Divided (Updated 26/11/23) «1234567…24...Next Go

SnowBnuuy

@mightysprite Thank you for commenting as always < 3

That pic is one of my favourites. It's rare that a pose ever comes out as nice in game as it does in Blender but I'm glad it did. < 3 Oh it's going to be very difficult for him, especially because you mentioned 'honesty' there. I wonder if he's been honest about everything so far...

@_sims_Yimi Thank you for commenting! < 3

Ohhh I see, so you have two predictions on who the werewolf is...I wonder if either of them are correct? Maybe she's talking metaphorically about an inner beast, and maybe lunar magic and lycanthropy are separate...Hmm...Who knows? I know but I'm not telling unless I accidentally spoil you again XD I do love those screenshots under the moon. They were inspired by a scene from one of the Final Fantasy games. Yeah, Annorin isn't much different from real-life people similar to himself and they all of course buy his bull-droppings because he's influential. Also sounds familiar!

Yeah, Kat has had a rough time so hopefully the girls will look after her well! Telling Susana was probably the best bet since he gets along with her the best out of all of them, the others moreso keep to themselves. Sadly no, all of the dragons died out about a thousand years ago in this universe. Sad times ;-; I know, this whole thing is going to become a beautiful mess and I am here for it : P

GlacierSnow

Back from my trip, and just getting caught up with the last two chapters.

I'm definitely wondering about Kat's deeper backstory. Seems to be dropping hints about some powers or form we haven't seen her use yet...

Wow, that Annorin is slimy! Great villain!

SnowBnuuy

@GlacierSnow Hope you had fun! Thanks for commenting < 3

a new form hm? I wonder what that could be…that is, unless she’s talking about a figurative beastliness…Hmm…Ohh yes Annorin is plain awful. Still not actually sure how anyone is going to deal with him just yet!

HermioneSims

Finally I'm back from my work trip and I can catch up with the stuff I missed this week...

I was so sorry for Kat in this chapter... I mean, she could have surely have had a worse time if she hadn't met those other witches in the woods, yet she has so many things to worry about, she seems to be watching her back from anyone else at the moment...

And maybe I'm in the mood for being sorry for everyone, because also Reynold really seemed to need a hug too this chapter...

SnowBnuuy

@HermioneSims Thank you so much for commenting as always! < 3

Yeah, it's feels all over for everyone this chapter. Kat feels isolated, even by somewhere she hoped to make a new home out of, all after losing her boat and her supplies. And now Reynold will soon lose his mother figure and also will have to take on A LOT of responsibility on top of an incoming child. Also some other fun things on his mind right now...

SnowBnuuy

I got over-excited and wrote this chapter on-time! And in two days. XD A big reveal this time. It's linked on the Chapter Index.

HermioneSims

Ta da da dan! Great reveal for real!

Thinking now about the last chapters I feel like there were probably a few hints already, but when Joyce's flashback started I was quite shocked!
This explains a lot about Reynold, it is such a difficult situation... Realising to be dangerous (under some circumstances) to all others around, and fearing that if people knew about it they could not see anything else than the beast in him, it's all very hard to accept. It seems that Joyce helped him a lot in coping with it in the last couple of years, her being on the verge of passing away seems even more unfair now...

I still think that Reynold would need a hug, but probably this time I would wait for the full moon to be over before...

SnowBnuuy

@HermioneSims Thank you so much < 3 for your comment!

Oh yeah I left a bunch of hints, that would be fun to reveal those actually - the ones I remember are (Other readers, DON'T READ THIS unless you've read 1:12!) :

-Reynold's reveal as a lunar witch. I played on the fact that I knew people would think due to the complexity (mess) of the lore that werewolfiness and lunar witchcraft were likely different things
- There's also a red herring thrown in with one other character who mentioned their beastly side, but more on that later ; )
- When Reynold admits he's a witch to Susana he stutters on the 'w' because he was about to tell her much more than that, and then held back.
- Clem calling Reynold out for not controlling his emotions in an early chapter, when he promised he would. Also her freezing and more or less collapsing to the ground when he yells at her one time.
- Reynold being taken by surprise when the (almost) first thing Julian discusses with him is about the recent werewolf problem

And to respond to your thoughts:

First off, this is the only time I will say to only hug it when it's LESS fluffy

Yeah, there's enough eating at Reynold already but that's always in the back of his mind, worrying that he will repeat what happened to Clem to someone else he loves. Which he really should tell Aine about it, but... who knows when (or if) that'll come up? That's his other thing, although he's mostly a decent person he doesn't want everyone to see him as a monster, but also people do have to know eventually for their safety. Mother Joyce has done a lot for him, and it's thanks to her that (for a lunar witch) he has it under some level of control.

Thanks again and I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter! < 3

GlacierSnow

Aaaaaaa! Good reveal!

Reynold! And I even noticed how hairy he is in that lake scene in the other chapter. And still I fell for your other red herring. Well played.

I love the screenshots of him praying, by the way. They're beautiful and make me feel sad for him. He looks so small and lost.

SnowBnuuy

@GlacierSnow Thank you so much for commenting!

Good spotting! I'm so glad the reveal wasn't TOO obvious I worried it would be : P Funnily enough the body hair wasn't a hint on my part, I just realised none of my Sims ever have body hair. And I realise why, because the EA body hair looks awful so I'm gonna hunt down some better CC stuff for that I think... I'm glad you like the reveal! And I'm glad you like the prayer poses too, they were hard to make to get the emotion right (even if I stole the EA kneeling pose and just edited it : P ). You're right actually I didn't notice that. It really does show how insignificant he is compared to something like the Watcher.

GlacierSnow

Cool! I love knowing what goes into making scenes in other writers' stories. You did a great job with it all even if it was semi-unconscious choices. I, also, use modified clips from EA animations to make some of my poses along with poses I make entirely from scratch. And sometimes I use the "pose by name" function on the pose player to just run a loop and grab a more spontaneous moment within the animation.

Really enjoying the story. Keep it up!

Sims4MagicalTales

I enjoyed the updates. Great storytelling!

_sims_Yimi

Chapter 1.12

I wonder how many witnesses/blackmailed people like Henry it would take for the rest of the village to finally see Annoying for the horrible man that he is? 🤔 Gideon is very much a man on a mission and I doubt he’d give up until he brings him down properly. He keeps reminding me of Ethren, too. Maybe it’s the way he looks. It would be such a huge change to have the former witchfinder’s son or grandson or nephew or the like end up as a practical magic sage.
Woops, I’m rambling. Back to the chapter!

Poor Reynold. It helps tons that Joyce is at peace with her future passing but saying goodbye is always heartbreaking, even in the best of circumstances. And she's leaving him with such a huge responsibility, too. Here's to hoping he really is up to the task.

So it really was Reynold who injured Clem so horribly, and his outbursts really were the reason for her extreme reaction to him back then. Oof. And he’d already healed her a fair amount by the point they reached mother Joyce, too. Which means that she was probably a hair’s breath away from death before that. At the hands of her own brother. Doesn’t bear thinking about. 😶

The best thing to do for a dark heart is to guide it towards the light. I like that phrase.

Ooooh! That plot twist! I thought something was up with him being a moon caster – so moon casters and werewolves are the same thing? Or is it a very specific ability that only a few of them have, I wonder. Hm. Does that mean there are two werewolves? Is Katlego’s “beast” something else altogether? So many questions and I have no idea, lol. Poor Reynold. Pushed into the role of Shepherd, knowing he’s one horrible outburst away from turning into the monster that kills all the sheep. Maybe he just needs to learn control. Good luck finding someone to teach him, though…

SnowBnuuy

Glacier and S4MT- Thank you so much < 3

@_sims_Yimi Thank you so much for your comment < 33

I’ll be honest I have not thought through the Annorin thing as much as I should have XD Ah yes IDK if I told you that Gideon is a ancestor of Ethren, and that the idea came from a throwaway line in Vitriol. The whole Joyce and Reynold thing is depressing, and even more so with Clem and Reynold. He had no control over it but it also doesn’t change what happened for Clem, and also on top of that he is the reason she almost died and the reason she survived at all. What a mess. Oh for me that line sounded ‘perfectly Peteran’, in other words, cornily lawful good sounding : p Yup, everyone in this story is having the worst life of their life.

As for your question about the werewolves, I have no idea yet actually. Maybe there’s a small chance that a mooncaster can’t turn into a wolf for some reason, but I don’t really know actually. I’ll bang on about it some more when I have time!

NOTE 26/09/22: Due to a combination of multiple things, the next chapter will be late. I know I update super frequently anyway, but figured I ought to give a heads-up.

SnowBnuuy

Almost two weeks late, and a new chapter is now on the Chapter Index.

Since I am now more or less caught up to my rough plan, I will have to go back and basically re-write my entire rough plan so that it matches what actually happens in the story, and then I'll have to plan ahead. So I may have to go on a short writing break to do some planning stuff. I'm not sure how much of Act One I have left to go, but I know roughly where I want Act One to end. Thanks so far to all readers and also thank you so so much to those who comment. < 3

GlacierSnow

Wow. Things getting tense. I love how you do parts of the story using letters between characters.

I feel bad for Reynold and Clem. It seems like it will be hard for them to deal with Mother Joyce's passing in more ways than just grief. Worried about how this will affect them both.

That guy attacking Abigail was scary! Cool to see Aine in action though!

The kids' questions about pregnancy made me laugh.

SnowBnuuy

@GlacierSnow Thank you for your comment as always < 3 I always liked the idea of doing a 'scrapbook story' partially told in various documents as well as just the narrative.

Oh yeah, I had to have the kids ask appropriately kid-like questions about the baby. I was going to simply have her tell a story to them, but I knew they'd be more interested in the baby XD Yeah, it's going to hit them both hard and also force them to both have horrific memories of the day they both met her. In a way, it has slightly brought them together, and so far this is the most positive interaction the two of them have had, awfully enough in Mother Joyce's death. And now Reynold's got the eventual ordination to worry about on top of everything else. These two are a wonderful disaster, aren't they? : P

I had a blast doing that scene. I've been waiting so long to have Aine blast somebody and finally got her to do it : P

HermioneSims

I agree, the situation seems quite tense...

The Reynold-Clem section was very sad, understandably this is a difficult moment for them both. Seeing Áine teaching was interesting and funny, but then that ending! I admit that I was worried for a second, before remembering that she's good with untamed magics and everything. Now it remains to be seen if that guy will return back or not... He could definitively be an issue.

SnowBnuuy

@HermioneSims Thank you for your comment as always < 3

Yeah, for so many different reasons it's difficult for them both to lose Mother Joyce. Good old Áine kicking witchfinder butt. I'm glad you picked up on that since a big but not-spoken part of this chapter is the fact that at least one person that isn't witch-friendly knows she's a witch now...

mightysprite

Aw I love the dynamic between Aine and the little kid.

_sims_Yimi

Chapter 1.13

Ha! Someone to knock Shepherd Julian down a peg, though I don’t actually agree with what she’s saying. Them stubbornly not wanting to call the other by their title made me laugh. Julian surprised me with how willing he was to let Clem go tend to her brother, even before he heard that Mother Joyce had passed away. In a way he’s the enemy, but he doesn’t even try to convince Clem to do her sermon instead. He stands up to her against Juniper without a thought, too. I like how he’s absolutely not black-and-white, but a complex person on his own.

Oh, Reynold. Clem is right, he’s so not ready to protect anyone if he doesn’t even know how to keep himself in check. He can’t exactly take a sabbatical and go figure out his bloodline, though. Or can he? I can’t remember – were their parents still alive?

Ha! Stork. 😂 Whoa, that was close. Good thing Áine was there to save Abigail... though now that they let the witchfinder go with his life, they’ll no longer be safe there. She’ll have to pack up and move again, or face more and more of them 😥

SnowBnuuy

@_sims_Yimi Thank you for your comment as always < 3 3

Julian is far from a good guy as you say, but he does genuinely care about his people and for Clem and wants the best for her, and even though he knows they don’t get along, he knows that Reynold does mean a lot to her deep down. He doesn't want her to put her duty before her family. I think like Mother Joyce, he too probably has regrets of putting his duty as leader of the church before all else in his life. If he knew that not all witchcraft was dangerous and evil, I think he would change his tune about the witches. But it's a case of what if anything will make him realise that. As for Reynold's parents, who knows? Even I don't know actually XD Not likely still alive though.

I've been waiting patiently to see Áine batter her first witchfinder XD but you're right. Now at least someone knows the truth of her power, and it likely isn't safe to stay there.

SnowBnuuy

Update time- sort of! This isn't a new story chapter necessarily, but a Halloween Special. It covers some backstory of two characters that won't be revealed properly until about Act Two, but I really wanted to write about them. Enjoy!

GlacierSnow

Cool! I'll check it out later today when I have a chance.

mightysprite

Well that was fun! Happy Halloween!