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  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @simscognito What am I missing? I have re-read so many chapters..

    I am having trouble getting into Alex's head. He's just so powerful - like he knows secret stuff, but everything- not just private stuff. He projects self-confidence. It's actually a turn-on, but it makes it hard to discuss his motivations on a forum like this, and I would really love to pick him apart and see what's making his little clock tick...tick...tock. Maybe I have too much time on my hands.

    @kirivian hmm... well I think what's happening is you're believing Alex too much. He certainly thinks he knows everything and he certainly acts confidently. He wants you to believe he's super confident.

    Are you familiar with Alexander the Great? Researching into him might helpful in understanding Alex.

    However, you sort of picked apart Alex when you were picking apart Linda. Both are deeply affected by the death of their parents. It is explored in Alex Has a Pen Pal 2.

    He's also deeply homesick and is kinda having an identity crisis. Those are addressed in all the childhood chapters and the second to latest chapter which also addresses his discrimination in the Royal family. Alex Has A Pen Pal 2 also discusses those themes.

    @CathyTea picked apart Alex really well and so has @candycottonchu . Ill see if I can dig up their responses from Bookclub.
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    @kirivian just realised there's was a lot of discussion on this in Bookclub, so I'll just link you to the pages here. https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/843372/book-club-tasty-read-with-bugsie2016/p186
  • ShadyboopShadyboop Posts: 6,751 Member
    @kirivian Btw Alex is also one of the caring ones as how he is in the rp thread. (Before an incident happened) He may keep a confident facade (Well it's a facade), but he is the one who cares for the ones he befriended (Even if they're a little... Uh... How do I say this?).
    I prefer Shade than Shady
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @Shadyboop @simscognito thank you both. I am getting a lot of insight from the bookclub. not sure what that is? but there is a lot of discussion there that is helping me work this out. I feel like a tiny little minnow in a big pond of koi. Y'all know so much about this stuff and articulate yourselves so beautifully, and I'm lucky to just get from one side of the pool to the other. (yeah yeah, there's a learning curve, right?)
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    edited August 2018
    kirivian wrote: »
    @Shadyboop @simscognito thank you both. I am getting a lot of insight from the bookclub. not sure what that is? but there is a lot of discussion there that is helping me work this out. I feel like a tiny little minnow in a big pond of koi. Y'all know so much about this stuff and articulate yourselves so beautifully, and I'm lucky to just get from one side of the pool to the other. (yeah yeah, there's a learning curve, right?)

    @kirivian Oh do tell me your insight afterwards. You may find there are a lot of differing opinions on Alex. He has many layers as @Shadyboop pointed out. I'd love to know your final opinion of him. XD
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @Shadyboop @simscognito thank you both. I am getting a lot of insight from the bookclub. not sure what that is? but there is a lot of discussion there that is helping me work this out. I feel like a tiny little minnow in a big pond of koi. Y'all know so much about this stuff and articulate yourselves so beautifully, and I'm lucky to just get from one side of the pool to the other. (yeah yeah, there's a learning curve, right?)
    @kirivian Oh, I think I forgot to say. Bookclub was a thread where simmers could nominate writers to be featured for a week or two weeks and they would interact with readers in a discussion about their chosen story.
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    edited August 2018
    @kirivian Oh do tell me your insight afterwards. You may find there are a lot of differing opinions on Alex. He has many layers as @Shadyboop pointed out. I'd love to know your final opinion of him. XD

    @simscognito I wasn't sure if and when you might be on. I spent some time last night re-reading chapters of FoF and also this thread and the bookclub thread you linked for me. First of all my final opinion of him won't be final until you write his last page (which hopefully won't be for a long time.) I am way too taken by him. Having said that:

    It's amazing the insight your readers have on your characters. I feel like a dullard in compare, but I am so dazzled by Alex, what can I say? As you suspected, I want to see him as invincible and all-knowing because he deliberately projects that (he fooled me), but of course now it is obvious that he relies very much on some people (especially Henry and his mother) to help him with the burdens of being on the outside by birth (even though he is the monarch and family by birth), and of course with the high pressure of that station and the stress of protecting Henry from the danger that puts him in. Upon re-reading a lot of the chapters I noticed that before almost every major event involving Alex, he seeks out private time with Henry and not just for fun (for advice and also I think to re-assure himself). The only time I have seen Alex admit to not knowing something or not being on top of everything was I think to Henry (I haven't re-read every chapter so I may be wrong on that). For me the most notable instance of that (that I didn't pay enough attention to the first time reading it) was pretty early on when he confided in Henry that he had seen his mother's ghost and asked Henry, basically, if he was crazy or if ghosts really did exist. I was really touched by that. It's a really good example of me missing subtleties on the first read-through. All of the factors discussed in these threads, his heritage, his feeling like he is not "home" (I totally agree with all y'all though- I think Henry is home for him), his desire to make peace and his frustration at his inability to do it (yet) certainly have humanized him for me very much. I thank you for taking the time to help me work this through.

    I feel a bit like I have nothing to offer the conversation because so much of what I have come to understand about your characters has already been discussed in depth. ( I missed it :( - it's what I get for coming late to the party), but I am sure that now that I am caught up I will be able to contribute more to the discussion as the story progresses ( If I can get over the whole fan-boii thing that is) :blush:
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @kirivian Oh do tell me your insight afterwards. You may find there are a lot of differing opinions on Alex. He has many layers as @Shadyboop pointed out. I'd love to know your final opinion of him. XD

    @simscognito I wasn't sure if and when you might be on. I spent some time last night re-reading chapters of FoF and also this thread and the bookclub thread you linked for me. First of all my final opinion of him won't be final until you write his last page (which hopefully won't be for a long time.) I am way too taken by him. Having said that:

    It's amazing the insight your readers have on your characters. I feel like a dullard in compare, but I am so dazzled by Alex, what can I say? As you suspected, I want to see him as invincible and all-knowing because he deliberately projects that (he fooled me), but of course now it is obvious that he relies very much on some people (especially Henry and his mother) to help him with the burdens of being on the outside by birth (even though he is the monarch and family by birth), and of course with the high pressure of that station and the stress of protecting Henry from the danger that puts him in. Upon re-reading a lot of the chapters I noticed that before almost every major event involving Alex, he seeks out private time with Henry and not just for fun (for advice and also I think to re-assure himself). The only time I have seen Alex admit to not knowing something or not being on top of everything was I think to Henry (I haven't re-read every chapter so I may be wrong on that). For me the most notable instance of that (that I didn't pay enough attention to the first time reading it) was pretty early on when he confided in Henry that he had seen his mother's ghost and asked Henry, basically, if he was crazy or if ghosts really did exist. I was really touched by that. It's a really good example of me missing subtleties on the first read-through. All of the factors discussed in these threads, his heritage, his feeling like he is not "home" (I totally agree with all y'all though- I think Henry is home for him), his desire to make peace and his frustration at his inability to do it (yet) certainly have humanized him for me very much. I thank you for taking the time to help me work this through.

    I feel a bit like I have nothing to offer the conversation because so much of what I have come to understand about your characters has already been discussed in depth. ( I missed it :( - it's what I get for coming late to the party), but I am sure that now that I am caught up I will be able to contribute more to the discussion as the story progresses ( If I can get over the whole fan-boii thing that is) :blush:

    @kirivian Wow! I love your insight into Alex. Yes. No one ever addressed his first meeting with Henry that we see. He does rely on Henry a lot. (And maybe a bit too much). Heres some information you might not know. Henry is a foreigner too. He was born in San Myshuno, North America. It's in a fictional state called New Tokyo. Henry moved to Simsland when he was three years old and so I guess the whole feeling of being an outsider, Henry gets. That and Henry has social anxiety and is from a not particularly popular gang. :joy: So I'm wondering if this common ground helped bring the two closer. They both feel like they don't fit so they find their home in each other. However, I sometimes wonder who needs the other more. I feel like Alex emotionally needs Henry more than Henry needs him.
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @kirivian... I feel like Alex emotionally needs Henry more than Henry needs him.
    @simscognito
    I totes agree with this especially now after last nights reading.
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @kirivian... I feel like Alex emotionally needs Henry more than Henry needs him.
    @simscognito
    I totes agree with this especially now after last nights reading.

    @kirivian doesn't mean Henry loves Alex any less though.
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @simscognito 'Course not. Who could love Alex less? (tick...tick...tock.)
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @simscognito 'Course not. Who could love Alex less? (tick...tick...tock.)
    @kirivian Lol! :D Hey, according to Alex, everyone should love him. What's not to love? :joy:
  • ShadyboopShadyboop Posts: 6,751 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @simscognito 'Course not. Who could love Alex less? (tick...tick...tock.)
    @kirivian Lol! :D Hey, according to Alex, everyone should love him. What's not to love? :joy:

    :joy::joy::joy:
    I prefer Shade than Shady
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @simscognito
    @kirivian Lol! :D Hey, according to Alex, everyone should love him. What's not to love? :joy:

    Yeah! Being hot gets you ultra lovable points even if you are okay murdering your Aunt, Cousins, Enemies, Rivals, etc.. :p
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @simscognito
    @kirivian Lol! :D Hey, according to Alex, everyone should love him. What's not to love? :joy:

    Yeah! Being hot gets you ultra lovable points even if you are okay murdering your Aunt, Cousins, Enemies, Rivals, etc.. :p

    Oh you think Alex is hot? I think so too. Not met someone who also feels the same way so high five!
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @simscognito High five! I don't think about spankings in reference to just anyone you know.
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @simscognito High five! I don't think about spankings in reference to just anyone you know.

    Hehe. Quite a few people deserve a spanking at the moment. :D
  • ShadyboopShadyboop Posts: 6,751 Member
    Something unrelated, but there was a cheesecake a while ago on the table. I was supposed to get it, but it's gone.
    I prefer Shade than Shady
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @Shadyboop Italian (ricotta) or NY Style (cream cheese)? this is very important.
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • ShadyboopShadyboop Posts: 6,751 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @Shadyboop Italian (ricotta) or NY Style (cream cheese)? this is very important.

    NY. It's an oreo strawberry mango cheesecake. I wonder who stole it...
    I prefer Shade than Shady
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @Shadyboop Hmmm... I love NY Style, but I swear it wasn't me. I am already on the hotseat from @simscognito for imagined misbehavior. Actually that sounds really good, if I was there it might have been me. Do you have a cat. In my experience cats love cheesecake (even the icky ricotta kind).
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @Shadyboop Hmmm... I love NY Style, but I swear it wasn't me. I am already on the hotseat from @simscognito for imagined misbehavior. Actually that sounds really good, if I was there it might have been me. Do you have a cat. In my experience cats love cheesecake (even the icky ricotta kind).

    @kirivian I love NY cheesecake. <3
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    @simscognito @Shadyboop Seriously, did I miss an interview on the FoF bookclub site about some cheesecake theft committed by a character at some point? That'd be a weird but somehow interesting chapter.
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    kirivian wrote: »
    @simscognito @Shadyboop Seriously, did I miss an interview on the FoF bookclub site about some cheesecake theft committed by a character at some point? That'd be a weird but somehow interesting chapter.

    @kirivian I'm sure Henry's stolen cheesecake in the past. He has a very sweet tooth. :joy:
  • kiriviankirivian Posts: 1,074 Member
    Maybe someone stole a cheesecake from the royal tent and Alex went all terminator with some poison on him/her? Maybe it was Henry who took it (I'll bet he likes NY Style).
    "You ask me if there'll come a time when I grow tired of you...Never, my love..." -The Association (1967)
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