strangetomato: (francesXmas)
Strange Tomato ([personal profile] strangetomato) wrote2008-12-11 07:48 pm

Maxis Taste Dare 010: Formal makeover

It's been a while since I actually participated in one of the [livejournal.com profile] maxis_taste dares (I did the makeover for Goopy and Sandy, but I never did get around to posting it). This one ties in nicely with my Christmasy mood, so I decided to go for it.

The challenge was to make over a couple (same sex apparently needing an opposite sex "chaperone" or some such thing :P), and I decided to go with a platonic couple for my entry. And I threw another guy into the mix, just 'cause. I've been happily playing around with Photoshop, so these images are screencapped and ~sparkly~ and I left them in the widescreen format of my monitor.

And it has FRANCES, so what are you waiting for?










For my couple, I chose Beau and Lucy, because there's no better date than your BFF. I went to the prom with mine, so I know this from experience, okay? The event is a Christmas party, as you can see.

Lucy is wearing a lovely frock from the Sims 2 Store Asian fusion collection (if you haven't check it out yet, head on over to MATY - some of the dresses are WAY above par for the store), and Beau rocks a recolour of a suit from Glamour Life that is easily my favourite male formal attire.




These two really know how to get the party started.

(And check out those frightening nutcrackers!)




Frances isn't quite sure what to think of it.

He's also sporting a recolour of my favourite suit, in an appropriately dark colour. He's such a black/blue/purple guy, isn't he? Is he a "winter"?

Frances: *needs to drink more before he'll dance like that, thankyouverymuch*




Frances: Yes, indeed...

(Beau's breakdancing, btw. It's from AL.)




Wait... did he just do what I think he did? *snicker* Lordy, the punch has to be spiked, because Frances just crushed the cup on his head! I just missed getting a pic of it.




Then he tosses it over his shoulder into the gelatin like a total BADASS.




Frances: Maybe it's the punch talking... but, damn, he's looking...




Frances: Ummm... goofy. But the blue in his shirt really does bring out his eyes.




Lucy smiles.

Yes, everything is going according to plan.




 
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-12-12 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
*snicker* Sorry, I'm kind of making fun there, aren't I? I guess I just question the reasoning for requiring both a male and a female, but it's just part of the cc hunt, right? I makes it more difficult?

It's not like I even play exclusively with gay sims, or anything or the sort. I'm just contrary. :P

Thanks. :) The set is just a bunch of the Holiday Stuff tossed together (I'm trying to get my money's worth - LOL), but I'm glad you like it.

[identity profile] aledstrange.livejournal.com 2008-12-12 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
Not much logic reasoning really, its just to add some challenge in the dare. One makeover for each gender. That was the idea.

But it could have been any couple, not only same-sex.
The challenge was to 'makeover a couple', assuming that is hetero in general, so only in case that anyone choose to go same-sex, the extra makeover (whatever single or an another couple) was required to cover for the missing gender. :)
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-12-12 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I understand. ;) I know you were assuming that hetero was the default, though I don't really see that so much in the sims community. Many people use same-sex couples. There's a lot of variety, and it's good to see.

I guess my reaction is more to the whole idea of needing to include the two binary genders. Gender is... a vast and complicated topic, and one that tends to get me a little riled up. But that's neither here nor there... you allowed for particpants to "opt out" in various ways. They could even cover two "genders" with the same sex, if they wanted to.

Anyway, I was just stirring the pot. ;) No worries.

I see a spelling error above that I can't edit now... I makes it more difficult? should be It makes it more difficult?

[identity profile] aledstrange.livejournal.com 2008-12-12 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
Well, then i can only hope the whole rule didn't come out discriminatory, 'coz that was precisely was i was trying to avoid. (Besides honestly i was the one wishing to makeover a couple of same-sex couples myself rofl)

And yes, of course i know its not the 'default', as you say, in the sim comm, specially not around here, (its certainly not the standard in my games either lol) but i don't think the issue is that complicated on the 'sim-world' and that's what we are talking about after all. *shrug*

The idea was simple. One formal makeover for male, one for female. Perhaps i should had just phrased it like that, but thought it was too plain and boring rofl

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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-12-12 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
No, it didn't really come off that way at all. It's just my nature to prod at and question things. You should see me watching commercials. :P Anyway, as I said... it's not like I had any issues with what you said, it just stood out a little to me, and got me thinking about how we think about gender. You have nothing to defend here. I was just thinking aloud.

(That said, I disagree about issues being uncomplicated just because they are sims. A simulation of human behaviour does still address real world concerns, so I don't see anything wrong with questioning the way we play the game. It's insight into the way we feel about things in our own lives, and I think that's worth exploring. Or we can just play... you know, whatever. :P)

Yeah, maybe... It makes it a little more open that way, but I really wouldn't worry about.

[identity profile] aledstrange.livejournal.com 2008-12-13 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
Then, if for any reason you find any of our challenge's rules questionable in the future, I'd appreciate if you discuss directly with me (or other mod if necessary) or ask about any doubt you may have on the respective post, instead of distorting them into something that not only isn't the idea at all, but also sounds extremely discriminatory and even edging on homophobic (which frankly offends me more than you can imagine, after all i'm the one who created the challenge in the first place).

As for game play, considering what can be seen in many player's games, i rather think it does not represent what they actually think in their real lives and its only a game to literally escape from it, otherwise, it would mean most of them are or agree with serial killer and pervs, who get rid of anyone who's ugly, have sex with siblings and parents, rape babies/kids/teens and/or enjoy watching others burn themselves to dead inside locked buildings.
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[identity profile] strange-tomato.livejournal.com 2008-12-13 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm sorry I came off that way, Ale. I have no issue with the rules, and I didn't mean to imply that you were homophobic at all. I was just sort of giggling at the way it sounded to me, and then I was just following that train of thought. All my musings about gender weren't directed at you specifically.

That's also true, of course. Sometimes it is just a game and people do all sorts of things to sims that they would find terrible in real life, but I do think that a lot of it still reflects the way we feel about things on some level. It shows the things we find deplorable as well as the way we think things should be. Maybe. Like I said, you can read into things, but sometimes it really is just a game too.