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Banana Drama - A Reading Circle

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    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    oh i also sent a message to sissy reminding her to stop by here.
  • Options
    AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    want to hear a funny story. i'm always well almost always lurking in cogs reading circle. but now that i have a chance and time to be in it my witch faints every time her werewolf husband transforms.

    :D
    I take it you purchased TS3 Supernatural.
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
  • Options
    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    want to hear a funny story. i'm always well almost always lurking in cogs reading circle. but now that i have a chance and time to be in it my witch faints every time her werewolf husband transforms.

    :D
    I take it you purchased TS3 Supernatural.

    yes and no. yes cause i was going too. but since i only delted the base game its still showing up.
  • Options
    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    but if she keeps it up i might have to write a ts4 vampire story. so hopefully she'll behave so i can write werewitch. . get it hes a werewolf shes a witch.
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    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    i did write a new benders chapter though. :)
  • Options
    FirandeFirande Posts: 816 Member
    Bugsie2016 wrote: »
    I also have a question for everyone: Is there any section of your story where you found it hard to write and push onto the next part?


    Most definitely. I've had ruts for actual months, just not knowing how to go on with my story. Or, to be more specific, I'd have a very clear plan in mind on how to go on but it'd be way, way, WAY too complicated to actually play in a game like Sims so I'd just be stuck there on an impossible storyline, because I have a tendency of activating my too much gene. :sweat_smile:
    Hi, I have a question for @CathyTea's simLit, Spectrum.

    Spectrum is a very personal simLit and I applaud you for the bravery of writing something so punishingly intimate, which is one of the beauties of this series. Were there any chapters particularly hard to write because of this?

    I'm really curious about this too! I've always wondered, with writing nonfiction, what things one decides to disclose and what things are just too difficult to disclose, so you keep them concealed. Writing creative nonfiction, do you feel like there is a limit to the information you would disclose, or are you able to just put everything on the paper and disclose it all? :blush:
    Origin ID: Fierande | Simlit | Tumblr

    fgQIHTb.png
  • Options
    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    i might have solved the sissy mia mystery elder scrolls released a new chapter. 3 days early. for a passifist she loves the game.
  • Options
    CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    Hi, I have a question for @CathyTea's simLit, Spectrum.

    Spectrum is a very personal simLit and I applaud you for the bravery of writing something so punishingly intimate, which is one of the beauties of this series. Were there any chapters particularly hard to write because of this?
    Firande wrote: »
    [Writing creative nonfiction, do you feel like there is a limit to the information you would disclose, or are you able to just put everything on the paper and disclose it all? :blush:
    @CathyTea what inspires your chapters? How do you pick a subject?

    Hi, hi, my friends! :)

    I'll talk about these three together, for they seem quite interconnected to me.

    So far, Cog, none of the chapters that I've posted have been hard to write. The process has been quite full of grace, actually. For me, this series began with this realization: "Oh! If I am autistic, then that would explain all these little pieces of me that previously didn't fit into my understanding of who I was or how I should be!" So the process of writing this, at the beginning, was to take out one of those pieces and to lovingly examine it and then reincorporate it into my understanding of who I am.

    As a result, the process was full of acceptance and integration--it was very, very whole. Particularly, "Blue Raincoat" exemplifies that. I felt so ashamed of that whole episode for quite a while--up until I wrote this series, actually, so that's like nearly 50 years of shame! I got in such trouble over that. I didn't often get in trouble as a kid, but after I tore the pockets of that coat, I got into so much trouble. My mom couldn't understand it, and neither could I. I knew I had so much pleasure and comfort from tearing the pocket (it was a soothing stim when I was overwhelmed) and then, I got in trouble for it. Actually, now that I think about it, I got in trouble for all my stims. I was just expected to be "normal," strong, healthy, resilient, and not to have to do things to soothe my overstimulated mind. So, writing this allowed me to bring that shamed child out of the hidden corner and to release the shame, to tell her, finally, "It's OK. I understand why you are doing these things. And let's find ways to soothe yourself that aren't destructive, OK? And let's do them whenever you need to!"

    So, in conjunction with writing this, I've also been stimming a lot! When I go for walks, I intertwine my fingers, and it feels great, and I let go of that voice that says, "Just relax your fingers." I say, "No, I feel like intertwining them now, and I will relax them when I'm ready!" Or (admittedly when no one is looking) I will wave or flap my hands or swing my arms. It's soothing.

    Anyway, none of the chapters posted so far have been hard--they've all felt really loving and beautiful, and they've let me understand and love that part of myself that struggles in making and maintaining friends, that says things that are met with hostility or puzzlement, that part that freaks out when with crowds or when overstimulated or when the demands of life exceed my capacity. Rather than my previous ableist approach of believing that I should be able to excel in everything, and it's just a matter of "trying harder," I'm allowing myself to realizing that some things are a struggle and some exceed my capabilities.

    There are two chapters that are hard, and these aren't posted yet. They've been sitting in drafts for over five months. One is about online friends and the other is titled "Bright Shiny Mirrors," and it's about definitions of being autistic and how I see myself reflected in the writing of other autistic people.

    The one about online friends is hard because during the time I've been drafting it, I've been making a lot of new online friends through ESO. Currently, I actually have more friends there than I can easily accommodate, so I'm having to figure out how to manage spending time with them and how to spend time doing solo things. I also went through some developments with one close friendship where I began to see that how this person presented themselves originally, and how they are when they're being natural, are kind of different. So, I wanted to see if the friendship would last before writing this. The friendship is growing stronger, and I seem to be understanding how to accept that people can be different when they're first trying to become friends than later, once they're more comfortable and secure in the friendship.

    The other chapter, which deals with definitions of being autistic, really is putting me through a lot of examination. I'm uncovering internalized ableism, that I have from my family and the cultures I'm part of. I'm looking at the pathologization of autism, as well as the more accepting view of neurodiversity. This chapter is a hard nut for me, so I think I'll be thinking about it quite a bit more before I finally post it.

    This comes to Fig's question about how much to reveal--usually, I reveal whatever I can look at (within basic propriety). With the two chapters I'm struggling with, I'm not sure what I'm looking at, and my perspective shifts, so I am holding off on posting those until I achieve some clarity or until I come to the decision to write about my confusion and searching.

    I assume a safe, supportive audience--I write like I'm writing to friends who love me, for most of my readers have proven to be just that. So, I rarely feel awkward after posting. I must admit, though, that I got few responses to my "Meltdowns and Shutdowns" post--and that made me doubt myself. Is it a topic people don't like? Am I not autistic, after all? Are these not "proper" meltdowns? Is what I call a shutdown a shutdown or just being tired? Do people not like to think about this stuff? I did really enjoy writing that chapter, though, and it gave me so much understanding of the process I go through of, periodically, having meltdowns and shutdowns, and also understanding how to support myself through them, that, overall, I feel good about having written and posted that.

    I guess I'm pretty comfortable and confident with myself, so I feel that whatever I can look at, I can share with my trusted readers.

    In terms of which topics to write about, Lizzie, I just choose what comes to the surface. Initially, it was selecting memories that I'd shunned and buried. Now, it's looking at questions of definition and identity. Writing, for me, is very much an integrative process of making meaning, so I sort of just watch my thoughts and my subconscious and explore what wants to come to the surface.



    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • Options
    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    edited June 2019
    full of acceptance

    i liked this , because i don't have to get a translator to understand it. alhough since the words jumped out at me its possible i'm confused. but its only been in recent years i realized that i needed to be happy and not worry about what others thought. because i did that its like i'm free now.

    i enjoy your stories :) they make me think i think that helps me write better. deeper.
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    ForgottenPixelsForgottenPixels Posts: 11,376 Member
    I don't really have anything to add but I'll say I am lurking in here. :)
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    friendsfan367friendsfan367 Posts: 29,362 Member
    Bugsie2016 wrote: »
    I don't really have anything to add but I'll say I am lurking in here. :)

    i didn't really either. i just added to what she said. i wonder if thats plagery.
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    ForgottenPixelsForgottenPixels Posts: 11,376 Member
    Chapter 41 (Image in spoiler 'cause it's kinda big)
    D8G4ncdXoAANlMD.jpg
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    FirandeFirande Posts: 816 Member
    edited June 2019
    @simscognito Wow, here my dumb aßß has been commenting on every of your chapters... only to find out the commends have been closed. :sweat_smile: Wow. But I just wanted to say how much I love your story, and your creativity and your style of writing and the humor you invoke in your chapters despite it still being a serious story overall. You have found such a great balance between humor and drama and it makes your story very entertaining to read & also hard to put down. The last chapter, that one part (I don't wanna spoil), made me LOL thinking of the "Ye're a wizard, Harry," meme. :joy: Not sure if that was intentional or not. But yeah, I just wanted to say that I'm finally all caught up with your story and I've been loving the journey to this point!! Am frankly a little sad that I'll have to wait for new chapters now like everyone else, LOL.
    Am so excited for the upcoming chapters!!

    I have since published two chapters on Pariah, 21. Shiva Rao & 22. Life In The Countryside... . I am hoping to post at least one more chapter this week, though!
    Origin ID: Fierande | Simlit | Tumblr

    fgQIHTb.png
  • Options
    CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    Firande wrote: »
    @simscognito Wow, here my dumb aßß has been commenting on every of your chapters... only to find out the commends have been closed. :sweat_smile: Wow. But I just wanted to say how much I love your story, and your creativity and your style of writing and the humor you invoke in your chapters despite it still being a serious story overall. You have found such a great balance between humor and drama and it makes your story very entertaining to read & also hard to put down. The last chapter, that one part (I don't wanna spoil), made me LOL thinking of the "Ye're a wizard, Harry," meme. :joy: Not sure if that was intentional or not. But yeah, I just wanted to say that I'm finally all caught up with your story and I've been loving the journey to this point!! Am frankly a little sad that I'll have to wait for new chapters now like everyone else, LOL.
    Am so excited for the upcoming chapters!!

    I have since published two chapters on Pariah, 21. Shiva Rao & 22. Life In The Countryside... . I am hoping to post at least one more chapter this week, though!

    I love this story of Cog's so much! I spent about an hour catching up on it over Memorial Day weekend, and by the time I finished, of course I wanted more! I also noticed that the part of my brain that gets captivated by special interests (what some might call obsessions) had been activated. Yes! Cog's story could very well become one of my special interests! (Anyone reading Spectrum knows that for those of us with abundantly synaptical brains, special interests are, basically, life-savers or sanity bringers!)
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • Options
    simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    edited June 2019
    Will comment later
    Post edited by simscognito on
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    FirandeFirande Posts: 816 Member
    Firande wrote: »
    @simscognito Wow, here my dumb aßß has been commenting on every of your chapters... only to find out the commends have been closed. :sweat_smile: Wow. But I just wanted to say how much I love your story, and your creativity and your style of writing and the humor you invoke in your chapters despite it still being a serious story overall. You have found such a great balance between humor and drama and it makes your story very entertaining to read & also hard to put down. The last chapter, that one part (I don't wanna spoil), made me LOL thinking of the "Ye're a wizard, Harry," meme. :joy: Not sure if that was intentional or not. But yeah, I just wanted to say that I'm finally all caught up with your story and I've been loving the journey to this point!! Am frankly a little sad that I'll have to wait for new chapters now like everyone else, LOL.
    Am so excited for the upcoming chapters!!

    I have since published two chapters on Pariah, 21. Shiva Rao & 22. Life In The Countryside... . I am hoping to post at least one more chapter this week, though!

    @Firande my comments aren't closed. But thanks for the compliments. xD.

    Now i'm worried. Has everyone been thinking they can't comment on my blog? :(

    I can technically comment, but I'm shown this thing beneath it on "comments are closed" that made me think any comments I wrote wouldn't be published, and got me confused. :sweat_smile:

    FL5LhzK.png
    Origin ID: Fierande | Simlit | Tumblr

    fgQIHTb.png
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    simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    @Firande Sorry was unable to respond in full earlier as I was working. Please please don't stop commenting - in fact if you look back you will see I have enjoyed every single comment of yours and responded to most. Please let me know if you can't see the comments. If you prefer, you can always comment on my thread.
    I have so appreciated your understanding of where I'm coming from, even to picking up the "Y'er a wizard Harry" reference and I particularly appreciated your response to the Bipolar chapter as it was a really hard chapter to write and I wasn't sure if I had written it well. I can't tell you how rewarding that is for me as a writer.
    The "closed comment" you saw refers to the in-built proprietorial Weebly website comment system, and not to my commenting application on my weekly story blog. Many Simlits on Weebly opt-out of the proprietorial comment software because it's rubbish and they often use the same applications that I use.
    All comments are welcome and I read every one.
  • Options
    simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    Firande wrote: »
    @simscognito Wow, here my dumb aßß has been commenting on every of your chapters... only to find out the commends have been closed. :sweat_smile: Wow. But I just wanted to say how much I love your story, and your creativity and your style of writing and the humor you invoke in your chapters despite it still being a serious story overall. You have found such a great balance between humor and drama and it makes your story very entertaining to read & also hard to put down. The last chapter, that one part (I don't wanna spoil), made me LOL thinking of the "Ye're a wizard, Harry," meme. :joy: Not sure if that was intentional or not. But yeah, I just wanted to say that I'm finally all caught up with your story and I've been loving the journey to this point!! Am frankly a little sad that I'll have to wait for new chapters now like everyone else, LOL.
    Am so excited for the upcoming chapters!!

    I have since published two chapters on Pariah, 21. Shiva Rao & 22. Life In The Countryside... . I am hoping to post at least one more chapter this week, though!

    I love this story of Cog's so much! I spent about an hour catching up on it over Memorial Day weekend, and by the time I finished, of course I wanted more! I also noticed that the part of my brain that gets captivated by special interests (what some might call obsessions) had been activated. Yes! Cog's story could very well become one of my special interests! (Anyone reading Spectrum knows that for those of us with abundantly synaptical brains, special interests are, basically, life-savers or sanity bringers!)

    @CathyTea aw-shucks :blush:
  • Options
    simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    Hi, I have a question for @CathyTea's simLit, Spectrum.

    Spectrum is a very personal simLit and I applaud you for the bravery of writing something so punishingly intimate, which is one of the beauties of this series. Were there any chapters particularly hard to write because of this?
    Firande wrote: »
    [Writing creative nonfiction, do you feel like there is a limit to the information you would disclose, or are you able to just put everything on the paper and disclose it all? :blush:
    @CathyTea what inspires your chapters? How do you pick a subject?

    Hi, hi, my friends! :)

    I'll talk about these three together, for they seem quite interconnected to me.

    So far, Cog, none of the chapters that I've posted have been hard to write. The process has been quite full of grace, actually. For me, this series began with this realization: "Oh! If I am autistic, then that would explain all these little pieces of me that previously didn't fit into my understanding of who I was or how I should be!" So the process of writing this, at the beginning, was to take out one of those pieces and to lovingly examine it and then reincorporate it into my understanding of who I am.

    As a result, the process was full of acceptance and integration--it was very, very whole. Particularly, "Blue Raincoat" exemplifies that. I felt so ashamed of that whole episode for quite a while--up until I wrote this series, actually, so that's like nearly 50 years of shame! I got in such trouble over that. I didn't often get in trouble as a kid, but after I tore the pockets of that coat, I got into so much trouble. My mom couldn't understand it, and neither could I. I knew I had so much pleasure and comfort from tearing the pocket (it was a soothing stim when I was overwhelmed) and then, I got in trouble for it. Actually, now that I think about it, I got in trouble for all my stims. I was just expected to be "normal," strong, healthy, resilient, and not to have to do things to soothe my overstimulated mind. So, writing this allowed me to bring that shamed child out of the hidden corner and to release the shame, to tell her, finally, "It's OK. I understand why you are doing these things. And let's find ways to soothe yourself that aren't destructive, OK? And let's do them whenever you need to!"

    So, in conjunction with writing this, I've also been stimming a lot! When I go for walks, I intertwine my fingers, and it feels great, and I let go of that voice that says, "Just relax your fingers." I say, "No, I feel like intertwining them now, and I will relax them when I'm ready!" Or (admittedly when no one is looking) I will wave or flap my hands or swing my arms. It's soothing.

    Anyway, none of the chapters posted so far have been hard--they've all felt really loving and beautiful, and they've let me understand and love that part of myself that struggles in making and maintaining friends, that says things that are met with hostility or puzzlement, that part that freaks out when with crowds or when overstimulated or when the demands of life exceed my capacity. Rather than my previous ableist approach of believing that I should be able to excel in everything, and it's just a matter of "trying harder," I'm allowing myself to realizing that some things are a struggle and some exceed my capabilities.

    There are two chapters that are hard, and these aren't posted yet. They've been sitting in drafts for over five months. One is about online friends and the other is titled "Bright Shiny Mirrors," and it's about definitions of being autistic and how I see myself reflected in the writing of other autistic people.

    The one about online friends is hard because during the time I've been drafting it, I've been making a lot of new online friends through ESO. Currently, I actually have more friends there than I can easily accommodate, so I'm having to figure out how to manage spending time with them and how to spend time doing solo things. I also went through some developments with one close friendship where I began to see that how this person presented themselves originally, and how they are when they're being natural, are kind of different. So, I wanted to see if the friendship would last before writing this. The friendship is growing stronger, and I seem to be understanding how to accept that people can be different when they're first trying to become friends than later, once they're more comfortable and secure in the friendship.

    The other chapter, which deals with definitions of being autistic, really is putting me through a lot of examination. I'm uncovering internalized ableism, that I have from my family and the cultures I'm part of. I'm looking at the pathologization of autism, as well as the more accepting view of neurodiversity. This chapter is a hard nut for me, so I think I'll be thinking about it quite a bit more before I finally post it.

    This comes to Fig's question about how much to reveal--usually, I reveal whatever I can look at (within basic propriety). With the two chapters I'm struggling with, I'm not sure what I'm looking at, and my perspective shifts, so I am holding off on posting those until I achieve some clarity or until I come to the decision to write about my confusion and searching.

    I assume a safe, supportive audience--I write like I'm writing to friends who love me, for most of my readers have proven to be just that. So, I rarely feel awkward after posting. I must admit, though, that I got few responses to my "Meltdowns and Shutdowns" post--and that made me doubt myself. Is it a topic people don't like? Am I not autistic, after all? Are these not "proper" meltdowns? Is what I call a shutdown a shutdown or just being tired? Do people not like to think about this stuff? I did really enjoy writing that chapter, though, and it gave me so much understanding of the process I go through of, periodically, having meltdowns and shutdowns, and also understanding how to support myself through them, that, overall, I feel good about having written and posted that.

    I guess I'm pretty comfortable and confident with myself, so I feel that whatever I can look at, I can share with my trusted readers.

    In terms of which topics to write about, Lizzie, I just choose what comes to the surface. Initially, it was selecting memories that I'd shunned and buried. Now, it's looking at questions of definition and identity. Writing, for me, is very much an integrative process of making meaning, so I sort of just watch my thoughts and my subconscious and explore what wants to come to the surface.

    @CathyTea I think it's great that you get so much out of writing Spectrum. I think writing should be about self discovery and be a positive experience overall.

    As for some responses, sometimes people feel uncomfortable when they come across controversial topics. I don't think you should take those commenters personally.
    I'm really glad you're not afraid to approach all sides of autism because a person can't truly accept something if they don't accept all parts of it.
  • Options
    CathyTeaCathyTea Posts: 23,089 Member
    Hi everyone, here's the next chapter of Friends of Foes.

    Chapter sixty seven: Henry Joins the Coven
    chapter-sixty-seven-henry-joins-the-coven_orig.png

    Gosh, I love this chapter! Henry and Alex! The way they look at each other! I hope everyone has someone like that in their life...
    Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology

    Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
  • Options
    simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    CathyTea wrote: »
    Hi everyone, here's the next chapter of Friends of Foes.

    Chapter sixty seven: Henry Joins the Coven
    chapter-sixty-seven-henry-joins-the-coven_orig.png

    Gosh, I love this chapter! Henry and Alex! The way they look at each other! I hope everyone has someone like that in their life...

    Thanks @CathyTea XD Yeah Halex are very much relationship goals... minus Alex's difficultness. :D
  • Options
    simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    Hi everyone, I wanted to let you all know that @Bugsie2016's Life's Lessons is being spotlighted this week for Sims PRIDE.
    You can read about it on the website here which discusses Bugsie's story and on the forum thread here for more information about what Sims PRIDE is.
  • Options
    AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    Cool! I added to my reading list for the weekend, @simscognito! BTW, love the picture of your latest chapter update and your banner is cool!
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
  • Options
    AdamsEve1231AdamsEve1231 Posts: 7,035 Member
    Hey everyone, I updated KCLKF chapters. Don't know if anyone is caught up, but anyhow. *shrugs*
    screenshot-1335-1.jpg?w=474&h=356
    1.76, Pt. 3 Life and Love and Why
    1.77 Nice Day
    1.78, Pt. 1 No Mistake
    Kass enjoys a nice date or two with Davis, and learns some shocking news about Madison.
    With these forums closing down, stay connected.

    Find me elsewhere:
    My EA App ID: livinasimminlife
    Livin' A Simmin' Life Stories
    My Worldbuilding Blog
    Simblr
    My Sims Pinterest
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