bardass · 1 year ago
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but the hot take that y’all aren’t ready for yet is that all the barbies and kens in barbieland are asexual. when ken suggests that he stay over because he and barbie are quote “boyfriend/girlfriend” and she asks “to do what?” and he says “…i honestly don’t know” it’s because they may be a reflection of stereotypical human relationships in the real world, but they lack any of the substance beyond the superficial. this is supported when barbie explicitly states that she doesn’t have a vagina and ken doesn’t have a penis (despite ken’s insistence that he quote “has all the genitals,” okay intersex king). therefore if neither barbie nor ken have genitals and presumably no sexual organs or biological functions (such as the need to eat/drink/bathe with real water/etc. as shown in the film), then none of the barbies or kens should experience sexual attraction or desire, just like they don’t experience most of the human emotion spectrum (perhaps making an exception for weird barbie in this case, who remarks about wondering what “plastic blob [ken] has got going on in those shorts” to paraphrase. i really don’t have an answer for this one, maybe she’s bisexual or maybe she’s just being weird. who’s to say). ergo (at least prior to main barbie becoming human and having her vaginoplasty surgery), she and the rest of the residents of barbieland are canonically asexual by default and any sexualized projection onto them are merely that: projections. that all being said, barbie can be anything, including an ace homoromantic non-binary trans woman. in this essay i will—
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earthearthearththearth · 1 year ago
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💞TF2 First Date Headcanons💞
This is my first time writing them! God this took so fucking long anyway
⚾Scout- To be honest, if he’s not that much into you (and even if he is), he probably wants to fuck on the first date. Or at least he thinks he wants to, but doesn’t make that much of a move. I think that the first date consists of intense planning that more than likely doesn’t work out. Maybe you guys just grab food or go to a game or something. He’s a baseball guy. He definitely seems like one too. A lot of the date is him talking to you, maybe you get a word in. Give the guy a break, he’s excited. His ideal date I think would be something active, or a place where you guys can talk and be loud. Think concerts. Although I don’t think he would go to those often. For some reason I can see him liking the zoo. At the end of the date, he might ask you to hang around. Just to have your company and have something like a little sleepover. 
🗡Spy- Oh it is fancy. It is fancy and it is elaborate. You are stunning, gorgeous, dashing, beautiful, a sight to behold, all of the above. He says this to you. He’s all about first impressions, and second ones. And third and fourths. Eventually you get through and he’s a little more normal, if that’s what you wanna say. But that’s a different post. I don’t know whether he would take you somewhere or think of something himself, but I think he would take you somewhere real fancy. The base is too hectic for a real date in his eyes. You probably don’t care. The date is small talk and classic. He pays, you feel a little bad. I imagine this isn’t something you’re used to. You’re definitely  going home with this guy, though. 
🦘Sniper-I imagine this guy is the type of person to teach his s/o, maybe everyone, to shoot a gun. So that’s what you do. It’s you two alone in the desert, shooting cans, shooting other shit, maybe you light a fire at some point when it gets dark. I like to think that despite him being very outdoorsy and Like That, he doesn’t mind staying in for his s/o. So maybe you guys cook something up in the camper. I don’t think you stick around in the camper in the middle of nowhere with a guy you just had a first date with. Or maybe you do! Cause like, how do you expect to get home?
🛠Engineer-You know that scene in the Barbie movie where Ken sings at Barbie and plays his guitar at the fire? You do now. That’s the date, but a lot less awkward. You and Engie’s date is a big ol’ bondfire and some guitar strumming. If you’re interested, he’ll show you the stuff he made. If you guys decide to cook over this fire, don’t be surprised if it gets interrupted with a few of the other guys. Or just Pyro. Definitely Pyro. He doesn’t mind too much, and hopefully neither do you. The date is sweet, and if you know how to play a guitar, then he’ll definitely let you take a crack at it. Good or bad, he’s kind of smitten. Most of the night consists of just sharing stories and enjoying each other’s presence, at some points you forget it’s a date. It just feels like a night out with a friend.
💣Demoman-Look me in the eyes and tell me what YOU think. Kidding. Kind of. Drinking will be involved at some point, but if you’re not up for a bar and getting shitfaced then WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING READING DEMOMAN’S SECTION? Kidding. His ideal first date is very mellow, surprisingly. Cooking together, showing you around. It’s been a white since I’ve been in the fandom, but he strikes me as kind of a book worm. Maybe it’s the hat. That motherfucker definitely read Moby Dick once or twice. Anyway, I think he likes to dance with his s/o! Very much just some slowdancing in the middle of a living room or kitchen or something. Maybe not the kitchen because people go in there. But if you don’t care then neither does he. To reference some book I read, he’s more than the [growing] alcoholic you took him for…he’s also a friend. I haven’t read the comics either in a while, but he’s a funny guy I know that. 
🔥Pyro-Yeah so there’s fire involved. What do I even tell you man. There’s fire and they tell you a lot of things, none of which you really understand, but it results in you guys drawing together too. Their drawings are pretty graphic, so you say fuck it. Now you both are sharing the red crayon. After this, you throw them into a large fire that you two lit. It used to be a tree. You have to admit it’s pretty beautiful. Especially when the sky turns dark, and not just from smoke. Maybe this guy does know what he’s doing. If it’s not a tree that’s caught on fire, then you too mosey on over to Engineer’s previously mentioned fire. Don’t think about it too hard. 
💉Medic-If it’s not canon, I imagine him as kind of a hermit. Maybe a major one. He’s definitely the type of guy to be working in the lab late one night. So, if you two are going to be a thing, you have to get used to said lab. Hopefully you’re not squeamish. The date is dissection. Whatever he is working on, you are too, but most things you’re not allowed to touch just yet, so you stick by the birds. He doesn’t mind for a while, but it is a date. Once this hits him, he lets you disembowel the corpse. Aw. Isn’t that sweet? You didn’t learn a thing, but the conversation and act itself was kind of fun!
🐻Heavy-A first date for him means getting to know each other. Very classic. I imagine, however, that his idea of getting to know each other means meeting the family. We all know he’s a family man, so you’re gonna meet them all. Haha funny reference. Anyway, you might fight a bear. Stories are shared, it’s a lot like Engineer’s date in that regard. You two have fun though. If you’re not up to meeting an entire family, though, that’s reasonable. He likes books. You probably do too. So you guys can read. Nothing like sharing other people’s stories
🦅Soldier- Oh you thought this was going to be nice. This was going to be nice and normal like the rest of them. Listen pal. Buddy. Chum. This is a first date. Nudity is involved, maybe not your own nudity, but someone’s definitely naked. I want to say you’re naked and covered in honey, but someone else did that two years ago. So like, maybe fight a bear man, snap a few necks. Make this man proud with the sweet sound of freedom (freedom to snap necks). 
👓Miss Pauling-Goodluck. She gets one day off a year, and she is not spending it on another first date. If you’re going on a date with her, you’re probably already together. It’s not your fault! Her schedule is shit. A date with her is most likely going to be staying in, ordering takeout, and watching some shows. She probably loves you if she’s spending her day off with you, but she’s not exactly the most energetic considering her job. 
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plumbobpost · 7 years ago
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Fanfic Friday: Spotlight on Skell’s Fortune & Romance
Sul sul!
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Today Week of Woohoo continues with a very special twist. I have had the opportunity to ask Skell a few questions as part of a new series of posts about storytelling in The Sims community.
Skell’s Fortune & Romance serves as a prequel to the Pleasantview and Strangetown storylines in The Sims 2 from the perspectives of the Caliente sisters, hence the title which references their aspirations. Her story takes place in the time period between the first and second games and fills in the gaps between the contradicting timelines of The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3. Although the story is largely from Dina’s perspective, it features most of the iconic The Sims 2 characters ranging from Olive Specter to the Tricous to Bella and Mortimer Goth, establishing its own vivid mythology in the process.
In addition to writing, Skell has also created beautiful Maxis-Match content for The Sims 2 and is a frequent contributor to the Totally Maxis Tumblr and the fansite Garden of Shadows.
Without further ado, I’ll let Skell speak for herself.
You’ve said in the past that Fortune & Romance started out as your attempt to make sense of Maxis canon for the premade characters of Neighborhood 1, Pleasantview, and Sunset Valley. How did this evolve from your personal headcanons into a full-fledged story?
“I had played TS2 off and on for years before I was part of the fandom, mostly just goofing around but I had a lot of fun taking pictures and experimenting with posing. One day I discovered Strangetomato’s “Strangetown Here We Come” on TVtropes and was amazed at the way she fleshed out the premade stories from the game. Through her comment section, I discovered the whole fandom and started paying better attention to the premades. Eventually I came up with a backstory for Dina that I really wanted to write and share.”
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Why did you choose Nina and Dina Caliente to be your protagonists? Did you ever consider different lead characters?
“It was always gonna be Dina because I was intrigued her backstory with the mysteriously inconsistent Michael Bachelor and the fact that she’s part alien. I wasn’t as interested in Nina until I noticed that she was shy (like me in RL) and also autonomously beating people up all the time. That’s when I realized she was gonna be a co-star and balance to Dina’s antics.”
Instead of ignoring Maxis’ characterization of Dina as a gold digger, you embraced it and made it a focal point of her character. Similarly, you fully acknowledge Nina’s romance aspiration while not making her a heartbreaker. How did you find a balance between their implied “villainy” in The Sims 2 and making them more sympathetic characters?
“I enjoy classic movies where Marilyn Monroe or Thoroughly Modern Millie is like “teehee I’m gonna marry a millionaire,” and it’s quirky rather than villainous. In those stories, she usually falls for a poor guy and chooses love over money (and often he turns out to be secretly rich.) Since Michael didn’t give her a “married a rich sim” memory, I wanted to write Dina the gold-digger as a modern version of that kind of story.”
“Maxis kind of setup Romance sims for “villainy” by not allowing for casual or open relationships, but of course that can be fixed with mods. With Nina, it’s interesting that she doesn’t really fit the “outgoing party girl” type. I think of her as a quiet person with a very intense energy. She needs lots of exercise and woohoo so that she doesn’t explode.”
There are a lot of unconventional relationships in your story. Nina and Servo. Olive and Ichabod. The Tricous. Even Dina and Michael. That being said, there is very definitely a theme of “love conquers all.” What motivated your approach to these relationships? How does that relate back to your attempts at reconciling Maxis canon throughout different games?
“I have a thing for mixed supernatural relationships. Dina and Mike bonding over their hidden supernatural heritages was always key once I figured Michael had a magic side. I knew I wanted to have Nina be intimate with a servo because that’s HAWT, but I didn’t foresee how intimate things would get until I figured out Servo’s character. The Tricous’ happy polyamory was my explanation for all the weirdness going on with their relationships and family tree. And I wanted Olive, Ichabod, and DJ make up this very loving and weirdly “normal” Unholy Family.”
Speaking of reconciling Maxis canon, you created your own version of Michael Bachelor in order to match his appearance in The Sims better and to create a resemblance between him and his famous sister, Bella Goth. Why do you think Michael was depicted so differently throughout the first three games? What did you draw inspiration from in creating “The Ultimate Michael Bachelor?”
“I think it mostly comes down to them wanting to use a familiar name for Bella’s brother/Dina’s husband in TS2, and carrying that forward. In TS3, I saw a boy who had his life all planned out for him by his father. In my headcanon, he screwed that all up and became the graduate of TS1 who had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. His relationship to Bella is the reason why he’s still single by the time he reconnects with Dina, who helps him find direction.”
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There is an abundance of strong female characters in F&R, some of which were not originally portrayed that way. Why did you feel that it was important to write them as such?
“Well, because I’m a proud “SJW,” of course! But seriously, it’s less about being strong and more about seeing them as people?”
^Best answer that I could have asked for.
A large portion of Fortune & Romance is dedicated to the mythology of The Sims universe(s) and to supernatural sims. How did you go about the process of world building? Did you draw inspiration from different games in the series and/or from outside sources?
“My biggest worldbuilding is the explanation of where the supernaturals came from. The fairies are sort of fallen angel types who each have an animal form, and their magic rubbed off on human sims to create the supernatural life states.”
“I try to base the worldbuilding off things in game or aspects of game play. The fairy backstory was heavily inspired by fairy tales, in the way they morally test humans for punishment or guidance.”
Aside from premade supernatural sims such as the Smiths, Calientes, and Summerdreams, how did you go about deciding which premade sims were supernatural and which weren’t? How did you decide what life state they were?
“Bella has that awesome bio about being descended from “occultists, decadents, and mystics,” but then in TS3 the Bachelor family is uber-normal, so it eventually became that Jocasta is a squirellier version of Samantha from Betwitched.”
How has Fortune & Romance evolved since you started? Are there things you would do differently if you were to restart it?
“I was such a younger, different person when I started it, and yes there are many things I would do differently. (Michael’s skintone, for example. I tried to split difference between games with a custom skintone in between S2 and S3, but everyone assumes he was whitewashed to S2.)”
“When recreating families for TS4 I came up with a backstory for Dulcinea and Nestor’s relationship as well as a backstory for Don that explains how he got to be the way he is. I still can incorporate these things, but it would have been nice to bring them in earlier.”
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With your story having reached a climax, many readers are wondering whether or not F&R will come to an end sooner rather than later. Not to spoil anything, but will the story continue after the party and if so, do you intend for it to last until the events of The Sims 2?
“I never intended for it to last until the events of TS2 because then it would be really depressing. There is more stuff planned for after the party though!”
Aside from writing Fortune & Romance, you have also created a variety of Maxis-match custom content. Why do you prefer working in this aesthetic? How do you feel it complements your writing?
“The game is cartoony, and I like to use that style to tell the story. I prefer to keep things heightened and silly rather than realistic, which very much fits into The Sims aesthetic.”
Speaking of Maxis-match, you have been working on a project for The Sims 2 that involves adapting Maxis-based custom content to blend in better with the game files. Would you mind elaborating a bit on The Maxis Match Repository Project?
“The TS2 repository project is made up of conversions/separates/or otherwise adapted Maxis which pull their textures from the ones that are already in your game, rather than creating new ones. This makes the files much much tinier. I also wanted to create a catalog where you can easily find it all in one place rather than hunt all over the internet. Check it out and don’t miss out on the gems in the back of your catalog!”
You’ve played every main game in The Sims franchise, and you’ve even made some very popular 2t4 recreations of the Calientes and Michael Bachelor. Do you have a favorite game for playing? Creating sims? Making Content? Building?
“I enjoy a lot of things about TS4. The game looks great and CAS and Build Mode are the best of any game. My favorite aspect is making sims, especially that you can share sims with traits/careers/skills so they have their own little story packaged with them. However, it is much more difficult for storytelling since there’s not even a way to pick up sims and move them around.”
“TS2 is still the best as far as premade sims go, and it’s the only one I make content for. I’m a bit of a control freak with my sims, and TS2 has been mastered by fans at this point where you can have ultimate control.”
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Why do you continue to play The Sims? Do you feel that the games provide a creative outlet?
“I always loved playing with Barbies as a kid and The Sims really is the ultimate dollhouse. The first time I ever heard about TS1 I knew I HAD to have it. My aunt bought it for me while I was on vacation, but I couldn’t play it until we got home! During the car ride back home and I read that manual from cover to cover multiple times, so many ideas buzzing in my head.”
Any parting comments, teasers, spoilers, public service announcements, etc.?
“I’ve been on hiatus a long while and am just now getting back into the swing of things. I’m currently working on finishing up the chapter I started posting on Tumblr but never finished. It was FreddyAirmail who got me back in the TS2 spirit by asking me to help out with the Crystal Springs neighborhood project. It’s a community hood with houses based on each of the Stuff Packs, and I made the families for Teen Style and Family Fun!”
Thanks again to Skell for answering my questions. To those of you out there who aren’t familiar with her work, go check out her Tumblr and make sure to catch up on Fortune & Romance.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to visit my ask box. If you are interested, give Plumbob Post a follow, and reblog for anyone else who you think would enjoy this blog. Stay tuned for upcoming posts!
Dag dag!
 *Photo Credits go to Skell*
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katieskarlette · 7 years ago
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That awkward feeling when your most beloved OCs are only like 90% original
So many people on this site have such awesome OCs that (rightfully) get attention and art and fans, while I sit over here in my own little corner, taking dragons who have barely any canon characterization and fleshing them out so much that they end up feeling like OCs to me, even if they technically aren’t.
It’s not that I don’t have my own OCs, because I do, but the characters dearest to my heart are those who started with a spark of canon and took off in my own imagination.  
[Excuse the random dots in names; this is just my own rambling and I don’t want it to show up on searches.] 
I don’t count Wra.th.ion in this because he has a ton of characterization in canon, and he has a lot of other fans who have extensive headcanons and fics about him.  I mean, he’s my precious son, but I’m well aware that I’m sharing him with everyone else.  ;)  
Nef.ar.ian is also very well-known and has a number of canon appearances for everyone to draw from.  I know he has fans, even if he rarely gets more than a passing mention or cameo in fics.  I have my own version of him (Romathion) in my head, but I acknowledge that the actual Ne.fari.an isn’t mine.
Rheas.tras.za is more borderline.  She had an important role in canon, however brief it was, but we don’t know anything about her background, and only a few hints of her personality shine through in her quests.  My crack theories about her and Nef.a.rian are definitely isolated to my own works (although I’d be thrilled if they caught on in the fandom), but I know I’m not the only person with an interest in her or headcanons about her, and that’s fine.
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Fahr.ad and Nyx.ondra, on the other hand, feel like mine.  Technically they aren’t OCs, but they might as well be.  I once made a post outlining what is established in canon about them, and it frankly wasn’t much.  
We have a few hints of Fa.hrad’s personality but nothing on his origins or motivations.  What little we do learn about him through the Fangs of the Father quests raises more questions than it answers.
We know things that happened to Nyx.on.dra, but precious little about what she was like or what choices she made in life.  I mean, we know she was furious about being kidnapped and having her babies taken away and killed, but, well...duh.  I mean, it’s not impossible that a black dragon could be so numbed by the Old Gods’ corruption that they didn’t care about their offspring anymore, but it’s not the least bit surprising that her treatment by Rhea upset her.  That’s not exactly characterization.
I gave them histories, quirks, fears, goals, and personalities.  I gave Fahr.ad parents and brothers.  I gave him reasons for living as a human and isolating himself from other dragons.  I had Nyx witness traumatic events in the past that led her to make certain decisions about how she wanted to live her life, and how she wanted to raise her children.  I fit her into the existing canon about Dea.th.wing and family, extrapolating what kinds of relationships she would have with her parents and siblings, and why.  I explained how Fa.hra.d and Ny.xond.ra could have met, fallen in love, had children, and been forced apart.  I explained why he was so desperate to rescue Wra.thi.on’s egg from the red flight.  I explained why he was willing to work toward the extermination of his own flight, up to and including giving up his own life.  (Spoiler:  It’s because he’s an awesome dad.)
None of that comes from canon.  It’s inspired by canon.  It’s intended to fit more or less seamlessly around canon without contradicting it.  But it’s not in the game.  It’s not in the books, or the short stories, or any of the other official material.  It’s all from my own imagination.  So it’s no wonder that they feel like my own characters.
It’s like those people who buy a Barbie doll off the shelf in a toy store and then take it home, replace and style the hair, repaint the makeup, sew elaborate clothes, mold props, and turn it into a custom creation.  It’s still technically a Barbie doll, but it’s also something completely unique and different that wouldn’t have existed without that one artist’s efforts and vision.  That’s what I did with Fah.ra.d and Nyxo.ndra.
And since they’re both conveniently dead in canon, I can play with them all I want.  So there.
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(I don’t know why I wrote all this.  I’m certainly not trying to brag about how great my stories are.  The single digit likes and almost non-existent comments on them quickly dash any pretensions I might have in that direction.  But I love my stories, and that’s what really matters.  I guess this ramble was inspired by the fact that sometimes when I see other people getting excited about sharing their OCs, I feel left out because my favorite OCs aren’t 100% original...only like 90%.)
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