@DaniRose2143 well done, those verses could apply to my couple. Erik is only 20 and Kayleigh 18, of course now that Jamison is here it's more like turning 21, soon, and 19.
@Metior_Ice If you do decide you have to restart, follow your heart. You could always make it a second 'book', a sequel or prequel, if you want. Those of us who are following your story trust you as a writer. Whatever you do," Don't Quit." That's Step 8 from an article I found on writing. There's much more to this step than the first line, describing how difficult it is to continue, even when you're an experienced writer. Write your story, do your best and then hug it and put it out there. Your followers will be right there with you. I know I will.
@GalacticGal I made the decision to start preparing a new save. The story will be different, and some of the cast won’t be there. I’m going to try a different story… something I think will be closer to the story I want to tell. I’ve already begun to upload sims to the gallery as I recreate them. Right now, it’s just the most basic versions of my merfolk.
I’m going through every household and cleaning up wants and fears, adjusting the likes and dislikes for more meaningful wants, and I’m giving some of my merfolk new looks.
I aged down a few merfolk and made some changes to the relationships between some merfolk. I’m deleting certain sims that did nothing but fill the background. Dylan and Zeph are now teens again, and I’m considering the possibility of getting high school years.
I’m going to have a lot of builds to update to manipulate the Eco Footprint, and I’m almost done adding all the households. I need to Recover Nani Kealoha… I accidentally deleted her.
The Keahloha are the last household I plan on updating.
As for Ember, Jade, and Juniper… They won’t be Calum’s Children moving forward. The household was too chaotic with all the different occults to accommodate. They will return with different roles.
So, the set up for this save will most definitely keep me busy. I need to upload the Sulani Venues I created and then, I need to update each of them again… to create the maximum possible effect I’m looking for, I essentially have to turn paradise into one of the most undesirable places for any sim to want to live.
So much setup to do, but I think it will be worth it. And who knows, maybe I’ll get something new and meaningful for my merfolk later.
Part of what I wanted to do with my current story was an elaborate attempt at deleting sims I never played… after a while… I just decided to delete them. It was time for a new save and a story that was more meaningful.
I’m putting all of my experience playing the game into this. The end result will hopefully be something more meaningful than deleting unwanted sims.
@Metior_Ice I fully respect what you're doing. I began playing Erik Cantrell in this game about 2014, when Pinstar's Legacy Challenge came out for Sims 4. Then he was my Founder. I didn't get enough time with him, as with that challenge you play on Normal. He and his Walk-by wife died just hours apart. Tragic, but sweet in its own way. I decided after I completed that challenge I would play him on Long, and find a way to make him a singer again.
I played and restarted a few times when things went kablooey on me. One save (the first one on Long) got corrupted and by the time Erik was ready to launch his career, he couldn't hold a concert. With help from those on Discord for the modder of Road to Fame, we did a trial and error to see if it was the mod, or my game save. It was worse. My Sim, Erik, was corrupted. I had to throw out that save and start again. This time, instead of having the Cantrell kids all born in game, as that first one was), I decided to start them out as Teens, except for their Baby brother. A couple of years later, after seeking a way for him to receive a Starlight Accolade, winning for acting just wasn't satisfactory. I took pictures, happily, and then next go-around, instead of sending him into the Acting Career fresh out of Uni, it occurred to me I should have saved time by sending him into the Entertainment Career. He did well and at one point his boss asked him to submit some of his music for consideration. Got the notice he'd received a nomination for Best Song. That was great. But unlike the other time, he wasn't invited to the Show. No, he got a simple popup that he'd won. Face/palm. Bitter sweet. Like I said, happily I had snapped pictures of him receiving an Accolade. Used those later when I wrote it up.
Then after more time had passed, other players clued me in on just how to win for songs he'd written. I quickly started all over again. Yes, took him back to his Teen years. Did it all again, only I had him write songs like crazy! I did keep one of the saves wherein he was an Adult with kids. Had him write like crazy and he went on a winning streak, too. I still have that save, but I decided to keep my Flashback, which as you know became my new Main save. So, I have been through it. The key is to not to quit. Keep reinventing your story until you've got it right. That it becomes the story you set out to write. I had to learn this the hard way. When I nearly died, with my manuscript unfinished, the redrafted version only partially done, I made a big decision. I told myself I was going to finish it, finally. When I got home, out of the hospital and the rehabilitation center, six weeks later in all, I took up writing it again. I wrote the story the way I wanted to tell it. To please myself, first. That's the one in my siggie. It got picked up by the man who began the very first Star Trek Fanzine. Yes, it's fan-published, but so what? It's published and that's all that matters.
So, you go right ahead and do what you're doing. Follow your heart, as I finally have learned to follow my own. Sometimes, deep inside, we all know what we need to do. Just do it.
@GalacticGal Thank you. The line about being kids when they met doesn’t really apply but in my mind my main cast is all mid-20s at most. You can thank Ed Sherran for the song lyrics. I almost did Eric Clapton’s You Look Wonderful, but I decided to be different.
@GalacticGal thank you so much for the kind words!
I’ve had Dylan and Zeph in my game for a really long time. The only 2 sims that I’ve had longer than them are their parents!
When I first created Dylan and Zeph, oh man, that took a while. You see, Dylan and Zeph were both born as Twins AND I got them the Sulani Mana Trait without cheats!
For those who don’t know:
Sulani Mana is one of the hidden traits from Island Living that is not easy to get without cheats.
I originally created Calum with the Child of the Island trait. The Child of the Island Trait is the only way to encounter Island Elementals. They are a special type of NPC ghost that will not appear any other way.
Once I had Calum meet the Island Elementals, I had to have him raise the friendship with one of them enough to invite them into the household. Depending on how you invite the Elemental into your household, it’s possible that you need go the Ambrosia, or some other magical, route to turn them mortal.
I actually ended up reloading the save because at the time, my only option was Ambrosia.
Anyways, out of the 3 Elementals Calum got to meet (Elementals always appear in sets of 3 and can be male or female), Calum befriended Arihi.
Thanks to the ease at which merfolk build romance: again there was no serenading sims because this was before City Living… I managed to get Calum and Arihi married and they had their sons, Dylan and Zeph. I think the toddler update came out or something so I either didn’t have as many packs as I do now or I don’t know… But I still had to rely on Calum’s natural ability to Romance as a Merman to get the romance bar up fast!
I then played Dylan and Zeph through their toddlerhood and their childhood. I started getting more packs and playing through the packs with them.
After a while, I wanted to try and do a merfolk legacy and started playing a new family… I created an elaborate plot, and the story was going well. Then the Eco Living pack came out and it destroyed that save.
I started the save again and began playing my current story with the challenge I created: The Immortal Merfolk Legacy.
After finishing the White Tail Arc and both Blue Tail Arcs, I decided I needed to start aging up some of my sims I neglected. I didn’t want to just age them up. I wanted to play the households! And after playing through the households, I came to a realization. I really loved the gameplay and I wasn’t even following my Immortal Merfolk Legacy format anymore.
And it hit me… Everything Lir, Dylan, and Zeph went through was extremely shallow. I was writing this entire story to turn 6 merfolk into villains only to end up deleting them from existence later…
To be fair, I learned a lot from each of the 3 arcs of gameplay, I built many different venues, and I got a lot of packs. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been to Tartosa, Bantu, or fully explored any of the worlds outside of Sulani! I’m such a noob in San Myshuno and only just started to discover that world…
There’s still way more to do in the Sims 4 because there is that much I haven’t done yet!
I’m 200% for giving my merfolk more unique gameplay, abilities, powers, and interactions, but I’ve kept myself busy so far.
But, what I’m doing with my merfolk now, it’s something I feel is much more meaningful, and I’m taking elements from all my different attempts at a story to make it work!
But, I’m not going to lie, merfolk do lack quite substantially in gameplay. A lot of what I do is purely my imagination and storytelling. In my story, there are things my merfolk can do, but they aren’t really merfolk abilities or merfolk gameplay. I just used my imagination to fill in the gaps… Still, it would be easier to be more imaginative if I had more to work with!
Anyways, long story short, I have some epic plans in mind and already want to spoil them. I haven’t even figured out who my villain will be.
I might not even be using the Immortal Merfolk Legacy structure to tell the story. I’ll probably just use a challenge or scenario to start the gameplay and then do my own thing.
I’m at least going to be working on the set up for this save until the 18th.
But, it’s crazy right… the more I think about it… I haven’t even explored much of Willow Creek, and I know about the secrets in the Base Game!
And when I think about the Sims 5 and everyone that wants it… Let me finish playing the Sims 4 First! I still have most of the game to explore! I haven’t been to Sixam! I haven’t explored Tartosa! I haven’t been to the hidden meadow in Willow Creek! I don’t think I’ve even done much in the Magic Realm! Like, I still have too much to do in the Sims 4 and too much I want to do!
But, my frustrations about merfolk gameplay still remains! They really do need an update or I’ll be back to vent my frustration again! Please EA, give my merfolk more gameplay now that you are doing so many awesome occults! I believe in you! I have faith that you can do it!
But, my frustrations about merfolk gameplay still remains! They really do need an update or I’ll be back to vent my frustration again! Please EA, give my merfolk more gameplay now that you are doing so many awesome occults! I believe in you! I have faith that you can do it!
I fully understand. We were told, and I don't believe it was all that long ago, either, that there was much more coming for Sims4. But if they roll out Sims 5, we all know how that will work. We may get one last buggier than ever pack, that will never be addressed, since their focus will be on the 'new and shiny'. Face/palm.
ETA: I am also puzzling over the few refreshes they made. Why start something of that nature, if they are going to roll out a new iteration? What was that all about?
But, my frustrations about merfolk gameplay still remains! They really do need an update or I’ll be back to vent my frustration again! Please EA, give my merfolk more gameplay now that you are doing so many awesome occults! I believe in you! I have faith that you can do it!
I fully understand. We were told, and I don't believe it was all that long ago, either, that there was much more coming for Sims4. But if they roll out Sims 5, we all know how that will work. We may get one last buggier than ever pack, that will never be addressed, since their focus will be on the 'new and shiny'. Face/palm.
ETA: I am also puzzling over the few refreshes they made. Why start something of that nature, if they are going to roll out a new iteration? What was that all about?
I wonder about that too. I was super excited about the Spa Day Refresh! It was a step in the right direction, and I was hoping to see more refreshes!
Well, I finally did it. I’m getting High School Years and Werewolves now. Was always my intent to get them. We’ll see what happens and how that affects my story.
Also, Industrialization takes a while. I finished adding my merfolk households to the save, but I’m still on the first lot that I’m updating to be harmful to the eco footprint.
As for why I’m getting Werewolves now, I need some better items to industrialize a lot with. I have a lot of what I need, but the Werewolves pack might have some things that will be helpful in build mode.
For High School Years, it might be fun to explore with Dylan and Zeph if their parents give them permission to leave the sea.
In other news, I may need to update my merfolk households again. I don’t think my merfolk will blend in with other high school students as they are.
The question then:
How much do I want my merfolk to blend in with their human peers. I have 11 merchildren I need to create human disguises for.
One thing I know is that they are going to be from the Islands. So, to some degree, islander attire will be acceptable. Which might be a step between a complete human disguise and their standard and preferred merfolk attire.
I’m thinking that I’ll need to create new outfits for Everyday, Formal, Hot Weather, and Cold Weather… as for the other outfits, do high school students use their Active and Party outfits?
Edit: I’m asking about on campus situations that use certain outfits. It will be a new experience for me, so I want to be prepared.
Caroline had her twins! Erytheia and Xanthe, just as before. They're even wearing the same outfits. Different hairstyles, though (originally they had the base game pigtails with fringe). Accessory overlays are awesome! Now I can coordinate hair bows with outfits.
I also used cas.fulleditmode to see what they look like as young adults, and they look pretty much just as they did before. It'll take a while to get to that point again, but it'll be fun!
@Metior_Ice maybe some of your merchildren want to blend in with their peers more than the others? So they may make more of an effort with their disguise.
From what I remember of trying out HSY, high school students use their activewear if they're using the cheerleading mat. Not sure about the party outfit.
@Lucy_Henley That’s definitely something to consider.
I just finished updating the base households. I’m not sure any of my merfolk blend in more with humans, but that could be a point of growth moving forward.
I also finished creating my first industrial lot for Sulani and uploaded it to the gallery.
My sim self's stepdaughters Rhea and Cristal aged up to the child life stage this week. Here they are on their first day at elementary school:
Rhea:
Cristal:
I love how they also have the same hair styles.
The following week, my sim self's 9th child and first with his second wife, Elizabeth aged up as well:
Liberty's father Harry starts a protest for a cause he's chosen to support, sadly no one turned up to support him:
On the first anniversary of Andrew's death, Liberty pops round to see his widow Riku and the family have a small gathering to celebrate his life:
Something that I do want to do differently with this story is to limit how human-like their disguises will become.
The whole merfolk want to become human trope has been done to death.
So, to an extent, I do want to draw a line somewhere when it comes to conforming to human society.
Some ideas I’ve been brainstorming but haven’t decided on:
My merfolk will be limited to wearing skirts. The idea is that they are shapeshifting into a human form. The skirts are the only form of clothing that would survive their legs turning into a tail.
Expanding on that idea, that rule could be limited to the swimwear, the outfit they change into before going for a swim.
Their formal outfits may remain mermadic attire. I haven’t figured out how I want to change that outfits, but I know mermadic traditions will be extremely important to all merfolk.
There will be situations that make honoring mermadic traditional attire too important to them to change the outfits.
I’m still figuring out the outfit category for their traditional mermadic attire, but I’m leaning toward the formal outfits for that. Possibly because of the traditional element. I haven’t decided yet.
At the end of the day, I want my merfolk to blend in with humans to an extent, but I want to draw a line somewhere…
My merfolk take pride in being mermen and mermaids. They would never want to be human, and in my story, being a merman or mermaid is permanent. There will be no way to become human and humans that become merfolk will have no way to go back on their decision.
Comments
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
I’m going through every household and cleaning up wants and fears, adjusting the likes and dislikes for more meaningful wants, and I’m giving some of my merfolk new looks.
I aged down a few merfolk and made some changes to the relationships between some merfolk. I’m deleting certain sims that did nothing but fill the background. Dylan and Zeph are now teens again, and I’m considering the possibility of getting high school years.
I’m going to have a lot of builds to update to manipulate the Eco Footprint, and I’m almost done adding all the households. I need to Recover Nani Kealoha… I accidentally deleted her.
The Keahloha are the last household I plan on updating.
As for Ember, Jade, and Juniper… They won’t be Calum’s Children moving forward. The household was too chaotic with all the different occults to accommodate. They will return with different roles.
So, the set up for this save will most definitely keep me busy. I need to upload the Sulani Venues I created and then, I need to update each of them again… to create the maximum possible effect I’m looking for, I essentially have to turn paradise into one of the most undesirable places for any sim to want to live.
So much setup to do, but I think it will be worth it. And who knows, maybe I’ll get something new and meaningful for my merfolk later.
I’m putting all of my experience playing the game into this. The end result will hopefully be something more meaningful than deleting unwanted sims.
I played and restarted a few times when things went kablooey on me. One save (the first one on Long) got corrupted and by the time Erik was ready to launch his career, he couldn't hold a concert. With help from those on Discord for the modder of Road to Fame, we did a trial and error to see if it was the mod, or my game save. It was worse. My Sim, Erik, was corrupted.
Then after more time had passed, other players clued me in on just how to win for songs he'd written. I quickly started all over again. Yes, took him back to his Teen years. Did it all again, only I had him write songs like crazy! I did keep one of the saves wherein he was an Adult with kids. Had him write like crazy and he went on a winning streak, too. I still have that save, but I decided to keep my Flashback, which as you know became my new Main save. So, I have been through it. The key is to not to quit. Keep reinventing your story until you've got it right. That it becomes the story you set out to write. I had to learn this the hard way. When I nearly died, with my manuscript unfinished, the redrafted version only partially done, I made a big decision. I told myself I was going to finish it, finally. When I got home, out of the hospital and the rehabilitation center, six weeks later in all, I took up writing it again. I wrote the story the way I wanted to tell it. To please myself, first. That's the one in my siggie. It got picked up by the man who began the very first Star Trek Fanzine. Yes, it's fan-published, but so what? It's published and that's all that matters.
So, you go right ahead and do what you're doing. Follow your heart, as I finally have learned to follow my own. Sometimes, deep inside, we all know what we need to do. Just do it.
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
Chapter 36 - An Invitation
"Jenny? Wow, hi!" Miranda was shocked that her friends call had actually come through.
I’ve had Dylan and Zeph in my game for a really long time. The only 2 sims that I’ve had longer than them are their parents!
When I first created Dylan and Zeph, oh man, that took a while. You see, Dylan and Zeph were both born as Twins AND I got them the Sulani Mana Trait without cheats!
For those who don’t know:
Sulani Mana is one of the hidden traits from Island Living that is not easy to get without cheats.
I originally created Calum with the Child of the Island trait. The Child of the Island Trait is the only way to encounter Island Elementals. They are a special type of NPC ghost that will not appear any other way.
Once I had Calum meet the Island Elementals, I had to have him raise the friendship with one of them enough to invite them into the household. Depending on how you invite the Elemental into your household, it’s possible that you need go the Ambrosia, or some other magical, route to turn them mortal.
I actually ended up reloading the save because at the time, my only option was Ambrosia.
Anyways, out of the 3 Elementals Calum got to meet (Elementals always appear in sets of 3 and can be male or female), Calum befriended Arihi.
Thanks to the ease at which merfolk build romance: again there was no serenading sims because this was before City Living… I managed to get Calum and Arihi married and they had their sons, Dylan and Zeph. I think the toddler update came out or something so I either didn’t have as many packs as I do now or I don’t know… But I still had to rely on Calum’s natural ability to Romance as a Merman to get the romance bar up fast!
I then played Dylan and Zeph through their toddlerhood and their childhood. I started getting more packs and playing through the packs with them.
After a while, I wanted to try and do a merfolk legacy and started playing a new family… I created an elaborate plot, and the story was going well. Then the Eco Living pack came out and it destroyed that save.
I started the save again and began playing my current story with the challenge I created: The Immortal Merfolk Legacy.
After finishing the White Tail Arc and both Blue Tail Arcs, I decided I needed to start aging up some of my sims I neglected. I didn’t want to just age them up. I wanted to play the households! And after playing through the households, I came to a realization. I really loved the gameplay and I wasn’t even following my Immortal Merfolk Legacy format anymore.
And it hit me… Everything Lir, Dylan, and Zeph went through was extremely shallow. I was writing this entire story to turn 6 merfolk into villains only to end up deleting them from existence later…
To be fair, I learned a lot from each of the 3 arcs of gameplay, I built many different venues, and I got a lot of packs. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been to Tartosa, Bantu, or fully explored any of the worlds outside of Sulani! I’m such a noob in San Myshuno and only just started to discover that world…
There’s still way more to do in the Sims 4 because there is that much I haven’t done yet!
I’m 200% for giving my merfolk more unique gameplay, abilities, powers, and interactions, but I’ve kept myself busy so far.
But, what I’m doing with my merfolk now, it’s something I feel is much more meaningful, and I’m taking elements from all my different attempts at a story to make it work!
But, I’m not going to lie, merfolk do lack quite substantially in gameplay. A lot of what I do is purely my imagination and storytelling. In my story, there are things my merfolk can do, but they aren’t really merfolk abilities or merfolk gameplay. I just used my imagination to fill in the gaps… Still, it would be easier to be more imaginative if I had more to work with!
Oliver and Elsa develop more of a friendship, or, something.
Aliens Stole My Alien Parents, Day 14
I might not even be using the Immortal Merfolk Legacy structure to tell the story. I’ll probably just use a challenge or scenario to start the gameplay and then do my own thing.
I’m at least going to be working on the set up for this save until the 18th.
But, it’s crazy right… the more I think about it… I haven’t even explored much of Willow Creek, and I know about the secrets in the Base Game!
And when I think about the Sims 5 and everyone that wants it… Let me finish playing the Sims 4 First! I still have most of the game to explore! I haven’t been to Sixam! I haven’t explored Tartosa! I haven’t been to the hidden meadow in Willow Creek! I don’t think I’ve even done much in the Magic Realm! Like, I still have too much to do in the Sims 4 and too much I want to do!
I fully understand. We were told, and I don't believe it was all that long ago, either, that there was much more coming for Sims4. But if they roll out Sims 5, we all know how that will work. We may get one last buggier than ever pack, that will never be addressed, since their focus will be on the 'new and shiny'. Face/palm.
ETA: I am also puzzling over the few refreshes they made. Why start something of that nature, if they are going to roll out a new iteration? What was that all about?
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
I wonder about that too. I was super excited about the Spa Day Refresh! It was a step in the right direction, and I was hoping to see more refreshes!
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
Chapter 37 - Miss Missing You, Fall Out Boy
Don't panic, no, not yet / I know I'm the one you want to forget
Chapter 38 - Betrayed
The music pounded, drowning out everything else, stirring blood and shaking bone.
In the heart of it, Max moved with calm certainty. A wolf among sheep, he thought looking around him with contempt.
Also, Industrialization takes a while. I finished adding my merfolk households to the save, but I’m still on the first lot that I’m updating to be harmful to the eco footprint.
As for why I’m getting Werewolves now, I need some better items to industrialize a lot with. I have a lot of what I need, but the Werewolves pack might have some things that will be helpful in build mode.
For High School Years, it might be fun to explore with Dylan and Zeph if their parents give them permission to leave the sea.
The question then:
How much do I want my merfolk to blend in with their human peers. I have 11 merchildren I need to create human disguises for.
One thing I know is that they are going to be from the Islands. So, to some degree, islander attire will be acceptable. Which might be a step between a complete human disguise and their standard and preferred merfolk attire.
I’m thinking that I’ll need to create new outfits for Everyday, Formal, Hot Weather, and Cold Weather… as for the other outfits, do high school students use their Active and Party outfits?
Edit: I’m asking about on campus situations that use certain outfits. It will be a new experience for me, so I want to be prepared.
I also used cas.fulleditmode to see what they look like as young adults, and they look pretty much just as they did before. It'll take a while to get to that point again, but it'll be fun!
@Metior_Ice maybe some of your merchildren want to blend in with their peers more than the others? So they may make more of an effort with their disguise.
From what I remember of trying out HSY, high school students use their activewear if they're using the cheerleading mat. Not sure about the party outfit.
I just finished updating the base households. I’m not sure any of my merfolk blend in more with humans, but that could be a point of growth moving forward.
I also finished creating my first industrial lot for Sulani and uploaded it to the gallery.
I need a nap before I update the next lot.
Rhea:
Cristal:
I love how they also have the same hair styles.
The following week, my sim self's 9th child and first with his second wife, Elizabeth aged up as well:
Liberty's father Harry starts a protest for a cause he's chosen to support, sadly no one turned up to support him:
On the first anniversary of Andrew's death, Liberty pops round to see his widow Riku and the family have a small gathering to celebrate his life:
The whole merfolk want to become human trope has been done to death.
So, to an extent, I do want to draw a line somewhere when it comes to conforming to human society.
Some ideas I’ve been brainstorming but haven’t decided on:
My merfolk will be limited to wearing skirts. The idea is that they are shapeshifting into a human form. The skirts are the only form of clothing that would survive their legs turning into a tail.
Expanding on that idea, that rule could be limited to the swimwear, the outfit they change into before going for a swim.
Their formal outfits may remain mermadic attire. I haven’t figured out how I want to change that outfits, but I know mermadic traditions will be extremely important to all merfolk.
There will be situations that make honoring mermadic traditional attire too important to them to change the outfits.
I’m still figuring out the outfit category for their traditional mermadic attire, but I’m leaning toward the formal outfits for that. Possibly because of the traditional element. I haven’t decided yet.
At the end of the day, I want my merfolk to blend in with humans to an extent, but I want to draw a line somewhere…
My merfolk take pride in being mermen and mermaids. They would never want to be human, and in my story, being a merman or mermaid is permanent. There will be no way to become human and humans that become merfolk will have no way to go back on their decision.
Aliens Stole My Alien Parents, Day 15
It all depends upon your appetite
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant🎵
🎵A bottle of red, a bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant🎵