Drabble+: Parts of a whole

[strangetomato]

Prompt: Parts of a whole
Characters: Ripp Grunt, Ophelia Nigmos, and Johnny Smith
Wordcount: 342
Imagecount: 1
Warnings: suggestion of sexual situations

My experimenting with Jaydee's Apartment Life animation box last night brings you this drabble+.



Ripp's relationship with Ophelia was growing. They all knew it. It was impossible not to notice. Only the most dedicated delusion could hold up to that reality.

Not that Johnny didn't try at times.

But whatever approach they took to it, the facts were clear. Ophelia was dating two of them at the same time. More than that, she was in love with them both.

How long could they stay like that, in one household? Ophelia and her two boys… could they really live like that, a household of three, a ménage à trois? That's what it was, by the most basic definition. It was strange to imagine it, even for them: Ophelia spending one night with Johnny, and the next with Ripp. Could they exist like that, with her moving back and forth between them? Was that where they were headed?

Or maybe they would even live with all three together, sharing a bed like they did that one night. Would it become so commonplace that this seemed normal? Could they possibly handle it?




From time to time, they all thought about it. How that might look, and how that might feel. How it could possibly work. Some thought about it more than others. Some doubted it more. All were unsure. They didn't bring it up.

Ripp, more than anyone, imagined the three of them together. He thought about this all of the time. Not just in a sexual way, though there was that, of course. He thought about them together, just together in a romantic way, an intimate way; as friends, but closer than that. He imagined them comforting each other, and just being there for each other.

Could it be that way?

He wanted to believe so. He hoped they saw it too. They were already together, flung into this tangled mess. It was too late to go back without something terrible happening. Someone's heart would break. It would shatter.

Someone would have to lose.

How could one leave, unscathed, when they were each merely parts of a whole?

---

Note: I was actually trying to recreate the drawing that squirrel_tamer did of these three (this is her drabble prompt too), since I figured it would be possible, but the sim that's cuddling into the other one only seems to turn one way. Maybe there's a work-around, but it couldn't find it last night. Oh well... that's why we make drawings, right? This game does have some limits. :P

Still, there's a lot of potential in these poses, as you can see. This looks so much more natural to me than the majority of other attempts I've made. Using poses and moveobjects can often look stiff and awkward (which is why I try not to overuse them), but this seems to work.

I swear I will eventually get a new chapter off the ground, but for now, the drabbles and short pieces keep me moving.



 

Comments

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Awww.. excellent work with the animation box! I d/l it the other day but haven't really had the opportunity to use it much. The point where I am in my current story lends itself more to the depression animation box on MTS2, lol. Lots of angst, not much love. :D

But I'm so glad Maxis added this animation. Have you had anyone cuddle in bed yet in the morning? I have! Just once and I almost missed it. So cute. :D

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I can see it having a lot of potential beyond just something like this. I wonder if it could work for relaxing on a couch together, for example.

For this, I used the cuddle in bed (for Johnny and Phi) and the cuddle under the clouds (for Ripp). The two are similar, but different enough to give some variety.

Depression box? Could there actually be an animation box that I don't have yet? I'll have to go check it out.

Yeah, that cuddle was one of the first things I checked out. So cute! ^_^

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

It's by trendy_hendy and so far I haven't explored it much yet, but from what I've seen (in icichi's story, for example) it lends itself to many angst-filled poses and expressions. :D Whee!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Well, that's useful. Thanks for the heads-up.

Not that I'd ever write angst... :P

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

I meant to say ikichi (spelled that wrong, there... and I still fail at making the lj user's names clickable, sorry about that!)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

It's okay. I know who ikichi is. ;)

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

Oh, just type lj user="ikichi" enclosed by < > brackets.

Make sure to put a space between lj and user. Some of the lj commands have dashes instead, like lj-cut, which is inconsistent and confusing.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the info. I've never bothered to look that up, and it's nice to know.

Lately, I've been having difficulty with the lj user option in the rich text mode, so this could be very useful.

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

I tried to use rich text mode once, and it just confused me...

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

So you do it all in HTML? That's what I should do. There's alway seems to be some snag when doing the lj cuts in rt mode, but I think I have it worked out pretty well now.

[pixelcurious.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I don't need it that much, and it's easy for me because I'm used to it. I only use a few things...

italics
bold
strike

Plus links, image tags, horizontal rules, occasional blockquotes. I think that's it... oh, and the lj user and lj-cut tags. Not that much to remember.

[leskuh.livejournal.com]

*crosses fingers*

They all think about it. ALL of them. Oh gosh. Love love love. Even Johnny, stick in the mud Johnny, thinks about it just the tiniest bit.

And I really adore how slow this is all building. It's still this delicate, fragile balance and none of them are really sure how it's going to turn out, but there's no backing out now. You take just one of them away and they all go crumbling. And, as I'm sure you know, I truly think that Johnny is the most needed piece. I can't quite put my finger on why, it's just a feeling I get.

Anyway, love this!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yes, even Johnny thinks about it. In a different way, surely, but he still wonders about these things.

You're so right about that balance. They've fallen into an uneasy equilibrium, but college is ending soon, and change is all but guaranteed. We'll see what happens then. You're right about Johnny too, in many ways, but I'll save the details for another time. ;)

I have a chapter planned that will take them right from this point to the end of college. And yes, they will leave college. *sigh*

[muslemura.livejournal.com]

Well, you took the words out of my mouth...or keyboard :P Always loved the delicate balance between them *sigh*

Great drabble - both text and picture :)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I think that's what draws me to it too. It's so fragile, but it's also quite stable at its core. It's far from perfect, which makes it interesting to me.

Thanks. :)

[kin-thalas.livejournal.com]

This is great, the writing and the picture! How the hell did you do this?
This all so incredible and adorable at once. Keep it going!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) Jaydee's animation boxes are really great for these things (I used the OMSPs and the snapObjectsToGrid false cheat too).

I'll be carrying this part of the story forward soon, but I need to step away from these guys for a bit to fit in some other plot points too. I'm drawn to write about them more than anything else, though, since it's all so interesting to me.

[franwi.livejournal.com]

Ripp seems so sure it can work, and Johnny seems so unsure. And if Johnny starts mapping out his future post-college plans, since Johnny's likely to start looking that far ahead already, who will he include? I really can't wait to see what happens with this relationship.

Also the poses - omg! I love it. I haven't done much with AL yet, so I hadn't seen the cuddling. Last night I finally noticed some of the new outfits - like hats. Lots and lots of hats. Yeah, I don't explore this stuff well.

But I love that pose. The cuddling is cute, but then as I'm staring at it, it looks like Ripp's hands are roaming Phi's chest while Johnny's tugging the front of her shirt down. ;)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Johnny is hesitant about many things in his life. He's more of a deliberator, while Ripp just dives in headfirst without checking to see how deep the water is. Johnny is very likely to be planning and thinking about the future too - you're right about that. So what's he thinking? And what else might happen to influence the course of these events? ;)

The cuddles interactions are so great. The greetings and new hugs, kisses, etc. are also very nice for storytelling. I love how you can read poetry at the mic too. I had a flashback to college when I had a sim do that. I've watched so many poetry readings. I've even READ at poetry readings. *blushes*

Heeheee. :D You're so right about that. I thought it was more like Ripp resting his hand on her, and Johnny and Ripp were almost holding hands, but you called it. They're basically mauling her. It's totally foreplay.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

Hmm, care to share more pics of this animation? It looks good but is the bottom person (Johnny in the pic) really as stiff (no pun intended) as they seem? And is Ripp's animation new or just an out of context bed kiss? (I'm enjoying playing the "what animation is that" game)

I agree with the moveobjects things, it's so easy for the pics to look VERY staged (especially when using the magisplay and pedestals).

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll post some of the new interactions. There are a couple of other really cool ones too. That bed cuddle does have the one sim that's sort of stiff because they're supposed to be half asleep, and also under the covers, but there's some variation in it too.

Ripp's pose is one half of the "cuddle under stars/clouds", which is also a new one.

Yeah, I try to avoid overuse of those poses and staging. It doesn't look very natural to me in many cases, and it's often much easier (and better) to use normal interactions or the animation boxes. I often find it more effective to just have the sim standing there with a blank face (but not too much, or it gets boring). You don't want to go overboard with that stuff.

[madame-ugly.livejournal.com]

*slight drift* Last night I was really wanting those ceilings. I swear, The Home for Wayward Boys is HELL for always having the damn ceiling showing. I wonder if it's because it doens't have a foundation? Hmmm. . .

I hear you about the "just stand there" thing, too. I feel a similar way when shooting conversations (either seated or standing). Yeah, they're flailing their hands or whatever, but it's still THE SAME PICTURE (either just the speaker or speaker framed by the side of the face/shoulder of the listener). Eh, sometimes you just have to accept it.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

The ceilings are great. They make photos so much better. The EP is almost worth it JUST for the ceilings, and I mean that.

Lately, I've been trying something different for doing conversations. I'll pan back to show the whole room, or try a very different angle, or just show the face of one sim at a time. Those "over the shoulder" shots which frame up two of them are good, but I'm getting really tired of using them all the time. You could even just show a shot of an object in the room while the conversation is happening. You see that sort of thing in movies, with the camera focusing attention on different parts of the room.

I'm really into wider shots lately too. Close ups are only exciting when they're less common. The ceilings are a big help in showing more of the room.

Squee!

[afterthecalling.wordpress.com (from livejournal.com)]

I always stumble across things way after the fact! I can't believe this blog has been going on for this long without my discovery. You've totally got a new fan. Drabbles, short pieces, chapters, whatever. I'm eating it up.

Veron

Re: Squee!

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :) It's very nice to meet you, and I'm always happy to have a new reader.

Thank you for reading.

[inkspottedtea.livejournal.com]

Man, that picture is the sweetest thing ever. They all look so happy and content. Well, except Johnny, who's like 'whyyy all the moooving I'm sleeeepy' xD

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm a huge fan of those new interactions. I love how they cuddle while barely awake. So sweet. ^_^

[dothesmustle.livejournal.com]

Seeing all these J/R/O posts makes me sad, because in the end it seems someone WILL have to lose. I'm dreading to see that happen. They're all so sweet together it's hard to see someone's heart break. :(

*goes back to read Ripp and Johnny doing karaoke*

Hm, I feel a little better. :P

[smjoshsims.livejournal.com]

Aww, this is a bit odd, but cute, in an odd sort of way. I agree with Doey, SOMEONE is going to lose, no one can have it all. But oh well, I guess.

[ikichi.livejournal.com]

But this was awesome and sweet!

I dunno... honestly I think it's really up to Johnny how far it goes. It sounded like Francis wasn't the first guy Ripp had messed around with, but I could be misunderstanding him. And... honestly a lot of the time it sounded like he had a little crush on Johnny, too.

[80sfiend.livejournal.com]

Aww what a cool pose! You did a good job! It looks really natural, all three of them like that. :)