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Athena & Crog

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AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
Bound and determined as I am to learn the gist of sims4, I decided the only way to make the game easy to digest is to make it personal.
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Meet me and my guy, Athena & Crog. No these aren't our real names, but I decided long ago that it's bad luck to name a video game character after a significant other after losing three boyfriends that way.
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Meet Athena. In real life, she is a graduate student of history, certifiable geek, and just a wee bit broody.
Pixelated, she's still a geek, a ball of gloom, & materialistic. There are no historians in her world, so, she'll have to settle for being writer. Believe you me, there's a lot of writing in history, so, this won't be too much of a stretch.
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Crog, in real life, is a graphic artist, a musician, a member of huge family, and quite a bit broody himself. He loves doing things himself. He grows a garden in the summer, and has been restoring a corvette for about decade now.

In the game he's an active, gregarious goofball-art lover that wants to befriend the world. I have to admit, that's pretty dead on.

Pixelated Crog has done something that he'd never do in RL: leave his 4 brothers and 20 cousins to move to another town.

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We bought the house unfurnished, because I love to decorate.

Our first task is to make a bedroom we both like.
After a series of compromises this is what we came up with:
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Our living room/ kitchen. It's not exactly us, but right now things are a bit limited.
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I buy a computer, because neither my simself or I could live without one of those.
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An easel.
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And, a guitar.
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It looks like Crog's stuck playing the ascoutic because he can't get an electric until he becomes a rockstar. Geez, that's silly.

Comments

  • RachelRosebudRachelRosebud Posts: 1,103 Member
    I like your introduction. The pics look great, and it looks like you're diving right into the game. I hope you like it! There's a lot to see and do. :)
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    What a great start! I love your SimSelf--can my SimSelf hang out with her? I've got a SimSelf of my boyfriend, too, and his name is about as close to his real name as mine is to mine! Have fun living your digital life in Willow Creek! Looks like you're off to a great start!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • aroseinbloomaroseinbloom Posts: 3,456 Member
    Awesome start! I love meeting people's Simselves! And the name Athena has so much attached to it for me that I was hooked as soon as I saw your thread. Add Onyx on top of it and I feel like I've discovered my alter ego!
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    I like your introduction. The pics look great, and it looks like you're diving right into the game. I hope you like it! There's a lot to see and do. :)

    Thank you. The sims4 takes some getting used to, but I think it will be a fun experience.
    CathyTea wrote: »
    What a great start! I love your SimSelf--can my SimSelf hang out with her? I've got a SimSelf of my boyfriend, too, and his name is about as close to his real name as mine is to mine! Have fun living your digital life in Willow Creek! Looks like you're off to a great start!

    Sure. I'll be more than happy to add some of your sims. Is there an easy way to find them like a hashtag or something?
    Awesome start! I love meeting people's Simselves! And the name Athena has so much attached to it for me that I was hooked as soon as I saw your thread. Add Onyx on top of it and I feel like I've discovered my alter ego!

    Thanks! I'm glad you like my username. I always worry that it's a bit arrogant that redubbed myself after a goddess. But, I've always loved that name too!

  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    The next order of business is jobs. Crog is now an artist, and I'm entering the writing field. We decide it's time to get serious, so, I
    turn off the video games and start writing, and Crog does some painting.

    To get a promotion, Crog needs to reach level 2 of the painting skill and view 3 different works of art.
    I'm glad the RL Crog is better painter than this!
    12-02-14_5-19nbspPM-3.png

    Crog has gotten his first emotion: uncomfortable. It appears that he feels a bit grungy, so, he goes off to the shower with the telltale green smoke trailing behind. It wouldn't be the sims without that green cloud, would it?
    12-02-14_5-23nbspPM.png

    Meanwhile, Athena's cheerfully pecking away at the computer thinking, "I've got new stuff, I love stuff, new furniture, new decor, woohoo, I'm happy." I love new stuff too. I just love stuff in general.

    Crog returns from the shower still uncomfortable, because apparently the shower plumbs. He knows that forgetting that horrible "hail storm" he just encountered will just take some time, so, he goes on to his next task: admiring the paintings in the house.

    I wouldn't use the word "admire" though.

    He dislikes his own work.
    12-02-14_5-30nbspPM-1.png
    He likes the one in bedroom a little a bit better.
    Let's see what he thinks of this one.
    12-02-14_5-33nbspPM.png
    12-02-14_5-37nbspPM.png
    Oh, come on that one's cool.
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    They both have lots of time before work.

    Athena hasn't quite practiced writing for 3 hours, but I see a rock and she really wants find a collectible so send her out to collect it.
    Geekfindingacollectable.png
    Meanwhile, Crog has completed his work, so he starts playing some music.
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    Athena walks by and thinks, "Yeah, my guy looks pretty hot holding a guitar." Too bad the sounds making her pretty tense.

    Soon, it's time for bed. Crog has work in 12 hours; Athena needs to be there in 14.
    12-03-14_3-10nbspPM.png
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    In the morning, I still have plenty of time before work, and decide to pick out my swimsuit just in case I get invited to a pool party or something.
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    And, then make the 🐸🐸🐸🐸 walk to the bathroom.

    Crog makes breakfast - or, a mess, it's really hard to tell at this point.
    CrogCooks.png
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    I decide that his mess-terpeice is actually pretty good.
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    Just as he goes to take a shower, I get this overwhelming desire to kiss him.
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    So, I decide to wait until he opens the door, and then ambush him.
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    12-02-14_8-14nbspPM-1.png
    Mission accomplished.
  • aroseinbloomaroseinbloom Posts: 3,456 Member
    Super cute and very real life like! I'm definitely enjoying it.
  • Silvereyes83Silvereyes83 Posts: 253 Member
    This is great. I like how real your story seems.
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    It's 30 minutes before Crog has to be a work, and there's no sign of a carpool.

    I'm a little worried. It's his first day, after all, so I look out the window. No sign of a car. Look at all the lonely people. Where do they all come from? Looks like sims are just about as excited about going to work as their real life counterparts.12-04-14_1-35nbspAM.png
    12-04-14_1-36nbspAM.png
    I can't help but think that Mortimer Goth looks a bit emaciated this time around. Like he got abducted by aliens this time around. Or, maybe he is one. :open_mouth:

    Crog's doing push-up in anticipation for his work day, but he won't have one if I don't figure out how to get him there. I've clicked the sidewalk, the phone, I just don't know how to do it.
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    Why by-golly, he knew what was going to happen all along, he just walked out to the sidewalk disappeared before I could get picture of it!

    Athena's still plugging away at the computer. She has two hours before work.
    AthenaComputer-1.png
    I'm usually not this happy about going to work. Just saying.
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    Now both my simmies are gone I have an empty nest, but luckily times flies in Sims4.

    Whoa! Crog's home in no time.
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    He decides to practice some music while there's no one around to cover their ears or to watch him curl his lips like Elvis.

    Athena returns home wanting to call the sadness hotline. Who needs that when Crog's right there?
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    She shares her melancholy thoughts, but his bad playing is making her more tense. It's kinda weird for me to see this, because RL Crog has been a professional musician since I've known him, but everyone's got to start somewhere. Athena's motives are very low at this point and both of them are hungry. So, Crog decides to stop playing, and Athena takes a much needed shower.
    12-05-14_8-52nbspPM.png
    He's a little less enthusiastic this time around. Hope Athena's moodiness isn't bringing him down. We both can be downers from time to time, but I didn't have enough room to assign Crog all his appropriate traits, and sometimes I'm bubbly when he's not. I guess it's impossible to make sims as complicated as real people. Probably better for the game over all if they just keep them simple.
    12-05-14_8-53nbspPM.png
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    Is Athena crying in the shower?
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    Sure enough.
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    Grilled cheese served with a smile, albeit, upside down.
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    How could two people look so sad while eating a freshly prepared grilled cheese? I tend to like mine with ham, but still you'd think this was their last meal and they were about to be executed.

    Athena's desperate for fun, but she's also looking a little tired. Maybe just a brief night on the town will help her, plus she went shopping at the Sims' Resource last night and bought a new top. Maybe wearing something new will cheer her up.
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    She takes a nap while he takes care of some personal hygiene.
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    Let's go to the Blue Velvet Night Club. Not exactly my idea of fun, but right now options are limited.
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    Okay maybe this was a bad idea. Can we at least dance? No. Or at least it does appear to be so.
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    Alright, Athena wants to vent those depressing thoughts, so, let him have it! I don't speak simlish, but it looks like Crog is doing a pretty good job cheering her up.

    And, there you have it, folks, a smile!
    12-05-14_9-27nbspPM.png
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    By the way, I appreciate all the comments! Keep 'em coming!
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    It's really sweet! It feels like I've been playing for years already (but only for 300 hours, Origin tells me!), and so it is so very fun to trek back with you to remember all the questions of the new, like how to get to work? How to relax? What's fun? I'm loving your Sims very much, too!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    It's really sweet! It feels like I've been playing for years already (but only for 300 hours, Origin tells me!), and so it is so very fun to trek back with you to remember all the questions of the new, like how to get to work? How to relax? What's fun? I'm loving your Sims very much, too!

    Awesome! I hoped my constant questioning wouldn't get too tedious, but part of why I write these stories is to remember my experiences because I have a bad memory but I'm sentimental. Kind of weird combination.
  • aroseinbloomaroseinbloom Posts: 3,456 Member
    I love this so much! They're too funny together...even when they're sad. It seems like they're both empaths. Such an exhausting RL trait...apparently it carries over into the Sims world, too!
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    @aroseinbloom, It's funny you said that we're empaths. About 3 psychics have told me I'm an empath and I wasn't paying any of them to give me a reading they just brought it up in conversation. What gave us away? I don't know if I'm really an empath but social situations really do exhaust me.
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    I agree with @aroseinbloom! For me the give-aways are in your Sims' expressions. You can just see them feeling with each other!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • aroseinbloomaroseinbloom Posts: 3,456 Member
    AthenaOnyx wrote: »
    @aroseinbloom, It's funny you said that we're empaths. About 3 psychics have told me I'm an empath and I wasn't paying any of them to give me a reading they just brought it up in conversation. What gave us away? I don't know if I'm really an empath but social situations really do exhaust me.

    Ah, empaths are people who take on the emotions of those around them. They are truly characteristic of 'walk a mile in their shoes'. Us empaths understand exactly what another person's situation is like. We can feel it in our bones. The social situations are more characteristic of an introvert...though, perhaps they go hand in hand!
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    @CathyTea, cool. But, aren't all the sims in sims4 like that? I'm glad my sims are unique!

    @aroseinbloom, I can relate to that experience. I don't anything to compare it to so it's hard to say. Although I'm always surprised by how hard it is for people see things from the other person's point of view. I am pretty emotional, but as far as I know they're my own emotions.

  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    @AthenaOnyx I know--I kept wondering about that and why yours look so empathic. I think perhaps it's because of the way you're zooming in to take the photos (your own qualities shine through what you choose to present), but when I compare them to the faces of my Sims, mine don't show that same level of empathy. Mine often show compassion, but each one expresses more of what he or she is feeling, rather than reflecting the feelings of those around him or her... I'll watch to see if I ever do get an empath!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    @AthenaOnyx I know--I kept wondering about that and why yours look so empathic. I think perhaps it's because of the way you're zooming in to take the photos (your own qualities shine through what you choose to present), but when I compare them to the faces of my Sims, mine don't show that same level of empathy. Mine often show compassion, but each one expresses more of what he or she is feeling, rather than reflecting the feelings of those around him or her... I'll watch to see if I ever do get an empath!

    I love the expressions in this game. It's funny, but keep expecting the sims3 sims to make those expressions, and then I'm disappointed when they just stand there like they're waiting for something do. So, yeah, I guess sims4 does have something new to offer, but I'm going to miss so much from the other games. Hopefully, one day they'll blend them altogether.
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    I'm finding that the more minimalistic aspects of TS4 really open them up for storytelling and the expression of the player's imagination. When I played TS3, I was in the game, so I didn't really tell stories, I just wandered around and lived (and mostly gardened!). With TS4, my Sims are the ones living--and the absence of toddlers, an abundance of careers, an open world, and bicycles (ha!), allow me to infuse them with more of my own imagination. The experience becomes somehow richer, the way with poetry, really formal styles (like sestinas) provide through their tight structures rich ground for expression.
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    I tell stories with all 3 games, and I find sims3 is definitely the hardest. Part of the problem is the fact it takes so long to load that it takes me about 3 or 4 to get everything set up, take the pics, and then post them. Then it's just that all pics from 3 tend to look a like because animations were a bit dull. I love gardening in the game. Gardening and magic are my favorite things to do in sims 3.

    Probably the hardest thing for me to get used to in sims4 is the lack of controls that I can actually see. It took me an hour to find the CAS button. I suppose that's where things are heading. I nearly have to google how to shut down windows8 on my tablet everytime, because I just can't remember where the button is. I'm like I'm 35, and I'm already an old fogey. Technology is leaving me behind! :)
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    Once that was all settled, Crog gets up...
    12-05-14_9-30nbspPM.png
    Stretches...
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    And, mosied over to the bar...
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    12-05-14_9-32nbspPM-2.png

    12-05-14_9-33nbspPM.png

    And, that's all I got until figure out why I can't load my game. The "Play Button" is unavailable on origin and hitting my icon doesn't work. I'm going to have to wait for my pc savvy sister to wake up.
  • AthenaOnyxAthenaOnyx Posts: 3,921 Member
    edited December 2014
    I thought I could save at the bar and found out the hard way that I can't. So, I just since A & C home to get some rest.
    12-11-14_3-45nbspPM.png
    Crog awakes feeling energized. He's late for work so he goes in without a shower. Yeah, that's not a good idea, Croggy.
    12-11-14_3-47nbspPM.png
    And, now I'm waiting for Athena to wake up. Her motives are low including her fun motive, and although I promised myself I wouldn't "soapbox" too much on here I'm little ticked that I can't save on a community lot. Plus, I don't remember getting a warning when I closed out.
    12-11-14_3-58nbspPM.png
    I decide to change her clothes and go to the park. As I'm going through her clothes I start to wonder why there are so many sweaters in a world perpetual summer. Nevertheless, I pick a sweater because I running low on clothes that look like me and then pair it with a short skirt in hopes that this will offset it.
    11-30-14_10-05nbspPM-1.png
    She looks too dressy for the park, but I'm sure she'll be okay.
    12-11-14_4-01nbspPM.png
    She's like, "I'm tense, why did you send me to the park? You know I want to play on my computer."

    I explain, "Because, going to the park is much healthier than sitting in your room all day... " Wait a minute! "Just go make some friends, Athena!"

    Okay, who's here...
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    One woman playing chess by herself.
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    Another woman playing chess by herself.
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    And, a well-groomed, obviously not homeless (at least not for long) woman sleeping on a bench.
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    To my surprise, Athena was willing to play chess even though she was tense.
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    Watching her started to make me feel a bit tense.
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    But, then she starts getting bit vainglorious.
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    And, maybe there's a friendship underway.
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    But, after the game Ryan was unavailable for chit-chat and had to run.

    Maybe she needed to chase after this woman for copying her style.
    copyingstyle.png
    The people at the park were beginning to give me the creeps...
    12-11-14_4-44nbspPM.png
    so I sent Athena home.
    12-11-14_4-46nbspPM.png
  • CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,088 Member
    My favorite TS4 Sims are the gardeners and fisher people!
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
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