@ThePlumbob
Ooh fun! I wondered when we'd dust down the Tea Party Room. And with such a sensible topic too!
I agree with you both; for gameplay, sentiments are great fun. For story telling, not so much. Seth and Caleb can override the moodlets with their vampy powers, which is how I typically manipulate all my characters' emotions anyway, but as with Aggro, putting Seth in a room with anyone now makes them miserable due to all their 'festering grudges'.
I so want to put Seth and Aggro in a room together now and see what happens. They'd probably get the 'adorable' sentiment.
Haha interesting that you guys mainly have issues with negative sentiments, it's the positive ones I find more annoying I find that the negative ones are more easy to override by other things (and I don't mind them, because so many people in BC are meant to hate each other anyway so it works in my favour lol). But the positive ones just make them elated no matter what from what I've seen. Not sure why they went that way, I certainly don't find myself feeling ecstatic whenever my husband enters the room, haha.
Hey guys! So I'm procrastinating (what else is new?), and I thought of another question for you - well, questions!
What is your favourite chapter (that has been published) in your story so far, and what is your least favourite?
Also, which one was the most difficult to make for you, and which one was the easiest?
@ThePlumbob Ooh! Fun question! I hope you're going to answer it too and not just leave us all hanging in suspense wondering whether Morgyn in a basque and stockings or Morgyn in tiny lace pants was your favourite chapter.
My favourite is: 2.09 Sink A Ship (Seth and Caleb at the dock) because it is chock full of super cryptic clues and has a fun little secret.
Least favourite: 1.47 Fill The Void (the dreaded after-sex chapter) because... ugh, I mean if you've read it, you'll know.
1.47 Fill The Void was difficult to make as I found it incredibly triggering (triggering myself is totally normal, yes? ), but 2.17 Burn It All wins because making decisions 'as Caleb' is bloody awful and requires me to take lots of breaks and facepalm almost continuously.
Easiest was, hm. I'm not sure any of them are really easy because of all the darn balls I have in the air, haha, but I did enjoy making 1.34 Down With That (the one with a giant fish, Zombie Sandy and not-quite-soliciting) because that was kind of silly and 2.02 Forgot My Kidney because I could write Seth/Lilith conversation all day and Caleb's trip to the shop to buy bleach is my favourite scene ever .
Ask me again in a couple of months and my favourite/least favourite published will definitely change though.
@SnuffyBucket Oooh. You know I'm now going to drive myself mad re-reading Sink a Ship looking for clues, right? A fun little secret! I need to knoooow. haha zombie Sandy was fantastic, and I totally get why the Seth and Lilith back and forth would be fun to write, it was so enjoyable to read!
I hope you're going to answer it too and not just leave us all hanging in suspense wondering whether Morgyn in a basque and stockings or Morgyn in tiny lace pants was your favourite chapter.
Obviously the fishnets. No, I actually didn't enjoy making that chapter because it was the one with Cordelia and Micah talking in the most awkwardly shaped tiny space in the house which was not a smart decision for screenshotting, haha.
I think my favourite is still Chapter 30 (Out of Hand), because the memory segment has lots of information, but not really. I also like all of the interludes, mainly because they have been taking up space in my head for too long.
Least favourite... probably one of the early chapters, because they're so slow-paced. I kind of wish I made that slicker, maybe combined some of them, but then I'm still not sure what I would have done differently.
Easiest to write, any of the first person POV chapters, apart from Cordelia's, so either Morgyn's Chapter 23 (It Starts with Intrigue) or 44 (The Demon), Micah's Chapter 46 (No Absolution) or Hawthorne's Chapter 66 (Basically an Adult). I really like writing 1st person, I don't know why I don't do it more often, other than that it would give too much away.
I don't know which one was hardest to write, but any of Hawthorne's uni chapters were a huge pain in the behind to screenshot, because all the random background people kept getting evicted from the household for not being students, blocking me out of build mode, and getting the sprites to appear in the right colour was a nightmare (well, even getting them in the first place). Ugh, I hate the sprites But all of that is much more to do with the technical side being a nuisance rather than your way more meaningful reasoning of certain chapters being too emotionally taxing to write - I haven't really had that yet, maybe some day.
These questions are deceptively hard! Especially in the least favorite category lol. There's too many to choose from.
Favorite chapter would be ch15.1 where Athena writes her final diary entry. The undertones are grimy as usual but if we ignore those, the chapter always gives me a 'd'aw! Athena's all grown up' feeling cuz her entry sounded calm, level-headed, and hopeful for the future compared to her first entry as a teen. Too bad it didn't turn out that way. 😅 Any chapter with Eve in her element is a fav too, which is ch1 of of s2.
Least favourite for me are 9.3 Mercy and 16.4. Curtisena's Party Scene for the same reason. One by a stranger, the other by a lover.
The most difficult for me to make are Mercy (no surprises) and chapters with Kirino in the spotlight. Too relatable.
Easiest is probably 4.1 Ares' composition on 'Person he admires' lol. Was laughing the entire way during production. 😄
My favourite chapter to make was probably Arthur’s kid chapter. Technically, that’s two of them, but they are kind of a pair. It was just so silly and a delight to write, not to mention kid Arthur makes the best awkward expressions out of everyone.
Least favourite is the one I just made as well as Morgana’s kid chapter, because the contents of both ended up getting to me.
The easiest chapters are the ones that write themselves, like Truth part II, Bonds and Family. Sometimes I get really into it, and all of a sudden five hours have passed and there’s a complete chapter in my previously empty word document.
The hardest ones are the chapters where I have to pose more than 15 sims in the same pictures, like the Scarborough chapters and the tournament. My gods. The tournament chapters have 56 people in one household. Getting everyone to sit down, correctly posed, in those darn stands takes forever, and if I realize something is missing and add an effect in build/buy mode halfway their posing, every single one of them resets.
@ThePlumbob I liked your early chapters! Going through the seasons while slowly getting to know Cordelia, Dandy, Morgyn and your supporting cast was a delight to read for me, both because it was well-written and because I love the seasonal holidays in the sims.
@SnuffyBucket That was the one where the shop owner thought Caleb was going to sniff glue and gave him a pamphlet to the sadness hotline, right? I laughed so much at that, lol.
@mercuryfoam Haha, I remember Ares’s essay back when he was a kid. It was so adorably sweet and gave me all the fuzzies. 🥰
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
@_sims_Yimi Truth II was so epic! And so pretty as well, especially the party with Morgana running through the field. I went back to see what the other two were, and noticed both had some Gwen and Sarah interaction and a sibling moment between Arthur and Morgana - is that a pattern for scenes that write themselves?
Gah I loved Arthur's kid chapters, that's when I fell in love with him. Though I like your darker ones too, for different reasons.
The thought of 56 people in a household is giving me a headache just imagining that
@ThePlumbob Yes! Everything with Sarah in it comes very easily, and sibling interactions also don't take much at all. For the rest, some are easier than others, but which end up being easy to make and which end up a complete pain seems to be completely random, though.
Ignore Gawain, he always makes heart speech bubbles when he's talking to Arthur.
Dear Arthur & Gawain, for B2W watcher's sake, JUST KISS ALREADY!
Yimi, y u tease me? On the other hand it's nice to see them all hearts and happy in game.
Since we're on the subject of in-game repeated, automated speech bubbles between characters, here's mine: (Have I shown any of you guys this before?)
Athena always thinks of babies when she is with Curtis AND Trevor! NO. Bad GIRL.
rules: List five things that you, WITHOUT FAIL, weave into or explore in your stories, whether it be specific themes or tropes, character archetypes, allusions to other literary works, what have you! It really can be anything that you consistently include in your narratives for whatever reason.
Edit: Done mine but can't wait to peek into your heads again.
Ooh, this is very interesting! Will need to have a think about this one, especially to see how to answer this without spoilers haha, but I will get to it!
Oh, that’s a tough one. My stories are so different, even from simlit to simlit. Hmm…
I don’t know if I can reach 5 things, but magic always tends to show up in my stories, at some point. Whether it’s there from the start or introduced after some time, there's always some form of it present.
I suppose darkness is another one. No matter what genre I write or storyline I have in my head, there’s always a layer of darkness that my characters are either struggling to contain, tempted by, fighting against or embracing.
I sometimes like writing in themed conflict, too. This one is minor in ToC but shows up pretty heavily in some other stories and my D&D games. Things like freedom vs security, justice vs compassion, idealism vs pragmatism, that sort of thing.
Hmm… I can’t think of others right now. But that’s some things that I enjoy including in stories when I write.
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
Oh! I only really thought of this as prevalent themes in current stories, but if it's meant to be themes in both our current story and anything else we've written, that that could oddly make things easier for me. So, if I think about BC and the Bloomers, I guess
1) Character evolution - and devolution. (Because let's face it, not everyone gets to be "their best self." More often than not, we go down a path that's not the best for us (and others), and it's surprisingly easy for that to happen.
2) Death and mortality, and what those mean to individual people.
3) Commitment issues, weirdly. But I guess it's one of my simself's trait's so it's not that weird, I suppose.
4) Causality and how does one decision in someone's life impact those of others, whether that be further generations down the line in my legacy or just affecting people around you and their lives in BC.
5) Flipping the coin... which really is a cheaty answer, because it just expands on my first point, and maybe the fourth too. But what I mean by that is that perspective is everything, so appearing one way is not an end all or be all, because it's all relative. We're all villains in someone's story, whether we like it or not. It's just a matter of viewpoint.
This is a really interesting topic! AE is my first Simlit and first writing, so I'm going to include all the cartoons I've drawn as well as stories I've told verbally.
Without fail, my stories always include:
1) Comedy. I like to think I'm witty and refined in my comedic efforts, but I typically gravitate to dark/black/blue comedy and it's usually highly inappropriate.
2) Heavy foreshadowing/hints. I always tell readers exactly what's going to happen later in the story or at the end, sometimes right from the very start. My favourite thing about telling a story is if a reader reaches a forewarned plot point, pauses, flips/thinks back to the foreshadowing and loses it.
3) Brain Exploration. It may be based on actual psychology or it may be ridiculous supernatural psychosis, but I will always climb into the heads of my characters and poke around excessively. Probably no surprise to anyone. I am obsessed with brains.
4) Death. Even in my cheeriest comics someone always dies, or starts off dead.
5) Myself. Specifically, there is always a character who represents me as I am at the time of writing/telling the story. This character usually gets the roughest ride. Make of that what you will.
@ThePlumbob It could be spoilery, but I quite like the self-reflection it brings. It makes me understand myself and my story better. And I think even if it gives insight to how a story is structured, personally I find it equally intriguing to see how another writer take these elements and spin it with their own interpretation
___
Sorry for the preachy writing. I’m using the same text structure as on tumblr and it just feels strange to change it. (Also as Wyatt says, effort.)
1. Lasting Consequences - I give my characters hard choices, and each decision comes with significant effects – good, bad, even lethal. It will affect their person, their homes, and the people around them. They have to face the music of their actions and words regardless of mindset, age, or how ready they are.
2. Change - No one stays strong all the time, nor are they weak forever. There will come a time when the girl with the brightest smile stops smiling, the one who inspires others becomes demoralised, or the downtrodden takes a stand. The silver lining is with darkness, there is light.
3. Personas - When are we ever truly ourselves? Do we present ourselves equally to everyone? The autocratic leader could be a family man at heart; the skilled seductress may secretly be afraid to get hurt. And for those who have personas, are they wearing the mask? Or is the mask wearing them?
4. Ideology conflict - My characters tend to have strong ideals in which they subconsciously or directly impose and influence one another. There is a thematical debate woven into or explored in their every interaction. Their clashes don’t necessarily resolve.
5. Passion - I must have passionate characters, whether driven by love, friends or family, goals or career. They’re the ones who take charge and push the story forward while simultaneously try to wreck my plot. (lol) The best part is passion is ruled by emotion, so at times, they are so illogical and silly that they make everything unpredictable and fun.
1) Comedy. I like to think I'm witty and refined in my comedic efforts, but I typically gravitate to dark/black/blue comedy and it's usually highly inappropriate.
Hi! It's me again, your wannabe agent trying to commercialise your humor. No matter what you say, I've got you pegged as having the same ingenuity as this guy.
Inappropriate comedy is brilliant. I'd be on the next plane to his show this weekend if they didn't ban interstate travel.
What’s this? Yimi actually bringing a topic to the tea party instead of scythes and cookies?
Yes! Right, what was it again? I hope we haven’t already talked about this one, I don’t want to develop dementia quite yet.
Anyway! Worldbuilding. I’ve read/written a lot of stories over the years. Some stories had more, some had less. Some had no depth to their world at all and others were almost entirely worldbuilding. It’s been floating around in my head for a while now, so I was wondering about your thoughts on it!
- How much worldbuilding do you do? How detailed are your locations, cultures, historical events, story lore?
- What bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for (for writing and reading both)?
- What do you think about stories that have worldbuilding or lore explained before the plot starts? Alternatively, what do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
I’ll go first, since it’s my own question.
In writing, how much worldbuilding do you do?
I’m a “start small and build when needed” kind of person. When I started ToC, I had no idea who any of the sims in the other nations were, or what kind of tensions there were, or even where Camelot was location-wise. It started with just a castle and a bunch of witches. Everything else came gradually over the course of the first arc and while I was working out the story of the second arc. It’s huge now, though.
In writing/reading both, what bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for?
I get excited about anything mythical and magical. I like figuring out how important characters relate to each other and what kind of history they have with each other. I don’t care much for historical events (except when they’re kept a secret and relate to the story. Then they become delicious) and economics, politics and military worldbuilding (ironically) bores me. In writing, too. That’s why a great number of Arthur Prince scenes were cut out – I could not for the life of me be bothered to write them 😂
What do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
I generally don’t like them. I’m very much of the mindset that a world should be explored through reading the story, learning along with the character as they grow and slowly understanding more of the world as the plot progresses. I love to slowly sink into the world. This goes for the story itself, too. The feeling of those last few puzzle pieces snapping together and finally seeing the full picture is great fun for me. In contrast, I hate not getting the puzzle pieces at all. Or having to find them from a different source. If I encounter names of organisations or events that aren’t explained in the story itself (but are touched upon in, for example, a worldbuilding appendix) and the reader is expected to know, I tend to get frustrated. This only counts for the first story in a series, of course. If I start reading halfway in a series and don't understand what's going on, that's on me.
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
@ThePlumbob It could be spoilery, but I quite like the self-reflection it brings. It makes me understand myself and my story better. And I think even if it gives insight to how a story is structured, personally I find it equally intriguing to see how another writer take these elements and spin it with their own interpretation
@mercuryfoam It is interesting to think about, and I've never given it much thought before. To be honest, I have no idea if my answer would still be the same for whatever I might write after BC, I kind of just looked at similarities between my previous stories.
Also, I like what you say about consequences! There's always a temptation to give characters plot armour, and I don't know if I'm a hundred percent guilt-free in that regard, but I try not to - seeing the affects of characters actions like a domino is always interesting to me.
5) Myself. Specifically, there is always a character who represents me as I am at the time of writing/telling the story. This character usually gets the roughest ride. Make of that what you will.
@SnuffyBucket The roughest ride... considering almost everyone in AE is more or less living variations of their worst nightmares, I call this a trick comment - you are all of them
Ooh, new subject! Thanks @_sims_Yimi ! I guess we briefly touched on this the other day, so it's probably not much of a surprise that my thoughts are quite similar to yours.
How much worldbuilding do you do? How detailed are your locations, cultures, historical events, story lore?
I agree with what you said - I tend to start off with fairly little and add what I need. Whether "what I need" necessarily has to fully appear in the story is another matter. I think it's helpful to give yourself some lore/rules to act as anchors for you when you are writing your story, but that does not necessarily mean is something the readers need to see unless it becomes plot-relevant. But I'm with with the gradual adding onto the ball of yarn, so to speak; I think if I tried to figure everything out right off the bat I'd just end up overwhelming myself. I like a bit of breathing space, in spite of what I said about anchors.
What bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for (for writing and reading both)?
I don't know if I have a preference, I think if it is something that adds to the characters or relates to the plot, I could be into all kinds of extra information - especially when I'm invested.
What do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
I think a story should be understandable without additional "required pre-reading." That's not to say I am completely disinterested in bonus information for stories I like, but that should be a cherry on top, not a prerequisite. I don't think it's realistic for the author to ask the readers to read background lore before they have any investment in the story, because from a reader point of view, I would not really have a reason to be curious about the lore yet. As the story unfolds, I will likely grow more curious about additional details.
It's a tricky thing, because equally, you don't want characters spouting exposition at each other solely for the reader's benefit, that would be quite jarring to read. But like I said earlier, just because you as the writer have certain information does not mean you need to give it to the readers all at once; if anything, drip-feeding it will probably make the reader take it in more rather than it's dumped at them.
All that said I'll still be sharing my elven aging chart at the end of season 1, so maybe that makes me a hypocrite But again, this is only intended as a bonus for those who wanted it, not really something that's critical to understand or enjoy the story. Let's face it, there's nobody who is as bothered about L Faba's precise age during every single BC event as I am.
Which is exactly of the problem with oversharing world building, as a writer it's something you think about a lot, so of course you want to share it, but there's not much value in it before getting buy-in from readers. How can you expect readers to care before you show them why they should care?
Disclaimer - the above is my personal preference only, nothing against people who have different preferences from me.
I think my whole answer can be summarised with 'I only worldbuild if the story needs it'. But ofc you can always read the longer version of this sentence down below.
- How much worldbuilding do you do? How detailed are your locations, cultures, historical events, story lore?
Same with you guys. I add as I go. I build my MCs inner circles, then decide how supp characters’ circles fit into these two larger circles. But most of the details are crafted as I write the story. So if you asked me about Grim’s backstory before he was introduced, I’d have no idea. It’s only when I write that I tend to ask myself 1001 questions to see if it makes sense. My story lore is built in these moments.
For worldbuilding and lore, I elaborate on them only as detailed as the plot needs it to be, but in my head, the lore is in some areas pretty fleshed out, like how the different worlds in B2W intersect, or how magic was birthed into existence. But I don’t include them because similarly like Curtis’s go-to coffee blend, unless the lore becomes relevant to the plot, they stay swimming in my head.
- What bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for (for writing and reading both)?
I like reading any lore as long as it’s relevant or I’m invested. I respond best to emotions, so character lore/history/relationship is something that naturally piques my interest. As long as I like/hate them, or that they are characters that have established their importance to the MC, I put extra effort to understand it.
I like visual worldbuilding that conveys relevance to the story or character at their present moment, which is why I love looking at pictures. I like looking at the character’s clothes, their accessories, their bedroom, the neighborhood. I’ve studied character’s fingers before to see if they’re married or not. This is a bit tricky though because for simlit, it’s hard to know if the writer puts effort in these mundane details, especially when there’s only a limited amount of furniture/clothes if no cc is used. So I can’t tell sometimes if a scene has been decorated according to the culture/character. But for stories that I know the authors like to include easter eggs and personality in their scenes, I pay extra attention to the pictures.
- What do you think about stories that have worldbuilding or lore explained before the plot starts?
I have trouble visualising lengthy descriptions. I love and admire writers who write elaboratively and clearly, but my vocab is too low for me to picture what the scenes look like. I am extremely grateful for simlit writers who include pictures. On days when my brain works, I’ll read; and others, I skip.
I’m more lenient with lore because I assume those will come in handy in the future, but similarly, I have a threshold when it comes to worldbuilding lore that is presented but not interwoven into the plot. I’ll be able to take it in small bites, but if done repeatedly and I don’t see the relevance, I doze.
Alternatively, what do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
Er? What does this mean? Okay, so something like if I quoted White Wraiths in my story but didn’t explain what they are and expect you to know from an external appendix? How strange. Are there stories like this? I’d probably think the story is half-done and be very confused in the process. Or that it was intended for a specific audience and I’m not one of them.
@ThePlumbob I like the phrasing of extra lore and world information as being a cherry on top of the cake. Or ice cream. Or pancakes.
It's a tricky thing, because equally, you don't want characters spouting exposition at each other solely for the reader's benefit, that would be quite jarring to read.
I’ve seen this in stories and movies both – it can be done very well if the main character is as clueless as the reader and they learn about the world at the same time. But you’re right, it’s very noticeable when it doesn’t feel natural and is only for the sake of exposition. Haha, feel free to share the elven aging chart! I am curious how elven aging works in your story, since it two almost two entire generations of humans for Dandy to grow up from a toddler into a proper adult.
Er? What does this mean? Okay, so something like if I quoted White Wraiths in my story but didn’t explain what they are and expect you to know from an external appendix? How strange. Are there stories like this? I’d probably think the story is half-done and be very confused in the process. Or that it was intended for a specific audience and I’m not one of them.
Yes, exactly that. There’s actually a good number of stories that, for example, start out with events and organisations that are not explained in the book itself, but in a sort of “read before you read” err, prequel? Oddly enough, I love the extra tidbits if it’s a story I’m already interested in, but if it’s a new one, I dislike reading extra lore. Perhaps it’s as @ThePlumbob says and I need to really get invested first.
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
Comments
Ooh fun! I wondered when we'd dust down the Tea Party Room. And with such a sensible topic too!
I agree with you both; for gameplay, sentiments are great fun. For story telling, not so much. Seth and Caleb can override the moodlets with their vampy powers, which is how I typically manipulate all my characters' emotions anyway, but as with Aggro, putting Seth in a room with anyone now makes them miserable due to all their 'festering grudges'.
I so want to put Seth and Aggro in a room together now and see what happens. They'd probably get the 'adorable' sentiment.
Haha interesting that you guys mainly have issues with negative sentiments, it's the positive ones I find more annoying
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
What is your favourite chapter (that has been published) in your story so far, and what is your least favourite?
Also, which one was the most difficult to make for you, and which one was the easiest?
i.e. nosey plumbob is being nosey.
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
My favourite is: 2.09 Sink A Ship (Seth and Caleb at the dock) because it is chock full of super cryptic clues and has a fun little secret.
Least favourite: 1.47 Fill The Void (the dreaded after-sex chapter) because... ugh, I mean if you've read it, you'll know.
1.47 Fill The Void was difficult to make as I found it incredibly triggering (triggering myself is totally normal, yes?
Easiest was, hm. I'm not sure any of them are really easy because of all the darn balls I have in the air, haha, but I did enjoy making 1.34 Down With That (the one with a giant fish, Zombie Sandy and not-quite-soliciting) because that was kind of silly and 2.02 Forgot My Kidney because I could write Seth/Lilith conversation all day and Caleb's trip to the shop to buy bleach is my favourite scene ever
Ask me again in a couple of months and my favourite/least favourite published will definitely change though.
Obviously the fishnets. No, I actually didn't enjoy making that chapter because it was the one with Cordelia and Micah talking in the most awkwardly shaped tiny space in the house which was not a smart decision for screenshotting, haha.
I think my favourite is still Chapter 30 (Out of Hand), because the memory segment has lots of information, but not really. I also like all of the interludes, mainly because they have been taking up space in my head for too long.
Least favourite... probably one of the early chapters, because they're so slow-paced. I kind of wish I made that slicker, maybe combined some of them, but then I'm still not sure what I would have done differently.
Easiest to write, any of the first person POV chapters, apart from Cordelia's, so either Morgyn's Chapter 23 (It Starts with Intrigue) or 44 (The Demon), Micah's Chapter 46 (No Absolution) or Hawthorne's Chapter 66 (Basically an Adult). I really like writing 1st person, I don't know why I don't do it more often, other than that it would give too much away.
I don't know which one was hardest to write, but any of Hawthorne's uni chapters were a huge pain in the behind to screenshot, because all the random background people kept getting evicted from the household for not being students, blocking me out of build mode, and getting the sprites to appear in the right colour was a nightmare (well, even getting them in the first place). Ugh, I hate the sprites
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
Favorite chapter would be ch15.1 where Athena writes her final diary entry. The undertones are grimy as usual but if we ignore those, the chapter always gives me a 'd'aw! Athena's all grown up' feeling cuz her entry sounded calm, level-headed, and hopeful for the future compared to her first entry as a teen. Too bad it didn't turn out that way. 😅 Any chapter with Eve in her element is a fav too, which is ch1 of of s2.
Least favourite for me are 9.3 Mercy and 16.4. Curtisena's Party Scene for the same reason. One by a stranger, the other by a lover.
The most difficult for me to make are Mercy (no surprises) and chapters with Kirino in the spotlight. Too relatable.
Easiest is probably 4.1 Ares' composition on 'Person he admires' lol. Was laughing the entire way during production. 😄
I know, I wasn't even sure how to answer even though I came up with the question
I never would have guessed that! The Eva ones for sure, because you can tell you're having a blast when you write her.
The difficult ones are not surprising, and definitely understandable (though the Kirino one is my favourite to date, I think
Ahahaha aww bless! That one was adorable!
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
My favourite chapter to make was probably Arthur’s kid chapter. Technically, that’s two of them, but they are kind of a pair. It was just so silly and a delight to write, not to mention kid Arthur makes the best awkward expressions out of everyone.
Least favourite is the one I just made as well as Morgana’s kid chapter, because the contents of both ended up getting to me.
The easiest chapters are the ones that write themselves, like Truth part II, Bonds and Family. Sometimes I get really into it, and all of a sudden five hours have passed and there’s a complete chapter in my previously empty word document.
The hardest ones are the chapters where I have to pose more than 15 sims in the same pictures, like the Scarborough chapters and the tournament. My gods.
@ThePlumbob I liked your early chapters! Going through the seasons while slowly getting to know Cordelia, Dandy, Morgyn and your supporting cast was a delight to read for me, both because it was well-written and because I love the seasonal holidays in the sims.
@SnuffyBucket That was the one where the shop owner thought Caleb was going to sniff glue and gave him a pamphlet to the sadness hotline, right? I laughed so much at that, lol.
@mercuryfoam Haha, I remember Ares’s essay back when he was a kid. It was so adorably sweet and gave me all the fuzzies. 🥰
Gah I loved Arthur's kid chapters, that's when I fell in love with him. Though I like your darker ones too, for different reasons.
The thought of 56 people in a household is giving me a headache just imagining that
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It is. Look at this nightmare:
Ignore Gawain, he always makes heart speech bubbles when he's talking to Arthur.
But bless Gawain, he's like a little puppy! Actually, he's probably more affectionate than my puppy because she always has ulterior motives haha.
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Dear Arthur & Gawain, for B2W watcher's sake, JUST KISS ALREADY!
Yimi, y u tease me? On the other hand it's nice to see them all hearts and happy in game.
Since we're on the subject of in-game repeated, automated speech bubbles between characters, here's mine: (Have I shown any of you guys this before?)
Athena always thinks of babies when she is with Curtis AND Trevor! NO. Bad GIRL.
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I would never
LOL Athena clearly has different ideas for the rest of the story than you do, unless this is secretly a spoiler and we just don't know it yet!
the “without fail” writing tag | by @gilded-ghosts
rules: List five things that you, WITHOUT FAIL, weave into or explore in your stories, whether it be specific themes or tropes, character archetypes, allusions to other literary works, what have you! It really can be anything that you consistently include in your narratives for whatever reason.
Edit: Done mine but can't wait to peek into your heads again.
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I don’t know if I can reach 5 things, but magic always tends to show up in my stories, at some point. Whether it’s there from the start or introduced after some time, there's always some form of it present.
I suppose darkness is another one. No matter what genre I write or storyline I have in my head, there’s always a layer of darkness that my characters are either struggling to contain, tempted by, fighting against or embracing.
I sometimes like writing in themed conflict, too. This one is minor in ToC but shows up pretty heavily in some other stories and my D&D games. Things like freedom vs security, justice vs compassion, idealism vs pragmatism, that sort of thing.
Hmm… I can’t think of others right now.
1) Character evolution - and devolution. (Because let's face it, not everyone gets to be "their best self." More often than not, we go down a path that's not the best for us (and others), and it's surprisingly easy for that to happen.
2) Death and mortality, and what those mean to individual people.
3) Commitment issues, weirdly. But I guess it's one of my simself's trait's so it's not that weird, I suppose.
4) Causality and how does one decision in someone's life impact those of others, whether that be further generations down the line in my legacy or just affecting people around you and their lives in BC.
5) Flipping the coin... which really is a cheaty answer, because it just expands on my first point, and maybe the fourth too. But what I mean by that is that perspective is everything, so appearing one way is not an end all or be all, because it's all relative. We're all villains in someone's story, whether we like it or not. It's just a matter of viewpoint.
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Without fail, my stories always include:
1) Comedy. I like to think I'm witty and refined in my comedic efforts, but I typically gravitate to dark/black/blue comedy and it's usually highly inappropriate.
2) Heavy foreshadowing/hints. I always tell readers exactly what's going to happen later in the story or at the end, sometimes right from the very start. My favourite thing about telling a story is if a reader reaches a forewarned plot point, pauses, flips/thinks back to the foreshadowing and loses it.
3) Brain Exploration. It may be based on actual psychology or it may be ridiculous supernatural psychosis, but I will always climb into the heads of my characters and poke around excessively. Probably no surprise to anyone. I am obsessed with brains.
4) Death. Even in my cheeriest comics someone always dies, or starts off dead.
5) Myself. Specifically, there is always a character who represents me as I am at the time of writing/telling the story. This character usually gets the roughest ride. Make of that what you will.
Well, that was cheery! Happy Monday.
___
Sorry for the preachy writing. I’m using the same text structure as on tumblr and it just feels strange to change it. (Also as Wyatt says, effort.)
1. Lasting Consequences - I give my characters hard choices, and each decision comes with significant effects – good, bad, even lethal. It will affect their person, their homes, and the people around them. They have to face the music of their actions and words regardless of mindset, age, or how ready they are.
2. Change - No one stays strong all the time, nor are they weak forever. There will come a time when the girl with the brightest smile stops smiling, the one who inspires others becomes demoralised, or the downtrodden takes a stand. The silver lining is with darkness, there is light.
3. Personas - When are we ever truly ourselves? Do we present ourselves equally to everyone? The autocratic leader could be a family man at heart; the skilled seductress may secretly be afraid to get hurt. And for those who have personas, are they wearing the mask? Or is the mask wearing them?
4. Ideology conflict - My characters tend to have strong ideals in which they subconsciously or directly impose and influence one another. There is a thematical debate woven into or explored in their every interaction. Their clashes don’t necessarily resolve.
5. Passion - I must have passionate characters, whether driven by love, friends or family, goals or career. They’re the ones who take charge and push the story forward while simultaneously try to wreck my plot. (lol) The best part is passion is ruled by emotion, so at times, they are so illogical and silly that they make everything unpredictable and fun.
Hi! It's me again, your wannabe agent trying to commercialise your humor. No matter what you say, I've got you pegged as having the same ingenuity as this guy.
Inappropriate comedy is brilliant. I'd be on the next plane to his show this weekend if they didn't ban interstate travel.
Yes! Right, what was it again? I hope we haven’t already talked about this one, I don’t want to develop dementia quite yet.
Anyway! Worldbuilding. I’ve read/written a lot of stories over the years. Some stories had more, some had less. Some had no depth to their world at all and others were almost entirely worldbuilding. It’s been floating around in my head for a while now, so I was wondering about your thoughts on it!
- How much worldbuilding do you do? How detailed are your locations, cultures, historical events, story lore?
- What bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for (for writing and reading both)?
- What do you think about stories that have worldbuilding or lore explained before the plot starts? Alternatively, what do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
I’ll go first, since it’s my own question.
I’m a “start small and build when needed” kind of person. When I started ToC, I had no idea who any of the sims in the other nations were, or what kind of tensions there were, or even where Camelot was location-wise. It started with just a castle and a bunch of witches. Everything else came gradually over the course of the first arc and while I was working out the story of the second arc. It’s huge now, though.
In writing/reading both, what bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for?
I get excited about anything mythical and magical. I like figuring out how important characters relate to each other and what kind of history they have with each other. I don’t care much for historical events (except when they’re kept a secret and relate to the story. Then they become delicious) and economics, politics and military worldbuilding (ironically) bores me. In writing, too. That’s why a great number of Arthur Prince scenes were cut out – I could not for the life of me be bothered to write them 😂
What do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
I generally don’t like them. I’m very much of the mindset that a world should be explored through reading the story, learning along with the character as they grow and slowly understanding more of the world as the plot progresses. I love to slowly sink into the world. This goes for the story itself, too. The feeling of those last few puzzle pieces snapping together and finally seeing the full picture is great fun for me. In contrast, I hate not getting the puzzle pieces at all. Or having to find them from a different source. If I encounter names of organisations or events that aren’t explained in the story itself (but are touched upon in, for example, a worldbuilding appendix) and the reader is expected to know, I tend to get frustrated. This only counts for the first story in a series, of course. If I start reading halfway in a series and don't understand what's going on, that's on me.
@mercuryfoam It is interesting to think about, and I've never given it much thought before. To be honest, I have no idea if my answer would still be the same for whatever I might write after BC, I kind of just looked at similarities between my previous stories.
Also, I like what you say about consequences! There's always a temptation to give characters plot armour, and I don't know if I'm a hundred percent guilt-free in that regard, but I try not to - seeing the affects of characters actions like a domino is always interesting to me.
@SnuffyBucket The roughest ride... considering almost everyone in AE is more or less living variations of their worst nightmares, I call this a trick comment - you are all of them
Ooh, new subject! Thanks @_sims_Yimi ! I guess we briefly touched on this the other day, so it's probably not much of a surprise that my thoughts are quite similar to yours.
How much worldbuilding do you do? How detailed are your locations, cultures, historical events, story lore?
I agree with what you said - I tend to start off with fairly little and add what I need. Whether "what I need" necessarily has to fully appear in the story is another matter. I think it's helpful to give yourself some lore/rules to act as anchors for you when you are writing your story, but that does not necessarily mean is something the readers need to see unless it becomes plot-relevant. But I'm with with the gradual adding onto the ball of yarn, so to speak; I think if I tried to figure everything out right off the bat I'd just end up overwhelming myself. I like a bit of breathing space, in spite of what I said about anchors.
What bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for (for writing and reading both)?
I don't know if I have a preference, I think if it is something that adds to the characters or relates to the plot, I could be into all kinds of extra information - especially when I'm invested.
What do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
I think a story should be understandable without additional "required pre-reading." That's not to say I am completely disinterested in bonus information for stories I like, but that should be a cherry on top, not a prerequisite. I don't think it's realistic for the author to ask the readers to read background lore before they have any investment in the story, because from a reader point of view, I would not really have a reason to be curious about the lore yet. As the story unfolds, I will likely grow more curious about additional details.
It's a tricky thing, because equally, you don't want characters spouting exposition at each other solely for the reader's benefit, that would be quite jarring to read. But like I said earlier, just because you as the writer have certain information does not mean you need to give it to the readers all at once; if anything, drip-feeding it will probably make the reader take it in more rather than it's dumped at them.
All that said I'll still be sharing my elven aging chart at the end of season 1, so maybe that makes me a hypocrite
Which is exactly of the problem with oversharing world building, as a writer it's something you think about a lot, so of course you want to share it, but there's not much value in it before getting buy-in from readers. How can you expect readers to care before you show them why they should care?
Disclaimer - the above is my personal preference only, nothing against people who have different preferences from me.
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Same with you guys. I add as I go. I build my MCs inner circles, then decide how supp characters’ circles fit into these two larger circles. But most of the details are crafted as I write the story. So if you asked me about Grim’s backstory before he was introduced, I’d have no idea. It’s only when I write that I tend to ask myself 1001 questions to see if it makes sense. My story lore is built in these moments.
For worldbuilding and lore, I elaborate on them only as detailed as the plot needs it to be, but in my head, the lore is in some areas pretty fleshed out, like how the different worlds in B2W intersect, or how magic was birthed into existence. But I don’t include them because similarly like Curtis’s go-to coffee blend, unless the lore becomes relevant to the plot, they stay swimming in my head.
- What bits of lore/worldbuilding do you get excited about, and what do you not care for (for writing and reading both)?
I like reading any lore as long as it’s relevant or I’m invested. I respond best to emotions, so character lore/history/relationship is something that naturally piques my interest. As long as I like/hate them, or that they are characters that have established their importance to the MC, I put extra effort to understand it.
I like visual worldbuilding that conveys relevance to the story or character at their present moment, which is why I love looking at pictures. I like looking at the character’s clothes, their accessories, their bedroom, the neighborhood. I’ve studied character’s fingers before to see if they’re married or not. This is a bit tricky though because for simlit, it’s hard to know if the writer puts effort in these mundane details, especially when there’s only a limited amount of furniture/clothes if no cc is used. So I can’t tell sometimes if a scene has been decorated according to the culture/character. But for stories that I know the authors like to include easter eggs and personality in their scenes, I pay extra attention to the pictures.
- What do you think about stories that have worldbuilding or lore explained before the plot starts?
I have trouble visualising lengthy descriptions. I love and admire writers who write elaboratively and clearly, but my vocab is too low for me to picture what the scenes look like. I am extremely grateful for simlit writers who include pictures. On days when my brain works, I’ll read; and others, I skip.
I’m more lenient with lore because I assume those will come in handy in the future, but similarly, I have a threshold when it comes to worldbuilding lore that is presented but not interwoven into the plot. I’ll be able to take it in small bites, but if done repeatedly and I don’t see the relevance, I doze.
Alternatively, what do you think about stories that require some (for lack of a better term) “homework” to understand?
Er? What does this mean? Okay, so something like if I quoted White Wraiths in my story but didn’t explain what they are and expect you to know from an external appendix? How strange. Are there stories like this? I’d probably think the story is half-done and be very confused in the process. Or that it was intended for a specific audience and I’m not one of them.
I’ve seen this in stories and movies both – it can be done very well if the main character is as clueless as the reader and they learn about the world at the same time. But you’re right, it’s very noticeable when it doesn’t feel natural and is only for the sake of exposition. Haha, feel free to share the elven aging chart! I am curious how elven aging works in your story, since it two almost two entire generations of humans for Dandy to grow up from a toddler into a proper adult.
@mercuryfoam Yes, exactly that. There’s actually a good number of stories that, for example, start out with events and organisations that are not explained in the book itself, but in a sort of “read before you read” err, prequel? Oddly enough, I love the extra tidbits if it’s a story I’m already interested in, but if it’s a new one, I dislike reading extra lore. Perhaps it’s as @ThePlumbob says and I need to really get invested first.