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Asymmetrify

Date Posted: 18th Nov 2012 at 12:50 PM

So sometimes we wake up at three thirty in the morning and get something really special. Something that is both a blessing and a curse. I call it 'an idea'.

Why is this thing, 'idea', a blessing and a curse?

Well when one gets an idea, they are filled with inspiration and light, and for a moment, feel a touch of divinity. It is invigorating and begins turning wheels that we sometimes thought had busted an axle. After all, great things start with an idea.

Then comes the part where reality sets in, and you realize you cannot just snap your fingers and give that idea form; translate it into the mortal realm. You are mortal again, and have to worry about mundane mortal things. Can I actually deliver this idea? Do I have the time, resources, knowledge, determination, and capability?

Well for my idea, I really only have the time. I can get the tools and other resources, if I have the space for it on my minuscule harddrive (Sims stuff take up a lot already!). Knowledge? Well that can be gleaned from trailblazers or experimentation, but in this instance, I know there are people I can go to and tutorials. Capability? Heh... well... no, I don't have that as of yet. And determination I lack in spades. I guess confidence would help too, which I also lack. Sure, I can PRETEND I have confidence when it makes me look suave and awesome, but when it comes time to really come through, I simper off into self deprecation.

WARNING! TANGENT BEGINS!

I usually use the term self-depreciate. But then people laugh at me, because I am decreasing a monetary value of myself. So I looked it up. That's what the dictionary says. BUT! Here's the prize. BUT!

I looked up the etymology of deprecation/deprecate, and found this little entry.

"An early and still the most current sense of deprecate is “to express disapproval of.” In a sense development still occasionally criticized by a few, deprecate has come to be synonymous with the similar but etymologically unrelated word depreciate in the sense “belittle”: The author modestly deprecated the importance of his work. In compounds with self-, deprecate has almost totally replaced depreciate in modern usage: Her self-deprecating account of her career both amused and charmed the audience."
(Found at Dictionary.com)

I did not actually know this, I just instinctively felt that depreciate seemed more appropriate to mean what I was trying to mean. So I just might forge ahead and use it, and let people correct me and laugh at me and make odd faces - because I know in MY mind, it makes more sense even if the modern world doesn't agree.

I may even occasionally use the really archaic meaning, as in to ward off by prayer. That's right. Next time a clown comes near, I'll make a cross with my fingers and depreciate them!

Actually... I don't actually come in contact with clowns often.

END TANGENT

That's the clincher.

I am just not someone who gets an idea and follows through, as the few people who pay attention to me have seen.

But I could not just let another idea sink into the depths of the abyss just because I'm an unmotivated and fickle person. So what is this idea? Maybe someone else already had it and acted upon it. Probably. I always seem to get ideas that have already been done without my knowledge. But hey, I think that happens to a LOT of people.

But here it is:

Asymmetry sliders for the face.

Asymmetry is what truly adds character and individuality to each person. Too much and people may look 'deformed' or 'ugly' to some. Too little, and people just look weird. Go on. Take a face-on picture of yourself, cut in in half, copy, and flip. Line 'em up. Can't? It looks weird? You don't know whose face that is any more? Yeah. Exactly.

I'm not saying Sims' faces are too symmetrical. I haven't actually tested this out to see if it holds true. But I think things could stand to be a bit less symmetrical.

I don't know how feasible my precise ideas are, but I will break them down here.

Eye size difference
range from -100 to 100. To the right, the right eye gets bigger, to the left the left eye gets bigger, at 0 they are default (the same size). One just needs to adjust the actual eye size slider to the smallest they want the other eye.

Eye height difference
Range from -100 to 100, the same mechanics as eye size difference: Right to raise the right eye, left to raise the left eye, and 0 is level.

Eyebrow height dif
Range from -100 to 100, right to raise the right eyebrow, left to raise the left eyebrow, and 0 is level.

Eyebrow Arch dif
(Was it called eyebrow arch? I can't remember, and loading my game would be a bother just to get this little detail right because I am sure you know what I am talking about.) Range from -100 to 100, right to arch the right eyebrow, left to arch the left eyebrow, and 0 is level

Crooked Nose
I haven't decided whether this will be a 0 to 255 or -100 to 100. But the idea is to somehow make the nose crooked. I hadn't explored this one in my mind quite as much.

Mouth Corner dif
Always wanted that permanent smirk? Range from -100 to 100, right to quirk up the right corner, right to quirk up the right.

Mouth Width Dif
Range -100 to 100. Right to stretch out only the right side of the mouth, left to stretch left. Is this getting repetitive yet? I think you are following my rhythm and reasoning by now.

Crooked Cheekbones
Gee, another -100 to 100. Right to raise the right cheekbone, left to raise the left.

Naturally, these increments would be slight, except for those who get those slider amplifiers to make things go off the chart.

So why isn't this in a forum somewhere? Because I'm not actually asking anyone to do this for me. I just wanted to type my thoughts on the matter somewhere relevant, and what would be more relevant than this journal?

Besides, I just might return to it one day when I have more confidence and understanding on how things work, but as of right now, I have no idea how three dimensional models work, skeleton assignments, polygon counts, or any of those fancy terms I see you informed people throw around. Heck, I don't know if these would screw up facial animations.

All I know is that it'd be neat.

And now that I have typed this out, I think I might be able to go back to sleep.... which was another reason I sat here and typed. Unless I did something, the idea would nag me and keep me awake.

So.

Sleep now.
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Back? Probably not.

Date Posted: 13th Nov 2012 at 6:54 PM

Well, I had taken a very long break from The Sims 3. I'm not going to discuss reasons, mainly because they would only be theories as I cannot remember why I stopped playing or logging in.

Honestly, I can't. But that is nothing new.

So, my sister got the Supernatural expansion a while ago, and I'd be chilling and talking with her, and for a while, it was all she could talk about. Eventually it lead me to start playing again and reminding myself why I devoted hours to this game. You know, in that 'zone everything else out and stop hanging with friends unless they also have the Sims 3' sort of way. Obsessed maybe? Or addicted? Naw. It can't be that bad. I mean, not changing your clothes or showering for a week isn't sign of an addiction at all. It's perfectly normal.

Ahem. I digress.

I broke down and got Supernatural and the pre-order for Seasons. And eventually, that drew me here to see what new mods and custom content I could find, as well as update some mods for the newer patches. So here I am, logged into this site again.

Will I continue my old pet project (yes, that pun was intended) and get eyeliner out for the rest of the animals? Not likely. Especially if I find someone else saved me the trouble and did that for me. Oooh, I should go look.

*scampers off*
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Tinker-winker

Date Posted: 26th Mar 2012 at 7:08 PM

So I recently discovered (well not so much discovered as actually sat down and read about/downloaded) the NRaas mods. I particularly have fallen in love with Story Progression. I started a Lunar Lakes file with a whole bunch of weird alien-looking, colourful skinned people, getting rid of the old people, and then tweaking some of the settings and otherwise letting Story Progression take over.

Which is leaving less time for creating custom content.

I think I can already anticipate the boos and hisses I'll be receiving.

On a completely unrelated note, I had an enjoyable birthday despite some circumstances. I had requested no children, but my sister could not find a baby sitter, so she brought them over. One is two, the other is four, and they require a lot of looking after, which disrupted most of my plans. Yet I still managed to play some games, do some visiting, and eat yummy chipotle Fajitas, drink delightful horchatas, and then wolf down delicious chilli cherry chocolate cake with whipped cream and cream cheese frosting.

I also came across an interesting thought. I shall have to research it now. I had let my friend sleep in my bed while I slept in my mother's bed (yes I still live with her) and she slept in my nephew's (the one that wasn't there) bed while my other nephew and niece took the spare room. It's a weird shuffle, and I do not wish to explain why this happened. When I went to nap in my own bed later on, the smell was off. It wasn't a bad smell, it was just not right. Well, it was mixed with dog smell, because my friend does own a rather oily mutt, and that was unpleasant. Anyhow, I stopped and thought about it. Everyone has a distinct smell, but most of the time we do not even notice it. I had trouble napping because the smell wasn't MY smell, and that bothered me. However, I have no trouble at all sleeping in my mother's bed. Then I stopped and thought about it. I like the smell of her room, even though it is VERY subtle. It makes me feel secure and nostalgic. I can't describe it, because I barely notice it, but my subconscious is fully aware of the scent and its associations. People usually hide their scents with deodorant, perfumes, scented soaps and moisturisers, and so on. Yes, the smell of stale sweat IS unpleasant. However, everyone's scent is unique to them, and I sometimes wonder if hiding our scent is in some way a form of deception. How reliant is our first impression of another people upon their scent? How does it factor into compatibility? I bet there are studies on this, but I want to sit and ponder on it a bit more before I go seeking answers, so I know what questions I seek to be answered.

Anyhow, being smelly isn't a bad thing. Being stinky is. There's a difference.
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Eyeliner Taunting

Date Posted: 20th Mar 2012 at 5:12 PM

Oooooooh Pharaoh Hound... you want that Horse eyeliner? You'll likely have to wait a bit.

Eherm.

*whistles*

My birthday is at the end of this week, and naturally, I feel compelled to celebrate i,t not because I am happy to become older (because I am NOT), but to give me some cheer to compensate for the dread of time marching on.

I am one of those people who have to do things in a particular order. For example, I have to eat coloured candies in a certain order, devouring warm coloured ones before cool coloured ones, and blue, if there is a blue, must ALWAYS be last. NOT RED! I defy you, Smarties commercial (for people in the United States, you likely will not get this reference, especially since I do not speak of sour candies, but of candy-coated chocolates similar to M&M's.)

Indeed, things have to be in a particular order. So those, like Pharaohhound, who are desirous for the horse eyeliner will have to wait for me to first finish the dog eyeliner. In planned sets, it must go Cat, Dog, then Horse. The only time this will not be so, is if I make something for another animal individually, and then as an after thought (or much coaxing from my loyal fans) decide to make a set out of it.

Those waiting on the Dog eyeliner may or may not have to wait until at least next week, depending on how much preparation I decide to do for my Birthday. Longer if I have a nervous breakdown because I hate growing older. I have hated it since I was twelve. Unlike some people who look forward to getting older so that they can legally drive, go to nightclubs, drink and so fourth, I was not interested in any of the above. I just wanted to play with my action figures or play make-believe, which I one day started calling collecting and role-play and somehow it didn't seem childish to other people any more.
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I name names

Date Posted: 18th Mar 2012 at 6:13 PM

Two achievements in as many days, but I had predicted beforehand that my Eyeliner for Cats would be a hit. That is mostly because everyone kept nudging me to polish my eyeliner and get it on to here.

And now I have to do dogs and horses. Pharaohhound and various others say so.

Yeah, I name names. What are you going to do about it? Shut me down? I'll still verbalize them here in my little corner of a spherical world.

I have not yet started my eyeliner for dogs or horses yet because I had been putting off doing some images for my cousin's RPG maker project. I'm in charge of monsters. They told me I could do what I wanted. Thus I decided to do a sea jaguar. Yes. A sea lion with a Jaguar's face and colouration. It is tiny.



And that, my dears, is why the dog and horse eyeliner editions are on hold. Mmmm. Edition. Ever seen a show called Early Edition? Good show, that.

On a side note... when I get them done, may I send my markings to someone else and have them get the required screenshots? PLEASE? They are my least favourite part and I tend to procrastinate when it gets to that point. Which is strange since I enjoy taking screenshots for other things... or playing games like Pokémon Snap. I'd say I enjoy Fatal Frame if someone else didn't ruin it for me. CURSE YOU DARREN! Yes. I name names.
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Strays

Date Posted: 14th Mar 2012 at 1:08 AM

I have no luck adopting strays in the Sims 3: Pets. Ah, but it is so much easier to just adopt them from a shelter or someone else's home. However, in real life most of the cats I have had were adopted strays, or kittens of adopted strays. Throughout the span of my existence, as far as my memory goes, seventeen cats have come and gone. Ten of them were strays. Two of them were from the SPCA. One was from a friend of a friend's litter, but I don't know the circumstances of that cat, and the rest were from when I was too young to remember their origins.

We recently took in a new stray, but this one is of the human persuasion. A friend of my sister's called us up out of desperation; his paranoid-schizophrenic mother had gone missing, his job fell through, and he had no place to live. We took him in until his mother could be found or a job gotten.

He came with a PS3. I approve.

Not many other strays come with PS3's... usually just fleas or other nasty little pests and parasites.

Human strays in the Sims can come with some very neat things. You know, those people who have no job or residence... yet somehow manage a healthy and happy lifestyle. How does that work anyhow? I guess you can pretend they are out-of-towners, even if the aren't tourists.

Note to self: download a lot of mods off of NRAAS

Note to self 2: Stupid patches.

Note to self 3: Don't forget to breathe.

And another thing - Eyeliner for cats is sent in for approval, but I am actually doubtful it will get through. Try as I might I could not get decent screenshots. And there's that other thing. The sort of thing I'd be too lazy to deal with, and yet am too shy to ask about.

Still breathing! These self reminders are really useful!
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Ta-dah

Date Posted: 8th Mar 2012 at 6:42 PM

And thus my Panda Markings for Pets has come to a conclusion. I just might make the models for the cat and dog available, but not the horse. However, this is a very big maybe.

There is just something satisfying about finishing a multi-set project. It's not something I often do. Actually, I rarely finish any project I set my mind to, which is a very sad reality. I've dabbled in Visual Novels, RPG Making, KiSS Dolls, Kamishibai, Adventure Game Making, Writing Novels, Writing Scripts, Movie Making and Editing, Doing Sprite sets for other people's games...

I very rarely complete any projects. People say that I have a fear of success. Actually, I think I just have a short attention - what's that over there?]

Made you look.

Anyhoo, with the completion of the Panda set I announce that I shall now work on eye-liner for pets. I already started with eye-liner for cats, but ran into some unforeseen difficulties that I am dragging my butt about posting for help in the forum. Actually, I am just simply determined to figure it out on my own. However, figuring things out takes just the right mood from me, and right now I'm not in that mood. Instead I'm in the mood to sit here and write in my journal which has a few readers, much to my surprise.

By the way, I would like to thank my readers for putting up with my inane ramblings.

Not every entry will be a gem full of wit and insight, as much as I would like it to be that way. But see, there's three different me's. Right now, this is moderate me. Then there's me on sugar and me with sleep deprivation. Sometimes there's Bob. But... we don't like Bob.
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Achiever

Date Posted: 6th Mar 2012 at 4:01 PM

Whilst I know there are those with dozens of achievements, I ALWAYS feel special when I unlock a new achievement. That is what they are there for, I imagine, making people feel special. I have been to so many sites where I've submitted this or that and get greatly ignored, or maybe get a few views/downloads/comments and otherwise fall between the cracks of cyber space, or as I call it, the Steel Mists of Yarg!

Actually, I just made that up now. That's now what I call it.

So now I am an instructor, which surprises me. I wrote a tutorial on popular demand. People actually WANT to learn from me despite my newbishness, people actually anticipate what I will make next (and hint at eye-liner for pets), and all in all, I actually feel appreciated.

And the cute little achievements are a nice bonus. It almost makes me want to try new and different things just to unlock more. Except for anything involving meshing. I am still afraid of 3D programs. They make my knees quiver, my mouth go dry, and an uneasy feeling in my squiddlyskooch.

A 3D program ran off with my baby!

On a side note, the texture map for horses also intimidate me. It looks nothing like a horse. Nothing. And where are the ears? At least the cats and dogs look like fur rugs of their respective species.

Note to self... bear skin rug with teeth and everything... yes... we have plans.

On another note, I was going to say some vastly private and revealing things about myself on this journal, but then I remembered about Leesester.
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staring at faces

Date Posted: 4th Mar 2012 at 6:48 PM

I've been playing the sims too much. Now when I close my eyes I see all sorts of fluid faced shifting. So many different features float about in my head. It's not so much playing the Sims 3 too much as using CAS too much. Now it's invading my dreams.

So I felt the need to try and get something out. I started with doodling lips over and over. Then, as I was drawing one pair of lips, I decided to add a nose above it. Then soon came a chin and basic head shape. More work on the nose, then eyes, then hair. Soon I had a face staring back at me.

This didn't help, really. Now instead of in my head, they were on my paper, on my screen, and all sorts of places.

So I stared at my cat a while. It's a face, but a different kind of face. Luckily the faces for cats in create a pet are inadequate and silly looking. None could compare to the beauty of my darling Tymora.

Even if she is a pest.

Anyway, the result of the need to draw a face is this:



It's not my usual style. I usually go more cartoony.

I blame the Sims 3. In a good way.
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Sad Face

Date Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 at 5:02 PM

Tachyglossus is wearing Sad Face today. See? That is Tachyglossus face.

...

Whilst I am the sort who, more or less, enjoys spending time with family, this is restricted to infantile nieces and nephews, especially when one is two and the other four. When they invade Tachy's burrow, Tachy becomes, er I mean, I become sad. Actually, I become angry. You know, kind of irritable and likely to threaten to wring their necks in the night. Good thing they don't know what 'wring' means yet. They think it involves jewellery. Really, they might have hoped I'd give them a neck ring with a bell, like what I did to the cat. She now jingles as well as yaps moments before she runs in front of your feet while going down the stairs. Extra warning time to stop abruptly and grab something before you trip over a small furry grey thing and hurtle down the stairs to your doom.

The word 'involve' has two V's. How awesome is that?

I don't like children. I wonder if I made that obvious yet? Especially when they cry all night because they don't want to go to bed... then wake up super early and bang around and make a lot of noise. I am tired and cranky and...

...and....

I was working on a thread (a tutorial to be precise) and doing all the formatting and proofreading and lots of previews then MOD THE SIMS WENT DOWN. Okay, it only lasted less than a minute (by the way, time should TOTALLY go metric) but I still lost it all.

Sad face.
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