#luctine seekers

[maiemorrae]

(WIP) Seeker Career for the Sims 4

Hello, it's been a while hasn't it? University has kept me busy the last while or so but trust me I've still been working on and tinkering with things for Luctine. In the pipeline, I've got a new flash fiction piece from my previous class to edit, and will post that here soon.

Pivoting a bit to the title of this post. I've been playing a lot of Sims 4 recently and like most creatives do who make a lot of ocs, I like to play them in the Sims. I especially love playing sim versions of my main cast of characters, many of whom are seekers. The issue I usually run into though is what job to place them in. I've tended to lean towards the military career for most seeker characters and the paranormal investigator for silver seeker characters.

Well, no more making do for me! I decided to look into it and am figuring out how to make custom careers for the Sims 4! Aside from the fun of learning new skills, this has been a lot of fun to plan and write out descriptive text. Here's some screenshots of stuff in game.

Still need to put together an actual preview image, I'd also like to make a custom work icon. Maybe looking into actually designing a logo/insignia for the seekers?

Obviously have some strings to edit, that should say Seeker Initiate for the Bureau... I think I know where to do this but it's nice how easy this career is to test.

I'm going to have a lot of fun writing all the level descriptions. The part that will take longer is figuring out pay and what skills are needed for each promotion.

I've got all the levels of this career planned out, at least title-wise. It'll be a 10 level career with 2 branches. One for Silver Seekers which will lean more into the skills like logic, medium, and maybe vampire lore. Then a Guilded Seeker branch focusing more on fitness and charisma.

There's still more to be done before this is ready for you guys to download but I was excited with what I had done and wanted to show what I had so far. I'll show off more stuff as I progress with this and if this works out well I'll probably start making other Luctine themed mods for the Sims 4.

[maiemorrae]

Modding Journal Day 2: Seeker Career for the Sims 4 Update 2

I've been working more on the mod over the weekend and wanted to show off some more of the work I've done. I'm mostly working on this in short bursts each night but it's a good little writing exercise making the level descriptions.

First I wanted to show off the different names for each level of the career.

These are the first 3 levels of the career. After completing the goals for Initiate Marksman, that is when you'll choose what kind of seeker your sim is.

Luctine Facts: 3 levels is a short route before branching compared to other sim careers. I only had it be three because I knew that I wanted the branches to be between being a silver seeker or not and the fact that seekers are not initiates for very long in comparison to their careers. Another distinction made between how the seekers operate in my writing and here; that being in my writing a silver seeker would be determined as so as soon as they joined the Bureau. However, the only way to have really done that in the Sims would have been to make the two types of seekers into entirely separate careers.

Once a sim gets promoted from Initiate Marksman they'll be prompted to choose what branch of the career they wish to join. Here are the names of the career levels once the branch occurs.

These are the levels for the Gilded Seeker branch. These seekers have more of a focus on leadership and the more physically demanding aspects of being a seeker. Promotions here will have your sims raising their charisma, athletic, and logic skills. As well I'd like to see if I can make it so you need a certain number of friends at some levels. This would be to reflect the leadership skills your sim is building as a seeker.

Luctine Facts: Within the bureau Commanding Seekers are the ones who lead each city's seekers. An example of this is Commander Arcalos who leads Noxton's seekers during What Makes a Seeker. The final level of this branch would have your sim taking on the role of Grand Commander; all seekers who take this mantel also take on the codename Animus.

Next, we have the Silver Seeker career levels. With this branch, your first task is going to be becoming a spellcaster, and will need to increase your spellcaster rank in order to reach the higher levels of the career. Sims in this branch will be raising their logic, medium, and Research & Debate skills.

Luctine Facts: Silver Seekers make up a much smaller part of the order compared to their gilded fellows. Most often it will be 2 gilded seekers to every 1 silver seeker. The final level in this career, Eye of the Queen, is essentially the highest level of prestige an arcanist can have in the imperium. It is an isolating role though as they are essentially erased from history, for their duty as the Queen's eyes and ears across the imperium is never done.

Ok, one last thing I know this has been long.

Just simply the description you'll see in the game for the Initiate Investigator branch. Writing these is a fun mix of being both informative and having a slightly lighthearted feel to them. My idea when writing these is that someone is explaining this to the sim on the first day of each career level.

Anyways, that was longer than I thought it would be but I couldn't help but go into some of my reasoning for why I chose certain things. Also, the seekers are probably the part of Luctine I have most developed so I have a lot I can say about them. As I do more of these updates feel free to ask any questions about it! I'm always excited to explain my thought processes for projects.

[maiemorrae]

Figuring out some UI stuff, including how to give important characters a distinct text box.

Getting this to work made me so happy. Being able to write anything in that box and use different backgrounds for it is nice.

And a last little bonus, another Ellis side image, now as an initiate seeker.

[maiemorrae]

🤡 How many WIPs do you actually have? :P

Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to.

Of course, I have a lot of projects that I've started but only a few that I would really consider "in progress".

What Makes a Seeker - A novel about Ellis Mourn, an initiate silver seeker, and how she navigates the minefield that is being an arcanist in a world against arcanists.

Daughter of Brilliance - A novel centering on Amelia Stockwin, an electotech inventor who tries to follow in the deep footsteps of her parents.

LENS - A visual novel following the formation and early missions of the exploratory group as they uncover ancient secrets of Luctine and the rulers who govern it.

An Exile's Tale (working title) - A cozy RPG following a recently exiled arcanist and how they adjust to life outside the safety of the walls and form connections with their fellow exiles.

I tend to ping-pong between these projects primarily while sprinkling in various other smaller projects. One of which is the 2nd volume of Luctine Archives. I plan to have longer stories since unlike the first volume I have complete control over the content that goes into it.

[maiemorrae]

Started to work on seeing how I'd want to do other character art for this. Starting with one of the first characters you meet, Silver Silver Seeker A'tiri.

I had a lot of fun coming up with her design and I'm always excited to come up with more azari designs for my world.

Here's a little mock-up with one of Ellis' side pictures as well. I think it's all starting to have a cohesive look, now I just need to figure out a style for backgrounds and I'll feel a lot better about this whole process.

[maiemorrae]

Wanted to try out some fake social media stuff. I love Luctine but sometimes I wish for the silliness of social media to exist XD.

Think I'll do more of these cause they're funny, if anyone has any particular characters of mine they'd wanna see lmk and I'd love to come up with stuff.

Also yes, Commander Arcalos would 100% be a light mode user.

[maiemorrae]

Not much to share here, just excited because I finished the first outline for What Makes a Seeker.

Uh... content... content, ah! Have some music I listened to while I was outlining one of the more emotional chapters.

I'll 100% need to go through and do more touch-ups to the outline but it is very exciting to officially say I have it :D

[maiemorrae]

What Makes a Seeker Planning: Character Profiles

Today I got a bit more planning done, this time filling out my character profile sheet for a few of the supporting cast members in the story.

I also worked a little bit on Ellis' but her profile will take longer to fill out. I thought it would share some of the quick basics about them, a little teaser I suppose of who we'll be working with. I'll also share what I'm using as my quick reference for what they look like. I tend to use a mix of picrews, game character creators, or screenshots from shows/movies.

Aleksandr Sinclair

Seeker Codename: Blackthorn

Age: 19

MBTI: ESFJ The Consol

Image made in Baldur's Gate 3

Kavira Nuvket

Seeker Codename: A'Tiri

Arcanist Designation: Tempest

Age: 21

MBTI: ESTP The Entrepreneur

Picrew Link: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/707090

Cynthia Averdale

Seeker Codename: Edelweiss

Age: 21

MBTI: ESTJ The Executive

Image made in Baldur's Gate 3

[maiemorrae]

Planning

A little look at what's taking on the name of What Makes a Seeker.

I also wrote out that first scene card, since I enjoy sharing my writing music here's the track for that scene.

[maiemorrae]

Ellis and a yet to be fully introduced Kavira going through Turris Follis.

Might try sharing more writing snippets as I go if there is any interest in this sort of thing.

[maiemorrae]

OC in 15

Thank you @amaiguri for the tag on this. The way this one works is to share 15 quotes from an oc. For this, I decided to dive into a lesser-seen OC, one of the leaders of Luctine and ruler of the Ember Imperium...

The Queen of Embers

"Our people are the last embers of a world that once was. Of course, I would do whatever is necessary to keep the ashes from slipping through our fingers again."

"I have eyes and ears everywhere, I will not allow something to rise from the shadows ever again."

"Worry not, she will be easy to retrieve, I know she will not fight your seekers because she knows they would stand no chance against her."

“If you truly believe that then face me, show your queen the respect she is owed.”

"I will allow her to live because I trust you, do not make me regret that trust, Grand Commander."

"Once we were inseparable, now we are as distant as the faded sun and moon..."

"Lead Alemere, please, it is safe and it would allow you to better safeguard our world's history."

"Animus, leave. You are not likely to survive if we truly begin fighting."

"Is it so hard to believe that I would miss you?"

"So... you are to be my new Grand Commander Animus? Your predecessor spoke highly of you, now remove your veil, I would know who it is I entrust my people to."

"Oh, Mariam... you knew that opening your heart so would only lead to tragedy... If you wish to speak about it, I will always listen."

"The peace is kept because they know that even alone I could turn their little convocations to ash, they also know that I wouldn't hesitate to do so if they began to pose a true threat to this world."

"Perhaps she will hate me for this, but I cannot allow her to continue roaming as she does. No arcanist is safe to allow full freedoms, not even she."

"Mariam please, you cannot suffer this in secret! You could have died alone and then I too would be left alone in this world! ...I would not survive such a fate..."

"I will allow it, for now, I have forbade her from traveling herself. I will not leave her blind to the world."

Hope these were interesting, I've not talked much about the Queen so I figured this could be a cool way to share some little glimpses of her.

[maiemorrae]

Luctine Writing Prompt #1

The artist's paintings were unlike anything anyone had seen. The sky was always a bright mess in blues, pinks, yellows… all colors the sky had not been in a long time. The creatures painted were unfamiliar, softer, close but not exactly matching what we would normally find.

It was a passing silver seeker who realized the paintings were of the spectral plane.

[maiemorrae]

Find the Word Tag Game

Thank you @amaiguri for the tag.

Ghost, Echo, Blade, Shadow, and Lantern were my words for this. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anywhere that I use the words echo or blade. Ghost was also almost unfindable since I tend to use spirit instead haha but I did find 1 instance of it in my work. Anyways...

Shadow

Seeker Onyx I think, he’s hardly spoken a word all day and instead has just carted me around and then stands like a shadow some distance away as we follow the schedule set for me. I think he’s rather new for a seeker, seeming more bored with the assignment given to him than anything else.

Lost Recollections Chapter 2

Lantern

“Then it is with great confidence that I now name you, Seeker Ninox, as the new Grand Seeker Animus.” Holding out the lantern more Eliza now takes hold of it staring at the purple flame. She closes her eyes and lets out a steady breath while focusing on the lantern in her hand. As she does so the color of the flame changes to a bright turquoise color.

Daughter of Brilliance: Prologue

Ghost

ghost

“Is… is that the-er his ghost in there?” The little boy asks leaning closer to get a better view. I nod in response. “Yes, and it’ll be my job to look after him for a little while longer.” He makes a small noise of curiosity as if to ask more but I stand up before he can. “Now though it’s time for the other seekers here to do their part.”

Luctine Archives, Ellis Mourn: Silver Lining

Bonus Request

My favorite unusual word in my WIP... I don't really tend to think all that much about if a word I use is unusual or not so I'm not entirely sure I have a favorite per se. An uncommon word I like in a current WIP I have is...

Nullifier

I stare down at my wrists and feel my breath catch. If I go back they'll have a nullifier implanted to take away what little power I have. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst but... It is forbidden for Silver Initiates to leave Turris Avina until they've completed their training. The warning words of Commander Alewhyn come back to me as I stare deeper into the lake. A nullifier just might be the best-case scenario.

WIP - Luctine Archives, Initiate Sothe: The Caretaker

[maiemorrae]

Hello! A pre-emptive Storytelling Saturday for next week: Describe your WIP in bullet points so my ADHD brain gets it quickly!

I'll ask you again next week so stick to just one of your novels or games for now ;)

Some quick things for Daughter of Brilliance

A look into more of the technology present in Luctine and how it can be used with arcane techniques (Spectretech).

More of a focus on higher society in Luctine and growing up with those expectations.

Aromantic main character and development into a QPR with her closest friend.

Learning more about the leadership of the Seekers.

3rd person POV that shifts the focus character to tell a wider story.

An introduction to Radiants and how their existence effects the world.

I think those are what I would say are the main highlight points or at least what differentiates it from my other projects.

[maiemorrae]

Luctine Writing Prompt #8

The one who would become caretaker for the Spiritseeker Raven is chosen during their time as an initiate. It is not the city's commanding seeker or even Grand Commander Animus who determines the caretaker for each city’s ravens. The ravens themselves choose their caretaker. 

Initiate Sothe would be the new caretaker for Alemere’s ravens as no individual raven would bond with them.

[maiemorrae]

Luctine Writing Prompt #4

To-Do List:

Clean Ash off the windows

Gather uniforms for cleaning

Polish the council lanterns (Grand Commander's is in her office)

Tidy Grand Commander's office (Do not touch the desk)

Change water in Ghost Lily vase (Ask Seeker Ashwood for preserving reagent)