#I love the gameplay of pla. I love some of the themes it plays with. but it falls short in a lot of these discussions

[archersgaymerblog]

I was trying to find a clothing term that I’ve seen in traditional Ainu wear for the ID for the last lil comic I posted on my art blog (couldn’t find a specific term for the vests I’ve seen Ainu wear in photos!) but it sent me down a hole of looking into more Ainu backstory and the like. Found a really good interview from an Ainu woman, and I think I’ve mentioned the conspiracy theory before, but if anyone’s wondering why canon Volo is. Like that (weirdly… white).

It’s because there’s a literal conspiracy theory that the Europeans colonized Hokkaido first. Heavily disproven, but still taken as fact to some. So that’s fuckin fun I guess (huge sarcasm cannot stress enough)

IDs for the two images:

The first image states: “JD/RD: The Ainu have been depicted as "mysterious proto-Caucasians" unrelated to Japanese people. However, DNA research shows that Ainu are the direct descendants of the Jomon, the ancient people who created Japan's first culture and one of the world's oldest extant potteries. This means that the Ainu and present-day Japanese are biologically related. Would you comment?

The first image states: “JD/RD: The Ainu have been depicted as "mysterious proto-Caucasians" unrelated to Japanese people. However, DNA research shows that Ainu are the direct descendants of the Jomon, the ancient people who created Japan's first culture and one of the world's oldest extant potteries. This means that the Ainu and present-day Japanese are biologically related. Would you comment?

KD: The findings were only new to those who wanted to cling to the myth of a lost Caucasian tribe. Some anthropologists have reluctantly supported the theories that came into question because of DNA evidence. True scholarship is open to change, and the advent of DNA research was threatening for some. Other anthropologists knew DNA would revolutionize the field, and were excited by what that might mean. What has been done so far is only the beginning. I don't think that it is an exaggeration to compare DNA with finding out that the world isn't flat.”

The second image states: “Another origin myth that is losing credibility is the belief that the Ainu are some kind of lost tribe of Caucasians. The myth was created by early European scholars from the mid-nineteenth century, and because this was a respected view of Europeans, the myth can still be found as fact in some textbooks and reference books. There is some legitimate basis for the 'mistake.' The Ainu of the period looked nothing like the Japanese. The Ainu were muscular with skin tones similar to the darker French or Italians. They were very hairy, with thick and wavy hair, luxurious beards, and abundant body hair. Eye color was mostly brown, but could be 'bluish' or 'greenish,' no doubt a Russian influence. Most importantly, the very young were reported not to have the Mongolian 'blue' spot on their lower back. Today, because of intermarriage with the Japanese, the above features are not always present, but I have very thick wavy hair and in the summer I get a very dark tan, my eyes have a more European look, and my body build is somewhat muscular. For all these reasons during my youth I was subject to verbal taunts of "dojin." While the dictionary meaning is “native," it is often used as a pejorative term.”

END ID.]

#I will simply keep my volo redesign thanks a whole lot gamefreak #my dumb textposts #volo #altho learning about the jomon’s given me some new context for pla! #as the clans are meant to be mirrors to the Ainu and the celestica are an ‘ancient’ people perhaps they’re better meant to represent- #-the jomon who the Ainu are descended from? #which. considering Cogita and Volo are Celestica descendants. that would in fact still make em Ainu mirrors #but nah had to lean into the European conspiracy theory 🫠🫠🫠🫠 like bruh #there’s. a lotta issues with depictions of indigenous peoples and colonialism with PLA that many people have made better posts about #to me this is just another layer in what’s… a pretty iffy story. #I love the gameplay of pla. I love some of the themes it plays with. but it falls short in a lot of these discussions #which honestly makes me kinda sad cus I think there was a lot of potential there to really do something subversive. but nah. #colonizer group good and everyone has to follow their orders to a t or else. because they’re the good guys ya know #also the ancestral indigenous people of the land are depicted based on a disproven conspiracy theory rather than. who they /actually/ were. #long tags I’ve have two beers so now I have to hyperanalyze media meant for children I suppose #EDIT tumblr let me copy-paste things from my photos without fucking issue challenge #IM TRYING TO WRITE AN ID HERE!!!!!!!!!

[ghostie-gengar]

i missed pla's anniversary again but i don't have anything to post anyways, so i'm just gonna list some of my favourite parts of the game cuz it's one of my favourite games ever and i'll take any excuse to talk about it

i love the way the sky is modelled! pla's artstyle didn't do everything perfect but the sky is so pretty i look up at it all the time

the music! pokemon music is always good but pla absolutely nailed it when it came to mixing dppt tracks into new ones to create something atmospheric and nostalgic, or just coming up with new songs. some of my favs are aftermath, crimson mirelands 2, jubilife village, cobalt coastlands 1, ancient retreat, volo's battle theme, professor laventon's theme, the trailer music, palina's theme and caution (legendary)

the part where you walk through the cave with ingo!

professor laventon! he was so nice to me and made me feel loved always <3

kamado's character arc! i will defend kamado until the day i die yes it was not cool of him to kick a child out of the village into the wilderness but like!! he was scared! he wasn't thinking rationally! the village where he used to live got blown up by a pokemon and he didn't want that to happen again so he was trying to get rid of what he thought was the problem! sure he was wrong but-

the pokedex! i absolutely loved reading professor laventon's pokedex entries they're so cute. i really want to make a physical version of the hisui pokedex but i can't find a notebook with enough pages

the gameplay! i've spent so many hours just running around cuz the game itself is fun to play even when you aren't doing much. catching pokemon feels very smooth and seamless

hisuian zorua!

on that note, the animated series hisuian snow! that show deserved way more than 3 episodes man

i didn't necessarily like this part but it was very well executed- being banished from jubilife village. i was so upset i had to put the game down for a while. there were tears

and speaking of tears! i loved the arc with the noble arcanine

the battles against the nobles! they were a good mix of fun and challenging, especially against arceus (mildly related- watching purplecliffe fight electrode was extremely funny)

uh yeah thats all i got

#ehehe anyways this game meant a lot to me <3 #i'm replaying it and i cried within the first hour #do you think we're gonna get legends unova? i really hope so #i hope we get legends unova and it releases in november of next year #pokemon #pokemon legends arceus #legends arceus #pla

[cavewolf]

chris' legitimate pokemon scarlet review broken down into categories for your viewing experience (spoilers duh)

CHARACTERS: love the guys in this game. all of team star are so delightful arven is great and nemona is a new fav rival. i wasn't expecting to like clavell as much as i did but he was super fun. gym leaders for what they are (they play very minor roles but thats just how pokemon is aside from bw1 where they show up at the team plasma castle) are super good i especially liked ryme she's awesome. i felt the character writing was a lot better than last gen and they balanced the 3 rivals a lot better tho this could partly just be because of the three split stories focusing on one each.

POKEMON DESIGNS: mixed bag. loved a lot of them like tinkaton the ancient paradox pokemon and tatsugiri. meowscarada quickly became one of my fav starters i love its design and personality. but some of them didn't really do it for me. especially the bugs

HUMAN DESIGNS: really nice. i'm glad pokemon is continuing to diversify the body types of its female cast. i love the women + girls in this game. mela, eri, geeta, sada, rika, katy (I LOVE HER!!!!) and ryme were especially standout designs for me. the guys have cool looks too. i like brassius' edgier take on a grass gym leader and atticus autism warrior!!!!!

STORY: really good. i'm not kidding like god damn. i loved it in this game. it's easily in the big leagues with sun/moon, the gen 5 arc and pla for me (though i just like pla because it's rehashed pmd lol). the starfall street plotline was cheesy but i loved it , i love to see autism friend groups. they're very sweet. path of legends has an excellent motivator in 'your buddy's dog is sick' and like FUCK dude i'm not letting this guys dogy die!!!! arven is a very sweet character so it's nice to help him out. victory road is more standard fare but i liked the new take on the elite 4 (the interview and there being multiple champions). but obviously the closing act really sells it for me. i've seen people say it makes less sense in scarlet because sada is caveman themed, but i honestly think this made it more interesting. if i was playing violet i wouldve been like ohh yeah of course the guy in the glowy robot space suit is an android but the juxtaposition between ancient and futuristic stuff in scarlet makes it more impactful imo. i like how a futuristic ai can only function with the power of ancient crystals, ties it into both games nicely. plus sada sacrificing herself is a little sadder since i doubt there's more chargers in dinosaur times than the far future (she's double DEAD dead). i'm also just a sucker for evil ai and glitch effects anyway

MUSIC: gooooooood!!! there's been some mixed reception on the gym leader theme but it grew on me. penny's theme is one of my favs but all of the team star related ones are good. the area zero theme is genuinely incredible

GAMEPLAY: it sure is a pokemon game. i had some performance issues mainly loading times before/after battles and after cutscenes. i crashed randomly once during the orthworm mission when i went into its tunnel but nothing to the extent i've seen online (not to say it didn't happen). for what it's worth, i was playing it in handheld. but the basic pokemon battle formula always entertains me. the new gimmick is pretty so i like it.

VISUALS: it absolutely could be better but it's not distractingly bad. it's more just servicable. the updated textures (and sometimes models!) of pokemon look good and the humans look good too. definitely improved some animations (but i missed gloria's unique little tiptoe animation downstairs from swsh). the environment flops a lot, especially when it's not in towns.

#i finished the postgame bit excluding legendaries like an hour ago so here's my 2 cents #i beat the main game with 5 pokemon because i thought i'd be able to get volcarona earlier T_T #my final team was meowscarada tinkaton bellibolt volcarona tatsugiri and farigiraf #bellibolt is busted for npc battles btw. i recommend

[talonflamee]

talking a little about pokemon black and white:

i finished White the other day and i feel Sooooo Normal about it. yup :)

some background info: i played White on launch back in 2010. i didn’t like it too much. haven’t touched it in 12 years and I remembered very little about it, so this was basically like playing it for the first time again! overall i enjoyed it very, very much and i’m SO glad i replayed it!! here’s a quick review of the stuff i liked and disliked:

what i didn’t like:

- many of the new pokemon: there are no previous gen pokemon available until you finish the main game. this would’ve worked great if the new pokemon were. like…… good? i don’t hate all of them, but overall i think gen 5 has some of the worst designs in the franchise. (i’m not a Vanillish hater btw, that guy is awesome)

- the wild encounter rates: ABSURDLY high. sometimes i was getting a wild pokemon every single step, even when i wasn’t running

- the sheer size of the maps: i think this is a positive for most people. but for me, some of them were just wayyyy too big, most notably castelia city and twist mountain. i just wanted to get out of there lmao

i think that’s pretty much all my complaints! now onto the good stuff!

what i loved!!:

- THE MUSIC!!!: good god…. so for me personally, music is pretty much AS important as gameplay, sometimes even more so. honestly, i think i’d now say gen 5 has my favorite pokemon music of all time, next to gen 3 and gen 4/PLA. it’s fantastic. and the adaptive music!!!! this is SO cool!!!! when i got the piano and drums to kick in in accumula town, i knew this game was gonna be something very special

- trainers who heal on long routes so you don’t have to walk/fly back to a pokemon center i love you so so much

- the art/animation: ah, our last 2D main game… i miss it terribly. each and every sprite was painstakingly and lovingly crafted and it looks SO good. they also really wanted to show off the 3D environments and it still holds up pretty well! neat dynamic angles and of course. bridges

- the story: an in-depth story with fairly heavy themes! this went over my head as a kid, but as an adult i quickly recognized team plasma as just like. a literal cult. this game also addresses some moral questions fans have had since the beginning, like “do pokemon actually enjoy battles?” and “are humans forcing pokemon to fight for them?”

- the post game: hey wow actual post game! i thought swsh had a pretty abysmal post game, so this is super refreshing. i haven’t finished it yet, but it’s pretty great so far! i really like that you go back to important areas in the story to uncover more details about team plasma

- the characters: really fun characters and designs! as well as a villain that is genuinely intimidating and fucked up. i’ll take a goofy villain like guzma any day of the week, but there’s definitely something to be said about one you want to hit with hammers many times in a row

- N: oh boy... i’ll be honest, i started replaying white for ingo and emmet. i was extremely impressed by most everything about this game, but especially N. i remembered him the most from my last playthrough (literally 12 years ago) but i didn’t really understand the hype for him at the time. replaying as an adult… yeah man. this guy absolutely rules.

he’s a wonderful character and i’m writing a character study on him at the moment!! so look out for that if you’re interested!

#overall i give it a 9.5/10😳 #talking #pokemon #black and white #long post #maybe new tag #game reviews #lost 5 followers for this 😭😭

[alexissara]

Art That Touched Me 2022

It's that time of year where people recap the stuff from the year they enjoyed and put them into structured lists. I like a nice structured list but instead of doing a bunch of categories of things I am just gonna talk about my favorite pieces of art across all forms of media this year and why I like them. Something being on this list doesn't mean they came out this year [but most did] I just have to have tried it out this year.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes

I love Fire Emblem, I make no secret about it, I see Fire Emblem and my dirty little consumer brain activates and the main theme plays in my little brain. It's probably my favorite series of games. However, I really also love the gameplay of the warriors series so this game was perfect for me. While the first FE warriors was a little mid thanks to a really bad story and a meh roster, this game is just amazing on every level. It expands on a cast of characters I love, gives Fire Emblem it's second canon lesbian character, the last one being on the Wii and it has two really amazing stories our of three. The game is held back by just how awful the Blue Lions are but that isn't anything new for the Three Houses world they also sucked in Three Houses. Edelgard and Claude's routes were both amazingly done and elevated the characters and their casts, fleshing them out even further and really showing their visions for a better world even if the game was still afraid to show you what this world would look like with it's subpar endings. The gameplay is great, the writing for characters is fantastic and really all it's missing is exploring more of Shez and Byleth both of whom needed a bit more spotlight in the game.

Ultimately I took a lot of great ways to write characters in compelling ways and a fun format for telling a war narrative in the context of a revolution. I think it's a really good and engaging piece of art that's also very fun to play.

The Executioner and Her Way Of Life

This anime was well worth the hype. The stunning action, the take down of isekai tropes, the lack of subtly, the wildly flamboyant and over the top cast, it is a stunning piece. The show is running at all engines fired and multiple easy ships and clear romantic feelings from several characters.

While this show opens with a guy character who is then killed the show after episode one then focuses pretty much wholly on women. This gives us a range of women in adversarial positions and allied positions. Everyone is a little bit messed up and it's just so much fun, it instantly became one of my all time favorite animes.

This instantly inspired me to want to write a setting for TSL and wanting to do more work with the isekai story telling space. I think this just makes me want to make something fun but that also like has more to say. Which is always my target goal but it was nice to see it in action in someone else's work.

Pokémon Legends Arceus

While Pokémon Scarlet and Violet really let me down [You can read my review here], PLA was an amazing experience. The gameplay was really exciting the flow of capturing Pokemon was just so much fun and the focused theming made for really great visual design. The game did a good job with the story telling through the way the village progressed. While there isn't a lot of deep depth there is something to say for a focused fun experience. I just really liked it.

I'm In Love With The Villainess

I haven't really gotten super far in this series I had a ton of fun with the first volume and some change I read. This is a classic example of me wanting to get deep in something but wanting to support the offical release so I am taking it pretty slow cuz money. I know this series has a trans woman character, has revolutions, has all sorts of shit I will really love.

So a lot of me really enjoying being engaged with it has been through fan art and covers and stuff. Still reading it was still just really nice and I really want to keep pushing forward with it and enjoy the relationship between Claire and Rey.

This series feels just so inspiring as a former comic book writer, like I love seeing a series with such clear good ethics and indie spirit get more and more experience. There is free translations of the light novels the creator just retweets and shares. She tries to communicate in tons of languages to her now global fan base and it's just really nice to see this little series that could grow. I feel really encourages to stick to my own ethics in my work and push for new amazing art to be as accessible as possible.

Guilty Gear -Strive-

This year I got a new laptop and with that I could finally get back into fighting games and the game that has given me the most joy from them all has been Strive. The amazing music that gets into the personal struggles of each of the characters, the over the top action, it's just an exciting and fun game. Bridget was what brought me to the game but I have no regrets diving into the series again after years since I last played XX Ancient Core on my PS2.

The game is also visually stunning, maybe the best looking game around. The stunning experience feels like you are in control of an anime fight.

I don't think I got a big take away from it as an artist that is like applicable to my current mediums but it does inspire me just listening to the music while writing to go big.

Los Espookys

Los Espookys is one of the funniest and queerest shows ever created. The cast of weirdos who like to make spooky stuff starts super grounded and grows increasingly ridiculous with each episode. This show really is something special and it is such a shame it got canceled by HBO.

While it's canceled there is there is two seasons of these little freaks trying to make spooks. I think the narrative of this little weird family is really fun and each character really brings something new to the table.

As a character focused writer I really love the focus on characters here and the way they make ridiculous characters feel like part of their world is masterful. I feel like I'll be pulling from this show when I am looking at how to capture my comedy forward characters especially.

Sun Haven

There is a billion farming sims and this is one that's stood out to me. Most farming sims in fantasy settings don't really embrace the fantasy elements for your farm but this game let's magic be a part of every aspect of what you do. This is a very cozy game and one that i am taking very slowly since I am playing it with one of my girlfriends. It's a really nice chill time that seems to be constantly improving in early access.

Harley Quinn

I don't think the sense of humor in Harley Quinn is for everyone, it's very over the top but not in the way like Los Espooky's is. There is more violence and swearing, it's more "adult comedy TM" except it feels a lot more masterful and less mean then most those kinds of shows. The narrative focus allows the show to actually weave it's comedy and have longer ends for punch lines and bits. It also makes it where it always feels like it's moving because the characters are not in the same place in any given episode, every episode matters to the plot.

I think this show also has some of the best versions of each character in the show with in all of DC media. I am not a big comic book girl anymore, I left them behind when I realized like the abuse and bigotry and stuff just wasn't going to end and I lost hope for the big two. That said I did used to be a super super engaged fan.

This show really makes me wish copyright wasn't the beast it is because it really shows the value of adaptation and how making a world made of these long term iconic characters can be an amazing narrative toolbox. Instead you have to get these ideas in front of gatekeepers.

Fire Emblem: Absolution

This is a Fire Emblem fan game and this is the one that really gripped me in a huge way. It showed me the potential these fan games have to tell stories that go beyond the series and show the strength of the community of fan game makers and rom hackers. The amount of awesome BIPOC characters and the anti colonial vibe of the first arc are really great.

This game really inspired me to dive deep into the fan community and start playing a ton more games. I might right later about a bunch of rom hacks I think are neat and why I think the community is so cool. I want to play even more before I do that but I feel like after diving in I really more than ever feel determined to make an SRPG be it a fan game or something original. It's not at the front of my goals but it's really inspired me.

Girl Haven and Cheer Up

I am bundling these two together because their graphic novels for kids. I really loved both of these stories Girl Haven and Cheer Up both star trans women as their lead characters and sapphic romance for those trans girl. Girl Haven is more a wonderous adventure with a grounding in reality like a queer Narnia that also isn't religious. Cheer Up is more a real mix of drama and romance that comes with being trans, queer, and not fitting norms.

These stories would have mattered so much to a younger me if I had read them. One of the main reasons it took me so long to come out is trans is that I was told on early internet that to be a trans woman you had to be attracted to men, you had to want XYZ things, be this fem, etc. I didn't feel like I could match these clearly homophobic standards and so I suppressed it despite believing that trans lesbians were valid that I met in these spaces from a rare time to time. I simply internalized it. Every trans woman in the media was attracted to men too, it was just not something I could accept about myself.

These stories I hope will find their hands to lots of queer trans girls and help them find the strength to come out. I just feel so happy they exist.

One Step From Eden

This is a game I've been meaning to play for a long time. I am a massive fan of the Mega Man Battle Network for it's really cool gameplay. This game brings it into a rouge like game with far less narrative. While I wish there was a lot more going on thanks to Steam Workshop support being in the game this is a game I just passively play whenever. It's just a really fun time, it's simple and it's like a go to passive almost like stiming type game.

Murder Princess

Our final addition is Murder Princess, an old small anime that I watched with April when I was on a trip to work on Falling Deeper and spend time with her. Watching it it was shockingly pretty gay and actually really good. I love it, I love this body swap anime, I love the weird characters, I love the like One Punch Man esc power level of our main fighter girl for most the show.

This thing really convinced me to sit with the potential of body swapping which is a kind of narrative tool I already liked. I wouldn't be shocked to see it in Falling Deeper and I have an old Firebrands hack about trans people body swapping I would love to revive.

#2022 #Games 2022 #Anime 2022 #2022 Media #Queer Media #Queer Art #inspiration

[staryarn]

I love love love your Submas NSR au! Will Ingo make music in that world??

Ty for liking it!!!

I mean possibly! I haven't really thought about the route I'd go with it tbh

-

pla route - aka ingo just gets slapped into vinyl city (rip , 2 times the charm) and has to go with a rock (?) Revolution. Or at least a revolution of some sort to follow the main games story (it would be very funny to see inho trash talk nsr the same way mayday does tho)

Pla route 2- both ingo and volo get slapped into vinyl city (rip lmao) and then play the parts of b2j and kliff respectively

Nsr route - pokemon characters replace nsr characters . Ingo and Emmet are some sort of music duo (unsure what genre really or if it'd go with the edm vs rock theme) and revolt (follows nsr story theme)

Nsr route 2- the same except a musical trio with elesa (could follow nsr or b&w story theme but it'd be hard considering in the first b&w game they don't have a lore role rip)

Hybrid route - some sort of mixture between pokemon battles (hell maybe some sort of revolution regarding pokemon battling and if it's allowed in the first place) and the nsr gameplay (rhythm beat em up essentially)

I have no idea what kind of genre they'd play (assuming they don't follow nsr's theme of rock vs edm,, tbf ive seen reverse nsr aus and nimbasa trio edm 👀👀👀) considering elesa, ingo, and emmet have wildly different tastes (at least to me)

So to answer your question (sorry for going off topic lmao) he probably could though I'd have to figure out what kind of world it's set in to determine that. But either way I do think he'd like to sing so there'd at least that

#is he good at singing? well thats up to the viewer #however he likes to do it anyways #imatead of a highway to nsr id auggesauggest a traintrack to nsr #the name 'bunk bed junction' could stick considering train junctions #forgive my typos its like 5:30 am for me I havent slept #nsr submas au #asks #cursed sixth role aka both ingo AND lady sneasler are there. you got this big cat weasel trying to claw a fictional mermaid like rip #pokemon #submas #nsr

[namea]

Goth Rainbowcy Challenge!

I’m sorry guys, I couldn’t resist. So this is my Goth Rainbowcy challenge. I came up with it for shits and giggles but I think it’ll be fun! It’s a 7 gen challenge that plays with different game features and goth subcultures at the same time. You don’t have to be goth to do it (I’m not) and you can play with vanilla, berry, or any sims in between. Hit the read-more to see it! Tag “GothRainbowcy” with your pictures. I’d love to see them!! <333 

Goth Rainbowcy rules:

No money cheats

No trait, skill, or gameplay cheats

Occasional motives cheating allowed

Appearance cheats free game

Choose the heir however you want.

Aging should be on.

 You can play this berry, banilla, or however you want!! I have a mix in my game so who knows where mine will go! While matching hair/eyes/clothes are encouraged like in most rainbowcy challenges they aren’t mandatory at all!

Gen 1 – Fledgling Goth

If no one wants to try and understand you, you’ll strike out on your own! Build a life for yourself and start a successful dark legacy of awesomeness.

 Start as a monochrome black white and grey themed goth teen. Choose any aspiration or traits and any style of gothiness that you want. Start on an empty lot. Choose any 3 of the following items to place on the lot:

Tent

3 small planters

Cheapest BBQ grill

Potty Bush

Easel

Ice chest

woodworking table

Instrument

Cheapest sink

camera

Achieve:

Don’t purchase anything else until you’ve made 500 simoleons. 

Have 1 pet. Have the following on the lot:

Cat: Cheapest litter box, Cheapest bowl

Dog: Cheapest bowl, One cheap toy

Don’t get another pet when this one dies

Get a job you slacker! Any job will do. When you’ve made 500 simoleons (in any way) go ahead and choose one extra item from the list to give yourself as a reward. Make sure you have at least 100 simoleons left!

Maintain a B or higher grade in school. 

Have at least 1 best friend who isn’t goth.

Have at least 1 other friend who is goth.

Have at least 1 enemy

Have at least 1 friend who is a senior citizen

Attempt (but fail) to get to know Death until you’re a senior yourself, then become friends with Death.

Upon aging into adult get a job in any industry you like and advance to the furthest level.

Upon aging into adult complete your aspiration.

Upon aging into an adult marry and have at least one child with another goth.

Build a house on your lot bit by bit for you and your family to live in. It can be themed gothy or not, up to you. 

Gen 2: Red – Gothabilly

Your parents taught you a love of goth culture and fashion…but they never expected that you’d hear the swinging sounds of the 50’s in your heart. It’s time to make your way into the world and show it what you can do!

This sim should have the Serial Romantic aspiration and the following traits: Music Lover, Self Assured, and ONE other trait of your choosing. Upon reaching adulthood they should enter the entertainer career and eventually choose the musician branch.

This generation starts when your sim is a teen. This sim should have a red and black aesthetic with a 50’s twist similar to rockabilly but more goth. Red hair and eyes recommended. To finish out this generation you should do as much of the following as possible before the next generation starts:

Own at least 2 guitars and one microphone.

Have checkered floors in your kitchen.

Win a Karaoke contest at least twice

Have 3 non-goth best friends who introduce them to music as a kid or teen.

Have 1 goth best friend

Win a dance off against someone.

Reach level 10 of the guitar skill and singing skill.

 Reach the highest level of the musician career.

Marry a non Gothabilly goth.

Have one child with them.

Eventually break up and marry a non goth.

Have one child with them

Break up and marry another goth. If you don’t have a boy and a girl yet have kids with them until you have at least one boy and one girl. Stay with them or break up as you want.

Have a dog and a cat.

Max relationship with your children and pets. Be friends again with both exes before death.

Finish the aspiration.

 Gen 3: Orange – Steampunk

Music never interested you the way it did your parents. You weren’t social or loud, you didn’t care much for the 50’s aesthetic…in fact you worried you weren’t even…goth…until you saw a steam engine in a movie. You were enamored quickly and suddenly it made sense, the cogs and steam of the world. Brass goggles, corsets, clockwork and elegance. This is your scene. Your parents may not understand but they love you anyway.

This generation starts when your founder has died. The sim should have an orange, brown, black, and brass aesthetic or however you wanna do steampunk. Orange hair and eyes recommended. Skin too if ya wanna berrify it.

This sim should have the Nerd Brain aspiration and the following traits: Genius, Loner, and one other trait of your choosing. Upon reaching adulthood you should join the Scientist career.

To finish out this generation you should do as much of the following as possible before the next generation starts:

Reach the top level of the scientist career

Have 2 cats

Reach level 10 of the handiness skill

Reach level 10 of the fishing skill

Own a woodworking table and create at least one of every option.

Catch at least 12 different kinds of fish

Have only one child with a one night stand

Never marry, you’re too busy!

Have a strained relationship with your child

Max relationship with your cats

Have only 1 best friend who is goth but be on good terms with as many of your coworkers as possible.

Earn the marketable trait

Own at least 4 high tier electronics

Fully upgrade at least 5 things in the family home.

Complete the aspiration

Retire after reaching the highest scientist level and concentrate on inventing at home.

Finally fall in love as a senior but don’t marry before death.

Generation 4 – Yellow: Pastel Goth

You never got along with your parent and felt cheated by not having a two parent home. Their aesthetic wasn’t as dark as your grandparents but you still try to distance yourself from it as much as possible. The cute but creepy aesthetic of pastel goth appeals to you in a lot of ways and that’s where you’re going with your life.

This generation starts when the sim is a teen. This sim should have the Super Parent aspiration and the following traits: Childish, Family oriented, And one other trait of your choice! This sim should join the social media career as a trend setter.

To finish out this generation you should do as much of the following as possible before the next gen starts:

Completely re-decorate the family home (except your parent’s room) replacing all black with white and the colours to pastels with some black accents.

Reach the top level of the trend setter career.

Own at least 2 rats in your lifetime.

Max the Parenting, gardening, and floral arranging skills.

Grow a cowplant

Earn a money tree.

Earn the green thumb trait.

Leave the house at night as little as possible.

Have 2 goth best friends

Have 1 pastel goth friend

Have at least 1 non goth friend

Marry your goth high school sweetheart

Have at least 2 kids

Finally get a friendly relationship with your parent after your first child is born.

Max your relationship with your kids but not your spouse.

Make at least 5000 simoleons with things you grow.

Generation 5 – Green: Cybergoth

You were always close with your parents but man that pastel aesthetic bothered you. Looking into old family albums you found pictures of your great grandparents and started learning about the darker sides of goth. Nothing could keep up with the electronic beats in your ears until you found cybergoth. With shiny blacks and neon colours you were home. Gas masks and hoses forever! Just don’t trip over them.

 Generation 2 should be dead before this generation starts. This generation starts when your sim reaches teenhood. This sim should have the Computer whiz aspiration and the following traits: Hot headed, Dance Machine, One other trait of your choice. Green hair and eyes are recommended.

 To finish out this generation you should do as much of the following as possible before the next generation starts:

 Join the programmer career but quit when you get to the career split and join the secret agent career in the oracle branch.

Max the DJ skill

Max the Dancing skill

Get rid of the pastel in at least half of the house

Reach at least level 5 in the programming and Video game skills

Win at least 3 dance offs

Have 1 goth best friend

Meet at least 2 aliens and become friends

Max your relationship with your spouse and kids

Have no pets

Earn the Mentor trait

Die before reaching senior age

Generation 6 – Blue: Victorian Goth

The death of your parent struck you hard…but not just with sadness. You discovered a beauty in the calm darkness of the graveyard. Poetry and art call to you and invite you to feel and experience that sadness until it leaves you feeling refreshed.

Generation 3 and 4 should be dead before this generation starts along with the parent from gen 5. This generation starts as soon as gen 5 parent dies. This sim should have the Renaissance Sim aspiration and the following traits: Gloomy, Art Lover, and one trait of your choice. Blue hair and eyes recommended.

To finish out this generation you should do as much of the following as possible before the next generation starts:

Finish redecorating the house back to its dark roots with a classical flair

Join the artist career and advance to the highest level in the branch of your choice.

Max the art skill

Max the violin skill

Max the logic skill

Max the gardening skill

Grow Roses, Dahlias, Orchids, and wolfsbane..

Graft to create a deathflower, then plant it and grow them.

Grow Roses, Dahlias, Orchids, and wolfsbane as well.

Paint at least 2 masterpieces in every art category.

Don’t go out during the day if possible.

Work from home as much as possible.

Have no close friends

Have a black cat. Keep owning one cat at a time of their family line.

Meet a marry a vampire.

Have one child with them.

Allow them to turn you the day before you become a senior.

Grow a plasma fruit tree

Max your relationship with your child but not your spouse.

Your spouse dies of “mysterious circumstances”.

Final generation – Purple: Modern Vamp Goth 

People talk about your family a lot. They’ve always been dark, your parents never came out in the day, and one parent disappeared under mysterious circumstances. They whisper that your other parent did it but you don’t care. You know it’s not true. You love the darkness but you’re a cheerful soul at heart. You grew up knowing something was different about your parents but it’s not until you reach teendom that you learn about your vampiric heritage and what that means. It’s time to embrace eternity.

This is the final gen! Thanks for playing!! This sim should have any of the vampire aspirations and the following traits: Cheerful Good/Evil (your choice) and one other trait of your choice. They should join the writer career and max out the author branch writing the story of their family. Purple hair and eyes recommended. Try to do the following:

Write at least 1 book of each genre

Finish all of the vampire lore books and max the vampire lore skill

Become a master vampire

Turn at least 3 sims and move them in with you

Own a coffin

Have 1 non goth best friend, turn them as well.

Max at least 7 skills

Earn at least 500,000 simoleons

Max the pipe organ skill

Destroy and rebuild the house completely or move to another world.

Thanks for playing!!

#ts4 #ts4legacy #ts4challenge #ts4gothchallenge #ts4gothrainbowcy #gothrainbowcy #ts4challengerules

[redhotchilisimblr]

With the upcoming Parenthood gamepack, I feel like it's the perfect time to share some tips regarding the tidious process of furnishing younger sims rooms. Some people love it, some don't but we're all on the same page regarding this fact : they all tend to look exactly the same.

It's not only due to the lack of contents for younger sims – which the new pack will partially resolve. But mainly because we all have our own aesthetic, tastes and favorite items and it's hard to put them on hold, even for once. Since I've noticed my kids rooms similarities I tried the hardest to make unique creations which fit their personalities.

Plus, for story-telling purpose it's always good to have very different locations with unique ambiances to visit. With some easy steps, I'll show you how I customize my kids rooms. Of course, there's not only a way to do so. There's endless possibilities and methods. If you check others simmers pictures, you’ll see incredibles ideas and hacks !

The Sims 4 motto is based on uniqueness of each sims. We all agreed that our virtual families still need improvements but it's on a good way. Nevertheless, kids already have a good amont of traits to choose from. Traits can be used a a direction to customize their personal space : active sims can have a ball in a corner, book-worm books near their bed, foodie some fruits posters hang here and there... Same goes for their aspiration !

Imagine walking in your friend's room for the first time : you've some clues of their personalities and tastes by just by taking a look. I try to have the same feelings with my sims.

In general, simmers tend to make “girls rooms” and “boys rooms” with some very significant changes depending on the gender of the kid. I used to do the same but since awhile I like to have neutral gender rooms - or at least, less “genderized” rooms.

Of course, it’s not really obvious at the first look but I’m really working on it. I sincerly think it’s more realistic to have “neutral rooms” for kids because all girls don’t like princess and dolls, and all boys don’t like trucks and robots. It’s more complex than that. Time to time I put some “boys games” on girls rooms and vice versa. I really encourage you to, at least, give it a try and see what happens !

Whatever is your gameplay, some of your sims most likely have a background you imagined or shaped for them. That's my case : I do know their names and what they went through. I've some kids who live in two separate houses because their parents are now divorced ; Kids who don't like to spend their time inside and prefer to play with neighbours ; Kids who just love video games and TV so much ; Kids who live with their grand-parents or uncles and aunts ; Some who've lost their parents and a few of them are adopted.

Well, you've the picture : it's all very diverse and for me it's essential to find this diversity in my kids rooms. For example, adopted kids tend to have tons of toys, new clothes and stuff because I imagine the parents to be so happy to have a kid that they just can't stop buying things. Plus, they waited a very long time to welcome this little girl or boy !

At the opposite, kids who live in fosters homes (I actually have 2), do not have a lot of personal stuff. Their room is nice but it obviously lacks of customization because it's not really « their » home and it's an awkward situation for them. Each background can explain how the room is actually set up. Their room must be just like reading a story. Theirs.

Small houses, manors, cottage, loft, apartments, all kids don't belong to the same social group. And, obviously, their families don't have the same financial funds.

If you want to be realistic, try to fit the household revenue : poor families usually don't have a lot of things to give to their kids, and as a consequence their room might be a little bit empty. If it's a large families, kids tend to have missmatched items because they got stuff from older siblings, cousins, sales or maybe even from charity. Also, if your sims have siblings and they do share their room with them, try to give everyone a small space : it can be a special item that the other one won't ever use, a color theme, photos of their friends, an half-wall... pretty much anything !

I usually make 3 differents spaces in a kids room :

a space to play

a slace to learn

a slace to rest

You can underline these various areas with rugs or differents colors. Last but not least, if your sims share their room with a twins, a older or younger siblings try to make it look obvious who's spot is who's.

Small or big ? Depending on your house layout or household funds, the kids rooms is still an important part of your lot.

I usually took about 1,5K up to 3K to furnish them. Here in France, Kids are a big part of our culture. There's a lot of stuff specific for them (clothes or food lines, objects, parties, special vacations...). For example, when you buy a house here, kids rooms are bigger than parents ones – which is not the case in other architural styles. Anyway, if I've a several kids in a sims family in like to put the younger one near to the parents bedrooms or downstairs (easier to keep an eye on).

As for the actual proportions, it's really up to you : do you want to give a lot of space to your kids ? or do you don't really care that much of what they're doing ? do you plan to take a lot of screenshots inside ? All of these are questions you should adress at some point ; especially the last one. If you want to take pictures of your kids sims playing, try to make a square room (6x6 is a good start). I think square room is the easiest to play with.

But your sims can also have a room in the attic, or a really tiny one... If you don't have a lot of space you'll need to prioritize what's the most important for them : a quiet place to do their homework ? somewhere to do some crazy experiments ? or just chill and dance to some pop music ? There's so much they can do and such a little space to fill ! In my game, I usually put 2 activities per kids rooms (for example, piano or a radio for shy sims who don't want to show off their poor skills to their families).

There's a fair amount of things kids can do – even with the base game only ! They can dance, play instruments, collect things... If your sims love to do something, feel free to gives some hints here and there.

In my game, I love to see my kids collecting and if they bring something I end up by placing the new item on a shelf, their desk or near their windows. I think it's a cute addition and it makes their personnal space a little bit more 'special' (''Look ! It's Trevor... I think he's depress''). You can also pretend that your kids have a lot more of things going on by placing items under their beds or on top of their dressers.

For my kids rooms I usually ending up by picking 2 or 3 main colors with some neutral tons such as white, beige or even brown. Since a few months, I try to use a swatch I never really paid attention to as a start (a rug, a lamp or even a door). There's so much awesome objects we've and that we barely use. For real, I often discover new swatches and I doubt some people know that it even exist ! So dig the swatches more and try to pick this color as a pattern.

All colors have a meaning and I like to give colors following their personnalities or past. Also, don't use too much bright colors as main patterns : it's a real headache when you're plaing... and don't make all your room with one color like yellow walls, yellow bed, yellow toys. It's not realistic and it's not really pretty – according to me, it's just my personal thought. Play with the complementary colors, the textures and the lightings !

Well, most kids are afraid of the dark. So you have to put extra lightings comparing to an adult room (and no candles, please, lol). Some lights in the game are way too bright in small rooms and some don't even do their job. For kids rooms I use some weak hanging light (or I just decrease their brightness) and I add some floor lamps and wall-lights (about 3 or 4). What I love to do is to automatically deactivate all lights, except one. Then, when they're asleep they only have their very cute lighting shining in the darkness. Besides, you can chose another color light which is a really cute addition.

We can't tell it more : clutter is life ! Put some mess, hang their paintings on the walls, size up some items to make it look different, it's all up to you. Dig the debug objects catalogue and re-use items differently. Hang posters, overlap stickers.. Be imaginative !

For more Kids items, I recommand these packs : Kids Rooms Stuff Pack, Christmas Free Update, Parenthood Gamepack.

Cheats codes :

bb.moveobjects

bb.ignoregameplayunlocksentitlement

bb.showhiddenobjects

Tools :

Check for paintings or photos by references in the Gallery

I’ve upload a room named “Kids Drawing” in the Gallery

Also, it's good to take a look at some inspiration catalogues such as Ikea Kids, Pinterest or Houzz.

Others tutorial you might find useful... :

Bunk Beds, by Holliebb

Taking interior pictures, by Jenba

How to make objects tiny, by Jovan Jovic

How to pick a great color palette, by Design-sketchbook

How to buid cc-free, by ohthesefaces

Note : All the pictures above are from my game and are personal creations. :)

#ts4tutorial #nocc