The Freezer Bunny Club - A Reading Circle
The Freezer Bunny Club: A Reading Circle https://i.imgur.com/qBYoZ55.png Welcome to The Freezer Bunny Club! This reading circle is an open space for the members to share our stories and discuss...
Forum Discussion
OK, so, I had been working on my responses to the discussion questions and had almost finished but I accidentally clicked out of the text box and hit the backspace and I lost everything I had been writing. The frustration! :angry: So I took a break, took a nap, grabbed a juicebox, and here I am again :blush: Anyway, @Duvelina congratulations on completing your Bachelor's Degree! That's a huge accomplishment, so well done! Good luck on your Master's Degree, as well. I want to do one, too, but I keep putting it off and right now I'm not sure how doable that is. Oh well, I'll live vicariously through you!~
Here are my answers to the discussion questions, hopefully I can remember everything I had written before!~
Discussion questions
General
1. What do you think of my storytelling?
I like it a lot! I think you have a wonderful ability of immersing the reader into the story by using a nice blend of narration and images. I particularly like that the action all happens through your narration; by this I mean that the lack of dialogue is an interesting choice that makes me feel like I'm inside the characters' heads rather than just witnessing the action. The characters are distinct and relatable, and the chapters, while short, are clear and focused. After each one, I was thirsty for more, so I immediately clicked forward. I'm really looking forward to more, and that's a sign of a great story.
2. What do you think of the overall story so far?
It's a very interesting story! I like that we as the readers dive directly into the action. Though this is a little confusing at first, I don't think it interferes with the story at all, and we have the very handy character guide and family tree to help us out. I love how you've woven together the stories of the different members of the Villareal family, and I particularly love how everybody gets the focus in different chapters. It's a really nice way to build your little universe, and I love finding out more about each character as the story goes along.
3. What do you think of my ability to portray relationships specifically? Do they feel authentic?
I think you do a pretty good job of portraying relationships. Specifically, I think you do a great job of fleshing out the characters, giving them each ample time to be presented to the reader, and we find out details about their personalities, their insecurities, their desires, etc., so I feel like we really know them. Because they're well developed, I feel like when you discuss the relationships between them we can understand where they're coming from, or what point they're at. They seem realistic because you've done such a good job of fleshing out the components. They're very believable, and also, very likable. Good job!
4. What do you think of my new blog? Any feedback?
I loooooove your new blog! It's elegant, simple, and easy to navigate. I can find exactly what I'm looking for in the index, and having the character guide and the family tree easily accessible helps out a lot if I need to go back to look at them at any point. It's a very pleasant blog to explore. :)
In-depth (spoilers)
Here are my answers to the discussion questions, hopefully I can remember everything I had written before!~
Discussion questions
General
1. What do you think of my storytelling?
I like it a lot! I think you have a wonderful ability of immersing the reader into the story by using a nice blend of narration and images. I particularly like that the action all happens through your narration; by this I mean that the lack of dialogue is an interesting choice that makes me feel like I'm inside the characters' heads rather than just witnessing the action. The characters are distinct and relatable, and the chapters, while short, are clear and focused. After each one, I was thirsty for more, so I immediately clicked forward. I'm really looking forward to more, and that's a sign of a great story.
2. What do you think of the overall story so far?
It's a very interesting story! I like that we as the readers dive directly into the action. Though this is a little confusing at first, I don't think it interferes with the story at all, and we have the very handy character guide and family tree to help us out. I love how you've woven together the stories of the different members of the Villareal family, and I particularly love how everybody gets the focus in different chapters. It's a really nice way to build your little universe, and I love finding out more about each character as the story goes along.
3. What do you think of my ability to portray relationships specifically? Do they feel authentic?
I think you do a pretty good job of portraying relationships. Specifically, I think you do a great job of fleshing out the characters, giving them each ample time to be presented to the reader, and we find out details about their personalities, their insecurities, their desires, etc., so I feel like we really know them. Because they're well developed, I feel like when you discuss the relationships between them we can understand where they're coming from, or what point they're at. They seem realistic because you've done such a good job of fleshing out the components. They're very believable, and also, very likable. Good job!
4. What do you think of my new blog? Any feedback?
I loooooove your new blog! It's elegant, simple, and easy to navigate. I can find exactly what I'm looking for in the index, and having the character guide and the family tree easily accessible helps out a lot if I need to go back to look at them at any point. It's a very pleasant blog to explore. :)
In-depth (spoilers)
Spoiler
5. Do you think I portrayed Sofia’s addiction storyline well?
Yes. I think you have succeeded in creating a compelling narrative surrounding her addiction, and though I can't truly speak from experience since I fortunately haven't struggled with substance addiction, I fully understood how she got to that point and why it was difficult to get out of that rut. I like that you took the time to allow us as readers to understand that there wasn't particularly a huge reason as to why she was addicted, because I think that's something that's easily forgotten when people get addicted to something. Her reasoning, being bored and unsatisfied with her life up until that point, was very valid and imo very believable. Her quitting and the subsequent withdrawal were also very well done. I have witnessed this period of withdrawal with a couple close friends and I think you've done a good job at representing the difficulty and almost desperation that comes with this period.
6. What is your favourite portrayed relationship, romantic or otherwise, in the story so far and why?
OK, I may be biased, but honestly my favorite relationship is the one between Hugo and Nelson. I feel like they happened naturally, just two friends that slowly became attracted to each other. It often happens that way! I like that they bring out the best in each other, and I particularly LOVE that Hugo was wise enough to not give into his attraction until his relationship with Sofia had ended. In this way, I feel like their relationship coincides with the upswing in Hugo's life, with him cultivating better habits, and improving himself overall. I like this, it's a very healthy way to begin a relationship and I loved seeing them come together after 25+ chapters of me waiting to see where that initial hint of attraction was going. (Because I loved that you set the possibility of them happening RIGHT from the bat. It was the ultimate tease!)
And, well. This might be surprising but I also really, really like Sofia and Luna's relationship. Not necessarily because I think that they should be beginning something while Luna hasn't even talked to Hugo and while Sofia is going through a difficult period where it's easy to get attached to something else, but because I think this is very, very realistic. Too many times in my life, when I've gone through something difficult, I seem to look at romance as a sort of way to escape the hardships I face, and then the relationship just becomes a replacement instead of me facing the difficulties head on. I really like Luna and Sofia's relationship because it's the one I most identify with (and that sounds kind of sad! But really, it's very well written.)
7. What is your least favourite portrayed relationship, romantic or otherwise, in the story so far and why?
Oh, yikes. This is a difficult question. But I think in the end I'm pretty confident with my answer: my least favorite relationship is the one Max has with literally anyone else. I can anticipate that there's more to him than what we've seen so far, but honestly every single one of his relationships is toxic (except maybe his relationship to CHESS, haha). I hope that at one point he will realize that he has no one to blame his loneliness on but himself. I'm excited to see what's going to become of him.
8. What do you think of my portrayal of the Villareal family?
I'll be honest: I've never played with the Villareal family in my own Sims game! I was vaguely familiar with some of their names, but I had never taken the time to get to know them. I think you've done a wonderful job of taking a premade family and really fleshing them out and making them come to life.
9. How would you interpret and describe Max as a character?
An immature man-child who has a lot of growing up to do. I feel like he was deeply affected by his father passing away and he just became emotionally stunted and, frankly, a toxic presence in his family because of his grief. I hope he does some soul-searching and grows up a little, because I could see him developing into someone who might be tolerable. I don't believe that he's all bad.
10. Who is your favourite character so far and why?
I think that, because I somehow identify with her struggles (but not with the way she dealt with them), my favorite character is Sofia. She's very relatable, and I like that we've witnessed a lot of development in her. It was not easy to deal with the fallout from her deciding to quit her bubbles, and I think she's brave to try to get over it. I'm very curious to see where she goes from here and what her story with Luna is going to look like.
Some honorable mentions: I like Nelson a lot. He's a good guy, and his personality is lovely. Lucy is also a good character, and very commendable; I like how it's implied that she was a gold-digger but also stepped up when the time came and has been a good mother to her children.
11. Who is your least favourite character and why?
OK, here's a left-field answer: Neal. He's just annoying and since you haven't quite focused on him yet, I'm not a big fan. He has his OK moments, but it's telling that his most relevant scene so far has been the one where he's beat up by his sister for attempting to steal from her! I'm sure he's an all right guy, but so far he's just... there.
12. Who would you want to see more of?
Honestly, I'd like to see a little bit more of Jacqueline. I find her story very compelling, even though it hasn't been the most important one in the story. I like rooting for her and I want to see her develop into a confident young woman.
13. What is your favourite storyline and why?
I mean, it's a little difficult to choose! I really like Hugo's storyline because I'm thrilled to see him rise above his unhappiness and turn his life around by improving his habits and going for Nelson, someone who could truly make him happy after all the negativity surrounding his relationship with Sofia. However, I think the most interesting storyline so far is Sofia's. I just identify with her so much, so her storyline has been the one I've been looking forward the most. I think there's going to be a lot of difficulty in her life while she still tries to move on from the period of addiction in her life, but it's exciting to see her try.
14. What are your predictions for any of the ongoing (or future) storylines?
Well. Max is probably going to try his absolute hardest to get his group back, and maybe he's going to succeed and have a little crime syndicate. I think we're going to learn more about him, for sure, and he's going to have a redemption arc. Maybe he'll meet someone who changes his point of view a little? I hope! His character has a lot of potential.
Sofia is probably going to realize that fixating on Luna is not a very good idea given how recent her quitting the bubbles is. Recovery is a difficult path and transferring all your attention to a diversion, no matter how enticing, romantic, and sweet it is, is not going to end well. I predict a lot of heartbreak between her and Luna, but I also anticipate a happy ending.
Hugo and Nelson, well, I think they're going to try to navigate their relationship to each other as best as they can, but I think that one cliffhanger is hinting at some drama coming in the future. I think there's going to be something (or someone) new coming in and creating tension between them (not necessarily something romantic, just something difficult).
My predictions are kind of just me stating the obvious :tongue: but that's where I think the story is headed for now!
15. If you could give a piece of advice to one character, who would you choose and what would you say?
Sofia: I know it seems like the best thing in the world to transfer your focus onto an enticing romantic prospect, but trust me. You're heading for a lot of heartbreak if you don't truly take the time to heal and become the best version of yourself. You're already a special person, you don't need someone else to complete you while you recover. If you truly feel something for Luna and she feels the same way, I'm sure she will understand and will be waiting for you if you decide to really take the time to move on from this difficult period in your life. Work on yourself, girl! Building a relationship on shaky ground doesn't bode well for the romantic construction.
16. Do you have anything of your own to ask or add?
I don't think I have anything to ask at the moment. Well, maybe: will you be focusing more on the other children (Neal, Juliana, Jacqueline)? Not that we need it, but it would be interesting to learn more about them. I can understand your focus on Hugo, Luna, and Max, though!
Other than that, let me just say that I'm loving your story so far! It's very well-written, interesting, and I'm really enjoying rooting for the characters. :blush:
Yes. I think you have succeeded in creating a compelling narrative surrounding her addiction, and though I can't truly speak from experience since I fortunately haven't struggled with substance addiction, I fully understood how she got to that point and why it was difficult to get out of that rut. I like that you took the time to allow us as readers to understand that there wasn't particularly a huge reason as to why she was addicted, because I think that's something that's easily forgotten when people get addicted to something. Her reasoning, being bored and unsatisfied with her life up until that point, was very valid and imo very believable. Her quitting and the subsequent withdrawal were also very well done. I have witnessed this period of withdrawal with a couple close friends and I think you've done a good job at representing the difficulty and almost desperation that comes with this period.
6. What is your favourite portrayed relationship, romantic or otherwise, in the story so far and why?
OK, I may be biased, but honestly my favorite relationship is the one between Hugo and Nelson. I feel like they happened naturally, just two friends that slowly became attracted to each other. It often happens that way! I like that they bring out the best in each other, and I particularly LOVE that Hugo was wise enough to not give into his attraction until his relationship with Sofia had ended. In this way, I feel like their relationship coincides with the upswing in Hugo's life, with him cultivating better habits, and improving himself overall. I like this, it's a very healthy way to begin a relationship and I loved seeing them come together after 25+ chapters of me waiting to see where that initial hint of attraction was going. (Because I loved that you set the possibility of them happening RIGHT from the bat. It was the ultimate tease!)
And, well. This might be surprising but I also really, really like Sofia and Luna's relationship. Not necessarily because I think that they should be beginning something while Luna hasn't even talked to Hugo and while Sofia is going through a difficult period where it's easy to get attached to something else, but because I think this is very, very realistic. Too many times in my life, when I've gone through something difficult, I seem to look at romance as a sort of way to escape the hardships I face, and then the relationship just becomes a replacement instead of me facing the difficulties head on. I really like Luna and Sofia's relationship because it's the one I most identify with (and that sounds kind of sad! But really, it's very well written.)
7. What is your least favourite portrayed relationship, romantic or otherwise, in the story so far and why?
Oh, yikes. This is a difficult question. But I think in the end I'm pretty confident with my answer: my least favorite relationship is the one Max has with literally anyone else. I can anticipate that there's more to him than what we've seen so far, but honestly every single one of his relationships is toxic (except maybe his relationship to CHESS, haha). I hope that at one point he will realize that he has no one to blame his loneliness on but himself. I'm excited to see what's going to become of him.
8. What do you think of my portrayal of the Villareal family?
I'll be honest: I've never played with the Villareal family in my own Sims game! I was vaguely familiar with some of their names, but I had never taken the time to get to know them. I think you've done a wonderful job of taking a premade family and really fleshing them out and making them come to life.
9. How would you interpret and describe Max as a character?
An immature man-child who has a lot of growing up to do. I feel like he was deeply affected by his father passing away and he just became emotionally stunted and, frankly, a toxic presence in his family because of his grief. I hope he does some soul-searching and grows up a little, because I could see him developing into someone who might be tolerable. I don't believe that he's all bad.
10. Who is your favourite character so far and why?
I think that, because I somehow identify with her struggles (but not with the way she dealt with them), my favorite character is Sofia. She's very relatable, and I like that we've witnessed a lot of development in her. It was not easy to deal with the fallout from her deciding to quit her bubbles, and I think she's brave to try to get over it. I'm very curious to see where she goes from here and what her story with Luna is going to look like.
Some honorable mentions: I like Nelson a lot. He's a good guy, and his personality is lovely. Lucy is also a good character, and very commendable; I like how it's implied that she was a gold-digger but also stepped up when the time came and has been a good mother to her children.
11. Who is your least favourite character and why?
OK, here's a left-field answer: Neal. He's just annoying and since you haven't quite focused on him yet, I'm not a big fan. He has his OK moments, but it's telling that his most relevant scene so far has been the one where he's beat up by his sister for attempting to steal from her! I'm sure he's an all right guy, but so far he's just... there.
12. Who would you want to see more of?
Honestly, I'd like to see a little bit more of Jacqueline. I find her story very compelling, even though it hasn't been the most important one in the story. I like rooting for her and I want to see her develop into a confident young woman.
13. What is your favourite storyline and why?
I mean, it's a little difficult to choose! I really like Hugo's storyline because I'm thrilled to see him rise above his unhappiness and turn his life around by improving his habits and going for Nelson, someone who could truly make him happy after all the negativity surrounding his relationship with Sofia. However, I think the most interesting storyline so far is Sofia's. I just identify with her so much, so her storyline has been the one I've been looking forward the most. I think there's going to be a lot of difficulty in her life while she still tries to move on from the period of addiction in her life, but it's exciting to see her try.
14. What are your predictions for any of the ongoing (or future) storylines?
Well. Max is probably going to try his absolute hardest to get his group back, and maybe he's going to succeed and have a little crime syndicate. I think we're going to learn more about him, for sure, and he's going to have a redemption arc. Maybe he'll meet someone who changes his point of view a little? I hope! His character has a lot of potential.
Sofia is probably going to realize that fixating on Luna is not a very good idea given how recent her quitting the bubbles is. Recovery is a difficult path and transferring all your attention to a diversion, no matter how enticing, romantic, and sweet it is, is not going to end well. I predict a lot of heartbreak between her and Luna, but I also anticipate a happy ending.
Hugo and Nelson, well, I think they're going to try to navigate their relationship to each other as best as they can, but I think that one cliffhanger is hinting at some drama coming in the future. I think there's going to be something (or someone) new coming in and creating tension between them (not necessarily something romantic, just something difficult).
My predictions are kind of just me stating the obvious :tongue: but that's where I think the story is headed for now!
15. If you could give a piece of advice to one character, who would you choose and what would you say?
Sofia: I know it seems like the best thing in the world to transfer your focus onto an enticing romantic prospect, but trust me. You're heading for a lot of heartbreak if you don't truly take the time to heal and become the best version of yourself. You're already a special person, you don't need someone else to complete you while you recover. If you truly feel something for Luna and she feels the same way, I'm sure she will understand and will be waiting for you if you decide to really take the time to move on from this difficult period in your life. Work on yourself, girl! Building a relationship on shaky ground doesn't bode well for the romantic construction.
16. Do you have anything of your own to ask or add?
I don't think I have anything to ask at the moment. Well, maybe: will you be focusing more on the other children (Neal, Juliana, Jacqueline)? Not that we need it, but it would be interesting to learn more about them. I can understand your focus on Hugo, Luna, and Max, though!
Other than that, let me just say that I'm loving your story so far! It's very well-written, interesting, and I'm really enjoying rooting for the characters. :blush:
