#starrywood

Dream Dreamers

Well, a Dreamer and a Matlapin - they’re still in college. Since Starrywood is in Cali, obviously, I’m thinking the sim version of Berkeley - if I ever get around to posting the damn story, you’ll see why.

Just look at the way Darren looks at his woman! There was no way she wasn’t going to be his Happy Ever After... (Oops, made myself sad 😢)

I explicitly wanted an Urkel-chic/Dwayne Wayne vibe for Darren.

It's been so long that I didn't realise I'd used the wrong Cassidy & Ollie when I staged the top pic last week. Oops. But right faces, wrong faces, that's how they (mostly) all look in my game. The bottom pic approximates their TS4 origins for recognisability.

But this here, this is why I must be crazy. Erroll's and Thorne's were already done - they don't change much between the two shots. That ensemble of Thorne's (his default party outfit) is the main reason he made his way into the story...even though he wound up not actually wearing that.

I told myself I'd just use stuff I had to easy-peasy the pic. Sophia's outfit, yes. Ollie's, yes...but not his hat. Bjorn's tee, yes...but not for his bodyshape. Cassidy's jacket, I thought, but couldn't find in files or online so had to reverse convert from the teen version. And also convert her hair while I was at it. And Babs' shorts weren't quite short enough. And then there's Lacey. Lacey, Lacey. Google tells me someone did that hair, but also couldn't find it, so another quick conversion there. But her dress! It's one of those skinned onto the skeleton deals - a nightmare to make look good, and far too much work for a picture, especially one not for the story. But I got a notion and taught myself a new trick and voila. She's also wearing base game jewelry so I, uh, did those too. All in a night's work simming, eh? Ah yes, and the way they're staged represent the different permutations of their canon relationships.

The maxis 4t2 stuff I might upload eventually, but I actually hate taking cc preview pics, lmao!!

Bios and TS4 headshots from The Sims Wiki.

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Thorne_Bailey

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Babs_L%27Amour

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Bjorn_Tu%27Rock

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Lacey_Stiles

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Erroll_Dowd

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Cassidy_Purdue

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Ollie_Purdue

https://sims.fandom.com/wiki/Sophia_Jordan

Babs L'Amour the only one not made by me. Can find her by @mikexx2 here.

Okey-doke, so I took this pic for a reason but right now I'm just gonna bask in how the simplest tweak in GIMP turned the neon luminescence up to EPIC!

That's DeAndre Wolfe up there, if you're wondering. Yup, another cameo. (When I said extravaganza, I meant extravaganza.) He doesn't look anything like that in the story, though. One, he's got a custom bodyshape, and two, he might get kicked out of his own car if he was rolling around dressed like that...and I'm not remotely tempted to reshoot that particular scene just for a laugh.

I just wanted to show off the fact that while I suck at textures (like, really) I finally figured out a way to replicate the template choices for the sims 3 glam rock outfit because I was so stupidly pleased with myself, lol!

TS3 on the left and my 3t2 DeAndre on the right. Not exact, of course, but it works for me. (I did the other two template choices as well - the snakeskin was a real PITA but no pics atm.)

“Want to be a star?”

“Of course you do. But first they say you have to pay your dues. That’s what they say. I say there’s always another way...but still I take a gig where I can get a gig so long as I get seen.

“This miss director lady Quinn...she said I was all wrong for a role in her big Starrywood 'extravaganza' – good word...extravaganza... She said come back when I have perfected my accent and the ‘Yes’m schtick’ – whatever that means, but me, I never take no for an answer. So here I am. Shilling for extras – she’s desperate for extras, full screen credits guaranteed. And the work is easy-peasy.

“Oh, you’ve never heard of her? Eh, so what. There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Believe me, I’m the queen of bad publicity. At least I will be, one day soon. I am half psychic, you know. My future is already written in the stars...not so clear about yours. But we'll never know if you don’t show, right? So, come on over to Starlettown, rub elbows and noses with the shooting stars and the falling stars...they’re the bestest.”

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SERIOUS REQUEST: I NEED A BUNCH OF SIMS (not created by me or Maxis) TO BE BACKGROUND EXTRAS AT A TALENT SHOWCASE AT THE WALK OF FAME (above). Oh, yeah, and it’s circa 1985.

I’ve been held up at this one scene for a very long time now. It occurred to me back in July to make this post asking for help but it seemed preposterous. I mean, I’m an obscure simmer writing an obscure little story (very, very slowly), I can’t honestly expect a sudden surge of interest to have one’s sims appear in it.

But...it’s been 6 months and I’m still exactly where I was:

-Randomising sims just means template(replacement) faces.

-But customising them in any way means characterisation (that’s just how I roll).

-And I’m already juggling a cast of dozens. Every one of them has a reason for being there; I’d like that to continue; I just don’t need/want it to be my reason.

So if you’ve got any sims it might be fun to think of living in or visiting “Starrywood” in the ‘80s, please send them my way! Aspiring stars, groupies, tourists...all are welcome (and would be very much appreciated!) And if not, maybe a reblog?

Only caveats: No premades, from any iteration (this is a TS2 thing, by the way). I’ve already scavenged TS1-TS4 for recruits/re-creations. No supernaturals, though as long as they look feasibly human it’s none of my business what powers lurk within. And no Widespot connections since this is still very much part of my Widespot story universe even though it doesn’t look like it.

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A couple of you know that Goopy is a movie star in my story. A bit faded when we meet him, well, fading (enough to get a shoe thrown at him) but the ‘80s were his heyday so we’ll be seeing him doing what he does best (alongside two of his ex-wives!)

To entice you to perhaps not scroll by quite so fast, here are some stills of the man himself in Black Hat mode...polishing his pistol.

And a shot of the headliner talent at the showcase. Yes, she is a premade, but obviously from the way I’ve staged the photo I’m not telling😜😁😜.

What’s better for ratings than a Queen Bee rivalry?

So long as it stays in the family.

Over the course of her illustrious career she was known by many sobriquets. But like many an iconic woman she only needed the one name really. No one but no one was ever going to say ‘Bella who?’ now were they? Didn’t think so.

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So...it’s been about a month and I actually think I’m proceeding apace. No ETA because that just backfires on me lately but I’m working on it whenever I’ve got time and energy to spare and having a blast transforming the extras that were donated for their retro cameos!

I’ve got 4 confirmed donators and a couple who may have forgotten and/or changed their minds. I’m not gonna bug them, but there’s still plenty of time if anyone at all wants to loan out some sims to be extras in my story. It’s primarily a crowd scene I’m trying to fill so there’s always room for more. (Special shoutout to @halcionne-sims​ for letting me use so many of their sims so I’m able to actually fill in my crowd)

I’ve been itching to show some of these guys off. The goal, of course, is to showcase them in story but...by way of a fake promo here are one of each of my donators’ sims. Cue ‘80s kid show intro music and announcer voice...

                                  ____________________________

Introducing....EPIPHANY! ( @penig​)

...LEW! ( @knospisims​)

...i-i--i-i-it’s FITZ! ( @taylors-simblr​)

and SARAH! ( @halcionne-sims​)

(Couldn’t resist. I’m thinking short-lived early Nickelodeon show. Probably didn’t make it much past the pilot, which is why they’re floating around Starrywood, taking a gig where they can get a gig. Or just chillin’ and rubbin’ elbows.)