Before I continue playing and writing this save, I made portraits of the seven main characters as a sort of Who Is Who.
The six students:
William Chesterfield, born to my legacy family in Isla Paradiso. He loves surfing and scuba-diving, and is also a pretty good drummer.
Mindy Hamada, born to Honey and Masao Hamada of Isla Paradiso. Mindy was the first girl William became close to, but they never became more than good friends. At the Surfing Academy's Leisure day party she felt a mutual spark for fellow student Ruru Kekoa.
Valiant Vanderburg, the son of Sebastian Vanderburg and Ella Carlisle of Hidden Spring, who moved to Isla Paradiso a generation ago with William's family. He and William know each other since they were babies.
Valiant is enjoying the Surfing Academy, although living in a dorm is not for him - he constantly has to fight his loner trait.
Jeanette Collins, daughter of Christopher and Rosemarie Collins of Isla Paradiso. She is very athletic so she easily passed the entry test for the Surfing Academy, but she recently discovered that science interests her even more than sports. Jeanette and Valiant are often seen doing homework together and may be developing feelings for each other.
Ruru Kekoa came to Sunlit Tides from another island in Sim Polynesia. He is already quite experienced in surfing and windsurfing. He also plays the guitar, so he and William sometimes jam together.
Lilinoe Hori also comes from another island in Sim Polynesia. Like Ruru, she is already experienced in surfing and windsurfing so the lessons are easy for her. Lilinoe was the first of the six students to go on a date, with Sunlit Tides teen Luna Wahine.
Their teacher:
Matiu Henare is an excellent athlete. Although surfing is his life, he is also a very responsible teacher who wants his students to understand life is not always a beach. He takes cares that they have good grades in regular school, read skill books and don't stay out past curfew.
He is holding Rascal, a black Labrador puppy he adopted from a mermaid family in the neighbourhood. Rascal will guard the boarding school one day, but for now his life consists of playing, sleeping and being cuddled.
@PalmArrow , Have been staying out of the main thread due to RL commitments and thus limited computer time but I will continue to follow this thread, just tag me so I don't forget to read and leave you feedback.
As usual, several of the students woke up before dawn and went to read skill books in the common room.
William wanted to work on his athletic skill, so their teacher Matiu trained him.
Although William is pretty high in the athletic skill already, the gym equipment can get the better of anyone!
William then showered and went to prepare waffles - it was his turn to make breakfast for everyone.
Between breakfast and the arrival of the school bus Rascal was the centre of attention - everyone wanted to pet him or feed him a treat.
It was a foggy day, but the sun shining through the fog made a beautiful rainbow.
The kids went to school hopping for nicer weather in the afternoon, when it's time to go to the beach.
While they were at school, Matiu took Rascal with him and went to the Jungle Fishing Spot, which is halfway up the volcano.
While Matiu was fishing, Rascal ran around and gained the Hyper trait.
They returned home around the same time as the students, who immediately sat down to get their homework over with. The weather had cleared by then and the beach was calling!
The sun was beginning to set when they arrived on the beach. The girls went surfing, and the boys and the teacher went further from the shore to windsurf.
This pufferfish jumping out of the water was impossibly adorable!
Several townies had decided to spend this warm evening on the beach as well. A keyboard player decided to practice on the small pier.
The moon was already out when the girls decided to stop surfing. They had spotted several seals swimming under the wave stations, and didn't want to risk their surfboards getting damaged.
One by one, Matiu and the students gathered on the pier. William and Ruru decided to start a jam session and invited the keyboard player to join in.
Jeanette was the first to return to the boarding school. It was her turn to prepare supper.
Valiant followed soon after her, because as usual he felt uneasy in a crowd - but very easy around Jeanette.
He practiced mixing drinks while she prepared mac and cheese.
"Do I look cool, like I know what I'm doing?" he thought. "Is she looking at me?"
"Okay, I hope she didn't see me drop this bottle."
The mac and cheese was just finished when everyone returned from the beach, tired and hungry.
While they were cleaning up after supper, William called his family in Isla Paradiso. Today was the day when his younger brothers, Julius and his former imaginary friend Ringo, would age up to teens!
"Hi, William! yes, we're just finishing the birthday cakes."
"The boys got a chocolate cake each. They were very excited!"
"And they are two handsome teenage boys now! Julius looks like a darker-haired version of you."
"Wonderful! Let me talk to them!"
William wished his brothers a happy birthday and told them he wished they were with him at the Surfing Academy. But he knew that they didn't share his interest in surfing - ever since a potion provided by the science lab made Ringo into a real boy, Julius and Ringo were fascinated by science and logic above everything else. Their lives were going to follow a different path.
There was a minor crisis before the school bus arrived: the dishwasher broke down when they loaded it with the dishes from breakfast. Ruru is the highest level in handiness, so he was the one who repaired it. Rascal was just happy to have an indoor puddle to play in.
When the students were off to school, Matiu took Rascal to visit the Oceantides, the mermaid family in the neighbourhood he had adopted him from.
It was a chance for Rascal to get reacquainted with his mother Nautica and his sister Ladybug.
It had been raining since morning, but for the dogs it just made playing outside more fun.
Meanwhile, the students went on a field trip to the Bistro.
I could see a strangely dressed townie in the distance so I zoomed in on her.
Alana Kahale! You really shouldn't be wearing your career outfit in broad daylight.
The day spent at the Bistro proved very useful for the students' cooking skill - a few of them gained a level, the others at least raised their current level bar.
They returned home and, as usual, worked quickly on their homework.
The rain was still falling, but it doesn't rain underwater. So Matiu took the three students who had the scuba diving skill - William, Ruru and Lilinoe - to a beginner-friendly diving spot. The other three stayed in the boarding school and worked out in the gym.
They drove to the shore and then took a water taxi each, because sim public transport doesn't always make sense!
William found two sea shells, one of them rare and quite valuable. (I was hoping he would roll the Deep Sea Diver lifetime wish, but he didn't!)
While the students were at regular school, Matiu had an opportunity to give a lecture at the Business building. Since the Sunlit Tides business rabbithole is so surfing-themed, it makes perfect sense that they invited a surfing instructor to lecture there!
Note the parked vehicles: it seems that even a visitor from outer space was interested in what Matiu had to say!
Afterwards Matiu did some shopping. He bought six recipe books at the book store - all the students were level three cooks now, and it was time for them to learn some new recipes.
He also bought fresh groceries to restock the boarding school fridge.
As if the weather gods were working against the students, it was sunny the whole morning but it started to rain when school was over.
The students worked on their homework (a townie teen, Edmund Carnegie, came with them), hoping the rain will be a short one.
But it only rained harder and harder. Going to the beach wouldn't be a good idea.
At least it was a good opportunity to read the recipe books Matiu had bought for them.
Matiu, in the meantime, fulfilled his wish to smooch Rascal (I think I said "awww" out loud when I saw the toes on Rascal's paws in this picture. I hadn't noticed how cute they were before!)
Valiant prepared ratatouille, the recipe he just learned, for supper.
To cheer the students up for missing their surfing lesson because of the rain, Matiu took them to the sport bar which was the hotspot for the evening. They played pool and skee ball until everyone was sleepy.
Spooky Day was, luckily, a beautiful and sunny day - ideal for the beach. I sent Jeanette, Mindy and Valiant snorkeling because they don't have the scuba diving skill yet. William, Ruru and Lilinoe surfed on the wave stations.
The weather was so nice that even a racoon visited the beach.
Matiu kept an eye on the students' safety while fishing on the pier.
Suddenly Ruru was thrown high up into the air. He'd been attacked by a seal, but I missed the moment when it happened!
His surfboard is now unusable, so it will decorate the front of the house.
While every student's first surfboard was given to them as part of their scholarship, Ruru will have to earn 150 simoleons for a new one.
Luckily, the neighbourhood of the boarding school is rich in gems and metals.
Ruru soon earned more than enough and went to the sports equipment shop. He decided on the surfboard painted like a palm leaf on the right.
I had Lilinoe and William stop surfing too, because suspicious looking seals were circling around them!
Matiu was invited to a costume party by his romantic interest, @aricarai 's sim Noelani. "Please don't be a hot dog," I thought while he was waiting to be changed into his costume.
Yay, no hot dog! The fireman costume suits him rather nice.
Noelani was wearing a cute cat costume.
Some of the kids also pursued romance that day: Lilinoe met her crush Luna Wahine at the festival lot, and they officially became girlfriends.
William also flirted with his crush Oliana. (This screenshot cracked me up because every single sim on the lot was suddenly thinking about a swimming pool, except this one boy who was thinking about money.)
Jeanette went fishing because she had an opportunity to deliver a fish to the science center - and she loves the science center and wanted an excuse to visit it again anyway.
Mission accomplished! After delivering the fish, she visited their open lab.
Analysing a plant sample wouldn't be everyone's idea of a fun Spooky Day evening, but she thoroughly enjoyed it, and managed to make a scientific breakthrough.
Thanks, @Charlottesmom ! But you really don't have to see commenting in the main thread as an obligation - you are one of the best and friendliest commenters anyway, it's really okay to do it only when you can and to skip some pages here and there! (At least I hope it's okay, because I do that! )
All the students have had one or two celebrity points for some time - it's because Valiant came here as a minor celebrity, the heir to the Vanderburgs of Hidden Springs, and his status eventually caught on to his friends.
Today Mindy woke up as a disgraced celebrity: someone spread the false rumour that she had peed herself in public. How rude! She started the day by talking to all her friends, one by one, and dispelling the rumour.
The day was misty and not very warm, but it wasn't raining - it would be okay for the beach.
After the students boarded the school bus, Matiu took Rascal to Pleasant View Park.
In a stroke of luck, Lucretia Parrot had also decided to visit the park with her puppy, Niji.
Matiu socialised with townies (I love how in this picture it looks like the wife is playing with her husband's ponytail.)
Meanwhile, Rascal socialised with Niji.
Friday, 2PM - yay, no school for two days!
William went home with his crush, Oliana Kahue. (The couple Matiu was chatting to in the park are her parents.)
He was impressed by her house - he didn't know her family was rich.
William and Oliana did their homework together at her kitchen table and chatted a bit. Then he returned to the boarding school, not wanting to miss the surfing lesson for the day.
There was some mist over the sea, but no rain. The neigbourhood mermaid, Coralina Oceantide, was at the beach, driving an imaginary boat.
Jeanette, Mindy and Valiant went further into the sea to practice snorkeling, and William, Lilinoe and Ruru went surfing.
As the afternoon turned into evening, the three snorkeling students all reached level 2 of the scuba diving skill. Now the entire class will be able to go scuba diving together.
After sunset the surfing students decided it was enough for the day...
... because the seals were getting a little aggressive again. Go away, seal, this is Ruru's brand new surfboard!
When they returned from the beach, the kids the need to light a fire in the fireplace. Although it would never be freezing cold here on the island, it would be winter in two days and they could feel a change.
William read the newspaper. Three bars were mentioned as hotspots for the night, among them the sports bar where there were plenty of fun things to do.
Matiu agreed to take them all there, so they ended the day with a game of darts.
Valiant and Jeanette also sneaked into the photo booth and took a romantic photo.
When they returned to their dormitories, Valiant displayed the pictures on the wall beside his bed.
Everyone fell asleep excited about the weekend ... but they weren't allowed to sleep undisturbed!
Late at night, a masked figure crept into the Surfing Academy.
But the Academy had a good security alarm, and a police officer arrived immediately.
To the relief of the students, who had woken up and gathered downstairs, the police officer won the fight. (I love that both the police officer and the burglar are wearing sunglasses!)
Since no one in the household has the brave trait, I'm ashamed to say they continued panicking for a while when the burglar was already tied up.
It was early morning on the last day of autumn. Not a warm day, but a bright and pleasant one.
Matiu and his students gathered on a beach close to the Forest of Kelp, a beginner-level diving spot. Matiu started to swim and the students followed.
Three of the students had only snorkeled before, so Matiu gave them some safety instructions before they changed into their scuba gear.
They dove down and huddled together at first, then separated to investigate various parts of the Forest of Kelp.
They were not the only divers there that morning: Valiant, Lilinoe and William noticed a mermaid and decided to follow her.
William noticed a bottle in the sand and picked it up.
It contained a map part, which would be awesome if the hidden island the map was for existed in Sunlit Tides. Since it doesn't, it will just be a nice decoration.
Lilinoe caught up with the mermaid, an elder townie called Brooke, and chatted with her about kelp recipes.
Valiant caught a hermit crab.
Before their oxygen started running out, they returned to the surface and swam back to shore.
To warm up a little after the cold ocean, they all went to the library together and read some skill books.
The Wahine family was in the library, including Lilinoe's girlfriend Luna. I sent Lilinoe to flirt with Luna, and it ended up with them making out behind a shelf in the kids' section (the inappropriate choice of place was theirs, not mine!)
@PalmArrow , I really need to get a save started in IP simply for the scuba diving, those underwater shots are simply stunning!! I've seen Brooke the elder mermaid in some of karritz's pictures too, she must be a popular lady! Gorgeous pictures!!
After spending the morning scuba diving and then warming up and resting in the library, Matiu and the students went to The Hot Spot, which was coincidentally also the hotspot of the day. Today they'll take a break from cooking duties and eat out.
The Hot Spot had a music stage, so William decided to try the bass guitar, an instrument he hadn't tried before.
Ruru, who was already a good guitarist, joined him in a jam session. Mindy and Lilinoe joined in, although they had never played before.
After listening to them for a while, Valiant went to the bar and ordered a pizza.
Everyone came over to grab a slice.
It was so nice to eat outside, in the sunset, for a change. And no dishes to wash!
As always, Valiant showed signs of feeling uneasy in a crowd. He always breaks away from group outings - he even broke away from the group that morning, while they were scuba diving.
But he instantly felt better when Jeanette asked him to watch the stars with her. He is never uneasy around her!
The other students sat at the bar to order after-dinner cocktails. Matiu was going to join them, but his phone rang. It was Noelani, inviting him on a date.
"Can I trust you to return to the Academy before curfew?" he asked the kids. They assured him that he could. All of them breaking curfew would be a big scandal that could get Matiu into trouble, and the Academy very likely closed. Nobody wanted that to happen.
Noelani had invited Matiu to the sports bar. She was proudly wearing a Sim Fu outfit, to show that she just learned the skill.
The students actually returned to the Academy shortly after Matiu left. It was getting cold - tomorrow would be the first day of winter - and they were tired from having gone scuba diving at dawn.
Jeanette decided to give Valiant an ink blot test. The first card reminded him of love.
Another card reminded him of babies.
Jeanette was now sure that Valiant wanted the two of them to have a future together, despite being a loner. This motivated her to take the University aptitude test again. If she becomes a scientist, she may learn something that will help him!
Her best results were still for Physical Education, but she was happy to learn that her results for Science & Medicine were getting better.
Meanwhile at the sports bar, Matiu and Noelani were getting a little more romantic.
Sunday, the first day of winter (part 1/3)
The morning is dark and rainy.
Rascal will age up to an adult dog soon, and it's time for him to get his first vaccinations.
Jeanette has a mood swing. It doesn't help that she's rudely awoken by Ruru and Lilinoe having a loud conversation right next to her bed.
"It's still dark outside, you two! It's Sunday! What to you think you're doing?"
Mindy is also awake, and since it's her turn to prepare breakfast, she goes down to the kitchen and makes a serving of pancakes.
In a vindictive mood, Jeanette sets a Scary Computer trap. She hopes one of the two plums who woke her up will set it off.
But her plan backfires when she notices a plume of smoke coming from the computer. She broke it in her wish for vengeance!
She comes down to breakfast and says nothing about the computer.
Matiu takes Rascal to the vet after breakfast. William and Mindy volunteer to go with him. The sun has risen, but it can't be seen through the heavy clouds and rain.
But the veterinarian hospital is pleasantly lit and warm.
Matiu places Rascal on the surgery machine to be weighed and examined.
One of the vets prepares the serum.
The other vet administers the shot - it's so quick Rascal doesn't even notice.
There, this wasn't such a bad experience!
Meanwhile in the boarding school, Jeanette manages to fix the computer she broke. Whew! She doesn't remove the trap, though. She may be responsible and conscientious, but she's still a teen on a mood swing who was rudely awoken on a Sunday morning.
It is still raining in the afternoon. Matiu takes the two students highest in the diving skill to a level four diving spot, The Shark Gods.
They get ready to enter the ocean. The rain won't make any difference once they're underwater!
Meanwhile at the boarding school, the other four students put up Snowflake Day ornaments.
Jeanette and Valiant just happen to catch one another under the mistletoe.
The Tiki fireplace gets decorated with hanging stockings. Rascal is disappointed they are high up where he can't chew them.
Before diving in, Matiu gives Lilinoe and Ruru a serious warning. The diving spot is called The Shark Gods for a good reason. If they see a shark, they must not provoke it by watching it - they should resurface and swim towards the shore.
Even as they are preparing to go underwater, ominous silhouettes appear under the surface. One passes right under Matiu, as if he were a shark rider!
They dive down to the ancient sculptures of the gods, said to be guarded by sharks.
They spot a shadow gliding across the sand. is it a shark? No - It looks like it's half human!
It's in fact, Brook, the elder mermaid they have met before. She is swimming above them, as if watching over them.
But there are also sharks in the vicinity, and Ruru and Lilinoe sense them and... they both have a little accident. They are mortified.
Matiu pretends not to notice and continues telling them about the history of the god statues.
The mermaid joins them for a chat. The students feel braver now - they know mermaids are stronger than sharks.
By the time the three of them resurface and return to the shore, the rain has stopped and the sky is clear.
On the beach across the street from the boarding school, William and Mindy manage to use the surfing stations before sunset.
After Matiu, Ruru and Lilinoe return to the boarding school, Lilinoe falls victim to one of Jeanette's traps. Jeanette is triumphant.
"Serves you right for awaking me so early in the morning!" she says.
Lilinoe reacts with disbelief. "You are still angry about that? I don't have the energy for this. I was swimming with sharks today!"
This just makes Jeanette more irritated. "Ooh, look at me, I'm so cool, I go swimming with sharks!" she says in a mocking voice.
Their argument escalates into a pillow fight...
... but then they both start laughing. Lilinoe didn't want a fight in the first place, and Jeanette understood that her mood swing was making her overreact.
Soon they were both peacefully reading by the fireplace.
The boarding school is decorated with hanging lights.
Ruru makes minnow sushi for supper, and they all sit down to eat in a good mood. Matiu tells the students that their regular school would host a formal dance on Wednesday.
The news makes them both excited and anxious - they all want to go, but they have only three days to find dates.
After supper - just when the teacher went to town to run some errands - the fire alarm blares. They have left the fire in the fireplace burning for too long, and the stocking ornaments caught fire.
A firefighter arrives and bravely tackles the fire.
To be honest, I think he is a little annoyed by the screaming teens, because he sprays them with water too.
While all this is going on, William's crush Oliana drops by.
William gathers the courage to ask her to be his prom date. She says yes in a haughty way, as if she was doing him a favour...
But as she is leaving she suddenly lets out a very loud "Yes!" She has obviously been hoping he would ask!
It rains heavily during the night - this is the shipwreck site near the big island.
Between breakfast and the arrival of the school bus, there is just enough time to have a birthday party for rascal, who is about to age up to an adult dog.
One moment he is a puppy... the next moment he is a large ball of black fluff. (Rascal's mother is a Labrador - his dad was probably a smaller mutt. As Labradors go, he still looks like a puppy!)
The teens take turns wishing Rascal a happy birthday.
The schoolbus arrives just as a beautiful red sunrise starts.
At the same time, the Sunlit Tides Winter Festival opens. The winters here may not be snowy, but hot chocolate still looks appealing!
Rascal's first wishes are to visit a beach and a park, so Matiu takes him to Surf Point beach across the street.
Next they visit the dog park, where Rascal meets a cat named Socks and socialises with her.
The teens return from school accompanied by three townie teens. As always, are proud to show off their Surfing Academy.
They aren't forgetting that prom is coming up in a few days. Ruru catches a private moment with Mindy to ask her to the prom...
... and Jeanette asks Valiant later, in the sunset, because who can say no in such a perfect setting?
Both Mindy and Valiant say yes - so now five of the six kids have prom dates.
It snows a little during the night, and the snow even covers the ground very briefly, but it disappears with the sunrise.
In the morning the snow turns into heavy rain.
At one point the rain creates a beautiful rainbow - a symbol of a new life, perhaps? Prom, graduation and adult life will soon be coming for all the students.
When the students left, Matiu calls his girlfriend Noelani and invites her over. He has an early Snowflake Day gift for her that he wants to give her in private.
He puts on a freshly ironed shirt and makes sure the hall is spotless when she arrives.
When Noelani arrives, they both just accidentally happen to stand under the mistletoe.
But then Matiu calls her over to the decorated tree, where he has hidden a small box.
"Will you marry me, Noelani?"
"Yes! I will!"
They spend the next few hours cuddling on Matiu's bed and watching the rain from his window.
In the boys' dormitory, Rascal also lies on one of the beds and watches the rain outside.
Meanwhile, the students are on a field trip to the police station. A few of them misbehave (a police officer gets locked into a cell at one point!) but it is still an educational trip.
@PalmArrow Although I was mostly caught up from the other thread, it was nice to look back over the last few updates to refresh my memory
The light night snow is very pretty!
Gorgeous rainbow! I would like to try Seasons one day but am too afraid to install it on this laptop so will have to wait until I get my act together and get a desktop. It's more a space thing than not being able to buy a desktop. Room would need to be cleared and I still have boxes of my mother's belongings filling the room I would like to use for computers.
Awwww I love how Matiu made everything perfect for the big question
Noelani's expression is cute under the mistletoe!
Congrats on their engagement
The teens come back from school and work on their homework.
It is raining heavily and the beach doesn't look inviting.
However, in the Emerald Tides resort not far away, a couple is ignoring the rain and having a private marriage ceremony outdoors. The bride is even barefoot!
By the time the teens finish their homework, the sky has cleared. They call a taxi and ask to be taken to the Salon. They need new formal outfits for the Prom tomorrow!
Mindy and Jeanette immediately start choosing fabrics.
But Lilinoe has a more important task first. She has invited her girlfriend Luna to the salon to ask her to be her prom date.
To her astonishment, Luna tells her: "Sorry, but I already have a date. You can go with one of my friends."
This is an unexpected blow.
Lilinoe is due to age up to YA on Snowflake Day, which is just one day after the prom. She thought she would have Luna's emotional support through all this, and suddenly she finds herself alone.
She breaks up with Luna, who seems more annoyed than saddened by this.
Mindy is the first to use a styling station and choose a prom outfit.
She decides on a blue dress and blue flowers in her hair.
Lilinoe chooses a batik fabric, but with a sequined layer for added glamour. She may have to go to the prom alone, but this will not stop her from looking and feeling her best!
The boys choose suits which make them feel slightly awkward, but this is a rite of passage they understand they have to go through.
Trying on her new pretty dress cheers Lilinoe up.
The sky is now clear and starry, and there is a hour and a half left before curfew, so the teens visit The Hot Spot before going home.
Lilinoe has wished to meet someone new, and an elegantly dressed pianist is sitting alone at the bar. Flirting is out of question because she is still a teen, but she can introduce herself.
The pianist, who has the awesome name Siddhartha Rose, likes her amusing introduction.
The barefoot bride from the resort is here and she has started a jam session, so William and Ruru join in and play until it's time to return to their dormitories.
Comments
The six students:
William Chesterfield, born to my legacy family in Isla Paradiso. He loves surfing and scuba-diving, and is also a pretty good drummer.
Mindy Hamada, born to Honey and Masao Hamada of Isla Paradiso. Mindy was the first girl William became close to, but they never became more than good friends. At the Surfing Academy's Leisure day party she felt a mutual spark for fellow student Ruru Kekoa.
Valiant Vanderburg, the son of Sebastian Vanderburg and Ella Carlisle of Hidden Spring, who moved to Isla Paradiso a generation ago with William's family. He and William know each other since they were babies.
Valiant is enjoying the Surfing Academy, although living in a dorm is not for him - he constantly has to fight his loner trait.
Jeanette Collins, daughter of Christopher and Rosemarie Collins of Isla Paradiso. She is very athletic so she easily passed the entry test for the Surfing Academy, but she recently discovered that science interests her even more than sports. Jeanette and Valiant are often seen doing homework together and may be developing feelings for each other.
Ruru Kekoa came to Sunlit Tides from another island in Sim Polynesia. He is already quite experienced in surfing and windsurfing. He also plays the guitar, so he and William sometimes jam together.
Lilinoe Hori also comes from another island in Sim Polynesia. Like Ruru, she is already experienced in surfing and windsurfing so the lessons are easy for her. Lilinoe was the first of the six students to go on a date, with Sunlit Tides teen Luna Wahine.
Their teacher:
Matiu Henare is an excellent athlete. Although surfing is his life, he is also a very responsible teacher who wants his students to understand life is not always a beach. He takes cares that they have good grades in regular school, read skill books and don't stay out past curfew.
He is holding Rascal, a black Labrador puppy he adopted from a mermaid family in the neighbourhood. Rascal will guard the boarding school one day, but for now his life consists of playing, sleeping and being cuddled.
*Fairy Jared and Vampire Connor*
As usual, several of the students woke up before dawn and went to read skill books in the common room.
William wanted to work on his athletic skill, so their teacher Matiu trained him.
Although William is pretty high in the athletic skill already, the gym equipment can get the better of anyone!
William then showered and went to prepare waffles - it was his turn to make breakfast for everyone.
Between breakfast and the arrival of the school bus Rascal was the centre of attention - everyone wanted to pet him or feed him a treat.
It was a foggy day, but the sun shining through the fog made a beautiful rainbow.
The kids went to school hopping for nicer weather in the afternoon, when it's time to go to the beach.
While they were at school, Matiu took Rascal with him and went to the Jungle Fishing Spot, which is halfway up the volcano.
While Matiu was fishing, Rascal ran around and gained the Hyper trait.
They returned home around the same time as the students, who immediately sat down to get their homework over with. The weather had cleared by then and the beach was calling!
The sun was beginning to set when they arrived on the beach. The girls went surfing, and the boys and the teacher went further from the shore to windsurf.
Several townies had decided to spend this warm evening on the beach as well. A keyboard player decided to practice on the small pier.
The moon was already out when the girls decided to stop surfing. They had spotted several seals swimming under the wave stations, and didn't want to risk their surfboards getting damaged.
One by one, Matiu and the students gathered on the pier. William and Ruru decided to start a jam session and invited the keyboard player to join in.
Jeanette was the first to return to the boarding school. It was her turn to prepare supper.
Valiant followed soon after her, because as usual he felt uneasy in a crowd - but very easy around Jeanette.
He practiced mixing drinks while she prepared mac and cheese.
"Do I look cool, like I know what I'm doing?" he thought. "Is she looking at me?"
"Okay, I hope she didn't see me drop this bottle."
The mac and cheese was just finished when everyone returned from the beach, tired and hungry.
While they were cleaning up after supper, William called his family in Isla Paradiso. Today was the day when his younger brothers, Julius and his former imaginary friend Ringo, would age up to teens!
"Hi, William! yes, we're just finishing the birthday cakes."
"The boys got a chocolate cake each. They were very excited!"
"And they are two handsome teenage boys now! Julius looks like a darker-haired version of you."
"Wonderful! Let me talk to them!"
William wished his brothers a happy birthday and told them he wished they were with him at the Surfing Academy. But he knew that they didn't share his interest in surfing - ever since a potion provided by the science lab made Ringo into a real boy, Julius and Ringo were fascinated by science and logic above everything else. Their lives were going to follow a different path.
There was a minor crisis before the school bus arrived: the dishwasher broke down when they loaded it with the dishes from breakfast. Ruru is the highest level in handiness, so he was the one who repaired it. Rascal was just happy to have an indoor puddle to play in.
When the students were off to school, Matiu took Rascal to visit the Oceantides, the mermaid family in the neighbourhood he had adopted him from.
It was a chance for Rascal to get reacquainted with his mother Nautica and his sister Ladybug.
It had been raining since morning, but for the dogs it just made playing outside more fun.
Meanwhile, the students went on a field trip to the Bistro.
I could see a strangely dressed townie in the distance so I zoomed in on her.
Alana Kahale! You really shouldn't be wearing your career outfit in broad daylight.
The day spent at the Bistro proved very useful for the students' cooking skill - a few of them gained a level, the others at least raised their current level bar.
They returned home and, as usual, worked quickly on their homework.
The rain was still falling, but it doesn't rain underwater. So Matiu took the three students who had the scuba diving skill - William, Ruru and Lilinoe - to a beginner-friendly diving spot. The other three stayed in the boarding school and worked out in the gym.
They drove to the shore and then took a water taxi each, because sim public transport doesn't always make sense!
William found two sea shells, one of them rare and quite valuable. (I was hoping he would roll the Deep Sea Diver lifetime wish, but he didn't!)
While the students were at regular school, Matiu had an opportunity to give a lecture at the Business building. Since the Sunlit Tides business rabbithole is so surfing-themed, it makes perfect sense that they invited a surfing instructor to lecture there!
Note the parked vehicles: it seems that even a visitor from outer space was interested in what Matiu had to say!
Afterwards Matiu did some shopping. He bought six recipe books at the book store - all the students were level three cooks now, and it was time for them to learn some new recipes.
He also bought fresh groceries to restock the boarding school fridge.
As if the weather gods were working against the students, it was sunny the whole morning but it started to rain when school was over.
The students worked on their homework (a townie teen, Edmund Carnegie, came with them), hoping the rain will be a short one.
But it only rained harder and harder. Going to the beach wouldn't be a good idea.
At least it was a good opportunity to read the recipe books Matiu had bought for them.
Matiu, in the meantime, fulfilled his wish to smooch Rascal (I think I said "awww" out loud when I saw the toes on Rascal's paws in this picture. I hadn't noticed how cute they were before!)
Valiant prepared ratatouille, the recipe he just learned, for supper.
To cheer the students up for missing their surfing lesson because of the rain, Matiu took them to the sport bar which was the hotspot for the evening. They played pool and skee ball until everyone was sleepy.
Spooky Day was, luckily, a beautiful and sunny day - ideal for the beach. I sent Jeanette, Mindy and Valiant snorkeling because they don't have the scuba diving skill yet. William, Ruru and Lilinoe surfed on the wave stations.
The weather was so nice that even a racoon visited the beach.
Matiu kept an eye on the students' safety while fishing on the pier.
Suddenly Ruru was thrown high up into the air. He'd been attacked by a seal, but I missed the moment when it happened!
His surfboard is now unusable, so it will decorate the front of the house.
While every student's first surfboard was given to them as part of their scholarship, Ruru will have to earn 150 simoleons for a new one.
Luckily, the neighbourhood of the boarding school is rich in gems and metals.
Ruru soon earned more than enough and went to the sports equipment shop. He decided on the surfboard painted like a palm leaf on the right.
I had Lilinoe and William stop surfing too, because suspicious looking seals were circling around them!
Matiu was invited to a costume party by his romantic interest, @aricarai 's sim Noelani. "Please don't be a hot dog," I thought while he was waiting to be changed into his costume.
Yay, no hot dog! The fireman costume suits him rather nice.
Noelani was wearing a cute cat costume.
Some of the kids also pursued romance that day: Lilinoe met her crush Luna Wahine at the festival lot, and they officially became girlfriends.
William also flirted with his crush Oliana. (This screenshot cracked me up because every single sim on the lot was suddenly thinking about a swimming pool, except this one boy who was thinking about money.)
Jeanette went fishing because she had an opportunity to deliver a fish to the science center - and she loves the science center and wanted an excuse to visit it again anyway.
Mission accomplished! After delivering the fish, she visited their open lab.
Analysing a plant sample wouldn't be everyone's idea of a fun Spooky Day evening, but she thoroughly enjoyed it, and managed to make a scientific breakthrough.
*Fairy Jared and Vampire Connor*
All the students have had one or two celebrity points for some time - it's because Valiant came here as a minor celebrity, the heir to the Vanderburgs of Hidden Springs, and his status eventually caught on to his friends.
Today Mindy woke up as a disgraced celebrity: someone spread the false rumour that she had peed herself in public. How rude! She started the day by talking to all her friends, one by one, and dispelling the rumour.
The day was misty and not very warm, but it wasn't raining - it would be okay for the beach.
After the students boarded the school bus, Matiu took Rascal to Pleasant View Park.
In a stroke of luck, Lucretia Parrot had also decided to visit the park with her puppy, Niji.
Matiu socialised with townies (I love how in this picture it looks like the wife is playing with her husband's ponytail.)
Meanwhile, Rascal socialised with Niji.
Friday, 2PM - yay, no school for two days!
William went home with his crush, Oliana Kahue. (The couple Matiu was chatting to in the park are her parents.)
He was impressed by her house - he didn't know her family was rich.
William and Oliana did their homework together at her kitchen table and chatted a bit. Then he returned to the boarding school, not wanting to miss the surfing lesson for the day.
There was some mist over the sea, but no rain. The neigbourhood mermaid, Coralina Oceantide, was at the beach, driving an imaginary boat.
Jeanette, Mindy and Valiant went further into the sea to practice snorkeling, and William, Lilinoe and Ruru went surfing.
As the afternoon turned into evening, the three snorkeling students all reached level 2 of the scuba diving skill. Now the entire class will be able to go scuba diving together.
After sunset the surfing students decided it was enough for the day...
... because the seals were getting a little aggressive again. Go away, seal, this is Ruru's brand new surfboard!
When they returned from the beach, the kids the need to light a fire in the fireplace. Although it would never be freezing cold here on the island, it would be winter in two days and they could feel a change.
William read the newspaper. Three bars were mentioned as hotspots for the night, among them the sports bar where there were plenty of fun things to do.
Matiu agreed to take them all there, so they ended the day with a game of darts.
Valiant and Jeanette also sneaked into the photo booth and took a romantic photo.
When they returned to their dormitories, Valiant displayed the pictures on the wall beside his bed.
Everyone fell asleep excited about the weekend ... but they weren't allowed to sleep undisturbed!
Late at night, a masked figure crept into the Surfing Academy.
But the Academy had a good security alarm, and a police officer arrived immediately.
To the relief of the students, who had woken up and gathered downstairs, the police officer won the fight. (I love that both the police officer and the burglar are wearing sunglasses!)
Since no one in the household has the brave trait, I'm ashamed to say they continued panicking for a while when the burglar was already tied up.
It was early morning on the last day of autumn. Not a warm day, but a bright and pleasant one.
Matiu and his students gathered on a beach close to the Forest of Kelp, a beginner-level diving spot. Matiu started to swim and the students followed.
Three of the students had only snorkeled before, so Matiu gave them some safety instructions before they changed into their scuba gear.
They dove down and huddled together at first, then separated to investigate various parts of the Forest of Kelp.
They were not the only divers there that morning: Valiant, Lilinoe and William noticed a mermaid and decided to follow her.
William noticed a bottle in the sand and picked it up.
It contained a map part, which would be awesome if the hidden island the map was for existed in Sunlit Tides. Since it doesn't, it will just be a nice decoration.
Lilinoe caught up with the mermaid, an elder townie called Brooke, and chatted with her about kelp recipes.
Valiant caught a hermit crab.
Before their oxygen started running out, they returned to the surface and swam back to shore.
To warm up a little after the cold ocean, they all went to the library together and read some skill books.
The Wahine family was in the library, including Lilinoe's girlfriend Luna. I sent Lilinoe to flirt with Luna, and it ended up with them making out behind a shelf in the kids' section (the inappropriate choice of place was theirs, not mine!)
*Fairy Jared and Vampire Connor*
After spending the morning scuba diving and then warming up and resting in the library, Matiu and the students went to The Hot Spot, which was coincidentally also the hotspot of the day. Today they'll take a break from cooking duties and eat out.
The Hot Spot had a music stage, so William decided to try the bass guitar, an instrument he hadn't tried before.
Ruru, who was already a good guitarist, joined him in a jam session. Mindy and Lilinoe joined in, although they had never played before.
After listening to them for a while, Valiant went to the bar and ordered a pizza.
Everyone came over to grab a slice.
It was so nice to eat outside, in the sunset, for a change. And no dishes to wash!
As always, Valiant showed signs of feeling uneasy in a crowd. He always breaks away from group outings - he even broke away from the group that morning, while they were scuba diving.
But he instantly felt better when Jeanette asked him to watch the stars with her. He is never uneasy around her!
The other students sat at the bar to order after-dinner cocktails. Matiu was going to join them, but his phone rang. It was Noelani, inviting him on a date.
"Can I trust you to return to the Academy before curfew?" he asked the kids. They assured him that he could. All of them breaking curfew would be a big scandal that could get Matiu into trouble, and the Academy very likely closed. Nobody wanted that to happen.
Noelani had invited Matiu to the sports bar. She was proudly wearing a Sim Fu outfit, to show that she just learned the skill.
The students actually returned to the Academy shortly after Matiu left. It was getting cold - tomorrow would be the first day of winter - and they were tired from having gone scuba diving at dawn.
Jeanette decided to give Valiant an ink blot test. The first card reminded him of love.
Another card reminded him of babies.
Jeanette was now sure that Valiant wanted the two of them to have a future together, despite being a loner. This motivated her to take the University aptitude test again. If she becomes a scientist, she may learn something that will help him!
Her best results were still for Physical Education, but she was happy to learn that her results for Science & Medicine were getting better.
Meanwhile at the sports bar, Matiu and Noelani were getting a little more romantic.
The morning is dark and rainy.
Rascal will age up to an adult dog soon, and it's time for him to get his first vaccinations.
Jeanette has a mood swing. It doesn't help that she's rudely awoken by Ruru and Lilinoe having a loud conversation right next to her bed.
"It's still dark outside, you two! It's Sunday! What to you think you're doing?"
Mindy is also awake, and since it's her turn to prepare breakfast, she goes down to the kitchen and makes a serving of pancakes.
In a vindictive mood, Jeanette sets a Scary Computer trap. She hopes one of the two plums who woke her up will set it off.
But her plan backfires when she notices a plume of smoke coming from the computer. She broke it in her wish for vengeance!
She comes down to breakfast and says nothing about the computer.
Matiu takes Rascal to the vet after breakfast. William and Mindy volunteer to go with him. The sun has risen, but it can't be seen through the heavy clouds and rain.
But the veterinarian hospital is pleasantly lit and warm.
Matiu places Rascal on the surgery machine to be weighed and examined.
One of the vets prepares the serum.
The other vet administers the shot - it's so quick Rascal doesn't even notice.
There, this wasn't such a bad experience!
Meanwhile in the boarding school, Jeanette manages to fix the computer she broke. Whew! She doesn't remove the trap, though. She may be responsible and conscientious, but she's still a teen on a mood swing who was rudely awoken on a Sunday morning.
It is still raining in the afternoon. Matiu takes the two students highest in the diving skill to a level four diving spot, The Shark Gods.
They get ready to enter the ocean. The rain won't make any difference once they're underwater!
Meanwhile at the boarding school, the other four students put up Snowflake Day ornaments.
Jeanette and Valiant just happen to catch one another under the mistletoe.
The Tiki fireplace gets decorated with hanging stockings. Rascal is disappointed they are high up where he can't chew them.
Before diving in, Matiu gives Lilinoe and Ruru a serious warning. The diving spot is called The Shark Gods for a good reason. If they see a shark, they must not provoke it by watching it - they should resurface and swim towards the shore.
Even as they are preparing to go underwater, ominous silhouettes appear under the surface. One passes right under Matiu, as if he were a shark rider!
They dive down to the ancient sculptures of the gods, said to be guarded by sharks.
They spot a shadow gliding across the sand. is it a shark? No - It looks like it's half human!
It's in fact, Brook, the elder mermaid they have met before. She is swimming above them, as if watching over them.
But there are also sharks in the vicinity, and Ruru and Lilinoe sense them and... they both have a little accident. They are mortified.
Matiu pretends not to notice and continues telling them about the history of the god statues.
The mermaid joins them for a chat. The students feel braver now - they know mermaids are stronger than sharks.
By the time the three of them resurface and return to the shore, the rain has stopped and the sky is clear.
On the beach across the street from the boarding school, William and Mindy manage to use the surfing stations before sunset.
After Matiu, Ruru and Lilinoe return to the boarding school, Lilinoe falls victim to one of Jeanette's traps. Jeanette is triumphant.
"Serves you right for awaking me so early in the morning!" she says.
Lilinoe reacts with disbelief. "You are still angry about that? I don't have the energy for this. I was swimming with sharks today!"
This just makes Jeanette more irritated. "Ooh, look at me, I'm so cool, I go swimming with sharks!" she says in a mocking voice.
Their argument escalates into a pillow fight...
... but then they both start laughing. Lilinoe didn't want a fight in the first place, and Jeanette understood that her mood swing was making her overreact.
Soon they were both peacefully reading by the fireplace.
The boarding school is decorated with hanging lights.
Ruru makes minnow sushi for supper, and they all sit down to eat in a good mood. Matiu tells the students that their regular school would host a formal dance on Wednesday.
The news makes them both excited and anxious - they all want to go, but they have only three days to find dates.
After supper - just when the teacher went to town to run some errands - the fire alarm blares. They have left the fire in the fireplace burning for too long, and the stocking ornaments caught fire.
A firefighter arrives and bravely tackles the fire.
To be honest, I think he is a little annoyed by the screaming teens, because he sprays them with water too.
While all this is going on, William's crush Oliana drops by.
William gathers the courage to ask her to be his prom date. She says yes in a haughty way, as if she was doing him a favour...
But as she is leaving she suddenly lets out a very loud "Yes!" She has obviously been hoping he would ask!
It rains heavily during the night - this is the shipwreck site near the big island.
Between breakfast and the arrival of the school bus, there is just enough time to have a birthday party for rascal, who is about to age up to an adult dog.
One moment he is a puppy... the next moment he is a large ball of black fluff. (Rascal's mother is a Labrador - his dad was probably a smaller mutt. As Labradors go, he still looks like a puppy!)
The teens take turns wishing Rascal a happy birthday.
The schoolbus arrives just as a beautiful red sunrise starts.
At the same time, the Sunlit Tides Winter Festival opens. The winters here may not be snowy, but hot chocolate still looks appealing!
Rascal's first wishes are to visit a beach and a park, so Matiu takes him to Surf Point beach across the street.
Next they visit the dog park, where Rascal meets a cat named Socks and socialises with her.
The teens return from school accompanied by three townie teens. As always, are proud to show off their Surfing Academy.
They aren't forgetting that prom is coming up in a few days. Ruru catches a private moment with Mindy to ask her to the prom...
... and Jeanette asks Valiant later, in the sunset, because who can say no in such a perfect setting?
Both Mindy and Valiant say yes - so now five of the six kids have prom dates.
It snows a little during the night, and the snow even covers the ground very briefly, but it disappears with the sunrise.
In the morning the snow turns into heavy rain.
At one point the rain creates a beautiful rainbow - a symbol of a new life, perhaps? Prom, graduation and adult life will soon be coming for all the students.
When the students left, Matiu calls his girlfriend Noelani and invites her over. He has an early Snowflake Day gift for her that he wants to give her in private.
He puts on a freshly ironed shirt and makes sure the hall is spotless when she arrives.
When Noelani arrives, they both just accidentally happen to stand under the mistletoe.
But then Matiu calls her over to the decorated tree, where he has hidden a small box.
"Will you marry me, Noelani?"
"Yes! I will!"
They spend the next few hours cuddling on Matiu's bed and watching the rain from his window.
In the boys' dormitory, Rascal also lies on one of the beds and watches the rain outside.
Meanwhile, the students are on a field trip to the police station. A few of them misbehave (a police officer gets locked into a cell at one point!) but it is still an educational trip.
The light night snow is very pretty!
Gorgeous rainbow! I would like to try Seasons one day but am too afraid to install it on this laptop so will have to wait until I get my act together and get a desktop. It's more a space thing than not being able to buy a desktop. Room would need to be cleared and I still have boxes of my mother's belongings filling the room I would like to use for computers.
Awwww I love how Matiu made everything perfect for the big question
Noelani's expression is cute under the mistletoe!
Congrats on their engagement
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
The teens come back from school and work on their homework.
It is raining heavily and the beach doesn't look inviting.
However, in the Emerald Tides resort not far away, a couple is ignoring the rain and having a private marriage ceremony outdoors. The bride is even barefoot!
By the time the teens finish their homework, the sky has cleared. They call a taxi and ask to be taken to the Salon. They need new formal outfits for the Prom tomorrow!
Mindy and Jeanette immediately start choosing fabrics.
But Lilinoe has a more important task first. She has invited her girlfriend Luna to the salon to ask her to be her prom date.
To her astonishment, Luna tells her: "Sorry, but I already have a date. You can go with one of my friends."
This is an unexpected blow.
Lilinoe is due to age up to YA on Snowflake Day, which is just one day after the prom. She thought she would have Luna's emotional support through all this, and suddenly she finds herself alone.
She breaks up with Luna, who seems more annoyed than saddened by this.
Mindy is the first to use a styling station and choose a prom outfit.
She decides on a blue dress and blue flowers in her hair.
Lilinoe chooses a batik fabric, but with a sequined layer for added glamour. She may have to go to the prom alone, but this will not stop her from looking and feeling her best!
The boys choose suits which make them feel slightly awkward, but this is a rite of passage they understand they have to go through.
Trying on her new pretty dress cheers Lilinoe up.
The sky is now clear and starry, and there is a hour and a half left before curfew, so the teens visit The Hot Spot before going home.
Lilinoe has wished to meet someone new, and an elegantly dressed pianist is sitting alone at the bar. Flirting is out of question because she is still a teen, but she can introduce herself.
The pianist, who has the awesome name Siddhartha Rose, likes her amusing introduction.
The barefoot bride from the resort is here and she has started a jam session, so William and Ruru join in and play until it's time to return to their dormitories.