Megamind (yes, that Megamind, he's the love of my life 💕) and I went on our first (official) date (at least in this save) to a little Italian place known for its romantic atmosphere 😊 Also downloaded the Simda mod cuz it's ideal for one of my other SIMs but haven't tried it out yet!
Two sleepy babies! Last post I showed you toddler Luca (Caleb and Lilith's little brother), here he is as a baby! Also feat. Tiramisu the dog and her newly decorated sleeping nook. She's gonna be such a good big sister to Luca (story-wise, she's still a puppy, is about six months old at this point).
It's New Years Eve! Johnny was, um, really into it. (And even Vivi 'sang' along!)
Autonomous cheek smooch at midnight.
Under the spoiler, renovation fun, some toddler cuteness, Raylan being extra, and an illegally small kitten.
New year, new apartment! "Hey who turned out the lights?! ...and stole them?" Time for a renovation! It's basically the same apartment but I've carved up some spaces to add more rooms. Raylan gets his own room, Caleb now has a study, Lilith gets a mini studio, et cetera. I'll do a tour soon!
Luca is going to spend some time with his big siblings, so I summoned him to actually meet them and playtest the area I made for him. (If you follow my Simsta, he's just been born - this is post-timeskip!)
Has a sleeping nook and a nice big play area, and he can use the desk when he gets a bit bigger. This whole set was made by Ravasheen on TSR, as were the inserts, and the pinboard and postcards! Most of the toys (the Playdoh, paints, and wooden dowel toys) were made by Around The Sims. The baskets in the cubbies work as a functional dresser and as toy boxes, and there's also a bookshelf setup on the side you can't see.
Caleb being a good big brother.
Caleb being not quite as good a big brother and tucking back into his NYE drink XD;;
Raylan and his ridiculously OTT bathroom. Don't worry, he has his shorts on.
And finally, excuse me Vivi do you have a permit for being that small?! (Also feat. Caleb and Raylan from about knee down.)
@Daephene decoration is so fun though XD Looks like it was an eventful birthday, and oh gosh kittens!!
@Duvelina aww, some nice socialising! So dang rude of Haley, what was that all about? :-\
@sunblond heh, go Tucker! Oh jeez, fingers crossed for Jade and Hector that it all goes well... Really lovely wedding! Ohhh man what do Salim and Kyle know?
@Koteyka and I suppose this is just an average everyday school, right? And yeah, literally doesn't matter what world he's in. Caleb is a baby.
"I feel like the most stuttering person ever could've worked at that school and not get fired. Like, ever. Or a person that wouldn't actually teach anyone anything. Or someone evil." *loud snorting* Bi awakening! Oh my gosh I literally did a sharp intake of breath at the 'I meant literally'! Good luck to them 8D Also giggling at the reverse meta of the Spider-man kiss. Aww, so glad they're working it out together! And yeah, the game (and mods) can be like that XD (Which is how Luca showed up!)
@DarkAngel1994 it's great but definitely on the dark side, especially the second book in the trilogy. Just a heads up if you do read it! And oooh, I do like 'strange and out of the world'!
Cute kiddos! Wow yeah I wonder Oi, rude prank! Toddlers are a bit of a handful, yeah XD
@sarabeth2984 isn't he a cutie? I actually need to redo that lookbook, I totally forgot that he needs glasses! And heh, it was actually a random name, but I really dig it!
Nice to see the Fontenots again! Poor Rosie, working hard for something only for it to be rejected out of hand is such a bad feeling. Trey is an odd one, yeah. My favourite sleeping fail is when Johnny decided to fall asleep on the wooden bench... at the foot of his bed... Hee, Clint's expression hearing Melusine is there is hilarious. Yeah, I can definitely see Knox being into yoga! Aww, and good girl, Grace! That should get up those Responsibility points XD
@Lyrie heh, not gonna lie, I decided from the outset that I wanted him to have the brown hair and blue eye combo. He ended up coming out with brown eyes, so I did have to change them XD And thank you! I actually forgot to give him glasses, so I'll have to do some editing, whoops.
@AlwaysAsking I'm sorry you've been having a rough time, I hope things get easier for you! Wow, Dash is having adventures XD And hi Jamie! Haha, oops, clothing malfunction (that was the Spa Day crop top, IIRC). God I can't get over how bad Johnny's default athletic outfit is XD Yeees yoga. I can't remember if Gallery!Jamie has the same skills as my regular one, but he has a pretty high Wellness skill normally. Was a lovely workout session!
@AlwaysAsking the last story between Don and Thorne was a very enjoyable read.
Thank you so much! It’s been fairly drama free for a few chapters now! lol
Thanks for the rundown on the way your play through works! Yikes, that’s a lot of work. :O Most of it seems to be with getting the elemental to be willing to be part of the household, and have a baby!
And that’s the only way to get the Sulani Mana trait? What if two Sims with the trait have a child together, wouldn’t it get it then? Like the spellcaster ancient bloodline or something?
Also, since I don’t want to put Seasons in my game, their abilities would have to work differently for me. There are no storms to summon, you know?
Raising these toddlers looks like it’s been an adventure too! Lol. I’m glad that changing her trait helped so much with her parenting. That must’ve been a relief!
I really laughed at this!
On the other hand, Dylan did learn to say please and thank you before he learned how to talk.
And hmmm, Zephyr certainly acts like he has an agenda! Lmao!
I find that getting the thinking skill up is the hardest one. Other people seem to have luck just having their toddlers “watch” grown-ups.
That’s so cool! Thanks for showing the pictures of the lava rock summoning!
And yeah! I love love love my master painter. He’s in every save, and he’s so rich it’s incredible, lol. It sounds like you have the same thing with Calum.
Merfolk can only change the weather when you have Seasons, but the ability can be very helpful. When a sim makes it rain, it can increase their hydration need, water all unsheltered plants, and it can help with the fun need.
The Sulani Mana trait is a trait passed down from a parent that has the trait. Unless you download a sim from the gallery with the trait or cheat the trait in, the island elementals are the only sims in the game with the trait naturally. The trait gets passed down as long as one sim has it.
I'm working on getting more pictures with the lava rock summoned. The animation has a lot more to it than the Gift of Sulani, but I did get a perfect quality rose bush in like two or three days thanks to the Gift of Sulani ability.
As for building a relationship, I've learned a few tricks. Calum used the Charmer's Lullaby and the Splash interaction to speed up the dating tasks. Actually, Calum got hysterical because he sped through the romance super fast. He got Arihi to be his girlfriend, his first kiss with her, first Woohoo for Arihi, Proposed, and married in one date. The positive buffs that were stacked up made him hysterical because he Had the Sulani Breeze Buff. While cleaning up the island, Calum made some discoveries in the Beach Cave and recovered like 40 mermadic kelp and turned Arihi into a mermaid. Arihi was a Child of the Ocean anyways.
During the date, Arihi also use the Charmer's Lullaby and Splash interaction. The merfolk trait is a 50/50 when one parent is a merperson, but the Sulani Mana trait only requires one parent to have it.
I originally wanted to make a super sim with power over the elements, but I decided that I'm going to focus on Aspirations related to the Creative and Logical Duality for Dylan and Zephyr. So, Dylan will have massive skill boosts to creative skills while Zephyr will have massive boosts to mental skills. Things will get more interesting when they become adults because that's when I get to explore careers and other stuff. I want to see what happens when I put both of them inside a laboratory.
As for my next step, I'm going to share the beach lot that Dylan and Zephyr were conceived at, and that will be the same lot their parents tied the knot at. I'm also going to give them a day to autonomously do what they want there. The beach lot I created can be used to complete multiple aspirations, but I admit that it's still a work in progress. Some of what I want to add to the lot can not be added during build mode. I have to collect the items first.
@metior_ice Calum is such a cool guy! I love his toddlers, they are so cute! And the toddler playroom looks amazing!
I'm sure he would thank you for saying so. Arihi is helpful, but Calum is the one that holds everything together. He upgrades everything, secured a hefty savings, gardens, repairs, and cleans up after the twins. Calum raised the parenting skill faster than Arihi, and I think it might be a higher level still. More often than not, Arihi will dance to island music or go for a swim. I think Zephyr figured that out. Dylan is such a kindhearted, but not the brightest, kid, and I don't think he realizes that he has to go Arihi and ask for what he wants.
Honestly, Dylan reached level 3 thinking even though he barely answered any of the flashcards correctly. However, Dylan makes up for his thinking with a very high imagination skill. He has the creativity down, but I don't think he'll be able to show it off until childhood.
Zephyr is very smart, but he seems to love giving Arihi a hard time. It's like he knows that she's not paying as close attention as she should. He also probably got tired of the flash cards because he figured out his basic needs a long time ago. I didn't get pictures of it, but Zephyr had moments where an action was interrupted because Zephyr was thinking about it. Every time he got introduced to something for the first time, Zephyr took a minute to think about what was happening. Everything from taking a bath to going to sleep, he took a curious approach and figured things out.
I' m constantly updating the playroom, but thank you. It is taking a lot of work. When Dylan and Zephyr age up, I'll share their rooms in the gallery.
bad day for my Sims I have not visited Del Sol Valley for quit a while where I keep my famous Sims; Mr Bean, Basil Fawlty, Marilyn Mondieu and Douglas Fairbanks but since it was time for a Sims new year I thought wath better place to getting it over with?! As soon as I started the game my Sims complained about the bad air around the ridicoulus expensive lot. Apparently the bad air from ECO lifestyle had spread. Before I had a chance to make a plane to deal with the situation, Douglas Fairbanks set himself on fire! Mr Bean called the fire department who after long last put him out just before he got up in flames. Now I should be able to rectify the situation although every Sim being tense. I would be able to deal with the upcoming new year and the bad air from Evergreen Harbour. But then one of the firemen set herself on fire, and before Douglas Fairbanks put out the fire one of my Sims called the fire department. When they arrived there was no fire to put out so my Sims got a bill from the firedepartment! Now this happened late at night and I was to tired to deal with the new years so I simply gave up. I was so 🐸🐸🐸🐸 that I did not record it
OK, comment post! I haven't caught up with all the newer poster's sims, so I may not have comments for everyone yet.
@Peral Well, that was an eventful day! I think it's funny that your sims called the fire department because a firefighter caught on fire.
@ryttu3k Well, I can tell you like decorating, and you're good at it! I don't have the patience for all the details very often. In their house, since I'm doing one room at a time as they save up money for it, the details don't feel so overwhelming. And yes kittens are very very small! Vivi is a cutie.
@HillyBeth I love it when the sims have the expression you want for your story, caused by something completely different like a puddle on the floor. Congrats to Ben!
@AlwaysAsking Hope you are having a better day by the time you read this! And that the birthday party goes well! Dash is pretty adorable.
Your cuddle by the fire painting is great! Having done it once since having the idea, I'm leaning towards it might work better for photographs than paintings, but only because of the better detail.
I did cheat a little and had Akira invite Bo and Liberty over at the same time one day after he met Liberty at a nightclub. But I couldn't control them so I kinda lucked out that they actually introduced themselves and had a little bit of a green bar. But I was surprised that she was his third customer ever, and their friendship grew really fast! It's probably because they were both geeks so all of the geek socials got positive responses. Once they were friends the flirting went really well too. I guess my instinct to put them together was correct!
I waited until I had twins to bother with voidcritters myself, since they can't battle or trade them without a friend who has them. They are fun but it's not a collection you can get and level up with a single child unless you play with aging off.
@March306 I agree the Ready Player One book was much more fun than the movie. As a child of the 80s I could appreciate a lot of the nostalgia. I love that the freckles are still going strong in your 100 baby family!
@Lyrie Thank you! I think Bruce and Walker and Bo may be my favorite household.
@Wintermute Congrats on the baby and surprise kittens. I'm still kind of in shock that my prowler cat had kittens as an elder. I had assumed the need to spay was past. Love the norse names. How many households do you rotate between?
@sarabeth2984 Thank you! I enjoy keeping up with your alien family.
@DarkAngel1994 Such cute toddlers! Love the kitten playing picture.
@haneul Thank you! I enjoyed Deli's date. Hope the romance festival goes well for her.
I was trying to kill off Brytani Cho for a few reasons. One is that now that she has a daughter with one of my sims and has dated two of them, she can't be allowed to be an ageless background townie anymore (I have aging off except for the active household). I will have to in some way make sure she ages and dies with Billie and Erick. I thought it would make a more dramatic story if she died rather than simply broke up with Billie, especially while her daughter is young. Also, I have never had an emotional death in my game and wanted to try it, but of course I waited until after they toned down the chances. And lastly, she is the most annoying celebrity in my game, always the one showing up and stealing the spotlight and being a nuisance on public lots. But alas, her death was not to be, and I will have to age her up as I go and eventually move her into the retirement village like I did with Billie's parents and play out her elder years.
To be honest I'll probably have fun with that, the story drama was the main reason I preferred death.
Also I was actually pretty happy with myself for naming Liberty's cat Justice. I named Summer's dog Autumn also.
@Koteyka Unexpected pregnancy that results in a happy family (at least for a while) is exactly the level of drama I need for a while after dealing with the loss of Tony.
@sunblond Pretty wedding! I enjoyed the dialogue snippets too. I'm still getting into your story, so they may be more mysterious to me than they are intended to be, but they make me want to read more. I've been catching up on some of your previous posts and I enjoy how you weave your families together, and the different cultures you have worked in.
@PsychoSimXX Shinya knitting is adorable. Another baby already! Good luck!
@Daravi They all look nice aged up! That's a lot of kids. Love the old fashioned Christmas!
@Duvelina I like Alyse! Her life is very bright and colorful. I hope she and her daughter have made up now.
@RedDestiny92 I can't quite get over that nose in your one family. It's definitely unique! I hope to see more of them. Vlad's dark form is awesome.
@Becka28 Thank you! I gave a few premades pets to make sure the game wouldn't create too many new townie pet owners to visit the vet, but I picked the BFF household specifically for Liberty. And I love the fact that they each go out in public or to the vet with the pet that shares their last name, rather than randomly from the household. Anyway, I agree that Liberty is a pretty sim who looks good in several hairstyles and outfits that are not the ones she comes with. I never paid her much attention until I went into manage households to do a few premade makeovers. I can't take much credit for Bo since they were born in game, but thank you!
Athena always got along reasonably well with Baako. Besides the amorous noises that always resulted in him answering the door in a maid's outfit. It was the Bheeda's she would gladly have watched die.
@GJGAMES Nice wedding venue! I like it. I'm not sure how much trouble you'd have keeping guests out of the pool. I have one restaurant I downloaded surrounded by water like that and diners go swimming all the time and that annoys me. I love the way it looks but I will have to look into adding a barrier around the water to keep them out.
@Lucy_Henley That music glitch used to happen to me a lot. It didn't seem to do any long term damage as long as I quit the game completely and re-entered, but it was very annoying. Hope it doesn't happen to you again!
@Ellupelluellu Cute idea using so many sims from the regular posters here!
@Metior_Ice Cute family! I recently had a child that had a negative reaction to being taught either sorry or please and thank you also. But I think it was a bored reaction rather than an angry one. I had not realized it was so controversial!
@Daephene thanks well i dint try him out yet cuz i have currently no bookings. also i used a fountain instead of the pool i bet they aint swimming in that not sure.i need to test him out
Im 19 and still lonely. Ooops this is the sims forum not a dating app
My game is being difficult, I spend several days with my recent grads in the game trying to make a love connection with very scant results, I only managed to find a possible for Bobby Frey, a random townie bartender, Penelope Dearborn, she was the only single YA person I even met and I took them all over too. Anyway, since she was a just a townie, I de-aged her and her and Bobby are a little in the pink right now. (I try not to make major changes to my played or the premades or their offspring in the game, unfortunately my game has developed a predilection for aging up my sims with the sliders at one extreme or the other, sigh)
Which brings me to my other reason for this post other than catching up on everyone else's recent posts and comments. I kind of took a shine to @AlwaysAsking recent post about Dash and I went to the gallery and DL'd him. I ended up adding him to my game, I had to edit a bit, I didn't have the right hair in my game, so had to substitute a CC one, made him YA and gave him a slighter beard and some body hair. Well, Darish has Art lover and some art and violin skills, I gave him the culinary career, like Dina Denny so they are co-workers, because he has level 8 mixology, and I made him gay 100%, gave him some other outfits. I was hoping that alwaysasking had no problem with me maybe seeing if he works as a romantic interest for Tucker? Because here's what I'm thinking, what if Tuckers thing is exotic guys, Darsh Parikh so ethnically from India, who play the violin and are artists, kind of like Than is. I only changed Darsh's aspiration to Super Parent so he and Tucker have kind of a family bent in common, Tucker has the Family Oriented trait see. Let me know if you are uncomfortable or have any reservations, OK. I can totally nix that idea as I'm a few posts ahead so no harm and it might not even work out, but I kind of would like to try.
@ryttu3k Wow, all those screenshots and photo editing sounds like a lot to me, lol. I only learned to edit photos and hide the plumbob while doing these posts, TBH.
@KayeStar I had to disable GTW in my game, it is so buggy I can't even play as a policeman.
@Duvelina I love that realistic photo, I didn't know that was even a thing honestly.
@PsychoSimXX Shinya is a mess, I do love his look though, he is a doll.
@Daravi I wish there was a way to steal your family portraits for my game and use them on the walls, it would be so cool to have old timey family portraits up there.
@Koteyka I'm glad it's not just my sims that have oopsies now with woohoo.
@haneul What, Felipe, bland, maybe, not everyone likes goodie goodie sims, I admit. Hopefully though when he later took on rescheduling the wedding and played a big part in that it redeemed him a bit in your eyes. Planning weddings and picking out suits, well, those are just not things in Felipe's wheel house, i'm afraid.
@Lyrie Stay tuned, more Tucker in drag fun ahead, mild spoiler there, sorry.
@Daephene You didn't miss much, I decided to include whole conversations to mark the occasion of my first 2nd generation wedding and to celebrate uniting two of my played families, but purposely made it even more cryptic than I normally do, lol.
I haven't played The Sims 4 properly in a long time due to the pandemic but I got back into it in the last few days and it has been quite exciting!
I created a new family with a goofball dad, a snob mom and an archeology loving daughter after buying Jungle Adventure. I accidentally chose a house with only one bedroom which made the daughter have to nap on the couch lol but she still got to explore a lot of the temple and get the treasure!
Found some springs on the way to the temple, the pool looked beautiful, I wish more sims spawned there! but I can understand how not every sim will want to use a machete to get there lol
I got her a little pop up table, I was shocked how much money I got from selling artifacts lol the trip cost me less than I made.
I had to screenshot my sims smug look when they got treasure lol
What happened in my game today was pretty sad, so if you're not into sad stories, you'll want to skip this one.
I created my Sims couple as teenagers, with aging turned on. They became true soulmates, and aside from work, they were inseparable. Then once they became elderly, the inevitable happened. The husband passed away first. I should mention at this point that awhile back, I had created a cemetery in one of the empty back lots of Willow Creek for when my Sims pass on.
His wife put his tombstone in her inventory, and I sent her up to Willow Creek to place it in the cemetery. She came home, ate, and then went to bed--an hour later she woke up, and passed away herself.
But the circle of life continues. I created a new couple to move into their home...and I had the husband make the run into Willow Creek to place her tombstone next to his.
@sunblond Hihihi, sometimes I wish I could do the same @Daephene and @sarabeth2984 thank you @ryttu3k What a nice and stylish apartment, great job. I adore sleepy kittens.
In my game it's still 1902, I do alot of redecorating and neigbhood control. But the year 1902 is a very important year for children.
Finally my children are allowed to own a teddybear.
@Daephene It's so nice to hear about someone who also reads the same books as me! So I went to look up the characters from the book to get correct spellings and stuff, I found out there is supposedly Ready Player Two being released in Nov of this year! I added it to my wishlist on Amazon.
@AlwaysAsking this is the same save your sim and Eliot are in. That is your eldest son. You also have another daughter and son (twins) but they are still toddlers.
This is the son of Parker and Alec from the show Leverage.
And their daughter. They also have one more toddler daughter.
One of the above children will probably be married into my legacy. I think I want to go heterosexual again. I have nothing against homosexuals (I have used them in my legacies before) I just want to go heterosexual again this generation.
MORE
Ben has a birthday.
He is now an adult instead of a young adult.
Luther has a birthday.
Then the youngest, Ellen, has a birthday.
Amy becomes an adult.
Adult Amy.
Amy's grades. She graduated and is now in the tech guru career at level 7. Her aspiration is computer whiz.
Geez! What a nightmare of a date! Were you in Del Sol valley on the date?
I never got Get Famous because I hear about stuff like this and say, "no thank you!" Lol
I love the evil merfolk club though. Sounds like good retaliation for all the trouble other people caused your Sims 😄
No, I have get famous, but I created the lot in Sulani. I uploaded the lot to my gallery, but I think the celebrities showed up because the lot was popular.
I don't usually do evil things with my mersims, and even give some of them the good trait which prevents them from doing evil things. However, a LOT of sims wanted to be a part of the date regardless if I knew them or wanted them there.
As for my last pay through,
I overcame hysterical moodlets and successfully had twin boys with the Sulani Mana Trait as Mermen. So, now I have sims that can summon monsoons and rain fire from the sky if I so choose.
I've been having issues with my game crashing, and after losing 4 hours of raising twins I didn't plan for, I cheated them to adulthood and gave them the positive character value traits. I want them to be good for the most part.
I wanted to create a super sim, and I may give it a second go. I'm hoping to complete the childhood aspirations too. I'll leave the pair I cheated to adulthood in my gallery.
An interesting detail, I got the twins by adding the Lay-line lot trait during the pregnancy. It resulted in fraternal twins with very funky genetics.
I did edit them to make them more identical. However, I made sure to maintain as much of their original appearance as I could. The father had lighter skin with a white ethnicity, and the mother, the island elemental, was Asian. The genetics mix and matched the ethnicity. It gave the first son eyes closer to the mother but less Asian in appearance. The second one had the father's eyes shaped closer to the fathers. The first one had the father's skin color while the second one had a skin color darker than both the parents. Their eyes were a demonic solid black like the mother's (Look up the show Supernatural to see where I'm coming from). The game completely randomized the nose and other facial features.
The way the game split the genetics was exceptionally random, so I did edit their appearances. To an extent, Sulani Mana is a hidden trait, so you can't create a sim with that trait in CAS.
As for Physical features, I made changes based on the father, the original skin color for the second twin, and I changed the eye color because they are merfolk. The eye color is very similar to, if not the same as the games built in merman. The eye shape was an attempt to find a middle ground for the games attempt at the eyes. In fact, the eyes were the funkiest part of the genetics.
One twin is creative while the other took after the mother and is a genius. While attemptimg to raise the toddlers, the genius twin was a very fast learner, and he hit level 3 in almost all his skills before the game crashed.
I am nervous about whether or not I did a good job with the edits while honoring how they really were when they were born.
Ahhh, yes, I have that in my game, as far as a game without Get Famous can have! Lol, Once in a while Diego Lobo and/or Salim Benali will show up at one of the nightclubs I made out in Brindleton Bay, because it’s very popular. They never show up at the game made ones in any of the other worlds.
So, that’s the problem with building such a great nightclub, hey? Darn Super Stars come and ruin all the fun, lol
I never play with bad mermaids. I still think your use of them was fine in that case though! And wow! I never heard of that Sulani Mana trait. That sounds seriously cool! I think it was good to save that “cheated” pair in your gallery though, with the game crashing issues you’re having.
The genetics of the twins do sound very interesting! Yikes. How random. Although, I had a very pale skinned, blond Sim have 3 kids each with 7 premades in the game. And it randomized his kids with Penny Pizzazz, Siobhan Fyers, and Nalani pretty randomly too. Like tan skin with blond hair, black curly hair with pale skin, even pale skin with blond hair, which really shouldn’t happen. So I don’t know how well the game is at doing those genetic mixes.
I also think it’s fine that you edit them to look more alike. If the game made them that weird it seems like you should probably make them more the way you want them. I’m sure you honored their original looks very well, it sounds like you were cautious
It is interesting how the toddler traits influence their learning. I’ve noticed that too. What toddler trait do you consider to be a creative one? I think inquisitive leads to the genius type of child. And they learn thinking faster too.
The Sulani Mana trait comes from the Island Elementals. Only sims with the Child of the Islands trait can summon them, and you can only "ask to join household" after building a high relationship. It took me 5 and a half sim weeks to build a suitable house and raise the relationship because the Elementals can only be summoned every 12 sim hours. It was enough of a headache keeping both parents alive after making the elemental mortal because the Sulani's Breeze Moodlet for the Father kept making the father Hysterical and the mother became Mortal with the Hysterical Moodlet.
The father's (Calum Zalrian)(Scottish Gaelic Origin)(Commemorates the Latin word for Dove that represents purity, peace, and the Holy Spirit) traits were:
Child of the Ocean
Child of the Islands
Loves Outdoors (Changed to Family Oriented)
The mother's traits (Arihi Lilo) were:
Genius
Child of the Ocean
Loner (Changed to Family Oriented)
The game randomly gave me:
Angelic for the first twin (Dylan Zalrian) (Son of the Wave and Sea Strength) (Zalrian was made up from Zale)(Welsh, Greek Origin) (Water Element)
Charmer for the second twin (Zephyr Zalrian) (West Wind and Sea Strength) (Zalrian was made up from Zale)(Greek Origin) (Wind Element)
As a young adult
Dylan Zalrian was given the traits
Creative
Child of the Ocean
Music Lover
Zephyr Zalrian was given the traits
Genius
Child of the Ocean
Geek
The name Dylan Zalrian and the traits are also meant to represent me to an extent. Dylan Zalrian comes from my mersona name, and I chose the traits based on the two sides of the brain, Creative and Logical. The names also have a relation to the elements because they are the children of an elemental. By the time I finished editing their appearance, my brain was fried from all the thought I put into them.
I'm not sure if the site will let me share a picture of them, but I will share them if I can later today. I did share them publicly in the gallery. If you look up #merman #mermen #merfolk #merboy #merboys, or my username MetiorIce you can find them.
So, were both parents of the twins elementals? And you turned both of them mortal? I’m sorry, I can’t follow complicated things that I know nothing about very easily. Lol! How time consuming to build that relationship though! Yikes
You certainly did put a lot of thought into names and traits! Holy cow! I do that in a much less scientific way, lol. Like, I wanted the baby that my Simself had with Thorne Baily to have a name that meant treasure, so I looked up names that meant treasure and chose Zephan. I wanted the baby that Don Lothario had with a different Thorne Bailey (different save) to mean Beloved Song, to represent the two of them (Thorne being a singer, and Don being a lover) So her name is Kalila Aria.
I like how you made the twins to somewhat represent you. That should make them fun to play!
Okay, so I guess a little backstory into how this playthrough started.
I took a version of an already created sim and gave him different traits. Arihi is the Elemental turned mortal, and Calum is the merman with the Child of the Islands trait. The only way to interact with Island Elementals is to have the Child of the Island Trait, and they can only be summoned every 12 hours. I started out trying to see if an elemental would give the trait to the sims if I gained their approval. I spent 5 and a half sim weeks working on that. When I gained their approval, they did not give the trait. A lot of different sources online were conflicting.
After I resigned to making an elemental mortal, I had to keep both my sims alive. Both the mother and father had to overcome the hysterical moodlet. The mother became mortal in a state of hysteria, and the father had a judgement that gave him a playful moodlet for two days. A bunch of positive moodlets made it difficult at first. After spending all that time, the game crashed and I lost 4 hours of gameplay.
The twins in the picture have the Sulani Mana Trait and they are mermen.
What this means is they have access to the abilities that come from these traits. When they become teenagers they can use:
Siren's Lullaby
Charmer's Lullaby: Removes Embarrassed Buffs and gives a +2 Flirty Moodlet
Inspiring Berceuse: Removes Uncomfortable Buffs and gives a +2 Inspired Moodlet
Aegean's Question: Removes Focused Buffs and gives a +2 Stressed Moodlet
Night's Requiem: Removes Energized Buffs and gives a +2 Sad Moodlet
Call Azure Dolphin (Essentially a merperson's ocean familiar)
Siren's Call
Drag a sim underwater, scare that sim out of the water, give them a +3 stressed moodlet, +100 to all of the merperson's motives
I forgot to mention Summon Ocean Threat
This functions similar to the Siren's Call, but I think it completely depletes multiple motives for the targeted sim. Some sim players have had sims drown after this ability because of the depleted energy need.
Aquatic Lure
Increase the quality of caught fish at a nearby fishing spot
Increase the quality of any plant in your garden by 1 level
The only way to get a Sim with these abilities is to have a sim that is a Merman/Mermaid have a child with an Island Elemental that is turned mortal. Island Elementals behave like ghosts, and you must do a very specific interaction to add them to your household. This interaction turns the elemental mortal so you can have children. Because of how the sim is created, cheats are required to have any control over what the created sim looks like.
So, while spellcasters cast spells, vampires have vampiric powers, and celebrities get celebrity perks, merfolk in Sulani have powers that drain a motive in exchange for a boost. However, the powers merfolk have can trigger major weather events and manipulate other sims in massive ways. A merperson's power is limitless in the water. They are immune to drowning, can swim as fast as a jet ski, and can sleep in the water. The Sulani Mana power has a cool down between uses.
Small edit:
This is a very time consuming task, and after experimentation, the trait can only be acquired through gameplay. Clones of these sims made in CAS will not have the Sulani Mana Trait.
My other edits are spelling and grammar corrections.
Day 1: Introducing the Twins to new Skills
So, I'm making my second attempt at raising the Sulani Mana Twins. This time, I'm going to try and include screenshots.
First off, let's show off the toddlers outfits. I'm only sharing a few of them because there's a good chance that I will not be doing anything that requires half the outfits. Also, I gave them identical outfits because they are toddlers, and I'm trying to keep things simple. Don't forget, I lost 4 hours of game play because the game crashed. I will be taking a few shortcuts.
So, on with the first pictures:
Important Note! The appearance of the twins is after hours of edits. For some reason, the genetics keep mix matching pieces of their appearance. I think it has a lot to do with them being mixed asian and white.
I had an extra food event right when I aged up the twins. I think they visit my house to raid my fridge because more often than not that's exactly what they do.
However, she refuses to hold her child. When one of them were babies, the save had the bassinet instead of the child in her arms. While I tried to raise them the first time, I think her loner trait made her go out of her way to avoid raising the children. I sorta changed out the loner trait when I made her a young adult. The age gap between the father and mother was a tiny bit weird.
This is a small area dedicated to their doll house and and story time. The fence helps to keep the terr...(I mean angels) on the second floor. If I need to, I can even lock the parents in with the children. I've run into trouble with eco-living where the mother would abandon her children to play the violin, she also would leave her child in the bathtub to play the violin, and I do have a screenshot with her marked as a neighbor and locked out of the house as a member of the household. I also got twins then, and they got dangerously close to starving while the mother was locked out. Toddlers can't unlock the doors for adult sims. It's something similar to how they can't turn on tvs or radios on their own.
I'm tempted to kick the elemental out. We'll see if she helps raise her children. If not, I'll make her keep up with the house. I did lock the parent's needs so I can make up for lost time.
Day 2: The Dawn of a New Day
It's a new day, and things are going a lot better. I'm going to take back what I said about keeping the elemental around. I think she's been more helpful, but I think it has a lot to do with the trait change. She's family oriented instead of a loner. This day has been a bit slower. I introduced Dylan and Zephyr to their skills, and most importantly, I made it so they can use the potty.
This moment with Zephyr was cute, even if Zephyr has been the most defiant right now. I guess he wanted to do this instead of learn how to dance.
While Calum did the dishes, Arihi got Zephyr to go to bed. Apparently, Zephyr didn't eat his meal earlier in the day, and he needed to eat again before bed. The high chair is a glitch in Zephyr's que from when I gave the twins their first meal. I play on the console, so that could be a part of it.
While the twins sleep, Arihi is dancing to the Island Radio instead of the kids radio, while Calum started a blog after he got the sad moodlet from having his island connection denied. Of course, the room's emotional aura is inspired, so I guess he's getting a boost to writing.
Dylan and Zephyr have had their first defiant moments, but I expect Dylan to be the more difficult one in the future. I gave Dylan the silly trait and Zephyr the inquisitive trait. I'm trying to make one the Creative Expert while the other is the Logical Expert. I will complete the childhood aspirations that boost those corresponding skills.
Now, I'm going to start the next day after reseting Calum. The cheats I've used aren't the norm for my playthrough, but I will not use cheats on the twins.
Edit:
I forgot to mention this detail. Because Calum is a merman and he lives on a water front lot, he spends almost all his time in the swimwear outfit regardless of what I do with the other outfits. He autonomously tries to go for a swim, and the only reason he's not doing that now is because his hydration is locked in place. The mother would do the same as a mermaid.
Day 3: The Dawn of a Rivalry
I'm going for another long playthrough, and I figured sharing the days events will help break up the playtime.
I feel like the island connection denial will be a regular thing. Arihi cries, makes a mess, Calum becomes sad, and I have a sim mop up the puddles.
And, I think Zephyr thinks he knows better than the parents. He often does stuff with Arihi because he's inquisitive and she's a genius. Still, the little terr... (I mean angel) does everything in his power to not listen.
The call rainstorm ability merfolk have can be used to cool down the lava rock faster. When you break the lava rock, you get rare collectibles such as crystals, metals, and fossils. On the other hand, you can also make it a decoration.
Zephyr had a nightmare when the lava rock fell from the sky. I'm sure he will be raining fire from the sky like his mother in no time. The animation for summoning a lava bomb is very cool, but I have not been able to get a screenshot yet. The cool down for the ability is also slowing me down.
I got the build'em blocks table for Arithi. I'm hoping it helps with her tense mood. When she finishes building it, Dylan and Zephyr will have another place to play with toys.
Calum also took an active role in potty training Dylan, but Calum has always been more involved with parenting Dylan and Zephyr. Once Zephyr's potty training lesson ended, Arihi left him again, so he pulled Callum's Attention away from Dylan to learn how to talk. Zephyr was driven to learn how to speak.
Arihi and Zephyr still have some friction between them. Arihi left Zephyr to pass judgement on Calum, and when she came back, she found this. Even though changing Zephyr's Dirty Diapers is becoming a thing of the past, Zephyr is still finding ways to make things Difficult for Arihi. She really needs to stop leaving Zephyr alone.
Zephyr thinking to himself: That'll teach you to leave me alone in the Highchair.
Arihi managed to successfully teach Zephyr please and thank you. Hopefully, she'll raise his manners to minimize future messes. Dylan is becoming a well mannered toddler, and Calum didn't have any problems teaching him those magic words.
This is the judgement I received that put my sim into Hysteria before the twins were born. Also, you can clearly see that Zephyr did in fact eat most of the food he was given. He left the last little bit for the mess.
Do not give your sim toddlers animal crackers. It may make them energized, but they often crash and become angry and more defiant. Zephyr did not have a crash because he did not finish the animal crackers.
While Dylan and Zephyr sleep, Calum has been completing multiple upgrades on everything. He has been extremely helpful with all the household tasks. He cleans up messes, he fixes everything, he helps with the gardening, and he's the more involved parent. He's almost got the parenting maxed out.
Zephyr: "But mom, I am sorry."
Arihi: "I still don't believe you. In fact, I can't wait until you move out."
Zephyr: "Fine, I'm better off on my own anyways."
Zephyr levels up his Movement Skill as he walks away.
The day started like normal. Dylan and Zephyr get woken up because they are hungry and need to use the potty. As toddlers with the lullabies radio playing, they are deep sleepers. Dylan has begun to throw a lot more tantrums. When he's upset, he let's his parents know. During breakfast, Dylan made a mess for Calum to clean up. When it came time for breakfast again, Arihi forced Dylan to use his diaper because she interrupted him while he was in the bathroom. Dylan responded to this by making another mess. Unlike Zephyr, Dylan made a mess and both his parents told him no. While Dylan insisted that he was neat, his brother interrupted the exchange to ask for a bath from Arihi.
Dylan: "I want to eat now!"
Dylan immediately after: "I want to sleep now!"
Calum approaches Dylan: "Listen to your mother, she can rain fire from the sky and conjure thunderstorms."
Zephyr in the bedroom thinking to himself: "This dollhouse is fun, but I think I need a bath."
Dylan learned to think in a very different way from his brother. He had more creative ways to learn his basic needs, and he still had trouble getting anything right. Dylan isn't the logical type, but he has a good heart. He's slowly becoming well-mannered and kind.
Zephyr has been learning from his mother. She's a genius, and Zephyr is inquisitive. You'd think they would get along well, but Arihi has an interesting way of teaching him at times. At other times when she's more involved, Zephyr gets frustrated, but he also has an easy time getting the flashcards right. They have a very good relationship in spite of their rivalry.
Dinner time for Dylan and Zephyr had its own interesting moments. Zephyr made a mess and had another exchange with his mother. When it came time for him to leave the highchair, he did not want his mom to do it. Instead, he interrupted the action to ask for the dad's help.
Zephyr: I'm tired and I don't want to eat anymore!
Also Zephyr: Making messes is fun!
Calum: You need to eat your food.
Dad helps Zephyr out of the highchair and walks away. Dylan passes out in the highchair.
Zephyr: "We don't want any pests."
Arihi thinking: "What is that awful smell."
So, the Beach Day was pretty good, but I learned that the lot I created isn't equipped for toddlers as you will soon see. I also unlocked the needs of my sims because I caught up to where I was when the game crashed.
When I loaded the game, Dylan and Zephyr rushed to use the potty. Afterward, they went back to bed.
Zephyr: Mommy can you tuck me back into bed.
Arihi: Of course I can.
Zephyr: Thank you mommy. I know you would forget if I didn't ask.
I pretty sure Calum called her dirty with the trash bag icon, but I didn't get the screenshot.
As part of the beach prep, I had to fill up the twin's needs. Arihi woke Zephyr up, and again, Zephyr wanted his dad's help. Also, Arihi made another parenting mistake. She gave Dylan animal crackers. Dylan doesn't need to be more hyper or playful than he already is.
Arihi: Zephyr, wake up. It's time for Dinner.
Zephyr: Okay mommy. Daddy, can you give me dinner.
Arihi: Sure, honey.
Dylan stares into space as his pupils dilate.
Zephyr: Mommy, can you let me out so I can get away from here.
Arihi: Okay honey, I don't understand why you're in a hurry.
Zephyr and Arihi had a wonderful moment before bedtime. Their relationship isn't bad, but I will say that Arihi is a little clueless when it comes to parenting.
The next morning before going to the beach, the twins had breakfast, and I gave them a bath. Arihi had a moment as she noticed how much the kids have grown. Dylan, as is typical, made a mess and thought it was funny. The parents went downstairs while they ate and left them alone.
When they first arrived at the beach, Dylan went straight to the playground. However, Zephyr wanted to learn his basic needs. Apparently, flashcards are the thing to do while you are at the beach.
Zephyr: Mommy, I want to learn my basic needs!
Arihi: Sure honey.
Also Zephyr a moment later: Mommy, I'm hot. No more flashcards.
Arihi: That's weakness my child. Here's another flashcard.
Calum goes to Dylan: Let me change you into your hot weather clothes.
I had to cancel Arihi's interaction with Zephyr and make her change his clothes. The fact that Dylan's whim is to "talk about party" with Calum is totally Dylan.
Zephyr thinking to himself while holding a bottle of milk: They left me out here with a vampire. Those barnacles actually left me. Do I have to do everything myself?
Note: Calum was practically running to get Dylan upstairs and come back for Zephyr.
Calum finally got down stairs and attended to Zephyr's needs. They hugged it out before going upstairs.
Zephyr: She jumped into the ocean while holding me! She dragged me through the ocean! She made me learn flash cards in the hot sun!
Calum: I know she isn't the brightest....
Zephyr: She's a barnacle brain! She left me outside with a vampire and went to bed!
Calum: Can I do anything to help?
Zephyr: I'm hungry! I'm tired! It's been a long day!
I haven't played much this week bc of work, but the little time I played was very eventful.
After their retirement, my founder couple deserved a vacation, so I sent everybody to Selvadorada, they love the outdoors and Maria was very curious about the local plants, and wanted to add some to her home garden.
They also celebrated Alvaro's birthday there, he's now a teen. He kept wanting to practice debating in the mirror, he has always had social aspirations. Definitely very different from Cristina, his sister, who is very interested in science and is an introvert.
Sadly, the night they got back from Selvadorada, Brant passed away. I don't usually get attached to male sims, but he was so special. He was such an attentive father, always cheerful. Maria was having a very hard time coping with the news and the gardener, who has become a family friend, took her out for breakfast to help her cope.
After this, the family moved. Maria and Brant decided they would make an investment of buying a beautiful Mediterranean style house (House made by Lilsimsie and modified by me) in Sulani. They didn't like environment in Del Sol Valey. They were able to afford the move because they had worked so selflessly hard and they managed to sell the lot that Maria had inherited.
Cristina aged up and is now an adult. She celebrated her birthday with her closest friends. She also has a relationship with her childhood friend who is an alien. The morning after her birthday she applied for uni, she wants to get into physics. While she waits for the responses, she has been packing and spending time with her family and her boyfriend.
After Cristina's birthday, Maria had to be sent away to the hospital and she ended up passing away there (my game glitched and I missed her death). This leaves the two siblings alone in this big house. Luckily, Maria and Brant left enough money for them to not have to worry the next couple of years, but Alvaro is going to be alone after Cristina leaves for uni, he is going to have to set up a sustainable plan that will allow the family to keep this house. The weight of continuing the Aguilar legacy is on his shoulders.
Dylan and Zephyr's Toddler Days are coming to a close. Day 7 is a day of recovery for the twins as their needs are replenished.
Day 7: The Terrible Two
Zephyr started the next day by giving Arihi a hard time. Specifically, a dirty diaper that needed to be changed because it took so long for his energy to replenish that he had to use the diaper.
But, Zephyr didn't stop their. His fun need was completely depleted, and he made sure that Arihi knew. Unfortunately, she decided to put the book away while he cried out his emotions. Ever since the beach trip, Zephyr's emotions have been all over the place.
Dylan on the other hand. He had more rest and his needs weren't as depleted. Apparently, he decided that right in front of the stinking potty he just used was a good spot to play SimShape on his tablet to improve his thinking skill. But, who hasn't done something like this.
While Zephyr struggled with learning numbers, his brother decided it was time to wake back up and play in the dresser. I have no idea where he kept finding the remote.
Breakfast came later, and Zephyr has made tantrums and other misbehaviors a new normal. I think he learned to do this after the beach trip. The highchair prevents my sims from disciplining the behavior while he's in the highchair.
Because Zephyr reached a higher thinking skill before Dylan, I gave him access to the first floor of the house. He promptly decided that this was the perfect time to wake Arihi up because he had a potty accident and was hungry.
Arihi put Zephyr to bed hungry and got emotional over how much he has grown.
Arihi's thoughts: He came all the way to my bedroom to wake me up and ask for food. Now that I've put him to bed hungry, I'm overwhelmed by how quickly time flies. It's almost as if I'm not paying enough attention to him.
After I made Arihi give food to Zephyr, I had her read him to sleep. A nice thing I noticed about twins is how they watch each other and gain thinking skill.
As Arihi walks away to get something to eat, Zephyr dreams of being a puppet master.
Zephyr in his dream: Everything is going exactly as I planned. She will know my frustration from being left outside with a vampire and dragged through the ocean.
The next day started off awesome. Dylan mastered his communication skill. He named the dragon stuffed animal Lizzie. She helped him get that last little bit of xp.
@Metior_Ice Cute family! I recently had a child that had a negative reaction to being taught either sorry or please and thank you also. But I think it was a bored reaction rather than an angry one. I had not realized it was so controversial!
@Daephene With Toddlers, they can get an angry moodlet. I'm sure you'll notice it, but the twins Dylan and Zephyr have small nuances to their personality.
Dylan has the Silly trait, and he seems to have a more creative, imaginative, and playful personality. He's always making jokes, making messes, and he seems to not understand the thinking skill even though the level is going up. Dylan does not take care of himself as well as his brother. Teaching a toddler to "Say Sorry" is an interaction that increases the thinking skill. So, I'm not surprised that Dylan would pick up on the more social communication skill "Please and Thank You."
Zephyr has the Inquisitive trait, and he seems to have a more logical, curious, and studious personality. Zephyr has frequently pursued learning to talk and think on his own. Zephyr wants to learn and he seems to understand what he's supposed to learn from the thinking skill. As for Please, Thank You, and Sorry, the same could be said for Zephyr. He's the thinker, and learning to "Say Sorry" is something that would come easier than communication skills like "Please and Thank You." Still, Zephyr would automatically try to learn new things including how to talk.
A lot of what I share involves things the sims did on their own. I'm trying to make Dylan and Zephyr two halves of a single whole so to speak, so I'm very happy with how well they interact together and workaround each other. I see Zephyr being curious and learning new things, and I'll see Dylan watching what his brother does and learning from him. When playing at the doll house or talking to each other, Dylan and Zephyr get along very well.
tfw you find a near-perfect shirt for Lilith's makeover but it's for a masc frame and putting it on her gives her a really weird chest and neck and you're too much of a perfectionist to use it as-is
Anyway. Here's a shorter-haired Raylan and his newly bespectacled great-great-grandson Luca! (Also I noticed that the dark brown hair for toddlers isn't the same shade as the dark brown for adults? So Luca's hair is now several shades lighter than Caleb, Chester, and Raylan's, despite the fact that they're meant to be exactly the same. Very annoying!)
@Daephene thank you! Yeah, taking it slow works well. Big places can be really time-consuming, I have spent literal hours on them before. And Vivi is the most darling!
@sunblond oh, you don't have to edit out the plumbob, there's a cheat to hide it! Use 'testingcheats on', then 'headlineeffects off'. None of these caps here are edited.
@GardeningSimmer archaeology can be really lucrative! At high levels, you can authenticate stuff for about $3-5,000 a pop, it's great.
@Daravi thank you! I'll do a full tour once I finish all the timeskip makeovers! (For my Simsta account, jumping forward two years. It was 2018 storywise, now I'm bringing it up to the present.)
With a couple of days to go until classes began, Anne decided that it would be a good idea to visit campus and find her way around a bit. According to her New Students' Welcome Pack, Darby's Den was the UBrite student hangout. She was particularly excited to notice that the building had great acoustics; it would be a great place to practice the violin.
"Well, this is it," she said to herself as she stood in front of the building. "I can't believe I'll be starting classes soon." She didn't quite feel like a student yet; it didn't truly seem real.
Back in Sulani, Lucy had noticed that two young men had moved into the house opposite hers, and went over the street to greet them. One of them was Japanese and called Hiroshi Matsumoto, the other had Dutch heritage and was called Max van Beers. Lucy noticed that Max in particular was pretty cute.
Darby's Den had been pretty dead, so Lucy decided to call Anne and invite her to greet the two guys. Anne was immediately taken by Hiroshi... he was a good-looking guy.
The four continued chatting.
"So, yeah, we're both going to start university soon," Lucy said.
"Oh, cool!" said Max. "Neither of us are in university; we weren't sure what degree we wanted to do."
"Fair enough," Anne replied. "You could always go later in life, if you wanted to."
That evening, Anne decided to hold a meeting of her musician's club, Merry Music Makers, and went to a lounge in Oasis Springs. Whilst waiting for the other members to turn up, she began to play her violin. Pretty soon, she drew a crowd. (Oh, Salim Benali, why are you wearing long socks with your flip flops? Oasis Springs is experiencing a heat wave right now!!)
Feeling rather hungry, Anne went to the bar and ordered a plate of bread rolls.
"Hey! Evie!" she said, noticing her friend.
"Oh, Anne, great to see you!" Evie grinned. "I heard you're going to be starting at UBrite soon. What degree are you doing?"
"Fine Arts," Anne replied.
"Oh yeah, you were always good at music," Evie said. "It's weird that they don't have a music specific degree. Still, your mum's good at art, isn't she? Maybe she can help you."
"Yeah, she's an amazing artist," Anne said. "She'll be so helpful."
The next day, Anne decided to invite over Hiroshi, to get to know him better. She had definite butterflies in her stomach; he was a cute guy. She didn't know quite what she found attractive about him... was it his hair, or his eyes, or his smile?
"So, how are you finding Sulani?"
"I really like it," Hiroshi said. "It's so warm! And to have the sea nearby... this house is actually above the sea! That's so cool!"
Anne grinned; she'd never really thought about it like that. After all, she'd never lived anywhere but this house, so she took it for granted that she could go out onto the back deck and dive straight into the water. OH MY PLUMBOB HE'S TOPLESS she thought. His abs weren't super-defined, but she wasn't into the bodybuilding type of guy (they'd probably spend more time down the gym than with her). She also realised that there wasn't just one reason she fancied him - hairstyles could be changed, and nobody smiled all the time.
Lucy, meanwhile, was enjoying a good workout session. She'd had a slight headache, and had found in the past that exercising in the open air could help. To her surprise, she noticed a rash covering her whole body! Ugh, perhaps she'd have to ease off with the exercise for a bit. It would be frustrating, but she knew that she'd do her best when she felt 100% healthy.
"Sooo... what's Hiroshi like?" Lucy teased.
"He's... cute..." Anne said, coyly. "He's so funny."
"Ah, sounds lovely," Lucy replied. "Maybe I'll meet someone at university."
"What about Max?" Anne asked, innocuously.
"Hmm..." Lucy said wistfully, and Anne smiled. Although their personalities were rather different, they were incredibly close, and only wanted the best for each other.
Anne and Hiroshi made plans to visit San Myshuno's Romance Festival. Whilst waiting for him to turn up, Anne began playing her violin. Wow... she's so talented! Hiroshi thought. He'd known budding musicians at school, but they'd mostly been interested in the guitar or drums, instruments that could be played in a band. He reached into his pocket and gave her a tip.
This was the last screenshot I took before quitting the game. I'd had a couple of Last Exceptions, nothing serious, but I needed to do an Origin repair.
What will happen in the next update? Will Anne's relationship with Hiroshi go one step further? Will Lucy get to know Max better? Oh, and Hiroshi has a secret... let's see how Anne reacts!
Ohhhh yeah... university classes, too.
-Kaden’s a teenager now and he’s going to high school. He’s as big as me, how are you supposed to effectively discipline a kid who’s bigger than you, I wonder? Not that he’s much of a discipline problem, he kind of went through a rebellious stage as a kid, that wasn’t fun. With the twins around to get into whatever mess he stirred up, well, we had our hands full. I felt really bad when Alexander’s father passed away and because of Kaden’s birthday party and all I couldn’t go to the funeral. I just went by the house to pay my respects and apologize, Alexander said he understood, he has a family too, but I still felt really crummy about it.-
Kaden’s birthday party.
Teenager Kaden.
I’m on your old bowling team now dad!
-Right after Kaden’s birthday, Uncle Kyle and Salim came over, Becca was off work but she was out running errands, they asked about her for some reason. Well, they wanted her here too I guess, tough luck. Than isn’t coming home after he graduates, him and Bobby have already got an apartment in the city, and they both have job offers. Than’s going to be working for some chichi Art Gallery, that some famous artist from Windenburg owns. Apparently, it’s a big deal and the job is really good and everything and Bobby got a job teaching school somewhere in the city.
But, that wasn’t the big news, oh no, the big bomb they dropped is that they’re moving to the city too, lock, stock, and barrel. Uncle Kyle is going to be Executive Chef and part owner of a really fancy experimental restaurant there. And Salim is running a new branch of the publishing house he works for that they are about to open in the city. They’re moving into a penthouse apartment, with a doorman and maid service. Apparently, they invested in Felipe’s Hedge Fund when he was first starting out and made a bundle, by the way. OK, all I know about investments is what me and Becca have at work, but I think you have to invest 10K’s of simoleans or maybe even 100 to get into one. Even if you know the guy who’s in charge of it.
And I’m royally ticked off, I partly moved here to be close to them in the first place, at their insistence, I might add. It’s just like them to chase after Than though, he’s really their son and all, right. I didn’t say much when they finished their carefully rehearsed little speeches. I told them I had some work to catch up on, I did have work I brought home, I’d already finished, but they didn’t know that. They waited around a while till the kids got home from school to spend time with them, and mom got back from fishing shortly after I went to take out my anger at my workstation too. I guess Becca got back at some point before I finally went back in the house, and they apparently filled her in. I waited till I was sure they were gone, I didn’t trust myself to speak to them, honestly.-
Kyle and Salim, share their plans for the future.
-The next day, I had a plan, I had an idea to make a dragon statue for the twins, they always feel slighted after Kaden’s birthday, he gets better stuff because everyone splits the cost of their gifts I guess. Plus he doesn’t have to share the special day like they always do. We used to just have one cake, but Becca put a stop to that and now they each have to have their own different cake, we have to eat leftover cake for a week afterwards. So right after breakfast I went to the woodworking table and started carving a dragon statue and “missed” Salim and Uncle Kyle when they dropped by the house separately after the boys went to school. The twins read this book series about a boy and his pet dragon and loved it, so I thought it might kind of mitigate their moods if I secretly slip it into their room later.
By the time I got the twins into bed and read them a story, well, Becca was waiting up, of course she was. She asked me how I was doing, and I flat out told her. Then she said that she was going to miss them too. But that both had taken a real big step by changing careers, and trying to focus on a new challenge in their lives. Blah, blah, blah, I knew what she was doing, and it wasn’t going to work, not this time. I just went to bed.-
-After I got home from work the next day, I told Becca I was going over to see Alexander, I still felt really guilty for missing his dad’s funeral and all. For some reason, Kaden asked to go with me, so we both went over there. Alexander was out when I first got there, so I talked to Serena for a while till he showed up and then noticed that I hadn’t seen Kaden for a while. I apologized for him being MIA and wondered where he gotten to. Oh, I imagine he’s with Cristine and Philip, no doubt they are showing him that fancy computer and desk Bella left behind, it’s got lights on it, she laughed. Oh, I started, is he allowed, I mean to be upstairs with your daughter? Alexander laughed, this isn’t the same old Goth house now Omar. Serena and I are more lenient that my parents were. We’d just about have to be, Serena said. It’s fine Omar, she added, Philip will be a like second shadow to Kaden, he thinks Kaden’s a big deal, mostly because he’s older, at his age it doesn’t take a lot to impress. We talked a bit more, then Kaden and Christine came downstairs and sat across from us, looking like they had something they were afraid to ask. I know that look now. Um, Mr. Goth, sir, well, I was talking to Cristine and, well, Kaden was having a hard time getting it out, the thing is sir, that I don’t know if you’re aware, but I just jointed the Ten Pin Teens, and well, we have way more guys than girls. Somehow this stumbling ramble of Kaden’s had Christine totally enthralled. Kaden continued, so I asked Christine if maybe she would consider joining, and she said she would, consider joining, I mean, so I called Walter Gilly who’s captain of the team now and told him and he is really stoked to have her join. But I, well, we, kind of realized that we totally should have asked permission first…sir. Well, I see no reason why my daughter can’t follow in my footsteps, the way you followed in your father’s Kaden. I have a lot of happy memories and and made some lifelong friends from my time on that bowling team, Alexander said. And we could make a family outing of my coaching Christine too, what do you say Serena, want to learn to bowl with your daughter, and don’t worry about Philip, they have arcade games there. I think it sounds like a nice family outing for us Alex, and we cold use one right now, Serena answered. I had never ever heard anyone call Alexander, Alex, before. We left a little while later.-
Where did my son get to?
Kaden talks glowingly about the bowling club.
-Becca finally asked me how long I was planning on being upset, because Than’s graduation is coming up soon, and unless you’re angry at him too, he doesn’t deserve to have a big family drama on his big day, now does he? I’m just not ready yet, Ok? I said. Well, since you’ve been avoiding talking to Salem and Kyle, let me bring you up to date, she added. Get this, the apartment Than and Bobby rented, well, it’s the Jang’s, apparently Claudia’s parents have moved overseas indefinitely so she sub-leased it to them. Wait, I said, Caludia Jang who told Than that she never wanted to see him again? Well, she’s not Claudia Jang anymore, she’s married, and apparently that apartment is a little funky for most people’s taste, but Than liked it and Bobby, well, I guess he doesn’t mind, Becca explained. I will never understand Than’s romances, I answered.
And have you thought about what these new jobs mean to them, Kyle and Salim, I mean, she asked, then continued, Kyle’s not just going to be an employee, he is part owner of this new restaurant. A restaurant that will be one of the premier eateries in the city, a place where celebrities and movers and shakers go.
And Salim’s new position, well, it’s because our company bought out a small independent publisher, a publisher that caters to the LBGT+ market, part of what they do besides publish new works is reissue out of print books, for example, The Wishing Well of Loneliness by Redcliff Foyer, a book that was banned in a lot of places and fell out of print as a result. So Salim feels that he will get a chance to bring new light on a lot of works like that. I know you feel hurt or abandoned or something like that right now, but you should consider that part of this is about both of them looking for a new challenge, something besides sitting around in that big house waiting on another grandchild. Then she got up and left the room.-
Than and Bobby rent an apartment from Claudia Metzger (Jang).
-I eventually kind of made up with them, of course, I’m still a little bit hurt, I guess, if I’m honest, but I was civil and friendlyish at Than’s graduation. He graduated with Honors with a Distinguished Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Britechester, he did really well, and we’re all very proud of him. He told me about this new job and it sounds like he will be doing something he loves, and that’s a very good thing.-
@ryttu3k Yes, that's the cheat I've started using in my screenshots now, before I always had the plumbob in them though. I also started using my photo program pain.net to crop them and lighten some of the darker ones a bit. That being said, I still forget sometimes, so a few screenies are still artfully cropped to remove the plumbob, lol.
@PeculiarPlumbob Oh, great job on your sims, they all look really good, are they on the gallery by chance?
@mingusssss Alvero is a cutie, I have never been able to use that hair on any of my sims, but have a few townies that can rock it, sigh.
@Lucy_Henley I like Lucy's new neighbors, were they random townies or did you make them? I get last exceptions now, its caused by cheating Uni diplomas unfortunately, so they are something I have to live with in this game, lol.
Alyse hung out with her younger neighbourhood friend Wanda. They gossiped salaciously about goings-on in Willow Creek. She also kept in contact with her granddaughter and they decided that Alyse would drive over to Windenburg to hang out with her family for Love Day.
Cristina got accepted into university, she moved to Foxbury student housing, she shares a room with a very erratic sim who is also a germophobe, apparently - it's fun to watch. She is studying physics and since she was a very good high school student and proficient scout, doing homework and projects has been relatively easy for her. She still finds the time to go on dates with her alien boyfriend, and they are still doing really well.
Sidenote: it's very cute to see the sims I have created in the past and just live in my gallery now, being roomates with Cristina and doing their homework and living their little lives.
As for Alvaro, he is now officially in charge of the legacy household. He is also now in love with one of his childhood friend, Babs. He invited her over to confess that he was in love and now they are together. Babs really admires the fact that Alvaro is willing to honour his family and take the legacy to the next level, she wants to help with that. She wants to take care of the garden, she wants to improve her flower arrangement skills, her baking and she has the maker aspiration, so she will be introducing recycling and sustainability into the legacy.
Alvaro has also been thinking about how he could contribute. He would like to do mixology for a job (would like to become a drinkmaster) and also improve his debating skills on the side. His hobbies are dancing and socialising in general. He has the potential of creating bonds with other sims that could benefit the family.
Comments
Also downloaded the Simda mod cuz it's ideal for one of my other SIMs but haven't tried it out yet!
It's New Years Eve! Johnny was, um, really into it. (And even Vivi 'sang' along!)
Autonomous cheek smooch at midnight.
Under the spoiler, renovation fun, some toddler cuteness, Raylan being extra, and an illegally small kitten.
Luca is going to spend some time with his big siblings, so I summoned him to actually meet them and playtest the area I made for him. (If you follow my Simsta, he's just been born - this is post-timeskip!)
Has a sleeping nook and a nice big play area, and he can use the desk when he gets a bit bigger. This whole set was made by Ravasheen on TSR, as were the inserts, and the pinboard and postcards! Most of the toys (the Playdoh, paints, and wooden dowel toys) were made by Around The Sims. The baskets in the cubbies work as a functional dresser and as toy boxes, and there's also a bookshelf setup on the side you can't see.
Caleb being a good big brother.
Caleb being not quite as good a big brother and tucking back into his NYE drink XD;;
Raylan and his ridiculously OTT bathroom. Don't worry, he has his shorts on.
And finally, excuse me Vivi do you have a permit for being that small?! (Also feat. Caleb and Raylan from about knee down.)
@Daephene decoration is so fun though XD Looks like it was an eventful birthday, and oh gosh kittens!!
@Duvelina aww, some nice socialising! So dang rude of Haley, what was that all about? :-\
@sunblond heh, go Tucker! Oh jeez, fingers crossed for Jade and Hector that it all goes well... Really lovely wedding! Ohhh man what do Salim and Kyle know?
@Koteyka and I suppose this is just an average everyday school, right?
"I feel like the most stuttering person ever could've worked at that school and not get fired. Like, ever. Or a person that wouldn't actually teach anyone anything. Or someone evil." *loud snorting* Bi awakening! Oh my gosh I literally did a sharp intake of breath at the 'I meant literally'! Good luck to them 8D Also giggling at the reverse meta of the Spider-man kiss. Aww, so glad they're working it out together! And yeah, the game (and mods) can be like that XD (Which is how Luca showed up!)
@DarkAngel1994 it's great but definitely on the dark side, especially the second book in the trilogy. Just a heads up if you do read it! And oooh, I do like 'strange and out of the world'!
Cute kiddos! Wow yeah I wonder
@sarabeth2984 isn't he a cutie? I actually need to redo that lookbook, I totally forgot that he needs glasses! And heh, it was actually a random name, but I really dig it!
Nice to see the Fontenots again! Poor Rosie, working hard for something only for it to be rejected out of hand is such a bad feeling. Trey is an odd one, yeah. My favourite sleeping fail is when Johnny decided to fall asleep on the wooden bench... at the foot of his bed... Hee, Clint's expression hearing Melusine is there is hilarious. Yeah, I can definitely see Knox being into yoga! Aww, and good girl, Grace! That should get up those Responsibility points XD
@Lyrie heh, not gonna lie, I decided from the outset that I wanted him to have the brown hair and blue eye combo. He ended up coming out with brown eyes, so I did have to change them XD And thank you! I actually forgot to give him glasses, so I'll have to do some editing, whoops.
@AlwaysAsking I'm sorry you've been having a rough time, I hope things get easier for you! Wow, Dash is having adventures XD And hi Jamie!
Merfolk can only change the weather when you have Seasons, but the ability can be very helpful. When a sim makes it rain, it can increase their hydration need, water all unsheltered plants, and it can help with the fun need.
The Sulani Mana trait is a trait passed down from a parent that has the trait. Unless you download a sim from the gallery with the trait or cheat the trait in, the island elementals are the only sims in the game with the trait naturally. The trait gets passed down as long as one sim has it.
I'm working on getting more pictures with the lava rock summoned. The animation has a lot more to it than the Gift of Sulani, but I did get a perfect quality rose bush in like two or three days thanks to the Gift of Sulani ability.
As for building a relationship, I've learned a few tricks. Calum used the Charmer's Lullaby and the Splash interaction to speed up the dating tasks. Actually, Calum got hysterical because he sped through the romance super fast. He got Arihi to be his girlfriend, his first kiss with her, first Woohoo for Arihi, Proposed, and married in one date. The positive buffs that were stacked up made him hysterical because he Had the Sulani Breeze Buff. While cleaning up the island, Calum made some discoveries in the Beach Cave and recovered like 40 mermadic kelp and turned Arihi into a mermaid. Arihi was a Child of the Ocean anyways.
During the date, Arihi also use the Charmer's Lullaby and Splash interaction. The merfolk trait is a 50/50 when one parent is a merperson, but the Sulani Mana trait only requires one parent to have it.
I originally wanted to make a super sim with power over the elements, but I decided that I'm going to focus on Aspirations related to the Creative and Logical Duality for Dylan and Zephyr. So, Dylan will have massive skill boosts to creative skills while Zephyr will have massive boosts to mental skills. Things will get more interesting when they become adults because that's when I get to explore careers and other stuff. I want to see what happens when I put both of them inside a laboratory.
As for my next step, I'm going to share the beach lot that Dylan and Zephyr were conceived at, and that will be the same lot their parents tied the knot at. I'm also going to give them a day to autonomously do what they want there. The beach lot I created can be used to complete multiple aspirations, but I admit that it's still a work in progress. Some of what I want to add to the lot can not be added during build mode. I have to collect the items first.
I'm sure he would thank you for saying so. Arihi is helpful, but Calum is the one that holds everything together. He upgrades everything, secured a hefty savings, gardens, repairs, and cleans up after the twins. Calum raised the parenting skill faster than Arihi, and I think it might be a higher level still. More often than not, Arihi will dance to island music or go for a swim. I think Zephyr figured that out. Dylan is such a kindhearted, but not the brightest, kid, and I don't think he realizes that he has to go Arihi and ask for what he wants.
Honestly, Dylan reached level 3 thinking even though he barely answered any of the flashcards correctly. However, Dylan makes up for his thinking with a very high imagination skill. He has the creativity down, but I don't think he'll be able to show it off until childhood.
Zephyr is very smart, but he seems to love giving Arihi a hard time. It's like he knows that she's not paying as close attention as she should. He also probably got tired of the flash cards because he figured out his basic needs a long time ago. I didn't get pictures of it, but Zephyr had moments where an action was interrupted because Zephyr was thinking about it. Every time he got introduced to something for the first time, Zephyr took a minute to think about what was happening. Everything from taking a bath to going to sleep, he took a curious approach and figured things out.
I' m constantly updating the playroom, but thank you. It is taking a lot of work. When Dylan and Zephyr age up, I'll share their rooms in the gallery.
This...the moment where my main Sim (on the right) got Friendzoned. Ugh.
Read Sim 66 here:https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/978195/sim-66/p1
https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2020/10/sim-66-prologue.html
But I did spend tonight creating cute sims for fun c:
Marisa
Warren
Naomi
Ryder
Shelley
Maeva
@Peral Well, that was an eventful day! I think it's funny that your sims called the fire department because a firefighter caught on fire.
@ryttu3k Well, I can tell you like decorating, and you're good at it! I don't have the patience for all the details very often. In their house, since I'm doing one room at a time as they save up money for it, the details don't feel so overwhelming. And yes kittens are very very small! Vivi is a cutie.
@HillyBeth I love it when the sims have the expression you want for your story, caused by something completely different like a puddle on the floor. Congrats to Ben!
@AlwaysAsking Hope you are having a better day by the time you read this! And that the birthday party goes well! Dash is pretty adorable.
Your cuddle by the fire painting is great! Having done it once since having the idea, I'm leaning towards it might work better for photographs than paintings, but only because of the better detail.
I did cheat a little and had Akira invite Bo and Liberty over at the same time one day after he met Liberty at a nightclub. But I couldn't control them so I kinda lucked out that they actually introduced themselves and had a little bit of a green bar. But I was surprised that she was his third customer ever, and their friendship grew really fast! It's probably because they were both geeks so all of the geek socials got positive responses. Once they were friends the flirting went really well too. I guess my instinct to put them together was correct!
I waited until I had twins to bother with voidcritters myself, since they can't battle or trade them without a friend who has them. They are fun but it's not a collection you can get and level up with a single child unless you play with aging off.
@March306 I agree the Ready Player One book was much more fun than the movie. As a child of the 80s I could appreciate a lot of the nostalgia. I love that the freckles are still going strong in your 100 baby family!
@Lyrie Thank you! I think Bruce and Walker and Bo may be my favorite household.
@Wintermute Congrats on the baby and surprise kittens. I'm still kind of in shock that my prowler cat had kittens as an elder. I had assumed the need to spay was past. Love the norse names. How many households do you rotate between?
@sarabeth2984 Thank you! I enjoy keeping up with your alien family.
@DarkAngel1994 Such cute toddlers! Love the kitten playing picture.
@haneul Thank you! I enjoyed Deli's date. Hope the romance festival goes well for her.
I was trying to kill off Brytani Cho for a few reasons. One is that now that she has a daughter with one of my sims and has dated two of them, she can't be allowed to be an ageless background townie anymore (I have aging off except for the active household). I will have to in some way make sure she ages and dies with Billie and Erick. I thought it would make a more dramatic story if she died rather than simply broke up with Billie, especially while her daughter is young. Also, I have never had an emotional death in my game and wanted to try it, but of course I waited until after they toned down the chances. And lastly, she is the most annoying celebrity in my game, always the one showing up and stealing the spotlight and being a nuisance on public lots. But alas, her death was not to be, and I will have to age her up as I go and eventually move her into the retirement village like I did with Billie's parents and play out her elder years.
To be honest I'll probably have fun with that, the story drama was the main reason I preferred death.
Also I was actually pretty happy with myself for naming Liberty's cat Justice.
@Koteyka Unexpected pregnancy that results in a happy family (at least for a while) is exactly the level of drama I need for a while after dealing with the loss of Tony.
@sunblond Pretty wedding! I enjoyed the dialogue snippets too. I'm still getting into your story, so they may be more mysterious to me than they are intended to be, but they make me want to read more. I've been catching up on some of your previous posts and I enjoy how you weave your families together, and the different cultures you have worked in.
@PsychoSimXX Shinya knitting is adorable. Another baby already! Good luck!
@Daravi They all look nice aged up! That's a lot of kids. Love the old fashioned Christmas!
@Duvelina I like Alyse! Her life is very bright and colorful. I hope she and her daughter have made up now.
@RedDestiny92 I can't quite get over that nose in your one family. It's definitely unique! I hope to see more of them. Vlad's dark form is awesome.
@Becka28 Thank you! I gave a few premades pets to make sure the game wouldn't create too many new townie pet owners to visit the vet, but I picked the BFF household specifically for Liberty. And I love the fact that they each go out in public or to the vet with the pet that shares their last name, rather than randomly from the household. Anyway, I agree that Liberty is a pretty sim who looks good in several hairstyles and outfits that are not the ones she comes with. I never paid her much attention until I went into manage households to do a few premade makeovers. I can't take much credit for Bo since they were born in game, but thank you!
Athena always got along reasonably well with Baako. Besides the amorous noises that always resulted in him answering the door in a maid's outfit. It was the Bheeda's she would gladly have watched die.
@DoodlyDoofus That's a lot of kids!
@GJGAMES Nice wedding venue! I like it. I'm not sure how much trouble you'd have keeping guests out of the pool. I have one restaurant I downloaded surrounded by water like that and diners go swimming all the time and that annoys me. I love the way it looks but I will have to look into adding a barrier around the water to keep them out.
@Lucy_Henley That music glitch used to happen to me a lot. It didn't seem to do any long term damage as long as I quit the game completely and re-entered, but it was very annoying. Hope it doesn't happen to you again!
@Ellupelluellu Cute idea using so many sims from the regular posters here!
@Metior_Ice Cute family! I recently had a child that had a negative reaction to being taught either sorry or please and thank you also. But I think it was a bored reaction rather than an angry one. I had not realized it was so controversial!
My game is being difficult, I spend several days with my recent grads in the game trying to make a love connection with very scant results, I only managed to find a possible for Bobby Frey, a random townie bartender, Penelope Dearborn, she was the only single YA person I even met and I took them all over too. Anyway, since she was a just a townie, I de-aged her and her and Bobby are a little in the pink right now. (I try not to make major changes to my played or the premades or their offspring in the game, unfortunately my game has developed a predilection for aging up my sims with the sliders at one extreme or the other, sigh)
Which brings me to my other reason for this post other than catching up on everyone else's recent posts and comments. I kind of took a shine to @AlwaysAsking recent post about Dash and I went to the gallery and DL'd him. I ended up adding him to my game, I had to edit a bit, I didn't have the right hair in my game, so had to substitute a CC one, made him YA and gave him a slighter beard and some body hair. Well, Darish has Art lover and some art and violin skills, I gave him the culinary career, like Dina Denny so they are co-workers, because he has level 8 mixology, and I made him gay 100%, gave him some other outfits. I was hoping that alwaysasking had no problem with me maybe seeing if he works as a romantic interest for Tucker? Because here's what I'm thinking, what if Tuckers thing is exotic guys, Darsh Parikh so ethnically from India, who play the violin and are artists, kind of like Than is. I only changed Darsh's aspiration to Super Parent so he and Tucker have kind of a family bent in common, Tucker has the Family Oriented trait see. Let me know if you are uncomfortable or have any reservations, OK. I can totally nix that idea as I'm a few posts ahead so no harm and it might not even work out, but I kind of would like to try.
@ryttu3k Wow, all those screenshots and photo editing sounds like a lot to me, lol. I only learned to edit photos and hide the plumbob while doing these posts, TBH.
@KayeStar I had to disable GTW in my game, it is so buggy I can't even play as a policeman.
@Duvelina I love that realistic photo, I didn't know that was even a thing honestly.
@PsychoSimXX Shinya is a mess, I do love his look though, he is a doll.
@Daravi I wish there was a way to steal your family portraits for my game and use them on the walls, it would be so cool to have old timey family portraits up there.
@Koteyka I'm glad it's not just my sims that have oopsies now with woohoo.
@haneul What, Felipe, bland, maybe, not everyone likes goodie goodie sims, I admit. Hopefully though when he later took on rescheduling the wedding and played a big part in that it redeemed him a bit in your eyes. Planning weddings and picking out suits, well, those are just not things in Felipe's wheel house, i'm afraid.
@Lyrie Stay tuned, more Tucker in drag fun ahead, mild spoiler there, sorry.
@HillyBeth I love Ben's baby face!
@Daephene You didn't miss much, I decided to include whole conversations to mark the occasion of my first 2nd generation wedding and to celebrate uniting two of my played families, but purposely made it even more cryptic than I normally do, lol.
I created a new family with a goofball dad, a snob mom and an archeology loving daughter after buying Jungle Adventure. I accidentally chose a house with only one bedroom which made the daughter have to nap on the couch lol but she still got to explore a lot of the temple and get the treasure!
Found some springs on the way to the temple, the pool looked beautiful, I wish more sims spawned there! but I can understand how not every sim will want to use a machete to get there lol
I got her a little pop up table, I was shocked how much money I got from selling artifacts lol the trip cost me less than I made.
I had to screenshot my sims smug look when they got treasure lol
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I created my Sims couple as teenagers, with aging turned on. They became true soulmates, and aside from work, they were inseparable. Then once they became elderly, the inevitable happened. The husband passed away first. I should mention at this point that awhile back, I had created a cemetery in one of the empty back lots of Willow Creek for when my Sims pass on.
His wife put his tombstone in her inventory, and I sent her up to Willow Creek to place it in the cemetery. She came home, ate, and then went to bed--an hour later she woke up, and passed away herself.
But the circle of life continues. I created a new couple to move into their home...and I had the husband make the run into Willow Creek to place her tombstone next to his.
@Daephene and @sarabeth2984 thank you
@ryttu3k What a nice and stylish apartment, great job. I adore sleepy kittens.
In my game it's still 1902, I do alot of redecorating and neigbhood control. But the year 1902 is a very important year for children.
Finally my children are allowed to own a teddybear.
Update on Legacy 2.0 Ben and Amy Generation 7
@Daephene It's so nice to hear about someone who also reads the same books as me! So I went to look up the characters from the book to get correct spellings and stuff, I found out there is supposedly Ready Player Two being released in Nov of this year! I added it to my wishlist on Amazon.
@AlwaysAsking this is the same save your sim and Eliot are in. That is your eldest son. You also have another daughter and son (twins) but they are still toddlers.
This is the son of Parker and Alec from the show Leverage.
And their daughter. They also have one more toddler daughter.
One of the above children will probably be married into my legacy. I think I want to go heterosexual again. I have nothing against homosexuals (I have used them in my legacies before) I just want to go heterosexual again this generation.
MORE
Ben has a birthday.
He is now an adult instead of a young adult.
Luther has a birthday.
Then the youngest, Ellen, has a birthday.
Amy becomes an adult.
Adult Amy.
Amy's grades. She graduated and is now in the tech guru career at level 7. Her aspiration is computer whiz.
Naming Theme
The Background Info
No, I have get famous, but I created the lot in Sulani. I uploaded the lot to my gallery, but I think the celebrities showed up because the lot was popular.
I don't usually do evil things with my mersims, and even give some of them the good trait which prevents them from doing evil things. However, a LOT of sims wanted to be a part of the date regardless if I knew them or wanted them there.
As for my last pay through,
I overcame hysterical moodlets and successfully had twin boys with the Sulani Mana Trait as Mermen. So, now I have sims that can summon monsoons and rain fire from the sky if I so choose.
I've been having issues with my game crashing, and after losing 4 hours of raising twins I didn't plan for, I cheated them to adulthood and gave them the positive character value traits. I want them to be good for the most part.
I wanted to create a super sim, and I may give it a second go. I'm hoping to complete the childhood aspirations too. I'll leave the pair I cheated to adulthood in my gallery.
An interesting detail, I got the twins by adding the Lay-line lot trait during the pregnancy. It resulted in fraternal twins with very funky genetics.
I did edit them to make them more identical. However, I made sure to maintain as much of their original appearance as I could. The father had lighter skin with a white ethnicity, and the mother, the island elemental, was Asian. The genetics mix and matched the ethnicity. It gave the first son eyes closer to the mother but less Asian in appearance. The second one had the father's eyes shaped closer to the fathers. The first one had the father's skin color while the second one had a skin color darker than both the parents. Their eyes were a demonic solid black like the mother's (Look up the show Supernatural to see where I'm coming from). The game completely randomized the nose and other facial features.
The way the game split the genetics was exceptionally random, so I did edit their appearances. To an extent, Sulani Mana is a hidden trait, so you can't create a sim with that trait in CAS.
As for Physical features, I made changes based on the father, the original skin color for the second twin, and I changed the eye color because they are merfolk. The eye color is very similar to, if not the same as the games built in merman. The eye shape was an attempt to find a middle ground for the games attempt at the eyes. In fact, the eyes were the funkiest part of the genetics.
One twin is creative while the other took after the mother and is a genius. While attemptimg to raise the toddlers, the genius twin was a very fast learner, and he hit level 3 in almost all his skills before the game crashed.
I am nervous about whether or not I did a good job with the edits while honoring how they really were when they were born.
The Sulani Mana trait comes from the Island Elementals. Only sims with the Child of the Islands trait can summon them, and you can only "ask to join household" after building a high relationship. It took me 5 and a half sim weeks to build a suitable house and raise the relationship because the Elementals can only be summoned every 12 sim hours. It was enough of a headache keeping both parents alive after making the elemental mortal because the Sulani's Breeze Moodlet for the Father kept making the father Hysterical and the mother became Mortal with the Hysterical Moodlet.
The father's (Calum Zalrian)(Scottish Gaelic Origin)(Commemorates the Latin word for Dove that represents purity, peace, and the Holy Spirit) traits were:
Child of the Ocean
Child of the Islands
Loves Outdoors (Changed to Family Oriented)
The mother's traits (Arihi Lilo) were:
Genius
Child of the Ocean
Loner (Changed to Family Oriented)
The game randomly gave me:
Angelic for the first twin (Dylan Zalrian) (Son of the Wave and Sea Strength) (Zalrian was made up from Zale)(Welsh, Greek Origin) (Water Element)
Charmer for the second twin (Zephyr Zalrian) (West Wind and Sea Strength) (Zalrian was made up from Zale)(Greek Origin) (Wind Element)
As a young adult
Dylan Zalrian was given the traits
Creative
Child of the Ocean
Music Lover
Zephyr Zalrian was given the traits
Genius
Child of the Ocean
Geek
The name Dylan Zalrian and the traits are also meant to represent me to an extent. Dylan Zalrian comes from my mersona name, and I chose the traits based on the two sides of the brain, Creative and Logical. The names also have a relation to the elements because they are the children of an elemental. By the time I finished editing their appearance, my brain was fried from all the thought I put into them.
I'm not sure if the site will let me share a picture of them, but I will share them if I can later today. I did share them publicly in the gallery. If you look up #merman #mermen #merfolk #merboy #merboys, or my username MetiorIce you can find them.
Okay, so I guess a little backstory into how this playthrough started.
I took a version of an already created sim and gave him different traits. Arihi is the Elemental turned mortal, and Calum is the merman with the Child of the Islands trait. The only way to interact with Island Elementals is to have the Child of the Island Trait, and they can only be summoned every 12 hours. I started out trying to see if an elemental would give the trait to the sims if I gained their approval. I spent 5 and a half sim weeks working on that. When I gained their approval, they did not give the trait. A lot of different sources online were conflicting.
After I resigned to making an elemental mortal, I had to keep both my sims alive. Both the mother and father had to overcome the hysterical moodlet. The mother became mortal in a state of hysteria, and the father had a judgement that gave him a playful moodlet for two days. A bunch of positive moodlets made it difficult at first. After spending all that time, the game crashed and I lost 4 hours of gameplay.
The twins in the picture have the Sulani Mana Trait and they are mermen.
What this means is they have access to the abilities that come from these traits. When they become teenagers they can use:
Siren's Lullaby
Charmer's Lullaby: Removes Embarrassed Buffs and gives a +2 Flirty Moodlet
Inspiring Berceuse: Removes Uncomfortable Buffs and gives a +2 Inspired Moodlet
Aegean's Question: Removes Focused Buffs and gives a +2 Stressed Moodlet
Night's Requiem: Removes Energized Buffs and gives a +2 Sad Moodlet
Call Azure Dolphin (Essentially a merperson's ocean familiar)
Siren's Call
Drag a sim underwater, scare that sim out of the water, give them a +3 stressed moodlet, +100 to all of the merperson's motives
I forgot to mention Summon Ocean Threat
This functions similar to the Siren's Call, but I think it completely depletes multiple motives for the targeted sim. Some sim players have had sims drown after this ability because of the depleted energy need.
Aquatic Lure
Increase the quality of caught fish at a nearby fishing spot
Weather Control
Summon Thunderstorm
Summon Rainstorm
Summon Clear Skies
Summon Volcanic Bomb
A ball of fire falls from the sky.
Gift of Sulani
Increase the quality of any plant in your garden by 1 level
The only way to get a Sim with these abilities is to have a sim that is a Merman/Mermaid have a child with an Island Elemental that is turned mortal. Island Elementals behave like ghosts, and you must do a very specific interaction to add them to your household. This interaction turns the elemental mortal so you can have children. Because of how the sim is created, cheats are required to have any control over what the created sim looks like.
So, while spellcasters cast spells, vampires have vampiric powers, and celebrities get celebrity perks, merfolk in Sulani have powers that drain a motive in exchange for a boost. However, the powers merfolk have can trigger major weather events and manipulate other sims in massive ways. A merperson's power is limitless in the water. They are immune to drowning, can swim as fast as a jet ski, and can sleep in the water. The Sulani Mana power has a cool down between uses.
Small edit:
This is a very time consuming task, and after experimentation, the trait can only be acquired through gameplay. Clones of these sims made in CAS will not have the Sulani Mana Trait.
My other edits are spelling and grammar corrections.
Day 1: Introducing the Twins to new Skills
First off, let's show off the toddlers outfits. I'm only sharing a few of them because there's a good chance that I will not be doing anything that requires half the outfits. Also, I gave them identical outfits because they are toddlers, and I'm trying to keep things simple. Don't forget, I lost 4 hours of game play because the game crashed. I will be taking a few shortcuts.
So, on with the first pictures:
Important Note! The appearance of the twins is after hours of edits. For some reason, the genetics keep mix matching pieces of their appearance. I think it has a lot to do with them being mixed asian and white.
The Everyday Outfit
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The Hot Weather Outfit
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The Swimming Outfit
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The Party Outfit
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The up close of one of their faces. I don't use mods or cc, so I have limited options. The eyes were one of the original eyes from the original pair.
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Now, onto the bedroom in which the twins are currently sleeping in:
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I had an extra food event right when I aged up the twins. I think they visit my house to raid my fridge because more often than not that's exactly what they do.
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Even after she becomes mortal, she still judges my sim and cries puddles that need to get cleaned up.
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However, she refuses to hold her child. When one of them were babies, the save had the bassinet instead of the child in her arms. While I tried to raise them the first time, I think her loner trait made her go out of her way to avoid raising the children. I sorta changed out the loner trait when I made her a young adult. The age gap between the father and mother was a tiny bit weird.
This is a small area dedicated to their doll house and and story time. The fence helps to keep the terr...(I mean angels) on the second floor. If I need to, I can even lock the parents in with the children. I've run into trouble with eco-living where the mother would abandon her children to play the violin, she also would leave her child in the bathtub to play the violin, and I do have a screenshot with her marked as a neighbor and locked out of the house as a member of the household. I also got twins then, and they got dangerously close to starving while the mother was locked out. Toddlers can't unlock the doors for adult sims. It's something similar to how they can't turn on tvs or radios on their own.
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Here's a full scale look at the second floor dedicated to toward raising the twins. I spared no expense for these little forces of nature.
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I'm tempted to kick the elemental out. We'll see if she helps raise her children. If not, I'll make her keep up with the house. I did lock the parent's needs so I can make up for lost time.
Day 2: The Dawn of a New Day
This moment with Zephyr was cute, even if Zephyr has been the most defiant right now. I guess he wanted to do this instead of learn how to dance.
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When I tried to put them to bed, Dylan decided that he wanted to do what his brother did.
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While Calum did the dishes, Arihi got Zephyr to go to bed. Apparently, Zephyr didn't eat his meal earlier in the day, and he needed to eat again before bed. The high chair is a glitch in Zephyr's que from when I gave the twins their first meal. I play on the console, so that could be a part of it.
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While the twins sleep, Arihi is dancing to the Island Radio instead of the kids radio, while Calum started a blog after he got the sad moodlet from having his island connection denied. Of course, the room's emotional aura is inspired, so I guess he's getting a boost to writing.
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Dylan and Zephyr have had their first defiant moments, but I expect Dylan to be the more difficult one in the future. I gave Dylan the silly trait and Zephyr the inquisitive trait. I'm trying to make one the Creative Expert while the other is the Logical Expert. I will complete the childhood aspirations that boost those corresponding skills.
Now, I'm going to start the next day after reseting Calum. The cheats I've used aren't the norm for my playthrough, but I will not use cheats on the twins.
Edit:
I forgot to mention this detail. Because Calum is a merman and he lives on a water front lot, he spends almost all his time in the swimwear outfit regardless of what I do with the other outfits. He autonomously tries to go for a swim, and the only reason he's not doing that now is because his hydration is locked in place. The mother would do the same as a mermaid.
Day 3: The Dawn of a Rivalry
I feel like the island connection denial will be a regular thing. Arihi cries, makes a mess, Calum becomes sad, and I have a sim mop up the puddles.
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Meanwhile, Dylan is babbling to himself about super heroes when doesn't even know what they are.
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And, I think Zephyr thinks he knows better than the parents. He often does stuff with Arihi because he's inquisitive and she's a genius. Still, the little terr... (I mean angel) does everything in his power to not listen.
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But, he did learn how to apologize. I think he has an agenda.
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On the other hand, Dylan did learn to say please and thank you before he learned how to talk.
Still, my sims are terrible at potty training, and Dylan is becoming a real artist.
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The artwork even made him happier.
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So, I think I know why Arihi doesn't hold Zephyr in the save file. I really, truly believe he has an agenda.
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And, I don't think Arihi is having it because she keeps doing this at every teaching moment.
Arihi: I'm not doing this today.
In Zephyr's Head: My plans are a work of art.
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Dylan is so cute during dinner.
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While Calum cleaned up after the failed potty training, Dylan and Zephyr played together for the first time and their friendship grew.
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So, here are the extra details.
Calum Zalrian
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And yes, Calum does have normal clothes. He just chooses not to wear them.
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Arihi Lilo (Zalrian)
The Lava Bomb:
If sims touch it while it's hot, they burn to death. I think the Child of the Islands trait is required to touch it while hot.
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The call rainstorm ability merfolk have can be used to cool down the lava rock faster. When you break the lava rock, you get rare collectibles such as crystals, metals, and fossils. On the other hand, you can also make it a decoration.
Zephyr had a nightmare when the lava rock fell from the sky. I'm sure he will be raining fire from the sky like his mother in no time. The animation for summoning a lava bomb is very cool, but I have not been able to get a screenshot yet. The cool down for the ability is also slowing me down.
A New Room and a New Toy for the Twins
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The Study
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The income is a product of Calum's hard work. He is a master artist, and his paintings have helped him get rather wealthy.
Day 4: The Rivalry Continues
This next day turned out quite productive and Arihi finally stepped up.
The day started with some dirty diapers that needed to get changed.
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But, I managed to get more potty training in, and Arihi took a more active role in making sure Zephyr learned how to use the potty.
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Calum also took an active role in potty training Dylan, but Calum has always been more involved with parenting Dylan and Zephyr. Once Zephyr's potty training lesson ended, Arihi left him again, so he pulled Callum's Attention away from Dylan to learn how to talk. Zephyr was driven to learn how to speak.
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Arihi and Zephyr still have some friction between them. Arihi left Zephyr to pass judgement on Calum, and when she came back, she found this. Even though changing Zephyr's Dirty Diapers is becoming a thing of the past, Zephyr is still finding ways to make things Difficult for Arihi. She really needs to stop leaving Zephyr alone.
Zephyr thinking to himself: That'll teach you to leave me alone in the Highchair.
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I remodeled the Nursery and Play room, but I forgot to lock the gate. Dylan decided to follow his dad down the stairs.
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Arihi managed to successfully teach Zephyr please and thank you. Hopefully, she'll raise his manners to minimize future messes. Dylan is becoming a well mannered toddler, and Calum didn't have any problems teaching him those magic words.
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Zephyr put himself to bed while Arihi was off doing something else, probably dancing to music.
Zephyr thinking to himself: Fine, I'll put myself to sleep because I'm tired. I don't need mom to figure that out.
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Unfortunately, Dylan's thinking skills aren't as easy to raise as his imagination. He isn't learning how to say sorry as quickly.
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Dylan's current skill levels
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Zephyr's current skill levels
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Maxing out the skills is the objective before aging them up.
Extras
The Neighbors
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Arihi Lilo
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Arihi is a trekkie, apparently...
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Parenting Tips
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Day 4: The Twins Learn to Talk
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Zephyr learned to talk first, and it probably has a lot to do with how driven he was to learn. This is his first conversation.
Arihi: "You should eat your food, not throw it on the floor."
Zephyr: "But it was fun, and you left me in the highchair alone again."
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Arihi: "Still, you should finish your breakfast."
Zephyr: "I'm sorry."
Arihi: "I don't believe you."
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Zephyr: "But mom, I am sorry."
Arihi: "I still don't believe you. In fact, I can't wait until you move out."
Zephyr: "Fine, I'm better off on my own anyways."
Zephyr levels up his Movement Skill as he walks away.
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After Zephyr leaves, Dylan went to Arihi for food.
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And, it seems, Arihi is cool with Dylan, and Dylan didn't make a mess.
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And, Zephyr is putting himself to bed, again.
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After Zephyr goes to bed, Arihi starts dancing with Dylan. They have a brief conversation about Zephyr, Bedtime, and Nightmares.
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The next day is well on its way.
Day 5: Learning Shapes and Basic Needs
Dylan: "I want to eat now!"
Dylan immediately after: "I want to sleep now!"
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Dylan thinking while he watches his dad: "Making a mess is fun! I'm still tired and hungry, though."
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Dylan is about to sit on the potty to use it.
Arihi: "It's time to eat Dylan."
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Dylan: "I don't want to eat! I want to use the potty!"
Arihi: "You need to eat!"
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Dylan: "But mom, I'm actually very neat. I just need to use the potty."
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Calum approaches Dylan: "Listen to your mother, she can rain fire from the sky and conjure thunderstorms."
Zephyr in the bedroom thinking to himself: "This dollhouse is fun, but I think I need a bath."
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Zephyr: "Hey mom, I know you're a useless parent, but can I have a bath please."
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Dylan: "I told you that I needed to use the potty."
Zephyr: "I'm the king of the world."
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After Dylan and Zephyr had a little more nap time, Calum had a nice moment to read them a story.
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Dylan learned to think in a very different way from his brother. He had more creative ways to learn his basic needs, and he still had trouble getting anything right. Dylan isn't the logical type, but he has a good heart. He's slowly becoming well-mannered and kind.
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Zephyr has been learning from his mother. She's a genius, and Zephyr is inquisitive. You'd think they would get along well, but Arihi has an interesting way of teaching him at times. At other times when she's more involved, Zephyr gets frustrated, but he also has an easy time getting the flashcards right. They have a very good relationship in spite of their rivalry.
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Dinner time for Dylan and Zephyr had its own interesting moments. Zephyr made a mess and had another exchange with his mother. When it came time for him to leave the highchair, he did not want his mom to do it. Instead, he interrupted the action to ask for the dad's help.
Zephyr: I'm tired and I don't want to eat anymore!
Also Zephyr: Making messes is fun!
Calum: You need to eat your food.
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Arihi: "I came to check on..."
Zephyr: "Go away mom, I want dad's help."
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Dad helps Zephyr out of the highchair and walks away. Dylan passes out in the highchair.
Zephyr: "We don't want any pests."
Arihi thinking: "What is that awful smell."
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Bedtime came shortly after. It took a little bit of time, but Dylan and Zephyr have level 3 thinking.
Edit:
Extras
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Day 6: Beach Day
So, the Beach Day was pretty good, but I learned that the lot I created isn't equipped for toddlers as you will soon see. I also unlocked the needs of my sims because I caught up to where I was when the game crashed.
When I loaded the game, Dylan and Zephyr rushed to use the potty. Afterward, they went back to bed.
Zephyr: Mommy can you tuck me back into bed.
Arihi: Of course I can.
Zephyr: Thank you mommy. I know you would forget if I didn't ask.
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Once again, Calum has been very helpful with upgrading things around the house.
So, Calum is still a player, and I guess his singing wasn't too bad.
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Arihi tucked in Dylan while Calum tucked in Zephyr. The twins were getting lots of rest in preparation for their day at the beach.
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Zephyr dreams of being a secret agent. Dylan is dreaming about police officers. I have no idea why, but he might a little bit psychic.
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That awkward moment when your parents flirt while you try to sleep. Arihi is sitting on Zephyr's bed, and Calum is sitting on Dylan's bed.
Calum, I love your artwork.
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I want to give you my heart.
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I pretty sure Calum called her dirty with the trash bag icon, but I didn't get the screenshot.
As part of the beach prep, I had to fill up the twin's needs. Arihi woke Zephyr up, and again, Zephyr wanted his dad's help. Also, Arihi made another parenting mistake. She gave Dylan animal crackers. Dylan doesn't need to be more hyper or playful than he already is.
Arihi: Zephyr, wake up. It's time for Dinner.
Zephyr: Okay mommy. Daddy, can you give me dinner.
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Dylan: Mommy, I'm hungry. Can I have some dinner?
Arihi: Sure, honey.
Dylan stares into space as his pupils dilate.
Zephyr: Mommy, can you let me out so I can get away from here.
Arihi: Okay honey, I don't understand why you're in a hurry.
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Zephyr and Arihi had a wonderful moment before bedtime. Their relationship isn't bad, but I will say that Arihi is a little clueless when it comes to parenting.
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Before bed, Zephyr watched his mom dancing at a distance.
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The next morning before going to the beach, the twins had breakfast, and I gave them a bath. Arihi had a moment as she noticed how much the kids have grown. Dylan, as is typical, made a mess and thought it was funny. The parents went downstairs while they ate and left them alone.
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When they first arrived at the beach, Dylan went straight to the playground. However, Zephyr wanted to learn his basic needs. Apparently, flashcards are the thing to do while you are at the beach.
Zephyr: Mommy, I want to learn my basic needs!
Arihi: Sure honey.
Also Zephyr a moment later: Mommy, I'm hot. No more flashcards.
Arihi: That's weakness my child. Here's another flashcard.
Calum goes to Dylan: Let me change you into your hot weather clothes.
I had to cancel Arihi's interaction with Zephyr and make her change his clothes. The fact that Dylan's whim is to "talk about party" with Calum is totally Dylan.
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While the npc sims are watching the sports channel:
Zephyr: Remember when you tried to make me learn my basic needs in the hot sun?
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When it was time to go home, that's when I realized that the beach lot had a problem with toddlers.
Zephyr: Mom, I don't think you are supposed to do that! Mom! I can't swim!
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Arihi: That's more weakness. We will swim to the shore together and forever.
Zephyr: Mommy.... I'll.... get you back for this....
When I returned home, this happened.
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Zephyr thinking to himself while holding a bottle of milk: They left me out here with a vampire. Those barnacles actually left me. Do I have to do everything myself?
Note: Calum was practically running to get Dylan upstairs and come back for Zephyr.
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Zephyr climbed the stairs, opened the front door, and at this point he had it, so he threw multiple tantrums. I don't blame him.
Zephyr: I don't want milk! I'm hungry and milk isn't good enough!
Calum finally got down stairs and attended to Zephyr's needs. They hugged it out before going upstairs.
Zephyr: She jumped into the ocean while holding me! She dragged me through the ocean! She made me learn flash cards in the hot sun!
Calum: I know she isn't the brightest....
Zephyr: She's a barnacle brain! She left me outside with a vampire and went to bed!
Calum: Can I do anything to help?
Zephyr: I'm hungry! I'm tired! It's been a long day!
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Zephyr ate some food and drank his milk before having a third tantrum and passing out. Zephyr never had a tantrum before this sim day.
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I'll conclude things with a few extras.
Zephyr Zalrian Thinking
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Calum Zalrian's Traits and Skills
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Arihi's Traits and Skills
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After their retirement, my founder couple deserved a vacation, so I sent everybody to Selvadorada, they love the outdoors and Maria was very curious about the local plants, and wanted to add some to her home garden.
Index
Toddler Days 1-6
Dylan and Zephyr's Toddler Days are coming to a close. Day 7 is a day of recovery for the twins as their needs are replenished.
Day 7: The Terrible Two
Zephyr started the next day by giving Arihi a hard time. Specifically, a dirty diaper that needed to be changed because it took so long for his energy to replenish that he had to use the diaper.
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But, Zephyr didn't stop their. His fun need was completely depleted, and he made sure that Arihi knew. Unfortunately, she decided to put the book away while he cried out his emotions. Ever since the beach trip, Zephyr's emotions have been all over the place.
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Dylan on the other hand. He had more rest and his needs weren't as depleted. Apparently, he decided that right in front of the stinking potty he just used was a good spot to play SimShape on his tablet to improve his thinking skill. But, who hasn't done something like this.
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Dylan decided to play with his food again in front of Calum.
Dylan: Yay! Food is so much fun!
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Calum: We may be filthy rich with free services, but food is still expensive. You need to stop playing with your food and eat.
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Dylan: No drama llama.
Calum: I guess I'll take that as an okay.
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Arihi stepped up at this point and read Dylan to sleep.
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Dylan was steering carefully while his brother got a bath. This shipwreck didn't need to get more wrecked.
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Unfortunately, his brother needed to have fun and took over the careful steering. Calum tried to put Dylan to sleep.
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While Zephyr struggled with learning numbers, his brother decided it was time to wake back up and play in the dresser. I have no idea where he kept finding the remote.
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Zephyr's thoughts: I can't concentrate. What is that rattling noise?
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Arihi finished with the flash cards and put Dylan back to bed.
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Breakfast came later, and Zephyr has made tantrums and other misbehaviors a new normal. I think he learned to do this after the beach trip. The highchair prevents my sims from disciplining the behavior while he's in the highchair.
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I think Calum is relieved that he got both of them to go to sleep.
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And, with that morning finished, Calum has mastered the parenting skill. Meanwhile, Zephyr is dreaming of independence.
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Later in the afternoon, Dylan mastered the imagination skill playing with his horse and the lego barn.
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Close to bedtime, Zephyr looked at toddler books to expand his imagination.
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I made Zephyr wake back up and ask Arihi for food. He was really hungry, and his needs were still on their way to recovery.
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Because Zephyr reached a higher thinking skill before Dylan, I gave him access to the first floor of the house. He promptly decided that this was the perfect time to wake Arihi up because he had a potty accident and was hungry.
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Arihi put Zephyr to bed hungry and got emotional over how much he has grown.
Arihi's thoughts: He came all the way to my bedroom to wake me up and ask for food. Now that I've put him to bed hungry, I'm overwhelmed by how quickly time flies. It's almost as if I'm not paying enough attention to him.
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After I made Arihi give food to Zephyr, I had her read him to sleep. A nice thing I noticed about twins is how they watch each other and gain thinking skill.
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As Arihi walks away to get something to eat, Zephyr dreams of being a puppet master.
Zephyr in his dream: Everything is going exactly as I planned. She will know my frustration from being left outside with a vampire and dragged through the ocean.
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The next day started off awesome. Dylan mastered his communication skill. He named the dragon stuffed animal Lizzie. She helped him get that last little bit of xp.
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At the same time, Zephyr was playing make believe, and he was exploring a sunken ship.
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Arihi and Dylan had a playful moment.
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Calum also left to get something to eat while things were going well.
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And, Arihi was too rough, of course.
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But, it was nothing a hug couldn't fix.
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Of course, Zephyr wasn't done with Arihi yet. While she was distracted with Dylan, he put the next phase of his master plan for revenge in motion.
Zephyr's thoughts: This'll teach mommy to ignore me.
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Calum comes back from the kitchen with a plate of Mac and Cheese. He looks down and thinks:
I walked away for 10 minutes... 10 minutes.
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Zephyr: My master plan is awesome, and I'm just getting started.
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And, at the end of this day, Arihi actually managed to reach level 10 parenting!
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Extras
Dylan Zalrian Studying Shapes
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Zephyr Zalrian Studying Shapes
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@Daephene With Toddlers, they can get an angry moodlet. I'm sure you'll notice it, but the twins Dylan and Zephyr have small nuances to their personality.
Dylan has the Silly trait, and he seems to have a more creative, imaginative, and playful personality. He's always making jokes, making messes, and he seems to not understand the thinking skill even though the level is going up. Dylan does not take care of himself as well as his brother. Teaching a toddler to "Say Sorry" is an interaction that increases the thinking skill. So, I'm not surprised that Dylan would pick up on the more social communication skill "Please and Thank You."
Zephyr has the Inquisitive trait, and he seems to have a more logical, curious, and studious personality. Zephyr has frequently pursued learning to talk and think on his own. Zephyr wants to learn and he seems to understand what he's supposed to learn from the thinking skill. As for Please, Thank You, and Sorry, the same could be said for Zephyr. He's the thinker, and learning to "Say Sorry" is something that would come easier than communication skills like "Please and Thank You." Still, Zephyr would automatically try to learn new things including how to talk.
A lot of what I share involves things the sims did on their own. I'm trying to make Dylan and Zephyr two halves of a single whole so to speak, so I'm very happy with how well they interact together and workaround each other. I see Zephyr being curious and learning new things, and I'll see Dylan watching what his brother does and learning from him. When playing at the doll house or talking to each other, Dylan and Zephyr get along very well.
Anyway. Here's a shorter-haired Raylan and his newly bespectacled great-great-grandson Luca! (Also I noticed that the dark brown hair for toddlers isn't the same shade as the dark brown for adults? So Luca's hair is now several shades lighter than Caleb, Chester, and Raylan's, despite the fact that they're meant to be exactly the same. Very annoying!)
@Daephene thank you! Yeah, taking it slow works well. Big places can be really time-consuming, I have spent literal hours on them before. And Vivi is the most darling!
@sunblond oh, you don't have to edit out the plumbob, there's a cheat to hide it! Use 'testingcheats on', then 'headlineeffects off'. None of these caps here are edited.
@GardeningSimmer archaeology can be really lucrative! At high levels, you can authenticate stuff for about $3-5,000 a pop, it's great.
@Daravi thank you! I'll do a full tour once I finish all the timeskip makeovers! (For my Simsta account, jumping forward two years. It was 2018 storywise, now I'm bringing it up to the present.)
"Well, this is it," she said to herself as she stood in front of the building. "I can't believe I'll be starting classes soon." She didn't quite feel like a student yet; it didn't truly seem real.
Back in Sulani, Lucy had noticed that two young men had moved into the house opposite hers, and went over the street to greet them. One of them was Japanese and called Hiroshi Matsumoto, the other had Dutch heritage and was called Max van Beers. Lucy noticed that Max in particular was pretty cute.
Darby's Den had been pretty dead, so Lucy decided to call Anne and invite her to greet the two guys. Anne was immediately taken by Hiroshi... he was a good-looking guy.
The four continued chatting.
"So, yeah, we're both going to start university soon," Lucy said.
"Oh, cool!" said Max. "Neither of us are in university; we weren't sure what degree we wanted to do."
"Fair enough," Anne replied. "You could always go later in life, if you wanted to."
That evening, Anne decided to hold a meeting of her musician's club, Merry Music Makers, and went to a lounge in Oasis Springs. Whilst waiting for the other members to turn up, she began to play her violin. Pretty soon, she drew a crowd. (Oh, Salim Benali, why are you wearing long socks with your flip flops? Oasis Springs is experiencing a heat wave right now!!)
Feeling rather hungry, Anne went to the bar and ordered a plate of bread rolls.
"Hey! Evie!" she said, noticing her friend.
"Oh, Anne, great to see you!" Evie grinned. "I heard you're going to be starting at UBrite soon. What degree are you doing?"
"Fine Arts," Anne replied.
"Oh yeah, you were always good at music," Evie said. "It's weird that they don't have a music specific degree. Still, your mum's good at art, isn't she? Maybe she can help you."
"Yeah, she's an amazing artist," Anne said. "She'll be so helpful."
The next day, Anne decided to invite over Hiroshi, to get to know him better. She had definite butterflies in her stomach; he was a cute guy. She didn't know quite what she found attractive about him... was it his hair, or his eyes, or his smile?
"So, how are you finding Sulani?"
"I really like it," Hiroshi said. "It's so warm! And to have the sea nearby... this house is actually above the sea! That's so cool!"
Anne grinned; she'd never really thought about it like that. After all, she'd never lived anywhere but this house, so she took it for granted that she could go out onto the back deck and dive straight into the water.
OH MY PLUMBOB HE'S TOPLESS she thought. His abs weren't super-defined, but she wasn't into the bodybuilding type of guy (they'd probably spend more time down the gym than with her). She also realised that there wasn't just one reason she fancied him - hairstyles could be changed, and nobody smiled all the time.
Lucy, meanwhile, was enjoying a good workout session. She'd had a slight headache, and had found in the past that exercising in the open air could help. To her surprise, she noticed a rash covering her whole body! Ugh, perhaps she'd have to ease off with the exercise for a bit. It would be frustrating, but she knew that she'd do her best when she felt 100% healthy.
"Sooo... what's Hiroshi like?" Lucy teased.
"He's... cute..." Anne said, coyly. "He's so funny."
"Ah, sounds lovely," Lucy replied. "Maybe I'll meet someone at university."
"What about Max?" Anne asked, innocuously.
"Hmm..." Lucy said wistfully, and Anne smiled. Although their personalities were rather different, they were incredibly close, and only wanted the best for each other.
Anne and Hiroshi made plans to visit San Myshuno's Romance Festival. Whilst waiting for him to turn up, Anne began playing her violin.
Wow... she's so talented! Hiroshi thought. He'd known budding musicians at school, but they'd mostly been interested in the guitar or drums, instruments that could be played in a band. He reached into his pocket and gave her a tip.
This was the last screenshot I took before quitting the game. I'd had a couple of Last Exceptions, nothing serious, but I needed to do an Origin repair.
What will happen in the next update? Will Anne's relationship with Hiroshi go one step further? Will Lucy get to know Max better? Oh, and Hiroshi has a secret... let's see how Anne reacts!
Ohhhh yeah... university classes, too.
Excerpts from the Journal of Omar Benali
-Kaden’s a teenager now and he’s going to high school. He’s as big as me, how are you supposed to effectively discipline a kid who’s bigger than you, I wonder? Not that he’s much of a discipline problem, he kind of went through a rebellious stage as a kid, that wasn’t fun. With the twins around to get into whatever mess he stirred up, well, we had our hands full. I felt really bad when Alexander’s father passed away and because of Kaden’s birthday party and all I couldn’t go to the funeral. I just went by the house to pay my respects and apologize, Alexander said he understood, he has a family too, but I still felt really crummy about it.-
Kaden’s birthday party.
Teenager Kaden.
I’m on your old bowling team now dad!
-Right after Kaden’s birthday, Uncle Kyle and Salim came over, Becca was off work but she was out running errands, they asked about her for some reason. Well, they wanted her here too I guess, tough luck. Than isn’t coming home after he graduates, him and Bobby have already got an apartment in the city, and they both have job offers. Than’s going to be working for some chichi Art Gallery, that some famous artist from Windenburg owns. Apparently, it’s a big deal and the job is really good and everything and Bobby got a job teaching school somewhere in the city.
But, that wasn’t the big news, oh no, the big bomb they dropped is that they’re moving to the city too, lock, stock, and barrel. Uncle Kyle is going to be Executive Chef and part owner of a really fancy experimental restaurant there. And Salim is running a new branch of the publishing house he works for that they are about to open in the city. They’re moving into a penthouse apartment, with a doorman and maid service. Apparently, they invested in Felipe’s Hedge Fund when he was first starting out and made a bundle, by the way. OK, all I know about investments is what me and Becca have at work, but I think you have to invest 10K’s of simoleans or maybe even 100 to get into one. Even if you know the guy who’s in charge of it.
And I’m royally ticked off, I partly moved here to be close to them in the first place, at their insistence, I might add. It’s just like them to chase after Than though, he’s really their son and all, right. I didn’t say much when they finished their carefully rehearsed little speeches. I told them I had some work to catch up on, I did have work I brought home, I’d already finished, but they didn’t know that. They waited around a while till the kids got home from school to spend time with them, and mom got back from fishing shortly after I went to take out my anger at my workstation too. I guess Becca got back at some point before I finally went back in the house, and they apparently filled her in. I waited till I was sure they were gone, I didn’t trust myself to speak to them, honestly.-
Kyle and Salim, share their plans for the future.
-The next day, I had a plan, I had an idea to make a dragon statue for the twins, they always feel slighted after Kaden’s birthday, he gets better stuff because everyone splits the cost of their gifts I guess. Plus he doesn’t have to share the special day like they always do. We used to just have one cake, but Becca put a stop to that and now they each have to have their own different cake, we have to eat leftover cake for a week afterwards. So right after breakfast I went to the woodworking table and started carving a dragon statue and “missed” Salim and Uncle Kyle when they dropped by the house separately after the boys went to school. The twins read this book series about a boy and his pet dragon and loved it, so I thought it might kind of mitigate their moods if I secretly slip it into their room later.
By the time I got the twins into bed and read them a story, well, Becca was waiting up, of course she was. She asked me how I was doing, and I flat out told her. Then she said that she was going to miss them too. But that both had taken a real big step by changing careers, and trying to focus on a new challenge in their lives. Blah, blah, blah, I knew what she was doing, and it wasn’t going to work, not this time. I just went to bed.-
-After I got home from work the next day, I told Becca I was going over to see Alexander, I still felt really guilty for missing his dad’s funeral and all. For some reason, Kaden asked to go with me, so we both went over there. Alexander was out when I first got there, so I talked to Serena for a while till he showed up and then noticed that I hadn’t seen Kaden for a while. I apologized for him being MIA and wondered where he gotten to. Oh, I imagine he’s with Cristine and Philip, no doubt they are showing him that fancy computer and desk Bella left behind, it’s got lights on it, she laughed. Oh, I started, is he allowed, I mean to be upstairs with your daughter? Alexander laughed, this isn’t the same old Goth house now Omar. Serena and I are more lenient that my parents were. We’d just about have to be, Serena said. It’s fine Omar, she added, Philip will be a like second shadow to Kaden, he thinks Kaden’s a big deal, mostly because he’s older, at his age it doesn’t take a lot to impress. We talked a bit more, then Kaden and Christine came downstairs and sat across from us, looking like they had something they were afraid to ask. I know that look now. Um, Mr. Goth, sir, well, I was talking to Cristine and, well, Kaden was having a hard time getting it out, the thing is sir, that I don’t know if you’re aware, but I just jointed the Ten Pin Teens, and well, we have way more guys than girls. Somehow this stumbling ramble of Kaden’s had Christine totally enthralled. Kaden continued, so I asked Christine if maybe she would consider joining, and she said she would, consider joining, I mean, so I called Walter Gilly who’s captain of the team now and told him and he is really stoked to have her join. But I, well, we, kind of realized that we totally should have asked permission first…sir. Well, I see no reason why my daughter can’t follow in my footsteps, the way you followed in your father’s Kaden. I have a lot of happy memories and and made some lifelong friends from my time on that bowling team, Alexander said. And we could make a family outing of my coaching Christine too, what do you say Serena, want to learn to bowl with your daughter, and don’t worry about Philip, they have arcade games there. I think it sounds like a nice family outing for us Alex, and we cold use one right now, Serena answered. I had never ever heard anyone call Alexander, Alex, before. We left a little while later.-
Where did my son get to?
Kaden talks glowingly about the bowling club.
-Becca finally asked me how long I was planning on being upset, because Than’s graduation is coming up soon, and unless you’re angry at him too, he doesn’t deserve to have a big family drama on his big day, now does he? I’m just not ready yet, Ok? I said. Well, since you’ve been avoiding talking to Salem and Kyle, let me bring you up to date, she added. Get this, the apartment Than and Bobby rented, well, it’s the Jang’s, apparently Claudia’s parents have moved overseas indefinitely so she sub-leased it to them. Wait, I said, Caludia Jang who told Than that she never wanted to see him again? Well, she’s not Claudia Jang anymore, she’s married, and apparently that apartment is a little funky for most people’s taste, but Than liked it and Bobby, well, I guess he doesn’t mind, Becca explained. I will never understand Than’s romances, I answered.
And have you thought about what these new jobs mean to them, Kyle and Salim, I mean, she asked, then continued, Kyle’s not just going to be an employee, he is part owner of this new restaurant. A restaurant that will be one of the premier eateries in the city, a place where celebrities and movers and shakers go.
And Salim’s new position, well, it’s because our company bought out a small independent publisher, a publisher that caters to the LBGT+ market, part of what they do besides publish new works is reissue out of print books, for example, The Wishing Well of Loneliness by Redcliff Foyer, a book that was banned in a lot of places and fell out of print as a result. So Salim feels that he will get a chance to bring new light on a lot of works like that. I know you feel hurt or abandoned or something like that right now, but you should consider that part of this is about both of them looking for a new challenge, something besides sitting around in that big house waiting on another grandchild. Then she got up and left the room.-
Than and Bobby rent an apartment from Claudia Metzger (Jang).
-I eventually kind of made up with them, of course, I’m still a little bit hurt, I guess, if I’m honest, but I was civil and friendlyish at Than’s graduation. He graduated with Honors with a Distinguished Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Britechester, he did really well, and we’re all very proud of him. He told me about this new job and it sounds like he will be doing something he loves, and that’s a very good thing.-
@ryttu3k Yes, that's the cheat I've started using in my screenshots now, before I always had the plumbob in them though. I also started using my photo program pain.net to crop them and lighten some of the darker ones a bit. That being said, I still forget sometimes, so a few screenies are still artfully cropped to remove the plumbob, lol.
@PeculiarPlumbob Oh, great job on your sims, they all look really good, are they on the gallery by chance?
@mingusssss Alvero is a cutie, I have never been able to use that hair on any of my sims, but have a few townies that can rock it, sigh.
@Lucy_Henley I like Lucy's new neighbors, were they random townies or did you make them? I get last exceptions now, its caused by cheating Uni diplomas unfortunately, so they are something I have to live with in this game, lol.
Too Good at Goodbyes forum thread
Too Good at Goodbyes blog
Alvaro has also been thinking about how he could contribute. He would like to do mixology for a job (would like to become a drinkmaster) and also improve his debating skills on the side. His hobbies are dancing and socialising in general. He has the potential of creating bonds with other sims that could benefit the family.