How I finished my save file (and finally started playing)

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[00:00:00] Gloria from Yellow Llama Co.: Hi. Gloria here. I’ve been trying something a little different than I normally do on the podcast. I’ve been making some diary style videos over on YouTube, where I dive deep into my personal save files and share how I find new ways to solve old problems. It’s been a lot of fun, and they are also quite listenable. So I want to share them as video podcasts with you here as well. There are moments when I refer to what’s on the screen. If you want to see what’s happening, you can watch along on Spotify or YouTube.

Gloria [00:00:24]:
I get better at describing what’s happening in later episodes. The episodes are also going to be a bit more off the cuff. I’ll take you along my thought process, which I hope will inspire your own gameplay. Wherever you’re tuning in, whether you’re listening or watching, I’d love to hear what you think. Your feedback helps shape what’s next, so feel free to leave a comment and let me know. Do you find yourself spending way too much time prepping your save file and your story lines and your characters only to find that months later you still have started playing? I ended up deciding on one thing for me that was truly important that I could also most importantly achieve in one sim session, that I could create in one sim session, and that has helped me move on and actually start playing my save files. It’s helped me accept that it’s totally okay that a save file isn’t gonna be perfect right off the bat. And deciding on that one thing is what has helped me to finally start playing a save file that I have literally been preparing for, like, the last 6 months.

Gloria [00:01:20]:
First, let me introduce you to the sim I’ve been trying to play for over 6 months now. Keith Fox. Keith is a sim that I created for love finder, a dating site I created for the sims back in 2023. It’s basically just a fun way for me to share sims that I’ve made with you. Here’s his profile. So he’s a young adult. He’s straight. He’s from Copperdale.

Gloria [00:01:40]:
He is a very nature loving, down to earth, humble kind of guy. You can see that in his quote, life’s rhythms beats stronger in the absence of screen. So he’s also not quite a technophobe, I would say, but he’s definitely more like likes to be disconnected and likes prefers more organic connections, let’s say. He likes to live life without digital distractions. So he’s definitely not somebody that would have, like, an account on TikTok, let’s say. He loves adventure. So if you read his about me, he talks a lot about adventure. He likes the simplicity of life.

Gloria [00:02:12]:
He really values, you know, deep connections. He wants to have, you know, conversations that are meaningful and not surface level. And he talks about the person he’s looking for in his life. So, basically, he wants to find someone who’s also a dreamer like he is. Somebody who also loves music. He’s he’s a musician. He loves to make music. And somebody who also just appreciates the small things in life.

Gloria [00:02:34]:
His dream is basically to build his own ranch, and so he would love to find somebody who is compatible with that dream, likes to get his hands on, and isn’t afraid to maybe take risks and do something a bit unconventional. He really loves adventure. It’s like capital a, I would say, his number one value. And his favorite memory from childhood is basically every family vacation, in Granite Falls. So, again, like, he has a strong connection with nature and, like, he likes to hike. He likes to do everything that is outdoors. He loves his guitar. So he’s a musician.

Gloria [00:03:07]:
As I mentioned, he loves to make music. Actually, there’s a song linked on his profile, like, it’s called like no one’s watching by the Henningsons. It’s a really fun song. I don’t wanna play it here because I don’t know if I’d get, you know, striked for copyright. But it’s a great song, and I think it really expresses Keith’s personality. It’s very upbeat, fun, and I imagine it’s a song that he sings in the shower. It shows also how full of life he is and how positive and optimistic as well. So I obviously already have a rough idea of who Keith is.

Gloria [00:03:38]:
Right? So we have his profile. I I know you know, I created him already, so he has skills and traits and whatnot. I created a profile for him, of course, in the sim guardian where I’m able to save all this information. For example, in the notes section, I have that quote that we collected. I have, just a couple of notes that I grabbed from his profile. So, of course, that he loves to assemble things in life, nature, making music, and living the life far away from digital distractions. And ironically enough, he is on Lovefinder, and he recently joined Cupid’s Corner. So there’s a bit of a a mismatch there, but he’s, of course, still hopes to find that special someone organically.

Gloria [00:04:19]:
And he actually works part time as a landscaper on the weekends, so he can finance his dream of building his own ranch during the week and also, of course, pursue his musical passion. He wants to find a soulmate. He wants to excel as a musician while avoiding any fame because like I said, he’s more of a behind the scenes kind of guy, not doesn’t like to be in the in the spotlight completely. Like, obviously, there’s no way getting around it if you’re a musician and you’re standing on the stage. But I think he would be totally fine being the guitarist in a band and not even the lead singer. So he’s just more about making that music and connecting with the audience and less about the fame, the money, and all that stuff that would maybe come with it if he were to become, like, uber successful. Nothing wrong with wanting any of those things, but it’s just not his vibe. And, yeah, really his dream is to, build a ranch.

Gloria [00:05:07]:
So get hands on, create a life that connects nature with making a living and in a way that he he would find very meaningful. So here’s some quick information about him. So he lives in the fox household. He lives in the Nobi cabin. I’ll talk more about that soon about how I, decided on all this because like I said, it was the issue of also the save file itself, like, which if you don’t have a save file set up yet or, known yet, then you don’t have a place for your character to live yet either and and all that. But he’s he’s living on low funds, so, you know, he has just a part time job. He just bought this cabin, so he doesn’t have a lot of money to his name. And here is his some details.

Gloria [00:05:53]:
So, he’s heterosexual so he’s a straight man so he’s gonna be looking for a woman. Who knows if that might change in the story but that’s, where we are right now. His traits, he’s adventurous. He’s a music lover and he loves the outdoors. If you didn’t get that yet from his profile, now we have it black and white. Those are his three traits. Like I mentioned, he has a career, part time as a landscaper, so he’s a manual laborer. His life goal is to become a musical genius.

Gloria [00:06:18]:
So his goals are basically surrounded with, creating music, listening to music, and all that jazz. He likes backyard music, family motivated sims. So I can imagine when he’s looking for that special someone, if it’s something that’s family oriented, that would definitely be a positive. And he likes doing all sorts of activities that are outside, and he doesn’t like the color white. It’s a bit too, I guess, bland to him. He likes more warm things, and he I guess he’s he’s not a lover of pranks. He has a funny bone, but I guess pranks isn’t really how you would get it. And he’s part of the Fox Legacy, which I created, just for him.

Gloria [00:06:54]:
So we can actually go to that page. So this is the Fox Legacy, which I founded today. And we don’t have a family crest yet for Keith. His story has yet to begin, so that’s something I would fill in at a later point. But we’ve already begun generation 1 with Keith, of course. And generation 2 is still, you know, out for grabs because he don’t even have a woman yet. So but it’s there as a placeholder to be done when the kid is here. And we have here a little summary.

Gloria [00:07:24]:
So, of course, we haven’t completed any generations yet. We’re on generation 1 right now. And I have our little milestones, ticker here, reach 10 generations in progress. So we’re at the very beginning. So, yeah, I have a little, legacy page for him ready to go. And this is his household page. I’d say this is probably the page I would be, on most of the time when I’m actually playing his save file where I could quickly access him, also quickly, create a new memory or snapshot, transaction, whatnot. I could do a lot of that on his page as well.

Gloria [00:07:58]:
As you can see, I can create income or expense. And I can create memories within his, profile as well, but I personally like to, spend time on the household page. And here’s the record I use to save everything about the save file I’m actually playing for Keith. It’s pretty simple. The name right now, it’s Keith’s save file. I don’t really get too creative with my save file names. I just basically have a save file usually for a certain legacy or like a main legacy or a sim. So in this case, we’ve just got Keith’s save file keeping it simple.

Gloria [00:08:29]:
Don’t have much of a description yet either. Like I said, we’re just not getting started. But I wanted to take note that is a vanilla light setup, so I only have a handful of mods installed. I can’t go completely vanilla. It’s like impossible. I need mc command. I need, of course, my defaults. I need there’s this home region, mod that I have.

Gloria [00:08:48]:
Like, I I’ve started just being in the safe off for, like, a a hot second, and I saw sims from different worlds in Moonwood Mill, and I was like, nah. So I needed that, mod as well. And just a few other mods that I just can’t live without. Like, mods that improve the graphics and stuff like that. So, yeah, we’re playing Vanilla Light with Keith, and I decided upon the Beyond Blooming save file by Analia to use as the base for my save file here when I start playing Keith. So it’s really been a journey to finally land on this save file and get to a place where I feel ready to start playing it. First, I started actually with a a totally different custom save file by plumbot kingdom, which is excellent save file. I I wanted to use it as a base.

Gloria [00:09:32]:
Of course, I still wanted to make the save file my own a little bit. By and with by my own, I mean, downloading lots from the gallery. I think are cute. And so I was in the process of doing that but the game kept crashing when I tried to access certain lots. That was around when the, For Rent Pack came out so it, like, completely broke a bunch of lots in that save file. I then tried in a different custom save file. And so in this one, the, blue in save file by Analia and it still kept crashing. Like, I still have I kept having issues when placing lots I had like this infinite loading screen and so I just completely gave up trying to get it to work and I completely abandoned the dream of playing his story, for the time being.

Gloria [00:10:14]:
When I finally came back to the save file again months later, it had been so long that literally a few packs had been released since I started and there was an updated version of the blooming save file. So now it’s called beyond blooming save file. I don’t know if they released like 1 or 2 versions after I had started with my first one when I was first like brainstorming Keith’s story. But yeah. So that’s cool. So now more worlds are filled in since packs have been released. But I also thought like, okay. Cool.

Gloria [00:10:42]:
New save file with like an updated version. But at the same time I thought it’s like, I have all these packs and it’s just a shame that I let so much time go by because I had this idea of this perfect save file and these lots that I just had to have in the save file. I just could have been playing all along if I would have just let go of that idea. If I had just given up on placing lots for the time being. Of course, the bugs were still standing my way in some way. Like, there were literally lots I could not load into. And I guess there was that fear of not being able to load into important key lots. And, you know, once you get start playing, it’s like, oh, you know, also, it just saved all crap.

Gloria [00:11:20]:
So I get where I was coming from, like, why I stopped playing also because of those bugs. And luckily, I think most of them have been squashed by now, months later. But I if I’m honest with myself, a big reason why I didn’t continue playing was because I couldn’t place lots that I thought I really needed. And so I totally could’ve just accepted that and continued playing. So, yeah, that point is I didn’t really need to place all those fancy, you know, gorgeous lots to actually start Keith’s story. So now moving forward, instead of spending more time placing lots to make the save file oh so perfect, I have decided to just finally start playing with the blooming save file as it is now. I mean, I’m sure if when another pack it’s not even if when another pack is released, Analaya will be on it and will update the the upcoming world and all that. But that’s fine.

Gloria [00:12:12]:
I don’t need that, you know, to start playing now. I also don’t need really some nice slots that I had found but I don’t need to have them in the save file to start playing. Like, there are plenty of places already that Analia put in that save file for my sim to visit. So the story can continue already. Of course, I still kind of have that FOMO of missing out on all those lots though that I had imagined in the save file. Like, it’s hard to explain but whenever I see a home or community lot that I really like, I immediately imagine my favorite sims using it or I also imagine the story I might be able to tell, about the family that moves in. And if I don’t place those lots, I feel like I could forget about those potential storylines and lose them, if that makes any sense. Like, my Sims wouldn’t be able to visit the lots.

Gloria [00:12:59]:
Like, they already kinda have in my imagination. Like, I’ve already, like, thought of ways, like, and reasons they could go with whom they could go and how it would, like, contribute to the story or add more to it. I feel this way about books and movies too. Like, I can’t enjoy them all at the same time, obviously. Yeah. Instead, I just simply create a list of them and I can come back to that list when I have time for the next book or movie. And that’s how I’ve kinda solved the solution of my lots FOMO as well. Basically, I collect properties that spark my, interest that kinda inspire me where I can see maybe a place for them in later in my save file or for, like, a different save file.

Gloria [00:13:37]:
And I collect them in the sim guardian in the, properties database. So basically, I have a tab also in the properties dashboard, just for collected lots. So ones that haven’t been associated with a save file yet. And that way, they can’t be forgotten anymore. I can add notes to those, lots. I can indicate which sim they’re destined for, or just save them for the sake of saving them. And even if I don’t have a story in mind or, a seifa or a, a character in mind that I want to use them for, I can still save that lot and for example, if I found a really cool apartment that would be great for a bachelor, but I don’t have a bachelor character yet. But I could see maybe doing a storyline like sometimes these lots inspire whole ass storylines and so I have a place now where I can finally save that property and where I can easily come back to it later.

Gloria [00:14:25]:
I can even, you know, save, like I said, notes and stuff like that so they’re not lost. And this way instead of me feeling anxious with all this FOMO, The lots are no longer in my mind, rolling around with storylines. They’re in the sim guardian where they can’t take up any more brain space and keep me from feeling like I can’t start playing without them. Right? So the save file, if it ever really does need property x y z, it’s in the sim guardian where I can retrieve the information and then, you know, I know then the gallery ID or the download link or whatever. And then I can always, you know, place it later. For example, I found this really gorgeous coastal home by Suki 88, and I immediately thought of Samantha Jones, which is, another some I’ve been planning another save file. She’s basically an illegitimate daughter of the king in that save file. And Samantha, she wants to be famous, and the king knows that if she used her true origins to catapult her fame, it could ruin his reputation.

Gloria [00:15:27]:
Right? So this lot, this beautiful coastal home, and $50 were the perfect gift to keep her quiet and from spreading the word about his infidelity. And so she gets to live comfortably while pursuing a career as an actress, and he gets to continue, you know, his dishonest lifestyle without it being made public. And so I saved that lot in the sim guardian with some notes so that the idea would be safe. So this idea of why how she’s getting this lot and all that stuff. So, that it would be safe until I had time to actually make it happen. But, all I’ve said, Keith still needs somewhere to live. Right? So, at first, I scouted the Bloom save file for the perfect lot and I actually found a really nice residential rental that I thought would really suit him. It was very bachelor esque.

Gloria [00:16:19]:
It wasn’t very, like, connected to nature, but it was definitely, I would say, something I I I could see him in. But then, on YouTube, I came across the absolute perfect lot for Keith. It was an abandoned cabin made by wolf extremer. Here, I can 100% see Keith living in this in this lot. So it wasn’t just, oh, any guy could live like a straight guy I could see living in this lot or on this property. No. It was This is Keith. This was made for Keith.

Gloria [00:16:46]:
Wolf extremer, how did you find out about Keith? But no. Like, it let I literally it spoke to me and spoke to Keith. So I I knew right then there, this is the property. So you might have noticed in his profile he mentioned he wanted to move to Chestnut Ridge to build his ranch, but this property that Wolf Extremer made was actually destined for Moonwood Mill and I actually thought, okay, this is so much more fitting. Moonwood Mill has that more cozy small vibe, very much down to earth and in the woods. Why couldn’t you build a ranch there as well? So, I thought this beat down cabin was perfect for just developing into a ranch to get really hands on. So while that residential rental was really cool and very well, you know, furnished everything, this cabin actually enabled Keith to already start his dream, you know, of building a ranch. And like I said, he’s, you know, very nature loving, so I think he would love the whole renovation aspect of this cabin to flip it into a ranch.

Gloria [00:17:51]:
Also, of course, you know, the world of Moonwood Mill being so cozy and quaint and small. I think it really suited his personality a little bit better than Evergreen Harbor where the other residential rental was. So, I basically added that abandoned cabin. That’s all I added, and stopped there. And, it’s the only lot that really matters for the start. Right? Where Keith will live. Everything else will fall into place. I’m a game player more than anything, so I don’t wanna let perfectionism stop me from playing the game anymore.

Gloria [00:18:19]:
Like, that’s the whole point of it all for me. It’s I’m not a builder. I am a storyteller, but heck, if I just want to tell stories, I could just write. Right? So I wanna play the stories. I I’m a game player, so it was important to me to just flop that lot down and then call it a day. And I can let the lore develop as I go, so I don’t need a fully fleshed storyline. So coming back to Keith’s profile, I feel like there’s still something missing. Like I mentioned, there’s that one thing that I feel like needs to be prepared to really start a save file start playing a save file, without FOMO.

Gloria [00:18:52]:
So we have, you know, some notes on him. We know his traits. We even know his life goal, his career, some skills that he has. We have, you know, his current project to renovate a cabin. We know his plans. I even have, like, a little bucket list, for him to find someone to share life with. He actually already, was on Cupid’s Corner, and there’s this girl called Sienna who’s interesting. That’s great and all, but I still don’t feel like this is enough to start a story that’ll keep me invested.

Gloria [00:19:21]:
It may very well be the case once things get going, but, there’s one thing I do now before starting a save file, that gives me a good feeling about starting without having a fully fledged storyline planned out. And that is basically to create the bare bones of my sim storyline and do the rest as I go with a simple backstory. A backstory is an easy and quick way to create enough storyline to get me started and it’s a place I can build upon as I go. It informs who my sim is, it gives them a past, it helps them feel more real, and helps me, of course, feel more emotionally invested in their journey right from the start Because I know more about them who they are their past right? It’s more than their traits or aspiration could ever do on their own. And their backstory also gives me direction. The backstory lets me know what drives my characters, where they are now in life, and where they want to be, and what might be holding them back from achieving that. So knowing this about my sim helps me make decisions in the game that feel organic to that character. Right? So it helps me make decisions.

Gloria [00:20:26]:
Period. So I’m not like wondering, what would Keith do now? I know what Keith would most likely do now because when I create a backstory, I choose an Enneagram personality for my sim. And that Enneagram personality informs a lot about how a sim would interact with other people, how a sim would, deal with challenges. It it tells you what their strengths and weaknesses are. And to help me get this backstory going without spending a bunch of sim sessions creating it, right, I said I want I had found one thing that I can do in one sim session that shouldn’t take me too long so that I can actually start playing the game. So I don’t wanna actually spend now another few months coming up with this elaborate backstory. Right? I wanna keep it simple. Right? Something that is enough information so I can actually know all that.

Gloria [00:21:17]:
I wanna know about Keith. Right? His motivations, where he’s going in life, and whatnot. What conflicts he’s dealing with is quick to reference and doesn’t take a lot of my time to make right. So I created a backstory creator in The Sim Guardian, which is also for free, as a template if you wanna download it. It’s linked in the description below. But, basically, it helps me create a backstory on the fly with enough information to give my character purpose and inspire the story as I play. So, I just click on this button here. So, today, we’re gonna create his backstory together.

Gloria [00:21:49]:
So I will just add here Keith Fox’s backstory. Click here. So, here in my backstory creator, I have basically 4 sections. So we have backstory, where once I start filling in everything in the other sections, it’ll actually auto populate here. So nothing to see on this one here, but on step 1, I select an Enneagram. So an Enneagram is a personality concept. Oh, it says here also it’s a model of human personality that describes 9 distinct personality types and their inner relationships. I find it’s, for me personally, the one I like the most is the MTBI one as well, and there’s, like, Jungian archetypes.

Gloria [00:22:31]:
Also, so other, like, concepts around personality types and, how to learn more or how to categorize different personalities. I personally really like the Enneagram one. I I feel like it goes a bit deeper than the other ones, and it makes a lot more sense to me. But, basically, when I click this button here, it’ll randomize an Enneagram personality type. Now, of course, we know a little bit about Keith already. So instead, we might just wanna view all the Enneagram types and see which one would make the most sense for him. So here, I already have a database with all of the types. So we have performer, helper, achiever, and whatnot, and their different, core values, their vices.

Gloria [00:23:11]:
So, basically, you know, their weaknesses, so to say. So I just, change the view type real quick. So at first glance, I feel like freedom, joy, exploration might be Keith, the enthusiast. Advices would be gluttony, escapism, and impulsiveness, insatiable desire for more experiences, constantly seeking new adventures. So I feel like that sounds like Keith. Harmony, Peace, Acceptance might be Yeah, I think Keith is an enthusiast. I think that suits him most looking at all these other types. So we’re just gonna go for enthusiast.

Gloria [00:23:50]:
It could be individualist as well, though, because he is creative. Right? He’s about authentic authenticity and individuality, experience envy as a longing for what they perceive others have that they lack, Feelings of inadequacy and constant sense of missing something in their lives. So that’s another thing. Like, which of these vices also fits most to him? Because I don’t I feel like freedom, joy, and exploration is definitely important to him, but I don’t feel like he lives with, like, this hedonistic lifestyle where he’s, like, constantly chasing the next thing. He very much knows, like, for himself. He’s grounded in the fact that, okay, music, family, nature, like, my ranch, that’s what’s important to me. I don’t think he would build up the ranch and then think, oh, you know, what’s the next best thing? I don’t think he’s, like, the kind of shiny new, thing kind of syndrome kind of guy. So I actually don’t know if, like, impulsiveness is also not his vibe.

Gloria [00:24:46]:
So maybe individualist creative suits him better. Authenticity, creativity, but I think that really speaks to him a little bit more, with the vice experience, envy as a longing for what they perceive others have they lack. You know what? Let’s go back, and we can actually choose here which, Enneagram they’ll have. So I will choose what did I say? Individualist. So we’ll add that. And I have changed the filter to, only show me the card with, the name individualist since that’s what we’ve decided on. And that way, I can see all of the information associated with that card. So we have, the personality trait sensitive, expressive, dramatic, self absorbed.

Gloria [00:25:37]:
Okay. Emotional depth, that’s definitely one of his virtues. Passionate about self expression, I would say for sure. He’s a musician. Right? They need to be unique and by their identity. K. Often feels misunderstood and being different from childhood. Okay.

Gloria [00:25:54]:
Motivated, that’s one thing I really like about the Enneagram personality types. It shows you what the key motivations are and the fears, which really informs how a character behaves. Right? So Keith would be motivated motivated by a need to express an event individuality and uniqueness. Okay. Fears having no identity or personal significance. Deeply afraid of being ordinary or lacking a unique place in the world. Okay. So, I mean, they don’t wanna be famous and everything, but they still do How do you say? How do, they do differentiate themselves from the standard.

Gloria [00:26:28]:
Right? By saying, okay. We want to be disconnected. I don’t like technology. And so, they, I guess, are in that way, maybe subconsciously, trying to be individual in that aspect and different from others, but also he just doesn’t like distractions digital distractions. But, okay, I think that fits. And in regards to relationships, he would most likely be friends with an investigator type. He would most likely conflict with an achiever type, and he would most likely fall in love with an enthusiast. And so we already know what an enthusiast looks like.

Gloria [00:27:00]:
Right? We that was what we were wondering could also be, Keith. And so it makes sense that this is somebody he would vibe with because it seems to also be quite aligned with his personality. Let’s say, I’ve chosen the individualist, the creative. Next step, we want to draw inspiration for the tarot deck to, further inspire his backstory. So I’ll open this toggle here, and then I’ll draw 3 random cards. And as you see, now we have 3 different cards here all in reverse, in this case. Three different cards that will, that I can use as a base to inspire, the backstory. So, I have the different, items.

Gloria [00:27:38]:
We have meaning, childhood regret, attachment, and different keywords associated with that different card. And then I could add those cards that were drawn here so that I have them, for my reference if I were to ever, wanna come back to this because the order in which they’re drawn, you’ll see is important for our last step where we actually fill in that backstory. So we have a hero font in reversed. We have wheel of fortune and 10 of pentacles. Okay. Wheel of fortune in reverse. 10 of Pentacles in reverse. Okay.

Gloria [00:28:19]:
So we saved that. So for our reference, and then we have that again here. Every time I create a new, backstory, this will refresh. That’s why it’s important to save those cards down here. That way, I have it specifically for Keith if I ever wanted to reference that. So, here we here we have it. And, so now, we wanna fill in the backstory. So, here I can fill in my character’s backstory.

Gloria [00:28:40]:
And, first, I wanna introduce to you the different areas, the different sections that I fill in to inform that backstory. So, first, I want to know about Keith’s childhood. I want to know about any secrets or regrets Keith has, and I want to know about any attachment Keith has to in this life. So it could be a person, it could be a project, it could be something from his past. And then also any other key elements I might want to, refer to about his backstory if there’s anything else that I think is relevant. So first, for childhood, that could be any family dynamics, socioeconomic status, cultural backgrounds, significant childhood events. So you might recall from the profile that I had come up with for him on Lovefinder, he did mention thinking fondly back about family summer vacations in Granite Falls. So he definitely had a lot of experiences out in the woods, in nature, together with his family, and these are fond memories that he has.

Gloria [00:29:36]:
So that could be something that could tie into his backstory. We pulled those cards. Right? And so as you can see, card number 1, card 1’s purpose is to help me inspire information about Keith’s childhood. So we can go back here and we check. Okay. We got the hero font in reverse. What could be the meaning be? So, it signifies rebellion, unconventionality, restriction, and I had created prompts with the help of ChatGBT to associate the meaning of the hero font in reverse with those specific sections. So for example, for childhood, and then since this is in reverse, we have a regret instead of a secret, and then we have an attachment in keywords.

Gloria [00:30:15]:
So for childhood, which is, you know, for card 1, it’s about childhood. So we wanna only reference this section here, and it says, this character likely experienced a childhood marked by rebellion against authority and rigid structures. They may have struggled with conformity or felt restricted by societal norms, leading to challenges in accepting traditional values and a desire to forge their own path, which definitely sounds a lot like Keith. And then for secrets and regrets, we would check card number 2. So that would be wheel of fortune, regret. So the character might have been presented with a pivotal moment and offer a relationship a chance to leave their hometown or an opportunity to follow a dream, require them to step out of their comfort zone, but instead of taking a leave, they allowed fear to hold them back. And so that is a regret or that can inspire the regret I come up with for Keith, and then an attachment. We’re being inspired from card 3.

Gloria [00:31:17]:
And so for card 3, it says an attachment their current attachment could be to a situation where they feel financially or emotionally insecure. So they could feel emotionally insecure about this darn cabin they just now bought and the, renovations, what they really believe in their dream. Maybe it could be something or or let’s just check out again the 10 of pentacles. It’s in reverse. It signifies financial loss, family conflict, instability. So definitely something more negative. Challenges in your financial situation. Yes.

Gloria [00:31:47]:
I would definitely say it’s the cabin. So Keith feels, burdened by the cabin he has purchased with his last savings. His livelihood and dreams depend on its successful renovation. He has a lot of hopes for this, property and what he he wants to be his new home, but he can’t help but feel anxious about the pressure behind it all. The cabin has already been a huge investment and with all the renovations needed to get it in a to renovations needed to make it livable and livable livable. Can’t spell. And turn it into the ranch of his dreams. It will take a lot of time and more money.

Gloria [00:33:40]:
So yeah. Okay. That is the attachment. Easy peasy. Now to the more trickier parts, his childhood and his regret, in this case because, we pulled reverse. So let’s go back to childhood. This character likely experienced a childhood marked by rebellion against authority and rigid structures. This could maybe have something to do with his parents, the relationship he had with them.

Gloria [00:34:03]:
So he did like his family, getaways to Granite Falls. Maybe he is maybe he has, like, a, tech giant kind of father or mother. Maybe they were very much into technology and conformities, self norms, and accepting traditional values, desire to forge their own path out of established conventions. So what kind of established conventions could his family have had maybe or his, you know, past that he would wanna push away from? So, I mean, today, it’s style norm to be connected to the Internet and, technology. Right? And so he’s definitely pushing against that by wanting to distance himself from that. And so maybe he had a very, like, even though they did their summer vacations, maybe the summer vacations they had in Granite Falls was the only respite he had from maybe an otherwise very technologically heavy childhood. Maybe, like, pushing against authority or rigid structures. I’ll come back to that.

Gloria [00:35:02]:
So to number 2, card 2, regrets. So what was inspiration there? Your character might have been presented with a pivotal moment, offer, relationship, chance to leave their hometown. So it’s basically, they had a chance to make a change, but they were too scared, and so they ended up not doing that, not taking some form of leap or risk, and they regret not doing that. So maybe that’s why Keith now made that jump. He was like, you know what? I am going to learn from that, and I’m going to take that leap. And so now he’s decided to, actually do this ranch thing with this cabin and, you know, spend all his savings on it. Maybe it had to do with music. Maybe he had a chance to pursue music, but he felt scared to do so because, you know, it’s not that lucrative.

Gloria [00:35:50]:
Chance to leave their hometown. Opportunity to follow a dream. Maybe he had an opportunity to become a musician, like, a more wiske one. Maybe some sort of, like, travel opportunity to, maybe like a vagabond kind of thing, but they’re very much used to that whole small town vibe and they haven’t been to a lot of places, you know, let’s say unfamiliar places and so they were, not yet at a place where they felt confident to travel to pursue their career in music. And so instead, they stayed home and they didn’t pursue, that opportunity. So maybe they, feel regret about that. And so it says, resistance to change, bad luck, misfortune, setback, struggle. So let’s say that.

Gloria [00:36:44]:
Keith regrets not pursuing or not taking on an opportunity to maybe, like, as an opening band to be the opening band or the opening act for a may maybe it was like a, not a big time thing for a, a traveling tour. Yeah, the pay would have been low, I guess, and he would have had to travel. He is from a small town and didn’t feel comfortable leaving everything behind for a dream he felt like he couldn’t dream, so to say. Right? Like, he couldn’t dream that he felt could never yeah. Let’s yeah. A dream he felt could never come true. He felt could never come true. Yeah.

Gloria [00:38:08]:
Let’s just do something like that. It’s a bit sparse, but gives us a little bit of background. And then and then that’s why also he is like, f it. You know? I am not going to let any discomfort or worry hold me back. I’m gonna just do this, with his cabin. Right? It’s that past regret that keeps him going and lets him know, no. You know what? I am on the right path. This dream is worth dreaming, and I’m going to make this happen.

Gloria [00:38:36]:
I’m not going to have another regret. And so with his childhood yeah. I’m stuck there. So we will now go to my, AI prompts. So I’ve already filled in some of the, so basically, here it prompts you to fill in your character’s name, their traits, and whatnot, and also add, the different cards that you pulled and indicate the different, positions those cards were. And, this is a prompt I can just pop into Chat2BT and use to help me brainstorm what those aspects of Keith’s childhood could be. And, it’ll actually be interesting to see what it pops out because it’ll be different of course than what I’ve already brainstormed for secrets and regrets and for the attachment. So, I will do that right now.

Gloria [00:39:21]:
Okay. I really like what ChatDB came up with for his childhood. So it says he grew up questioning traditions, feeling stifled in a rigid household that discouraged self expression. His family was conservative, valued instability over creativity, which left him longing for a freer, more open lifestyle. This upbringing fueled his adventurous spirit as he constantly sought an escape from imposed norms. So that makes sense. This is what Chatsby came up with for regrets. So it says he regrets not seeing an opportunity to explore music seriously when he was younger.

Gloria [00:39:53]:
This missed chance left him feeling a bit unfulfilled, and now he doubts his ability to create meaningful work. This lingering regret often dampens his adventurous spirit pursuits, making him hesitant to take risks in his creative endeavors. So I actually so we started the same. So, basically, he regrets not seizing an opportunity to explore music, but I feel like this is a regret that actually fuels his passion for, adventurous pursuits because he learned from that mistake. He’s like, you know what? I’m not gonna let something uncomfortable or just because something’s uncomfortable, I’m not gonna let it stop me from going after what I really want and what I, believe in. So I actually don’t think it makes him hesitant. I think it’s the exact opposite. So, I will not take that.

Gloria [00:40:40]:
And, I I prefer what I came up with. And, this is what Chachi B came up with for the attachment. So, it says, Keith is deeply attached to the idea of building a close knit, unconventional family of like minded individuals. Though he belong though he longs for genuine connection, his past makes him wary of traditional family structures. He’s striving to find people and build a life filled with freedom and authenticity, hoping to escape the constraints he grew up with. So I think that’s interesting, him also being in Moonwood Mills. We know there’s, like, the werewolves and everything where community is important, and I feel like he would wanna find his tribe. So I think that’s interesting, though I think his current attachment also in regards to the meaning of that card, it being reversed and everything, you know, lost and everything.

Gloria [00:41:23]:
I think it makes more sense that he feels burdened by the cabin and that it it kind of, on the one hand, he’s like, oh, shoot. What kind of decision do I make here? But, of course, like I said, he’s no regrets, YOLO. So he doesn’t wanna, let that stop him. But at the same time, it is a real, you know, burden. It’s a it’s it’s a true financial risk he’s taking, and so he acknowledges that even though he’s 100% sure he wants to pursue this, he still is, you know there’s still something that he can has to lose. But I find it interesting that he’s attached to the idea of a club building a close knit community. So, I will, keep that just because I find it’ll help me come up with ideas for his, yeah, relationships and what’s important to him there. But, actually, I will put that in key elements instead, because I don’t think that’s something I want associated with that necessarily with his attachment.

Gloria [00:42:17]:
I’ll say Keith, wants to build wants to build a close knit striving to find people his people okay. Yeah. I think that, we’ll put that in key elements. And so that’s basically a space where I’ve created for anything that doesn’t, pertain to any of this. Like, you might have already have a rough storyline for this guy, and this gives you space to add that backstory. But, yeah. I think I’m happy with this. Yeah.

Gloria [00:42:46]:
I think that’s enough, to to build a story. I might tickle a little bit more out of Chat 2BT for the child. Just give me a sec. Okay. So I wanted to tickle more out of Chat 2BT in regards to why he doesn’t like technology. And so here, Chat 2BT told me, as a child, Keith’s family relied heavily on technology to track achievements, enforce rules, and monitor his actions. His parents set up strict rules on digital devices, using apps to limit his time outdoors, and even tracking his school performance through online portals. This constant monitoring left Keith feeling trapped and disconnected from real experiences, building a deep resentment toward technology.

Gloria [00:43:24]:
Now he views the digital world as a symbol of control and restriction, and he prefers to avoid it, choosing instead to live freely and without the digital ties he associates with his restricted childhood. I like that. So it ties in with, you know, how his childhood, like, why he maybe really loved being in Granite Falls because it seems like it was the only opportunity for him to really be away from the digital world because, you know, maybe the Wi Fi was really bad there and so I like that I like that. So I’m gonna keep that in there, and so now we have his back story all filled in, and you’ll see when I navigate to his back story here, you’ll see we have, the personality type we took, we chose, and we have all of that information that we just now collected all summarized nice and neat. And you’ll find this very backstory on his profile page as well. So I can always refer back to that if I want to understand or inspire the next step in his story. I know, okay, well, his childhood and his secrets and regrets, attachment, stuff like that so I can refer back to that and that can inform the story moving forward. So, yeah.

Gloria [00:44:28]:
Now I feel like I know enough about Keith to let the rest of his story evolve as I play. And, also, you don’t have to fill in everything about the backstory if you don’t want to. Like, I can decide to change things even later on. Yeah, I am the watcher after all. But this is just enough to, make me feel confident about moving forward and I can always, you know, add more to it or change it as I go. If you’d like to use Backstory Creator for your own sims as well, I left a link in the description where you can download the Notion template absolutely for free. You’re welcome to sign up to my newsletter as well, the llama letters, you know, for weekly inspiration. But there’s no obligation for you to do so, if you just want the template.

Gloria [00:45:06]:
I hope it helps you create a backstory for your sim and a Giphy as well and also helps you feel like you can move on and actually start playing your save on and not just work on planning it and prepping it all that stuff, and so that you just finally start playing. Right? So, yeah. I hope you enjoyed this video. Till next time. Stay sentimental.