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Sim 66

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  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Caught up a bit, now up to chapter 7!
    Bakko Jang looks like a really cool guy. I love Jeremy getting hit on by the middle-aged woman :P Also love his names for the chess pieces, especially the prawns and 'the horsey' and 'why not call them castles?' I like the idea of the chess game being part of Jeremy's working out what he's going to do with his life.

    Suzy's monochrome minidress is so nice! The more characters I come to meet, the more I realise that almost everyone seems to have things worked out moreso than Jeremy has. I always wonder if he feels a little alienated by that deep down. Like even though he's young and he's still got time, I find there's always a sort of nervousness when you meet people who know what they want from life.

    Hey guys, don't worry too much about your 'sucky dating lives' - plenty of fish in the sea! I know I mentioned this already but I really like your dialogue and how each character has a distinctive voice.
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  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Thanks for the encouraging comments. As the writer I interpret what I think has gone on and I love it when readers see something else, or something deeper which I hadn't considered.
    In the early chapters Jeremy is the main focus but over time, as the community grows, he becomes a supporter...even the glue...that his neighbours count on. I'm currently working on ideas to bring him back into main focus with some sub-plots but my story is game driven and I interpret the events: For example, Bakko Jang seems to crop up in the game at key moments so I have him as this kind of Zen figure or a one man Greek chorus for the others.

    Suzy is the archetypal Sixties Mod girl and of all the characters I pay the closest attention to her look as it's integral to the character. That black and white dress is perfect when you add the boots and the bob hairstyle. The fashion side of Sim 66 has been the rabbit hole I've gone down.
    I never set out to be an expert on Sixties fashion it's just a vortex I've been dragged into.

    Jeremy is the small town boy dropped into a trendy, happening world. Suzy is the one who's riding the wave of the era. Travis Scott is pretending he's got it all sorted, but it's largely a front which is why he bonds well with Jeremy: They're both trying to sort out their personal lives but Travis is pretending he's cool.

  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Chapters 8-13 thoughts!
    I love the girl's in-depth analysis of Suzy's dress and she's just 'Oh it's a Mod thing'. I do love that dress though. Bakko seems like such a smooth-talker and he's got style, I'm sure Suzy will have a field day with him! Ooh does Jeremy have himself a lady friend I wonder? At least he's trying; he deserves to find someone soon! I love that the festival was literally just middle-age couples trying to save their marriages by the sounds of things XD A hug! There's definitely progress here, look at that smile on Jeremy's face bless him. That book Suzy picks up with the conspiracy theories...I wonder if it is just crazy conspiracy theories or maybe something more?
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  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    The "let's keep you guessing" response:
    Cassandra Goth, in all her Sims incarnations, has always struck me as someone who has never followed a trend in her life and does not need to start at any time. She's got that gloomy aspect: She is Daria before Daria was even thought of.

    Bakko would never cheat on Anya.

    Jeremy and women...well, a straight laced gentleman with mild social anxiety like him is always going to fall for someone and fall hard!

    Yep. That's the Romance festival for you. Geoffrey and Nancy go there a LOT and further down the line you'll meet another couple who you can spot in the background who have an...shall we say...interesting marriage.

    The Conspiracy Theory book...well, page from a book secreted into another book. Yep, that one's going to come back for sure.
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Edna Sneedley is a woman on a mission...but already the stress is getting to her and she's turning to some liquid comfort for support. I put a disclaimer about some adult issues in the writer's forum which some readers might find hit home. Chapter 105: A Little Pick Me Up.

    https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2021/05/chapter-105-little-pick-me-up.html

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    Tagging @BreeMiles @JestTru @mightysprite
  • JestTruJestTru Posts: 1,761 Member
    I know Jeremy is the main protagonist but my favorite is Action. And I want to say Bibi is so gorgeous. But I love Suzy and her relentlessness for the Landgrabs.
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  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Bibi Stahler is based on the popular Austrian actress of the 1960s; Senta Berger. It's a quirk of the story that we've only seen her in her lab coat and work clothes so far but, at some point, I should feature her outside of work. Yeah, Action's fun to write...I channel my inner hard boiled detective for his dialogue. Suzy's relentless...and Action's working another angle of the case. If only their investigations could somehow come together in the future.
  • JestTruJestTru Posts: 1,761 Member
    @Kellogg_J_Kellogg that would be very intriguing if their investigations meet up. I will have to look up Senta Berger and check out her films.
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  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    It's the grand opening of Pack's Clothing...will Barbara and Jeremy cope? Will the customers come flooding in? Will they like what they find there? Chapter 106: Fab Gear.

    https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2021/05/chapter-106-fab-gear.html

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    Tagging @BreeMiles @JestTru @mightysprite
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Up to Chapter 26 now:
    Poor Jeremy, getting turned down by Bianca... Judging by what Feng's saying in ch17 he's not on board with those who are fighting back against the system, guess it makes sense for a city rep to have issues with those who fight for change. Action seems like a fairly cool guy, but also someone whose bad side you wouldn't want to get on somehow. Action seems like a guy who wants answers, but is sort of trapped in his role as a cop since he keeps getting threatened with demotion if he doesn't play by the rules, and I imagine they'll have to break some rules to get any dirt on a family as 'high up' as the Landgraabs.
    You know I had the idea that, like Action thinks, Suzy might be more than a 'fashion reporter' as well in some of the earlier chapters, because (for the most part) who would suspect someone who claims to be a fashion reporter? So it'd make sense to be a decent coverup. Seems Jeremy might have a chance with Barbara...Wondering if the 'portal' is the hole in the three that leads to Sylvan Glade?

    Something I noticed is how the other character descriptions change a bit depending on who the main char of the chapter is, like there's a difference between the way Jeremy and Action's chapters have char descriptions; Action as a cop would pick up on different stuff than Jeremy, who, as a lonely man, is more attracted by physical features. IDK if it's intentional but it's clever.
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  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    edited May 2021
    Once again you've summed up pretty much what I was intending but also shed some insight that has escaped my attention but will factor in my characterisations in the future.
    You've got it right about the Fengs. Looking into the backstories of some of the pre-mades I found a lot of sinister and mysterious plot seeds in them; which is what I think the designers intended. I noticed that you've run with the more magical and science fiction elements in the official game setting in your stories and I'm working on the more down to earth side. Victor and Lily have what is called "The vision of the anointed" in that they think they alone have the knowledge and character to lead both the business and political worlds. Because of their cultural heritage is Asian the Tao is important to them; especially Victor, as he seeks perfect balance and what he sees in society is chaos.

    The other big pre-made influence are the Landgraabs: Of course they're old money and they can trace their ancestry and settlement of Sim City back 200 years (it's amazing how much backstory you can get from one painting in the Wall Art category) and they view the Fengs as uneasy allies or antagonists, depending on what day of the week it is. The Fengs are only settled in the city for about 2 generations which causes some resentment. Of course the other big families with big secrets are the Goths and the Villareals and...well...they'll have a part to play at some point.

    Action is an expression of my fondness for 1960s and 70s crime films and TV series. Yes, he is volatile but growing up in the slums of San Myshuno, then quitting school to the join the Marines, then a tour of duty in Vietnam and then coming home to become a cop have shaped his character. Even though they're polar opposites in many ways he does strike up a good friendship with Jeremy. Action needs a conscience, a reminder of who he fights for and Jeremy needs someone to give him a boot up the backside and, let's face it, Travis isn't going to do that.

    Suzy is, at the time of the latest chapter, still a fashion reporter who has found a new inner purpose in becoming an investigative journalist but could there be more in her backstory we haven't discovered yet? Hmmm, food for thought.

    Yeah, Jeremy and Bianca and Barbara. Those chapters were pure gameplay...after doing solid groundwork in building a potential relationship with Bianca, their evening at his place led to him being rebuffed, awkward conversation and embarrassed moodlets. The game kicked him in the teeth. His evening out with Travis played exactly like that: Every single woman depicted that Jeremy tried friendly introduction on rebuffed him...they either got up and walked away after he said hello or they went into a grey or red mood when he talked to them. I swear my game is in tune with SimLit as it keeps giving me interesting and unplanned interactions. When Jeremy did go to order food from the vendor Barbara was still around and they spontaneously struck up a conversation. I think Jeremy's looking for a soulmate but he's living in a world where physical attractiveness and the visual aesthetic has been elevated higher than it had been since the 1920s so you get that tension where he's wanting values but so many around him are putting value in being fashionable.

    Yes, the perspective of my storytelling shifts depending on who the main character of the chapter is and that's deliberate. In a Jeremy chapter you'll see Action from his perspective and vice versa. I write in 3rd person but with a 1st person perspective, if that makes sense.

    I'm loving the feedback!
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    It's time to go shopping for a wedding dress with Suzy and Summer. Choices, choices...which do you think she should go for? Chapter 107: Plans Within Plans.

    https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2021/06/chapter-107-plans-within-plans.html

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    Tagging @BreeMiles @JestTru @mightysprite
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Slow progress, but I'm up to Chapter 32:
    Jeremy's awkwardness asking girls out is always funny and adorable TBH. Bless him! After all his searching he finally got a loving kiss and a girl who seems to want to see him again. I like that he and Barbara are taking it slow for the most part. Ohh my god, Edna's Karen vibes are real. She reminds me a little bit of someone my mum and dad told me about, I think her name was Mary Whitehouse and she always had an issue with just about everything in the media. I think having Edna in the mix is good for the story, because so far we've mostly seen the younger generation influencing change and challenging the norms for the time, but here we've got the older folk who seem to think things are better 'the way it is' and it's a really good way of showing the division of the sort of culture revolution of the time. I like how you seamlessly blend in the background context with the characters and how the world affects everyone in it, it's really cool. Now to see how the girls' night out goes, and if they'll have a better chance of pulling than Jeremy and Travis's first boys' night out : P
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  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Some spot on analysis there:
    "Ohh my god, Edna's Karen vibes are real. She reminds me a little bit of someone my mum and dad told me about, I think her name was Mary Whitehouse and she always had an issue with just about everything in the media. I think having Edna in the mix is good for the story, because so far we've mostly seen the younger generation influencing change and challenging the norms for the time, but here we've got the older folk who seem to think things are better 'the way it is' and it's a really good way of showing the division of the sort of culture revolution of the time."

    Totally. Mary Whitehouse is a major inspiration for Edna Sneedley as is the busy-body next door neighbour character from sitcoms of that era. And, yes, this was planned as a way of opening up the world of Sim 66...and it is a world, not a legacy story. I've had the Young Square, the Mod Chick, The Cool Guy From The Streets and (as you're up to chapter 32), the friends from down the road, the uptight studious girl (Julia), and mysterious antagonists such as the Landgraabs and Fengs. The Willow Creek crew are tight but as the story progresses their struggles and challenges come from outside that little cul-de-sac they live in. Edna is in opposition to Suzy, but she might see someone like Jeremy as an ally and try to pull him in her direction. I don't want to give anything away with what happens but you'll see Edna's role grow, especially when in later chapters her true nemesis arrives on the scene. One thing about Edna is that I've not styled her as a 50s housewife thrust into the late 60s:
    Edna styles herself on Jackie Kennedy and the early 60s look.

    Again, I'm trying not to spoil future chapters but I throw lots of things into the mix with the culture revolution. So far, in the early chapters, it's about mod fashions, groovy music and free love but along will come a character and a scene that is both the symbol of the sexual revolution but also the dark side of it as well and I've deliberately written him as an ambivalent character where you're both agreeing with his world view and feeling the cringe of it at the same time.

  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Spent half the day bingeing, up to Chapter 60 now so here's more of my usual drivel:
    It's good to see Suzy delving even deeper into things, I really love how good she is as getting people to come out with the juicy gossip. The Landgraabs are even more slimy than everyone initially thought. 'Relax...this place is usually filled with middle aged people looking to cheat on their spouses anyway' made me laugh : P Oof, poor Jeremy. That's gotta hurt, knowing the other guy got the promotion. Not to mention everyone laughing at him. Poor guy, everything was happy and then this. At least he has Barbara < 3 Eyy, Jeremy finally got to Woohoo with Barbara! And now John and Katherine... Oh dear, off Edna goes with the League of Decency... Hang on, Bianca cut it off with Jeremy and now she's acting up with Barbara? I understand why Barbara is a little concerned but I know Jeremy only has eyes for Barbara. You can't just cut a guy off and then get mad at every girl he gets with. I will protect Barbara and Jeremy until the end of time : P

    they/them or she/her
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    As will I...
    I swear my game is my co-writer! Bianca kept showing up everywhere in game. She'd pop around when Jeremy had company so many times I worked it into the story. She has the traits Serial Romantic and Non-Committal so that combination makes her blow hot and cold.
    Part of her reaction to Jeremy and Barbara is that he's the one that she let get away and part of her regrets that but the other part is that if she can't have him, no one can.

    Bianca, Barbara and Katherine began lives as game generated townies but I modified their outfits, hair and make up to make them period with the exception of Barbara: Her orange outfit and hair were game generated but it's in period. But in their own ways they've become interesting characters for different reasons.
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Detective John Action is shocked at the ballistics report on the shooting...is Bibi Stahler barking up the wrong tree and can he keep his concentration when he's invited to one of Alan Cuffe's infamous Kitten Club meetings? Chapter 108: Just Like Buck Rogers

    https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2021/06/chapter-108-just-like-buck-rogers.html

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    Tagging @BreeMiles @JestTru @mightysprite
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Strange illnesses, even stranger revelations and a stranger at the door...it's all happening for Julia in Chapter 108: This Is Awkward

    https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2021/06/chapter-109-this-is-awkward.html

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    Tagging @BreeMiles @JestTru @mightysprite @SnowBnuuy
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited June 2021
    I know I'm meant to be on break, but I've been slowly getting through Sim 66 over the past week or so, I'm up to Chapter 91 ^u^ Wanted to quickly jump on to share thoughts. I feel a bit better now so should be back properly nearer the end of the week.
    It's good that Katherine says to Action that he should try to see someone for his PTSD. Although since John mentions about having to always look over his shoulder all the time, I wonder if he would bother going to therapy, since I feel like he'd see it as himself 'letting his guard down', even though that isn't the case. It's cool that you have an Isley Brothers song on Chapter 85, since 'Footsteps in the Dark' is something I usually listen to whilst reading this (although I think that one is 70's not 60's but hey-ho : P ) It's good to see Action and Katherine having time for passion again. Omg Barbara at the pool just getting naked. (What a shame the League of Decency weren't there at the time, feel like they would have appreciated that scene... not : P ) Speaking of the LoD, Edna's off again...And now they're going after Hey Wow as well as Suzy? Suzy won't stand for that (I hope!)
    they/them or she/her
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    Yeaaaaaahhhhhhh
    I don't want to do the usual clichés with PTSD and Action; waking up in the night with the sweats and nightmares and all that. Action's tour of duty in Vietnam took place at the start of the American involvement where the troops were confident of victory. Over time I'm hoping more support characters will be war veterans so he can have interactions with them. Again, that scene came out of gameplay: Katherine has the mischief trait and Action is hot headed. She tried pulling a practical joke on him and he just snapped...the most sensible explanation, plot wise, was that she triggered a memory in him.

    The music side of things...that's really important in scene setting and my music choices are integral to the story. I've even gone so far as to work out which character likes particular songs, artists or genres. Action likes Motown and progressive jazz so I've featured Herbie 🐸🐸🐸🐸, The Chambers Brothers' Time Has Come Today and the Isley Brothers when he's in a scene. Edna loves her easy listening, Summer's a huge Monkees fan and Suzy's into Donovan and Bob Dylan. Barbara is a fan of The Who and in her backstory she has a crush on Roger Daltrey. I'm glad you liked the Isley Brothers choice.

    Yeah, the skinny dipping...my game went crazy with this fatness bug after a game patch, which made all played female sims very overweight and also I downloaded a swimming pool lot but didn't check to see that one of its traits was "clothing optional". Just run with it, I say!

    The League of Decency are being manipulated and, despite their stated aims, they don't often act in the name of morality either. Suzy is being targeted because she's crossed swords with the Landgraabs and they, in turn, are twisting Edna around their little finger. Edna is flattered that such a rich and important member of society such as Geoffrey Landgraab is paying her attention so she's been seduced by the potential power and status that she thinks will come. Furthermore Edna was so easily convinced because she had that run in with Suzy in the library. Meanwhile George is on a collision course with Alan Cuffe and the Kitten Club and then there's the issue that Julia hates them as well but is friends with Suzy so that's going to potentially cause fireworks. How I'm going to progress this not even I know at this stage!
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    btw, the name that was censored with hearts was jazz legend Herbie Hanc__k.
  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,808 Member
    Having lots of fun reading these :)

    re: chapter 108 (the first one)
    "Yeah, that's the word I'm looking for:
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  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,808 Member
    also Julia's puns are adorable :D she is still my favorite (and I'm sorry I called her Judith that time by accident)

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