Chapter 40 BTS

[katrisims]

Surprise, something Bookacy-related for a change! This is a quite brief behind the scenes entry for chapter 40. Brief, because a) it was a recap chapter so most topics have been covered already and b) this is a year overdue (literally a year...), so I may have forgotten things that I would otherwise have said. I just want this done for completeness' sake, so I can cross it off my to-do and move on to other things. Such as hopefully updating again in the near future!


Well. I suppose these really one topic I wanted to cover: the choice of the narrator. I of course knew from the beginning that with a challenge as long as this, I'd need to recap, on multiple occasions. I think I've known I've wanted it to be from Aadam's point of view pretty much since he turned elder. Which was a long time ago. It made a lot of sense: Aadam had followed the Legacy practically from the beginning, and what he didn't know about the beginning he could easily find out from the source, his mother and his siblings. He's also been close to another important source of information: Salahuddin. Aadam was pretty much the only sim that would know both sides of the story thoroughly. And with a life like his, it'd definitely be on his mind a lot when he'd realize he'd die soon.



So that's why the recap takes place so late, and that's in turn why it's so incredibly long, having to cover a lot of time. I wanted to position the recap at the very end of Aadam's life, so that he'd be able to extend it as far as possible. And of course, dramatic effect. I think I've wanted to end the chapter with his death for about as long as I've known he'd be the narrator. Aadam's was in my game for closer to six years (!), and of course it broke my heart to see him (and Joy before him) go. On the other hand, when that happened, I knew that was the start-sign for my recap. And I have to say I'm pleased with this picture, there's something really powerful about it. Well, I suppose it would have been better without the smart milk station in the background, but you can't have everything. :D (I really only noticed that while I was typing that. And now you did too. Whoops.)



Choosing Aadam also gave me a chance to show off his happy family and the life he got for himself when he left his father. I like to think that in his later years, he was very happy. Here's a takeout: for a Mad Scientist, nothing's surprising, so it's perfectly normal to socialize with your daughter's wife while said daughter becomes a plantsim.





I didn't cover it in the story, but both Joy and Aadam got proper goodbyes from their near and dear ones. Plot-wise, way back when I first had the idea that I would end the recap chapter with Aadam's death, I had vague ideas of including Salahuddin. Something like, Sal would find out where Aadam and his family lived and would have just enough time to follow their lives for a bit, then witness his son's death, say, through a window. Without anyone ever knowing he was there. Back then I didn't yet know that he would be in jail. So no, Sal still doesn't know about his grandchildren or great grandchildren, and well, maybe good for them. I suppose also good for the story, since if I ever need that revelation, it's still there to be had.



And of course, I got to talk a little about Aadam's eccentric little family, even if only on the side. Barbara and Brenda's family has been a fun one to play, not least because they're the first gay couple in Alphabetia to have biological children (thanks to Aadam's help). And the plantsim stuff and all that. They don't get face-time in the story much these days, and I suspect even less in the future, as the focus moves away from the current generation, as they're no longer relevant to the plot. That may change in the future, if I ever go the Sal-finds-out-he-has-living-relatives route, but that's a long way ahead if it ever happens, again because Sal is currently in jail.



Overall, I'm quite happy with the recap. I'm glad I got it done so that readers can refresh their memories (especially as the movement forward is so incredibly slow these days) and possible new readers can catch up with the plot without wading through 39 chapters of it if they wish. And I like that it's more consistent with my current writing style than the original early chapters were. One thing that I remember not being 100% happy with was Cyrus' and Chris' story. Because there was so much else going on in the story and it was already going to be a humongous recap chapter, I had to stuff that sideplot into a rather tight space and because of that I felt that I didn't do the original story justice there. But well, you can't get everything.

Well. I think that was all I had in mind about chapter 40. That was actually a lot less work and a lot less painful than I expected. I just needed to sit down and do it. And now it's done!