It's hard to know what's important until later? Or at least that's how I function. Most of the time, I have to see a later chapter and get even more evidence so that I can say more confidentially "Oh yeah, that relates to ... in the other chapter."
That's a perfectly fine way to read the story. :smile:
I don't know how much Sim lore factors into the story, but I suppose that I should assume that nothing is random and that everything is intentional.
Most things in this story are intentional (though some are just intended as jokes with no plot significance). But I will say that I'm not using any premade sims as actual important characters in this story. But I do use them as walk-ons and extras when I need a crowd. And in public areas, they may just wander into the scene of their own accord. Some of the game lore factors into the story, such as using the Landgraab name on some building or something, but mostly just as world details like that. More as in-jokes or easter eggs for the readers who play (since some of my other readers don't). The real story lore is made up as I write it.
As a little side note... The guy that Vlad is talking to in the pool is a sim from one of my own other saves. It's a "Greek Mythology" save, and that particular sim is Zeus. Originally, Vlad and Zeus were hanging out in a hot-tub together out on one of the balconies, but I needed to streamline the flow of images in this chapter to make better "narrative" sense, so they ended up getting moved to the indoor pool. If I remember right, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysus were also at this party, but I don't think all of them made the final screenshots cut. It's of no significance story-wise. Using my own sims from other saves as extras is just a thing I do because it amuses me.
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EDIT (forgot to comment on this)
Yes. I thought they could be meant to be the same person with two different disguises because the eye color is the same, they both have freckles over their nose and a mole on the right, and they are both acting like stalkers (or at least show up in the background a lot).
You're not alone. Another reader thought that too. But It's just coincidence how similar they look. I didn't even notice it myself until she started speculating on them.
