Forum Announcement, Click Here to Read More From EA_Cade.
Dreams & Drama Neighborhood Rotation - ENDED & Rebooted to a New Version
cecerose0208
Posts: 1,521 Member
EDIT: If you're looking for the D&D Reboot, you can find it here.
Someone told me I should make a forum thread for my SimsLit blog, so here I am!
Having finally found the intestinal fortitude to complete a legacy challenge, I decided I could keep up with the commitment SimsLit requires. Or at least... I'm going to try.
I've created five families and--you know what? I'll just copy and paste what I have on the blog for my first Author's Note and from the About page!
From the Author's Note:
I apologize in advance if you fall in love with these Sims and I can’t keep this neighborhood rotation going. I’m trying something new, and I hope it works out.
That being said, I’m still relatively brand new at taking screenshots and weaving them into a story. I’ve always loved writing, whether it was my personal blog or some truly epic (length, not quality) poems in high school. I’m hoping to tap back into that creativity in a new way. Instead of “writing what I know” in the traditional sense, I’ll be writing what I know in terms of Sims, how they interact, and the crazy stories they come up with all on their own.
After telling crazy stories to one of my favorite co-workers and my husband, I’ve learned that I can definitely weave together some Sims drama, I’m just hoping I can do it in a way that doesn’t suck to people who are reading instead of listening…
Enough lowering of expectations! Let’s get started!
From the About page:
Last Updated 07/24/2017
If you've read all my chapters (and the Author's Notes), you'll know that I've changed my format for this story multiple times. I just couldn't decide the best way to present these characters in a way that gave them all a good story. I've clearly moved on from that impossible goal. Can anyone describe Kurt Epstein's personality? Likely no. He has one, but in the Epstein house, he's not my focus.
1) There are currently 5 main families I rotate through. As the kids age up, get married, and move out, I may focus on more households, but only if they're connected to those main 5 families. I won't focus on all the kids, but I will at least try to keep up with them occasionally, or send them to other stories.
2) I’ll use MC Command Center to try to keep the base game families around (Goths, Pancakes, Bjergsens, etc.). MCCC also adds a ton of drama to the lives of my Sims, and I'm encouraging it. With the exception of the occasional flag to keep a potential mate from marrying someone else, I'm letting the mod run wild.
3) I want to do sort of soap opera-y storylines, something like All My Children which I grew up watching. Laurel Epstein is definitely my Susan Lucci. In a weird way, I think Luca Holloway might be my Adam Chandler, I dunno. The game adds it's own drama (being the father of your sister's new wife's baby is a grand example), which is great.
4) I’m playing a long lifespan, with the idea of continuing the generations as time moves on. I'll only have aging on for the last household I play in each round. That'll make birthdays and births very interesting. We may not see everyone's births or birthday parties, but I'll do my best to catch it when it happens.
5) I’ll treat each family like its own legacy, where the goal is to produce an heir, and then the story continues with the heir. What will they inherit? Membership in the Counsel Council of course. You age out of the club when you're an elder, and membership will go to any blood relative of the opposite gender, ages Teen to Adult. I'm thinking I may hold a vote to see who will get the spot if there's more than one candidate in the family.
Someone told me I should make a forum thread for my SimsLit blog, so here I am!
Having finally found the intestinal fortitude to complete a legacy challenge, I decided I could keep up with the commitment SimsLit requires. Or at least... I'm going to try.
I've created five families and--you know what? I'll just copy and paste what I have on the blog for my first Author's Note and from the About page!
From the Author's Note:
I apologize in advance if you fall in love with these Sims and I can’t keep this neighborhood rotation going. I’m trying something new, and I hope it works out.
That being said, I’m still relatively brand new at taking screenshots and weaving them into a story. I’ve always loved writing, whether it was my personal blog or some truly epic (length, not quality) poems in high school. I’m hoping to tap back into that creativity in a new way. Instead of “writing what I know” in the traditional sense, I’ll be writing what I know in terms of Sims, how they interact, and the crazy stories they come up with all on their own.
After telling crazy stories to one of my favorite co-workers and my husband, I’ve learned that I can definitely weave together some Sims drama, I’m just hoping I can do it in a way that doesn’t suck to people who are reading instead of listening…
Enough lowering of expectations! Let’s get started!
From the About page:
Last Updated 07/24/2017
If you've read all my chapters (and the Author's Notes), you'll know that I've changed my format for this story multiple times. I just couldn't decide the best way to present these characters in a way that gave them all a good story. I've clearly moved on from that impossible goal. Can anyone describe Kurt Epstein's personality? Likely no. He has one, but in the Epstein house, he's not my focus.
1) There are currently 5 main families I rotate through. As the kids age up, get married, and move out, I may focus on more households, but only if they're connected to those main 5 families. I won't focus on all the kids, but I will at least try to keep up with them occasionally, or send them to other stories.
2) I’ll use MC Command Center to try to keep the base game families around (Goths, Pancakes, Bjergsens, etc.). MCCC also adds a ton of drama to the lives of my Sims, and I'm encouraging it. With the exception of the occasional flag to keep a potential mate from marrying someone else, I'm letting the mod run wild.
3) I want to do sort of soap opera-y storylines, something like All My Children which I grew up watching. Laurel Epstein is definitely my Susan Lucci. In a weird way, I think Luca Holloway might be my Adam Chandler, I dunno. The game adds it's own drama (being the father of your sister's new wife's baby is a grand example), which is great.
4) I’m playing a long lifespan, with the idea of continuing the generations as time moves on. I'll only have aging on for the last household I play in each round. That'll make birthdays and births very interesting. We may not see everyone's births or birthday parties, but I'll do my best to catch it when it happens.
5) I’ll treat each family like its own legacy, where the goal is to produce an heir, and then the story continues with the heir. What will they inherit? Membership in the Counsel Council of course. You age out of the club when you're an elder, and membership will go to any blood relative of the opposite gender, ages Teen to Adult. I'm thinking I may hold a vote to see who will get the spot if there's more than one candidate in the family.
Post edited by cecerose0208 on
1
Comments
I'm thinking I'll try my best to put the introduction chapters for each in this thread. But after that, I'll likely just link to the post on my blog. I hope you enjoy! Please remember, this is my very first attempt at SimsLit...
Meet the Holloways!
Luca and Daniella stood outside their new home. No parents, no aunts & uncles, no friends. It’s as if they were just plopped into the world with no one to depend on other than each other. Daniella was a teenager, just aged up. Luca was at the beginning of his young adult years, and on the list of things he didn’t have was a job.
He’d used all his savings to purchase this house off the beaten path for him and his sister. He didn’t like being bothered by people, and he figured at the end of a long dusty lane in Windenburg was the perfect spot.
Daniella had gathered all of her courage and had agreed with Luca that this was the house for them. She didn’t need much beyond her books. Well… she needed people. She really needed people. But she trusted Luca’s judgement when it came to her, even if she didn’t trust his judgement when it came to himself. If he thought this is where they needed to be, then she would make the best of it, and just do a lot of travelling to get to the people.
As they looked at their home, they were each momentarily lost in thought.
Luca: Why the hell doesn’t the walkway extend all the way to the drive?
Daniella: That mailbox which will soon house our bills sure looks ominous. I wonder if we have enough money to buy more books for me, and more shirts for Luca…
They looked at each other, realizing they really only had each other to rely on for now. Their very first action as new residents was to give each other a reassuring hug.
After the hug, they both felt better. They breathed in their surroundings, feeling for just a moment that things might be alright. No fear, no responsibility, just the wind in their hair.
Then Daniella said, “now that we’ve established we’re not going to die out here all alone, when are you getting a job? And also, can you help me with my homework?”
Luca may or may not have freaked out momentarily.
After he calmed down, he got a job. He didn’t want to lie to his sister, so he owned up that he joined the Criminal Career. He’s always had a mean streak, though it hardly ever showed itself to his beloved baby sister.
Seeing as how he barely graduated high school himself, she just accepted what help he could provide. And she kept her thoughts to herself, for now, about his choice in jobs.
She finished her homework, proud of her big brother for getting a job, even if it was that kind of job. And he didn’t do so bad helping her with her homework, she only had to ignore one third of his answer suggestions. They were about to head inside for lunch when a bunch of people showed up.
They announced themselves as friendly neighbors, much to Luca’s chagrin.
Luca: What is the point of moving out here if the people can still get to us?
Daniella: People!! Lovely new strangers who will become my friends!! Happy dance, unh, unh.
Soon enough, the people were in their little house, sitting on all the available surfaces. Daniella was happily chatting away, getting to know the Windenberg residents.
“So let me get this straight, the name of your company is Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe? Interesting…”
Luca was nonplussed, and he was losing the battle with his inner meanness. If they didn’t stop all this pointless chatter and small talk, someone was going to get told their mother may or may not be a llama.
After more jokes, mostly about the loaf of bread one of those plumheads brought, Luca had enough.
“Listen, no one care about your stupid tattoos, or your stupid feather earrings, or that the bread is good! I just want to watch this rerun of The Nightly Show in peace! Is that too much?,” Luca wondered aloud furiously.
“You’ve got your nerve,” responded Siobhan, the cutie in the pink dress replied. “You’re not even wearing a shirt. What kind of crazy grown man walks around in front of guests dressed like that. Go sit back down and leave us to our pleasant conversation with your sister!”
Not too long after that, everyone else left. They ended up having a good time in spite of Luca’s behavior. Daniella made everyone a garden salad, and her outgoing personality won everyone over. They each agreed on the way out that they were happy with their new neighbor. Ulrike stayed behind to chat.
“Why is your brother like that?” Ulrike asked.
“Girl, I don’t know. I think underneath it all he gets nervous around strangers and that’s why he explodes. My mom always thought about having him tested to see if there was anything really really wrong with him, but now they’re gone, and I’m not about to suggest we get him tested.”
Luca smirked in the background while he ate his salad: Let them say whatever they want. All that matters is that this last nosy neighbor follows the rest out my door.
Daniella got up to washed the dishes. She had a feeling that life in Windenberg would always be like this. Her brother running away the people. Her being nice to the people so they considered staying. And her doing all the cooking and cleaning. When she first started thinking about it, she smiled. It was nice to feel needed. And as long as Luca was taken care of, he stayed pleasant and loving.
After the last guest left, Daniella was starting to get stressed as she thought about all she’d have to be responsible for just to maintain a happy home. She decided to read a book because nothing worked better to improve her day like a good book. She grabbed one and tried to read in the cozy nook she’d setup for herself. But the noise from yet another The Nightly Show rerun affected her concentration. She chuckled at Luca’s shirtlessness, thinking Siobhan had a point. Then, with a shrug, she gave up on the book.
With no book to read and no dishes to clean, Daniella took a look at their finances. Sure, Luca was only going to make $19/hour for the first few days at his new job, but this purchase was worth it for peace of mind. She went to her room, locked her door, and let the focus find her. It was, for Daniella, a perfect ending to their first day in Windenberg.
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
Yay! I'm glad you liked it!
What I usually tend to do with my thread is just post an image teaser and a link to the blog, so that you don't have to do the whole thing twice! Otherwise it'll be a fair bit of work! But threads are a good way for people to know whenever you post, especially if they don't have wordpress accounts
Edit: Oh, and obviously you already know how much I love Luca. He's one hunky sim (wow that sounds wrong lol!)
Story Blog | Forum Discussion
But Luca is no Don Lothario, he's not a ladies' man, no matter how much he thinks he has the potential to be! He's just a 🐸🐸🐸🐸.
I didn't even mean to talk about Luca when I started typing...
Where was I? Oh yeah, I think I'll follow your advice and just post the links and image teaser, after the first four chapters. I want to make it easy for people to meet my four families, then they can follow links to blogs if they stay interested.
Speaking of which, I intended to put up the first Epstein chapter on this thread tonight. I should get on that!
Kurt, Laurel, Quincy and Robyn Epstein stood for a moment to take in their new environment. Kurt wasn’t pleased that they were moving to their new house in the dead of night, what would the neighbors think?
Laurel didn’t care. She was just happy at their turn of fortune. Her great-uncle had died, which was sad, but he left behind an inheritance. No one knew why, but he left everything to her! The rest of her family didn’t begrudge her this great gift, especially after she wrote every single one of them a check for $25,000. Each.
Something about giving away money and still having so much left changes a person. Laurel liked to think she would never forget her roots, but looking at this amazing house, what some could consider a mansion, she was already forgetting the potholes, poor plumbing, and nothing-organic food of her youth. She looked at her daughter, Robyn, and wondered if she would take to this new life. So far, she refused to wear the new dress Laurel bought her. She still looked like she did when she played on the broken swings at the playground. Time would tell.
Laurel knew one thing. With this new life came a new career for her: Stay-at-home Mom! No more work for her, she would cook and clean. Heck, she’d darn socks if she needed to. Her family would want for nothing. With her new dress, she already looked the part. She told the family to stay outside while she headed in to whip up their first family meal. Now that they had a dining room table, they were definitely going to put it to good use!
They happily chatted about the weather, drier and warmer than they were used to. They all knew how much this move meant to Laurel, and they wanted their first night in the new house to go just as well as she did. Also, no one wanted to aggravate her temper. She’d been in such a good mood since the inheritance check came in. Everyone wanted to keep it that way.
“And remember, when Mom asks you how you like the new house, and her newfound cooking skills, you’ll say you love them both,” Kurt reminded Quincy and Robyn.
“I won’t eat anything that looks gross, but I’ll do my best,” replied Robyn.
“Hey, you know I’ll eat anything. I’ll scarf down whatever she makes, and say something charming and sincere about how great all of this is. And it is! Look at this house! Look at this new neighborhood. We’re gonna be fine dad,” reassured Quincy.
When Laurel called them to the meal, they each grabbed a bowl of salad and gathered around their new dining room table for the first time.
They each dug into the salad, pleasantly surprised that Laurel’s first real attempt at cooking ended well.
“How does it taste guys?” Laurel asked tentatively. She really wanted to do well for her family.
Instead of always being away from home at two different jobs, she found herself excited to be home with her family, enjoying dinner all together. This new role of stay-at-home still fit like new jeans needing a few more washes to fit perfectly, and a little reassurance was all she needed.
“What do you think guys,” Kurt asked, with eyebrows raised as an encouraging reminder.
“I think it’s great! Really, it’s tasty mom,” said Robyn.
“Oh yeah, I’ll be done with this bowl in no time,” chimed in Quincy.
The family talked and laughed through dinner. Robyn tried out some of her new jokes, but she seemed to be the only one amused. Her father smiled at her admiringly, but no laugh. Her mother and brother shoved more food into their mouths in lieu of a reply.
As they wrapped up dinner, Laurel hopped up to clear the table. She paused as she realized she’d never cleaned up after dinner for her family before. She was always at work, and the dishes were usually done well before her late shift ended.
Also, she was glad to have a reason to leave the room as Robyn attempted more jokes. Kurt did his best to keep a straight face; he wanted to only laugh with his daughter, not at her. Quincy was about to go full frown soon though.
Luckily, he followed her out the room.
Once they were alone, Robyn switched gears.
“Daddy, now that we’re alone, I have something important to discuss. Have you noticed our new house. You know… how it looks? I mean, who even decorated this place?”
Kurt was thinking of a good response, but worried Laurel might overhear. As he was about to respond, Laurel walked back in, ready to clear their plates.
Both Kurt and Robyn froze with smiles on their faces.
“We’ll talk about this later,” he whispered through his smile.
“Okay daddy,” she whispered back.
The next morning brought the arrival of the Welcome Wagon. Kurt saw them coming through the window, so he went outside to greet them. His new neighbor still walked up to the front door and knocked.
Kurt: Weird… very curious. Hopefully he’s less formal than he seems right now. I really don’t want crazy neighbors…
With the arrival of new neighbors, Laurel was back in the kitchen. She whipped up the best lunch she knew how: grilled cheese sandwiches. She was so worried her new neighbors would be snobbish and would be able to tell her low class background. She watched Nancy and Geoffrey Landgraab closely as they began to eat.
“So nice of you to welcome us to the neighborhood,” said Laurel.
“So nice of you to make us lunch. Nancy here never ever makes grilled cheese, but it’s been one of my favorite lunches since I was a little kid,” said Geoffrey.
Laurel turned to smile as Kurt as if to say, “I told you all right people weren’t snobs.”
“There’s plenty more where that came from,” said Kurt. “As the head of the household, I think I can speak for all of us. We like you, Landgraabs. We like the cut of your jib. I’m sure we’ll all grow to be great friends.”
Nancy didn’t say much, but Laurel smiled inside when she noticed Nancy was one of the first to finish her grilled cheese sandwich.
Laurel: Maybe having rich, likely snobby, neighbors will go better than I thought. They can class us up and we can keep them grounded.
Robyn looked around and thought of the perfect joke for the occasion. Sure, no one laughed at her jokes last night, but they were tired from moving. Today was a new day.
She set it up, landed with grace on the punchline and… Everyone laughed! She made a note to keep that one for school the next day.
Once the Landgraabs left, Laurel jumped right into her first project in their house. She didn’t tell her family, but she’d paid a very famous designer to get the house ready for them to move in. She’d paid an obscene amount of money for what he described as an “Old Money Warmth” decor.
Her family didn’t say anything to her about it, but she could tell they weren’t very comfortable with the furnishings and decorations. She felt foolish for agreeing to this decor, but what was done was done.
She was going to be home all day everyday anyway. And they still had a lot of money. She would go room by room, and turn this place into the home of their dreams, even if it did end up looking “new money.”
She started by turning their unnecessary fourth bedroom upstairs into a gym. She wasn’t well versed in what needed to be in a gym, but she got rid of all the old furniture and started with the basics: machines, yoga mats, and mirrors. She’d add the rest over time.
After supervising the room change, she needed to unwind. What better way than breaking in the new gym?
The whole family went their separate ways as the day progressed. Robyn ended up in her room, drawing. She loved to draw and aspired to be a creative genius, but the darkness and formality of her new bedroom made it difficult.
Robyn: I’m just going to focus in my dark little corner, and do the best I can on this rainbow. I’m not going to even look around at this room with the huge bed, dark walls, and is that a ship on the nightstand? Seriously?? I’m 7 years old. I’m going to have to talk to daddy sooner rather than later about this.
Kurt and Quincy ended up in Quincy’s room. Kurt started to Fill Out Reports, his first task for his new job, while Quincy did his homework in the background.
Kurt smiled because of how easy the work was. Back at home, he was a supervisor, but there was no way for him to transfer over his job to Oasis Springs, so he had to start back at the bottom. He was still a young man though, so he was confident he had time to catch back up in his career.
Soon, Laurel and Robyn joined the guys in Quincy’s bedroom. Kurt got up to help Quincy with his homework, and Laurel did the same for Robyn. With their parents’ assistance, soon the homework was complete.
It had been a long day, so the kids each got into their huge beds. Kurt and Laurel lingered by the ottoman as a thought came to Kurt.
“You know what we haven’t done, even though we’ve been in this house for over 24 hours? We haven’t properly christened this place,” said Kurt.
Laurel quickly agreed. They left Quincy’s room quietly, so as to not wake him. They lumbered sleepily down the hall to their bedroom.
“We ought to call this the East Wing of the house,” joked Kurt.
Laurel chuckled, but her humor quickly turned into something else as they made their way into bed. It was, for Laurel and Kurt, the perfect way to settle into their new lives.
As Carmen stood outside her new home, she reflected on so much newness. Willow Creek was by no means a new neighborhood, but it was new to her. Here she was, in a two bedroom house, all by herself. She’d come so far from her childhood, when there were always too few bedrooms coupled with too many siblings.
Not enough money wasn’t that much of a distant memory though. She’d taken the discount and used the movers after hours. Who cares about one broken lamp due to darkness when you’re saving enough to buy yourself a dozen more lamps? Who needs light in their bedroom anyway?
Willow Creek at night was just… quiet. She almost didn’t want to go into the grand doorway to her cute starter home. It wouldn’t have her siblings. It wouldn’t have her parents. It would just be her. Carmen soaked in all the inspiration Willow Creek provided, even late at night, and a sense of gratefulness crept in.
She was grateful her family put together the money to help her with the down payment on this house, but for just a moment, she wished she could give up on her dreams to be an artist, and go back home.
She couldn’t do it though. She had to be strong. She had to make her family proud. And she had to go inside and cook herself some food because she was starving!
There was only one problem: Carmen couldn’t cook.
Carmen: Why did no one teach me to cook? Not Mama, not Nana, not any of my big sisters! Go draw Carmen, they all said. You need your hands to make art, they all said. You’d think someone would’ve snuck a cookbook into one of these boxes when they were packing me up and shipping me off.
She figured it couldn’t be that hard. She’d just whip up some eggs and toast. Easy peasy, right?
Wrong.
After she finally finished the cooking the food, then came time to eat it. It didn’t smell good. And it really didn’t look good. Nothing like what Mama used to make. She dreamed of the day, far into the future, when she would be able to make her Mama’s Famous Spinach Frittata.
She choked down the food, and got ready for bed. She didn’t really want to call it a short night, she wanted to go dancing. But she had an early morning at her job, so she wanted to be well rested.
Her dreams weren’t going to accomplish themselves after all. She was starting her career as a Painter from the bottom of the ladder, and she was ready for the challenge.
She got up early and headed out to seize the day. She was long gone by the time the welcome wagon arrived.
She returned home from work unaware that she missed the opportunity to make some new friends. She thought about going out exploring the neighborhood before facing her terrible food again when the phone rang.
The call was from a woman named Clara Bjergsen. She didn’t say how she got her name and number. What she did say is that she heard through the grapevine that Carmen Butler was a woman who loved good food. Carmen couldn’t argue with that.
Clara invited her to join a club called the Upper Crusts. To be a member was simple. You simply had to love good food, cooking good food, love good drinks, and making good drinks.
Carmen was NOT a good cook, but she loved good food and a good drink. She figured she’d pick up the skills needed at a later date. She agreed to join the club because she had a hunch for how they welcomed new members.
Clara told her they would start the gathering right away, even though she wouldn’t be home from work for a few hours. She said she was sure her family would be good hosts until she arrived.
And boy was she right!
At the Bjergsens’ home, fondly called the Lighthouse, she met her fellow club members. She also met the cute daughters of her club’s fearless leader, Sofia and Elsa Bjergsen. Watching them regale their guests with wonderful stories warmed her heart and made her dream of the day she had her own children.
Every time Carmen imagined having a baby, she imagined accidentally dropping the baby. But these weren’t babies, they were big girls. If only there was a way to skip the baby stage.
Soon Bjorn Bjergsen, Clara’s husband joined the dinner party. His banter was just as amusing and wonderful as his daughters. Carmen felt that if the Bjergsen family was an added bonus of being part of Upper Crusts, it would be worth learning to cook.
Clara arrived home not long after. Carmen thought she was so refined, even in her work clothes. Clara joined the party and they laughed, ate, and got to know each other until it was late at night.
They finally called this club meeting to an end, and Carmen headed home. The jog back to the path to head home from the Lighthouse was a trip! She didn’t mind the extra journey though because she felt like she gained a lot of new friends out of the deal.
If only those friends lived in Willow Creek instead of Windenburg.
Carmen made it home, very tired, but very well fed, thanks to the Upper Crusts.
She crawled into bed with a smile on her face. For Carmen, this was the perfect ending to her first full day in her new life.
My Twitter
Oh sims will surprise you and be the exact opposite of what you originally planned. Most of the chapters of my rotation are like that, just watching them and taking screenshots of what they're doing. I didn't start trying to make it into a story format until recently.
My Twitter
They took a risk moving in while the sun was up. They knew it, and Heaven was afraid. But Newcrest was such a new town, so Bo didn’t think they had neighbors. If a welcome wagon showed up, then they would know for sure, but he felt quite certain they were safe.
Their first order of business was to eat, and to pick disguises. They would need to look like a real Sim family, but that would be easy. Bo had one moment of sadness because he would miss his wife’s lovely face. What Heaven could do with hot pink makeup…
But alas, it was for the best. Until they learned who was a xenophobe and who was not, they could not take any chances. Little Asa did not mind. He was just happy to be here, in Newcrest, on Earth! There was something about this atmospheric pressure that vibed with him. Deep breaths did not cloud his mind like it did with other so-called “aliens.” He did not care why they were there, he planned to enjoy it for as long as he could. Forever, if possible.
Their mission was to inhabit this home, mix with the Sims, and breed with them in future generations. The offspring were so young, that when it came time for procreation, hopefully they would not think it as awful as Bo did.
He said a quick meditation that growing up with the Sims would teach the offspring to find them attractive in spite of the sand-, mud-, and clay-colored skin. Perhaps the Sims’ vibrancy was on the inside?
His female offspring Gem was so carefree and open to every new experience, even if most of it grossed her out. He wondered if she would ever find someone who loved her perfect blue skin, so much like his.
Bo tried not to think too much about it and instead turned his focus to creating his disguise. He did not put too much thought into it because Sims seemed to dress and adorn themselves in random ways. He headed inside to make lunch for his family, reminding them to disguise themselves now.
Heaven and the offspring, Asa and Gem, assembled their disguises, waving goodbye to the versions of themselves they would not see again for a while.
Bo was lost in thought as he prepared lunch. Thoughts of Sixam flooded his mind. He wanted so badly to be back home, where the plants, water, and rocks were lit from within, needing no help from the sun. It was not until he almost ruined lunch that his focus was pulled back to this planet.
The family outside assembled their disguises. Little Gem and Asa looked like the perfect offspring of their parents Bo and Heaven. To the untrained eye, they appeared as Sim-like as any other person in their neighborhood.
The hours of the day passed, and no welcome wagon showed up.
“I think we should be able to remove our disguises while we are in our own home. We will get some window coverings, and then we will get to be ourselves,” said Bo.
Heaven sighed as she chewed. Asa was barely listening as he tried to figure out what was in his food receptacle. It certainly was not how he pictured salad. Gem listened to her father intently, wondering why this mattered so much to him.
Finally, Heaven replied. “I think we need to stay in disguise for now. Our mission will be ruined if too many people discover our secret. And this neighborhood may be empty now. But there are several interesting families flagged for Move In, and some of them are bound to end up on our street. You need to be reasonable about this husband,” she said.
“Fine, fine. Your logic is undeniable. I will keep this disguise. For now,” Bo said.
“Great! Let us talk about something else then. I am excited to begin my career as an entertainer in the morning. Offspring, are you excited for school tomorrow?”
“I am,” said Gem. “School is gonna be so easy here! I took a look at my homework. Father, you will not believe what they teach the young Sims here. 1+1=2! That is is on page one of my workbook. I guess seven year old young Sims start learning later in life.”
“I am excited as well,” said Asa. “I can’t wait to see how this Sim disguise holds up against dirt. Such a fun experiement!”
After lunch was finished, Bo went to put away the leftovers. He came back for their bowls, and he was pleased to see the offspring had begun their homework ahead of their first day of school. He thought Heaven was helping Asa with his homework, but it was hard to tell because she was also engrossed in a game on her wireless device.
Gem climbed back into her chair at the table, and Bo helped her with her homework. It’s not that she needed the help, but they chuckled together at the math and spelling problems.
Asa asked Heaven to help with his homework, and she tried, but she was painfully bored. The chatter from the offspring at lunch was not something she was used to.
Back on Sixam, the offspring kept mostly to themselves. She hoped here on Earth, Asa and Gem would quickly make friends, and then she could keep the chatter to a minimum.
Heaven much preferred the company of cool people. The ones who liked to watch sports, high five, and be generally awesome. She was quite glad that sports and high fives worked pretty much the same way on Earth as they had on Sixam.
Soon it was time for bed. Asa and Gem went to the room they shared, falling asleep easily. Heaven and Bo had other plans for their night.
In the morning, the offspring were up and away from school before either parent awoke. Heaven got up and made breakfast. She hoped Bo would notice that he had not put on any Sim clothes.
He definitely noticed.
They sat on the couch and ate their scrambled eggs, enjoying a quite home.
“I’m worried Bo,” said Heaven.
“Worried about what, wife?”
“I’m worried that we will never get this Sim thing right. I love the feeling of this air against my unclothed body. But I don’t think this is allowed. Do you think this is allowed?”
“I hope so. I quite enjoy this as well,” replied Bo. “I think my only concern at this point is what our unclothed bodies are doing to the fabric of the furniture.”
After breakfast, Heaven reluctantly dressed and headed out for work. Bo watched her leave with a smile on his face.
Bo: If we’re going to stay in these Sim disguises, I think my preference is when we’re unclothed.
With the house empty, Bo headed out to meet the world. He decided to leave uninhabited Newcrest and head to Oasis Springs. While there he met some lovely people.
He played chess with a woman who’s name he could not remember. He also met a teenager named Quincy. Quincy Epstein. Sims used a lot of letter in their names Bo noticed. He wondered if he was too austere in choosing the Simlish translations of his family’s names.
He used his time at the park to test a theory. He knew his Sixamian abilities let him poke around in the mind of Sims. What he did not know is if he could so do without them noticing. He looked into Quincy’s mind, and learned that he considered himself a hopeless romantic, and that he would eat anything edible (or barely edible).
Quincy’s face registered a look of shock, then suspicion, then amusement, then happiness.
He looked slowly down at Bo, while Bo waited with anxiety for what would happen next.
“You’re an alien!! On my! I wish I had a girlfriend to take to dinner and tell all about this! What?! This is crazy! But so cool! You’re like a real life alien! Cooooool! Wait until I get a girlfriend and tell her this! She’s going to be like, ‘whaaaat?!’ And I’m gonna be like, ‘I know right?!’ This is just wonderful! Bo, I’m so glad I came to the park today! If and when you meet my parents, please be sure to leave of what time of day we met, okay?”
“Alright, young Sim. If my secret is safe with you, your secret is safe with me. I look forward to meeting your family. I’m sure my family will be happy to meet such an accepting young Sim,” said Bo.
What was even better than meeting a xenophilic Sim like Quincy Epstein was the fact that the woman he was playing chess with didn’t notice. It was as if she had not noticed Bo read Quincy’s mind, and also if she had not heard the conversation that followed.
This was, for Bo, a perfect way to end the morning. He couldn’t wait to meet his family at home and talk about their days.
Rebuild | Rebuild Vol. 2
That's really interesting that the Blanks are your favorites. I can't wait for everyone to get to know all of them better.
@OJenn What drew you to this family in particular?
I'll post here with a summary and teaser photo, then give you the link. I hope you've enjoyed meeting each family. And I hope you're looking forward to getting to know them, and their neighborhoods, even better!
In this chapter, Luca heads out while Daniella is at school. His plan is to work on his Public Enemy aspiration without her meddling and being nice to people at every turn. Later at dinner, Luca shows Daniella a side of himself she's not used to seeing. After he leaves for work, she's finally able to relax.
Laurel is home alone as her children head off to their new school and her husband heads off to his new job. She's learning that being alone all day with her thoughts and not much else to do leaves her feeling like she has maybe too much free time. Lucky for her, the family doesn't stay gone all day, and her new gym, still incomplete, is there for her.
Carmen is back out and about! As a single woman, she's got no reason to stay home. Not when there are friends to make, party guest lists to flesh out, and dances to dance. She explores more of Willow Creek, and then ends up back in Windenburg, like we knew she would.
Bo spends some time doing exactly what his wife asked him not to, being all alien-y. The kids are behaving though, and being very Sim-like. They get to know almost all the kids in the save, and boy do those kids have big personalities!
Luca and Daniella spend some time at home, then Daniella goes out and searches for friends her own age.
Laurel finally makes some headway on redecorating the house. The Epsteins are doing what they do best, spending time around the dinner table as a family. And there are some new developments in their home life.
Bo goes deeper into the secret he's keeping from his family, while the rest of them are doing their best to be good Sims.
In the latest chapter of the rotation, there are a lot of surprises for the Epsteins, mostly with Laura.
Carmen spends more time with her friends, has an odd interaction with Bo Blank, then meets a man at the club.
My Twitter