Would you rather: start your current project from scratch or do a soft reboot focusing on a different character?

Definitely a soft reboot!

I always thought it would be fun to show more of Atlas and Dawn's story. Maybe show their university years during the five year time jump between the Part 1/Prologue and Part 2.

And, as I've mentioned before, I always wish I'd shown Atlas and Asher's story from the beginning. I was so anxious about deviating from Phoenix and Dawn that I left out a lot. But I'll hopefully remedy that soon!

As I move forward in my story, I am trying to show other characters more and more, and just let the focus of the story shift and flow with my inspiration. It's been a lot of fun!

TYSM for the ask!!! 🤸🏻‍♀️💖

It's 10+ years in your sims future. Where are they at that time compared to where they are right now in your story?

Ok... so, I may have had a little too much fun with this one, and now I can't wait for li'l Aspen to be a child!!! 🥹🧡

Hi! My name is Aspen, but most people call me Annie, and I’m ten-and-a-half years old.

My mom is a Director at the Dreamer Foundation (whatever that means). And my dad is the Mayor of San Myshuno. They both work a lot. A LOT. I spend most days after school at home alone. Well, not alone alone. My dog, Pepper, is here with me. We play and go for walks. She’s really smart too. My uncle Asher is teaching me how to train her. She already knows how to sit and lay down. Next, I’m going to teach her how to roll over. Asher has a dog too. Her name is Pixel and she’s so cute! Pixel and Pepper are best friends! My best friend is Mei. She’s been my best friend since before I knew the word “best friend”. At least, that’s what my mom says.

Sometimes on the weekends Atlas, Asher, Pixel, Pepper, and me will all go to the Bay to visit Grandma Megan and Grandpa Alex. I love their house! It’s right by the ocean and has the biggest backyard I’ve ever seen! My cousin Spencer lives there too with her mom and stepdad. She’s a teenager, and she’s really cool. She has lots of friends and a boyfriend (but that’s a secret, so don’t tell anyone I told you), and she’s a songwriter. Her and Grandpa Alex are trying to teach me how to play the guitar, but it’s really hard and I’m not very good at it. Sometimes I need a break, so I’ll help Grandma Megan with her plants. She’s teaching me all about plants and flowers and herbs. One day I’m going to have a great big garden!

We always make it back home on Sunday because that’s when me and dad make dinner for everyone. It’s my favorite time of every week! My favorite thing to make is stuffed peppers. We buy them in every color. My favorite is the orange ones. Uncle Atlas likes the green ones. Ew!

Tonight, we were supposed to make risotto, but dad hasn’t come home yet. Mom says he’s stuck at work, but he never works late on Sundays. It’s our night. Atlas said he’d help me make the risotto, but I didn’t want to cook with him. I wanted to cook with my dad. I got really mad and ran to my room and locked the door. I’m not letting anyone in until he gets home. But it’s almost ten o’clock. I'm supposed to be asleep and my tummy is grumbling.

I hope he gets home soon…

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷Send this flower to 10 (or more 🤗) mutuals to let them know you love them 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷 #i miss u ❤

You ggguuuyyysss!!!! Thank you all so much for all the love!!! You are all so sweet and ILYSM 🥹🥹😭😭💖💖

@bloomingkyras, @aurorangen, @cassandragoth26, @dandylion240, @death-by-glitter, @druidberries, @havenroyals, @linalinsims, @mdshh, @onestormeynight, @venriliz

Sending you all infinite hugs and flowers 🤗🌻🌷🤗🌻🌷🤗

Boop! Here is ur random ask: Which sim world would you want to live in? 👀

Ohhh this is tough!! I'm torn between two of them... and it's probably why I play in these two worlds more than any other lol!

First, I am fully in love with San Myshuno. Specifically, the Spice District. This is where I would live in my 20's-30's...

Second, would be Brindleton Bay! It's so cozy and beautiful and I love it sm! I would move here in my 40's to get away from the noise of the city and settle in for the rest of my days...

TYSM for the ask!!! I sat on this for so long, I had to really think about it, but I kept coming back to the same answer over and over lol!

~✨💖✨~

The Creative Process ‧₊˚✩彡 

Because I love to be distracted

Hi! Ok, I wanted to share wif everyone my process in which I create a story post from conception to the final post. I would say I'm a very structured person when it comes to projects like these however, I've learned a lot and maybe someone could find something useful! We'll be referencing this scene. Oke, let's start!

✩ Rough Drafts

So, of course everything starts off with a vision. While I always say, write what feels authentic to you, I also know it makes things much more difficult if you don't have a solid ground to build from. I think I've scrapped this particular story about twice already and even reshot the first chunk of Tessellate so there was a better foundation. I like to start off with understanding a character before moving onto creating a plot, otherwise people start bleed into another. Greta Gerwig makes a really awesome statement about how characters come first to her before plot. OKE with that in mind, this particular scene, I wrote it well over a year ago, however there wasn't much flow in the initial draft. In fact, the two look nothing alike. This conversation was supposed to occur during France's concert, but I moved it to to this particular scene and I'm so glad. I felt like their current relationship was strong enough to have this conversation but also it allowed me to really focus in on the two. I am a huge advocate for jotting down dialogue even if things change because you can always expand on an idea. And if things don't work, scrapping is okay, but at least you gave it a shot! After that change, I didn't revisit that scene up until about a month and a half ago. I like to let things sit for a good while. In the initial draft, Taryn was reserved throughout a majority of the conversation. There was limitations in which how I wanted her to express things but things change in a year. When I looked at her as a character and how she's progressed throughout the story, the draft no longer aligned with her lack of response. And then that created the question of what the heck does one say? Because people aren't typically very graceful or eloquent when it comes to confrontation but also we're telling a story so how do I balance the two out? Since, I've followed these little blorbos for a while, knowing their characters and motives allowed me to flesh everything out. Atlas is much more cunning than he lets on and is excellent at painting a pretty picture for those around him if it means getting what he wants. Taryn on the other hand is perceptive and unwavering so being around someone like him, someone that she finds herself slowly falling for, is a complete, well, mind fuck. We can also see from this interaction that there's a hint of feeling inadequate and the lack of confidence to know that maybe he does like her. We also see that Atlas maybe isn't the most mature when it comes to developing something real so the two have plenty to work on just from this scene alone. Like Greta Gerwig says, writing is listening.

I also wanted to mention LocalScriptMan and this video all the time because it just about changed how I viewed dialogue in general. I think it's such a great tool! I've probably shared it a billion times.

✩ Blender & Posemaking

So I would like to preface this by saying, you do not need to use blender to achieve a vision. There are still scenes that I still use poses/animations from other creators! I wanted to list a few references! Rebouks, Rascgal and Simmireen have an amazing variety of poses to use! I literally use Becca's bumper packs RELIGOUSLY! However, if you need any suggestions, SurelySim's has an excellent breakdown on getting started with posemaking from tiny details, to SimRipper and using accessories! She also talks about Vyxated's Pose Helper which is a god send! For this scene I wanted to fully pose it. In my script, I italicize anything I want to pose, I'm such a sucker for the mannerisms that people have. When words fail, body language speaks. Are they fidget-y, or do I imagine them to be more composed? Taryn's stance is grounded, she doesn't move at all in the scene except for when she leaves and I think it's a great representation of her stubbornness. Whereas Atlas is watching every single move, up until he makes his incredibly bold (ridiculous!) statement. As for emotion when he made that statement, I wanted to go with shame but then I felt like his expression radiated ruthlessness. I personally enjoyed that 10x more because it represented two things for me, his character and that he felt comfortable enough to show that part of himself. When posing a scene from start to finish, it takes me about 1-3 days depending on how complex it is. I'm a huge advocate for using references! I love referencing hands, posture, how to grab a book ANYTHING! Because this was a conversation and not much action happened, it took me about a day.

✩ Taking Screenshots and Composition

I began taking photos for this scene on March 6th. I use to use this reshade preset by growfruit however, after tinkering with some settings I use like a mish-mash blorbo of a preset. Amobae and Sforz have some cool LUT's for download (I think of it like a filter? That's probably not what it is but MEH) and I love the qUINT's lightroom shader as well. Huge advocate of relight, I was today years old when I learn that you should load it at the top of your shaders order so you don't get like a weird whitecast. These spotlights though are super fun too if you don't use reshade! There are some photographers on instagram that even go over how to use lightroom and it can translate to game as well! For the most part, I try to keep screenshots pretty simple, editing-wise but there are moments when I doodle in little hairs, add in some texture and include shadows for, uh, DRAMAAA. Lately, I've been incorporating intricate fonts because idk sometimes my brain enjoys a little graphic design moment. Sometimes shooting conversation heavy scenes can get so repetitive so I like to look at film stills on pinterest or pay close attention to a film and how they present the camera work in a conversation. Rule of thirds is a great reference tool to use, I believe GShade has a shader for that. However it's okay to experiment, it's not an end all be all. I love looking at animators and how each frame is incredibly intentional, whether it's a shot from above or a really close frame. The beginning of this scene, I honestly didn't have a clue as to how I wanted to open it up since they were walking down a hall. Then I noticed the detail in the fencing and how the tiles were opposite. Using the TOOL mod, I was able to get them both in the center and it created a strong opening shot of how different these two are.

✩ Editing

My god, I love editing but also this is usually the moment where I get so freaking distracted. This process takes me a day if I am focused.... But realistically it takes three days... I do use Photoshop. That's why I try to keep things to a minimum. I like to use this sharpening action (the other actions are awesome too!) for story posts, I crop each photo (I use a 9:5 ratio and a 16:6 ratio if I need to focus on something specific idk why i picked those numbers yo), and add in text. Dafont has a lot of different free fonts. I like to use these little guidelines if sentences needs to be centered.

For adding umph to text, I like to use two things: The warped text option when using the type tool or just going to the distort panel and using the wave option!

Also bottom right of your layers channel is an fx layer. I like to use stroke and drop shadow on all text so it doesn't get lost within a photo!

✩ Finalization and My Schedule

That story post was uploaded on March 29th. As of right now, I like to stay three weeks ahead so I have three weeks worth of story posts marinating in my queue LMAO. I always reread things like a bajillion times, sometimes I'll go back and tweak conversations if they feel a bit stiff. Having that three week buffer also gives me time to really dedicate myself to details and focus on being present with a future scene. Another perk is, it allows me to work on cleaning up the script, plotting for future arcs, and having fun with edits. When I used to upload story videos on youtube, I didn't really plan ahead and it was so chaotic for me. Sometimes I didn't have enough time to actually create a solid episode so things felt rushed because on top of that I had a schedule I committed to. This isn't necessary but structure and patterns is something my little brain needs.

I hope this maybe provided some tips for people wanting to start out or it was just a fun little thing to read! One final OP tip is to write about something that you enjoy, something that matters to you. I'm one mf that loves a fleshed out character arc, that doesn't like linear plots and for fucks sake I love a good slow burn and I think all of that reflects a lot which helps me be engaged.

How it started vs How it's going challenge: Pick an arc in your story, and pick the best screenshots of the start to present. Pass it on!

Ooh this is fun! I was actually going to pick a different arc and post this last week... but then I changed my mind 😅

Prev // Next

Transcript below the cut:

Dawn: I just sent it over. Are you two still free to meet for lunch?

Dawn: Did you read it? Atlas: Yeah, it’s really cute. How can we help?

Dawn: Well, so, Ash, you’re an artist, right? You like to draw? Asher: Yeah. Dawn: Do you think you could illustrate it for me? Asher: Sure. It’s a lot different from what I usually do, but it could be fun. How much time do I have? Dawn: Um, a month? Maybe six weeks? Asher: Okay. Actually, Iris could really get into a project like this. Do mind if I have her help me?

Dawn: No. I mean, if she’s willing. I’m not exactly her favorite person. Asher: Oh, no, I’m sorry about all that. That wasn’t about you, that was all her shit, and she feels really bad about it. The only reason she hasn’t apologized yet is because I told her to leave you alone. But she’s getting help, and she’s doing better. I’m sure she’d love a way to make it up to you. Dawn: Oh, okay, well yeah, that would mean a lot, thank you.

Dawn: Once that’s all done and ready, then Atlas and I can do the rest. Atlas: No, you have enough of your plate, I’ll take care of it. Dawn: Are you sure? Atlas: Of course. I’m happy to. Dawn: Thank you so much. Both of you. You have no idea how much this will mean to him.

inspired by boop day, reblog this post if its ok for people to send you random asks and interact on your posts with no judgement. i want to talk to people.

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨

awwwkjaskjskdjflsjfsk 💖Thank You Gabriela!!!!💖

✨🤗attack hug🤗✨

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨

🌈💖 Aww I think YOU are wonderful!!! Thank you!!!!!

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨

🌈💖Awwww Thank You T!!!!! Sending you oodles of squeezes!!!

✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨ your story is one of my favs 💓

Awwww DARYA!!!! Staahhhp 🥹🥹 You're so sweet!!! 🌈✨THANK YOU!!!

✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨💕

Awwwkljsdlkfdjjss Thank you so much!!!! 🌈💖🤗

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨ 😚🫶🏻 (THIS IS A THREAT!)

GAH!!! Calm down!! 🤣🤣

lmaooo!!!! AHHH I adore you my friend!!!! TYSM ✨💖✨

rawr...

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨

✨Aww TYSM Kyra!!✨

Get attacked!! ✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨

🌈💖 Awwwwww this is so sweet THANK YOOOUU!!!

TRUTH: What are your favorite types of asks to receive?

My absolute favorite -> asks about my OCs! The more specific the better! I love them all and I love to talk about them.

You can ask about their personality, hobbies, careers, likes/dislikes, history, memories, relationships, family, etc etc.. anything you wanna know… it can as silly or serious as you want… I’m always happy to have a reason to talk about them!

Hehe TYSM this was so fun! 💖