Welcome back music lovers to Muse Cycle 3!
This cycle we are doing a nature theme, where each title of the song matches something in nature, which includes elements, weather, planets, animals, etc. And even though the title matches nature, the song lyrics might not, so your photos will still have a variety of themes in the end. Other than that, the competition runs as normal. If you're new continue reading to understand how the competition works!
In this competition you will be making photos based on your interpretations of songs, or in other words, what they mean to or inspire in you. Your images can be about the entire meaning of the song, just the feeling (as some will lack singing), just snippets of the lyrics, or any hidden messages you hear. The photos you make must tell the story/idea you were thinking of when making it. This means if you think the song is discussing loss of a mother, your photo should be able to show that with how you made it. You can, however, add an explanation when you submit your photos to help, but the explanation is only meant to help avoid confusion and your photo should still get the main idea across. Also, the majority of the rounds are free-reign with no specific requirements so your imagination can run wild, and there are also no examples in this comp since it is all about listening and imagining. For each assignment I will link to the song and lyrics, and I will try my best to avoid music videos as I want you guys to make edits based on what you think, not what the video is showing (even if some videos have nothing to do with the song).
These songs I choose will either be straightforward or confusing, it just depends on what I choose and how you see things. The genres can range from pop, Vocaloid, rap, jazz, rock, Celtic, fantasy, 90’s, classical, epic, swing, or even techno, anything really, so having a wide taste and appreciation for music will be a good thing. Also, the songs I choose will not be hardcore (so no hardcore rap, screamo, or hardcore metal, etc.), or inappropriate (though some may imply or have a word or two), so that everyone can enjoy the competition, and for future cycles I may do specific eras/genres. Also, please keep in mind that some songs may be sad or even refer to things, like guns, or cheating. I will do my absolute best to give you guys a wide variety of genres, though there are some songs that I’ve been dying to see be interpreted, so some genres may appear more than once, it just depends!
I hope you enjoy this competition, and who knows, maybe you’ll find a new artist you like.
(If you would like to suggest songs, or specific genres/eras for future cycles, please message me!)
Muse Cycle 1Muse Cycle 2
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Checked In
Assignment Submitted
WillMal13
@Spudders_86@MyFavoritedesign@Melusine377@abelhinha35
Giveaway Details
(This giveaway is not affiliated with EA.)
Entering Muse Cycle 3 is required to enter the giveaway, but please avoid dropping at all costs. If you are arriving late and reading this, you are allowed to join after we start, but you'll miss out on the round tickets you missed (Up to Round/Assignment 3, after that signups are closed permanently). Based on the poll results (45% vs 55%), people would prefer a raffle system so we will be going with that. I know raffles are new to competitions so please bear with me as we test this.
Entries/Tickets:
- By entering you automatically receive 1 ticket/entry into the competition.
- Every round you submit your assignment is 1 ticket/entry (11 total by end of competition by just joining and submitting).
- At the end of the competition I will post a question with the finale round. Answering is optional. Submitting an answer is 1 ticket/entry, and being correct is another (1) ticket/entry.
If you do all of the above that is a total of 13 tickets/entries for the raffle.
I was originally going to add more like for Top 3, first place, etc., but we'll keep this simple and more fair by only offering the above. After the giveaway and competition please feel free to post opinions/suggestions on the process, etc.
If you win you have a budget of $40 USD. This is enough for 1 Expansion Pack, or mix and match between Stuff and Game Packs. So that means you can choose 2 Game Packs (20+20), a Game and 2 Stuff packs (20+10+10), or 4 Stuff Packs (10+10+10+10). If you win and don't use all the allotted money, I'll choose a second person through a second raffle, with the same tickets, to receive the rest of it. You may choose any pack, including ROM
and the upcoming EP at the end of the year that we still know nothing about, but please keep in mind that you have to wait for that EP since it obviously hasn't released yet. If you are Sims 3 you may buy anything up to $40 as well, AND you have the choice of stuff from the Sims 3 store up to 3001 points (I have these leftover from winning a Sims Survivor comp long ago, lol). I don't believe there is anything I can do for Sims 2.
You can choose PC/Mac, or Xbox/PS4 for those who play on both.
If you do not win please do not be upset. The main purpose of Muse is to have fun of course, not just for the giveaway! I may run more in the future, we'll see. Also, please do not attack me
or the person who wins. I doubt that will happen, but putting it here regardless.
And very obviously, please do not cheat for first place (even though it doesn't effect the raffle) or on the question.
(Names are in order from left to right.)
MissNad19
@KildareFaerlynn @themelonic @MizoreYukii @Jendowoz0612 Lunalaxy basicallybex
Comments
And now, you've reached the end of your journey. You are now part of the universe, and it's time to answer the question:
What happened on your journey?/What was your journey about?
(Note: This is your optional finale question I mentioned for the giveaway. Think about each song and give details. Correct, and depending on how semi-correct, will get an extra ticket for the raffle. Good luck! I'll go over the giveaway again once the comp ends.)
This is one of my favorite songs ever. I hope you enjoy this song, and enjoyed the others!
Due date: 1/02 - Timer
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/h3lWwMHFhnA
Feedback is optional on your end, and also on the judges end. So, if you don’t want feedback for whatever reason, say so, and the judges will skip your comments every round. Otherwise everyone will receive feedback from us as normal, unless a judge is skipping a round. Feedback includes the usual pros/cons, how to improve editing, and how better to go about executing an idea. We will keep them short to make judging faster.
When judging, the judges must consider these (in order):
- Creativity
- Relevance/Story
- Quality & Composition
- Judge’s Preference (to act as a tie breaker)
How Creative you are is the most important aspect of this competition. Next, Relevance/Story, is just to make sure you are being inspired by the song itself. Judges are only to look for a small relevance, and this can be as small as a single line of lyrics. We also consider how well we can understand your story from just the image itself, and use your submitted explanation to help guide us if we are confused. We then consider your Quality and Composition. Like most comps we will not be looking at game quality, just editing quality and how the image looks overall. Finally, the judges consider their Preference as sometimes we get stuck on who to place where when tied or unsure.They then rank the images based on everything above, putting names in order. Each rank equals a certain amount of points, and the rank and point value differs depending on how many contestants we have.
Ranking
- 20 (or higher) points
- 18 points
- 16 points
- 14 points
- 12 points
- 10 points
- And so on
If you miss a round, you receive the lowest amount of points for that round. That means if we have 6 contestants and one doesn't submit, the lowest rank is 5. That means the one who didn't submit receives the same rank as whoever got rank 5, meaning they both got 12 points instead of 10. Hopefully that made sense, but if not, ask questions. This keeps people from being completely out of the race compared to receiving a zero for not submitting. Speaking of which, don't worry about your scores and lagging behind. I've seen people who didn't do well the first few rounds catch up later, and I've seen people average the entire comp, only to be in the Top 5 later. Just enjoy the comp and don't worry about scores!I will also be posting scorecards so people can see how judging is going, but I will not reveal total points, etc. until we get to the final 3 as I feel that stresses everyone.
Tips:
- Be creative! If your sim is just standing there staring at the camera when the song is about devoted love, etc., you will not do well. Make sure your image tells a story.
- This is not a regular modeling/fashion competition. Don’t worry about how fashionable the model is, don’t focus on editorial poses, etc. Go for poses that actually express your idea and dress them appropriately for the situation.
- If you feel your image starts to become confusing and/or unrelated, provide an explanation as a just in case. The last thing you want to do is get the judges confused and not have an explanation to help guide them. Do not rely on your explanation to get the story across though.
- Quality is not a large focus in this comp, but that does not mean you should forego quality. This means you should still do your best to fix edges, lighting, etc., but it is a small focus when judging.
In other words, as long as you are creative and execute the ideas semi-well when doing your interpretations, you should do well in this comp. I hope that helps alleviates some fears for people and they join this competition, because you never know what may happen. In fact, we had several milestones in our first cycle, with @TEXASTWANGTONYA winning her first competition and @NShippudenFan winning her first round/assignment, and another milestone in the second cycle with @Movotti winning his first competition. So, if you’ve never won a competition before, this may be your chance!Round 10 Entries
MyFavoritedesign (Angela)
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Congrats to our round winner and our overall winner, and everyone on their placements! You will find your signatures under the list of scores. We had close scores for first and third place!
The answer to the optional finale question wasn't meant to be a deep thought process or about your own journey, it was to see if you could recognize the story pattern of the songs, aka the journey. Each song's title, and somewhat theme/lyrics, was telling a story about nature's birth, life, and death. Anything along these lines would have been considered as correct, even if some had a slightly deeper meaning than the rest.
Anyways, thank you for entering the competition, and I hope you all enjoyed it and weren't put off by some pauses in the competition. They normally run smoothly but this was the first time I ran a comp while busy with modding, a baby, and over 7 judges.
Round 1
Rank 1
Mizzie – Hmmm, I’m not quite sure why they are dancing, or what the story is focusing on? I think, from my best guess, it's a memory of them dancing and she is reflecting on it. It’s a beautiful photo though, very vibrant, and don’t see any errors!
Jen – This is a truly beautiful shot and tells the story well. I love the misty borders, the face shot with tears and how she is trying to reach out and grasp at a past life. Even though she is in the background, those lyrics could be related to either one of them passing on, so wasn’t as clear in meaning as some of the others, but it covered the lyrics well and that is all that matters. It would have been nice too, to see them in a more touching moment while remembering one or the other.
Rank 2
Mizzie - So beautiful! Your presentation was done well, as well as most of your blending. The dad’s arms are very….mismatched? Like I see some blending applied to the right arm but in comparison to the left arm, which is saturated in colors, it looks very odd. Based on your lighting (and real lighting) on other parts of the body there shouldn’t be much color change on the side facing us. Also, love that it seems like he is singing the song to her!
Jen – I love this shot it suits the song so well, and to see his love and the mother of his daughter coming out almost animating without them noticing is lovely. Sad but leaving such a beautiful daughter behind with her father really sets up this shot for the lyrics to the song.
Rank 3
Mizzie - I’m going to miss seeing your work in this competition and the creativity they bring! Other than the age difference between her soul and her body that threw me off at first, I feel like you nailed the emotional and story side. You can tell what’s going on and you can feel the pain as she moves on, but wants to stay.
Jen – This interprets the lyrics well and tells a great story with just the picture and no explanation. I love the way your shots always tell a story and you can read so much into each one of them, great job!
Rank 4
Mizzie - Awww, so sad and cute! I knew what was going on without looking at your description, though I do wish the thought bubble wasn’t so prominent, and instead maybe a fading image in the corner could appear, kinda like how they do so in some movies/shows. Great job though!
Jen – Your image tells a clear story of what is happening in this song, and I didn’t even need to look at the explanation to know the story behind the shot and how it relates to the lyrics. I love the expression on the mum’s face and the heart-felt pose of the ghost of the little girl’s father and mum’s partner. All round it was a great shot!
Rank 5
Mizzie - She looks gorgeous in this shot, and I love the paper lantern she’s sending off and the meaning behind it. The lowered hand looks stiff, but I believe you’re using a dance pose, right? Creative use for it though! My main complaint is that the image is sooo small. Try to avoid doing that in competitions!
Jen – I like the idea of this shot how she is sending a light to guide her love to wherever and to explain how this is a way to also say goodbye and let go of the parting is nice. I would have liked to see perhaps a figure of the partner in the stars, looking down on her or something similar because without your explanation it was a bit tricky to read the wonderful meaning behind your shot.
Round Scorecard
Overall Ranks & Signatures
Second place with a total score of 1192:
Third place with a total score of 1086:
Fourth place with a total score of 1048:
Fifth place with a total score of 892:
Total Competition Scorecard
Assignment 1
I'm so excited for this comp I already have a Cycle 4 almost finished! We're going to start this season out with an easy song as usual, and it matches our new banner theme too. I can't wait to see what you guys submit and how this competitions goes. Enjoy the song and have fun!
Lyrics
I stretch them open and let them dry
I haven't seen this world before
But I'm excused, I'm a butterfly
Sweet is the touch of your newborn wings
We fly in circles and play with the sun
We haven't seen this world before
So fair, so bright, so blue the sky
Love me, love me on the leaves
Before we say goodbye
Love me, kiss me with the breeze
You will be my lullaby
Tomorrow I'll die
Tomorrow I'll die
Tomorrow I'll die
You'll be my lullaby
Love me, kiss me with the breeze
Kiss me with the breeze
Kiss me with the breeze
Kiss me with the breeze
Love me, love me on the leaves
Love me, love me
Love me, love me on the leaves
Before we say goodbye
Love me, kiss me with the breeze
You'll be me lullaby
Tomorrow I'll die
Sweet is the wind as it gently blows
The day away, and the nighttime comes
Great are the wonders that silence shows
I fall asleep, and I dream of the sun
And my butterfly
Photos
Round 1 Entries
MyFavoritedesign (Angela)
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Penguinwa101
PastelPixels
Scores
abelhinha35
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Rank 6
Round 1 Scorecard
Assignment 2
Awesome round, now on to A2!! Let's see if you can survive the jungle next, it's certainly not a friendly place. 🌴
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/5dxHTn-F2jk
Photos
MyFavoritedesign (Angela)
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Penguinwa101
PastelPixels
Scores
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Rank 6
Rank 7
Round 2 Scorecard
Assignment 3
Each round just keeps getting better, fantastic work everyone! Next is Earth. We don't really deserve it, do we? 🌎
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/JYG3svfvJ_I
Photos
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Penguinwa101
Scores
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Rank 6
Round Scorecard
Assignment 4
The lightning has struck, let's see how you handle it! ⚡
Lyrics (Only Part 1)
https://youtu.be/GyhhacWJkXg
Photos
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Scores
Rank 1
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Round Scorecard
Assignment 5
Unfortunately, for some of you, your main focus in A2 was fire, so let's see if you can spin this creatively now that we are actually doing fire. And reminding you to listen to, and take apart, the lyrics. You don't have to take them literally, if that helps bring in new ideas. Anyways, let's see how well you handle the fire. 🔥
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/cRgPj35FZS4
Photos
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Scores
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Round Scorecard
Assignment 6
Time to put out that fire with some water from the river! 🌊
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/wndAt6orTRE
Photos
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Scores
Rank 1
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Round Scorecard
Assignment 7
Now all that's left is bones. ☠️
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/OeFGfSCiV_0
Photos
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Scores
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
Rank 5
Round Scorecard
Assignment 8
Time to blossom from the wasteland. 🌺
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/b9rkexzVtpI
Photos
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Scores
Mizzie – Ah! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me. You’ve setup the scene perfectly and it’s easy to tell what is going on and how it connects to the song in a unique way, not to mention visually powerful. You just need some brightness filters on the image, but otherwise superb job!
Jen – I think this was my favourite for this round. It shows a reflection of her past traumatic life and how she now is victorious and having her looking back tells an awesome story of how she survived and her past life where she thought she wouldn’t make it out of her past life alive. Love this shot and you wouldn’t even need the lyrics to know what is going on in this shot. Well done!
Rank 2
Mizzie - I love that it looks like they are actually walking out of the dark and away from that abusive man towards a brighter future, it’s a really cool effect that you made! Is that a tree trunk behind him though? I can’t tell what that is, hahaha!
Jen – I see where you went with this great shot. Merging out of her dark past into a new and blossoming world. Nice interpretation of the lyrics. The shot works well with the lyrics and could have many meanings, including those in this song.
Rank 3
Mizzie - I love the creativity in this! It’s powerful and really throws a curveball at the viewer, especially when comparing this to the song. Awesome job!
Jen – I like the story this shot tells and it fits well with the lyrics, and it could also mean she has passed and telling the medical staff not to give up on her and to bring her back. Well done. This shot could have many interesting meanings.
Rank 4
Mizzie - Your blending with the plants was really well done, and I like the environment you went with. While you took a more literal approach to the song your idea was excellent and well executed. I’m not sure what you used on her or what the goal was, but I am seeing some discoloration around the face and chest, probably saturation? If it was to make her blue, use a regular blue filter. Great work though!
Jen – I think your take on the tree blossoming in the harsh surroundings, however beautiful depicts the lyrics well. I love the expression on her face, it shows a victory over harsh circumstances and suits the song very well.
Rank 5
Mizzie - I love how well she stands out from the barren and monotone wasteland with her pink aura and pink outfit. She looks absolutely gorgeous! I just with there was a bit more creativity in this, but it’s a nice photo overall.
Jen – It certainly looks like she has managed to survive the devastation of the world around her. It would have been good to see her before and after shot. As it is, she looks a bit just placed there onto a drought-ridden world. I totally get what you were trying to convey, however.
Round Scorecard
Assignment 9
Now that you've blossomed, you're powerful.
Lyrics
https://youtu.be/bRk8jE5mW_4
Photos
Round 9 Entries
MyFavoritedesign (Angela)
Melusine377
Spudders_86
abelhinha35
WillMal13
Scores
Rank 1
Mizzie – Interesting idea to go with contrasting elements, and that even though they love each other they can’t be together. If you had added melting effects that would have really topped this off! Great job!
Jen – I love your concept behind this one and their expressions say it all. I like how you represented the lyrics about the different seasons in the background too. It could have been even more effective if she looked like she was morphing into a lion with claws and wild hair, but the overall effect is great and tastefully done.
Rank 2
Mizzie - That creature is so creepy! This was definitely not something I ever expected to see, so kudos for the creativity! I’m not sure if it was intended or not, but the demon looks like it’s leaving the mirror too, which makes it fit even more to the lyrics and idea. Great job!
Jen – Your interpretation is different and not as literal as the others and I like the meaning behind your thoughts. The “bring the lion out” could be interpreted in a couple of different ways. It could mean bringing out the lion to fight her inner demons or the lion is the demon she is trying to fight so I like the way you represented this one and you used the special effects beautifully. Well done.
Rank 3
Mizzie - Whoa, you did an awesome job on those effects! I would have liked to see more story to this though, and he does look more scared than ready for a fight, I’m assuming he at least was meant to be prepared for one.
Jen – I like the intensity of this shot and the fire lion is a great effect. I can see where you were going with this, but he looks more defeated than ready for a fight, and the reflection of the fire behind him could have been a bit more hazy, however that is just my interpretation. Your overall shot fits very well with the song and the lyrics you chose to represent.
Rank 4
Mizzie - She looks like an ice queen which makes for an interesting contrast between her looks and powers. The editing could definitely use some work in this as everything needed to be blended better, but overall good entry!
Jen – I love the effect of the fire in the background and on the ground under their feet. I feel the fire could have been a little more blended, but you covered the lyrics very well. The lion looks a little too “cut out” and placed but it’s a great shot.
Rank 5
Mizzie - I’m not entirely sure where you were going with this from your lyrics and her skin, but it seems like he might be praying on her like a lion, which was a good route to take, just wish there was more to this overall. I like the setup and their styling though!
Jen – This is a great interpretation. I can see where you were going with the lyrics you chose and the wild child above her brings in the lion lyrics in well. The background is very African and it suits the overall shot with the male dressed that way, but the meaning behind the diamonds in the skin is not all that clear to me.
Round Scorecard
@Penguinwa101 @abelhinha35 @Jendowoz0612 @TEXASTWANGTONYA @kyky @Movotti @JaLiBo @jilliebee22 @MyFavoritedesign @Mamajanaynay @lisabee2 @aussiekarima @jaunty @Gege @xJojox @Mzsammyrose @Storiessims4 @YJB19299 @MissBirdie @FauxEvermore @koalasims @alexis3142 @MizoreYukii @heather1306 @themelonic @kittymeow @ArtsyAmy @wbombje @Socallucyfan @deviouslyvivid @ladybug65 @ColorMePink @gardenGothic @Vanderhoot @sdtfm @mkasml @O-meezy @Melusine377 @Spudders_86 @TheLastStar
Head Shot: Angela
Regular color:
Green Color:
Green colour xx
Favorite Genre: Rock
Head Shot: Laurie
Favourite Genre: 90's Hip Hop / R'n'B
Head Shot: Lillian
i like the green colour
Discord version is now up for those that prefer that platform!
Twitter: @Penguinwa101
Tumblr: http://penguinentertainment.tumblr.com/
Youtube: Penguin Entertainment