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Sylvan Glade Tea Party

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  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    @_sims_Yimi Like an index page? That sounds good! I guess you could do anchors to specific comments/pages, I'll try to figure it out :)

    I do have a feeling that some of the headings in the index page might just turn into stuff like "random madness," but those are obviously the most important :D
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    ThePlumbob wrote: »
    _sims_Yimi wrote: »
    Seeing other people's perspective on villains is super interesting, and I like how we're all mildly similar to some extent :mrgreen:

    Lol I wonder what that says about us... :D

    That you’re all secretly villainous? Nyehehe! >:) There’s @_sims_Yimi and her band of merry gnomes and scythes, @ThePlumbob ‘s deadly assassins. I’m not surprised if @SnuffyBucket has an army of vampires at her disposal and I’d be super terrified if @lone_cat ‘s merpeople starts crawling at me ‘The Ring / Grudge’ style. :tired_face: (Gah that movie creeps me out until this day.)

    Ofc I’m the only angelic one here. Y’all got nothing on me. o:)
    _sims_Yimi wrote: »
    I have an idea about the reserved second post, guys. It's just a suggestion, but what if we use it as a list of topics we've discussed and where to find them? ?

    YAS. 100% Agree. Also agree that half the index will be random madness. :joy:
    ThePlumbob wrote: »
    @_sims_Yimi Like an index page? That sounds good! I guess you could do anchors to specific comments/pages,

    To anchor to specific comments, click the timestamp of said comment. Your browser will refresh with the url of that comment in the web address bar. Copy it and paste it like how you do external links and voila! (Hope this all makes sense!)

  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    @mercuryfoam

    Ahem...
    1.jpg

    2.jpg

    3.jpg
    "Pick whichever you like."

    TS4-x64-2020-08-15-02-41-40.png
    "Or join me and you can control them all! Muahaha!" :lol:
    Yes, clearly you're the angel :p Trying to distract from the small matter of who started the whole scythe business in the first place :D
  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    :smirk: I'm not giving them back. They're mine now. I need them for scyence.
    J6AKQqX.jpg
    Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
  • lone_catlone_cat Posts: 417 Member
    edited August 2020
    That you’re all secretly villainous? Nyehehe! >:) There’s @_sims_Yimi and her band of merry gnomes and scythes, @ThePlumbob ‘s deadly assassins. I’m not surprised if @SnuffyBucket has an army of vampires at her disposal and I’d be super terrified if @lone_cat ‘s merpeople starts crawling at me ‘The Ring / Grudge’ style. :tired_face: (Gah that movie creeps me out until this day.)

    I'm not denying my villainy. My cat likes to sit in my lap as I write, and I occasionally take breaks to pet her and laugh maniacally as I torture my characters with my army of merpeople. >:) That movie gave me nightmares for a week. I can just hear my merpeople making that creepy throat noise as they crawl toward you.
    ThePlumbob wrote: »
    @_sims_Yimi Like an index page? That sounds good! I guess you could do anchors to specific comments/pages,

    I know nothing about indexing or referencing things, but this sounds like a good idea. Then there would be a way to go back to specific topics and random madness. :)
  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    I was gone half a day and see we have descended into random madness, already. :D
    I finished 3 chapters today. I am a machine.

    @mercuryfoam is 5 an army? Also... have you met my 5? :D I'd be more worried about Zombie Sandy that @ThePlumbob keeps trying to release into the wild. There'd be a villain. *shudder*

    I agree with the indexing, too. I also like the bulletin board idea. I like everything.
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    Almost Eternal
  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    lone_cat wrote: »
    I'm not denying my villainy. My cat likes to sit in my lap as I write, and I occasionally take breaks to pet her and laugh maniacally as I torture my characters with my army of merpeople. >:) That movie gave me nightmares for a week. I can just hear my merpeople making that creepy throat noise as they crawl toward you.

    @mercuryfoam & @lone_cat Oh gosh same about the ring, I went to see it when it premiered and then I was terrified of the whole 7 days thing. But that was when I was young and impressionable. Now I just can't handle horror films in general :D

    Except that you guys will give me nightmares about merpeople hahaha!
    I was gone half a day and see we have descended into random madness, already. :D
    I finished 3 chapters today. I am a machine.

    @SnuffyBucket 3 chapters? :o You're on a roll. Your brain must be fried! Any interesting chapter names?

    @everyone Speaking of which, do you guys find it hard to name chapters or is it easy for you? I hate naming things. And characters haha. Everyone in my story that doesn't have a predetermined name because they're a premade has had around three different names in my notes. I doubt my notes would make any sense to anyone but me.

    Also, I've turned the second post into the index, but if I miss something link-worthy or if you want me to "pin" something on there, let me know and I'll add it :)
  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @ThePlumbob I have narrowed it down to two each.They are: Without Shoes/November, Spawned Somehow/Where Babies Come From and Fill The Void/Inside. And yes I struggle with chapter naming and that is why they are all rubbish and weird. Characters however are easy to name, as the likes of Broof probably tells you. :D:D:D
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    Almost Eternal
  • lone_catlone_cat Posts: 417 Member
    @ThePlumbob I'm not a huge fan of horror movies either, especially ones with a bunch of jump scares. I hate the buildup of knowing it's coming, but not sure exactly when. But I do like creepy psychological thrillers/suspense.

    I hate naming characters. I sometimes use random name generators because I'm bad at thinking up names.

    I would say it depends on the chapter if it is hard to name or not. Some chapters I have a name right away, others I have to ponder for a while. I usually try to pick a name that explains the main theme of the chapter or an important plot element. Or sometimes I'll play around with common sayings or songs if I'm still feeling creative. One example is a chapter I named Freezer Dream. I thought of the saying fever dream and thought it fit with the chapter because my character is having a vivid dream, but she also talks about being cold throughout the dream. I thought Hypothermia Dream didn't sound right. Then the word freezer popped in my head and I thought it fit.
  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    @SnuffyBucket Honestly I don't know where you get your title inspiration, your chapter names are always stellar. Tough choice between Spawned Somehow and Where Babies Come From :D

    @lone_cat Ooh, song names are a good shout! I used to do that in my old legacy but surprisingly it haven't done one of those yet in my current story - which is more shocking to me than anyone! Freezer Dream sounds cool (no pun intended :D ) - I need to go back and check which chapter I had!

    @DeafSimmer Hi, thanks for popping by :) Really sorry but we just set this up to be a small contained group - kind of like a reading circle. It wasn't really intended to be more of a general thread since we already have the Writers Lounge and we didn't want to duplicate anything. Basically we were already cross-messaging each other and blowing up each others' inboxes talking about the same things, and it was getting a bit convoluted so we figured we'd set up a thread instead. Sorry it's my bad, I probably worded it poorly in the first post.
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    I’ve decided this thread’s unspoken name to be Chaos thread. So much happens when I refresh the page or come on and find out what shenanigans you guys have been up to.

    And I’m posting two replies in quick succession. This is a mad hatter reply (both messiness and content).
    ThePlumbob wrote: »
    @mercuryfoam

    Ahem...
    1.jpg

    2.jpg

    3.jpg
    "Pick whichever you like."

    TS4-x64-2020-08-15-02-41-40.png
    "Or join me and you can control them all! Muahaha!" :lol:
    Yes, clearly you're the angel :p Trying to distract from the small matter of who started the whole scythe business in the first place :D
    Why you gotta bring up the past?? Be like Curtis. Or Athena. Forgive and forget. :tongue:

    I was gone half a day and see we have descended into random madness, already. :D
    I finished 3 chapters today. I am a machine.
    First, how do you finish 3 chapters in one day?! Machine is right lol. I’m in awe. Like I’d write something and spend at least 3 days fixing that one piece.

    @mercuryfoam is 5 an army? Also... have you met my 5? :D I'd be more worried about Zombie Sandy that @ThePlumbob keeps trying to release into the wild. There'd be a villain. *shudder*
    I thought about that when I was making it, that maybe I should add more scythes. But oooh boy I’m so glad I didn’t. Yimi is already a supervillain with just 5 at her disposal! If anything, we need to do damage control than add to her cosmic power. :joy:

    _sims_Yimi wrote: »
    :smirk: I'm not giving them back. They're mine now. I need them for scyence.
    Wait. Why’s no one asking about this? Who’s Scyene? Is this a hint? OOOOH Did I just get a sneak peak to the next ToC? (Wait. That can’t be. Okay who’s Scyence? I’m mighty curious now.)

    lone_cat wrote: »

    I'm not denying my villainy. My cat likes to sit in my lap as I write, and I occasionally take breaks to pet her and laugh maniacally as I torture my characters with my army of merpeople. >:) That movie gave me nightmares for a week. I can just hear my merpeople making that creepy throat noise as they crawl toward you.
    You're another one! I see the pattern here. ... *Looks at Yimi and her cats, looks at lone_cat's avatar* Yes okay. I think we know who to look out for next. :lol: And you just had to make your mer people make that throaty noise. Oh man. I can picture it vividly. I'll let you know if I get any vivid mer people hybrid crawling zombie dreams. :joy:
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    edited August 2020
    ThePlumbob wrote: »

    @everyone Speaking of which, do you guys find it hard to name chapters or is it easy for you? I hate naming things. And characters haha. Everyone in my story that doesn't have a predetermined name because they're a premade has had around three different names in my notes. I doubt my notes would make any sense to anyone but me.

    Oh, I'm loving your discussion on naming things. I'm the same! I hate naming things, mainly chapters! I get so frustrated that some of my chapter names are downright ridiculous. And I'd look back and laugh at myself! :smirk: Maybe one day I'll actually change it but for now I'm still laughing at how obvious it is that the writer is fed up of naming and put whatever as chapter names. :lol:

    AAAH and this is something that cropped up in my mind that I'd love to ask everyone. (Thanks, Yimi!)

    Topic: Writing romance.

    What are your thoughts on it? What makes a good romance? How do I write a believable romance? Any inspirations I can go read up on? Owh and please don't spoil your stories! I'm shipping almost everyone's cast and I want to see it play out. :love:
  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @mercuryfoam

    Topic: Writing romance.

    I can only pass this as there is no romance in my story yet. I think you do a fine job writing believable romance, though!
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  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    edited August 2020
    lone_cat wrote: »

    I'm not denying my villainy. My cat likes to sit in my lap as I write, and I occasionally take breaks to pet her and laugh maniacally as I torture my characters with my army of merpeople. >:) That movie gave me nightmares for a week. I can just hear my merpeople making that creepy throat noise as they crawl toward you.
    You're another one! I see the pattern here. ... *Looks at Yimi and her cats, looks at lone_cat's avatar* Yes okay. I think we know who to look out for next. :lol: And you just had to make your mer people make that throaty noise. Oh man. I can picture it vividly. I'll let you know if I get any vivid mer people hybrid crawling zombie dreams. :joy:

    So this is why my husband doesn't want me to get a cat! It all makes sense now :D
    Topic: Writing romance.

    What are your thoughts on it? What makes a good romance? How do I write a believable romance? Any inspirations I can go read up on? Owh and please don't spoil your stories! I'm shipping almost everyone's cast and I want to see it play out. :love:

    This is such a good question, although I was already clutching at straws when Yimi mentioned the subject. I can give you a general answer that's not necessarily specific to my current story (if anything it's probably more related to my previous one).

    I don't hugely plan romance, I kind of just see how the characters respond to each other when I throw them into situations together to figure out if they have something to connect over, chemistry, and of course, potential issues. More often than not, who does and doesn't end up developing romantic feelings towards each other is as much of a surprise to me as anyone reading :D

    Probably the most important thing to me is that regardless of who is involved in said romance acts in a way that's true to who they are as an individual. I like my characters flawed (did you know? :D ), so of course they would carry said flaws into relationships, whether romantic or other kinds of relationships. So in that way I don't see romance different from writing any other types of character interactions.

    What makes a romance believable is such a case by case basis, since there's so many different ways romantic relationships can start - they can develop slowly over time or there can be instant attraction, just like in real life. So I don't think there's necessarily a formula. I guess one key element in making believable is conveying why the characters are romantically interested in one another, but that's such a hard thing to pinpoint, because feelings are irrational. So definitely at the start of a relationship, or even leading up to a relationship, you have a lot of freedom.

    Once the relationship becomes more established, I suppose it becomes a question of how said couple would (or wouldn't) work through issues/conflict/just life in general, and whether they continue to be a plausible couple as they grow and change in time - some people grow more alike over the years, some grow apart.

    But I don't really know if you were necessarily referring to established couples by romance, or if you just meant the parts leading to a relationship that are the more traditional focus of romance stories. Because I don't know whether making a longterm relationship work is something that's considered romantic. Depends on who you ask, I guess :)
  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    Wait. Why’s no one asking about this? Who’s Scyene? Is this a hint? OOOOH Did I just get a sneak peak to the next ToC? (Wait. That can’t be. Okay who’s Scyence? I’m mighty curious now.)
    I need it for scyence. It’ll hit you when you say it out loud. If not, then I am a failure as a comedian. XD
    Topic: Writing romance.

    What are your thoughts on it? What makes a good romance? How do I write a believable romance? Any inspirations I can go read up on? Owh and please don't spoil your stories! I'm shipping almost everyone's cast and I want to see it play out. :love:
    Oof, I have no experience whatsoever with writing romance. That’s why I was subtly not-so-subtly trying to probe your minds for tips, haha. I’ll have to sleep on this and answer in the morning. :D
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    Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
  • lone_catlone_cat Posts: 417 Member
    @ThePlumbob Haha! No way, cats are the best. Okay, I love dogs too, and I don’t consider myself a cat or dog person, just a general animal lover. I think I would feel incomplete without some kind of pet.
    Topic: Writing romance.

    What are your thoughts on it? What makes a good romance? How do I write a believable romance? Any inspirations I can go read up on? Owh and please don't spoil your stories! I'm shipping almost everyone's cast and I want to see it play out. :love:

    Okay, so I wrote a novel, sorry, lol. I like a good romance, and I'm weird because I read a lot of different genres and themes. I love reading dark depressing stuff, but then around Christmastime, I'll binge-watch a bunch of Hallmark movies. There is just something comforting and familiar about them, even though they are cheesy. It's my guilty pleasure, and I've even gotten my SO hooked on them. Okay, so we make fun of them a little as we watch and have joked about making a drinking game out of it, but I digress.

    I don't have a lot of romance in my story, at least I try to make it more of a side dish rather than the main course. I like the slow build of romance and romantic tension. I don't want a couple to get together right away, and I want them to have some roadblocks and misunderstandings along the way. Of course, the misunderstandings can't be too great that it would make one or both characters be a toxic romantic partner, unless you want to write a toxic romance story, but I don’t think that was what you were getting at.

    I think romance is another thing that is subjective, many people will like different kinds of romance. I personally don’t like hate to love stories and don’t like love triangles, but if they're done well, and there is enough character development to be believable, then I can get on board with them. I like awkward romantic encounters, don’t know why, I just like writing awkwardness, maybe because I’ve always thought I’m slightly awkward. I like trying to write less known tropes like the shy nerdy guy or the underdog character that wouldn't normally be the main love interest; I don't read enough of these stories, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.

    I base a lot off of real-life stuff, either in my own experiences or friends that I know. But then I also make stuff up as I go.

    I also don't think romance should be the end-all-be-all to the story and shouldn't just automatically fix everyone's problems. There should still be individual character growth and conflicts. I write my characters first, then figure out the romance second. And like @theplumbob said, people would carry their flaws into the relationship and that can add some romantic tension if you are writing an established relationship.

    I try to give my romantic interests qualities that complement each other in the long run. Like Ian and Hailey. Hailey is more outgoing and outspoken, and I think this would help Ian come out of his shell. And Ian is a little more methodical and calculating, and I think that would help to ground Hailey, but they also aren't complete opposites. They have a lot in common, so if they do get together (no spoilers, lol) they would have a lot to talk about and would enjoy each other’s company outside of being physically attracted to one another. Opposites attracting could work as long as they have something in common once the honeymoon phase ends.

    If you are interested in reading about writing romance, I recommend reading Romancing the Beat. It is formulaic, but the beauty of it is that you can switch things around, and not necessarily follow it precisely and there are a lot of good tips and ideas in it. It's a short read too.

    I think tension is the key as it is to everything in writing. There should be a barrier or problem to overcome and how the character(s) get there is what makes the story enjoyable. It’s the journey, not the destination. Each person should have reasons why they want a relationship to work, but also things that hold them back. Especially internal things, maybe they have low self-esteem or they were hurt in a previous relationship and have hang-ups about getting involved with anyone, or I suppose in Curtis’s case he doesn’t want Athena to get hurt because of his line of work. Those are just some examples, but the list could be endless. And I also think there should external barriers as well, like maybe long-distance or friends/family that are preventing them from getting together. Make your characters work to get the love they deserve. I think in your story there is a lot of good romantic tension and internal and external struggles. I really want to know what will happen with Athena and Curtis in the next story.

    I consider myself a very novice writer, and there are a lot of things I can improve on (prose and pacing are my biggest issues at the moment, imo) so take this all with a grain of salt. A lot of my suggestions are coming from my own writing and also as a reader. Really the biggest thing is write for yourself first and the story you want to tell.
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    edited August 2020
    @_sims_Yimi

    Pardon my slow uptake, but I just want to mention that I finally get your explanation of obstacles/enemies/villains today. Thank you for sharing! I’ve been reflecting and applying it in different stories to kinda get a feel of it and it all came to make sense today. Huzzah! :)

    @ThePlumbob
    I don't hugely plan romance, I kind of just see how the characters respond to each other when I throw them into situations together to figure out if they have something to connect over, chemistry, and of course, potential issues.
    Ooh interesting. I have ships right at the get go of my story. Almost every character in my story is shipped, (unless they’re extremely minor or are age inappropriate haha). My ships change midway depending on how the character evolves, but I need that ‘anchor’ in the beginning as a direction.
    I like my characters flawed 
    High five!
    I guess one key element in making believable is conveying why the characters are romantically interested in one another, but that's such a hard thing to pinpoint, because feelings are irrational.
    I’m filing this away. Thank you!

    And my bad, I wasn’t specific in my question. I was thinking of the build up of characters fall in love. How do we up the intimacy and create chemistry that feels real, but your answers hit the spot already. Making long term relationship work is definitely considered romance, seeing as both parties are trying to increase intimacy or deepen the relationship haha!

    @lone_cat
    I think romance is another thing that is subjective, many people will like different kinds of romance. I personally don’t like hate to love stories and don’t like love triangles, but if they're done well, and there is enough character development to be believable, then I can get on board with them. I like awkward romantic encounters, don’t know why, I just like writing awkwardness, maybe because I’ve always thought I’m slightly awkward.
    Oh hey I think you read my mind there. I love reading about all kinds of romance, but my peeve is love triangles too! It's a little odd because I have one in my story somewhat (?) but yeah, it was going that direction so I had to include it. I get all gooey and soft for awkward romantic couples too because I feel kinship there. heh! I'm super shy irl. (yay for internet anonymity) :joy:
    I don't have a lot of romance in my story, at least I try to make it more of a side dish rather than the main course.
    Oof I’m a hopeless romantic at heart so I can read stories with romance as a main focus. :lol: and honestly, i've been shipping Ian and Hailey since your first story so if you're intentionally making me super impatient about them getting together it's working perfectly. Although your mention of side dish makes me think I'd probably wait another 3 chapters for something to happen lol. But it's okay because I have Willa and Barnes to distract me!
    I don't want a couple to get together right away, and I want them to have some roadblocks and misunderstandings along the way.
    I hear you! If its all sunshine and daisies well, there’s nothing to root for since it’s all perfect.
    Of course, the misunderstandings can't be too great that it would make one or both characters be a toxic romantic partner, unless you want to write a toxic romance story, but I don’t think that was what you were getting at.
    :smirk: I feel called out.

    And I learned a lot from this. I’ve never heard of a ‘romantic tension’ until now. I’m happy you like how I did romance in my story. Now that I’ve learned more on this, I can’t wait to apply it all. <3 And fair warning, I’ll probably be the first to make a scene in your comments section when Hailey and Ian’s relationship becomes more than platonic. Expect capslock. :smiley:
  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    lone_cat wrote: »
    I love reading dark depressing stuff, but then around Christmastime, I'll binge-watch a bunch of Hallmark movies. There is just something comforting and familiar about them, even though they are cheesy. It's my guilty pleasure, and I've even gotten my SO hooked on them. Okay, so we make fun of them a little as we watch and have joked about making a drinking game out of it, but I digress.

    @lone_cat I can totally relate! I used to watch a lot of German romantic film with my dad as a teen on lazy Sundays. The thought of them still feels very relaxing to me, even though they're cringe as plum :D
    lone_cat wrote: »
    I try to make it more of a side dish rather than the main course.

    I love how you do that! It's a good mix that's appealing both to those who enjoy romantic stories, but also to those that aren't so keen on them - everyone can find something to enjoy in your story (for the record I enjoy all of it :D ). Adds a lot more substance to your story too! I know I personally am guilty of focusing on relationships way too much, not necessarily romantic ones per say, just relationships in general - I just find it fascinating to see how different personalities interact, but I know plot-based stories are a lot more exciting though!

    @ThePlumbob
    I don't hugely plan romance, I kind of just see how the characters respond to each other when I throw them into situations together to figure out if they have something to connect over, chemistry, and of course, potential issues.
    Ooh interesting. I have ships right at the get go of my story. Almost every character in my story is shipped, (unless they’re extremely minor or are age inappropriate haha). My ships change midway depending on how the character evolves, but I need that ‘anchor’ in the beginning as a direction. 

    @mercuryfoam Don't get me wrong, I do usually start off with some ideas of ships, but they're very fluid in my head, so if they don't actually work once I throw the characters together, or if different ones form as I go, I don't push it. I feel like all of my characters have a mind of their own lol.
    Of course, the misunderstandings can't be too great that it would make one or both characters be a toxic romantic partner, unless you want to write a toxic romance story, but I don’t think that was what you were getting at.
    :smirk: I feel called out.

    Lol!
    I found the toxic romance elements refreshing but I'm weird :D

    I guess this is a good point when talking about romance. In a "traditional" romance novel, the overarching plot is typically boy meets girl, they have a connection, then an obstacle (or several) get thrown their way, whether this be problems or other people, and then the two overcome said obstacles and ultimately end up together. Which I think is a format people who are fans of the romance genre look for, for obvious reasons - it can be very gratifying. But real life rarely works out in such a tidy fashion, so I don't know if I personally find that kind of thing satisfying, or at least, it's very circumstantial. That's why I (both as a reader and when I write, I suppose) focus much more on whether a romantic pairing makes sense in that particular moment in time than whether they get a happily ever after. But I'm not particularly romantic, so make of that what you will :)
  • lone_catlone_cat Posts: 417 Member
    edited August 2020
    @ThePlumbob
    I love how you do that! It's a good mix that's appealing both to those who enjoy romantic stories, but also to those that aren't so keen on them - everyone can find something to enjoy in your story (for the record I enjoy all of it :D ). Adds a lot more substance to your story too! I know I personally am guilty of focusing on relationships way too much, not necessarily romantic ones per say, just relationships in general - I just find it fascinating to see how different personalities interact, but I know plot-based stories are a lot more exciting though!

    I'm glad you enjoy it. :) I'm just happy when people read my story because most of the time I feel like I'm bumbling around and throwing a bunch of random stuff into my story. I do the same thing. I like writing relationships in general and I love character dynamics and pairing characters up with different personalities and seeing how they all work together. And all the different personalities in your story is what makes it exciting. :)

    @mercuryfoam
    :smirk: I feel called out.

    Totally not my intention to call you out. :)

    One great thing about simlit is that it isn't designated to one genre and doesn't have to follow a specific set of rules. I think that novels, especially romance and mystery genres, follow pretty strict rules because they're trying to target a specific audience (because they are trying to sell a product) and that's what their audience expects and wants. But in simlit, you can make up your own rules and story. It is much more about the writing characters and their development. Like @ThePlumbob said, real life is messy and doesn't follow set rules. If a couple doesn't have a happy ending or they do, as long as it makes sense to me as a reader, that's what matters the most. Now I read back on my response I was approaching this from a traditional romance POV, but you don't have to follow that and there is a lot of freedom to do what you want with your writing. I like reading all kinds of romances whether it is a bad romance, a happy ending, or a happy for now ending, I like seeing a variety of scenarios play out. And this is just my take on it, so feel free to agree or disagree. :)

    Edit: Oh, man, fixing some of my typos, lol.
    Post edited by lone_cat on
  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    @lone_cat
    lone_cat wrote: »
    I'm glad you enjoy it. :) I'm just happy when people read my story because most of the time I feel like I'm bumbling around and throwing a bunch of random stuff into my story.

    Oh I love the random stuff! It always feels so right - sort of like, this is exactly what what I needed and I didn't even know it :D
    Now I read back on my response I was approaching this from a traditional romance POV, but you don't have to follow that and there is a lot of freedom to do what you want with your writing. I like reading all kinds of romances whether it is a bad romance, a happy ending, or a happy for now ending, I like seeing a variety of scenarios play out. And this is just my take on it, so feel free to agree or disagree. :)

    Equally I didn't mean to say that a love story that winds up following a traditional format is not enjoyable, or that it's something I'd purposefully try to avoid, either - like I said, it's circumstantial, for me it all depends on how believable it is and how invested I am in the characters, together and separately. I mean, who doesn't want to see their favourite character be happy, after all?

    And I agree completely about the freedom we get with simlit, it's so fun to get to experiment and explore whatever whims you get as a writer - and it makes for a very entertaining read too. I love being surprised when I read! :)
  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    Now my new chapter is out in the wild, and therefore I can't crop out all the images and hide in shame, let's discuss screenshots. Specifically Editing Screenshots

    How do you edit screenshots - when, what and why? I'm talking everything; filters, lighting, Photoshop. Anything added between hitting the C key and posting on your blog. Do you take screenshots knowing you'll edit them? Is it a reactive decision?

    Me personally: I am rubbish at this. I might lighten my darker screenshots or add a filter to denote 'memory' rather than present day, but that's about it. My current chapter, and some forthcoming ones, have 'news channel' screenshots to endure created using my finest MS Paint skills and copious amounts of beer.

    I'm curious what everyone else does. Teach meeeeeeee. :D
    Banner-2-with-filters.jpg
    Almost Eternal
  • _sims_Yimi_sims_Yimi Posts: 1,747 Member
    edited August 2020
    Aaah thank you @SnuffyBucket , now I can sneakily *cough* bypass the romance subject. :sweat_smile:

    There’s a program called ReShade that a lot of simmers are using to brighten/alter/darken/creepify their pictures. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you figure out what look you want, ReShade is really awesome to use! In my case, I can’t – for some reason my game hates the program, and I do a lot of finetuning with my pictures, so ReShade actually works against me.

    You all already know this, but I use a LOT of editing in my pictures. Not so much the kid chapters, but the teen stage has every picture altered so far. In fact, picture editing probably takes the longest out of all chapter preparations, haha. I’ll show the process below for those who are interested.
    I’ll take a ss in-game:

    1.png

    I then go to this site (no skills with photoshop whatsoever, so this place does the editing for me). I play around with sliders until the picture is as bright/dark/colourful as I want it to be:

    2.jpg

    Then, depending on the scene, I add a filter:

    3.jpg

    And finally I turn the image into a smaller-sized jpg file since my screenshots are gigantic (saves loading times for readers, yay) and add a border:

    4.jpg

    How much editing and what type of end result you get, really depends on the person, though. I enjoy giving my screenshots a movie-like feel with dramatic lighting, so then you get that. There’s people who only brighten their screenshots a bit, or make the colours a lot more vivid than the base-game. It all depends on personal preference. :)

    *Edit: I haven't read your chapter yet, but I like what you did with the news screenshots! It looks like an actual evening news program :mrgreen: Also, sorry to say it, Travis, but Broof is a better looking dude than you, even if his last name is Hogwash. :D
    J6AKQqX.jpg
    Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
  • ThePlumbobThePlumbob Posts: 4,971 Member
    edited August 2020
    Now my new chapter is out in the wild, and therefore I can't crop out all the images and hide in shame, let's discuss screenshots. Specifically Editing Screenshots

    Honestly, 90% of the time I just use the screenshots as they come out of the game - to me, they look good enough as they are. The main exceptions to this are nighttime outdoor images, because they're always way too dark, unless I remember to place copious amounts of outdoor lighting in game, and like you said using filters to designate memories/flashbacks and such. So basically what you said.

    Ocassionally, I add "magic" effects into a screenshot when needed, if I need magic that doesn't quite exist in game or if I for whatever reason can't be bothered to use what is in game (most of the time this goes for screenshots where two people are teleporting and such). What I normally do for that is I find a royalty free image of sparkles or whatever the desired effect is, shove it in my image and resize/change colour/soften the layer if needed. I'm not particularly great at this though.
    Like at the Von Haunt chapter, when Cordelia fell into the snow and Morgyn then lifted her up and dried her dress using magic, my first attempt at adding an effect to illustrate that just kind of looked as if she was farting fire, lol
    I do always convert my pictures to jpg as Yimi mentioned for storage purposes, sometimes resize them if I can be bothered. Oh, and I suppose I do my chapter teasers, but those are just a case of resizing, slapping on a frame and the chapter title.

    I use Photoshop for all of the above.

    As you can gather, I basically do the bare minimum, and if I can get away with doing nothing, which is most of the time (I hope), I will. I like the way the screenshots look out of my game (often I like them more than what they look like when I add filters), and I'm lazy :D

    I am in awe at the amount of work @_sims_Yimi does - I would never have the patience, but man, your pictures are always stunning Yimi, so you can definitely tell a lot of effort went in, the Camelot chapters are always a feast for the eyes 🥰
  • mercuryfoammercuryfoam Posts: 1,156 Member
    edited August 2020
    Now my new chapter is out in the wild, and therefore I can't crop out all the images and hide in shame, let's discuss screenshots. Specifically Editing Screenshots

    How do you edit screenshots - when, what and why? I'm talking everything; filters, lighting, Photoshop. Anything added between hitting the C key and posting on your blog. Do you take screenshots knowing you'll edit them? Is it a reactive decision?

    Oh man… prepare for an essay. I edit my pictures all the time for all kinds of reasons. I try to make my picture editing less obvious, as if the feature were part of the game/story itself. I’m going to try and condense my reply, but I don’t think I’ll succeed because you’re asking for When, What and Why. So heads up! This is LONG. And this is just how I do things, I’m probably just an obsessive person and probably no one else pays attention to these things.

    B2W Behind the Scenes! (Heavy spoilers and given the nature of my story, this explanation is uncomfortable. If your lurking, maybe give a skip.)

    The softwares I use to edit screenshots. Depending on the chapter , I can use almost all of them in one setting.
    1.Ms Paint
    2.Window’s in-built Photo edit tool
    3.Gimp (Free version of Photoshop)
    4.Reshade
    5.Pixlr (Yimi’s recommendation. Saved my life)
    6.Inkscape

    (I am still actively looking. I need a particular feature that is not available above :joy: )

    Contrary to the list, I’m actually like @ThePlumbob . If I can get away without editing any picture, I’ll do that. Here are the reasons why I edit my pictures:
    #1 The setting of my story... is 80% set outdoors, nighttime, and sombre. Because of that, they are almost all edited for brightness and color fixing. My happy scenes are also edited in response to the darkness to be extra dreamy or has a yellow/orange/happy color tinge to it to balance things somewhat.

    #2 To emphasise the mood or character’s state of mind. Here’s three chapter examples.
    The entire 16.5 has a heavy color overlay on purpose and an added ethereal glow to it to emphasise the chapter being not-entirely-there.
    bonus-1.jpg

    In 17.21, the picture/lighting effects purposely go from mild to sombre, to high contrast, painful lighting, then her last scene with Masato has borders that grow larger and larger until it dramatically disappears. Similar effects are applied in most picture sequence chapters. It empasises the mood of the piece and... heightens the drama? :lol:
    57.jpg

    In Mercy and chapters after, there is a vignette effect (a black fade on the corners of the picture) to ‘illustrate’ brain fog, flashbacks, confusion and suppression. Once she remembers everything, I replaced the vignette effect with stark lighting to emphasise her emotional responses to her memories.
    942.png?w=1024

    #3 To fix stuff that annoy me senseless.
    EA’s weird eye effects, sims, clothing and objects clipping into one another, bad color contrasts, and fixing in-game and cc poses that don’t make sense. I usually save over pictures after making these types of edits so I only have half an example.

    134-6.png
    We rotate our heads! Not the bones in our neck, certainly not until it looks like a corkscrew. And unfortunately I’ve saved over this picture, but the default colors made it look like Curtis's head isn’t attached too, so I recolored his neck(s) in this chapter lol.

    #4 To add stuff that doesn’t exist in game.
    There’s no such thing as CC binoculars. I searched everywhere. This is gimped/photoshopped.
    02-06-20-3-07-35-AM.png

    Gimped Aviators and wig.
    6.png

    The scene where Curtis sneakily pass a note to Kirino? There is no note and the cigarette in his lips doesn’t exist.
    02-06-20-5-54-08-AM.png
    02-06-20-6-37-50-AM.png

    This picture is a dang nightmare because its 6 pictures in one.
    1148.png?w=1024

    Other added edits are AC’s food fights, Athena’s bruised face/Curtis’s body bruises, gunshot bloodstain on Curtis’s sleeve, Curtis’s dad watching him through security cameras, Athena’s magic shield cracking, TV switched on without anyone watching etc (I can’t believe idle TVs are not in sims!)

    #5 Make Comic/ text-in-picture sequences.
    For these chapters I use every software listed above, but most notably inkscape for comic panelling, speech bubbles, and awesome text variety and manipulation.

    Oof sorry for that long trip down Sadville. Please go watch a happy video after this. :astonished::sweat_smile: :

    TLDR version: If you want pretty pictures, Pixlr or Reshade will suffice. If you want to fine tune the smallest details, Gimp & Photoshop.
    Post edited by mercuryfoam on
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