There is no recap for Mia this update. She didn’t make it into any of the images. She went to school, drama club, did her homework, extra credit, wrote in her journal, eat, peed, went to bed. On the other hand, Skye got the pleasure of cleaning up all of the messes made by the toddlers. This house was so bright in the beginning and now it feels dark also.
Mia set up another audition and was successful so then she had to work on acting and fitness in preparation of the gig. The gig that I don’t even remember what it was for.
This is the bane of their day. Rey is happy and independent. Rex is clingy and sad. Jake has left for work so Rex is going to pout the rest of the day. They are actually watching Skye to build their thinking skill.
Now they are watching each other. Much easier than chasing Skye all over the house as she takes care of business.
Seriously, he was sad all freaking day.
At least until he passed out. Then he was sad for other reasons. Skye is standing there waiting on him to wake up so she can put him to bed.
This evening was a struggle. Rex was put to bed first, obviously. Then Jake started to work on getting Rey to bed while Skye took care of Eli.
After Skye and Jake left the room, Eli got out of bed and went into the hallway to pass out on the floor. Mia is already in bed and it is about this point that I realize I did not get any pictures of her today.
I thought the robot project was cute, too. This was the first time any of my teenagers received it as well. Jackson enjoys having someone to talk to now even though I am sure Robby doesn't understand a thing he says.
I'm behind on reading as I have been having a very stressful week myself at work, but I just read about your situation. I am sorry to hear about what's going on and hope things do look brighter. Family first as everyone says. Especially when one has cancer. I'm happy to hear you'll still play the Sims as a time away for yourself. Sending happy and loving thoughts your way.
I think you're the only one who has mentioned Jackson telling Duane of his situation could backfire. Let's hope it doesn't.
I honestly cannot wait until Month 2 for Jackson. He'll get more variety of foods, I guarantee it.
I'm really have a lot of fun with this little robot that Jackson built. I've always wanted to build a Servo with one of my Sims and I think this little robot can lead into Jackson doing that when he gets older.
I think the robot is wonderful. I honestly thought it was going to be some gadget he would have to build. Then when he completed it, I was in awe and knew it was a keeper and needed to stay in my story.
As the morning jog and swim continued, so did picking up the trash from the ocean. Jackson didn’t have to clean up every day, but it felt like he shouldn’t be doing it so much. A lot of it was bottles similar to the ones he found in digging.
After his swim Jackson had breakfast with Robby. Robby didn’t need food. But he kept Jackson company. Jackson talked while Robby made some beeping noising and spun around as if acknowledging what Jackson was saying.
At school, Jackson was improving in classes. He had been concentrating a little more. He was still the average student and only did what was needed to pass, but now he was in a better mood.
When Jackson got home from school, he decided to try some fishing again. He hadn’t gone fishing since he failed the first time. He knew he needed to practice more and eventually a fish would attach itself to his line without escaping. Soon enough his fishing line snagged something. It was heavy. Jackson thought he had caught a big one. After reeling it in, he found out the end of his line attached itself to a log. It was no fish, but now he had seating besides the cooler. He spent time cleaning it off and making it suitable before he had to head off to work.
After another slow day at work, Jackson did a little more digging. His new hobby. He found more treasures and was eager to ask Duane about them over the weekend. With Robby by his side, Jackson then lit the firepit and decided to try the veggie dogs he has been putting off lately. The color was very unappealing. However, once he tried it after it was full roasted, he found out it wasn’t that bad after all.
Side Notes:
It seems I got two notifications in the last two in-game days where Jackson and some other students studied together which also is being used as doing homework. I find it funny I still am not making him do any homework, but his grades meter is going up. It’s definitely not a complaint, just humorous. As I didn’t want him in a study group for story purposes, I am using his robot he made as part of him working a little harder at school.
More cheating time. Jackson caught a log fishing. That’s funny. In the game, the log is tossed away, but I decided to add it to the story so now he has something to sit on. This means I’d have to spend simoleons for a log seating. Therefore, I refunded the simoleons back into Jackson’s funds as if he never spent anything.
Aspiration: Beach Life: Milestone II: Find Things Beachcombing — completed
Morning jogs and swims have been rejuvenating for Jackson. Cleaning the ocean has not. Yet, he still liked cleaning up to make sure the waters were clean and clear for the fish that were around.
Jackson called Duane up to see if he wanted to hang out for awhile. Duane didn’t hesitate and said he would be right over. Duane liked the fact that Jackson confided in him and even though he knew how Jackson was living, invited him over. Jackson introduced Duane to Robby.
Jackson: “He’s been great company lately.”
Duane: “He sure looks like a fun little robot. I hope you received a good grade for that.”
Jackson: “A+!”
Duane(changing the subject): “How’s the fishing going? Are you eating more than cereal and yogurt these days?”
Jackson: “Thanks for the hotdogs. I’ve been roasting those mainly. Fishing hasn’t been to great. I’ve caught….zero so far.”
Duane: “It takes time. You’ll eventually get better at it. Have you explored other areas to fish?”
Jackson: “Not really. I have explored to go sight-seeing, but that’s it.”
Duane: “Have you found the cave yet?”
Jackson: “Cave?”
Duane: “Guess you haven’t. Do you want to see it?”
Jackson: “Depends what’s in it?”
Duane: “There’s no fun in that if I told you. I will tell you there’s nothing in there that will eat you.”
Duane nudges Jackson with a small chuckle.
Duane leads Jackson to where the cave is on Mua Pel’am. There, a big cave stood before Jackson and Duane. Jackson tried to peek in as Duane smirked. It was too dark to see anything. He slowly made his way into the darkened cave walking slowly.
Duane(yelling): “I’ll wait here!”
Barely able to see anything, Jackson makes his way through the cave. Near the end of Jackson’s exploration, he spotted a light radiating from the passage ahead. Distracted and not looking where he was stepping, Jackson cartwheeled into an underground river. Drenched and forgetting about the light, Jackson decided to cut his adventure short rather than press on with soaked clothing. The river led back to land where Duane was waiting.
Around 2:00pm, Duane mentioned he had to get back home and do some house things before heading off to work. He wanted to meet up again tomorrow with Jackson to show him some other exploration that he knew Jackson has not done yet as well. After Duane had left, Jackson did some more digging. He hoped he could find more rare treasures like the eye of Sulani. And even more seashells he could show off to Duane or sell for simoleons.
Duane: “I heard you scream and knew you must have fell into the river. You weren’t the first and most likely won’t be the last.”
Jackson: “What was that light?”
Duane: “Something you’ll have to find out at a later time. Now let’s get you back to your place, so you can dry out your clothes.”
As it it was a very hot day, it wouldn’t take long for his clothes to dry. Jackson showed Duane his beachcombing collection so far. Jackson had caught four types of shells. Duane told him they were conch, abalone, scallop, and tulip. Duane mentioned there was a vendor who bought seashells if Jackson was looking for some extra simoleons. Jackson did want to keep his collection, but thought of maybe selling his duplicates he digged up. He then showed Duane the other treasures he had found. Duane took a look at them and said they were the heart and fingers of Sulani that he found and were common, but the eye of Sulani was rare.
Later, Jackson got ready for work. He enjoyed talking to the others at the beach and just watching the waters from his lifeguard chair. It was a good way to end his evening before heading home to roast something to eat and then going to sleep in his tent.
Side Notes:
This was the first time I explored the Beach Cave. I was hoping it was a hidden spot like in Granite Falls. Oh, well.
A bit longer because there is a house tour involved. Enjoy!
May 23 - University - WK 2 - Saturday - A Day Together in Mt. Komorebi - Part 1
It was still dark Saturday when Sakura and Wolfgang were ready to leave Windenburg for Mt. Komorebi. They had already said their goodbyes and were just waiting for the shuttle to the airport. They had both donned winter clothes, because Sakura told Wolfgang that there would already be snow in Mt. Komorebi. They were both in good spirits as they headed off.
On arrival in Mt. Komorebi, they had taken a shuttle to their chalet rental which was near the snow slopes in the Yukimatsu district.
Sakura: "This is the place, 5-1-2 Kiyomatsu. The rental is a traditional Japanese design."
Wolfgang looked around and admired the rental and the gorgeous scenery that was around them. "It is so beautiful here, Sakura. I can't wait for you to show me around."
Sakura: "There are a few customs and traditions that you will also need to learn. When you enter a Japanese house, you must always remove your shoes in the genkan (foyer). This is because some Japanese sims eat on a tatami mat on the floor, and also sleep on a futon on the floor. Taking off your shoes helps to keep the house clean."
Wolfgang: "Well, that makes sense. I better make sure then that there are no holes in my socks!"
Sakura and Wolfgang laughed and entered the rental.
Almost immediately, Wolfgang removed his shoes. Sakura did the same and smiled at him.
They entered a foyer area which led to the kitchen and a music room.
Directly off the foyer was another room with a kotatsu table surrounded by cushions. Sakura explained that this was a traditional Japanese dining room, where hot pot was served.
Sakura: "If you like, we can have dinner here tonight. I believe that there are kimonos in the rooms."
Wolfgang: "A kimono?"
Sakura laughed, "Yes, it is the traditional dress of Mt. Komorebi. If you have trouble, I can assist helping you get dressed..." she offered.
Wolfgang swallowed hard, "Um...ahhh...I am sure I can figure it out and be able to get dressed myself."
Sakura: "Or, if you prefer, we can go out for dinner...."
Wolfgang: "Whatever you like, Sakura, this is your weekend..."
Sakura: "Okay, I will think about that then. Let's head upstairs and see the other rooms..."
Sakura and Wolfgang climbed the stairs to the second floor and there was a hallway which led to 4 doors. They entered the farthest room first.
Sakura looked at the room and saw a gift basket of bath products on the dresser and a bonsai wish plant sitting beside it.
Wolfgang glanced around the room and saw the double bed and the two robes hanging on the wall, "Sakura, I think this might be your room," he said softly. Wolfgang hadn't really thought about what would happen after the Olympic Games, and just hoped that Kiyoshi wouldn't be staying over tomorrow night, here, in this room, with Sakura. That is, if Sakura wanted to stay with Kiyoshi. But Wolfgang knew he wouldn't be able to stay here if Kiyoshi and Sakura were together. Maybe it was a good thing that River was renting a house somewhere here in Mt. Komorebi. He would have to contact River tomorrow and touch base.
Sakura: "Come on, Wolfgang, let's have a look at the other rooms before we decide."
They entered a smaller bedroom and Wolfgang saw a gift basket of oranges on the dresser. "I am calling dibs on this room. Those oranges have my name written on them...but I can be convinced to share some,.."
Sakura: "Ah, you are very fortunate to receive those mandarin oranges. Fruit is very expensive here, and it is a very esteemed gift. Let's take a look at the other room."
They headed into the other room which was a small gym. The other door on this floor led to a bathroom, and there was also a bathroom on the main level.
There was another little hut next to the larger house, and Sakura and Wolfgang looked inside. It contained a fireplace, couch and television.
Wolfgang: "Oh, this is nice and cozy. Maybe we'll finally get to watch a movie together."
Sakura: "Oh, Wolfgang, I am so sorry about last night. I was so tired. I didn't mean to fall asleep."
Wolfgang: "That's alright, Sakura. It was a long day, and I was pretty tired, too. If we had watched that movie, I would have probably fallen asleep watching it. Plus, I didn't want to be tired today with all the adventures you might have planned..."
They headed outside, "So, talking about adventures...we should take a walk over to the small climbing wall and check the info board to see what is happening in Mt. Komorebi today," Sakura suggested.
They walked over and Wolfgang read the board and saw that The Festival of Snow would be held later on today.
Sakura: "Oh Wolfgang! I am so happy that you will be here during a festival, and the Festival of Snow is one of my favorites."
Wolfgang: "We should probably unpack and get into some warmer clothes if we are going to be outside most of the day."
And with that, they headed back to the house and changed into some warmer snow clothes.
Sakura: "So, do you think you might want to do some real rock climbing? We can try at the small climbing wall, if you like..."
Wolfgang: "That was a small climbing wall? Okay, sure. I am up for it. What about you? Do you think you should...um...do some rock climbing?"
Sakura: "Of course! This way I can show you how it's done on a REAL rock climbing wall..."
Wolfgang: "Okay, then. You're on!"
They headed over to the small rock climbing wall, and Wolfgang watched Sakura stretch and chalk her hands and then begin the climb. She was so fast and just scaled that wall like a little monkey.
Wolfgang took his time and concentrated on the hand holds....
...and he was almost to the top...
...and then he slipped and fell on his back to the ground. "Geez! This isn't like rock climbing at the gym!" he thought.
Sakura had already climbed up once and came down again and stood beside Wolfgang and saw him lying on the ground.
Sakura: "Taking a rest are you, Wolfgang?"
Wolfgang got up and winked at Sakura, "You know, I was just analyzing the rock formations from down here...really interesting rock outcrops..."
Sakura laughed, "Well, maybe we should try something that you might be familiar with. How about we go sledding down the Bunny Slope?"
Wolfgang: "Now you're talking! You are looking at Windenburg's champion snow sledder of all time! I am going to show you how it's done! Lead on, Sakura!"
As they ran up to the top of the Bunny Slope together, Wolfgang glanced at Sakura, "You know, that is a pretty nice beanie that you're wearing."
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang: "Thank you. I actually knitted it myself."
Wolfgang smiled at Sakura, "Oh? Well, it's cute..." ("And...dang...Sakura...you're so cute..." he thought.)
Wolfgang and Sakura positioned themselves in the sled, and Sakura pushed them off.
Wolfgang: "Now, if you get scared or anything, just hold on tight to me..."
Sakura wrapped her arms around Wolfgang, and snuggled close to him. Wolfgang was thinking that sledding together was the best idea yet and was enjoying the feel of Sakura's arms around him. Dang! Wolfgang was thinking of how soft she felt against him and was daydreaming a bit of maybe snuggling before that fireplace later on...and then kissing her sweet lips...and telling her he loved her...
Oh my plumbobs! Wolfgang was jolted out of his daydream when he suddenly saw a ski jump up ahead. And before Wolfgang had a chance to veer the sled, they were airborne! And then they hit another ski jump! Bump! Yikes!
But thankfully they landed safely at the bottom of the hill and Sakura was laughing. "Oh, you are a daredevil, Wolfgang, going over those two jumps...I think that sledding might be too tame for you! Let's go rent some skis and do some runs..."
Wolfgang: "Skiing? Um, well, I have never skied before, but sure, I'll give it a try..." Wolfgang wondered where Sakura was getting all this energy from. Wolfgang was starting to feel sore in places he hadn't ever known existed. All he wanted to do was find a hot tub somewhere and just soak in there all afternoon. But he definitely wasn't going to let Sakura know that he was sore and out of shape.
They rented some skis and went up the Bunny Slope again and Sakura gave Wolfgang a few pointers before she skied down.
Wolfgang looked at Sakura as she did some fancy jump off the ski jump. Oh sure! It figures that she was great at skiing, too.
Wolfgang thought it didn't look so bad and skied down and hit the first jump. Yes! Look at me! I am "Eddie The Eagle!
And then Wolfgang landed....
Wolfgang wiped out at the bottom of the hill wondering how Sakura could be so graceful on the slopes while he looked so clumsy and couldn't even make it down the Bunny Slope. Maybe it's a good thing he hadn't suggested that they go up the gondola and try a few runs.
Suddenly, he heard music and some announcements and Sakura came running over telling him that the Festival of Snow had started.
Sakura: "Are you hungry? There is a traditional food which is only served at the Festival of Snow. Would you like to try it?"
Wolfgang perked up then, "Food? Oh yeah! Now you're talking. Sure...I'll try some."
Sakura bought Wolfgang some food and he sat down with some chop sticks and started eating it.
Wolfgang: "Mmmm....tastes good. What am I eating exactly?"
Sakura: "It is Ikayaki, which is grilled squid topped with soy sauce. It is a very popular fast food."
Wolfgang: "Alright, I think I could eat another one of those...very tasty.."
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang, "You are a very adventurous eater, Wolfgang. I like that about you."
Wolfgang: "Well, I'll try anything once...now if I could just get the hang of these chop sticks..."
They both laughed as Wolfgang stabbed a piece of squid.
Sakura saw Yamachan, and told Wolfgang that Yamachan was the official mascot of Mt. Komorebi. Wolfgang decided to take a selfie with Yamachan.
Sakura and Wolfgang went over to the vending machines and each purchased a festival simmi.
Then it was time for the snowpal competition, and, of course, Wolfgang and Sakura entered.
Wolfgang and Sakura were having such fun They even made some snow angels together. Sakura was really happy that she had asked Wolfgang to come with her. When the festival lights came on, the snow sculptures were lit up and everything looked so magical.
It was already dark and Sakura suggested that they head up the gondola and see the festival lights from above.
As they rode up the gondola, Sakura told Wolfgang that she wanted to show him where the start of the Summit Climb was, which she would be heading on tomorrow with Kiyoshi after the Olympic competition was over.
Wolfgang tried to smile, but the more he thought about it, the more he dreaded Sakura going on that mountain climb with Kiyoshi. Wolfgang felt he was running out of time, and he had to tell her soon, or it would be too late.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
Sims can't actually take a vacation while they are attending university, so I just moved Sakura and Wolfgang into the house (using the free real estate cheat) and changed the lot from a rental to residential. (I moved Jeb into the Rival House, so he is holding it for them.) This worked perfectly. The house is the one which came with the Snowy Escape pack, but I just did a little re-do of the property. I added a piano and guitar, and moved the tv to the outdoor room. Upstairs, I changed one of the bedrooms to a gym and changed the guest bedroom from twin beds to a double bed.
@SoulGal7 , WOLFIE, TELL HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE YESTERDAY!!!!!
My love, my love, my fearless love, I will not say goodbye..
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
It seemed like just another Friday. Marnie was up early, fixing the bathroom plumbing so the kids would be able to get ready for school. From the other room, all she could hear was Bennie sitting on his rear watching the sports channel. The longer it took her to fix the plumbing, the more annoyed she got.
Consequently, once the plumbing was fixed, Marnie turned to taking care of Bennie. Incensed, she yelled at him about rarely opening the store anymore, and about skipping work days. Bennie looked at her with a stunned expression, and didn’t say anything for a while.
He was still stewing about it when Marnie got back up and went to take care of the kids and make sure all got to school okay.
But, by the time he got to eating breakfast, his anger was pretty much boiling over. How DARE she get on him for not working hard enough after what he’d done for the family yesterday. No WAY was he going to open the store this morning, either. Just to prove to her that he didn’t have to listen to her. He had been planning on telling her his surprise as soon as the kids left for school, but he decided, to punish her, that he’d make her wait until after school when he announced it to everyone. (Marnie, however, was busy with the twins.. and was clueless to being “punished” for something she had no idea about…. )
To pass the time, he tried dumpster diving, but eventually, he decided it wasn’t really worth it. All he was finding were some small amounts of change, and nothing good to sell.
Back inside, he was watching one of the twins playing peacefully by himself when his phone rang. His boss was yelling at him for missing work – again. Bennie assured him he would be there in a short while, that he had to have a quick meeting with his family when the kids got home from school first. His boss grumbled a bit, but in the end, relented.
Once the kids were all home, Bennie had everyone (except for the twins, who he deemed too young to care) sitting at the table.. mostly just staring at him in wonder, because something like this had never happened before.
“I have GREAT news, everyone! Just wait until you hear this!” Bennie started, grinning internally at the wonder on everyone’s faces (except for Marnie, who still looked thunderous).
“I got a truly amazing deal on a real house for us. I found it at auction for real cheap, and we’ll be able to move in as soon as we clean it up and move our stuff. No longer will we have to stay in this apartment, or worry about the store, since I got a promotion at work, and found someone who was more than willing to buy the store as-is.”
Phoenix was the first to react, squealing in joy.
Glancing around at his family, Bennie tried to gauge their reactions. Marnie was still staring at him in confusion, and not a little bit of distrust, but smiles seemed to be the biggest reaction around the table. Feeling like he’d done his good deed for the day, Bennie excused himself and headed to work. (Two hours late!)
While trying to help out his mother, Benji discovered that he really didn’t like handiness. He vowed to find an easier way to deal with things.
When Bennie got home from work, he found Marnie getting ready for bed. Suspicious, Bennie wondered why she had waited up for him. She quietly apologized for yelling at him that morning.
“I had no idea you were working to get us a house, Bennie.” she said, and Bennie suppressed a satisfied smile.
“Of course you didn’t, I hadn’t told anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise!” Bennie crowed. “You and I can go look at it tomorrow to see what will need to be done this weekend to get it ready to live in.”
Marnie smiled to herself, sighing happily. Perhaps this was the change she had always been hoping for. She’d always dreamed of having her own home!
Behind her, Bennie closed his eyes and hoped this whole thing would go by easily, and that the new job position would lead to the success he truly wanted.
After everyone was in bed, Benji was still awake. Finally, sick of trying to sleep, he got up, got something to eat, then bundled up and wandered around outside. He wondered to himself how to get out of the situation he found himself in. He didn’t want to be stuck living in this family.. and now that he’d just graduated (barely, at that…), he was realizing that he needed to move on. Soon. He was pretty sure a cheap house from an auction was NOT the good thing Bennie was saying it was, and Benji wanted no part of it. While wandering idly, he suddenly noticed something he hadn’t really noticed before.
Was this an actual suit of armor just standing here? With nobody paying it any attention? Benji wondered how much it might be worth. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to steal, and he doubted anyone would even notice it gone this weekend with all the chaos of moving….
His mind now whirling, Benji chuckled to himself, and started trying to figure out who he could sell this thing to under the table. First, he had to find someone to appraise it on the sly… but that wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like the store was going to be filled with customers this weekend, or anything!
Finally smiling again, Benji wandered back upstairs and climbed back into bed. Trigger warning: Small furry animals lurk below.
Squeaks and skittering noises woke Marnie and Bennie up early. Marnie sighed, and looked down at the mouse hole in consternation. Good thing she wouldn’t have to deal with them soon.
Bennie, on the other hand, was furious. If there were mice in the new house.. he swore to himself he’d call a pest control company and get rid of them for good. No more living with mice. He munched on a mid-night snack, then made the “rounds” – depositing traps in all the holes before heading back to bed to get a little bit more sleep. (Um.. Bennie.. I think you missed one…
Also. I got the life scared out of me while playing this day.. while everyone was in bed, the save feature went grey, and it said I couldn’t save while someone was dying…. !!!! I have no idea who it was, but thankfully, it wasn’t the Murphy bed. LOL. Eventually, it went back to white so I could save, and I breathed a VERY relieved sigh.)
I always feel the need to pop in when I can't do proper comments daily just to let you all know that I'm always planning on commenting when I can. Today was just a super busy day, and tomorrow is my last day nannying for the kids I've watched for two years now (getting emotional already thinking about saying goodbye) and then my parents are having a Memorial Day party tomorrow evening. I don't even have an update ready to go for tomorrow like I usually do, so I probably won't get around to comments until Saturday at this point. But I have read through your updates, since I often check the forums on my phone throughout the day and read updates when I can, and even if I can't reply in a timely manner, I just like popping in to let you all know that your updates are all so creative and fun to read since I know it's nice to hear that after you all put hard work into your gameplay and putting your updates together
Damon dropped his sprayer and sped over to pick up one of the Mother's minion's and threw him at one of the steel doors surrounding the pit. He lay dazed for only a moment, but it was enough.
The Mother screamed in rage, lowering her gigantic blossom head and growled fiercely at Essa. (YOU CAN NOT DEFEAT ME. BOW AND KNOW PEACE!)
"Oh yes we can, you're nothing but a weed to be whacked!"
"THROW YOUR VACCINES AT HER. NOW!"
Josh, Melody and Damon threw their vaccines at the weakening Mother simultaneously. *KAPOW*
She roared and screeched in pain, her arms flailing wildly!
The Mother plant once again lowered her head and opened her petals wider than ever before to let out an ear-splittingly loud screech that seemed to go on forever. Essa saw her chance and threw a jar of vaccine straight into the Mother's mouth.
"IT'S OVER BEAST, YOU'RE DONE!" (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) The Mother screamed in Essa's head.
The Mother roared again, over and over in a death song, twisting and thrashing in pain as the vaccine infused her entire body.
In one last ditch effort to expel the vaccine, she blew a glowing green cloud of it from her body, but it was too late. She collapsed and began to fall. The impact of her monstrous body hitting the floor shook the Lab to it's core and a deafening thunder clap sound filled the air. Sparks flew from the electrical fence enclosure wherever her twitching plant limbs crossed it. And then...there was silence.
The Mother plant was dead.
"YESSSSSS! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! SHE'S DEAD! THE MOTHER IS DEAD!"
Everyone grabbed handfuls of confetti they'd stuffed in their pockets in hopes of an impending celebration and threw them in the air, cheering and screaming their Victory! Essa would now and forever be recognized as the Hero of StrangerVille. But in her eyes, they were all Heroes! She would never forget this was a team effort, no one person had beat the Mother, they all had.
Essa saw Josh begin to run toward her, removing the hazmat suit as he went. She smiled and laughed while taking off her suit as well. It would never be needed again. Josh tossed the suit aside and leapt up the platform stairs taking two at a time as Essa stood with her arms wide open to receive him. He rushed into them for a glorious celebratory kiss!
"I'm so proud of you Beautiful."
"I'm proud of all of us! We did it Josh, we did it!"
Damon and Melody soon joined them on the platform.
"Thank you so much for your help Damon. We couldn't have done this without you." "You're welcome Essa, any time. I'll always be there for you, always."
"Thank you too Melody, you're the best! I'm so glad I met you. I hope we're friends for the rest of our lives." "Aww, you're welcome. I want that too!"
"Thanks from me too Melody. It takes a lot of compassion and a good heart to step up and help those you don't even know that well. I hope we can be friends forever too." "Aww, man, thanks for saying that Josh. You're a sweetheart. But we already are friends, right? I wouldn't do this for just anybody." Melody smiled and reached for Josh's hand to give it a squeeze. "Ah heck that's not gonna do it Dude." Melody said and gave Josh a quick hug. He smiled and hugged her back. "I should probably get going though, my Dude's waiting up for me. But there's one more thing I need to say." "Damon? I can't thank you enough for taking care of that plant guy. I was so focused on ripping that Mother a new one, I didn't even see him. Who knows what could've happened if you didn't. Normally I love seeing Daddy, but I'm glad he didn't need to show up today!" Melody gave Damon a warm hug as well before she turned to go home.
"Bye guys, see you soon!"
Everyone said their goodbyes to Melody as she walked down the platform and disappeared down the corridor. Her words about Daddy were a bit cryptic and confusing to Josh and Essa, but they had a feeling Daddy was someone they didn't want to meet any time soon.
Damon, on the otherhand, had a lightbulb revelation. (Ohhhh man, of course! I knew her name sounded familiar! )
Essa too knew who Melody's Father was, but she didn't know she knew. She'd talked to him many times on the phone without realizing who or what he was.
"Thank you again for trusting me and asking me to help. Giving me a chance to show I've changed... well, it means a lot to me. I hope this helps in some small way. Anything else you need, just ask, I'll come running, always. I hope we'll always at least be friends. And... maybe some day we can be too Josh?"
"Hey, what you did today? Agreeing to help, risking your life like that, maybe even saving Melody's? It's a lot more than helping in just a small way, okay? I don't know you at all, and didn't want to know you, but...I'm glad you were here to help us today. Hard as it is for me to admit...you were a big help today and I'm grateful. So....thank you."
"You're more than welcome! It means a lot to hear you say that."
"Understand now, this doesn't mean we're going to be best buds any time soon or anything like that though. Okay? I'm just grateful for what you did today. I'm still not going to ever forget what you did...before, but, yeah...that's all."
"I'm just glad I probably don't have to worry about you trying to beat me up anymore."
"Wellllll, I wouldn't say that's true, exactly. I'd still love to smack you around, but...yeah, I won't. I'm still going to think about it though. Sorry, that's just the way it is. I'm sure you understand." "Oh yeah, I get it. I have two very good reasons for understanding that, Molly and my Son. If anyone hurt them, I'd feel just like you do. Maybe one day we should just duke it out to get it over with huh?"
"Maybe, we'll see." Josh said with a wink and a small smile he couldn't help from showing up on his face at Damon's words. "Anyway, speaking of Molly and Seth, I should get going too. Molly's waiting up for me as well and I don't want her to worry anymore than she does about me."
"Hopefully we can get together again soon under better circumstances and just hang out. Or call me if you need me, anytime, seriously!"
Josh and Essa said their goodbyes to Damon as he sped away in the blink of an eye.
"Hey Beautiful, how's my Hero? Feel like doing some more celebrating? We're all alone now."
"Oh I think I know what that means." "Doesn't it always?"
"Always! So, bed, shower or both?" "How about all three?"
"Three? That's only two, where'd you go to school?" Essa said with a laugh. "Follow me, I'll show you what I mean by three."
"Well this is exciting! Did you find another bed or something looking around the Lab that day?" "Maybe. You'll see. It's a surprise!"
"Oh Babe, I love surprises. Especially from you."
"Best.Surprise.Ever!" "Ohhh yeahhh, come here my Beautiful Hero!"
Cute how Ruby decided to befriend the monster under the bed. Never tried that with my kids. They usually have the light anyway that wards off those, so haven't even seen it in years. lol Jules is a very good Mom! Gave Ruby some great advice. Aww, love that teach to knit interaction too! Great way you're handling the move for next month. It'll be nice for Ruby to have Kristine nearby too. It'll help her adjust more easily to a new home.
The dream began after Josh said he was going to go walk around and see if they'd missed anything. He did walk around and the room with the blow-up bed was where he ended up. He was just going to take a short nap, but fell into a deep sleep. Essa was busy making vaccines, so she didn't notice at first he'd been gone so long. But it got late and she was hungry like she said when trying to wake him up, so she went looking for him, worried something had happened to him.
So you want to know all my secrets eh? Well, let's see. First, the Mother did not burn. I just made it look like she did with some creative angles after having Josh inferniate those vines around the platform. There's no options on the Mother to use magic. The daily pic screenshot was from my first Hero's victory. I just photoshopped it to make it look like the Mother was burnt and smoking. The town overview and Lab were both from that playthrough as well. For after the 'victory' when Josh inferniated the Mother, I really did get them preggers for the screenshots, but I didn't save. So there you go!
Ruby's in scouts now, cool. Cute gapped-tooth look! Nice chapter showing their everyday lives until we start next month. Glad to find out I'm not the only one that had troubles with it. I mean sorry we all did, but you know that old saying, "Misery loves company."
Another fantastic post with Wolfgang having a chat with his Mother. You have made Mila like the perfect Mom, I love her! She had some wonderful advice for her Son. And then she gives him that ring! Gah! Would be so perfect if he ended up being able to ask Sakura to marry him and give it to her! One can dream... *dreamy romantic sigh*
Oh man, I missed your birthday! Well Happy Belated Birthday anyway, I hope you had a fantastic day filled with lots of love and laughter with family and friends!
Ooo, another twist eh? How exciting! Can't wait to find out what that's all about. I can certainly understand how you'd be obsessed with them, heck I'M obsessed with them. Yep, that scenario is usually what happens with my Sim couples too. It's fun taking it slow for a change eh? Essa and Josh have been together for quite awhile now, but, as you know, it took them time to get together and they still aren't married or have any children. All that will come with time though.
What a wonderful day for these two to spent on Mt. Komorebi together! Wolfgang should realize if Sakura were really pregnant, she would not being doing any of those Winter sports. But, of course, he's a guy and trusts that Sakura knows what she's doing. Very cute how he loved the squid! I thought for sure he'd hate it. hehe What!? How did I not remember Sakura was going to climb the mountain with Kyoshi again? Oh boy, yeah, Wolfgang hurry up and tell her you love her before it's too late!
"bump your butt" HAHA What does that even mean? It sounded funny though. So glad Naoki and Bryon talked things out. Bryon still doesn't like the idea, but he'll go with him for Naoki's sake. The things we do for love eh? Congrats to Bryon for completing the Painter Extraordinaire aspiration! hehe Go Bryon with the knitting! Josh loves it too, so relaxing!
So glad he finally got promoted! Happy you liked how it's going so far with the two of them as part of the battle team. It's been hilarious so far! Lots of things happened too that won't make it into any updates. Don't worry, they do get serious about the task at hand.
GAH! Why didn't you show them possessed!? I'm sure it was funny to see! Love that Day 13 image of the cloud above the crater with the sun behind it! So pretty! Looks like they're progressing through the mystery well! Beautiful images for both chapters.
First of all - I am so, so sorry for being late (and for not doing comments and such).
Second, I don't quite know how to progress. I have had plans for the next few days, but think that perhaps a little time jump would be good - to get me closer to the Twins moving out, and the challenge Sim. Perhaps I'll be making retorspective posts or something, I don't know yet.
For now - fun update, first Winterfest for me. It was super chaotic, we had a fire, so I didn't include that many comments. I mean, the pics do speak for themselves... (except for the reason behind them woohooing, but hey, I am super tired and I need my challenge Sim. Don't judge. )
last update | Overview post&rules Update 23- Bridgeview
Sarahs Diary
Typical Winterfest... Right? Up at the crack of dawn to decorate, behind me Greg kicking the trash can instead of helping... What *is* his problem?!
Okay, THIS is typical though. A loose toddler at 5am because he was too excited for the presents? I was like that too.
Perfect!
I allowed the kids to invite over some friends, but only the twins took up on the offer.
Then, it was time to decorate the tree and enjoy the meal I put together.
Um... Yeah. Let's try that again, right?
Granny died! I'm so sad for her, but I guess, it was time. I hope she'll take joy in seeing her Grandchildren grow up.
After meeting Father Winter, it was birthday time! I can't believe I'm already an adult. And Greg too! We have come a long way from our inexperienced young selves - graduating high school, having the twins, Greg taking his programming course, the life we have built together... It may not be exciting, or fun, or full of freedom. But it is filled with love and warmth and happiness - we're all together as a family.
After putting away all the decorations and getting all the excited kids to bed, it was time to warm up together for Greg and me.
Characters, Lot, Gallery
Gallery (Sims and houses): Hashtag #onemonthoneworldoneyear, Name "One Sim - Fam. Britton". My gallery name is Noctuara.
Parents: Sarah and Greg Britton. They live on the 20x15 "Comfy Cubby" in Bridgeview, Newcrest.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
Greg Britton - Greg is an adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he tries his best... (and I help him by x-ing out all his autonomous mean&mischievous interactions from the Parenthood traits) He was working in business, but hated it. So he enrolled for a Programming course and is now a freelance programmer listed with an agency. On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a teenager already. She continues to prefer doing things alone, mostly being outside gardening.
Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a teenager as well. He likes being outdoors at the river catching some fish, or taking a nap to recover after all the work fishing is.
Miles Britton - The thirdborn. He is a child already. His fun-loving personality is overshadowed by some gloom, and he aims to uncover the secrets of simkind at his science table.
Connor Britton - The fourthborn. He is a toddler at the moment, and is a very wild child full of energy.
others:
Gary Whelan, a friend of Greg from high school. Lives on "Oak Alcove", 20x15, Bridgeview. He is a Bro, Geek and Active. He works as a Game developer.
Fam. Aldrich, the neighbours and friends of Sarah. They live on the 30x20 "Fernpark" in Bridgeview. Elderly Pamela lives here with her Grandchildren after both parents died in a plague at young years. Pamela loves to Garden, cook at spend time with her Grandchildren. And if she had the time (and I the money), she'd love to learn to knit. Readhed Alexia, already a Young Adult, is the image of her mother. She loves to paint, channeling all her emotions on the canvas. She feels heavily responsible for her younger siblings, Tessa and Joey (twins). Tessa loves to make crafts like her big Sister and is very creative, while Joey has a lot of Energy and is very much into sports.
Schedule (subject to change)
I am planning to play for 14 months, starting on the 1st of June with the Main Sim's toddler birthday. In May I will set up the rest of the family and play the Main Sim's baby stage. After that: 2 weeks as a toddler, 1 1/2 months as a child, 3 months as a teen, 3 months as a Young Adult, 3 months as an Adult and 3 months as an Elder for the Main Sim.
For all others, I will use these MCC settings, starting on 1st of June, so it roughly works. (Combined, the Teen, YA, Adult and Elder stages are exactly 365 days right now).
Pregnany: 5 days
Baby: 7 days
Toddler: 14 days
Child: 45 days
Teen: 90 days
Young Adult: 93 days
Adult: 92 days
Elder: 90 days
This might change when I get a feeling for the challenge. I will possibly extend this for a next Gen, or extend the YA and Adult stages, if I get Brindleton Bay and subsequent other worlds. And if I manage to stick around that long.
I will start playing in Bridgeview (Newcrest) with a big family and the Baby No. 5 as main sim. I will move neighborhood each month, alternating the worlds. This starts as soon as the Main Sim turns teen.
I want to work on roughly two aspirations per month with my Main Sim, or, better said, on about 3 goal sets of the "Master Simmer" challenge to try and get all achievements - mainly because with my current packs there are 38 goal sets - 3,1666 per month. (See Rules).
I think with normal play, I'll never get there! But with so much time to stretch out the skilling, it might work. And it will definitely keep me from getting bored.
*Updated my May 27th post above! Additional comments/replies will have to come later tonight. Need to feed my kitties and get some sleep! Have a good one everybody!
We are getting so close to the end of the month. There isn’t a recap for Mia today since nothing has changed from the last recap. She will work on the eggs collection on Monday, Eli will become a child on Sunday, Zoe will become a toddler on Sunday, and the month will end on Tuesday. Mia will become a teen on Wednesday, June 1. Also as a note, Eli and Rey are top-notch toddlers while Rex only has the last level of Thinking. I would love to get Zoe to top-notch toddler before Mia moves out, but we will see. Oh yeah, and today is New Year’s Eve. The last day of the year. 28 days of challenge.
Today is the day that Rex is going to master thinking and become a top-notch toddler also. But first, he has to eat and he really needs some attention, which Jake is glad to provide.
Umm. Oh. Rey was told to watch television and this was her response. She doesn’t look very impressed.
Eli needs attention, Rex is watching, and Rey is finally watching television.
Since today is New Year’s Eve, Skye, Jake, and Mia make resolutions. Mia is the first one to complete hers and she does it soon after making the resolution – to improve a skill. She improves her singing skill.
Rex has finally mastered thinking. That just leave Zoe to become a top-notch toddler.
I had to take a picture because this is the first time this has happened. All three toddlers are chilling on the couch.
Skye has done what I didn’t expect. She received a promotion to Supporting Actress (level 5) and she finally became a B-Lister (fame level 3). Her fame perks are Corporate Partnership, Influencer, Noticeable, CelebuSerum, and Giving Back. She considered becoming an Established Name, but is hoping she can give away enough to bump her fame up in a short amount of time. After all, Mia is moving out in four days. (three days)
It is getting close to midnight so they celebrate the way I do – at home, watching television. Mia got her gold at 11:30, so she called it a night and headed upstairs.
So, Eli decided to end the night by pooping in his diaper. Then he went back to sleep. Rey looks really awkward in the middle bed and I have no clue what that is all about.
Over the weekend, Emmett, Jules and Ruby headed to Oasis Springs to view the home they would be purchasing. And here it is, right next to Kristine's house.
I borrowed @Karababy52's idea to use a real estate agent to show them the house, just since it seemed like the natural thing to since I decided to have them tour the house first. And look who the real estate agent is - Farrah Stokes, Jules' roommate from college.
"It's so good to see you!" Farrah told as she pulled her into a hug.
So they followed Farrah inside to begin the tour.
I knew I wanted the Courtyard Oasis kit for this month the minute it came out. It's just such a beautiful style for a desert world. I downloaded this house from the gallery and I shamefully don't remember who the original creator is, if I remember to look I'll post it in a later update. I did some editing of the interior, but honestly, it was such a gorgeous build that I decided to leave a lot of it as is.
Entryway/Courtyard
Kitchen and dining room
Living room
Study
Ruby's room (I still need to add a lot of her stuff that's still in their Strangerville home)
Jules' and Emmett's room
Art Studio
Even the bathrooms are so pretty so I had to include those
Pool area. Whoever this builder is did a great job making a waterfall in the pool, I thought that was so neat!
Backyard area (with a functional sandbox for Ruby )
Outdoor hang out area
I added a basement for the garden, gym, and all those other big bulky items that don't match the style of the house, like the robotics table and gaming mat. Once again I used @Karababy52's idea of filtering in some natural light through the pool for the garden with windows
After giving them the tour, Farrah sat down with them to discuss things.
It was a super boring conversation so of course Ruby went to play in the sandbox instead.
After playing in the sandbox, Ruby asked Jules if she could pop over to Kristine's house to say hi. Jules agreed, and much like her mother, Ruby is quite the pet lover and got distracted by Roo on her way in.
Kristine's house is gorgeous too - another gallery find. She's living with basically all of @Skeilah's sims, who I downloaded. Here's a family picture of them just because I felt like it
"I'm so excited we're going to be neighbors!"
And then they played a card game for a bit.
Jules and Emmett came to fetch Ruby shortly after. They had to get home in time for Ruby's scout meeting. They're all feeling pretty excited about this new house - as am I!
That's useful info to know about parents advising kids as far as the character values go, thanks! Funny to have an update with Mia too. She'll have more to do as a teen and you can really get started.
Glad Bennie is back haha. Nice playdate at the library too! Always a fun time interacting with the gnomes too haha. Nice work with your transition and set up for next month too!
And you have your crew gathered! Sometimes having those unexpected moods make for the funniest moments, and the tension is that room is certainly entertaining haha. Damon getting vaccinated in a towel was a pretty great moment too lol. Did you know that sims can just drink the vaccine so they don't have to throw it on each other? Obviously for the aspiration purposes, you need to vaccinate sims by throwing it on them to reach the milestones, but your sim can just drink it which is a lot less messy haha. Those vampire perks are always entertaining when set as the default. Lydia has the travel as a mist one, so she'll basically poof into mist just to walk across the kitchen haha. Lol, Damon and Melody feeling the need to do push ups randomly was entertaining too. I controlled my entire crew that fought the Mother plant to avoid getting frustrated at them for doing things like this, but I have to admit, the unexpected weird things sims do when you can't control always make me chuckle even if they are dumb.
HAHAHA Mother Plucker, love it Wonderful screenshots of your final battle. And a wonderful victory kiss Love Melody's comment about loving to see her dad too, but I'm very glad that he didn't need to make a visit either. Actually, as I'm sure you know, the Reaper doesn't even show up for a Mother plant death. The sims just die and that's that. Even Melody's dad doesn't want to mess with that monstrous plant haha. And Damon and Josh are kind of okay with each other, it's a step at least. I'm sure Josh will have to deal with Damon a lot in August, so it's good to have Josh slowly start to hate him less haha. Anddddd what a great way to celebrate
I've never had a kid become friends with the monster under the bed which is why I didn't give Ruby a nightlight, wanted to try that out. I'll have to see what any further interactions with that are though, so far I haven't noticed it again. Thanks for sharing your methods of getting screenshots. Idk if this an option since I have a mod that adds back in all the old cheats that got removed in one patch once upon a time, but if you shift click on the Mother plant, you can set her as dead or alive again using cheats so I thought you might have used that for a screenshot. Your shots of the plant on fire were great though! I really do love knowing the method behind the creative way everyone gets their screenshots for their stories. Mine involve a lot of mods and cheats usually lol.
Great idea to use this month to crank out those creative aspirations. That knitting one is awful to finish. I was so ready to be done with that one by the time I made it to those final milestones. Good luck to you as you finish it. And super sweet that Naoki is being so reassuring. I can understand why Bryon is stressed though. Naoki's family does seem intimidating. I hope they ended up being unexpectedly sweet even if they are a bit old fashioned.
Nice screenshots and nice work with the aspiration. So it looks like they were smart and didn't walk through the mist and get infected?You're getting close to the end! Excited to see your final battle
This could be titled "The Update Where Wolfgang Falls Down." He was a trooper though, trying out all these new activities. He'd do anything for Sakura. I agree with @Ellupelluellu. THESE TWO NEED TO TALK LIKE YESTERDAY. haha.
Nice winterfest for your fam. My trees tend to catch on fire a lot too, always an entertaining moment haha. And is your challenge sim finally getting conceived during in those last shots? haha
Day Twenty-Eight- The Disaster (This post is, again, a bit long, as a lot happened during the day.. but it does include a house tour, as well as a bunch of other important things. Possible trigger warning for the messy house (be assured, I spent HOURS getting that house to look like that.. lol).. but the pictures were worth it!)
The morning was chaotic as usual, but as soon as everyone was taken care of and ready for their days, Bennie and Marnie headed out to go inspect the new house. Oasis Springs wasn’t far away, but they wanted to be able to take their time and look around.
After they left, Jaz checked in with Benji, who was in charge of babysitting while Bennie and Marnie were gone, to find out if it was still ok for her to go to her Saturday club meeting. Benji replied that he didn’t really care (which he didn’t), and told her to not get into trouble. Agreeing to the terms, Jaz headed out, as well.
In the other room, Phoenix had decided he definitely needed to stay inside, because one look in the mirror had proved he was stripey. He tried some orange juice, like his mother had suggested, but it hadn’t helped. So he was just playing with the science table to distract himself.
Jaz arrived at the Oasis Springs park, and joyfully jumped right into playing with her friends.
Unfortunately, it turned out that they weren’t the only club meeting at the park today. Billie Jang and her band of bullies had also showed up. Sighing, Jaz tried to continue playing and ignore her rival.
Jaz gave up on the space pirate play, and she and Colin did some cloudgazing, hoping that some distance would keep Billie away.
Billie, however, wasn’t interested in staying away. She stomped over to Jaz, and point blank told her that Jaz and her friends were not welcome at this park. (To which Jaz almost laughed. She was sure Billie’s new “club” had only picked this park because it was where the Adventurers had been hanging out for the last few weeks.) Jaz brushed her bluster off, and walked away, following Colin towards the park building.
Luckily, Billie didn’t follow along, so Colin and Jaz had plenty of time and space to chat. He had more news about his parent’s divorce, apparently “papers had been served” – whatever that means.
One of the first things Jaz told her friend was about the new house in Oasis Springs. She sorta regretted that it wasn’t in Willow Creek, closer to Colin’s own home, but at least they wouldn’t be way out in Magnolia Promenade anymore. Colin expressed his misgivings about any house won at an auction, but Jaz felt that there couldn’t possibly be anything terribly wrong with the house, or Bennie wouldn’t have bought it.
By the end of the afternoon, Jaz and Colin had pledged to be best friends forever, and he waved goodbye, wishing her good luck in the new home. He had made her PROMISE to call him immediately with any more news of the house.
On the other side of Oasis Springs.. Marnie and Bennie got off the bus and walked through their new neighborhood, looking at the well cared for houses that lined the street with happy smiles. Unfortunately, they then rounded the corner.. and caught a glimpse of their new home.
“Well, the house looks nice.. if a little overgrown…” Marnie commented, and Bennie just grunted. He had seen pictures of the house in it’s prime, but only knew that it had been abandoned for months. He was too sheepish to mention he had had no idea what sort of condition the house was in.
They stopped in the front yard, and Bennie pointed out that the yellow truck had come with the house. It wasn’t running.. yet… but he planned on fixing it up so he’d have a reliable way to work each day. Forestalling any questions from Marnie, he turned and confidently walked in the front door after using his keys on the deadbolts and brushing aside the warning tape on the door.
The disaster inside could not be described in mere words. The floor was covered in filth, there were mice running around in broad daylight, and spiderwebs in every corner. It was clear the house had been host to a parade of squatters – both human and animal. Mutely, Marnie looked around and walked past him towards the master suite.
Sighing, she noted that the bed was actually in decent shape.. and there was a nice sized closet, too. Turning, she went to see what the bathroom looked like.
One look proved that the rest of the house wasn’t going to get any better. Perhaps it was a good thing that the water wasn’t going to be turned on until tomorrow, because she was sure that toilet was broken and would be spewing water everywhere.
Bennie wandered through the living areas while Marnie peeked into the laundry room and hall half bath. He noted the nice fireplace and the beautiful windows.
All that natural light from them and the roof windows through the rafters was actually very nice, he thought.
He then turned to check out the kitchen, which was clearly in worse shape than the rest of the house. Good thing he hadn’t turned to notice the abandoned train cars and other detritus in the back yard. That was definitely going to have to taken care of before it would be safe for the kids to play outside.
There were even a bunch of locked containers out there, but he overlooked those easily, imagining a barbeque on the expansive back deck.
The junkyard was definitely more than he’d been expecting, though. He looked about guiltily, wondering why he hadn’t asked more questions at the low low price, but there was no way he would ever admit that to Marnie. Marnie! .. Wonder where she’d gotten off to..?
Back inside, Marnie had taken in the full measure of the dining room and kitchen, and was steeling herself to look downstairs.
At least the stairs were in good condition? She thought, relieved.
She rounded the corner into a large family room with a partial kitchenette that had clearly been broken for quite a while.
She then started checking through doors. There was a full bath, a utility room, and three bedrooms. All in varying stages of a full-blown disaster.
Finished with her “tour”, she headed back upstairs. She was trying not to be furious at Bennie for saddling them with this mess of a house, but somewhere in her head… she had the thought that the house was actually a nice house if you looked past the mess. Maybe they could turn things around.
Of course, she noted.. it would depend entirely on how long they had before move-in date, and how big a budget they had for people to help clean it up. She headed outside to find Bennie, and ask some rather pointed questions….
After their conversation, which had been.. interesting, since they were to move in officially on the first of the month (less than a week away) because the store would need to be vacated by then. Also, Bennie assured her that he would contact a pest control company for the vermin, and get a junk company to remove the stuff in the yard. Beyond that, however, cleaning up inside the house was going to be pretty much all their job, because any money he had spare after calling the junk people and the pest company would need to go towards the local flea market for furnishings. At the very least, they were going to need to buy appliances, since the ones they had belonged to the store apartment.
Marnie interrupted Bennie by reminding him that Benji’s graduation was tonight, and they didn’t want to be late. So they hurried to the bus, both lost in their own thoughts.
The entire family was attending the graduation, and it was a freezing night, so they all bundled up in their winter clothes. Fall was nearly over, after all, and Winter would set in very soon.
Everyone was here that he cared about. (That didn’t include his family, of course.) While he was talking to his friends, he overheard Malcolm Landgraab talking about his dad’s heart attack. Apparently Nancy was left taking care of an infant all by herself with just Malcolm still in the house. That certainly was a sad thing.. but perhaps Benji could figure out a way to profit from the information.
Turned out, it wasn’t just people he cared about that were there, though.. as he spotted a very angry Cade walking away after the ceremony.
Sighing happily, Benji looked over his successful club, and caught his girlfriend’s eye through the crowd. She ran over, and wrapped him in an embrace.
It had been so long since he’d been able to actually spend time with her with helping with his siblings and his push to get his grades back up, so seeing her again was a huge reward. She congratulated him with a heated kiss, and Benji tried not to lose his head. He had important things to tell her.
He told her about the new house (of course he had no idea of the disaster that it was in), and he mentioned that he would be coming into quite a bit of money in the next week. He grinned slyly, and, showing her a simple ring, asked her if she’d be interested in moving to the city with him. He was sure he was going to be able to afford an apartment for them.
Squealing, she agreed and wrapped him in her arms again. This, of course, got everyone else’s attention, and before long, they were surrounded by the club, who were all very very interested in the possibility of being able to get away from home. Before he knew it, Benji was assuring them that they could all pitch in on a bigger apartment in the city and all be room-mates. The logistics of such a move were certainly not on his mind.. but they definitely would be later.
Noticing that his family were watching impatiently from the sidelines, he sheepishly kissed Shaylee goodbye, promising to call her tomorrow, and headed over to follow them home, cringing at the crying toddlers. It would be a long evening while they tried to get all the kids in bed… and he was sure his help was going to be required.
He hid a smile at the knowledge that he’d had an appraiser check on that suit of armor while Bennie and Marnie had been gone, and had arranged for it to be gone and the money to be in his new bank account in the next couple days. Plenty of time before his family would be moving, hopefully. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to deal with their move at all… and could just “ride off into the sunset” with his girl and their friends (and a good chunk of change!)
Thanks for the comment on the good transition to the next month. I spent ages figuring out how to transition between each world for these first few months. I'll think about later months when I get closer to them.
you did a great job destroying that house! I’m impressed! I’m doing oasis springs next month too since I don’t own Get Famous so I’m excited to see that I won’t be the only one doing that world now! I’m also planning on doing some stuff with Jungle Adventure as well
I wanted a nice uninfected beauty shot of StrangerVille now, which I guess I did get a somewhat nice one of the town area. But, I really wanted one near Essa's house or of the crater, etc. However, there's still plant pods and bizarre plants everywhere and the big cloud is still over the crater! o.O Last time I did the mystery, all that stuff disappeared very quickly. Anyone have an idea why those things are still there?
If I can get that figured out, I might replace my daily pic with a different screenshot, so this is just a placeholder for now. *sigh*
Anyway, I'll be back soon to update, comment/reply. Hope y'all had a great day!
May 24 - University - WK 2 - Saturday - A Day Together in Mt. Komorebi - Part 2
Sakura and Wolfgang reached the top of the gondola and the winds had picked up and the snow was swirling around them. Sakura pointed to a rock wall and they walked towards it.
Sakura: "This is a medium rock wall, which we have to climb to get to the start of the Summit Climb. There is a marker at the top of this rock wall. From there, we head to another rock wall, and sometimes we will need to rest between climbs. The weather here and the weather on the mountain are very different. You never know what weather you will encounter, so you must always be prepared. The final climb is on The Croft Icefall, and once that is done, then you are at the summit. It is the most exhilarating feeling of having climbed to the summit and the views are so breathtaking."
Wolfgang looked at Sakura gazing at the rock wall with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Wolfgang: "Sakura, why are you going on this climb?"
Sakura: "I promised Kiyoshi that I would, and I have to keep my promise to him. He helped me make this climb when I was first in Mt. Komorebi to place my grandfather's ashes on the summit. He made a promise to me then and kept it. I am returning the promise to him. I owe him that."
Wolfgang: "I see," said Wolfgang, "Well, I am sure I could make it to the summit, too. Maybe I should join you and Kiyoshi on the climb."
Sakura: "Oh, Wolfgang, I wish you could come with us, but you don't have enough rock climbing experience, and only the most experienced climbers should attempt this climb."
Wolfgang looked at the wall in front of him, "Sometimes sims can do anything if they are determined," he said, "I bet I could climb this wall just fine," he said heading to the rock wall and hoping that Sakura hadn't seen him fall on the small rock wall before.
Sakura gave him some pointers and also told him to equip his rock climbing equipment and do some stretching before he attempts the climb.
Sakura: "When I started climbing, I would always climb cautiously and I would focus on where my next hand hold would be. You always have to look ahead and plan when you are climbing."
Together they scaled the rock wall.
Wolfgang reached the top before Sakura did: "Sakura, see, I made it! I actually made it!"
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang, "Yes, you did! I am sure that with more practice, you would be a very good rock climber. You do, afterall, have muscles."
Wolfgang laughed. Sakura showed Wolfgang the marker for the start of the Summit Climb and then said that they should be getting back.
Wolfgang: "Sakura, I understand about your promise and keeping promises. But I just...I just...I'd like to go on this Summit Climb with you one day. Promise me you will be careful tomorrow."
Sakura: "I may be adventurous, but I don't take any unnecessary risks. I promise you that we will do this climb together one day."
Wolfgang: "That is what I wanted to hear."
Sakura said they should be getting back and they carefully climbed down the rock face again. Wolfgang looked at the rock wall again and suddenly had a weird feeling...a premonition of sorts...and then it faded. He was suddenly fearful of Sakura going on that climb tomorrow. He did not want Sakura to go, but she was rather strong-willed when it came to her promise and he had to let her do this. But alone with Kiyoshi...that he didn't like one bit. It's not that he didn't think that Kiyoshi was a strong climber, Kiyoshi probably was, since he had done the climb before, but Wolfgang had this nagging feeling that Kiyoshi was going to do something while he was with Sakura. Like...maybe tell Sakura that he wanted to be with her? Maybe propose to Sakura at the summit? If Wolfgang could climb to the summit, that is what he would do. With what Sakura said about the breathtaking views...yes, it would be a grand gesture with so much beauty around them. And it's probably what Kiyoshi was planning. Wolfgang just had this feeling. Yes, that is what Wolfgang feared the most. But his greatest fear was that Sakura would say yes. Wolfgang had to tell Sakura tonight. Wolfgang and Sakura took the gondola down together, and headed back to the rental.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they arrived back at the rental, Sakura asked Wolfgang if it would be alright if they stayed at the house and had hot pot there. Sakura said she was feeling a bit tired, and just wanted to stay at the rental tonight. Wolfgang had no objection to that at all. This would be perfect as he would be alone with Sakura. His mind was spinning with his plan for the evening.
They washed up and dressed carefully for dinner. Wolfgang had a few issues with the kimono, but he figured it out with help from some information he found on the web. He hoped he had done it correctly. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought he looked pretty good. He descended the stairs and lit the fire in the fireplace. He heard footsteps behind him, and Sakura was coming down the stairs. When Wolfgang saw her come towards him, he was speechless. She was a vision.
Sakura smiled: "Oh, you figured it out. Let me see you. Turn around," she said as she tucked in a piece of fabric. Wolfgang faced her again and for a moment their eyes locked, "You look...you look very handsome tonight, Wolfgang..."
Wolfgang looked lovingly into Sakura's eyes: "And you, Sakura, are a vision. You are so...beautiful..."
Sakura cast her eyes down and her cheeks felt flushed. She thought, "[Oh Wolfgang, if only you loved me the way I loved you...oh how I wished you did,]" and she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Wolfgang saw her crying, "Sakura...what is wrong? Are you alright?"
Sakura wiped away the tear, "Yes...I am fine...just happy that you are here with me tonight. I am so glad that I invited you to come this weekend."
Wolfgang: "So, those are happy tears?" he asked thinking that she looked rather sad for someone who was happy.
Sakura: "Why yes....happy tears...I am just a bit tired...and maybe feeling a bit emotional..."
Wolfgang remembered reading about mood swings during pregnancy, "Oh, Sakura, you must have overdone it today...what can I do to help with dinner? I've never had hot pot...but if you tell me what to do, I can follow your instructions..."
Sakura gave Wolfgang a hug, "I am fine, and it is no trouble to make hot pot. It is something I want to do for you. But if you like, perhaps you could make some green tea for us..."
Wolfgang smiled at Sakura: "I am on that..." he said as he went into the kitchen.
Sakura busied herself in the dining room lighting the candles and putting on some soothing Japanese music. Everything was ready and she came out to see how Wolfgang was doing with the tea.
And suddenly there was a knock at the door...
Sakura looked at Wolfgang and wondered who could be at the door. She went to answer it, and much to her surprise standing outside was Kiyoshi.
Sakura: "Kiyoshi! Oh my gosh! What a surprise! I thought I would only see you tomorrow at the competition. Please...come in..."
Kiyoshi stepped inside and removed his shoes, "Sakura...let me look at you...I feel as if it's been such a long time since I saw you...you look so lovely in your kimono..." he said as he gave her an autonomous kiss on the cheek.
Kiyoshi explained that Coach Janks had brought the team down from the Training Camp to stay at a rental overnight so that they would already be in Mt. Komorebi in the morning for the competition.
Sakura: "Can you stay? We are just about to have hot pot..."
Wolfgang came out from the kitchen just then and stood there looking at Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi looked at Wolfgang standing there and went over to greet him, "Wolfgang, how nice to see you again. And in traditional dress, no less. Sakura hadn't told me who she was inviting, and I had thought it would be one of her girlfriends..."
Wolfgang shook Kiyoshi's hand, "Well, Sofia and Luna were busy...and I was happy to accompany Sakura here," he smiled at Sakura, "And we had a very exciting day together..."
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang, "Yes, we did..." she said turning to Kiyoshi, "And Wolfgang got to experience the Festival of Snow...it was truly a wonderful day..."
Kiyoshi: "Ah yes...the Festival of Snow...I remember the first time we attended together Sakura...and isn't that when we shared a rather memorable first kiss on the slopes..." he said looking pointedly at Wolfgang.
Wolfgang just stared at him clenching his teeth together.
Sakura stopped smiling and looked rather embarrassed as she saw Wolfgang's expression, "Yes...yes it was. But you should have seen what a daredevil Wolfgang was sledding on that Bunny Slope..."
Kiyoshi: "Oh a daredevil sledder? Then I am sure that Wolfgang will appreciate the Olympic snowboarding competition tomorrow. Now there you will see some real daredevils..."
Sakura: "Oh Kiyoshi, we wouldn't miss that competition! I am so looking forward to it. So...are you able to stay and join us for hot pot?"
Kiyoshi: "Unfortunately not...the coach only permitted us a limited time to visit our families, and I wanted to see you..."
Sakura: "Oh, I am so sorry that you can't stay..."
Kiyoshi: "I just wanted to make sure you were feeling alright and that your recovery was going well. I trust that Wolfgang has been mindful of your well-being. Of course, Sakura, after tomorrow, when we proceed on the mountain climb together, I will be able to ensure that you are well taken care of," he said as he glanced at Wolfgang.
Sakura: "Oh, Wolfgang has been taking good care of me," she said smiling at Wolfgang, "and yes...I am looking forward to the climb tomorrow..."
Kiyoshi "I must be on my way then...enjoy your hot pot..." He bid Sakura and Wolfgang goodnight and gave Sakura a final hug. Sakura stood by the door and watched him leave and then closed the door slowly.
Wolfgang looked at Sakura and thought he saw the glisten of tears in her eyes but she went into the dining room and so he wasn't sure. Dang that Kiyoshi! Why did he have to come here tonight? And why did he have to mention about his and Sakura's first kiss during the Festival of Snow? Wolfgang was so mad right now. He had literally wanted to throttle Kiyoshi when he was here. Kiyoshi had subtly reminded Wolfgang of what he had promised at the party.
Whatever chance Wolfgang had of having a romantic evening with Sakura had literally been squashed by Kiyoshi's arrival. Wolfgang finished preparing the tea and tried to calm his thoughts. Wolfgang had seen the look on Sakura's face when she had looked at Kiyoshi...she was in love with him, Wolfgang was sure of it. And the way Kiyoshi was so protective of her...he knew Kiyoshi loved her, too. Tomorrow Sakura and Kiyoshi would be together, and it really didn't matter what Wolfgang said to Sakura tonight. He had seen it with his own eyes. It was over for him. After the competition, he would find River and spend the rest of the day with him getting drunk...very drunk...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sakura stood in the dining room and looked at the flickering candles. She felt the tears run down her cheeks. When she had opened the door and seen Kiyoshi there, it was almost like a shock went through her. He was just as handsome as he had been when he left, but he looked more confident and rugged. And he had greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, which seemed rather strange. But she was actually glad it was just a kiss on the cheek, because with Wolfgang standing there, she just didn't want Kiyoshi to kiss her on the lips in front of him. That was a weird thought. At one time, she would have ran to him and kissed him and not worried who was around. Now...she just felt different.
She still cared for Kiyoshi very much, but perhaps it was what had happened at the camp, and of her receiving the ultrasound photo. All she knew was that her feelings for him had changed. And the way Kiyoshi talked, Sakura was sure that he didn't know Kaori was pregnant. And when Kiyoshi spoke to Wolfgang, Sakura had felt such tension between them. And then Kiyoshi had brought up their first kiss at the Festival of Snow, and Sakura had felt embarrassed that he had said that in front of Wolfgang.
And now that Kiyoshi had come to see her, she should feel happy, right? But she didn't, she just felt sad. Sakura suddenly realized that she was not in love with Kiyoshi anymore. It was Wolfgang who she was hopelessly in love with, but unfortunately, Wolfgang was only "in love" with her as a friend. Sakura knew that after the competition that she would have to talk to Kiyoshi and show him the ultrasound photo and tell him that she couldn't be with him anymore. It was better to be alone than to be with someone she didn't really love. She knew that Kiyoshi would be devastated when she told him, but she had to do this. It made her sad just thinking about how close they had once been, and all it took was a betrayal of trust, which, Sakura felt, was the reason she didn't feel the same towards Kiyoshi any longer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sakura came out of the dining room to check on Wolfgang and saw that the tea was ready.
Sakura: "Wolfgang, are you ready to eat? I've prepared the hot pot..."
Wolfgang turned to face her and felt like he needed that drink now. He took her hands in his, "Sakura, I wanted to tell you that today was the best day I have ever had. And I am so glad that I was here to share this with my best friend. Thank you, Sakura."
Sakura briefly looked into his eyes and then looked down,"It was my pleasure...we are here such a short time...there is so much more to see...maybe another time..."
Wolfgang nodded his head knowing that Kiyoshi would never allow him to come and visit Sakura again, "Of course..." he said smiling at her.
They went into the dining room, and sat down and Wolfgang sampled his first hot pot.
Wolfgang: "Is it inappropriate to make a toast?" he asked.
Sakura laughed, "With green tea? That will be a first...but, no, it's not inappropriate..."
Wolfgang: "To Sakura...I wish you much happiness and success in whatever you do..."
Sakura swallowed hard..."And to you, too, Wolfgang..." she said softly. Why did she have this feeling that this would be the last time they would be alone like this together.
They ate the rest of the meal, and Wolfgang noticed how distracted Sakura seemed. Sakura said she was rather tired and needed to get her rest for the mountain climb tomorrow. Wolfgang said he would finish cleaning up.
Sakura ascended the stairs and got undressed and got into bed. She thought about the day with Wolfgang and what had happened with Kiyoshi, and her thoughts were on tomorrow when she would have to tell Kiyoshi goodbye. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
Spent all night trying to fix the glitch in SV. No matter what I tried, the cloud above the crater and the bizarre plants are still there. Why? I was going to use this save for a custom template save with the mystery solved. Can't do that now. Clicked 'Me too' on an EA Answers thread about this bug that's over two years old. Lovely... Anyway, no story post update for yesterday and we have a birthday party for my Grandson turning one today, so probably just another daily pic for today as well after we get back, we'll see. Just very disappointed and frustrated right now. Thinking I might just move Essa, Josh and Frank to DSV without an explanation too. Let me sleep on it... Hope y'all have a great day/night!
Spent all night trying to fix the glitch in SV. No matter what I tried, the cloud above the crater and the bizarre plants are still there. Why? I was going to use this save for a custom template save with the mystery solved. Can't do that now. Clicked 'Me too' on an EA Answers thread about this bug that's over two years old. Lovely... Anyway, no story post update for yesterday and we have a birthday party for my Grandson turning one today, so probably just another daily pic for today as well after we get back, we'll see. Just very disappointed and frustrated right now. Thinking I might just move Essa, Josh and Frank to DSV without an explanation too. Let me sleep on it... Hope y'all have a great day/night!
Ahhh - sorry you are having that problem. It's too bad, too, because you solved the mystery and it still "hangs around". lol But, yeah, can understand the disappointment.
This time around - thank you so much to @Skeilah for allowing me to get half her save, it feels like.
I did intend for this to be one update, but decided to split it in half just to catch up. With the hour I have to spend on Imgur since that bug, I just can't seem to catch up, and I think it would be good to "save" a post.
last update | Overview post&rules Update 24- Bridgeview
Sarahs Diary
Why are you always so tense, and bored, and don't do stuff with the kids unless I ask you to? You're an adult now, and a parent of four kids! You just have to be more responsible!
-- Perhaps I don't want to be an adult, and let myself and my life be defined by a heap of kids?
Perhaps you should've told me that a bit earlier?! Not after we lived together for 20 years, had 4 kids and got married?!
Anyway, I need to go pee...
...and confirm something. Really, I did not see this attitude coming! He couldn't have told me about his changed views before Winterfest?! It's not like we couldn't try to get more freedom, now that the kids are bigger... I just didn't know and thought he was happy!
Is it positive? I don't know what to hope for.
I'm so happy, I love all my kids! I wouldn't want for any of them not to be in this world.
But if Greg is having second thoughts about being a part of this family, another kid won't help. I hope I can solve this - for all of us...
Ugh. Oh no. I suppose I'll have to be more careful about lifting Connor now...
Greg? I'm pregnant again. You remember Winterfest...
Sarah? We need to talk.
The rest of the day passed like a blur (and also I spent most of it in another household, so...)
We got calls from school, Father Winter visited and gave us condolences about Granny's death (don't ask me why), and Sophia almost froze to death. Again. And loads of people came over, so it was quite the madhouse.
Next time, let's see where I spent the rest of the day!
Characters, Lot, Gallery
Gallery (Sims and houses): Hashtag #onemonthoneworldoneyear, Name "One Sim - Fam. Britton". My gallery name is Noctuara.
Parents: Sarah and Greg Britton. They live on the 20x15 "Comfy Cubby" in Bridgeview, Newcrest.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
Greg Britton - Greg is an adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he tries his best... (and I help him by x-ing out all his autonomous mean&mischievous interactions from the Parenthood traits) He was working in business, but hated it. So he enrolled for a Programming course and is now a freelance programmer listed with an agency. On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a teenager already. She continues to prefer doing things alone, mostly being outside gardening.
Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a teenager as well. He likes being outdoors at the river catching some fish, or taking a nap to recover after all the work fishing is.
Miles Britton - The thirdborn. He is a child already. His fun-loving personality is overshadowed by some gloom, and he aims to uncover the secrets of simkind at his science table.
Connor Britton - The fourthborn. He is a toddler at the moment, and is a very wild child full of energy.
others:
Gary Whelan, a friend of Greg from high school. Lives on "Oak Alcove", 20x15, Bridgeview. He is a Bro, Geek and Active. He works as a Game developer.
Fam. Aldrich, the neighbours and friends of Sarah. They live on the 30x20 "Fernpark" in Bridgeview. Elderly Pamela lives here with her Grandchildren after both parents died in a plague at young years. Pamela loves to Garden, cook at spend time with her Grandchildren. And if she had the time (and I the money), she'd love to learn to knit. Readhed Alexia, already a Young Adult, is the image of her mother. She loves to paint, channeling all her emotions on the canvas. She feels heavily responsible for her younger siblings, Tessa and Joey (twins). Tessa loves to make crafts like her big Sister and is very creative, while Joey has a lot of Energy and is very much into sports.
Schedule (subject to change)
I am planning to play for 14 months, starting on the 1st of June with the Main Sim's toddler birthday. In May I will set up the rest of the family and play the Main Sim's baby stage. After that: 2 weeks as a toddler, 1 1/2 months as a child, 3 months as a teen, 3 months as a Young Adult, 3 months as an Adult and 3 months as an Elder for the Main Sim.
For all others, I will use these MCC settings, starting on 1st of June, so it roughly works. (Combined, the Teen, YA, Adult and Elder stages are exactly 365 days right now).
Pregnany: 5 days
Baby: 7 days
Toddler: 14 days
Child: 45 days
Teen: 90 days
Young Adult: 93 days
Adult: 92 days
Elder: 90 days
This might change when I get a feeling for the challenge. I will possibly extend this for a next Gen, or extend the YA and Adult stages, if I get Brindleton Bay and subsequent other worlds. And if I manage to stick around that long.
I will start playing in Bridgeview (Newcrest) with a big family and the Baby No. 5 as main sim. I will move neighborhood each month, alternating the worlds. This starts as soon as the Main Sim turns teen.
I want to work on roughly two aspirations per month with my Main Sim, or, better said, on about 3 goal sets of the "Master Simmer" challenge to try and get all achievements - mainly because with my current packs there are 38 goal sets - 3,1666 per month. (See Rules).
I think with normal play, I'll never get there! But with so much time to stretch out the skilling, it might work. And it will definitely keep me from getting bored.
Comments
May 27
Week 4 Friday
Mia set up another audition and was successful so then she had to work on acting and fitness in preparation of the gig. The gig that I don’t even remember what it was for.
This is the bane of their day. Rey is happy and independent. Rex is clingy and sad. Jake has left for work so Rex is going to pout the rest of the day. They are actually watching Skye to build their thinking skill.
Now they are watching each other. Much easier than chasing Skye all over the house as she takes care of business.
Seriously, he was sad all freaking day.
At least until he passed out. Then he was sad for other reasons. Skye is standing there waiting on him to wake up so she can put him to bed.
This evening was a struggle. Rex was put to bed first, obviously. Then Jake started to work on getting Rey to bed while Skye took care of Eli.
After Skye and Jake left the room, Eli got out of bed and went into the hallway to pass out on the floor. Mia is already in bed and it is about this point that I realize I did not get any pictures of her today.
@permanentrose
@Hermitgirl
I'm behind on reading as I have been having a very stressful week myself at work, but I just read about your situation. I am sorry to hear about what's going on and hope things do look brighter. Family first as everyone says. Especially when one has cancer. I'm happy to hear you'll still play the Sims as a time away for yourself. Sending happy and loving thoughts your way.
@IllusoryThrall
I honestly cannot wait until Month 2 for Jackson. He'll get more variety of foods, I guarantee it.
I'm really have a lot of fun with this little robot that Jackson built. I've always wanted to build a Servo with one of my Sims and I think this little robot can lead into Jackson doing that when he gets older.
@miss_eulenauge
Story:
As the morning jog and swim continued, so did picking up the trash from the ocean. Jackson didn’t have to clean up every day, but it felt like he shouldn’t be doing it so much. A lot of it was bottles similar to the ones he found in digging.
After his swim Jackson had breakfast with Robby. Robby didn’t need food. But he kept Jackson company. Jackson talked while Robby made some beeping noising and spun around as if acknowledging what Jackson was saying.
At school, Jackson was improving in classes. He had been concentrating a little more. He was still the average student and only did what was needed to pass, but now he was in a better mood.
When Jackson got home from school, he decided to try some fishing again. He hadn’t gone fishing since he failed the first time. He knew he needed to practice more and eventually a fish would attach itself to his line without escaping. Soon enough his fishing line snagged something. It was heavy. Jackson thought he had caught a big one. After reeling it in, he found out the end of his line attached itself to a log. It was no fish, but now he had seating besides the cooler. He spent time cleaning it off and making it suitable before he had to head off to work.
After another slow day at work, Jackson did a little more digging. His new hobby. He found more treasures and was eager to ask Duane about them over the weekend. With Robby by his side, Jackson then lit the firepit and decided to try the veggie dogs he has been putting off lately. The color was very unappealing. However, once he tried it after it was full roasted, he found out it wasn’t that bad after all.
Side Notes:
Bonus Images:
Aspirations Completed:
Traits:
Skills:
Story:
Morning jogs and swims have been rejuvenating for Jackson. Cleaning the ocean has not. Yet, he still liked cleaning up to make sure the waters were clean and clear for the fish that were around.
Jackson called Duane up to see if he wanted to hang out for awhile. Duane didn’t hesitate and said he would be right over. Duane liked the fact that Jackson confided in him and even though he knew how Jackson was living, invited him over. Jackson introduced Duane to Robby.
Jackson: “He’s been great company lately.”
Duane: “He sure looks like a fun little robot. I hope you received a good grade for that.”
Jackson: “A+!”
Duane (changing the subject): “How’s the fishing going? Are you eating more than cereal and yogurt these days?”
Jackson: “Thanks for the hotdogs. I’ve been roasting those mainly. Fishing hasn’t been to great. I’ve caught….zero so far.”
Duane: “It takes time. You’ll eventually get better at it. Have you explored other areas to fish?”
Jackson: “Not really. I have explored to go sight-seeing, but that’s it.”
Duane: “Have you found the cave yet?”
Jackson: “Cave?”
Duane: “Guess you haven’t. Do you want to see it?”
Jackson: “Depends what’s in it?”
Duane: “There’s no fun in that if I told you. I will tell you there’s nothing in there that will eat you.”
Duane nudges Jackson with a small chuckle.
Duane leads Jackson to where the cave is on Mua Pel’am. There, a big cave stood before Jackson and Duane. Jackson tried to peek in as Duane smirked. It was too dark to see anything. He slowly made his way into the darkened cave walking slowly.
Duane (yelling): “I’ll wait here!”
Barely able to see anything, Jackson makes his way through the cave. Near the end of Jackson’s exploration, he spotted a light radiating from the passage ahead. Distracted and not looking where he was stepping, Jackson cartwheeled into an underground river. Drenched and forgetting about the light, Jackson decided to cut his adventure short rather than press on with soaked clothing. The river led back to land where Duane was waiting.
Around 2:00pm, Duane mentioned he had to get back home and do some house things before heading off to work. He wanted to meet up again tomorrow with Jackson to show him some other exploration that he knew Jackson has not done yet as well. After Duane had left, Jackson did some more digging. He hoped he could find more rare treasures like the eye of Sulani. And even more seashells he could show off to Duane or sell for simoleons.
Duane: “I heard you scream and knew you must have fell into the river. You weren’t the first and most likely won’t be the last.”
Jackson: “What was that light?”
Duane: “Something you’ll have to find out at a later time. Now let’s get you back to your place, so you can dry out your clothes.”
As it it was a very hot day, it wouldn’t take long for his clothes to dry. Jackson showed Duane his beachcombing collection so far. Jackson had caught four types of shells. Duane told him they were conch, abalone, scallop, and tulip. Duane mentioned there was a vendor who bought seashells if Jackson was looking for some extra simoleons. Jackson did want to keep his collection, but thought of maybe selling his duplicates he digged up. He then showed Duane the other treasures he had found. Duane took a look at them and said they were the heart and fingers of Sulani that he found and were common, but the eye of Sulani was rare.
Later, Jackson got ready for work. He enjoyed talking to the others at the beach and just watching the waters from his lifeguard chair. It was a good way to end his evening before heading home to roast something to eat and then going to sleep in his tent.
Side Notes:
Bonus Images:
Aspirations Completed:
Traits:
Skills:
May 23 - University - WK 2 - Saturday - A Day Together in Mt. Komorebi - Part 1
On arrival in Mt. Komorebi, they had taken a shuttle to their chalet rental which was near the snow slopes in the Yukimatsu district.
Sakura: "This is the place, 5-1-2 Kiyomatsu. The rental is a traditional Japanese design."
Wolfgang looked around and admired the rental and the gorgeous scenery that was around them. "It is so beautiful here, Sakura. I can't wait for you to show me around."
Sakura: "There are a few customs and traditions that you will also need to learn. When you enter a Japanese house, you must always remove your shoes in the genkan (foyer). This is because some Japanese sims eat on a tatami mat on the floor, and also sleep on a futon on the floor. Taking off your shoes helps to keep the house clean."
Wolfgang: "Well, that makes sense. I better make sure then that there are no holes in my socks!"
Sakura and Wolfgang laughed and entered the rental.
Almost immediately, Wolfgang removed his shoes. Sakura did the same and smiled at him.
They entered a foyer area which led to the kitchen and a music room.
Directly off the foyer was another room with a kotatsu table surrounded by cushions. Sakura explained that this was a traditional Japanese dining room, where hot pot was served.
Sakura: "If you like, we can have dinner here tonight. I believe that there are kimonos in the rooms."
Wolfgang: "A kimono?"
Sakura laughed, "Yes, it is the traditional dress of Mt. Komorebi. If you have trouble, I can assist helping you get dressed..." she offered.
Wolfgang swallowed hard, "Um...ahhh...I am sure I can figure it out and be able to get dressed myself."
Sakura: "Or, if you prefer, we can go out for dinner...."
Wolfgang: "Whatever you like, Sakura, this is your weekend..."
Sakura: "Okay, I will think about that then. Let's head upstairs and see the other rooms..."
Sakura and Wolfgang climbed the stairs to the second floor and there was a hallway which led to 4 doors. They entered the farthest room first.
Sakura looked at the room and saw a gift basket of bath products on the dresser and a bonsai wish plant sitting beside it.
Wolfgang glanced around the room and saw the double bed and the two robes hanging on the wall, "Sakura, I think this might be your room," he said softly. Wolfgang hadn't really thought about what would happen after the Olympic Games, and just hoped that Kiyoshi wouldn't be staying over tomorrow night, here, in this room, with Sakura. That is, if Sakura wanted to stay with Kiyoshi. But Wolfgang knew he wouldn't be able to stay here if Kiyoshi and Sakura were together. Maybe it was a good thing that River was renting a house somewhere here in Mt. Komorebi. He would have to contact River tomorrow and touch base.
Sakura: "Come on, Wolfgang, let's have a look at the other rooms before we decide."
They entered a smaller bedroom and Wolfgang saw a gift basket of oranges on the dresser. "I am calling dibs on this room. Those oranges have my name written on them...but I can be convinced to share some,.."
Sakura: "Ah, you are very fortunate to receive those mandarin oranges. Fruit is very expensive here, and it is a very esteemed gift. Let's take a look at the other room."
They headed into the other room which was a small gym. The other door on this floor led to a bathroom, and there was also a bathroom on the main level.
There was another little hut next to the larger house, and Sakura and Wolfgang looked inside. It contained a fireplace, couch and television.
Wolfgang: "Oh, this is nice and cozy. Maybe we'll finally get to watch a movie together."
Sakura: "Oh, Wolfgang, I am so sorry about last night. I was so tired. I didn't mean to fall asleep."
Wolfgang: "That's alright, Sakura. It was a long day, and I was pretty tired, too. If we had watched that movie, I would have probably fallen asleep watching it. Plus, I didn't want to be tired today with all the adventures you might have planned..."
They headed outside, "So, talking about adventures...we should take a walk over to the small climbing wall and check the info board to see what is happening in Mt. Komorebi today," Sakura suggested.
They walked over and Wolfgang read the board and saw that The Festival of Snow would be held later on today.
Sakura: "Oh Wolfgang! I am so happy that you will be here during a festival, and the Festival of Snow is one of my favorites."
Wolfgang: "We should probably unpack and get into some warmer clothes if we are going to be outside most of the day."
And with that, they headed back to the house and changed into some warmer snow clothes.
Sakura: "So, do you think you might want to do some real rock climbing? We can try at the small climbing wall, if you like..."
Wolfgang: "That was a small climbing wall? Okay, sure. I am up for it. What about you? Do you think you should...um...do some rock climbing?"
Sakura: "Of course! This way I can show you how it's done on a REAL rock climbing wall..."
Wolfgang: "Okay, then. You're on!"
They headed over to the small rock climbing wall, and Wolfgang watched Sakura stretch and chalk her hands and then begin the climb. She was so fast and just scaled that wall like a little monkey.
Wolfgang took his time and concentrated on the hand holds....
...and he was almost to the top...
...and then he slipped and fell on his back to the ground. "Geez! This isn't like rock climbing at the gym!" he thought.
Sakura had already climbed up once and came down again and stood beside Wolfgang and saw him lying on the ground.
Sakura: "Taking a rest are you, Wolfgang?"
Wolfgang got up and winked at Sakura, "You know, I was just analyzing the rock formations from down here...really interesting rock outcrops..."
Sakura laughed, "Well, maybe we should try something that you might be familiar with. How about we go sledding down the Bunny Slope?"
Wolfgang: "Now you're talking! You are looking at Windenburg's champion snow sledder of all time! I am going to show you how it's done! Lead on, Sakura!"
As they ran up to the top of the Bunny Slope together, Wolfgang glanced at Sakura, "You know, that is a pretty nice beanie that you're wearing."
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang: "Thank you. I actually knitted it myself."
Wolfgang smiled at Sakura, "Oh? Well, it's cute..." ("And...dang...Sakura...you're so cute..." he thought.)
Wolfgang and Sakura positioned themselves in the sled, and Sakura pushed them off.
Wolfgang: "Now, if you get scared or anything, just hold on tight to me..."
Sakura wrapped her arms around Wolfgang, and snuggled close to him. Wolfgang was thinking that sledding together was the best idea yet and was enjoying the feel of Sakura's arms around him. Dang! Wolfgang was thinking of how soft she felt against him and was daydreaming a bit of maybe snuggling before that fireplace later on...and then kissing her sweet lips...and telling her he loved her...
Oh my plumbobs! Wolfgang was jolted out of his daydream when he suddenly saw a ski jump up ahead. And before Wolfgang had a chance to veer the sled, they were airborne! And then they hit another ski jump! Bump! Yikes!
But thankfully they landed safely at the bottom of the hill and Sakura was laughing. "Oh, you are a daredevil, Wolfgang, going over those two jumps...I think that sledding might be too tame for you! Let's go rent some skis and do some runs..."
Wolfgang: "Skiing? Um, well, I have never skied before, but sure, I'll give it a try..." Wolfgang wondered where Sakura was getting all this energy from. Wolfgang was starting to feel sore in places he hadn't ever known existed. All he wanted to do was find a hot tub somewhere and just soak in there all afternoon. But he definitely wasn't going to let Sakura know that he was sore and out of shape.
They rented some skis and went up the Bunny Slope again and Sakura gave Wolfgang a few pointers before she skied down.
Wolfgang looked at Sakura as she did some fancy jump off the ski jump. Oh sure! It figures that she was great at skiing, too.
Wolfgang thought it didn't look so bad and skied down and hit the first jump. Yes! Look at me! I am "Eddie The Eagle!
And then Wolfgang landed....
Wolfgang wiped out at the bottom of the hill wondering how Sakura could be so graceful on the slopes while he looked so clumsy and couldn't even make it down the Bunny Slope. Maybe it's a good thing he hadn't suggested that they go up the gondola and try a few runs.
Suddenly, he heard music and some announcements and Sakura came running over telling him that the Festival of Snow had started.
Sakura: "Are you hungry? There is a traditional food which is only served at the Festival of Snow. Would you like to try it?"
Wolfgang perked up then, "Food? Oh yeah! Now you're talking. Sure...I'll try some."
Sakura bought Wolfgang some food and he sat down with some chop sticks and started eating it.
Wolfgang: "Mmmm....tastes good. What am I eating exactly?"
Sakura: "It is Ikayaki, which is grilled squid topped with soy sauce. It is a very popular fast food."
Wolfgang: "Alright, I think I could eat another one of those...very tasty.."
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang, "You are a very adventurous eater, Wolfgang. I like that about you."
Wolfgang: "Well, I'll try anything once...now if I could just get the hang of these chop sticks..."
They both laughed as Wolfgang stabbed a piece of squid.
Sakura saw Yamachan, and told Wolfgang that Yamachan was the official mascot of Mt. Komorebi. Wolfgang decided to take a selfie with Yamachan.
Sakura and Wolfgang went over to the vending machines and each purchased a festival simmi.
Then it was time for the snowpal competition, and, of course, Wolfgang and Sakura entered.
Wolfgang and Sakura were having such fun They even made some snow angels together. Sakura was really happy that she had asked Wolfgang to come with her. When the festival lights came on, the snow sculptures were lit up and everything looked so magical.
It was already dark and Sakura suggested that they head up the gondola and see the festival lights from above.
As they rode up the gondola, Sakura told Wolfgang that she wanted to show him where the start of the Summit Climb was, which she would be heading on tomorrow with Kiyoshi after the Olympic competition was over.
Wolfgang tried to smile, but the more he thought about it, the more he dreaded Sakura going on that mountain climb with Kiyoshi. Wolfgang felt he was running out of time, and he had to tell her soon, or it would be too late.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
Sims can't actually take a vacation while they are attending university, so I just moved Sakura and Wolfgang into the house (using the free real estate cheat) and changed the lot from a rental to residential. (I moved Jeb into the Rival House, so he is holding it for them.) This worked perfectly. The house is the one which came with the Snowy Escape pack, but I just did a little re-do of the property. I added a piano and guitar, and moved the tv to the outdoor room. Upstairs, I changed one of the bedrooms to a gym and changed the guest bedroom from twin beds to a double bed.
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
Consequently, once the plumbing was fixed, Marnie turned to taking care of Bennie. Incensed, she yelled at him about rarely opening the store anymore, and about skipping work days. Bennie looked at her with a stunned expression, and didn’t say anything for a while.
He was still stewing about it when Marnie got back up and went to take care of the kids and make sure all got to school okay.
But, by the time he got to eating breakfast, his anger was pretty much boiling over. How DARE she get on him for not working hard enough after what he’d done for the family yesterday. No WAY was he going to open the store this morning, either. Just to prove to her that he didn’t have to listen to her. He had been planning on telling her his surprise as soon as the kids left for school, but he decided, to punish her, that he’d make her wait until after school when he announced it to everyone. (Marnie, however, was busy with the twins.. and was clueless to being “punished” for something she had no idea about…. )
To pass the time, he tried dumpster diving, but eventually, he decided it wasn’t really worth it. All he was finding were some small amounts of change, and nothing good to sell.
Back inside, he was watching one of the twins playing peacefully by himself when his phone rang. His boss was yelling at him for missing work – again. Bennie assured him he would be there in a short while, that he had to have a quick meeting with his family when the kids got home from school first. His boss grumbled a bit, but in the end, relented.
Once the kids were all home, Bennie had everyone (except for the twins, who he deemed too young to care) sitting at the table.. mostly just staring at him in wonder, because something like this had never happened before.
“I have GREAT news, everyone! Just wait until you hear this!” Bennie started, grinning internally at the wonder on everyone’s faces (except for Marnie, who still looked thunderous).
“I got a truly amazing deal on a real house for us. I found it at auction for real cheap, and we’ll be able to move in as soon as we clean it up and move our stuff. No longer will we have to stay in this apartment, or worry about the store, since I got a promotion at work, and found someone who was more than willing to buy the store as-is.”
Phoenix was the first to react, squealing in joy.
Glancing around at his family, Bennie tried to gauge their reactions. Marnie was still staring at him in confusion, and not a little bit of distrust, but smiles seemed to be the biggest reaction around the table. Feeling like he’d done his good deed for the day, Bennie excused himself and headed to work. (Two hours late!)
While trying to help out his mother, Benji discovered that he really didn’t like handiness. He vowed to find an easier way to deal with things.
When Bennie got home from work, he found Marnie getting ready for bed. Suspicious, Bennie wondered why she had waited up for him. She quietly apologized for yelling at him that morning.
“I had no idea you were working to get us a house, Bennie.” she said, and Bennie suppressed a satisfied smile.
“Of course you didn’t, I hadn’t told anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise!” Bennie crowed. “You and I can go look at it tomorrow to see what will need to be done this weekend to get it ready to live in.”
Marnie smiled to herself, sighing happily. Perhaps this was the change she had always been hoping for. She’d always dreamed of having her own home!
Behind her, Bennie closed his eyes and hoped this whole thing would go by easily, and that the new job position would lead to the success he truly wanted.
After everyone was in bed, Benji was still awake. Finally, sick of trying to sleep, he got up, got something to eat, then bundled up and wandered around outside. He wondered to himself how to get out of the situation he found himself in. He didn’t want to be stuck living in this family.. and now that he’d just graduated (barely, at that…), he was realizing that he needed to move on. Soon. He was pretty sure a cheap house from an auction was NOT the good thing Bennie was saying it was, and Benji wanted no part of it. While wandering idly, he suddenly noticed something he hadn’t really noticed before.
Was this an actual suit of armor just standing here? With nobody paying it any attention? Benji wondered how much it might be worth. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to steal, and he doubted anyone would even notice it gone this weekend with all the chaos of moving….
His mind now whirling, Benji chuckled to himself, and started trying to figure out who he could sell this thing to under the table. First, he had to find someone to appraise it on the sly… but that wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like the store was going to be filled with customers this weekend, or anything!
Finally smiling again, Benji wandered back upstairs and climbed back into bed.
Trigger warning: Small furry animals lurk below.
Squeaks and skittering noises woke Marnie and Bennie up early. Marnie sighed, and looked down at the mouse hole in consternation. Good thing she wouldn’t have to deal with them soon.
Bennie, on the other hand, was furious. If there were mice in the new house.. he swore to himself he’d call a pest control company and get rid of them for good. No more living with mice. He munched on a mid-night snack, then made the “rounds” – depositing traps in all the holes before heading back to bed to get a little bit more sleep.
(Um.. Bennie.. I think you missed one…
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My Discord Server - A place to discuss my challenges, or the Sims in general
Notes
"CHARGE!"
"DIE YOU MOTHER PLUCKER!"
"CHOKE ON IT BYYYTCH!"
"EAT THIS YOU MOTHER!"
"DAMON! GET THAT GUY, HE'S AFTER MELODY!"
Damon dropped his sprayer and sped over to pick up one of the Mother's minion's and threw him at one of the steel doors surrounding the pit. He lay dazed for only a moment, but it was enough.
The Mother screamed in rage, lowering her gigantic blossom head and growled fiercely at Essa.
(YOU CAN NOT DEFEAT ME. BOW AND KNOW PEACE!)
"Oh yes we can, you're nothing but a weed to be whacked!"
"THROW YOUR VACCINES AT HER. NOW!"
Josh, Melody and Damon threw their vaccines at the weakening Mother simultaneously.
*KAPOW*
She roared and screeched in pain, her arms flailing wildly!
The Mother plant once again lowered her head and opened her petals wider than ever before to let out an ear-splittingly loud screech that seemed to go on forever. Essa saw her chance and threw a jar of vaccine straight into the Mother's mouth.
"IT'S OVER BEAST, YOU'RE DONE!"
(NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) The Mother screamed in Essa's head.
The Mother roared again, over and over in a death song, twisting and thrashing in pain as the vaccine infused her entire body.
In one last ditch effort to expel the vaccine, she blew a glowing green cloud of it from her body, but it was too late. She collapsed and began to fall. The impact of her monstrous body hitting the floor shook the Lab to it's core and a deafening thunder clap sound filled the air. Sparks flew from the electrical fence enclosure wherever her twitching plant limbs crossed it. And then...there was silence.
The Mother plant was dead.
"YESSSSSS! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! SHE'S DEAD! THE MOTHER IS DEAD!"
Everyone grabbed handfuls of confetti they'd stuffed in their pockets in hopes of an impending celebration and threw them in the air, cheering and screaming their Victory! Essa would now and forever be recognized as the Hero of StrangerVille. But in her eyes, they were all Heroes! She would never forget this was a team effort, no one person had beat the Mother, they all had.
Essa saw Josh begin to run toward her, removing the hazmat suit as he went. She smiled and laughed while taking off her suit as well. It would never be needed again. Josh tossed the suit aside and leapt up the platform stairs taking two at a time as Essa stood with her arms wide open to receive him. He rushed into them for a glorious celebratory kiss!
"I'm so proud of you Beautiful."
"I'm proud of all of us! We did it Josh, we did it!"
Damon and Melody soon joined them on the platform.
"Thank you so much for your help Damon. We couldn't have done this without you."
"You're welcome Essa, any time. I'll always be there for you, always."
"Thank you too Melody, you're the best! I'm so glad I met you. I hope we're friends for the rest of our lives."
"Aww, you're welcome. I want that too!"
"Thanks from me too Melody. It takes a lot of compassion and a good heart to step up and help those you don't even know that well. I hope we can be friends forever too."
"Aww, man, thanks for saying that Josh. You're a sweetheart. But we already are friends, right? I wouldn't do this for just anybody." Melody smiled and reached for Josh's hand to give it a squeeze.
"Ah heck that's not gonna do it Dude." Melody said and gave Josh a quick hug. He smiled and hugged her back.
"I should probably get going though, my Dude's waiting up for me. But there's one more thing I need to say."
"Damon? I can't thank you enough for taking care of that plant guy. I was so focused on ripping that Mother a new one, I didn't even see him. Who knows what could've happened if you didn't. Normally I love seeing Daddy, but I'm glad he didn't need to show up today!" Melody gave Damon a warm hug as well before she turned to go home.
"Bye guys, see you soon!"
Everyone said their goodbyes to Melody as she walked down the platform and disappeared down the corridor. Her words about Daddy were a bit cryptic and confusing to Josh and Essa, but they had a feeling Daddy was someone they didn't want to meet any time soon.
Damon, on the otherhand, had a lightbulb revelation.
(Ohhhh man, of course! I knew her name sounded familiar! )
Essa too knew who Melody's Father was, but she didn't know she knew. She'd talked to him many times on the phone without realizing who or what he was.
"Thank you again for trusting me and asking me to help. Giving me a chance to show I've changed... well, it means a lot to me. I hope this helps in some small way. Anything else you need, just ask, I'll come running, always. I hope we'll always at least be friends. And... maybe some day we can be too Josh?"
"Hey, what you did today? Agreeing to help, risking your life like that, maybe even saving Melody's? It's a lot more than helping in just a small way, okay? I don't know you at all, and didn't want to know you, but...I'm glad you were here to help us today. Hard as it is for me to admit...you were a big help today and I'm grateful. So....thank you."
"You're more than welcome! It means a lot to hear you say that."
"Understand now, this doesn't mean we're going to be best buds any time soon or anything like that though. Okay? I'm just grateful for what you did today. I'm still not going to ever forget what you did...before, but, yeah...that's all."
"I'm just glad I probably don't have to worry about you trying to beat me up anymore."
"Wellllll, I wouldn't say that's true, exactly. I'd still love to smack you around, but...yeah, I won't. I'm still going to think about it though. Sorry, that's just the way it is. I'm sure you understand."
"Oh yeah, I get it. I have two very good reasons for understanding that, Molly and my Son. If anyone hurt them, I'd feel just like you do. Maybe one day we should just duke it out to get it over with huh?"
"Maybe, we'll see." Josh said with a wink and a small smile he couldn't help from showing up on his face at Damon's words.
"Anyway, speaking of Molly and Seth, I should get going too. Molly's waiting up for me as well and I don't want her to worry anymore than she does about me."
"Hopefully we can get together again soon under better circumstances and just hang out. Or call me if you need me, anytime, seriously!"
Josh and Essa said their goodbyes to Damon as he sped away in the blink of an eye.
"Hey Beautiful, how's my Hero? Feel like doing some more celebrating? We're all alone now."
"Oh I think I know what that means."
"Doesn't it always?"
"Always! So, bed, shower or both?"
"How about all three?"
"Three? That's only two, where'd you go to school?" Essa said with a laugh.
"Follow me, I'll show you what I mean by three."
"Well this is exciting! Did you find another bed or something looking around the Lab that day?"
"Maybe. You'll see. It's a surprise!"
"Oh Babe, I love surprises. Especially from you."
"Best.Surprise.Ever!"
"Ohhh yeahhh, come here my Beautiful Hero!"
@permanentrose
The dream began after Josh said he was going to go walk around and see if they'd missed anything. He did walk around and the room with the blow-up bed was where he ended up. He was just going to take a short nap, but fell into a deep sleep. Essa was busy making vaccines, so she didn't notice at first he'd been gone so long. But it got late and she was hungry like she said when trying to wake him up, so she went looking for him, worried something had happened to him.
So you want to know all my secrets eh?
Ruby's in scouts now, cool.
@SoulGal7
Oh man, I missed your birthday! Well Happy Belated Birthday anyway, I hope you had a fantastic day filled with lots of love and laughter with family and friends!
Ooo, another twist eh? How exciting! Can't wait to find out what that's all about. I can certainly understand how you'd be obsessed with them, heck I'M obsessed with them.
What a wonderful day for these two to spent on Mt. Komorebi together! Wolfgang should realize if Sakura were really pregnant, she would not being doing any of those Winter sports. But, of course, he's a guy and trusts that Sakura knows what she's doing. Very cute how he loved the squid! I thought for sure he'd hate it. hehe What!? How did I not remember Sakura was going to climb the mountain with Kyoshi again? Oh boy, yeah, Wolfgang hurry up and tell her you love her before it's too late!
@Skeilah
@Ellupelluellu
GAH! Why didn't you show them possessed!? I'm sure it was funny to see!
Second, I don't quite know how to progress. I have had plans for the next few days, but think that perhaps a little time jump would be good - to get me closer to the Twins moving out, and the challenge Sim. Perhaps I'll be making retorspective posts or something, I don't know yet.
For now - fun update, first Winterfest for me. It was super chaotic, we had a fire, so I didn't include that many comments. I mean, the pics do speak for themselves... (except for the reason behind them woohooing, but hey, I am super tired and I need my challenge Sim. Don't judge.
last update | Overview post&rules
Update 23- Bridgeview
Sarahs Diary
Typical Winterfest... Right? Up at the crack of dawn to decorate, behind me Greg kicking the trash can instead of helping... What *is* his problem?!
Okay, THIS is typical though. A loose toddler at 5am because he was too excited for the presents? I was like that too.
Perfect!
I allowed the kids to invite over some friends, but only the twins took up on the offer.
Then, it was time to decorate the tree and enjoy the meal I put together.
Um... Yeah. Let's try that again, right?
Granny died! I'm so sad for her, but I guess, it was time. I hope she'll take joy in seeing her Grandchildren grow up.
After meeting Father Winter, it was birthday time! I can't believe I'm already an adult. And Greg too! We have come a long way from our inexperienced young selves - graduating high school, having the twins, Greg taking his programming course, the life we have built together... It may not be exciting, or fun, or full of freedom. But it is filled with love and warmth and happiness - we're all together as a family.
After putting away all the decorations and getting all the excited kids to bed, it was time to warm up together for Greg and me.
Characters, Lot, Gallery
Gallery (Sims and houses): Hashtag #onemonthoneworldoneyear, Name "One Sim - Fam. Britton". My gallery name is Noctuara.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
- Greg Britton - Greg is an adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he tries his best... (and I help him by x-ing out all his autonomous mean&mischievous interactions from the Parenthood traits) He was working in business, but hated it. So he enrolled for a Programming course and is now a freelance programmer listed with an agency. On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
- Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
- Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a teenager already. She continues to prefer doing things alone, mostly being outside gardening.
- Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a teenager as well. He likes being outdoors at the river catching some fish, or taking a nap to recover after all the work fishing is.
- Miles Britton - The thirdborn. He is a child already. His fun-loving personality is overshadowed by some gloom, and he aims to uncover the secrets of simkind at his science table.
- Connor Britton - The fourthborn. He is a toddler at the moment, and is a very wild child full of energy.
others:Schedule (subject to change)
For all others, I will use these MCC settings, starting on 1st of June, so it roughly works. (Combined, the Teen, YA, Adult and Elder stages are exactly 365 days right now).
- Pregnany: 5 days
- Baby: 7 days
- Toddler: 14 days
- Child: 45 days
- Teen: 90 days
- Young Adult: 93 days
- Adult: 92 days
- Elder: 90 days
This might change when I get a feeling for the challenge. I will possibly extend this for a next Gen, or extend the YA and Adult stages, if I get Brindleton Bay and subsequent other worlds. And if I manage to stick around that long.I will start playing in Bridgeview (Newcrest) with a big family and the Baby No. 5 as main sim. I will move neighborhood each month, alternating the worlds. This starts as soon as the Main Sim turns teen.
I want to work on roughly two aspirations per month with my Main Sim, or, better said, on about 3 goal sets of the "Master Simmer" challenge to try and get all achievements - mainly because with my current packs there are 38 goal sets - 3,1666 per month. (See Rules).
I think with normal play, I'll never get there! But with so much time to stretch out the skilling, it might work. And it will definitely keep me from getting bored.
time zone: Berlin, Germany - EA Gallery ID: Noctuara
May 28
Week 4 Saturday
Today is the day that Rex is going to master thinking and become a top-notch toddler also. But first, he has to eat and he really needs some attention, which Jake is glad to provide.
Umm. Oh. Rey was told to watch television and this was her response. She doesn’t look very impressed.
Eli needs attention, Rex is watching, and Rey is finally watching television.
Since today is New Year’s Eve, Skye, Jake, and Mia make resolutions. Mia is the first one to complete hers and she does it soon after making the resolution – to improve a skill. She improves her singing skill.
Rex has finally mastered thinking. That just leave Zoe to become a top-notch toddler.
I had to take a picture because this is the first time this has happened. All three toddlers are chilling on the couch.
Skye has done what I didn’t expect. She received a promotion to Supporting Actress (level 5) and she finally became a B-Lister (fame level 3). Her fame perks are Corporate Partnership, Influencer, Noticeable, CelebuSerum, and Giving Back. She considered becoming an Established Name, but is hoping she can give away enough to bump her fame up in a short amount of time. After all, Mia is moving out in four days. (three days)
It is getting close to midnight so they celebrate the way I do – at home, watching television. Mia got her gold at 11:30, so she called it a night and headed upstairs.
So, Eli decided to end the night by pooping in his diaper. Then he went back to sleep. Rey looks really awkward in the middle bed and I have no clue what that is all about.
I borrowed @Karababy52's idea to use a real estate agent to show them the house, just since it seemed like the natural thing to since I decided to have them tour the house first. And look who the real estate agent is - Farrah Stokes, Jules' roommate from college.
"It's so good to see you!" Farrah told as she pulled her into a hug.
So they followed Farrah inside to begin the tour.
Entryway/Courtyard
Kitchen and dining room
Living room
Study
Ruby's room (I still need to add a lot of her stuff that's still in their Strangerville home)
Jules' and Emmett's room
Art Studio
Even the bathrooms are so pretty so I had to include those
Pool area. Whoever this builder is did a great job making a waterfall in the pool, I thought that was so neat!
Backyard area (with a functional sandbox for Ruby
Outdoor hang out area
I added a basement for the garden, gym, and all those other big bulky items that don't match the style of the house, like the robotics table and gaming mat. Once again I used @Karababy52's idea of filtering in some natural light through the pool for the garden with windows
After giving them the tour, Farrah sat down with them to discuss things.
It was a super boring conversation so of course Ruby went to play in the sandbox instead.
After playing in the sandbox, Ruby asked Jules if she could pop over to Kristine's house to say hi. Jules agreed, and much like her mother, Ruby is quite the pet lover and got distracted by Roo on her way in.
Kristine's house is gorgeous too - another gallery find. She's living with basically all of @Skeilah's sims, who I downloaded. Here's a family picture of them just because I felt like it
"I'm so excited we're going to be neighbors!"
And then they played a card game for a bit.
Jules and Emmett came to fetch Ruby shortly after. They had to get home in time for Ruby's scout meeting. They're all feeling pretty excited about this new house - as am I!
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@illusorythrall
@karababy52
HAHAHA Mother Plucker, love it
I've never had a kid become friends with the monster under the bed which is why I didn't give Ruby a nightlight, wanted to try that out. I'll have to see what any further interactions with that are though, so far I haven't noticed it again. Thanks for sharing your methods of getting screenshots. Idk if this an option since I have a mod that adds back in all the old cheats that got removed in one patch once upon a time, but if you shift click on the Mother plant, you can set her as dead or alive again using cheats so I thought you might have used that for a screenshot. Your shots of the plant on fire were great though! I really do love knowing the method behind the creative way everyone gets their screenshots for their stories. Mine involve a lot of mods and cheats usually lol.
@skeilah
@Ellupelluellu
@legacysims2017
@soulgal7
@miss_eulenauge
(This post is, again, a bit long, as a lot happened during the day.. but it does include a house tour, as well as a bunch of other important things. Possible trigger warning for the messy house (be assured, I spent HOURS getting that house to look like that.. lol).. but the pictures were worth it!)
After they left, Jaz checked in with Benji, who was in charge of babysitting while Bennie and Marnie were gone, to find out if it was still ok for her to go to her Saturday club meeting. Benji replied that he didn’t really care (which he didn’t), and told her to not get into trouble. Agreeing to the terms, Jaz headed out, as well.
In the other room, Phoenix had decided he definitely needed to stay inside, because one look in the mirror had proved he was stripey. He tried some orange juice, like his mother had suggested, but it hadn’t helped. So he was just playing with the science table to distract himself.
Jaz arrived at the Oasis Springs park, and joyfully jumped right into playing with her friends.
Unfortunately, it turned out that they weren’t the only club meeting at the park today. Billie Jang and her band of bullies had also showed up. Sighing, Jaz tried to continue playing and ignore her rival.
Jaz gave up on the space pirate play, and she and Colin did some cloudgazing, hoping that some distance would keep Billie away.
Billie, however, wasn’t interested in staying away. She stomped over to Jaz, and point blank told her that Jaz and her friends were not welcome at this park. (To which Jaz almost laughed. She was sure Billie’s new “club” had only picked this park because it was where the Adventurers had been hanging out for the last few weeks.) Jaz brushed her bluster off, and walked away, following Colin towards the park building.
Luckily, Billie didn’t follow along, so Colin and Jaz had plenty of time and space to chat. He had more news about his parent’s divorce, apparently “papers had been served” – whatever that means.
One of the first things Jaz told her friend was about the new house in Oasis Springs. She sorta regretted that it wasn’t in Willow Creek, closer to Colin’s own home, but at least they wouldn’t be way out in Magnolia Promenade anymore. Colin expressed his misgivings about any house won at an auction, but Jaz felt that there couldn’t possibly be anything terribly wrong with the house, or Bennie wouldn’t have bought it.
By the end of the afternoon, Jaz and Colin had pledged to be best friends forever, and he waved goodbye, wishing her good luck in the new home. He had made her PROMISE to call him immediately with any more news of the house.
“Well, the house looks nice.. if a little overgrown…” Marnie commented, and Bennie just grunted. He had seen pictures of the house in it’s prime, but only knew that it had been abandoned for months. He was too sheepish to mention he had had no idea what sort of condition the house was in.
They stopped in the front yard, and Bennie pointed out that the yellow truck had come with the house. It wasn’t running.. yet… but he planned on fixing it up so he’d have a reliable way to work each day. Forestalling any questions from Marnie, he turned and confidently walked in the front door after using his keys on the deadbolts and brushing aside the warning tape on the door.
The disaster inside could not be described in mere words. The floor was covered in filth, there were mice running around in broad daylight, and spiderwebs in every corner. It was clear the house had been host to a parade of squatters – both human and animal. Mutely, Marnie looked around and walked past him towards the master suite.
Sighing, she noted that the bed was actually in decent shape.. and there was a nice sized closet, too. Turning, she went to see what the bathroom looked like.
One look proved that the rest of the house wasn’t going to get any better. Perhaps it was a good thing that the water wasn’t going to be turned on until tomorrow, because she was sure that toilet was broken and would be spewing water everywhere.
Bennie wandered through the living areas while Marnie peeked into the laundry room and hall half bath. He noted the nice fireplace and the beautiful windows.
All that natural light from them and the roof windows through the rafters was actually very nice, he thought.
He then turned to check out the kitchen, which was clearly in worse shape than the rest of the house. Good thing he hadn’t turned to notice the abandoned train cars and other detritus in the back yard. That was definitely going to have to taken care of before it would be safe for the kids to play outside.
There were even a bunch of locked containers out there, but he overlooked those easily, imagining a barbeque on the expansive back deck.
The junkyard was definitely more than he’d been expecting, though. He looked about guiltily, wondering why he hadn’t asked more questions at the low low price, but there was no way he would ever admit that to Marnie. Marnie! .. Wonder where she’d gotten off to..?
Back inside, Marnie had taken in the full measure of the dining room and kitchen, and was steeling herself to look downstairs.
At least the stairs were in good condition? She thought, relieved.
She rounded the corner into a large family room with a partial kitchenette that had clearly been broken for quite a while.
She then started checking through doors. There was a full bath, a utility room, and three bedrooms. All in varying stages of a full-blown disaster.
Finished with her “tour”, she headed back upstairs. She was trying not to be furious at Bennie for saddling them with this mess of a house, but somewhere in her head… she had the thought that the house was actually a nice house if you looked past the mess. Maybe they could turn things around.
Of course, she noted.. it would depend entirely on how long they had before move-in date, and how big a budget they had for people to help clean it up. She headed outside to find Bennie, and ask some rather pointed questions….
Marnie interrupted Bennie by reminding him that Benji’s graduation was tonight, and they didn’t want to be late. So they hurried to the bus, both lost in their own thoughts.
The entire family was attending the graduation, and it was a freezing night, so they all bundled up in their winter clothes. Fall was nearly over, after all, and Winter would set in very soon.
Everyone was here that he cared about. (That didn’t include his family, of course.) While he was talking to his friends, he overheard Malcolm Landgraab talking about his dad’s heart attack. Apparently Nancy was left taking care of an infant all by herself with just Malcolm still in the house. That certainly was a sad thing.. but perhaps Benji could figure out a way to profit from the information.
Turned out, it wasn’t just people he cared about that were there, though.. as he spotted a very angry Cade walking away after the ceremony.
Sighing happily, Benji looked over his successful club, and caught his girlfriend’s eye through the crowd. She ran over, and wrapped him in an embrace.
It had been so long since he’d been able to actually spend time with her with helping with his siblings and his push to get his grades back up, so seeing her again was a huge reward. She congratulated him with a heated kiss, and Benji tried not to lose his head. He had important things to tell her.
He told her about the new house (of course he had no idea of the disaster that it was in), and he mentioned that he would be coming into quite a bit of money in the next week. He grinned slyly, and, showing her a simple ring, asked her if she’d be interested in moving to the city with him. He was sure he was going to be able to afford an apartment for them.
Squealing, she agreed and wrapped him in her arms again. This, of course, got everyone else’s attention, and before long, they were surrounded by the club, who were all very very interested in the possibility of being able to get away from home. Before he knew it, Benji was assuring them that they could all pitch in on a bigger apartment in the city and all be room-mates. The logistics of such a move were certainly not on his mind.. but they definitely would be later.
Noticing that his family were watching impatiently from the sidelines, he sheepishly kissed Shaylee goodbye, promising to call her tomorrow, and headed over to follow them home, cringing at the crying toddlers. It would be a long evening while they tried to get all the kids in bed… and he was sure his help was going to be required.
He hid a smile at the knowledge that he’d had an appraiser check on that suit of armor while Bennie and Marnie had been gone, and had arranged for it to be gone and the money to be in his new bank account in the next couple days. Plenty of time before his family would be moving, hopefully. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to deal with their move at all… and could just “ride off into the sunset” with his girl and their friends (and a good chunk of change!)
I now stream the Sims 4 on Twitch!
My Discord Server - A place to discuss my challenges, or the Sims in general
I now stream the Sims 4 on Twitch!
My Discord Server - A place to discuss my challenges, or the Sims in general
Notes
I wanted a nice uninfected beauty shot of StrangerVille now, which I guess I did get a somewhat nice one of the town area. But, I really wanted one near Essa's house or of the crater, etc. However, there's still plant pods and bizarre plants everywhere and the big cloud is still over the crater! o.O Last time I did the mystery, all that stuff disappeared very quickly. Anyone have an idea why those things are still there?
If I can get that figured out, I might replace my daily pic with a different screenshot, so this is just a placeholder for now. *sigh*
Anyway, I'll be back soon to update, comment/reply. Hope y'all had a great day!
Sakura: "This is a medium rock wall, which we have to climb to get to the start of the Summit Climb. There is a marker at the top of this rock wall. From there, we head to another rock wall, and sometimes we will need to rest between climbs. The weather here and the weather on the mountain are very different. You never know what weather you will encounter, so you must always be prepared. The final climb is on The Croft Icefall, and once that is done, then you are at the summit. It is the most exhilarating feeling of having climbed to the summit and the views are so breathtaking."
Wolfgang looked at Sakura gazing at the rock wall with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Wolfgang: "Sakura, why are you going on this climb?"
Sakura: "I promised Kiyoshi that I would, and I have to keep my promise to him. He helped me make this climb when I was first in Mt. Komorebi to place my grandfather's ashes on the summit. He made a promise to me then and kept it. I am returning the promise to him. I owe him that."
Wolfgang: "I see," said Wolfgang, "Well, I am sure I could make it to the summit, too. Maybe I should join you and Kiyoshi on the climb."
Sakura: "Oh, Wolfgang, I wish you could come with us, but you don't have enough rock climbing experience, and only the most experienced climbers should attempt this climb."
Wolfgang looked at the wall in front of him, "Sometimes sims can do anything if they are determined," he said, "I bet I could climb this wall just fine," he said heading to the rock wall and hoping that Sakura hadn't seen him fall on the small rock wall before.
Sakura gave him some pointers and also told him to equip his rock climbing equipment and do some stretching before he attempts the climb.
Sakura: "When I started climbing, I would always climb cautiously and I would focus on where my next hand hold would be. You always have to look ahead and plan when you are climbing."
Together they scaled the rock wall.
Wolfgang reached the top before Sakura did: "Sakura, see, I made it! I actually made it!"
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang, "Yes, you did! I am sure that with more practice, you would be a very good rock climber. You do, afterall, have muscles."
Wolfgang laughed. Sakura showed Wolfgang the marker for the start of the Summit Climb and then said that they should be getting back.
Wolfgang: "Sakura, I understand about your promise and keeping promises. But I just...I just...I'd like to go on this Summit Climb with you one day. Promise me you will be careful tomorrow."
Sakura: "I may be adventurous, but I don't take any unnecessary risks. I promise you that we will do this climb together one day."
Wolfgang: "That is what I wanted to hear."
Sakura said they should be getting back and they carefully climbed down the rock face again. Wolfgang looked at the rock wall again and suddenly had a weird feeling...a premonition of sorts...and then it faded. He was suddenly fearful of Sakura going on that climb tomorrow. He did not want Sakura to go, but she was rather strong-willed when it came to her promise and he had to let her do this. But alone with Kiyoshi...that he didn't like one bit. It's not that he didn't think that Kiyoshi was a strong climber, Kiyoshi probably was, since he had done the climb before, but Wolfgang had this nagging feeling that Kiyoshi was going to do something while he was with Sakura. Like...maybe tell Sakura that he wanted to be with her? Maybe propose to Sakura at the summit? If Wolfgang could climb to the summit, that is what he would do. With what Sakura said about the breathtaking views...yes, it would be a grand gesture with so much beauty around them. And it's probably what Kiyoshi was planning. Wolfgang just had this feeling. Yes, that is what Wolfgang feared the most. But his greatest fear was that Sakura would say yes. Wolfgang had to tell Sakura tonight. Wolfgang and Sakura took the gondola down together, and headed back to the rental.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When they arrived back at the rental, Sakura asked Wolfgang if it would be alright if they stayed at the house and had hot pot there. Sakura said she was feeling a bit tired, and just wanted to stay at the rental tonight. Wolfgang had no objection to that at all. This would be perfect as he would be alone with Sakura. His mind was spinning with his plan for the evening.
They washed up and dressed carefully for dinner. Wolfgang had a few issues with the kimono, but he figured it out with help from some information he found on the web. He hoped he had done it correctly. He looked at himself in the mirror and thought he looked pretty good. He descended the stairs and lit the fire in the fireplace. He heard footsteps behind him, and Sakura was coming down the stairs. When Wolfgang saw her come towards him, he was speechless. She was a vision.
Sakura smiled: "Oh, you figured it out. Let me see you. Turn around," she said as she tucked in a piece of fabric. Wolfgang faced her again and for a moment their eyes locked, "You look...you look very handsome tonight, Wolfgang..."
Wolfgang looked lovingly into Sakura's eyes: "And you, Sakura, are a vision. You are so...beautiful..."
Sakura cast her eyes down and her cheeks felt flushed. She thought, "[Oh Wolfgang, if only you loved me the way I loved you...oh how I wished you did,]" and she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
Wolfgang saw her crying, "Sakura...what is wrong? Are you alright?"
Sakura wiped away the tear, "Yes...I am fine...just happy that you are here with me tonight. I am so glad that I invited you to come this weekend."
Wolfgang: "So, those are happy tears?" he asked thinking that she looked rather sad for someone who was happy.
Sakura: "Why yes....happy tears...I am just a bit tired...and maybe feeling a bit emotional..."
Wolfgang remembered reading about mood swings during pregnancy, "Oh, Sakura, you must have overdone it today...what can I do to help with dinner? I've never had hot pot...but if you tell me what to do, I can follow your instructions..."
Sakura gave Wolfgang a hug, "I am fine, and it is no trouble to make hot pot. It is something I want to do for you. But if you like, perhaps you could make some green tea for us..."
Wolfgang smiled at Sakura: "I am on that..." he said as he went into the kitchen.
Sakura busied herself in the dining room lighting the candles and putting on some soothing Japanese music. Everything was ready and she came out to see how Wolfgang was doing with the tea.
And suddenly there was a knock at the door...
Sakura looked at Wolfgang and wondered who could be at the door. She went to answer it, and much to her surprise standing outside was Kiyoshi.
Sakura: "Kiyoshi! Oh my gosh! What a surprise! I thought I would only see you tomorrow at the competition. Please...come in..."
Kiyoshi stepped inside and removed his shoes, "Sakura...let me look at you...I feel as if it's been such a long time since I saw you...you look so lovely in your kimono..." he said as he gave her an autonomous kiss on the cheek.
Kiyoshi explained that Coach Janks had brought the team down from the Training Camp to stay at a rental overnight so that they would already be in Mt. Komorebi in the morning for the competition.
Sakura: "Can you stay? We are just about to have hot pot..."
Wolfgang came out from the kitchen just then and stood there looking at Kiyoshi.
Kiyoshi looked at Wolfgang standing there and went over to greet him, "Wolfgang, how nice to see you again. And in traditional dress, no less. Sakura hadn't told me who she was inviting, and I had thought it would be one of her girlfriends..."
Wolfgang shook Kiyoshi's hand, "Well, Sofia and Luna were busy...and I was happy to accompany Sakura here," he smiled at Sakura, "And we had a very exciting day together..."
Sakura smiled at Wolfgang, "Yes, we did..." she said turning to Kiyoshi, "And Wolfgang got to experience the Festival of Snow...it was truly a wonderful day..."
Kiyoshi: "Ah yes...the Festival of Snow...I remember the first time we attended together Sakura...and isn't that when we shared a rather memorable first kiss on the slopes..." he said looking pointedly at Wolfgang.
Wolfgang just stared at him clenching his teeth together.
Sakura stopped smiling and looked rather embarrassed as she saw Wolfgang's expression, "Yes...yes it was. But you should have seen what a daredevil Wolfgang was sledding on that Bunny Slope..."
Kiyoshi: "Oh a daredevil sledder? Then I am sure that Wolfgang will appreciate the Olympic snowboarding competition tomorrow. Now there you will see some real daredevils..."
Sakura: "Oh Kiyoshi, we wouldn't miss that competition! I am so looking forward to it. So...are you able to stay and join us for hot pot?"
Kiyoshi: "Unfortunately not...the coach only permitted us a limited time to visit our families, and I wanted to see you..."
Sakura: "Oh, I am so sorry that you can't stay..."
Kiyoshi: "I just wanted to make sure you were feeling alright and that your recovery was going well. I trust that Wolfgang has been mindful of your well-being. Of course, Sakura, after tomorrow, when we proceed on the mountain climb together, I will be able to ensure that you are well taken care of," he said as he glanced at Wolfgang.
Sakura: "Oh, Wolfgang has been taking good care of me," she said smiling at Wolfgang, "and yes...I am looking forward to the climb tomorrow..."
Kiyoshi "I must be on my way then...enjoy your hot pot..." He bid Sakura and Wolfgang goodnight and gave Sakura a final hug. Sakura stood by the door and watched him leave and then closed the door slowly.
Wolfgang looked at Sakura and thought he saw the glisten of tears in her eyes but she went into the dining room and so he wasn't sure. Dang that Kiyoshi! Why did he have to come here tonight? And why did he have to mention about his and Sakura's first kiss during the Festival of Snow? Wolfgang was so mad right now. He had literally wanted to throttle Kiyoshi when he was here. Kiyoshi had subtly reminded Wolfgang of what he had promised at the party.
Whatever chance Wolfgang had of having a romantic evening with Sakura had literally been squashed by Kiyoshi's arrival. Wolfgang finished preparing the tea and tried to calm his thoughts. Wolfgang had seen the look on Sakura's face when she had looked at Kiyoshi...she was in love with him, Wolfgang was sure of it. And the way Kiyoshi was so protective of her...he knew Kiyoshi loved her, too. Tomorrow Sakura and Kiyoshi would be together, and it really didn't matter what Wolfgang said to Sakura tonight. He had seen it with his own eyes. It was over for him. After the competition, he would find River and spend the rest of the day with him getting drunk...very drunk...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sakura stood in the dining room and looked at the flickering candles. She felt the tears run down her cheeks. When she had opened the door and seen Kiyoshi there, it was almost like a shock went through her. He was just as handsome as he had been when he left, but he looked more confident and rugged. And he had greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, which seemed rather strange. But she was actually glad it was just a kiss on the cheek, because with Wolfgang standing there, she just didn't want Kiyoshi to kiss her on the lips in front of him. That was a weird thought. At one time, she would have ran to him and kissed him and not worried who was around. Now...she just felt different.
She still cared for Kiyoshi very much, but perhaps it was what had happened at the camp, and of her receiving the ultrasound photo. All she knew was that her feelings for him had changed. And the way Kiyoshi talked, Sakura was sure that he didn't know Kaori was pregnant. And when Kiyoshi spoke to Wolfgang, Sakura had felt such tension between them. And then Kiyoshi had brought up their first kiss at the Festival of Snow, and Sakura had felt embarrassed that he had said that in front of Wolfgang.
And now that Kiyoshi had come to see her, she should feel happy, right? But she didn't, she just felt sad. Sakura suddenly realized that she was not in love with Kiyoshi anymore. It was Wolfgang who she was hopelessly in love with, but unfortunately, Wolfgang was only "in love" with her as a friend. Sakura knew that after the competition that she would have to talk to Kiyoshi and show him the ultrasound photo and tell him that she couldn't be with him anymore. It was better to be alone than to be with someone she didn't really love. She knew that Kiyoshi would be devastated when she told him, but she had to do this. It made her sad just thinking about how close they had once been, and all it took was a betrayal of trust, which, Sakura felt, was the reason she didn't feel the same towards Kiyoshi any longer.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sakura came out of the dining room to check on Wolfgang and saw that the tea was ready.
Sakura: "Wolfgang, are you ready to eat? I've prepared the hot pot..."
Wolfgang turned to face her and felt like he needed that drink now. He took her hands in his, "Sakura, I wanted to tell you that today was the best day I have ever had. And I am so glad that I was here to share this with my best friend. Thank you, Sakura."
Sakura briefly looked into his eyes and then looked down,"It was my pleasure...we are here such a short time...there is so much more to see...maybe another time..."
Wolfgang nodded his head knowing that Kiyoshi would never allow him to come and visit Sakura again, "Of course..." he said smiling at her.
They went into the dining room, and sat down and Wolfgang sampled his first hot pot.
Wolfgang: "Is it inappropriate to make a toast?" he asked.
Sakura laughed, "With green tea? That will be a first...but, no, it's not inappropriate..."
Wolfgang: "To Sakura...I wish you much happiness and success in whatever you do..."
Sakura swallowed hard..."And to you, too, Wolfgang..." she said softly. Why did she have this feeling that this would be the last time they would be alone like this together.
They ate the rest of the meal, and Wolfgang noticed how distracted Sakura seemed. Sakura said she was rather tired and needed to get her rest for the mountain climb tomorrow. Wolfgang said he would finish cleaning up.
Sakura ascended the stairs and got undressed and got into bed. She thought about the day with Wolfgang and what had happened with Kiyoshi, and her thoughts were on tomorrow when she would have to tell Kiyoshi goodbye. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
time zone: Berlin, Germany - EA Gallery ID: Noctuara
Ahhh - sorry you are having that problem. It's too bad, too, because you solved the mystery and it still "hangs around". lol But, yeah, can understand the disappointment.
I did intend for this to be one update, but decided to split it in half just to catch up. With the hour I have to spend on Imgur since that bug, I just can't seem to catch up, and I think it would be good to "save" a post.
last update | Overview post&rules
Update 24- Bridgeview
Sarahs Diary
Why are you always so tense, and bored, and don't do stuff with the kids unless I ask you to? You're an adult now, and a parent of four kids! You just have to be more responsible!
-- Perhaps I don't want to be an adult, and let myself and my life be defined by a heap of kids?
Perhaps you should've told me that a bit earlier?! Not after we lived together for 20 years, had 4 kids and got married?!
Anyway, I need to go pee...
...and confirm something. Really, I did not see this attitude coming! He couldn't have told me about his changed views before Winterfest?! It's not like we couldn't try to get more freedom, now that the kids are bigger... I just didn't know and thought he was happy!
Is it positive? I don't know what to hope for.
I'm so happy, I love all my kids! I wouldn't want for any of them not to be in this world.
But if Greg is having second thoughts about being a part of this family, another kid won't help. I hope I can solve this - for all of us...
Ugh. Oh no. I suppose I'll have to be more careful about lifting Connor now...
Greg? I'm pregnant again. You remember Winterfest...
Sarah? We need to talk.
The rest of the day passed like a blur (and also I spent most of it in another household, so...)
We got calls from school, Father Winter visited and gave us condolences about Granny's death (don't ask me why), and Sophia almost froze to death. Again. And loads of people came over, so it was quite the madhouse.
Next time, let's see where I spent the rest of the day!
Characters, Lot, Gallery
Gallery (Sims and houses): Hashtag #onemonthoneworldoneyear, Name "One Sim - Fam. Britton". My gallery name is Noctuara.
Kids: Sophia & Mark (Twins)
- Greg Britton - Greg is an adult who has a strong interest in Gaming and Computers and is quite a Geek. Unfortunately, he also is a bit slobby and mean. Due to his history, he is a bit troubled, has Bad Manners, is Irresponsible, Argumentative and Insensitive. But he can be nice as well... if he tries his best... (and I help him by x-ing out all his autonomous mean&mischievous interactions from the Parenthood traits) He was working in business, but hated it. So he enrolled for a Programming course and is now a freelance programmer listed with an agency. On the side, he participates in Novice Tournaments.
- Sarah Britton - Sarah on the other hand wants to be the best parent possible. She is very neat, good and loves being with her family. She found a job as Freelancer Artist to try and keep the two of them afloat.
- Sophia Britton - The firstborn, and the twin of Mark. She is a teenager already. She continues to prefer doing things alone, mostly being outside gardening.
- Mark Britton - The secondborn and the twin of Sophia. He is a teenager as well. He likes being outdoors at the river catching some fish, or taking a nap to recover after all the work fishing is.
- Miles Britton - The thirdborn. He is a child already. His fun-loving personality is overshadowed by some gloom, and he aims to uncover the secrets of simkind at his science table.
- Connor Britton - The fourthborn. He is a toddler at the moment, and is a very wild child full of energy.
others:Schedule (subject to change)
For all others, I will use these MCC settings, starting on 1st of June, so it roughly works. (Combined, the Teen, YA, Adult and Elder stages are exactly 365 days right now).
- Pregnany: 5 days
- Baby: 7 days
- Toddler: 14 days
- Child: 45 days
- Teen: 90 days
- Young Adult: 93 days
- Adult: 92 days
- Elder: 90 days
This might change when I get a feeling for the challenge. I will possibly extend this for a next Gen, or extend the YA and Adult stages, if I get Brindleton Bay and subsequent other worlds. And if I manage to stick around that long.I will start playing in Bridgeview (Newcrest) with a big family and the Baby No. 5 as main sim. I will move neighborhood each month, alternating the worlds. This starts as soon as the Main Sim turns teen.
I want to work on roughly two aspirations per month with my Main Sim, or, better said, on about 3 goal sets of the "Master Simmer" challenge to try and get all achievements - mainly because with my current packs there are 38 goal sets - 3,1666 per month. (See Rules).
I think with normal play, I'll never get there! But with so much time to stretch out the skilling, it might work. And it will definitely keep me from getting bored.
time zone: Berlin, Germany - EA Gallery ID: Noctuara