I'm a little scared to say it, but ya'll. I think I'm ready to start publishing story posts. Ahhhh!
I have way less than half a year of backlog, which is what I was originally hoping for, lol. But I have enough done to get us through an 8 week series, after which we can take a small break if I need more creative time for the next batch.
So what can you expect over the next couple of weeks?
This week I plan to post author posts. I'll do an "about me" pinned post, and an FAQ for anyone that wants to know what mods, software, etc. I use in my creative process.
Next week I will be posting pre-story posts that are visual only. They will give you a glimpse of the history of our girl, Ember, and some of what came before the first official scene.
The very next week, written scenes one and two go live! Yay! From that point forward (unless I run out of backlogged posts) you'll get two scenes a week. Look for them every Monday and Wednesday.
My fellow creators out there, what do you find the most helpful to include on your pinned message, if anything? Any advice would be welcome!!
Brynn couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so physically exhausted-.. or sore, but Ellis had arrived safely and that was all that mattered. It’d been more than a few hours since the midwife had dropped by and subsequently taken her leave, but Wyatt had yet to move.
Clearly overwhelmed, any attempt at speech would leave him clearing his throat with a forced casualness, a fruitless act to conceal the fact that his voice - breaking with betrayal every time he opened his mouth - exposed his current emotional state.
Wyatt could tell Brynn was observing him, but his brain was no longer cooperating with him and he didn’t know what to say, or what to do-.. again. It felt as though someone had drugged him and stuffed a dry sock so far down his windpipe that he could barely swallow.
“We haven’t had any sleep for so long and it’s such a special day-.. is okay to feel emotional.” Brynn uttered gently.
Wyatt wanted to acknowledge Brynn’s words, perhaps even agree with them, but he didn’t dare tear his gaze from the rug. His eyes stung as she spoke, a knowing, soft smile practically emanating from her words.
“Come to bed soon, yes?”
Instead of heading upstairs, Wyatt tumbled outside - sans shoes - unable to contain the excruciating lump in his throat any longer. The tears fell way before he did, his old bench creaking in protest as he doubled over and thrust his face into his hand with shame.
Chained for over twenty years, an unrecognisable noise tumultuously forced itself from Wyatt’s chest in a motion almost as violent as retching; a choked sob that quickly gave way to inconsolable weeping.
With every fibre of his being, Wyatt willed himself to stop-.. to push his emotions back where they belonged like he used to, like he knew he could do; but they’d bubbled to the surface now, and it was far too late. The dam had finally burst, leaving him powerless against the seemingly unending flow. He was drowning in icy tears, snot, and shuddering breaths that felt like they’d never return to normal.
The moment Ellis had made his way into the world, something deep inside Wyatt’s soul had shattered, breaking into a million tiny pieces that pricked his heart with every shred of hurt, regret, and stifled guilt he’d ever buried within its previously impenetrable depths. Try as he might, the tears refused to cease.
A long while later, Wyatt took a deep breath and sniffled wearily, realising he could no longer feel his limbs. All the numbness had seeped from his core and travelled outwards instead, almost as though it had nowhere else to go; like it wasn’t welcome inside any longer. He wasn’t sure how long he’d sat and cried for, but at least he didn’t feel like he was choking anymore.
Eventually staggering inside, he carelessly wiped his nose upon his sleeve, far too tired to fret about his usual, habitual cleanliness.
Silently sliding to his knees, Wyatt wondered if his own father had felt this way when he was born-.. was he even there? Probably not, though he’d never bothered asking.
Ellis wiggled contentedly as Wyatt loomed over his crib, completely unperturbed by his presence; he was so small and innocent, so pure and untainted by a life yet lead. Since the moment he’d become aware of his existence, Wyatt knew that he’d do anything in his power to protect his son, though the feeling had multiplied tenfold now that he’d been born-.. as was natural for a parent, or ought to be.
Yet his so-called father had thrust him into the cruel jaws of the world without flinching, berated him when he shied from hardship, ignored his needs, wants and opinions, figuratively and literally beaten any undesired emotion out of him until he was a mere husk of who he might’ve been; turning him into someone who was easier to control instead, easier to mould. A malleable puppet to be used for his own, selfish gains.
How different things could’ve been-.. it’d probably be wise to maintain his refusal to regret the past though. His previously abhorrent life had still somehow led him to this point, hadn’t it? He wouldn’t change it, not now.
Wyatt finally admitted to himself that he wasn’t the same man he once was, he felt different-.. felt more. All the barriers and all the lies he’d surrounded himself with were gone, and bereft of his precious shield, he found himself exposed to a rawness he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with yet.
He knew wouldn’t judge Ellis for embracing his emotions, so perhaps he ought to do the same; guidance required an example to follow, right? Though he wasn’t sure he’d ever be a good example, he’d still try his best. He had no idea what he was doing, which wasn’t ideal, but at least he had a long list of what not to do.
Although it felt painful and foreign, Wyatt was relieved to discover that he still possessed some semblance of humanity; that his father and all those that’d failed him - including himself - hadn’t totally doused his spirit. The sobbing had long since stopped, but the tears had not; they didn’t sting as much as they had though, and each drop caressed his cheek gently as it fell, reassuring him that he wasn’t completely devoid of emotion, happiness, or love.
He hoped Ichi was right about him being a decent father, because for the first time since he could remember, Wyatt felt as though he had a purpose.
Maybe he had something to give to this world after all, something impeccant and virtuous, something he could actually be proud of…
I've been binging this story, and am obsessed!
I love the real shit these characters go through, and yet, the presence of hope is a huge thread throughout it all. It's beautiful. Looking forward to continuing tomorrow.
I'm a little scared to say it, but ya'll. I think I'm ready to start publishing story posts. Ahhhh!
I have way less than half a year of backlog, which is what I was originally hoping for, lol. But I have enough done to get us through an 8 week series, after which we can take a small break if I need more creative time for the next batch.
So what can you expect over the next couple of weeks?
This week I plan to post author posts. I'll do an "about me" pinned post, and an FAQ for anyone that wants to know what mods, software, etc. I use in my creative process.
Next week I will be posting pre-story posts that are visual only. They will give you a glimpse of the history of our girl, Ember, and some of what came before the first official scene.
The very next week, written scenes one and two go live! Yay! From that point forward (unless I run out of backlogged posts) you'll get two scenes a week. Look for them every Monday and Wednesday.
My fellow creators out there, what do you find the most helpful to include on your pinned message, if anything? Any advice would be welcome!!
Simblr, Let's Get Talking!
7th June '26 - Show and Tell
This week's Weekly Showcase is once again starring you! Tell me what you've been up to in the Sims. Legacy families, screenshots, edits, challenges, anything!
I'm mainly working on screenshots for my story at the moment, which involves making poses and doing some mild CAS work.
I have also been doing some building, though I'd like to do more. I had a dream about a dope boardwalk vacation spot by the ocean that I started recreating in game, so I work on finishing that when I take a minute to build just for the fun of it.
I also recently made a save file/character that is absolutely not allowed to be used for a storyline ever, that way I can play whenever I want. 😏 Because once I start using a save for story inspiration, I am obsessive about waiting to play the save until I have the written story caught up.
I've literally been waiting to play my main story save file for over a year now. I decided to write the story after a really long time playing, so there's a lot to write before I'm caught up.
I would just like to drop in and say, trying to take screenshots of a large group of Sims is like herding fucking cats.
Remind me tomorrow that I still love my characters, please.
Those two guys came out of nowhere to just stand there and chat in the middle of the shot, and what the heck is that third guy doing? lol.
The good news is, I have a backlog of eight episodes almost done! It's WAY less than I was hoping to have by now, but I underestimate things all the time. So, ya know, I'm used to such things happening.
Can I just say, I put way too much thought (is there such a thing?) into answering these questions. 😅 Thank you for the tag, @likelyamused, I adore thought exercises like this, and had a ton of fun answering.
I'll pass it on to @coccinellasims, @hannahssimblr, @dandylion240, @sulsulstudio for anyone that hasn't done it and wants to.
K, let's do it!
Slow burn or love at first sight?
Both, when they're done right, but I favor slow burn. The payoff for having to wait for it is so good! Assuming the wait is believable and not just stupid drama.
My choice is somewhat ironic because thus far, my main characters (all two of them) have tended to fall in love fast and hard. Or at least they catch feelings fast. I'm apparently not patient enough for writing slow burn yet, lol, but I am looking forward to trying my hand at it sometime in the future! Maybe character number three is fated for a slow burn….
Fake dating or secret dating?
Hmm, secret dating can be fun if it's similar to angsty teens that don't want their adults doing something irrational upon finding out. Or adults who don't actually care if people know, they just want to be selfish and keep their little bubble of magic going as long as possible before the “real world” pops it.
On the other hand, fake dating can be super cute because it really leans into two people spending a lot of time together without all of the normal “how do I impress this person as much as possible” hurdles. They do and say things they never would to someone they were actually dating, which, ironically, makes it easier to fall in love.
So I'm gonna go with fake dating.
Enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers?
Definitely best friends to lovers!
I have a hard time understanding enemies to lovers. How can two people that really dislike each other decide that, wait, maybe they not only like each other, but love each other? If it's a Romeo and Juliet situation where they are enemies by blood or circumstance versus personality or conflicting interests, that's tolerable. But if they are enemies in the sense that they can't stand each other or want to destroy each other at first, I usually check out.
Best friends, on the other hand…. I love me a good coming of age story where two kids get so used to knowing everything there is to know about each other that it takes them forever to realize they’re in love. Plus, I think all lovers should be best friends eventually, so why not start there first sometimes?
Hurt/comfort or amnesia?
I’m gonna have to go with hurt/comfort on this one. One of the best ways to show someone love is by taking care of them when they're at their worst. It needs to be respectful of the receiver’s dignity, of course, and their vulnerability shouldn’t be taken advantage of. But when those rules are followed, this type of situation can be really sweet and sexy. Especially when it reverses the typical power dynamic.
For example, a strong masculine figure who, when in peak condition, can take out an entire room full of enemies becomes at the mercy of a softer feminine figure due to a major injury. Now the power is in her hands when, normally, it would be otherwise. There are some interesting things that can be done with that.
Fantasy AU or modern AU?
Here is where I admit that I had to look up what AU was (alternate universe, it turns out). Lol. In this scenario, as far as I understand, the choices are either modern characters in a fantasy setting or fantasy characters in a modern setting.
I'm definitely leaning modern AU. I don't have any issues with fantasy AU, but I adore stories of typical, modern places having magic and fantasy in them. Let a girl believe for a few hours that maybe, just maybe, magic might actually be real in her mundane world.
I'm still waiting for the moment my magic awakens, and I don't think I'll ever be too old to lose hope.
Mutual pining or domestic bliss?
Domestic bliss, please! That's the goal for all people on earth, right? Finding happiness with the person/ people they choose to love? There should be more stories that realistically show what that's like after the initial falling in love part. I think it's actually the MUCH harder story to tell (in terms of keeping it engaging), which might be part of why pining, drama-centric, and star-crossed lover type stories prevail. But damn, people can and should be happy long term, and I want to see more of it!
Smut or fluff?
BOTH. All of my stories are romances, and they've got both the soft, fuzzy emotional stuff, and the hot, sweaty physical stuff. I feel like fluff without physical intimacy is kind of a disappointment, and sex without emotional backing (even if that emotional backing is just “I want to fucking have fun tonight!”) is just depressing. And possibly nonconsensual, which is always a no-go for me.
Reincarnation or character death?
Oh boy. Ummm, I haven't killed off a character (side characters included) like ever, but it's legitimately a goal of mine. I'm trying real hard not to make everything go perfectly for my characters, but it's difficult to hurt them when I know that all it takes is a chapter rewrite to take their pain away. And I love them. So much. Why would I want to hurt them, much less kill them?
But conflict and facing hard things are how characters and readers grow, and making those hard things exist are how I grow as a writer. So, in the spirit of growth, I choose character death.
That being said, the idea of reincarnation and twin flames is about as romantic as you can get! A story about two (or more) people who love each other so much they will find each other across lifetimes? Sign me up.
One-shot or multi-chapter?
Multi-chapter. Hands down. That's my go-to style of writing, even for my casual, episodic Sims writing (I am also working on a novel). I legitimately don't know how to write anything without chapters upon chapters. That's how I long to fall in love with characters, by following their growth from start to finish, page after page. So that's how I love to write them too.
Kid fic or road trip fic?
Road trip fic! These stories are so whimsical and magical. It lets the characters put the “real world” on hold to experience the beauty of people and places their day to day doesn't allow for. And it usually comes along with a heavy dose of character growth to boot!
Kid fic is fine, and resonates with me as a mother these days. But it can also be a little too on the nose for me at this stage in my life, which reduces the escapism part of both creating and consuming content.
Arranged marriage or accidental marriage?
Arranged marriage?
I'm not sure I've ever experienced a story about an accidental marriage, and that's fine by me. Maybe I'm just not very creative, but I can't imagine that two people who accidentally find themselves married are characters I would want to learn from/ read about.
Then again…. In a fantasy world, I could see it happening due to a misunderstanding between cultures (kind of like the gravity of making love in the first Avatar movie, though they were already in love), and potentially the marriage is even magically bound. And then in trying to unbind it, or learning to live with it, they fall in love.
Well shoot. That feels like a challenge just asking to be accepted. Now I'm gonna have to write it at some point in my life. Lol.
High school romance or middle-age romance?
I used to be all about high school romance, but now that I'm almost middle aged myself (36), I really enjoy watching people my age and older fall in love. I think a large part of that is that we're not as smooth skinned, agile, spontaneous, energetic, star struck, etc. as we used to be when we were 20 somethings. But we are still perfectly loveable. The world needs to see more scenarios like that play out.
Time travel or isolated together?
Isolated together, I think. Especially if it's temporary. @likelyamused had a good point about it feeling like settling if they literally have no other choice. But being in an isolated little bubble for a temporary period of time can be really romantic.
Neighbors or roommates?
Ohh, both of these are juicy! I'm gonna choose neighbors because it's funny. You'll see why if you check in every now and then.
Falling in love with your roommate is right up there with falling in love with your best friend, though. Complicated, but romantic as hell if they can get past the terrifying first step of admitting feelings beyond friendship.
Sci-fi AU or magic AU?
Magic AU. I love both sci-fi and magic based stories, but I will always choose magic if I'm forced to pick.
Body swap or genderbent?
I think there is a lot that can be learned by changing up gender in unexpected ways. Body swap is super predictable and, while it has its moments, not that exciting for me. So I choose genderbent.
Angst or crack?
I'm not big into stories that are built on a foundation of the absurd, or chaos for the sake of chaos. I know such stories have a place in this world, but I always have other things I'd rather be consuming. So angst is my personal preference. I enjoy big emotions.
Apocalyptic or mundane?
We may have saved the best for last! Apocalyptic.
With the apocalyptic genre, I do get annoyed that content almost always leans toward humanity becoming the big bad. The apocalypse literally comes with a built in monster—whatever destroyed life as we know it to begin with.
Why can't we have a post-apocalyptic story where all the humans band together and find super creative ways of surviving, thriving, and clearing the earth of zombies? Instead of killing each other so that the zombies don't have to? Watching people be smart and generally caring is just as fun, if not more fun, than watching people be mean for the sake of drama.
Annoyance at typical apocalyptic storytelling aside, taking the world from a place of convenience and drudgery to a place of survival and instincts has always been intriguing to me. I know it would be scary as shit, and if I'm being honest, I don't think I would survive long enough to be a main character in an apocalypse story. Lol. But even so, the idea of taking the earth back to the dark ages has its appeal, mostly in the simplicity that that brings. Find food, water, shelter and companionship, and survive. Hard, but simple.
K, that's it. Whew. If you made it this far, you deserve a high five. Count yourself officially high-fived.
I've been working on screenshots and am making good progress. However, I'm running into an issue where they look great on my computer, but when I see them on my phone, they seem too dark and lose a lot of their detail.
How do these look to you?
These three are meant to be at night when the lights are off. I am struggling to find a balance between authentic nighttime vibes and just losing all detail, especially knowing both mobile and PC users will be looking at them....
More screenshots and a poll below.
These next three are taken where there's more light. Are the blacks still too heavy to your eye, or does it feel balanced?
Feedback would be super helpful as I keep editing and trying to find my style!
Here's a handy poll for you to answer with, but I'd also love to know in the comments if you're viewing via mobile or PC.
Are these screenshots too dark?
The nighttime shots lose too much detail, but the lighter ones are good!
The nighttime ones are stylistically dark, but the lighter could use less black.
They are all a little too heavy on the black to see what's going on....
I've been working on screenshots and am making good progress. However, I'm running into an issue where they look great on my computer, but when I see them on my phone, they seem too dark and lose a lot of their detail.
How do these look to you?
These three are meant to be at night when the lights are off. I am struggling to find a balance between authentic nighttime vibes and just losing all detail, especially knowing both mobile and PC users will be looking at them....
More screenshots and a poll below.
These next three are taken where there's more light. Are the blacks still too heavy to your eye, or does it feel balanced?
Feedback would be super helpful as I keep editing and trying to find my style!
Here's a handy poll for you to answer with, but I'd also love to know in the comments if you're viewing via mobile or PC.
Are these screenshots too dark?
The nighttime shots lose too much detail, but the lighter ones are good!
The nighttime ones are stylistically dark, but the lighter could use less black.
They are all a little too heavy on the black to see what's going on....
Hello! I’m Nimzy Wilder, the player/ author behind Wilder House and the stories that will be posted here (soon!).
What can you expect from my blog?
I am a prose-forward storyteller, meaning my main focus is writing, but I will be sprinkling screenshots throughout each scene for visuals.
Like this!
As far as my writing goes, I have two different styles that I use to tell my stories:
The first (but not foremost) is in the form of what I call “Journals,” which are journal/ social media type posts where my main character(s) write about their lives to all of you with their own voices.
Take note that these posts are very much like anything you would come across in real life social media: filtered for an audience. So our characters aren’t always forth-coming about their feelings, and don’t always get the facts straight (or share them straight).
The second style of writing comes in the form of “Chronicles,” which make up the majority of the story-centered posts you will see from me. They are written in third-person, still from the perspective of the main character, but these are more narrative with novel-like prose.
Think of Chronicles as windows looking into a character's life (don’t worry, they all happily signed a waiver saying they agree to the sharing of undisclosed moments of their lives!), which will give you an unfiltered perspective on what the main character is thinking, feeling, and experiencing in vivid detail.
Sometimes incredibly vivid detail…. I am not afraid to get into the hot and steamy details (and I mean details) of the erotic experiences that my characters find themselves in, so you will sometimes come across what I call “Chronicles, After Dark.” These are the same as the regular Chronicles, only they are centered on erotic situations. If detailed sex scenes are a trigger for you, avoid anything tagged/ titled After Dark!
Also, for the benefit of my Sims players, I thought it was worth mentioning that these stories have, thus far, come from autonomous gameplay where my Sims characters are able to make decisions without me that shape the way the story goes. I do control the main characters pretty much all the time, but they still manage to take control when I’m not paying attention and sneak in a surprise or two despite my meddling, which is what I have fallen in love with about the Sims.
I do take creative license to shape the story in a way that is narratively entertaining, so while I use gameplay for inspiration, I have full control of where the story goes in the end.
Right now I have one main character that I'm focused on. Eventually I have plans for others that all exist in the same universe, but in their own little corners, with little to no character crossover between the stories.
It's a chronic problem, taking what is a good, reasonable idea and expanding it into a monster of a project that I can't get out of my head until I do it. Lol.
But first things first, let's get Ember's story going! If you haven't already seen her character intro, it is here. I'll be posting teasers and WIP stuff between now and launch day, so be on the lookout!
I am so excited to introduce Ember, the focus of my upcoming story!
She is, deep down, a dreamer to the core. It often feels like she spends 80% of her time in her head, living in the stories that exist there and trying her hardest to navigate the real world.
She has a big heart that is easily broken--that has been broken--and she has a lot of growing up to do, but time has a way of helping with both.
I shamelessly write stories of hope, friendship, and love that face hardship head on, with my characters often finding a way to come out better for it in the long run. Ember's journey to self-discovery is sweet, sad, and surprising, taking her places she never expected to go.
Learn More About Ember:
Favorite Color: purple
Favorite Food: mashed potatoes
Favorite Drink: herbal tea bubble tea!
Favorite Song: "Edge of the Skyline" by Arden Skye
Favorite Season: Fall
Favorite Book: she might have a panic attack if you make her pick
Occupation: freelance writer
Age: almost 20
Traits: Genius, Good, Creative
As a Sim: Ember spends the majority of her time either focused or inspired, rarely gets angry, and often gets uncomfortable when she forgets to eat or use the bathroom because she's so focused.
Note:
The songs included/referenced in this post are by fictional artists, and are sung in Simlish!
This is actually turning out better than I thought it might. It's still very much a work in progress, but it's starting to take the shape of what I saw in my dream!
