Strangetown: Editing a story detail

[strangetomato]

I've been thinking through the details of my story that involve Bella Goth, and I realize that I'm going to have to change a small detail. I noticed this earlier, after her first appearance, but I decided to work with what I had done, and try to make it work. I now see that it really doesn't work. I'm talking about the fact that she knows her last name is Goth. That, in itself, would be enough for Pascal to figure it out. Not only because the Goths are a fairly prominent, "old money" family in Pleasantview, but because Pascal and Mortimer are both scientists, and Pascal would have made the connection and looked into it. I've made some comments about him not finding her in the records, since I was going to have it so that it had been removed from the archives, but I don't think he'd even need the records to figure it out. He would have heard of Mortimer.

So consider this a small edit to the story as it stands now. I'm going to need to do this for it to make sense. This doesn't guarantee that the rest will make sense, but my odds are a little better. I'm going to go back and leave out her last name in previous entries for anyone who might be new to it, but this is just for those of you who would remember that small detail (and probably better than I do - I think I may need to read some of it to refresh my memory).

Oh, and the good news is that I think I'm finally getting somewhere with this side of the plot. I've been kinda stuck with it for a while, so I'm hoping this will help me move forward. I had a nice burst of inspiration and wrote what will now likely be the first part of the next chapter (which really could be broken down into a number of chapters, but I'm grouping them together because they all happen at the same time).

Comments

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Consider the memory of me remembering Bella remembering her last name is Goth, now totally forgotten.

*poof*

Crap... did that sentence make any sense at all? :D

And OMG, speaking of Bella plots, did you happen to notice the statue in Belladonna Cove is of Bella? A statue of BELLA in BELLAdonna Cove! Or, if it's not Bella, it's someone who looks just like her? To me, it brought back the rumors of Bella's mother supposedly being a witch from Magic Town back in the days of Sims 1! :D

And yay for inspiration! Now if only there was a way to generate more time... ugh, lol.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Oh, good. What were you saying? :P

Well, she resembles Bella, I suppose, but I just look at it as a take on the Statue of Liberty, who happens to look like Bella. They seem to stick Bella everywhere, regardless of whether it makes any sense with the story they've set out (they have a lot of irons in the fire, if it all does make sense somehow).

I didn't play Making Magic, so I had no idea about the connection between Bella and witches until you mentioned it (I saw you post on it before). I see that Simgaroop is making an effort to include it in her story, but the whole thing makes my head spin a little. I suppose it's possible to mention that she's a descendant of witches in an offhand manner (sounds like my family - my Nan said my great, great grandmother was a "witch") and keep with the plot I currently have. It doesn't have to be a significant detail. That's probably as far as I'd go with that.

Yeah, I know, but it seems like I lose focus when I do have time. Sometimes it's good to just grab inspiration and produce in thsoe stolen moments.

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it's good to just grab inspiration and produce in thsoe stolen moments.

*nodnod* Yes, and that's when I have been known to pull some all-nighters. :P

You're so right about Maxis tossing Bella in here, there, and everywhere. It's kind of like an inside joke to them. I must admit I was hoping for more on Bella's background with the advent of magic in the Sims 2, so I got really excited when I made the connection between the statue and the name of the town (although it is an herb and not necessarily related to Bella at all) but all of those little hints are about as far as it seems Maxis is going to go with it. *shrugs* Which is fine, since it's more fun to make up our own stories. ;)

That's awesome about your great great grandmother! In my family it's my dad's Aunt Vic. She was half Blackfoot Indian, and Dad said she sure looked the part of a stereotypical witch... long flying black hair streaked with grey; dark, dark brown eyes... but mostly he just remembers all the herbs and things around her house and the way it smelled, and all the people coming to ask her advice on this or that. She supposedly had the "eye," or so Dad says. :P I would have loved to have met her.

But yeah, I think it's possible to acknowledge Bella's possible connections to witchcraft without going into too much detail. Bella wouldn't necessarily have to have any powers herself just because she might be the daughter of a witch.

[smjoshsims.livejournal.com]

I never really thought about it, but you're right- they would have instantly figured out she was the missing wife of a rich scientist, especially if Mortimer is renowned in his field. (Which he is, he made it all the way to Mad Scientist.)

And it seems we've all been hit with inspiration! Just this morning I was ironing out some more plots. It's spreading. :P

[leskuh.livejournal.com]

I have already forgotten! Anyway, it's not too big of a deal really. And it's a WIP so plot holes and minor details changing can be expected.

Hurray for plot! Even though it is not as sexy as characterization it still is a useful thing!

[tiipiipii.livejournal.com]

Actually, the name thing is not your mistake, it's really Maxis' mistake.

First they create this mystery of Bella Goth disappearing from Pleasantview and drop her in Strangetown. She has no memories of her past life but - WTF - her name is BELLA GOTH!!! Like you said, it would not require much from her to find her family, if she remembers her own name! That's a major mistake from Maxis part.

PS. I have secretly followed your wonderful story for a few months now. Since I finally joined LJ, I hope you don't mind if I friend you.

PPS. I love your take on your chracters so much that I have your Worthingtons in my megahood (by HP from MTS2). And Frances' parents had a late in life son, Matthias, who is an adorable toddler at the moment.

[muslemura.livejournal.com]

Bella who? :P It's really no big deal anyway. Also, I'm glad you've found inspiration and aren't stuck anymore plot wise :)

[catladymeow.livejournal.com]

I never noticed the name thing, so it's forgotten. Looking forward to the continuing story, soon I hope.

[showercapfrog.livejournal.com]

Hurray for inspiration!

I was thinking about how she knew her name was Bella Goth the other day, but to me, Strangetown is a long way from everywhere else, and I think I just assumed that he didn't think of Mortimer as being her husband. She had absolutely no memories, and you wouldn't necessarily think of someone that is in your work sphere as being related to someone who has randomly turned up with amnesia.
Especially as he may have never met Mortimer. It might just be someone he cites in papers (Goth, 1979) and so you really wouldn't think of it, especially if Goth isn't an uncommon name. Or Pascal himself may have given her the surname as the first one that came into his head.

Mortimer may not have let people know about his wife being missing too. I like to think it's a government conspiracy and the only people who know she's missing are the ones in Pleasantview who stand to gain, and so might be part of the conspiracy.

Sorry for the horrendously long comment :P I don't mind if you backdate the change, it makes for a more interesting story if you allow yourself to be flexible with some of the details.

I'm sorry, I just think I've ruined your plot.

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't mean to.
I just got thinking.
I was checking out some of your Strangetown things, and I got to the part where you wrote something like Bella remembering a flash of light but her medical records saying nothing about head damage...
But if Pascal was abducted, wouldn't he have seen a flash of light too?

Re: I'm sorry, I just think I've ruined your plot.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I've been making a mess of it on my own. There's not much to ruin here. It's not at all airtight, so I wouldn't pick at it too much. Honestly, I'm about ready to throw in the towel on making all the threads tie in together. I'm just going to go with what I have.

I did intend to hint at the abduction at that point, but not have Pascal find out just yet. The idea was that he was caught up in it being a near-death experience or something like that, and he didn't think about it being related to the aliens. As someone who's studying aliens, though, maybe he should have. I just didn't want to deal with that development at that time, so I was buying time by sending him off on a false lead.

It's mostly just sloppy storytelling, and how I don't really have much of a plan at all.