    🌴 Dolphins can be found playing around buoys (possibly only twice a day?)    🌴 Sims can work on friendship with dolphins by feeding them fish, playing           with them, and teaching them tricks.    🌴 They can even be renamed so you know exactly which dolphin is your           friend

BOATS

   🌴 Outrigger Canoe               - Sims can fish off the edge of them, nap in them, and they are able to                   be dragged into your sims inventory

   🌴 Aqua zip (jet ski)               - Sims can do tricks on the Aqua Zip. The higher your sims fitness skill,                   the better tricks they can do. Aqua Zips can also be dragged into                   your sims inventory

LOUNGERS + BEACH TOWELS

   🌴 Your sims can now relax and sunbathe on the beach (or at home) in           lounge chairs and on beach towels    🌴 One lounge chair will also be available for free in an upcoming base game           update    🌴 Floating loungers are also coming with Island Living. They have similar           interaction to regular lounge chairs but  sims can also sunbathe nude on           floating loungers and can be splashed by other sims in the water. They           can also be used in pools!    🌴 All loungers, floating and non, and towels are able to be dragged into           your sims inventory and taken with them

TANNING + SUNBURN

   🌴 Tanning and sunburns are exclusive to Island Living    🌴 You can “opt-in” to have your sim tan or sunburn using a float lounger,           lounge chair or beach towel    🌴 Tans and sunburns will take into account what your sim is wearing at the           time    🌴 Mischievous sims can also “sabotage” sims who fall asleep in the sun with           some strategically placed lotion. These “sabotaged” sunburn patterns           are completely random and there may be some funny little easter eggs in           there

VOLCANOES + WATERFALLS

   🌴 The natural island of Mua Pel’Am is home to an active volcano and your           most adventurous sims can even live right next to it if they want    🌴 There is also a gorgeous waterfall on the natural island of Mua Pel’Am           that is not only very romantic (wink wink), but also can be used as a           shower by sims living off the grid

CONSERVATION

   🌴 Your sims will be able to clean up the beaches of Sulani, which will impact           the rest of the islands    🌴 At max level conservation the scenery of the islands change to be more           beautiful, more wildlife (butterflies, turtles etc) will show up, and you           might even see some bio-luminescent algae floating around in the ocean    🌴 There was mention of a special turtle hatching event but I’m not sure if it           has to do with the conservation level or not

HARVESTABLES + COLLECTABLES

   🌴 Coconut    🌴 Pineapple    🌴 Taro    🌴 Kava    🌴 Several new fish

DEATHS

   🌴 Lava bombs are hot    🌴 Look out for sharks    🌴 Mermaids are beautiful but accidents happen

WOOHOO

   🌴 I hear the waterfall over on Mua Pel’Am is a very romantic spot…

FANS

   🌴 Coming soon with a free update, ceiling fans will now not only be able to           be switched on and off, but they will also cool things down on hot days           and dry off wet sims

Create-A-Sim

I think most of what’s in CAS was covered in the trailer and during the announcement from EA Play, and we really didn’t get much of a look at it during the private stream, but from what I did see there’s a lot of amazing stuff!

The only thing I can say for sure is that as per usual, the male options are lacking and a little lackluster compared to the female options. I also don’t think there’s much in the way of clothes and hairs for kids and toddlers either 😟

Build/Buy

There is TONS of beautiful new Polynesian and Pacific Island inspired build/buy stuff, some of which I’ve already listed above, so I can’t list them all but here’s a few that don’t really fit into any other category but were specifically mentioned by the Gurus during the stream or just plain caught my eye

   🌴 A beautiful new island-themed wedding arch made with palm leaves and           tropical flowers and urgh! Just trust me, it’s beautiful!    🌴 Sandcastles!    🌴 A grill pit, that gets covered with palm leaves while it’s cooking    🌴 So many new island plants (hopefully they’re in debug 🤞)    🌴 A new island speaker (for community lots I assume) with all new Island           Living music    🌴 Glass floors! They’re not actual flooring like carpets and tiles though,           they’re more like the Get Together dance floors where you just place           them on the floor and you can see through them.    🌴 Stilted foundations! FINALLY!! They can be placed on any lot, not just           ocean lots!    🌴 There was a ladder shown in the trailers that I know many people were           very excited about, however it acts more like a diving board than an           actual ladder you can use between house floors. If you place it on the           edge of a deck, your sims will jump off the deck straight into the water.           But that doesn’t stop you from pretending it’s an actual ladder 😉    🌴 This isn’t an object but I didn’t know where else to put it - Pools can’t be           built on the ground floor of lots built on the ocean. I didn’t catch why but           I’m assuming it would interfere too much with the ocean itself. I also           assume they can be built on any floors above the ground floor though.

Animations

This is probably not that interesting to a lot of people but I’m fascinated by a lot of the animations that are created for this game and with this pack it’s really clear the team put a lot of effort into even just the smallest of animations so I wanted to point out some of my favourites that I saw in the stream

   🌴 There is a new walk style/animation for when your sims are           entering/exiting the ocean. Just like real life they will slow down and kind           of struggle to move through the shallow water until they’re deep enough           to swim or walk up onto the sand    🌴 There are different swim styles if your sim needs to get somewhere faster           (similar to jogging instead of walking) that also use less energy than the           standard speed    🌴 There is a bunch of cool new animations added for when sims are           multitasking swimming with other things, like talking, flirting, and even           kissing in the ocean!    🌴 The mermaid tail animations in general are so smooth and organic, it’s           beautiful! Whether they’re swimming in the ocean, jumping in and out of           water, or just lounging in a bath tub; the team really outdid themselves           with the animations for the tails!    🌴 Speaking of mermaids, there’s an option whilst swimming to “Mermaid           Kiss”! I don’t know if it’s available for human sims but it looks very cute           and sweet when performed by two mermaids!    🌴 Not only do the floating loungers float, but they also drift! They slowly           move around and drift back and forth with the waves just like a real           floating lounger would!

[summer-of-sims]

An Introduction

Heya! I’m Arin, and I’m 20. (she/her) I’m also currently in college.

As I’m writing this, it’s the 29th of May. I have about 3ish months of summer vacation left. It started out as not a vacation, but now I guess it is one because the semester is officially over. I don’t have a job, and before all this wacky shit went down, I was planning on finding some kind of internship for the summer. Well, you all know what happened. I can’t really do that now. 

All of that is to say that now that I have all this free time on my hands (three months, in fact), I’ve decided to use that time productively! My film professor would probably want me to, I dunno, use this time to improve my screenwriting and editing skills, and I agree with him, but I get writer’s block incredibly quickly. It’s sad, really.

So, I’ve decided to dedicate this summer to...the sims! Sims 4, specifically. Fun fact, I used to run a (what I considered to be) semi-popular sims 2 simblr called Arin Loves To Sim. I'm still technically on “indefinite hiatus”. I decided not to restart that simblr because I kinda want to keep it as a time capsule of me from the ages of 12/13-16.

So, as the title of this simblr has suggested, this little project will only last ~3 months. It might go beyond that, but no promises of consistency since this next semester of school will be my last and I will be beginning my foray into adulthood after that. How fun. I just won’t have the time, sadly.

So, the meat and potatoes of this introduction! What will you find here?

Screenshots of gameplay, definitely. I have one legacy save going that I’ll continue to do and maaaybe I’ll start another one, who knows. ;)

Screenshots of my builds. I have always LOVED building, whether it’s sims 2 or 4, and you’ll get a nice dose of that.

CC in the form of those aforementioned builds, maybe sims as well but the sim-making process is way more involved in 4 than it is in 2, so who knows.

Plus the occasional reblogs and sims-related text posts. This isn’t my main tumblr, (that would be simply-victoriax, which is art-related other than occasional sims post which will cease once I start this up) so I won’t be following anyone from this account but I will try my best to interact with the community since I absolutely love the simblr community. <3

I do plan on having a queue for posts but I haven’t figured out the schedule right now, sorry.

More content to come! Stay tuned.