Update on updates, communities, and cc talk

[strangetomato]

I've been away from the computer for a long weekend (not to be confused with THE long weekend - we didn't have one, but I took some overtime hours). I took a trip to visit my parents, who have dial up, and I didn't have any time to spare on the computer anyway. It's a very busy time for me (I'm getting hitched, don't you know), so I'm going to be seen less and less around these parts until late August.

Strangetown, Here We Come will be taking a definite break during this time, but unless something changes, I plan to start it up again in the fall. I hope to get the second half of chapter 26 out before then, if at all possible. I'm sure that nobody will really care all that much if they don't know what sort of haircut Ripp has until the fall (or even notice the delay, really), but I figure that it would be nicer to clue up the chapter before I take that break.

I'm sad to see that I missed the deadline to participate in the Ben Long makeover at sim_mania, and I really had intended to do that. It's not like I expected to be in the running to win, but it would have been fun to try. I guess I could still post it here in my own journal. Someone did something sort of like what I wanted to do anyway: a bookish Benny, with his very own writing collective (well, their Ben didn't had a writers group, but mine would have). A beer commercial version of Ben would have been funny too, complete with a Don Lothario "dickhead" shirt and frosted tips.

So, moving along to another community... after a month of being completely ignored, my founder submission at pixel_trade  is up for the makeover challenge, so maybe she'll get some play with that. I hope so. I love that community, but so far it has left me feeling the same way I did back in gym class when people were picking people to be on their team, and I'd love to get in on the fun too. *jumps up and down* Pick me! Pick MEEE!

I've also started another cc project: making my own default replacement eyes. It's something that I've been thinking about for a while, to give my story a more individual look. I think it would be great to have my very own hand-drawn eyes. I've also never been 100% satisfied with Lyran's eyes, especially the green, which is a little too olive for my tastes. The eyes will be in a comic/cartoon style, and I've been digging through my collection of comics and graphic novels for ideas. I'm not sure if it will work out, but I'm going to attempt it. 

Here's an early look:




There's still plenty of work to be done (this is really rough), but this seems to be close to the right hue for the green eye. I'm going to experiment with the light flecks some more, and the eye texture, but I'm thinking of keeping them pretty solid like that, just like they're usually drawn in comics. I'll see how that looks. If they're too dead looking, I'll add some extra iris detail.

(Johnny's doing some tai chi there, by the way. It seems like something he'd be really into to me.)

My default replacement PTs are on the shelf for now, since I won't need them for a while, and they are mostly for my own use anyway, unless someone really wants them. There are plenty of other replacement PTs available out there already, so mine are pretty redundant at this point. If you're looking for some PTs in the style of the Maxis pollinator, you should check out this lovely set by pixel_and_bean, made into replacements by simgaroop. She has also made a set for ikichi  (found in the same post) that replaces the black-haired PT (Jayne's pollinator) from the fwiffo set with the Maxis PT, which should be useful for some of you.

Comments

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on getting married! :) :) :) Here's a bit of unsolicited advice: Don't forget to breathe. With all the planning and excitement, it's easy to forget to stop and just relax for a few minutes. I wish you the best too.

Regarding the pixel_trade makeovers, I haven't had a chance to do them, but I have downloaded your sims for use. She's really pretty, and I meant to ask if we would see her in your storyline soon. Yeah, I know that many don't use the founders in their own game, but still. I'm bummed, because I missed July's founder submission dates (I was away for the weekend too), so I guess my sims won't come up til August.

Babbling, sorry.

Anyway, have a great summer, and don't forget to breathe. Fall is always a great time to premier new haircuts, so Ripp can step out then. Thank you so much for sharing your work with us. Both your story, and your downloads. You and your work are appreciated.