Erik continued to write songs, perform concerts, sit for photoshoots, with the accompanying interview, of course. He was very busy. He found out, quickly, that he couldn't even pick up a few things for his mother at the grocery store without seeing his own image staring back at him from the magazine stand. On the one side, it was thrilling. On the other side, it was a tad disconcerting. His face was becoming so well known, it was almost impossible to go anywhere without being easily spotted. He was getting very good at racing, safely, up and down the store aisles gathering what was on his list, so as to get in and out as quickly as possible. Who is this Erik Cantrell? He read the title of this month's article on him in July's Teen Sims' Magazine. At least the photograph of him was descent, not too jarring to his ego. July already. Sheesh more than half the summer is gone.
Erik grabbed a couple of magazines that hadn't been already rifled through, the corners bent or otherwise something less than crisp and added it to the onions, carrots, potatoes and bread his mother needed him to pick up. As he waited for the Clerk to scan his purchases, Erik glanced around. For once, he seemed alone. Eerie, he thought, on the one side, good on the other side. He needed to get back. So much to do so little time. Delivering the groceries and the two crisp magazines to his mother, Erik quickly went upstairs. He had planned to spend more time down at the Orchid A Go Go. He and George the Drone, that is. While his fame had advanced and he was now considered a Proper Celebrity, he still had a way's to go. That elusive Global Superstar status dangling before him like so much bait. His music was broadcast over the radio stations. He was busy recording albums — CDs the stores couldn't keep in stock. He knew because he checked the charts. What more need he do? No worries, things will come in their due time. He consoled himself.
Erik arrived at the Up-and-Coming Hotspot, happy to realize the karaoke machine was available. He set up his drone to stream the event, nodded at the Mixologist and taking up the microphone began to sing. Before too long, the lounge filled with Sims. As he sang a Sim he didn't recall ever seeing before, stood directly in front of Erik, though several feet away, so as not to crowd the youth. Impresario? The next minute he threw out that thought. Tayegeta was already lining up concerts for him. He was, in a word, already 'discovered'. Just who is this Sim?
After Erik finished his set, the Sim walked up to him and flashed Erik his electronic business card. "Erik Cantrell," he said.
"Yeah, that's me. What can I do for you? Autograph, Selfie?"
"Samuel Simms, at your service. I was thinking more on the line of becoming your agent, son. I'm always signing on new talent. You're getting to be pretty hot stuff, to say nothing of your sudden meteoric rise. You're really taking off. Whose your agent? They seem to be doing good so far, but I can get you where you want to be, for a mere … ten percent."
"Right now, I'm headed home. It's been a long day. You can come, too, if you wish. My father will no doubt like to meet and speak to you."
"Ah, you're Dad's your agent. I get it."
"No, I'm doing this on my own, pretty much." Erik pointed upward, "With some help from above, to be clear."
Standing outside of the gate, the two had a good talk.
Finally, a full understanding was reached. Erik felt good about having this help, which he had already concluded he needed.
"All right, then, I'll stop by your office and sign the contract. Thanks, Mister Simms."
"Ah, kid, you can call me Sam."
"Well, okay then, Sam."
"Ten percent of my concert money and ten percent of my photoshoots," Erik told his father.
"That seems quite fair and in line with others I've spoken with," Joseph said.
"Dad — Did you send him to see me? Are you behind this?"
"No, but you made the causal remark that perhaps it was time to seek an agent. I did some research, just in case you should come to me for advice, that's all. I promise. I know you want to do this yourself. Samuel Simms is a very good agent with quite a track record of success. He always hand-picks his clients, too. You should feel honored. I know I do."
True to his word, Samuel Simms got to work. He made phone calls to magazines to get Erik the extra coverage he needed. He even spoke to the Movie Studios about getting the Teen a bit part in an upcoming movie. "No, he doesn't have to sing, if you don't already have such a part. I just thought you might like to help him with some extra exposure. I've heard him, in person. The lad is good. Really, really good. Are you aware the stuff on his albums is primarily his own work? Yeah, yeah, he writes, he plays, he sings. This kid does it all. Yes, I'd classify him as a Musical Genius. You're spot on. Okay, no part. Don't be surprised if I call you again in the future. Maybe we can do a deal then. Oh, in case you're wondering he has ten number one hits. That's right. Ten."
Erik pushed his fifth album out the door. For good measure, he wrote two more songs, releasing one to the Cloud and the other he hung onto for license. A day or so later, his phone went off.
"Erik, here. Sam! Say, what? I mean say again I'm not sure I heard you right. I'm to be where, when?"
"Yeah, I'm still here. I think I just went numb. I don't know how or what you did …"
"Not, me, son. You did it. That fifth album of yours, Early Morning Mist plus that latest song you popped into the Cloud did the trick. You're all a-buzz. So, I'll see you downtown."
"O-okay and thanks, Sam!"
"I'm in, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in! We-he-he-he. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"
Erik called Kayleigh immediately after he hung up with Sam. Around 4:00 pm the Cantrell family, Sam Simms, and Kayleigh Golden assembled behind the PBP Studios.
Making their way over to the Walk of Fame, Erik glanced at the as-yet-unfilled spots, choosing the one he wanted. "What about this one? It's next to our neighbor, Thorne Bailey. Nice little tribute, don't you think? He did give me some good pointers to help me out."
"All right, Sims, it's showtime," Sam Simms called out to the forming crowd. "Erik, assume the position."
"They haven't dropped any of these on any Sims in the past, have they?" Erik watched as the frame slowly swung back and forth from the crane that lowered it to him.
"You would be the first, should it happen. Relax, son, enjoy your moment."
"Okay. Got it."
As he held it, realizing his biggest dream had just come true, Erik closed his eyes and thanked the Deity above for this incredible blessing.
Quickly, he placed the heavy thing into the trench carved specifically to hold the frame in place, into the heart of the tile. He sat for a moment and just stared at it in disbelief. Erik Cantrell, Global Superstar
Getting back to his feet, he quickly found Kayleigh.
"I'm so glad you came to share this moment with me. This is our moment, not just mine. Thank you."
Erik also made certain he thanked his family, too. They had all put up with him through this journey of his.
Dad.
Mom.
Aaron.
Brianna.
Adrian.
And not to be left out, Joey.
Samuel Simms, too.
"Hey, Adrian, that's my Girl."
Shortly after the Frame Placing Ceremony was complete a fight broke out among Erik's fans.
"What the fetch?"
After things settled down, the group decided to take a drive to Newcrest.
Reservations for The Star Club, coincidentally, has already been booked, courtesy of one Samuel Simms. "It's what I do, son. I told you I would take care of you. Congratulations. You deserve this."
When the evening was over, Erik and family dropped Kayleigh off at her house in Willow Creek. "I had a great time, thank you, Erik."
"No, thank you."
All for now. Depending on what tomorrow's patch breaks I may not be posting for a bit. (The thought of possibly having to restart AGAIN doesn't have me too thrilled. Although I am excited for some of the changes coming, I'm also full of trepidation.) Just a little side note: Erik achieved Global Superstardom in eleven (11) Sim days. No cheats. I'm totally gobsmacked.
Many thanks to All of you who have followed the endless, half-finished escapades of Erik Cantrell, Global Superstar! Thank you so much for reading!
Jessie and Super Dave were talking in their hot tub after a delightful woohoo while their toddler Jonathan played obliviously with a block tower in the next room over.
"Life is good, isn't it?" said Super Dave.
"It is. But I can't help thinking about what's next. This was a nice apartment when it was just the two of us, but it's a little crowded for three..."
"The penthouse in the Fashion District isn't crowded."
"You mean...?"
"Yep. While you were at work, I talked to the real estate company. They quoted me a price we can actually afford and showed me the property tax estimate. It's way less than either one of us makes, and combined it'll be easy to afford the bills. The guy said we can move in tomorrow."
Jessie jumped into Super Dave's lap...and gave him another good tumble in the hot tub. Once that was done, she started finding ways to combine the housewarming party with Jonathan's birthday party. He'd be aging into a child in a neighborhood with wonderful schools and a beautiful penthouse Jessie had only seen once when she'd been hired to be a caterer's assistant there early in her culinary career.
A few days later, Jessie was home by herself, Jonathan absorbing a daily dose of knowledge at school and Super Dave off at work when a visitor arrived.
"Is Super Dave Lembeck home?"
"Who wants to know?"
"Mizuki Nakagawa. I just wanted to..."
"Oh, hey, Mizuki! Long time no see!" Super Dave got home from work just in time to join the scene. "I see you've met my wife."
"Your WIFE?!" Mizuki said, shocked. "I thought we were..."
Jessie turned to Mizuki with a look of death in her eyes. "You were what?"
Super Dave interjected. "It was before we met, honey. I told her I just wanted to be friends, but she got it in her head that we were still soulmates."
"We ARE soulmates!" Mizuki protested.
"Take a walk with me, Mizuki," Jessie said. "I want to show you something."
As they walked up the stairs onto a rooftop terrace, Jessie led Mizuki over to a glass-and-steel fence that marked the boundary between solid ground and a 300-meter drop onto the concrete below from one of the tallest buildings in San Myshuno.
"Let's have something understood, hmm? If you don't leave my husband alone, I will Uncle Phil you over this fence faster than you can say Jazzy Jeff, got it?"
Mizuki went pale white and her voice cracked. "Got it."
"Good. Now get back on that elevator before I change my mind about letting you go to ground level the slow way."
(OOC: This was, functionally, my reaction to the game deciding it wanted to cast my male character's former landlady—and first love interest—as a lovelorn homewrecker. What the actual (expletive), game?!)
(he/him)
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
Octavia & Branden's busy lives roll along with their brood of 5 sons.
Twins Alexander & Brody Triplets Cooper, Dennis & Ethan Octavia was an RN on her way to being a doctor, but I couldn't get her to advance unless
I went to work with her. Since she studied biology I switched her over to Marine biologist. I had a little problem with the nanny, suddenly he & Octavia liked each other.
I have no idea how this relationship developed, a glitch? Very annoying!
He kept pursuing her and I thought he would destroy her marriage by kissing her or something.
The nannies alternate, so every time he shows up she's forced to fire him. He leaves and gets replace. Lastly, Octavia hugging her oldest brother who's the next to die. His twin died during
Octavia's date with Branden and almost torpedoed their developing romance.
Today's play session wasn't very eventful. The one big event was the birth of their 6th child,
a daughter behind Alexander, Brody, Cooper, Dennis & Ethan, she's letter F, Felicity.
Poor little girl with 5 older brothers.
And some random stuff
Sweet little Cooper "Mr. Nanny, why are you always here, don't you have a mommy & daddy?" How do you have a conversation when both are wearing earbuds? Daddy horse! I wondered how Brody got up there.
Finally the eating bug is fixed and that means I can go back to my main save - teh decades chalenge.
My sim needed a husband - I made her one. I am in love, too.
They get on well. Kiss in the rain
I created this sim a while ago and i kept changing my plans for her, but i finally decided she should become a paranormal investigator.
The game led this save down another interesting road.
I already had someone in mind for her so they started dating right away.
A couple of dates later, they were smitten with each other.
Ariam went to her first gig. It did not go too well because i was clueless and did not make her prepare properly.
I love how she is looking at me like "Oh no, it refused to leave, what do we do now?" lol sorry, hun.
She went and took a nap like it was none of her business.
I thought she went to hide under the covers because she got scared or something, but nope, she was just sleeping on the job.
Oh no, it is very angry, and very cute!
We got a wedding. Woot!!
The guests were somewhere else stuffing their silly faces, but at least one person bothered to watch the ceremony.
Awww!
Tank left a little "gift" puddle for Judith Ward who he hates. Judith cleaned it, but she was not happy.
Tank's owner and Judith's husband Randy ate some leftovers (finally it's fixed).
Randy took Tank jogging with him.
Randy's on a military career and he has a fancy room for sparring in Judith's house... I mean their house now.
Randy is not married because of love, it's more because of money and he goes out with some younger ladies that he's attracted to. Angela Pleasant invited him to a date. She has no idea that he's married.
Angela left a bit too early and left Randy frustrated, just a kiss was not enough for him. He decided to continue with Judith when he got home...
Super Dave Lembeck's phone rang, never a good thing when his son Jonathan was off at school.
"We caught your son trying to hack into the school's computers. We don't know what he was up to but he was up to something! What do you want us to do?"
The school wanted to throw the book at the boy, but Super Dave firmly told them to be lenient and teach the kid a lesson in conflict resolution. Jonathan probably thought that was that, but then he got home and got sat down for a father-son chat.
"You're a good kid, why are you getting into so much trouble at school?"
Jonathan was seemingly ready for this. He'd given it some thought.
"Because school is stupid. It's for kids with worthless parents who never teach them anything at home. I've never learned anything there. Everything I know I learned either from you and Mom or from learning on my own at home."
Super Dave tried to defend the social institutions of civilization, but he had to concede that his son had a point.
"Son, how many skills are you Certified Master at? Like, really certified, from the SimNation Board of Skills and everything?"
"Nine, counting the Handiness certification I got last night when you helped me finish those computer upgrades. If I applied to college tomorrow, I'd probably get a full ride."
Super Dave himself only had eight certifications, although he was almost there from the Charismatic Speakers' Guild. They'd rated him 9 out of 10 on their standards list and challenged him to become a friend to the world. For his son, halfway through his adolescence, to have already surpassed him was nothing short of astounding. Jessie had 12, but Jonathan would sure enough catch and surpass her, possibly before he grew up and left home.
"Tell you what, son. Thursday's going to be your last day at school. From then until you go to college, your mother and I are pulling you out and letting you do the At-Home Learning program* with the school district. You can spend your days working on more board certifications until you are old enough for the universities to let you in. And maybe I'll teach you the programming skills you'll need to hack without getting caught, you little terrorist."
Jonathan tried to look suitably chastened by the fact that he'd gotten in trouble, but he was too thrilled not to have to go to that gulag for seven hours a day and waste his time.
"Thanks, Dad. I hope you'll be proud of me."
"Your mother and I both are. We love you, kiddo."
*in-game, this is taking the last 4 school days as vacation days, but I always play them as "homeschooling" for children and teens.
(he/him)
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
Started ANOTHER new household yesterday when I was testing the issue with the new black hair color and stumbled on two sims I liked the basic look of.
Raul:
and Maritza:
They have opposite color preferences in the new likes / dislikes system, but the same tastes in music. Raul is neat and charming and wishes to become an actor, Maritza is nerdy but worldly and wants to be an archeologist like their father.
The Arteaga twins. I'm imagining them having just moved to Windenburg from Selvadorada where they grew up with their mother; on having inherited a large house in Olde Platz. Their father lives in San Myshuno with his Latina half-sister - who is the mother of the sim I played through Strangerville. So yeah.... made parents of these two and another household, then made the parents siblings.
And of course I had to go get a nice house to put in Windenburg then spend a few hours fixing the interior to have two good sized bedrooms...
Now these poor sims are living in a large house with a pricey lot tax bill and need to find jobs and income before that cash meter hits 0...
At this point I've noticed that 3 of my 6 'played' households in my new save are African or mixed-African ancestry, so I've been trying to save more variety into the townies.
I don't use Discord because it doesn't support multiple accounts and I don't need folks at work wondering what I'm doing even on my own time. Until Discord catches up with every single other voice / video conferencing system, I limit where I use it:
I'm going to do my latest update completely OOC because to try and do this in-universe would come off as something in between a Penthouse letter and a "good thing I'm single because if I had a girlfriend and she saw me do something like this she'd start asking really uncomfortable questions about what kind of guy I am" situation:
I played around with the Clubs system in earnest—usually it's something my sim dabbles in a little before remembering that my sims, on an Introversion scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being "cannot live without other people and go mad in a day in solitude" and 100 is "totally nonverbal, nonfunctioning autistic", rank an average of 70 or 80. They socialize only when their need bar requires it, they're going for reward points and forcing themselves to socialize—there's a beautiful irony in completing Friend of the World and spending the points on Needs No One—or they're married/talking to family. My celebrity sims will trigger the No Touching quirk on purpose just to get a confidence boost when they subsequently never touch anyone they're not committed to even casually.
This time, a collegiate Jonathan Lembeck formed a club called "Jonny's Honeys" which is as awful as you'd expect. He was the only man and the club activities awarded points for flirting, kissing, and woohooing other club members. Club gatherings were not only downright stag film-esque (at least as far as vanilla Sims with no CC can be), but also put the lie to the "no jealousy" claim associated with the Serial Romantic "Player" reward perk. Jonathan ended up at the end with six women furious at him for cheating and the seventh spared that fate only because adding her to the club tripped the last requirement for the Leader of the Pack ambition and put to an end the entire sordid affair. I thought the "do 50 romantic socials with your soulmate" requirement for the Soulmate ambition was tedious. You know how many times you have to woohoo a pack of women to get 1,000 club points?! The ghost of Hugh Hefner looked up at me from the Bad Place like "dude, enough already."
Is there a point to all this? Well, no, except for "there are places even I won't attempt to go in an in-universe storytelling style." I'm declaring the entire thing non-canon, Jonathan's asking all the women to be Just Friends, and I'm glad including the neighbor's wife in the woohoo melee didn't do any permanent damage to their marriage.
Normal service will resume with Lembeck the Younger re-introducing an old friend of the show back into the story, as Nicolette Stafford—one of the Koivonen Kids and the first sim I used to venture into the world of the Get Famous celebrity system—has become Jonathan's real love, and with that comes what I'm pretty sure is the first time I've used two "super sims" raised from infants to be skill-building super-machines to raise children of their own. Previously, I'd have either two created sims with no special perks or a superkid and a local random townie he or she picked as a mate.
The plan is to populate the next generation of my simworld with...shall we say upgraded lineages, and I don't mean magic bloodlines, I mean good old-fashioned Sim class divides. I might have to age off some older sims a bit later, but the Honored Dead Cemetery is there to hold them.
(he/him)
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
John Lykke Jr. (teen, art lover, kleptomaniac) returned the chair he stole from the Veleta household. I thought it was just an interaction but when I rotated to said household, lo and behold, the chair was sitting in their household inventory.
The mods I require to play this game have either been updated, or have received the "All-Clear" from the creators. I barely played yesterday, however. But Erik Cantrell put out his 6th album. Since he achieved his Status as a Global Superstar early, I may take the family on a vacation.
Sandi Golden called Aaron to ask him out on a date. He went, despite how angry and messed up his mood was. She gave him the what for. I no longer worry over these two. He's met his match. LOL
Jonathan Lembeck had just spent a fun Sunday doing what he called "hitting for the cycle" at his favorite club in Willow Creek. He entertained a crowd with some jazz improv on the piano, a shift to rock guitar to cover some classic hits, a violin pulled out of hammerspace to play some classical music, and then finally grabbing the microphone and belting out an a capella rendering of some pop music. He'd even recently started adding in some stand-up comedy and a cool re-enactment of the fight scene toward the end of "In the Pale Moonlight" from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with his friend Dominic Fyres playing Sisko and Jonathan playing Garak. "And all it cost was the life of one Romulan Senator, one criminal, and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain." Totally brought the house down. Everyone loved it.
This time Diego Lobo was there to watch the performance. As SimNation's top arts critic, if Diego liked your work, you were probably getting a star on the Walk of Fame in Del Sol Valley. And Diego loved Jonathan's multi-talented free show for the public. He'd asked Dominic about Jonathan's abilities and Dominic replied "Jonathan is a man of so many talents that I can scarcely describe them all and still have time for a battle today."
It was decided that the Rome: Total War general speech quote would go on the inscription for Jonathan's plaque, and our man Lembeck had some fun with it when it was time to place the tile.
He turned to the crowd assembled and said, "And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!" before giving Dominic a handshake and a manly hug, taking a big bow to the crowd, and walking off to thunderous applause.
All that was left was to plan his wedding. Nicolette had said yes when he'd bent knee—in front of the paparazzi, of course, who lapped it up like eager kittens at a saucer of milk—in front of the San Myshuno observatory on a date the night before. And after that...climbing Mt. Komorebi? Catching every fish in Granite Falls? Plundering the treasures of Selvadorada?
Nah, he'd probably settle down and become a boring old dad. Jonathan took his phone out and called Super Dave to ask what his old man thought of the idea.
"Go for it, son. Just don't be surprised if your mother and I show up looking to lavish some love on the grandkids."
(he/him)
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
A lover of books and the number one fanboy (and assistant) of the famed horror novelist, Mortimer Goth, Gunther Munch had a rather... EVENTFUL time in his first ever work trip to Forgotten Hollow.
Oh yeah, and I did this to George Cahill too. When I start a new save, I sometimes put days into the preparation--as a result, I can't remember everything I did because it's so much. That works out well though, because it catches me by surprise lol
I find these photos bittersweet because they symbolize the beginning of my sims academic journey and the end. The photo with the female sim was taken at the start of fall, on the balcony of their dormitory. The photo with the male sim (a photo from today's play session) was taken on that same balcony, this time at the start of spring and during their final term at Britechester. In two days my simmies will be graduating and finally ending their academic journey, which they started just over a year irl. It's moments like this that make me love the sims. I will never experience the university pack the way I did with this group of sims. My OGs.
After they graduate it's back to life in San Myshuno, where they will resume the pursuit of fame. I know Jake (the male sim) will be using his drama degree to try his hand at being an actor. I'm interested to see where playing or future packs will take my crew.
*:.｡."It's great being ((Queen Bee))!".｡.:*
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
✧ :-"As long as I continue to believe then one day my ((dreams)) really will come true."✧ :-
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Then it was back to the mountain for a day of winter sports. Fabia's now skilled enough to ski and snowboard down the expert slope.
Mt. Komorebi is beautiful in winter!
Had a late night at the karaoke bar with some friends.
And finally more of my favourite activity: hiking!
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
Erik continued to write songs, perform concerts, sit for photoshoots, with the accompanying interview, of course. He was very busy. He found out, quickly, that he couldn't even pick up a few things for his mother at the grocery store without seeing his own image staring back at him from the magazine stand. On the one side, it was thrilling. On the other side, it was a tad disconcerting. His face was becoming so well known, it was almost impossible to go anywhere without being easily spotted. He was getting very good at racing, safely, up and down the store aisles gathering what was on his list, so as to get in and out as quickly as possible. Who is this Erik Cantrell? He read the title of this month's article on him in July's Teen Sims' Magazine. At least the photograph of him was descent, not too jarring to his ego. July already. Sheesh more than half the summer is gone.
Erik grabbed a couple of magazines that hadn't been already rifled through, the corners bent or otherwise something less than crisp and added it to the onions, carrots, potatoes and bread his mother needed him to pick up. As he waited for the Clerk to scan his purchases, Erik glanced around. For once, he seemed alone. Eerie, he thought, on the one side, good on the other side. He needed to get back. So much to do so little time. Delivering the groceries and the two crisp magazines to his mother, Erik quickly went upstairs. He had planned to spend more time down at the Orchid A Go Go. He and George the Drone, that is. While his fame had advanced and he was now considered a Proper Celebrity, he still had a way's to go. That elusive Global Superstar status dangling before him like so much bait. His music was broadcast over the radio stations. He was busy recording albums — CDs the stores couldn't keep in stock. He knew because he checked the charts. What more need he do? No worries, things will come in their due time. He consoled himself.
Erik arrived at the Up-and-Coming Hotspot, happy to realize the karaoke machine was available. He set up his drone to stream the event, nodded at the Mixologist and taking up the microphone began to sing. Before too long, the lounge filled with Sims. As he sang a Sim he didn't recall ever seeing before, stood directly in front of Erik, though several feet away, so as not to crowd the youth. Impresario? The next minute he threw out that thought. Tayegeta was already lining up concerts for him. He was, in a word, already 'discovered'. Just who is this Sim?
After Erik finished his set, the Sim walked up to him and flashed Erik his electronic business card. "Erik Cantrell," he said.
"Yeah, that's me. What can I do for you? Autograph, Selfie?"
"Samuel Simms, at your service. I was thinking more on the line of becoming your agent, son. I'm always signing on new talent. You're getting to be pretty hot stuff, to say nothing of your sudden meteoric rise. You're really taking off. Whose your agent? They seem to be doing good so far, but I can get you where you want to be, for a mere … ten percent."
"Right now, I'm headed home. It's been a long day. You can come, too, if you wish. My father will no doubt like to meet and speak to you."
"Ah, you're Dad's your agent. I get it."
"No, I'm doing this on my own, pretty much." Erik pointed upward, "With some help from above, to be clear."
Standing outside of the gate, the two had a good talk.
Finally, a full understanding was reached. Erik felt good about having this help, which he had already concluded he needed.
"All right, then, I'll stop by your office and sign the contract. Thanks, Mister Simms."
"Ah, kid, you can call me Sam."
"Well, okay then, Sam."
"Ten percent of my concert money and ten percent of my photoshoots," Erik told his father.
"That seems quite fair and in line with others I've spoken with," Joseph said.
"Dad — Did you send him to see me? Are you behind this?"
"No, but you made the causal remark that perhaps it was time to seek an agent. I did some research, just in case you should come to me for advice, that's all. I promise. I know you want to do this yourself. Samuel Simms is a very good agent with quite a track record of success. He always hand-picks his clients, too. You should feel honored. I know I do."
True to his word, Samuel Simms got to work. He made phone calls to magazines to get Erik the extra coverage he needed. He even spoke to the Movie Studios about getting the Teen a bit part in an upcoming movie. "No, he doesn't have to sing, if you don't already have such a part. I just thought you might like to help him with some extra exposure. I've heard him, in person. The lad is good. Really, really good. Are you aware the stuff on his albums is primarily his own work? Yeah, yeah, he writes, he plays, he sings. This kid does it all. Yes, I'd classify him as a Musical Genius. You're spot on. Okay, no part. Don't be surprised if I call you again in the future. Maybe we can do a deal then. Oh, in case you're wondering he has ten number one hits. That's right. Ten."
Erik pushed his fifth album out the door. For good measure, he wrote two more songs, releasing one to the Cloud and the other he hung onto for license. A day or so later, his phone went off.
"Yeah, I'm still here. I think I just went numb. I don't know how or what you did …"
"Not, me, son. You did it. That fifth album of yours, Early Morning Mist plus that latest song you popped into the Cloud did the trick. You're all a-buzz. So, I'll see you downtown."
"O-okay and thanks, Sam!"
"I'm in, I'm in, I'm in, I'm in! We-he-he-he. Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"
Erik called Kayleigh immediately after he hung up with Sam. Around 4:00 pm the Cantrell family, Sam Simms, and Kayleigh Golden assembled behind the PBP Studios.
"All right, Sims, it's showtime," Sam Simms called out to the forming crowd. "Erik, assume the position."
"They haven't dropped any of these on any Sims in the past, have they?" Erik watched as the frame slowly swung back and forth from the crane that lowered it to him.
"You would be the first, should it happen. Relax, son, enjoy your moment."
"Okay. Got it."
As he held it, realizing his biggest dream had just come true, Erik closed his eyes and thanked the Deity above for this incredible blessing.
Quickly, he placed the heavy thing into the trench carved specifically to hold the frame in place, into the heart of the tile. He sat for a moment and just stared at it in disbelief. Erik Cantrell, Global Superstar
Getting back to his feet, he quickly found Kayleigh.
Erik also made certain he thanked his family, too. They had all put up with him through this journey of his.
Dad.
Mom.
Aaron.
Brianna.
Adrian.
And not to be left out, Joey.
Samuel Simms, too.
"Hey, Adrian, that's my Girl."
Shortly after the Frame Placing Ceremony was complete a fight broke out among Erik's fans.
After things settled down, the group decided to take a drive to Newcrest.
When the evening was over, Erik and family dropped Kayleigh off at her house in Willow Creek. "I had a great time, thank you, Erik."
"No, thank you."
All for now. Depending on what tomorrow's patch breaks I may not be posting for a bit. (The thought of possibly having to restart AGAIN doesn't have me too thrilled. Although I am excited for some of the changes coming, I'm also full of trepidation.) Just a little side note: Erik achieved Global Superstardom in eleven (11) Sim days. No cheats. I'm totally gobsmacked.
Many thanks to All of you who have followed the endless, half-finished escapades of Erik Cantrell, Global Superstar! Thank you so much for reading!
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
"Life is good, isn't it?" said Super Dave.
"It is. But I can't help thinking about what's next. This was a nice apartment when it was just the two of us, but it's a little crowded for three..."
"The penthouse in the Fashion District isn't crowded."
"You mean...?"
"Yep. While you were at work, I talked to the real estate company. They quoted me a price we can actually afford and showed me the property tax estimate. It's way less than either one of us makes, and combined it'll be easy to afford the bills. The guy said we can move in tomorrow."
Jessie jumped into Super Dave's lap...and gave him another good tumble in the hot tub. Once that was done, she started finding ways to combine the housewarming party with Jonathan's birthday party. He'd be aging into a child in a neighborhood with wonderful schools and a beautiful penthouse Jessie had only seen once when she'd been hired to be a caterer's assistant there early in her culinary career.
A few days later, Jessie was home by herself, Jonathan absorbing a daily dose of knowledge at school and Super Dave off at work when a visitor arrived.
"Is Super Dave Lembeck home?"
"Who wants to know?"
"Mizuki Nakagawa. I just wanted to..."
"Oh, hey, Mizuki! Long time no see!" Super Dave got home from work just in time to join the scene. "I see you've met my wife."
"Your WIFE?!" Mizuki said, shocked. "I thought we were..."
Jessie turned to Mizuki with a look of death in her eyes. "You were what?"
Super Dave interjected. "It was before we met, honey. I told her I just wanted to be friends, but she got it in her head that we were still soulmates."
"We ARE soulmates!" Mizuki protested.
"Take a walk with me, Mizuki," Jessie said. "I want to show you something."
As they walked up the stairs onto a rooftop terrace, Jessie led Mizuki over to a glass-and-steel fence that marked the boundary between solid ground and a 300-meter drop onto the concrete below from one of the tallest buildings in San Myshuno.
"Let's have something understood, hmm? If you don't leave my husband alone, I will Uncle Phil you over this fence faster than you can say Jazzy Jeff, got it?"
Mizuki went pale white and her voice cracked. "Got it."
"Good. Now get back on that elevator before I change my mind about letting you go to ground level the slow way."
(OOC: This was, functionally, my reaction to the game deciding it wanted to cast my male character's former landlady—and first love interest—as a lovelorn homewrecker. What the actual (expletive), game?!)
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
Triplets Cooper, Dennis & Ethan
Octavia was an RN on her way to being a doctor, but I couldn't get her to advance unless
I went to work with her.
Since she studied biology I switched her over to Marine biologist.
I had a little problem with the nanny, suddenly he & Octavia liked each other.
I have no idea how this relationship developed, a glitch? Very annoying!
He kept pursuing her and I thought he would destroy her marriage by kissing her or something.
The nannies alternate, so every time he shows up she's forced to fire him. He leaves and gets replace.
Lastly, Octavia hugging her oldest brother who's the next to die. His twin died during
Octavia's date with Branden and almost torpedoed their developing romance.
a daughter behind Alexander, Brody, Cooper, Dennis & Ethan, she's letter F, Felicity.
Poor little girl with 5 older brothers.
And some random stuff
"Mr. Nanny, why are you always here, don't you have a mommy & daddy?"
How do you have a conversation when both are wearing earbuds?
Daddy horse!
I wondered how Brody got up there.
My sim needed a husband - I made her one. I am in love, too.
They get on well. Kiss in the rain
The game led this save down another interesting road.
I already had someone in mind for her so they started dating right away.
A couple of dates later, they were smitten with each other.
Ariam went to her first gig. It did not go too well because i was clueless and did not make her prepare properly.
I love how she is looking at me like "Oh no, it refused to leave, what do we do now?" lol sorry, hun.
She went and took a nap like it was none of her business.
I thought she went to hide under the covers because she got scared or something, but nope, she was just sleeping on the job.
Oh no, it is very angry, and very cute!
We got a wedding. Woot!!
The guests were somewhere else stuffing their silly faces, but at least one person bothered to watch the ceremony.
Awww!
Tank's owner and Judith's husband Randy ate some leftovers (finally it's fixed).
Randy took Tank jogging with him.
Randy's on a military career and he has a fancy room for sparring in Judith's house... I mean their house now.
Randy is not married because of love, it's more because of money and he goes out with some younger ladies that he's attracted to. Angela Pleasant invited him to a date. She has no idea that he's married.
Angela left a bit too early and left Randy frustrated, just a kiss was not enough for him. He decided to continue with Judith when he got home...
Oops... guess who's pregnant.
"We caught your son trying to hack into the school's computers. We don't know what he was up to but he was up to something! What do you want us to do?"
The school wanted to throw the book at the boy, but Super Dave firmly told them to be lenient and teach the kid a lesson in conflict resolution. Jonathan probably thought that was that, but then he got home and got sat down for a father-son chat.
"You're a good kid, why are you getting into so much trouble at school?"
Jonathan was seemingly ready for this. He'd given it some thought.
"Because school is stupid. It's for kids with worthless parents who never teach them anything at home. I've never learned anything there. Everything I know I learned either from you and Mom or from learning on my own at home."
Super Dave tried to defend the social institutions of civilization, but he had to concede that his son had a point.
"Son, how many skills are you Certified Master at? Like, really certified, from the SimNation Board of Skills and everything?"
"Nine, counting the Handiness certification I got last night when you helped me finish those computer upgrades. If I applied to college tomorrow, I'd probably get a full ride."
Super Dave himself only had eight certifications, although he was almost there from the Charismatic Speakers' Guild. They'd rated him 9 out of 10 on their standards list and challenged him to become a friend to the world. For his son, halfway through his adolescence, to have already surpassed him was nothing short of astounding. Jessie had 12, but Jonathan would sure enough catch and surpass her, possibly before he grew up and left home.
"Tell you what, son. Thursday's going to be your last day at school. From then until you go to college, your mother and I are pulling you out and letting you do the At-Home Learning program* with the school district. You can spend your days working on more board certifications until you are old enough for the universities to let you in. And maybe I'll teach you the programming skills you'll need to hack without getting caught, you little terrorist."
Jonathan tried to look suitably chastened by the fact that he'd gotten in trouble, but he was too thrilled not to have to go to that gulag for seven hours a day and waste his time.
"Thanks, Dad. I hope you'll be proud of me."
"Your mother and I both are. We love you, kiddo."
*in-game, this is taking the last 4 school days as vacation days, but I always play them as "homeschooling" for children and teens.
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
I think he's showing off for Derick.
Raul:
and Maritza:
They have opposite color preferences in the new likes / dislikes system, but the same tastes in music. Raul is neat and charming and wishes to become an actor, Maritza is nerdy but worldly and wants to be an archeologist like their father.
The Arteaga twins. I'm imagining them having just moved to Windenburg from Selvadorada where they grew up with their mother; on having inherited a large house in Olde Platz. Their father lives in San Myshuno with his Latina half-sister - who is the mother of the sim I played through Strangerville. So yeah.... made parents of these two and another household, then made the parents siblings.
And of course I had to go get a nice house to put in Windenburg then spend a few hours fixing the interior to have two good sized bedrooms...
Now these poor sims are living in a large house with a pricey lot tax bill and need to find jobs and income before that cash meter hits 0...
At this point I've noticed that 3 of my 6 'played' households in my new save are African or mixed-African ancestry, so I've been trying to save more variety into the townies.
I played around with the Clubs system in earnest—usually it's something my sim dabbles in a little before remembering that my sims, on an Introversion scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being "cannot live without other people and go mad in a day in solitude" and 100 is "totally nonverbal, nonfunctioning autistic", rank an average of 70 or 80. They socialize only when their need bar requires it, they're going for reward points and forcing themselves to socialize—there's a beautiful irony in completing Friend of the World and spending the points on Needs No One—or they're married/talking to family. My celebrity sims will trigger the No Touching quirk on purpose just to get a confidence boost when they subsequently never touch anyone they're not committed to even casually.
This time, a collegiate Jonathan Lembeck formed a club called "Jonny's Honeys" which is as awful as you'd expect. He was the only man and the club activities awarded points for flirting, kissing, and woohooing other club members. Club gatherings were not only downright stag film-esque (at least as far as vanilla Sims with no CC can be), but also put the lie to the "no jealousy" claim associated with the Serial Romantic "Player" reward perk. Jonathan ended up at the end with six women furious at him for cheating and the seventh spared that fate only because adding her to the club tripped the last requirement for the Leader of the Pack ambition and put to an end the entire sordid affair. I thought the "do 50 romantic socials with your soulmate" requirement for the Soulmate ambition was tedious. You know how many times you have to woohoo a pack of women to get 1,000 club points?! The ghost of Hugh Hefner looked up at me from the Bad Place like "dude, enough already."
Is there a point to all this? Well, no, except for "there are places even I won't attempt to go in an in-universe storytelling style." I'm declaring the entire thing non-canon, Jonathan's asking all the women to be Just Friends, and I'm glad including the neighbor's wife in the woohoo melee didn't do any permanent damage to their marriage.
Normal service will resume with Lembeck the Younger re-introducing an old friend of the show back into the story, as Nicolette Stafford—one of the Koivonen Kids and the first sim I used to venture into the world of the Get Famous celebrity system—has become Jonathan's real love, and with that comes what I'm pretty sure is the first time I've used two "super sims" raised from infants to be skill-building super-machines to raise children of their own. Previously, I'd have either two created sims with no special perks or a superkid and a local random townie he or she picked as a mate.
The plan is to populate the next generation of my simworld with...shall we say upgraded lineages, and I don't mean magic bloodlines, I mean good old-fashioned Sim class divides. I might have to age off some older sims a bit later, but the Honored Dead Cemetery is there to hold them.
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
Sandi Golden called Aaron to ask him out on a date. He went, despite how angry and messed up his mood was. She gave him the what for. I no longer worry over these two. He's met his match. LOL
http://www.getfreeebooks.com/star-trek-original-series-fan-fiction-trilogy/
This time Diego Lobo was there to watch the performance. As SimNation's top arts critic, if Diego liked your work, you were probably getting a star on the Walk of Fame in Del Sol Valley. And Diego loved Jonathan's multi-talented free show for the public. He'd asked Dominic about Jonathan's abilities and Dominic replied "Jonathan is a man of so many talents that I can scarcely describe them all and still have time for a battle today."
It was decided that the Rome: Total War general speech quote would go on the inscription for Jonathan's plaque, and our man Lembeck had some fun with it when it was time to place the tile.
He turned to the crowd assembled and said, "And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!" before giving Dominic a handshake and a manly hug, taking a big bow to the crowd, and walking off to thunderous applause.
All that was left was to plan his wedding. Nicolette had said yes when he'd bent knee—in front of the paparazzi, of course, who lapped it up like eager kittens at a saucer of milk—in front of the San Myshuno observatory on a date the night before. And after that...climbing Mt. Komorebi? Catching every fish in Granite Falls? Plundering the treasures of Selvadorada?
Nah, he'd probably settle down and become a boring old dad. Jonathan took his phone out and called Super Dave to ask what his old man thought of the idea.
"Go for it, son. Just don't be surprised if your mother and I show up looking to lavish some love on the grandkids."
And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
My NBA site, Pace and Space
A lover of books and the number one fanboy (and assistant) of the famed horror novelist, Mortimer Goth, Gunther Munch had a rather... EVENTFUL time in his first ever work trip to Forgotten Hollow.
Click here to read more!
Sims Build Showcase Thread
Sims Premade Makeover Thread
For Sims, Sims Builds and Other Things (Old Blog)
For Sims, Sims Builds and Other Things (New Blog)
After they graduate it's back to life in San Myshuno, where they will resume the pursuit of fame. I know Jake (the male sim) will be using his drama degree to try his hand at being an actor. I'm interested to see where playing or future packs will take my crew.
*:.｡."It's great being ((Queen Bee))!".｡.:*
★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★
✧ :-"As long as I continue to believe then one day my ((dreams)) really will come true."✧ :-