The Phantasmal Fantasy Reading Circle (Looking for members) «1234567…22...Next Go

StoriedStorm

Welcome to the Phantasmal Fantasy reading circle. Home of everything that goes bump in the night or deals in swords and sorcery.

What is the Phantasmal Fantasy reading circle about

Like the other reading circles you may have seen on the forum the idea of this is for a group of story writing simmers to get together to read and share each others stories allowing everyone to receive encouragement and feedback on their respective writing as they progress. If you would like a more in depth explanation on the subject @CathyTea has a very nice and more detailed topic on the subject in her Reading Circles for all games thread.

More specifically towards this particular circle the focus is on stories with a fantasy/supernatural spin aka ghosts, ghouls, fairies, elves, dwarves, dragons, vampires, etc, etc whatever else you can figure out to pull off as long as it falls into the appropriate categories. Dark or light, heavy or grounded. All things supernatural or fantasy are welcome


Basic Rules

Don't worry we're not going to get to bogged down by rules but the basic set up is fairly simple:

1. Read and comment on the other members stories. There is no drastic rush we understand that things like real life can get in the way so as long as you make a genuine effort to keep up as you are able then you are fine.

2. Be courteous to the other writers in the group. Yes part of a reading circle is criticism and as such not all comments are necessarily going to be glowing praise. But if you do choose to offer constructive criticism of another writer's story please keep it constructive and polite. Nobody likes to be told that they are doing something wrong but it's a pill that's a lot easier to swallow when delivered respectfully. At the same time don't feel like you have to criticize something. At least in my experience forced criticism as a result of feeling like you have to criticize something is rarely much help and just ends up putting more stress on the writer than anything else

3. Enjoy yourself. Writing should be fun, and games should be fun. Life can be stressful enough without your hobby/entertainment time being overly stressful as well.

4. Lurkers and people who want to jump in and comment on the stories are welcome to join in on discussing the members stories but please follow the above rules as well.


Members

1. @AuroraLockwood - The Family Black

• Genre: Vampire Family Life Drama
• Content warning: Violence, mature themes, and suggestive content
• Synopsis: What happens when family life meets the supernatural. Can ideas like love and normalcy really exist when you are a creature of the night? Join vampire Rosea Black as she seeks to find out and gets caught between the life she wants and the vampire society she was born into. Life isn't always all sunshine and rainbows, but it isn't always shrouded in darkness either. Welcome to a tale of the light, the dark, and the Family Black.

2. @pronterus - Undead With Benefits

• Genre: Vampire Crime Drama/action/comedy
• Synopsis: Dr. Domingo de Guzman, or “Doc” for short is a crime lord, vampire physician, and plasma fruit connoisseur who uses an abandoned soap factory as his base of operations to steal art and recover fragments of his lost memories.
  
  When the arrival of a girl being chased by a radical vampire hunter sect comes knocking on his door, the Doc has to face the overzealous Pastor and his minions, feral vampires, and plumbers armed with silver wrenches, ready to take over Newcrest by force.
  
  With the help of his accomplices; a ghost knight, a foodie-turned-vampire, and a foreign art student who barely speaks Simlish, they must find a way to save Newcrest’s vampire community from the Pastor’s threat as well as recover something that the Doc lost a long time ago.

3. @simscognito - Friends of Foes

• Genre: Paranormal/Mystery
• Synopsis: A teenage boy is thrust into the role of king when his parents and aunt are murdered by the infamous hitmen, the Sweglords, who have unfinished business with the secret organisation, His Evil Services. With the threat of war and the growing numbers of Sweglords in leadership roles, the new king and his friends struggle to stay close and to hide and maintain their friendship with one of the Sweglord's sons.

4. @chalicen - Winter's Alchemy

• Genre: Mild fantasy
• Content warnings: Very minor profanities
• Synopsis: A legacy story of a family held together by blood, love and alchemy

5. @IchigoUsagi - The Illusion of Light

• Genre: Vampire Drama/Comedy/Romance
• Content Warning: Possible violence, minor swearing, and suggestive content
• Synopsis: A young boy named Vincent is spirited away by a family of vampires. Join a cast of colorful (not so much outwardly, but you get the picture) characters including his scheming fiancee, her child-hating older brother, a teenage butler, and many more! Can Vincent adjust to this new and unfamiliar world he's been thrust into, or will he spend eternity longing for his former life? And what will happen when a couple of vampire hunters get word of his disappearance? Whatever the outcome, you're in for a dark night when you read The Illusion of Light.

7. n/a




Honorary Members

1. @15aewar - The Shadow Over Newcrest
2. @pupshadow22 - A Sims 4 Fantasy


Story of the Week

Each week we spotlight one of the members stories. What this means is that while we may generally try to keep up and discuss each other's stories there will be a general focus each week for this thread's discussion on a particular story giving that writer some time in the spotlight to get some focused feedback and discussion regarding their story specifically. The story chosen will cycle each week following the listing order on the this post.

This weeks story of the week for the week of 1/22-1/28 is @pronterus - Undead With Benefits. You are of course still free to respond to previous discussions and talk about other stories but please try and give some focus to feedback/comments/discussion to the story of the week as well.

StoriedStorm

Most Recent updates:

@AuroraLockwood -The Family Black

• Chapter 20- Even Though 11/14/17
• Chapter 21- Baking with a Pinch of Advice 11/23/17
• Chapter 22- Jokes Won't Help 1/15/18

@pronterus -Undead With Benefits

• Chapter 17.2 The Pharmacist 11/10/17
• Chapter 18.1 The Booking 11/24/17
• Chapter 18.2 The Persuasion 11/30/17

@simscognito -Friends of Foes

• Chapter 9: Some Aristocratic Scheming 1/4/18
• Chapter 10: Anywhere But Here 1/6/18
• Chapte 11: Keep to the Schemes 1/8/18

@chalicen -Winter's Alchemy

• 2.9 1/2: Some Stories and a Goodbye 1/13/18
• 2.10: Orbit 1/20/18
• 2.11: Defined 1/23/18

@IchigoUsagi -The Illusion of Light

• Chapter 2: Enter the Fiance 1/14/18
• Chapter 3: Settling In 1/19/18
• Chapter 4: Curiosity Killed the Cat 1/22/18

pupshadow22

I'm so down for this; been reading The Family Black the past week

StoriedStorm

pupshadow22 wrote: »

I'm so down for this; been reading The Family Black the past week

Well thank you very much. It's always nice to hear people are enjoying it. I hope you enjoy it and the other stories in the thread (and the other stories to hopefully come to the thread) just as much

StoriedStorm

@15aewar Just read your new chapter and I have to say color me intrigued.

I honestly wasn't expecting Alexander to actually write back since he hadn't so far. It will definitely be interesting to see her reaction to receiving a letter from a dead man :P

pronterus

I'd love to join My story, Undead with Benefits, has already completed one arc. The second arc is already in progress. It's a vampire story with a heavy emphasis on crime, action, and comedy.

Here's my pitch for the first arc of my story.

Dr. Domingo de Guzman, or “Doc” for short is a crime lord, vampire physician, and plasma fruit connoisseur who uses an abandoned soap factory as his base of operations to steal art and recover fragments of his lost memories.

When the arrival of a girl being chased by a radical vampire hunter sect comes knocking on his door, the Doc has to face the overzealous Pastor and his minions, feral vampires, and plumbers armed with silver wrenches, ready to take over Newcrest by force.

With the help of his accomplices; a ghost knight, a foodie-turned-vampire, and a foreign art student who barely speaks Simlish, they must find a way to save Newcrest’s vampire community from the Pastor’s threat as well as recover something that the Doc lost a long time ago.

StoriedStorm

pronterus wrote: »

I'd love to join My story, Undead with Benefits, has already completed one arc. The second arc is already in progress. It's a vampire story with a heavy emphasis on crime, action, and comedy.

Here's my pitch for the first arc of my story.

Dr. Domingo de Guzman, or “Doc” for short is a crime lord, vampire physician, and plasma fruit connoisseur who uses an abandoned soap factory as his base of operations to steal art and recover fragments of his lost memories.

When the arrival of a girl being chased by a radical vampire hunter sect comes knocking on his door, the Doc has to face the overzealous Pastor and his minions, feral vampires, and plumbers armed with silver wrenches, ready to take over Newcrest by force.

With the help of his accomplices; a ghost knight, a foodie-turned-vampire, and a foreign art student who barely speaks Simlish, they must find a way to save Newcrest’s vampire community from the Pastor’s threat as well as recover something that the Doc lost a long time ago.

@pronterus Sounds great. Welcome the the circle I'll get your listing set up and then you can let me know if I need to adjust anything with it.

15aewar

pronterus wrote: »

I'd love to join My story, Undead with Benefits, has already completed one arc. The second arc is already in progress. It's a vampire story with a heavy emphasis on crime, action, and comedy.

Here's my pitch for the first arc of my story.

Dr. Domingo de Guzman, or “Doc” for short is a crime lord, vampire physician, and plasma fruit connoisseur who uses an abandoned soap factory as his base of operations to steal art and recover fragments of his lost memories.

When the arrival of a girl being chased by a radical vampire hunter sect comes knocking on his door, the Doc has to face the overzealous Pastor and his minions, feral vampires, and plumbers armed with silver wrenches, ready to take over Newcrest by force.

With the help of his accomplices; a ghost knight, a foodie-turned-vampire, and a foreign art student who barely speaks Simlish, they must find a way to save Newcrest’s vampire community from the Pastor’s threat as well as recover something that the Doc lost a long time ago.

That sounds awesome! If it's alright with @AuroraLockwood , I also have a mystery/horror themed reading group that I've been trying to start. The only requirement is that romance isn't the story's main focus. It's right here, if you're interested: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/925863/mystery-horror-themed-reading-circle-interest-check#latest

Also, @AuroraLockwood

AuroraLockwood wrote: »

I honestly wasn't expecting Alexander to actually write back since he hadn't so far. It will definitely be interesting to see her reaction to receiving a letter from a dead man :P

Is he?

StoriedStorm

15aewar wrote: »

pronterus wrote: »

I'd love to join My story, Undead with Benefits, has already completed one arc. The second arc is already in progress. It's a vampire story with a heavy emphasis on crime, action, and comedy.

Here's my pitch for the first arc of my story.

Dr. Domingo de Guzman, or “Doc” for short is a crime lord, vampire physician, and plasma fruit connoisseur who uses an abandoned soap factory as his base of operations to steal art and recover fragments of his lost memories.

When the arrival of a girl being chased by a radical vampire hunter sect comes knocking on his door, the Doc has to face the overzealous Pastor and his minions, feral vampires, and plumbers armed with silver wrenches, ready to take over Newcrest by force.

With the help of his accomplices; a ghost knight, a foodie-turned-vampire, and a foreign art student who barely speaks Simlish, they must find a way to save Newcrest’s vampire community from the Pastor’s threat as well as recover something that the Doc lost a long time ago.

That sounds awesome! If it's alright with @AuroraLockwood , I also have a mystery/horror themed reading group that I've been trying to start. The only requirement is that romance isn't the story's main focus. It'.s right here, if you're interested: http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/925863/mystery-horror-themed-reading-circle-interest-check#latest
[/spoiler]

@15aewar My only focus is this circle. What other circles people may want to take part in is up to them so no problems here. Slight personal preference though I would appreciate if we tried to keep the recruiting and/or discussion of other circles more towards private messages or those circle threads so as to try and keep the discussion here more pertaining to this particular circle and the stories being discussed. Just trying to keep things somewhat tidy and organized.

StoriedStorm

15aewar wrote: »

@AuroraLockwood

AuroraLockwood wrote: »

I honestly wasn't expecting Alexander to actually write back since he hadn't so far. It will definitely be interesting to see her reaction to receiving a letter from a dead man :P

Is he?

I would assume not, though not being overly familiar with Lovecraftian Horror I'm not taking bets for or against at the moment. From what I do know things can get weird quickly so anything can happen

pronterus

Thanks for the welcome. I'll be reading your stories soon

StoriedStorm

@pronterus It's going to take a bit to get caught up but I started in on your story earlier and read the 1.0 chapters, so far I have to say I am absolutely loving it. I really liked the kind of emotional intro followed by the shift to the more cavalier character. And the random humorous interjections are just fantastic and I've found myself laughing at most of them (also I think Preston may be my favorite character so far).

pronterus

AuroraLockwood wrote: »

@pronterus It's going to take a bit to get caught up but I started in on your story earlier and read the 1.0 chapters, so far I have to say I am absolutely loving it. I really liked the kind of emotional intro followed by the shift to the more cavalier character. And the random humorous interjections are just fantastic and I've found myself laughing at most of them (also I think Preston may be my favorite character so far).

That's awesome I always have fun writing when it comes to Preston.

pronterus

Btw guys, I also build when I'm not writing, and I've created lots and sets storytellers have used for their stories I specialize in building small modern homes, Asian colonial, and dark, dingy hideouts, which are perfect for vampires. Here are some of my latest builds:

Pumping Station
Dead End Motel
Vamp Starter 10k

15aewar

I'm going to have to get caught up on these stories this weekend. I just can't wait.

pupshadow22

I'd like to join as well. Working on a high fantasy comic called, well A Sims 4 Fantasy. It's still in its baby stages, but it will involve magicians-in-training, angsty orcs, and maybe a demon lord or two. We'll see >> https://asims4fantasy.tumblr.com/

And again, thanks for creating this reading circle. It's going to be a great collection of stories.

StoriedStorm

pupshadow22 wrote: »

I'd like to join as well. Working on a high fantasy comic called, well A Sims 4 Fantasy. It's still in its baby stages, but it will involve magicians-in-training, angsty orcs, and maybe a demon lord or two. We'll see >> https://asims4fantasy.tumblr.com/

And again, thanks for creating this reading circle. It's going to be a great collection of stories.

@pupshadow22 Yay, something high fantasy. I will PM you about joining but for now Welcome

15aewar

pupshadow22 wrote: »

I'd like to join as well. Working on a high fantasy comic called, well A Sims 4 Fantasy. It's still in its baby stages, but it will involve magicians-in-training, angsty orcs, and maybe a demon lord or two. We'll see >> https://asims4fantasy.tumblr.com/

And again, thanks for creating this reading circle. It's going to be a great collection of stories.

Woah. That's awesome, not to mention gorgeous! You've put my dinky little Newcrest builds to shame!

pupshadow22

@15aewar

thanks, most i just download tho. hopefully i can track down the builds and CC and give credit to the original creators

StoriedStorm

@pupshadow22 I added a listing for you in the top post with a basic synopsis adapted from your earlier post. If you would like anything adjusted or changed just let me know.

pupshadow22

@AuroraLockwood thanks, and yeah that's perfect. Maybe I'll think another one up when i get farther into writing.

I have a question for you all though - basically your writing vs. playing process. Do you guys adapt the story to what happens in your gameplay, or is it 100% story driven?

StoriedStorm

pupshadow22 wrote: »

@AuroraLockwood thanks, and yeah that's perfect. Maybe I'll think another one up when i get farther into writing.

I have a question for you all though - basically your writing vs. playing process. Do you guys adapt the story to what happens in your gameplay, or is it 100% story driven?

@pupshadow22 Personally mine somewhat depends on the part of the story I'm doing. There are basically two sides to my story, there's the more narrative driven parts dealing with the overarching plot and the lighter toned family life sections that still tie in to plot elements but are more relaxed. The narrative driven stuff I more or less set the shots up for while the family life bits I have somewhat of a plan but I I still improvise a bit as I play.

pronterus

pupshadow22 wrote: »

I have a question for you all though - basically your writing vs. playing process. Do you guys adapt the story to what happens in your gameplay, or is it 100% story driven?

I kinda do a half-and-half on that one. I basically have a general outline of what I want to happen in the story, and when I start taking screenshots, I take as many as I can and select the ones that I think would best fit the situation I'm looking for. Then if the sims do something that looks weird or funny, I look for a way to put that in the story for a few laughs.

15aewar

pupshadow22 wrote: »

@AuroraLockwood thanks, and yeah that's perfect. Maybe I'll think another one up when i get farther into writing.

I have a question for you all though - basically your writing vs. playing process. Do you guys adapt the story to what happens in your gameplay, or is it 100% story driven?

For the most part, the story dictates what screenshots I take. The game is just the medium to set things up. The real development happens when I'm staring at a blank WordPress page (after lots of planning, of course.)

The story itself is a dress rehearsal for the video I make of it. Speaking of, I have a little treat for you guys!

https://youtu.be/hyDzKcYrVuQ

15aewar

Sorry for the double post, @AuroraLockwood , - but that latest chapter. Wow. Just wow.

It reminds me of a saying from Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. The Beast I am, lest the Beast I become.

StoriedStorm

15aewar wrote: »

Sorry for the double post, @AuroraLockwood , - but that latest chapter. Wow. Just wow.

It reminds me of a saying from Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. The Beast I am, lest the Beast I become.

@15aewar Thanks. Like I said in a different thread I've actually never played that game even though it's been recommended to me by just about everyone I know. Regardless though I'm glad that theme came across since it was what I was really going for. On that similar subject a question I have about your experience reading it:

How did you feel I handled Rylie's death sequence? Primarily the two things I was most trying to balance were A. Drawing the scene out enough to get people to actually think Rylie actually might be gone rather than guessing that it was all a halucination or getting to the reveal so quick that it lost some of the impact. And B. Trying to balance making it brutal and horrifying enough to portray the point I wanted to get across without being so horrific as to potentially make people stop reading because I'm doing this to a character that I believe people generally like.