nexility-sims

[nexility-sims]

dear new followers, i am on hiatus, not dead, so do yourself a favor (or, well, me) and explore what’s on tap in my absence—!

dear new followers (& y'all who've been here, i reckon)

i have realized that my pinned post is super outdated and unhelpful at the moment, so redoing it is on my to-do list. in the meantime, feels like a good time to give some quick intro links. hopefully these will help those of you who actually want to know what's going in the N-Verse figure it out.

my current story ("1992") is a prequel-slash-spinoff, currently paused, so now is a good time to catch up / follow along:

you can find the directory of posts here

you can jump in chronologically here

you can find the most recent posts here

the character page is here

there's a gameplay au (yes, another spinoff) here & a new narrative, non-gameplay version of the au here

it's a spinoff of my main story (calling it "house of tecuani"), currently on hiatus, which takes place sixty years earlier. you don't need to read it to follow the spinoff, but nonetheless:

the intro to the story's premise is here

you can find the directory of posts here

you can jump in chronologically here

check out the reference family tree here

i do a lot of worldbuilding, findable here

i post outtakes: past settings and present ones

it's a prequel because it's a collaboration with @/armoricaroyalty, whose half is set twenty-five years later, in the present:

you can jump in where the collab starts here (or, ideally, explore gabe's full story here)

lastly, i am always eager to answer questions, i love spam-liking, i try to reply to comments (altho i am slow), and i'm on disco 24/7 if anyone wants to hit me up, so please interact if you feel like it !

thanks for being here and / or sticking around ♥️

[nexility-sims]

💒

[nexility-sims]

no one asked but i have 14 now & they’re all good & i’ll have even more by the end of the day, lord willing and the creek don’t rise 🧘‍♀️

if i said i have four (4) new, good screenshots as of today, would you believe me

[nexility-sims]

concept: it's 1978 & you get to go backstage thanks to your bad girl girl friend / most important detail? they're wearing her clothes, of course, in true rock star style 💅 / sighing gently and dreamily while imagining this never-to-come Prequel to the Prequel™ / $5 to whoever knows why they stole the random grocery cart—?

[nexility-sims]

i have a vision

[nexility-sims]

time moves at half speed in my game but this baby will be here soon, so obviously i needed to do a Maternity Shoot with the least cringey poses i could find 🧘‍♀️ one, three, and four are the best, imo

𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟰 🅐🅤 ‣ prev \ next

[nexility-sims]

it’s just a countdown at this point :^) ten !!!!! two more … guys, there might be Content by the end of the weekend if we play our cards right.

if i said i have four (4) new, good screenshots as of today, would you believe me

[nexility-sims]

EIGHT! a miracle

if i said i have four (4) new, good screenshots as of today, would you believe me

[nexility-sims]

if i said i have four (4) new, good screenshots as of today, would you believe me

[nexility-sims]

comments, considerations, commands welcome in the replies if you’re also feeling, say, opinionated and generous on this fine sunday ♥️

[nexility-sims]

comments, considerations, commands welcome in the replies if you’re also feeling, say, opinionated and generous on this fine sunday ♥️

[nexility-sims]

damn i was really onto something w/ this huh

Hi, there! Love your story!! Any advice for a first-time simmer looking to do this sort of thing?

i'm gonna say from the outset that you surely did not request an automobile manual's worth of expounding on such a simple question, but ... that's what i've given you :^) partly, i wanted to cover all the of the bases of what you may have meant, so there are three parts: "general advice for thriving," "specific advice for knowing when you're ready," and "specific advice for doing what i do." hopefully these are useful and not completely derivative of what other people have said recently. beyond that, i'll just say i am always, always happy to talk about storytelling, to answer questions, and to give feedback on anything and everything. thanks for the question—and the kind words, too !

ONE - general advice for thriving

JUST START TELLING YOUR STORY ALREADY. maybe it’s obvious, but the best advice is to dive in. it’s like going for the first swim of the season and knowing you’ve got to take the plunge but dreading the cold of it. once you finally submerge yourself, you’re having fun. it’s easy to get caught up in endless preparation. planning is important, whatever that looks like for you, but you’ve got to know when it becomes procrastinating. being ready to start is not the same thing as being 100% confident and 100% polished. i’m willing to bet none of your favorite storytellers, people whose stories have been ongoing for years with dedicated readers, started off confident and polished. it may not be universal, but i think there’s a common reaction when a new reader likes your very first story post: cringing because it’s your worst work but knowing it only gets better from there. storytelling is something you have to practice, and the basics of it become more intuitive and effortless as you go.

continued and continued and continued below ...

BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY. to feel satisfied and stay motivated, prioritize your passions. you want to tell this specific story for a reason; you want to do simblr storytelling, specifically, for a reason. the former is likely because you’re inspired by your plot/characters. the latter could be because you enjoy taking screenshots, you enjoy writing dialogue, you love reading simblr stories, or any number of technical reasons why the medium speaks to you. there are probably things you don’t love as much—posing sims, filling plot holes, realizing your skills don’t fully line up with your ambitions. in my experience, being able to name why you’re doing this translates into being able to crafting a story around those priorities. that, in turn, means having the motivation to power through the parts you like less. 

i hate making poses, so i approach my work from the perspective of, “i’m not going to get hung up on having the exact right poses, and i don’t want to slow my story down by wasting time in blender.” other people love making poses or decide having the right one is what’s important to them. being purposeful saves you the trouble of agonizing over things that aren’t actually necessary or, worse, that eventually lead you to burn out and abandon the work altogether. we have to make compromises to tell good stories—maybe you hate writing outlines but know doing it will make things easier later—and it’s invaluable, imo, to know why you’re making those choices. there are jacks-of-all-trades with infinite free time and buckets of inspiration among us, but you’re likely not one of them. don’t worry, though, because neither am i. 

FALL IN LOVE WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S STORIES. this one is huge, albeit ostensibly a step removed from the immediate task of storytelling. something i’ve noticed is that people who genuinely engage with other people’s work get more love for their own. it makes sense when you think about it. ideally, if someone is taking the time to catch up on my story, to ask me questions about my characters, to demonstrate that they see what i’m doing, then i want to reciprocate that. to me, it’s actually off-putting when someone only ever publicizes or discusses their own story. that being said, it’s easy to get caught up in our work—using our finite free time to make sure our project gets done—and not allocate time for getting to know other people’s. it’s no crime or even a bad thing. yet, to me, that defeats the purpose of joining a community like this one. it also makes our stories weaker, to reference the wisdom that writers must also be readers. talking to someone about their characters, their writing process, how they stage a scene in the game (or observing those elements while reading their posts) makes me reflect on what i’m doing. paying true attention to other storytellers is a practice of reciprocity that builds community, and it gives you solid examples to learn from as you go. 

FOCUS ON GROWTH, NOT WEAKNESS. relatedly, the learning element is so important! a common pitfall, especially for someone just starting out, is getting hung up on what you think you’re doing wrong and comparing yourself to others. maybe their stories are more visually pleasing. maybe their plots have better pacing and impact. maybe their characters get more engagement from readers. step one is to not compare, but i suspect most of us will cop to failing that step. step two, then, could be turning those negative feelings into motivation. if your options are getting down on yourself and abandoning your story versus pushing through and improving ... well, it’s clear to me which is the better option. step three is figuring out how to push through and improve. my advice is the above tip: make some friends whose stories you admire and who are willing to give you encouragement and feedback. most simblr folks, i find, are generous like that.

IT'S A HOBBY AND A CRAFT AND A COMMUNITY. that leads me to my final point, which is basically a bundle of generative contradictions. simblr is a hobby, which means you can’t take it too seriously. storytelling is a craft, which means you have to take it seriously to get better. story simblr is a community, which means the best way to have fun and get better is by doing it with other people. if your goal is to have a hugely popular story that hundreds of nameless followers adoringly read, then, statistically, you’re going to fail. a more reasonable goal is becoming part of a collective who are working on stories they mutually enjoy. maybe you’re in a writing group or have a beta reader. maybe you’re collaborating with another simblr. maybe you have a handful of mutuals with whom you interact exclusively through likes, reblogs, and replies. having done all of the above, my experience is that i’m most excited about my story, most motivated to work on it, most likely to get the positive engagement i want when i’m actively trying to have fun, get better, and be part of the community. from someone who is not infrequently stymied by social anxiety and perfectionism: you can’t reap benefits you don’t sow. 

TWO - advice for knowing when you’re ready:

TURN YOUR IDEA INTO A CAST AND A NARRATIVE. i say narrative instead of “outline” for a few reasons: 1) not every story is event-driven, 2) the traditionally imagined outline structure doesn’t work for everyone, and 3) pre-defining everything doesn’t work for everyone either, plus 3a) frontloading too much detail is a lot of work and 3b) can dampen creativity. maybe you have a bulleted list, an illustrated storyboard, a well-organized playlist … regardless of what it is, you should know roughly what the sequence of major experiences or events is, how they’re connected, and what you want them to convey to the reader. i did a ton of winging it when i started my main story in 2021, and i did a lot more planning with this current project; as you go, you’ll figure out what kind of preparation makes the most sense for you, and that may change, too.

MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THE LOGISTICS. it’s important to emphasize that you can and perhaps should change your mind / experiment later, but some things are nice to have settled before you start posting. among them, i would recommend several. one is figuring out if you do scripts or screenshots first. another is knowing if your story is more gameplay-based or will rely on poses. you should also have a sense of the locations you’ll need and whether those will be existing in-game lots, builds you download from others, or ones you build yourself. are you editing your screenshots visually, in canva, photoshop, gimp, photopea, etc? are you using reshade / gshade in game? are you writing dialogue, prose, or both—and are you then putting it on the screenshots or as text below them? what’s your posting schedule going to be, if you choose to have one instead of posting as you go? these are just some considerations, but i would say they’re significant. for every combination of ways to tell a story, there’s almost certainly a simblr doing it. there’s no right or wrong, only what’s right for you.

RUN YOUR PLANS BY SOMEONE ELSE. it’s not essential or always feasible, but feedback can make you feel better about the whole thing. having someone give you constructive criticism, whether on your outline or your planned posting schedule, is helpful. even more helpful is knowing someone is already familiar and enthusiastically waiting to see more of your project. an added benefit is that, if you’re nervous about how your story will be received, this can be a practice run at sharing it! 

THREE - advice for doing what i do:

i describe my story as historical drama, as an anti / decolonial worldbulding experiment, as being about intergenerational family and the exercise of power. so, if you’d like to enter the royal simblr genre (or thereabouts) and do something that is—i think i can say—unique, then here’s my anecdotal advice.

HAVE A STRONG INSPIRATION BASE. if you’re not faithfully basing your country on a real world location, then you should at least have a solid idea of where your inspiration is coming from. i consider my story an indigenous story, and my inspiration is mainly histories and cultures in the western hemisphere—primarily but not exclusively in what’s currently mexico and central america, plus from what’s currently the united states and also some histories of the iberian peninsula. i’m not trying to recreate any particular nation or culture, but knowing the origins of influence both helps my creations feel more cohesive and gives me a reliable source when i need inspiration.

DO YOUR RESEARCH WHEN IT MATTERS. relatedly, you can’t be inspired by the real world—by real everyday people’s real cultures—without using them respectfully. more often than not, that means doing research. i suppose i think of it as, “if someone sees themself in my story, how is that going to make them feel?” i don’t let that thought discourage me or make me fearful; i use it as motivation to ensure i’m producing good representation. i know where my expertise and personal experience end, and i’m willing to put in the work to make sure i’m not being careless. that being said, research isn’t just about cultural sensitivity! doing your research—especially for historical settings or with institutions / processes you haven’t personally dealt with, like royalty or executive governance—makes the story stronger. you don’t have to bore your readers with reams of findings or shoehorning details into places they don’t belong. understanding the context in which your story takes place will help you intuitively and subtly render the world more realistic and immersive, write characters who are more believable and engaging, and craft plots that make more logical, interesting use of the setting in which they’re unfolding.

FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR PROTAGONIST. this is obvious, but it’s especially true when you’re writing a story the way i do. my storytelling is character-driven in the sense that, more than the events of the plot, i like to focus on moments that develop the characters and their relationships. it’s also character-driven in the sense that i choose a character or two and let them drive the narrative. i just don’t have the adeptness for ensemble casts; i can’t handle the moving parts, and i naturally close in on a particular character’s emotional world rather than zooming out. to make these inclinations work, it’s key to really know your lead characters(s) and feel comfortable working inside their mind / heart. i’ve harped on this before, but motivation is the single most important thing you can know about a character. it puts you on the path to answering so many other key questions, from what their desires are to how their backstory shaped them to how they struggle in the present to what their next move is. if you love your protagonist, then thinking about these questions is more fun than burdensome. 

EMBRACE THE MESS. there is a tendency to avoid messiness, one that is well-meaning but can undermine the story. if you aren’t comfortable with thematic gray areas, with unresolved loose ends, with lingering emotions, with conclusions that aren’t definitively happy, then i think you miss opportunities. these are all issues that have two sides: one is the dreaded plot hole or some equivalent writer’s mistake that leaves readers disgruntled; the other is challenging your readers and giving them intrigue to chew on, to dissect and debate, to feel as they read. my advice is that you can have contradictions and complexity and even ugliness in your story, but you have to purposefully put it there—or take control of it, if it arises on its own.

DO IT FOR YOURSELF, NOT FOR OTHER PEOPLE. at the end of the day, the story that you pour your heart into just won’t connect with or excite everyone. the characters, the plots, the world, the genres, the way you post, how you talk about the story ... it won’t always resonate the way you hope. being okay with that is what makes storytelling sustainable. sometimes i wonder why i put so much effort and thought into what i’m doing, especially when it seems like no one seems to notice. what i have to remind myself is that some people do appreciate it and, more importantly, the process brings me joy. to reference earlier advice, i’m putting effort into the parts that are my priorities, and i’ve made connections with a handful of people who give me the enthusiasm i need on days when simple enjoyment isn’t enough. “being okay with that” isn’t a permanent feeling; it’s a decision you, as a hobbyist storyteller in a casual community, have to make and remake.

it’s okay to do it for other people sometimes. i’m including this caveat because my current project is a collaboration that i started for an audience of one, and i do make a habit of trying to put a ton of effort into all of my few collaborative enterprises. one of the reasons i gravitated toward royal simblr is that it’s a very collaborative space, but i think the best ones really do build reciprocal love for someone else’s story. if you’re going to care what other people think of your work or make choices with their opinions in mind, then i suggest doing it for people who are involved—who know what your priorities are, who love your characters, and who understand what you’re trying to do well enough that their opinions actually do make the story better. like i said, we're here to have fun, to get better, to be part of something.

okay, that's it, whoever read this far down is an angel possibly with too much time on their hands. as i said at the top, happy to be a resource or a supportive voice in whatever ways are helpful ! ♥️

[nexility-sims]

Little does Ulrike know Helena has the (vampire) sugar mommy from hell... and she's here to crash the party.

Previous / Next

Featuring a lot by @moonwoodhollow, gnome art by @pocketgnome, Leonor and Renzo by @nexility-sims, Rosella, George, and Jo by @aheathen-conceivably, and Nettie by @venriliz.

Ulrike: Did you know I would be showing tonight?

Helena: No. God, no. I wouldn’t have come if I knew… I mean, not that I wouldn’t want to see you, but… I promise I’m not, like, stalking y-

Ulrike: [laughs] Take a breath, Zhao. I didn’t mean to accuse you. But can you blame me for being caught off guard? Why are you in Windenburg?

Helena: Oh, I’ve been staying nearby with some… friends.

Ulrike: What friends?

Helena: No one you know.

Ulrike: Why didn’t you tell me? You knew I was doing the residency.

Helena: I just… didn’t want things to be awkward.

Ulrike: And bumping into each other like this isn’t?

[overlapping crowd chatter]

Ulrike: God, I can barely hear myself think. Let’s talk somewhere quieter.

-

Ulrike: Level with me, Zhao. Are you okay?

Helena: What? I’m fine.

Ulrike: You’ve barely even made eye contact, which I know means you’re lying about something. That dress looks expensive — and that jewelry. Your hair is so glossy I can see my own reflection. Your skin is clear as glass. I think I know what’s going on here.

Helena: Ulrike, I can explain-

Ulrike: You’re someone’s sugar baby.

Helena: [bursts out laughing] Oh my god, Faust. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.

Ulrike: At least it got you to look at me. Helena, your eyes! They almost seem red.

Helena: [dismissively] It must be the lights. Now, tell me, how the fuck have those gnomes still got you in a chokehold after all this time?

Ulrike: There’s the Zhao I know, always asking the hard-hitting questions.

-

Lilith: Unhand me, you brute! You and your approved guest list can both go straight to hell. [to Caleb] Did you truly think not inviting me would prevent me from finding out about this delightful little event?

Caleb: [calmly] It wasn't meant to be a secret. I just didn’t think you’d care to come.

Lilith: [teasingly] Your thoughts betray you, baby brother.

Caleb: My thoughts betray nothing. You simply followed us here.

Lilith: Well, if only the two of you weren’t so obnoxious about occupying each other’s headspace. Admit it. You only keep me out to tip the scales in your favor.

Caleb: As though you wouldn’t do the same — if you could. But you hear only as much as she’s willing to tell you, and it drives you mad.

Lilith: [giggles] Oh, this is a fun game. We've never feuded over a girl before. I thought that sort of thing would be beneath you, considering your-

Caleb: Don’t be gauche, Lilith. It’s not a g-

Lilith: Yes, there they are — your hideously boring morals. [heaves dramatic sigh] I’d love to keep chatting, but I must take a look around. I’ve always been a patron of the arts.

[nexility-sims]

dear new followers (& y'all who've been here, i reckon)

i have realized that my pinned post is super outdated and unhelpful at the moment, so redoing it is on my to-do list. in the meantime, feels like a good time to give some quick intro links. hopefully these will help those of you who actually want to know what's going in the N-Verse figure it out.

my current story ("1992") is a prequel-slash-spinoff, currently paused, so now is a good time to catch up / follow along:

you can find the directory of posts here

you can jump in chronologically here

you can find the most recent posts here

the character page is here

there's a gameplay au (yes, another spinoff) here & a new narrative, non-gameplay version of the au here

it's a spinoff of my main story (calling it "house of tecuani"), currently on hiatus, which takes place sixty years earlier. you don't need to read it to follow the spinoff, but nonetheless:

the intro to the story's premise is here

you can find the directory of posts here

you can jump in chronologically here

check out the reference family tree here

i do a lot of worldbuilding, findable here

i post outtakes: past settings and present ones

it's a prequel because it's a collaboration with @/armoricaroyalty, whose half is set twenty-five years later, in the present:

you can jump in where the collab starts here (or, ideally, explore gabe's full story here)

lastly, i am always eager to answer questions, i love spam-liking, i try to reply to comments (altho i am slow), and i'm on disco 24/7 if anyone wants to hit me up, so please interact if you feel like it !

thanks for being here and / or sticking around ♥️

[nexility-sims]

i have a vision

[nexility-sims]

i have a vision

[nexility-sims]

always & forever ! ♥️

Uhm? Interact with this post if it's okay to interact with/dm you!

I'm very anxious and I wanna throw my new dollie at at other people's dollies but I'm honestly scared too ;;