I still remember all the crushes I used to have as a teen. XD basically who is cute and in sight. Or who is a good friend. Of course I figured out that I'm also poly yeaaaaars later. But I never acted on my crushes lol. So I think it's pretty accurate that she's so fickle of a teenager crushing on lots of people.
Since she keeps going to school she keeps needing to talk to more people. And then she learns it's a bad idea to climb the mountain alone. And the shared interest in winter sports and climbing has let her bond with more people. Then on top of that everyone has pretty much made friends with everyone so she got to know them all a bit at a time and it just ended up being large group get togethers more and more. Haha.
Yup, full autonomy. Aaron had invited her over to the house that I placed them in.
Funny enough, Aaron has initiated none of the flirts. XD
honestly I'm not sure if free love is active. I believe that house is in another neighborhood and I did not check to see what NAPs are active. It would make sense if that's one of them though. I think someone had put on a romantic movie as well just before hand.
January 30th: Saying goodbye and other extreme sports
Today's Accomplishments:
Successfully ski in icy conditions
Survive three wildlife attacks unscathed
Complete Extreme Sport Enthusiast
Reached level 10 of the wellness skill
Actually played two days for this update as I wanted to make sure I could complete the aspiration before I had to move on.
I woke up this morning knowing I had to tell my friends that I was planning on leaving. With a heavy heart I invited Kaori on another mountain hike. I lead her to the the cave with the monkey statues and shouted "I love you Kaori!" into the cave. She smiled as she listened to my words echo back to us.
I swallowed hard and took her hands and told her my intentions.
"You're leaving me"? Kaori cried into her hands, "I thought you loved me".
"I'll visit you and Caroline every week, I promise, I just want to see the world while I'm young".
"I wish I could come with you", Kaori said wiping away her tears, "If it weren't for my grandparents and our baby I would too".
"Maybe once I settle in you can come stay with me for a few days, you can bring Caroline if she's old enough by than", I said pulling her in for a hug.
"Is that a promise", Kaori asked looking me in the eye.
"That's a promise".
We walked around for a bit more, but the mood had shifted and we mostly walked in silence thinking our own thoughts. Kaori asked when I was leaving and I told her the day after tomorrow. We parted ways soon after and I went to check the conditions on the mountain. The sign warned of icy conditions and I figured it would be a good test of my skiing abilities if I could successfully go down the hard slope in these conditions. It took a few face plants, but on my third try I finally did it!
I wasn't an expert yet, but I planned on visiting these slopes often even after I moved away, and I still wanted to get better at snowboarding as well. I needed to say goodbye to Caroline still so I called Kaori to ask if this would be a good time. When I arrived, little Caroline smiled up at me as I cuddled her close and I felt a pang of guilt for leaving her. "I'll visit you often" I whispered into her little ear "take care of mommy for me".
Kaori and I sat on her bed and I told her I'd send child support every week and if it wasn't enough to let me know. We cuddled a bit before I left and walked around the bamboo forest one last time. I had a lot of good memories here and even got another wish granted from the forest spirits (they gave me 50 simoleons). I had one last encounter with it's wildlife too, but I easily outsmarted them and came out unscathed; I don't think I'll ever have to worry about them again.
I went to say goodbye to the gym and lead a yoga class for a little extra moving money.
After the class I ran into Kiyoshi and told him I was leaving but that I would visit often. He wished me luck and told me I was always welcome to crash at his place.
I returned home and after meditating on the day I felt peace, my spirit lifted and felt ready for anything. Tomorrow I would pack and decide on my next destination.
As we reached the final marker, I couldn't believe we had done it. A few more steps...and we were on top of the simworld. We were here!
We walked towards the top, and it was amazing. All around us was sky. I was walking in the clouds. I was so happy that Kaori was here to experience this with me for the first time.
It was still windy, and I pointed to a pathway, "We're going to head up there...set up camp..." I told Kaori. She nodded to me, and I gave her a smile. I could tell she was tired, but she never complained. We continued on.
We set up camp and changed out of our climbing gear. I looked up at the sky and the stars were everywhere. I had never seen so many.
Kaori took my hand, and we lay down on the snow together, "It's so beautiful here...so many stars. Shall we make a wish?" she asked.
I closed my eyes then, and thought of Kaori and everything that we had been through to get to this point. Even with the dangers we had faced, it had been worth it. It just wouldn't have been the same if I had done the trek with Kiyoshi. I felt that Kaori and I had bonded with each other.
Dylan: "I wish that I could stay here like this with you forever..."
Kaori pointed out a star and said softly, "I wished for that, too..."
We got up, and held each other.
At that moment, I had never felt closer to anyone. And here we were, the only two sims at the top of the simworld. It was rather perfect.
And I kissed her and tried to blot out everything else, except the way I was feeling right now.
We broke apart, and I knew I had to tell her about my past. I turned away and headed to the campfire and lit it, "Now, how about those weenies? I'm famished."
Kaori looked at me confused and laughed, "You and those weenies. But, I'm kind of hungry, too."
While we roasted the weenies, I looked at Kaori and then thought of what I had to tell her. I frowned. After all we'd been through today, I didn't exactly know how to start the subject with her. And then I remembered her wrist.
Dylan: "Kaori, I need to wrap your wrist. I'll get the first aid kit..."
We sat down together, and I wrapped her wrist with a bandage and tape and then gave her wrist a little kiss.
Dylan: "That's to help it heal..."
Kaori thanked me and then looked into my eyes, "Is that the kiss you promised me? The kiss to remember?"
Dylan: "No...that was just...no, that wasn't it..." I was stammering. I was nervous. I saw the look in her eyes, and I knew...I knew...oh my gosh...I knew what she wanted to do. And it's not like the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Indeed it had. Several times. Alright, more than several times. And what a perfect night it would be...to woohoo at the top of the simworld.
Kaori: "We're all alone, Dylan. Just the two of us...and I...really want to "be" with you tonight..."
Dylan, thinking: "Yep, there is was. And it could just be so easy to take her hand and lead her into that tent...and I knew it would be good. Everything just felt so right. But I couldn't. I am going to kick myself later for turning down a very blatant invitation...but I didn't want to "be" with her like this."
Dylan: "Kaori...I...um....I want to "be" with you, too. Oh how I want to...but I really have to tell you something. My hair...this is not my real color..." What the heck? What kind of lame brain revelation is that?
Kaori laughed and pulled me to her: "And you think this is my real hair color? Enough talk...come 'ere, I just want to kiss you..."
Maybe it was the altitude...but dang...I was floating away on that kiss.
We parted and I took her hand in mine, "Kaori, I think...no...I know...I have really fallen hard for you. And I hope you know that I would do anything for you. But tonight is not the night to be together. I know you think it is, but it's not how I wanted it to be. I still have a lot of stuff to tell you. I'm not going anywhere. I want to take our time...."
Kaori: "But Dylan...I so want to..."
Dylan: "I know, but...just...let me finish. I gave your Grandfather my word. I know why he didn't want me to take you on the trek...his real reason...because he was worried that something like this would happen. Between the two of us...yeah...woohoo together. I don't want to bring you back home knowing that he couldn't trust me. I mean...he could have one of those lie detector machines in the basement and give me a lie detector test...and then I would fail...and he would never trust me again..."
Kaori: "Dylan...my Sofu doesn't have a lie detector machine...what are you talking about?"
Dylan: "But he could...I don't know. You don't know. But if he does...and if he asks me if we woohoo'd on the summit together, then I can honestly tell him that we didn't. And then it would help my relationship with him. Little by little I am going to win him over, because I want things to be right between your Grandfather and me. I know how much they mean to you, Kaori. And they really do care about you. Because I see you and me lasting a long time, and I just want things to be right. No, not just right...perfect...perfect between us and your family..."
I got up and grabbed some granola and sat down again and looked at Kaori anxiously.
Kaori: "...You see us lasting a long time?"
Dylan: "Yeah...yeah I do...I mean, I hope you do, too..."
Kaori: "Yes...I do...and you're right...I can wait...yes, I want things to be right, too..."
Dylan: "Okay...are you sure? You're okay with that? With us?"
Kaori: "Yes, Dylan, I am. And you're right, we should wait. I mean, look at my wrist..." she said waving it in front of me.
I smiled at her, "Alright, I'm glad that's settled...and now I have to find a pee bush somewhere..."
Kaori: "I'll come with you. I have to find one, too."
And so we trudged down the mountain again and I spied a pee bush.
When we were done, the wind had picked up again.
Dylan: "So...um...Kaori...you were waiting for that kiss to remember?"
Kaori: "Yes...I was..."
I pulled her to me and kissed her. The wind whipped at our clothes and it was bitter cold, but all I felt were her warm lips on mine. I didn't want this to end. And in that moment, I felt like Kaori and I were safe in our own little world.
We reluctantly parted and Kaori gave me a dazed look. She had felt it too.
Dylan: "Come on, Kaori, let's get some sleep...."
We went in the tent together and got into the sleeping bags, and Kaori laid beside me. I held her in my arms, and she cuddled against me...and within minutes we were both sound asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly and we got up and greeted the day together. Yesterday had been a rather stressful day, but today, it seemed as if everything was clearer to me. Like I had a new purpose, because something had definitely changed in me.
Maybe it was Kaori's influence, but I knew now that whatever I revealed about my past, that she would accept. I somehow just knew, and it made me feel more confident.
We decided to mark our climb by making a snowpal together. We fitted it with bits and pieces of our wardrobe, and we both laughed when we finished it.
As we stood gazing out at the sun, Kaori whispered to me, "Dylan, I never thanked you...for helping me yesterday. I owe you for that. And...you are the best excursion leader ever...I just wanted to tell you..."
Dylan: "For all that happened yesterday, Kaori, I am glad you came. It just showed me what could have happened to me, if I had attempted the mountain excursion alone. It was foolish of me to think I could do it...I just wanted to get that experience so badly...and it was poor judgement on my part."
Kaori: "I guess...I guess we have to head home now. I'm not looking forward to it. What's going to happen now? What do you think my Sofu (Grandfather) will do?"
Dylan: "I'm not sure. He'll probably blame me...and...I will take full responsibility for allowing you to go on the mountain excursion without rock climbing gear. That was my fault. But in hindsight now, I am not sorry it happened, because it meant that I spent time with you. And it showed me how quickly things can change on the mountain."
Although we both wanted to stay longer, we knew it was time to go.
We packed up the rest of the gear, and then headed down the mountain together. And Kaori even told me that her wrist was feeling better.
Dylan: "It must have been that get well kiss I gave your wrist."
Kaori: "Yes, that's it. Of course, I might need a few more kisses on the climb down. You know...for medicinal purposes..."
Dylan: "I'll be only too happy to oblige," I said and blew her a kiss.
Kaori smiled at me, and I felt really good about the climb down the mountain. I glanced back at the summit and said a silent farewell. Maybe one day Kaori and I would return, but I was going to ensure that she had that rock climbing equipment on her before we left. That was for sure.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
If anyone has seen the movie, "Meet The Parents" (2000), you will remember the lie detector test that Jack (the father) gives Greg, his daughter's fiancee. So, yeah, who knows...Kaori's Grandfather might have a lie detector machine. Yep, I am sure that Shigeru would go to these lengths to prove Dylan was a "bad boy."
January - Day 30:"Wherever you are, I will find you and bring you home..."
Notes
Alessandra materialized at the portal in the Magic Realm, exactly where she had hoped to send Cale. But she didn't see him there. Maybe he was inside? She ran for the entrance to HQ but stopped at the bottom of the staircase when L. appeared.
"Thank you for saving me, I owe you my life." "You are welcome my dear. Now, please, tell me why you were there in the first place."
Alessandra shared how she had been trying to save Cale who appeared to be trapped in the fire.
"Oh Honey, I can't imagine going through something like that. Cale is very fortunate you were there. You are a very brave young lady. I would imagine he was extremely grateful to you."
"I...I don't know, I hope so. Is he inside?"
"Inside? What do you mean? Cale's not here. Didn't you just send him a short distance? Perhaps outside the house a safe distance away?"
"What!? He's not here? Noooo! Oh my Gawd! I sent him here, to the Realm. At least I thought I did."
"ALESSANDRA! How could you be so foolish? You are NOT trained to transportalate others to the Realm. You KNEW that, yet you did it anyway. Do you have any idea what you've done? Cale could be anywhere or nowhere, lost in a void. because of YOU!"
"I...I didn't think I had a choice, I knew I had to get him out of there or he would surely die. He was coughing so bad and choking, moaning, in pain. I panicked and sent him to the one place I knew for sure he'd be safe. Whoever trapped him in there could've still been lurking around outside! You can find him though, right? Just use your powers to talk to him with your mind. You can do that, right? Right?"
L. stared at Alessandra with a look of such sadness in her eyes before she spoke.
"I will try Honey, but...there is no guarantee you even got him out of there. He...might not have made it out and if he didn't..."
"DON'T SAY THAT! Just try, please, try to talk to him. I have to know, even if, even if..." "Alright, of course I will."
L. stood still and silent, staring beyond Alessandra, searching, searching with hope in her heart she could locate Cale and speak to him. It was a long shot though since they were really only acquaintances. The connection she had with him wasn't strong as with those she knew well and loved.
However, she did care for the boy and had tried to help him, as a Mother would help her child. That had to count for something, right?
"I'm so sorry Alessandra, I can not speak to him. He could be--"
"NOOOO! He can't be! Please, PLEASE try again. You have to, I'm begging you, try again, harder, please, he can't be, he's not--"
"--Honey, you didn't let me finish. We don't know that, yet. He could just be unconscious. Those that I can communicate with telepathically must be awake to hear me...and, there must be a strong connection between us, whether by friendship, related by blood or someone I love. I don't know Cale well. Don't give up hope yet dear. I'll keep trying, I promise."
"YES! Oh man, I hope that's all it is. He'll wake up soon and then hear you, I just know it!" "Perhaps, but there's something I need to know from you too. The spell you cast, can you remember the words that you said? If you can, we might know where he is without the need to speak to him."
"Oh, uh, well, it was the transportalate spell to travel here, of course...but, I must've said it wrong or my burning magic hand caused the spell to go wrong? Maybe?" "Alright, let's hope you just said the spell wrong. If it didn't work because of your magic? Cale could be anywhere and we might never find him."
L. sent Alessandra inside to study and continue her training. She told her the spell she might've accidentally cast and the spell to reverse it, would be located in the collection of Tomes only accessible by a Spellcaster at a higher level than she herself had reached. She must increase her power.
L. Faba was one of the most powerful Spellcasters in all the worlds, The Sage of Mischief Magic. As such, except for the two other Sages, no one else knew as many spells as she and could use spells no one else would know. However, even the Sages could not reverse the spell another had cast. Alessandra would have to cast it herself. IF she could remember it or find it in the Tomes and IF, it was needed at all. L. would continue to try to communicate with Cale and consult with Simeon and Morgyn as well to get their opinions and ideas.
While Alessandra was searching for Tomes, L. communicated with Essa in Mt. Komorebi, asking her about Cale and the fire. She was told that Cale's house had not been a total loss. There was damage to the kitchen and greenhouse, but though uninhabitable due to smoke and water, some of his personal belongings were mostly unharmed in the fire. The Hunters had them in their possession for safe-keeping in the event Cale could be located.
Which led to he best news of all. The firefighters had not found Cale in the house. Apparently Alessandra had been successful in transportalating him.
L. found Alessandra in the Plant room and shared with her what she had found out. She gave her a hug and told her to be strong, there was still hope. L. left then to teach her next class and promised to let Alessandra know if/when she was able to contact Cale.
Alessandra broke down after L. left and sobbed in relief that at least she'd been able to get him out of the burning house.
The question still remained though, was he alive? And if so, where was he?
I just scrapped an entire storyline lol it was far too weird, so there's no real long story part for this one, just something I knocked out in like 5 minutes
"Here it is," Aaron said, pointing out the features of the listing. "It's pretty cheap too, and look at all that space."
He looked up at Hunter, eyes bright. "We could get this! My paintings have been selling really well, so it's not like we're short on money. We'd even have a lot left over from the sale of this place, so could spruce it up pretty nice." He looked so eager, so excited, so hopeful for the future, and Hunter had never been in love with him more.
"I like your use of the word 'we'," Hunter said, grinning.
"Of course! We're a team, we're together, we're.... buying a house together..." He stopped and laughed. "This is really happening, isn't it?"
~~~
In preparation for the move, Hunter and Yoshi finally moved in
Of course, the first thing the dumb dog did was fight a squirrel in the pee bush
He's still cute though
Goodbye, house! We're moving to a place that has a foundation!
The gnomes are staying lol
All of Aaron's paintings that he hasn't sold, his fridge from Father Winter (no way he's leaving that behind), and a few other things were put into his household inventory. He's not taking the Murphy bed It'll (hopefully) be a proper bed from here on out until the end of the year
Oh! Since he has a lot of harvestables in his own inventory, he's not taking the plants either. There's not much room for them where he and Hunter will be moving to.
Ooo, can't wait to find out what this big reason is for both of them to move to Windenburg now. Yes, Hunter is allowed to live with Aaron, no problem! Josh moved in with Essa after I'd only played 8 days! He was just going to help her train and climb the mountain with her. But we all know things developed into much more after awhile. A lot of tension between the two because of their romantic feelings for each other since she was a teen and he was a young adult at the time. I had no mods at that time either, so no way for them to 'get together.' Oh boy, somehow I figured Morgan would follow them.
Ohh, well that's cool you don't need pose player for that pose. I looked into getting that for my last update, especially for fight poses. But I ended up just settling for GF stage marks for Cale's fight with Lance. Still don't like that dust cloud though. Oh well.. Just bad graphics with the foam maybe? Or a glitch? I have no idea. Morgan was the Onsen custodian? That's hilarious. hehe Hmm, well I thought I'd downloaded the CC version of Aaron. I didn't have to add any of his CC anyway after I put him in my game. Other than the contacts.
Aww, man, Aaron looks so happy swimming. I love that shot! Great idea having a party with his friends to celebrate the first day of Summer. Everybody looked like they were having a ball throwing the water balloons. Bummer about the fire, but I'm sure Cale understands that it wasn't Aaron's fault a fire started. These things happen. Had to laugh at the shot of Dylan with a leaf 'mane' around his neck. hehe Hilarious too Robin making that funny face. So sweet he took selfies with everyone. I love that!
You weren't wrong about Cale possibly still being traumatized around fires. It's cool! Cale would not think bad of Aaron for it, don't worry. Cale might rant and rave, get upset about stuff, but he's working on that and while he might be angry, it wouldn't be focused at Aaron, you know? He'd just be angry in general thinking about what happened. Hey Cale looks great with the black t-shirt and those are my absolute favorite shorts for guys. You did good!
I just totally scrapped that entire second reason for them going to Windenburg, it was too weird and didn't make a lot of sense when I finally wrote it down. It kinda made sense in my head at first but then I reconsidered it and just said no
It was Saturday afternoon by the time we made it down the mountain. The trek down had been much smoother, and indeed, Kaori's wrist seemed to have improved. She was pretty exhausted and we were not looking forward to the confrontation that we both knew would happen when she returned home.
Kaori had said she could go alone, but I was not going to let her. I was standing firm and would be by her side. Plus, I didn't know when I would see her again, because Kaori figured she would be grounded after this.
The weather was cloudy, but hot. What a difference from the mountain weather that we had experienced just yesterday.
We stopped just outside her house.
Dylan: "Kaori, I still haven't told you what I need to tell you. It's rather important. Can we meet on Monday night at the Onsen? There is an upstairs area where we can talk, and not a lot of sims go up there so it will be rather private. If you can't make it, just let me know at school on Monday and we can figure out something else. Okay?"
Kaori: "You can't tell me now? It's not about your hair color again is it?"
Dylan: "No, Kaori, but that's part of it. It's too long and involved, and we can't do it right now. You have to get home."
Kaori: "Alright...but can I ask you something?"
Dylan: "Sure."
Kaori: "If this isn't your real hair color...what is?"
Dylan looked around and answered quietly, "I'm a redhead...a ginger, some would call me..."
Kaori looked surprised: "Oh! That's a change! But, Dylan, whatever you have to tell me, you know I will understand..."
Dylan: "Yes, I know that, and that is why I am trusting you with the truth. But not here...not now. Monday...I will tell you everything on Monday. But right now, I am going to kiss you...really kiss you...because I don't think I can kiss you like this in front of your grandparents..."
And I took Kaori in my arms, and kissed her...a long, lingering kiss, that I hoped would have her thinking of me.
We slowly parted and then held hands and walked to her house.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When we arrived, we stood at the front porch for a moment, and then Kaori opened the door and we stepped inside.
Kaori: "Sobu! Sofu! I'm home!"
Sachito came around the corner and almost ran to Kaori and engulfed her in a hug
Sachito: "Oh Kaori, I'm so glad that you are safe and that you came home. We were so worried. Your Sofu and I have barely slept while you were gone."
Kaori: "Sobu, I'm sorry, but I didn't feel it was fair that Kiyoshi was allowed to go on the mountain trek with Dylan and I wasn't. Especially since we had trained together. And when I got to the mountain, I found out that Kiyoshi wasn't going because he had sprained his wrist, and Dylan was going to go on the trek alone because he was going to prove to Sofu that he could do it. He was going to get the experience so that then Sofu would trust him to take me."
Sachito: "But, Kaori...you were not prepared to go. You didn't have any rock climbing equipment. And what happened to your hand?"
Kaori: "Yes...I know...I went without any...and I know it wasn't a good choice to make, but I wanted to go so badly...I just wasn't thinking..."
Sachito: "You didn't tell me what happened to your hand..."
I spoke up then, "Mrs. Nishidake, Kaori slipped on the rock wall on the Croft Icefall and she sprained her wrist. When I found out she didn't have any rock climbing equipment, I roped us together so that nothing would happen to her. It's a climbing technique called belaying. I didn't leave her the entire time, and helped her climb to the top. I had my first aid kit with me and bandaged her wrist. We made the climb back the same way, roped together, even on the lower walls. I wasn't going to let anything happen to her."
Kaori: "Sobu, if it hadn't been for Dylan, I would have fallen on that wall. But Dylan helped me, and wouldn't leave me. I couldn't have made it without him. He kept me safe, Sobu. He saved me on the Croft Icefall."
Sachito turned to me and gave me a hug, "Dylan, I am grateful to you for bringing Kaori back safely. Kado came over yesterday and told me that you had great inner strength, and that you wouldn't let anything happen to Kaori. I believe that now. Thank you, Dylan...thank you..."
Shigeru had entered the room and had listened to the whole conversation.
Shigeru came over and hugged his granddaughter, "Kaori, I am glad that you are safe. I am not going to lecture you about what you did. It was very irresponsible of you to go on the mountain excursion without any rock climbing gear. Your Sobu and I were very worried. You could have been killed!"
Kaori sat down, "Yes, I know, Sofu, I'm sorry. But Dylan was there. Sofu, you would have been so proud of him if you had seen him. He was so calm, and kept talking to me on the wall. He never left me, Sofu. He kept me safe."
Shigeru: "He kept you safe? Isn't it the excursion leader's responsibility to ensure that each team member has the proper equipment BEFORE they start the mountain trek?"
Dylan: "Yes, Mr. Nishidake, it is. I take full responsibility for that. I had not expected Kaori to be there, and was distracted from the task that I should have done."
Kaori: "Sofu, please don't blame Dylan. It is my fault. He didn't know I didn't have any rock climbing gear until we came to the second wall. And then he came up with the idea of the ropes and belaying."
Shigeru: "So, why didn't you turn back when you found out Kaori didn't have the proper equipment? You were not very far at that time..."
I cleared my throat, "I continued, Mr. Nishidake, because...because I felt that if I had returned without having completed the climb, without the experience that I needed, that you would not permit Kaori to go with me again. I had looked at a guided tour for next month to go on with Kaori, but it was too expensive. So, I made a decision. And I felt confident that Kaori had the skills in rock climbing to complete the trek. I read some rock climbing books about the belaying method and had spoken to Kado about it. I packed those items just in case I needed them when I thought I was going on the climb with Kiyoshi. I felt confident that Kaori and I would make it..."
Shgieru looked at Sachito and didn't say a word. Sachito excused herself and said she should start lunch.
Shigeru to Dylan: "What you did was extremely dangerous. You risked Kaori's life and that is unacceptable. Ever since she met you, Kaori has not been herself. She has taken unnecessary risks, something she never did before. I feel you are a bad influence on her. And I am saying this now for both you and Kaori to hear that I do not want you to associate with my granddaugther again."
Kaori: "Sofu! Dylan has done nothing wrong. He saved my life up on the mountain. He stayed with me. He never left me. We made it to the summit, and he cared for me."
Shigeru: "Cared for you? Is that you call it now? I do not wish to go into what happened when you reached the summit and stayed overnight with this...with this...BOY!"
Dylan: "Mr. Nishidake, I can assure you that nothing happened at the summit. I gave you my word when I was here for dinner. I am telling you the truth. Nothing happened."
Shigeru to Dylan: "Your word? I do not know you, nor do I trust you."
Kaori: "Sofu...Dylan is telling the truth. Nothing happened on the summit. He told me he made a promise to you, and he didn't want to break that promise because he wanted you to trust him. He kept his word, Sofu. I swear! Nothing happened!"
Shigeru: "Kaori, we make rules in this house to keep you safe. And being with this BOY is not in your best interests. He is BAD, and he will just bring you down with him."
Kaori: "Sofu! That is so untrue! Dylan is not bad. If he had been bad, he would have just left me on the mountain by myself. He cares about me Sofu, and I....I care about him..."
Shigeru: "Kaori, I feel it is best if you do not see this BOY again."
Sheguru turned to me, "I wish you to leave..."
Sachito came out of the kitchen then carrying a sack lunch.
Sachito: "Shigeru, please! Enough! I heard the whole conversation in the kitchen. Dylan saved Kaori's life. Give him some credit!"
Shigeru scowled at her.
Sachito walked up to Dylan and handed the sack lunch to him.
Sachito: "Dylan, this is for you. It is a small supper I packed for you. I want to thank you again for everything you have done for Kaori, but I think that under the circumstances, that you should head home. I am sure that you are tired, as we all are. This has been a very trying time for all of us, and I need to attend to Kaori's needs. I am sure you understand. Thank you again, Dylan for bringing her home safely. Give it a few days...and we will talk again..."
I nodded to Mrs. Nishidake and thanked her for the dinner. I looked at Kaori and then turned to leave.
Kaori: "Dylan, Wait!"
Kaori ran to me and hugged me and whispered in my ear that she would see me on Monday night. We parted and I smiled at her and bid everyone good bye.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I left the house, I was shaking. I was so mad. Nothing had gone like I had hoped it would. Kaori's Grandfather hated me even more now, and has basically told Kaori that he doesn't want her seeing me anymore.
I went around back and spied a garbage can and kicked it with all my might. "Oh my Plumbobs!" I said out loud, along with a few forbidden words.
Afterwards, I picked up the garbage can and set it upright and stood there looking at it. I hadn't noticed that Kado was standing beside me the whole time.
Kado: "Did that make you feel any better?"
Dylan: "Kado...I..I didn't see you there. How did you get here?"
Kado: "I live right next door. I saw you and Kaori arrive back. So...um...I understand that there were some changes that happened with the mountain trek."
Dylan: "How did you know?"
Kado: "Well, I got a few phone calls...from Sachito...from Shigeru...from Megumi...from Kiyoshi. I guess you could say I was on the phone a lot this weekend..."
Dylan: "Oh Kado...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." And then suddenly I was telling Kado the whole story, about Kiyoshi's injury, Kaori showing up, no rock climbing equipment, the belaying system, her injury, the weather, the summit...my promise to Kaori's Grandfather. It just all spilled out and then afterwards Kado just looked at me and smiled.
Kado: "Shigeru is a stubborn old goat, isn't he?" and we both laughed.
Dylan: "He's so impossible. I just want to make things right between us. From the moment we met, he hasn't liked me and I don't know why. I am trying, Kado...I really am...because I really care about Kaori and I want to make this work..."
Kado gave me a hug then, "Dylan, I'll talk to him. What you did with the belaying system is a very advanced skill, and Shigeru should be thankful that you could think on your feet like that. You took some risks, but, you did very well under the circumstances. Look, why don't you go home, change and get a bit of rest, and we'll meet at the Bamboo Forest in a few hours. We'll go on a hike together and chat some more. What do you think?"
I smiled at Kado, "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Kado, it's really good to talk to someone."
Kado: "Alright. I'll see you in a few hours..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I got home, I showered, changed and unpacked the sack lunch that Kaori's Grandmother had given me. Wow! Grilled Cheese! I haven't had grilled cheese since I visited Robin's house, and ate my very first one. I love grilled cheese!
Just then I got a text message from Kaori.
" I u" was all it said
I thought for a moment and then quickly texted her back a reply.
"I u 2
I smiled and took a bite of the sandwich. I felt so happy then, and thought that this grilled cheese sandwich was the best I had ever had!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
*Dylan eating grilled cheese at Robin's house comes from her story, where he was a delivery boy and ate her last grilled cheese sandwich. @permanentrose
My sim selfie did have triplets. Yeah, my first set ever. Was fun as he was living in a shack. I got to Generation 3 when I put it on hold. I really should get back to it. Gen 3 heir is setting up to build the Library in Newcrest. He also has a few romantic interests and is deciding to make the move on one of them. My sim selfie's daughter with the black hair was Gen 2 heiress. All the wives or husbands are also sim selfies of others who are on the forums. I created banners for each Generation. The four behind the founder/heir(ess) are the four sim selfie romantic interests.
Glad I made your evening with my comment. I meant it. The ending was suspenseful...like a movie/tv show. It also goes to show you don't need pose player to still create fun images. Just need good timing sometimes. Looking forward to reading part 2 of that. I figured I'd have D.J. go in a slump before the move to month two. But it's all part of my plan for moving to Windenburg....slowly but surely.
I love how you're dragging the excursion out for a few days real life time. It's really a nice little story between Dylan and Kaori. I cracked up at Kaori being a little dramatic at time.
What a happy mountain excursion ending. The suspense is going to come when he moves.
Poor Robin. Hopefully her and Aimi can end up having at least a long-distance friendship if anything. Guessing the romantic relationship might come to an end, but that doesn't mean they can't remain friends.
Wow! Making snow angels in their bathing suit? Too funny! That would be a bit cold I'd think! Least she got her hat and shades on for a bit of sun tanning. Loved all those different snowpals. Is Velma a celebrity? Or maybe D.J. was. That paparazzi taking a picture was funny.
Adam is such a good guy. I have special plans for him in my gameplay with the yoga instructing and meditating you have him do in yours. I'm going to play off from that.
Great progress with DJ! He's in a good routine. And that's cool you're keeping the seasons matched up with real life - are you just using cheats to keep it winter then? I'm assuming that's what you're doing since I can't think of any other way to make a season last so long haha. Great festival of light pictures too! DJ looks good in a kimono.
Robin probably does appreciate living in Sulani in your game haha. She's gonna be so in her element when we finally get to that month.
Love that Robin got to rehearse that scene with Dylan haha! She looks like she was definitely taken with him You're doing a great job including the premades in your story as usual and really crafting a well thought out world for Dylan! Your screenshots have been gorgeous too, especially your mountain excursion ones! I love that you're using bits of my story in your story too
I will eventually have to change Aaron to liking fitness in my game, I just keep forgetting every time I log in haha. Gorgeous screenshots in all your updates. Hunter and Aaron are so cute, and it's fun to see so many challenge sims continue to show up in your game. That cuddling in bed mod is so cute - I may need to check that out!
Lol that weenie roast was so entertaining. Love seeing all the sims in your game too! That water balloon fight was great - I hate how slowly they go, but you can get some good screenshots if you're patient. Robin was having an especially tough time Have you considered putting your screenshots and your story together? It's just a small suggestion I thought I'd make, since it's nice to see the pictures when you read the story, but if you like the way you're doing your updates, then don't change anything! I just thought I'd mention it
I have to wonder if Morgan and Morgan might be the same person - perhaps he/she is adopting another identity for some reason or is gender fluid? Hmm, curious to see their connection Nice job completing the aspiration too! And exciting that Hunter and Aaron moved in and now you have a pupper!!
Aw, thanks for catching up on my story. Now I'm falling behind on yours haha. Working on getting caught up on everyone's though. It's really fun to see all the challenge sims show up in your game so often! Glad they can help her with her school projects and hang out a lot! I don't know why Velma refuses to show up in mine Velma is making good progress with her winter sports though! Great screenshots!
Love your Jan 27 daily pic with Nik Sr. behind Cale haha. I always love your full autonomy days - your sims and your commentary are always very entertaining. And I do have to say, I'm partial to Cale and Joy Nice pose! Lots of fun sightings of familiar sims too! Love that Aaron and Cale are bonding and being bros in your game! Great screenshots of those two!
I can't even imagine how long it took you to set up Cale's house all torn apart like that! Awesome job! I thought his step dad finding him might be a reason you decided to have him move. And the set up for that fire too! Great story telling this update! You got some amazing screenshots. What a terrible situation Cale is in though Glad Alessandra could help him out! Forgive me, I'm sure I've just skimmed some of your updates too quickly since I'm so behind, but who is Alessandra again? Trying to keep everything straight and hopefully gonna stay caught up better too. Excited to see how Cale's story continues to unfold!
*Updated my January 30th post above! Obviously I wasn't able to finish comments last night, I was exhausted from playing with my Grandchildren and went to bed to get some rest. I'll work on finishing them now. Hope y'all are having a great day/night!
--
Decided to try that whole let the pictures tell the story approach for today. I will say I was torn about breaking these two up - they've made some great memories and really connected, so it is a bit sad to have them go separate ways. If I end up feeling like these two really did have something special and other relationships with Robin aren't clicking, then who's to say they wouldn't reconnect in the future though...
One Month, One World, One Year Challenge: The Adventures of Dash Joseph Faireborn Table of Contents
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January 28: A Walk to Remember!
D.J. woke up still in a depressed mood. On top of that, it started to snow again. He was grateful for the invite to live with Enele and Nawai, but he didn't feel right about it. He could move back home to Newcrest with his parents, but they'd probably just nag and irritate him on him leaving in the first place.
D.J. noticed that the little potato plant had more potatoes just waiting to be picked. It was a good source of food for him. Eating them raw wasn't healthy, but they didn't taste that bad and he never got sick.
D.J. remembered that one day he was walking, he felt emotionally mindful. Perhaps this is what he needs to do. Going for a walk might just be what will help him through this. He heads to the Lounge to pack some food in a sack.
D.J. made his way to Hanamigawa Koen Park. There were trails there he's been on already. The same area he became emotionally mindful last time.
As soon as D.J. felt emotionally mindful again, he made his way to the Onsen's hot springs. According to his watch he was out hiking for about 9 -10 hours. His depression had subsided. He was in a much better mood and ready to take on the challenge ahead of him. He sat in the hot springs and thought about what to do about the situation he was in.
As he was relaxing and contemplating, his phone buzzed. The new thing was waterproof phone cases, for which D.J. was glad to have. His phone would have been ruined the moment he arrived in Mt. Komorebi if he hadn't. Caitlin had text him. She was disappointed they didn't get to meet up again, so she could admire more of his hot body. Her and her parents had just left to go back to Windenburg.
Thinking back to what Enele said, D.J. now had a plan.
Side Note:
I purposely picked the daily image for a reason. If one who has been following along and looks closely, they may see something. I didn't plan it. I saw it myself and thought what luck. Great for a specific story arc with D.J. that I already started.
Hi All! Trying very hard to finish off my posts for Jan 30th & Jan. 31st; however, working overtime, and I am exhausted. Also have to catch up on comments and reading everyone's stories. That will come, though. Thanks for understanding. Have a great day/night
Fantastic update! Aaron really is thriving! I hope that continues for him in Windenburg. I have a feeling both the Morgans are going to cause some kind of drama though. o.O So happy they finally got their kiss on the bridge during the Festival of Light before they left! Oh and Aaron's arms! Holy Simoly! He sure buffed up eh? Love the snowboarding screenshots, love all the screenshots actually! Congrats to Aaron (and you) for completing the aspiration too! Yay! \o/ Everyone is doing so well, makes me happy.
Oh and incredible how much paintings can sell for on Plopsy eh? Essa had one that went for over 18K! Incredible...Cale! Aww, glad he called Hunter to let him know he wasn't holding anything against Aaron about the fire, and wonderful to see Moss again. Maybe they were comparing scar stories. hehe I bet Aaron's neighborhood has the 'Juiced' NAPs is why he was Dazed. Gah! Sometimes I really wish I had MCCC so I could change Sims clothes like that. He looks much better in that outfit instead of the crazy park homeless Sim splattered t-shirt. hehe
Cale should've just ran once he saw his destroyed greenhouse, but noooo, he had to go check it out and let his anger cloud his common sense. I don't know how Lance found him. Luck? Hadn't really thought about that part. hehe Thank you so, so much for saying that about my writing, extremely flattered you had such a strong reaction to it. I tried my best to make it as dramatic, tense and scary as possible, I guess it worked!
In my game, all the Sages and Essa too can communicate telepathically with others, I introduced that fact last year. Essa has Sage blood in her veins is how she has the ability, and since she's so close to Josh, he can do it as well. But anyway, yes, I figured Alessandra being a Spellcaster might have that ability as well, at least to call out to the Sage she's closest to anyway.
Well, of course he did! It was pretty much a given if I wanted to continue the challenge. Wasn't about to kill off Cale after only a month. hehe
No worries about scrapping your idea. If it wasn't working for you, no sense in torturing yourself trying to make it work. Yay! Hunter and Yoshi finally moved in with Aaron before the move. Cale only has a very select few of his personal belongings too. Or I should say the Hunters have it for him. Mostly just photographs, his mountain plaque and 1 each of his plants. He won't get to display or plant anything for awhile since he'll be starting out on an empty lot with 0 simoleans in Windenburg. It'll all be waiting for him though, along with his simoleans whenever he gets 'rescued.'
Great writing for their climb up the Croft Icefall! Loved the added drama with Kaori getting hurt, almost falling and pulling Dylan down with her! o.O Congratulations to both of them successfully conquering Croft! Very sweet moments with the two of as well, which is expected, of course. Love, love all the screenshots in this update. Especially those with the moon and the one of them standing back to back looking all smug. hehe Can't wait to read the summit update next!
More fantastic screenshots! Oh, and well now, Kaori wants to get frisky with Dylan. I can certainly understand his reasons for turning her down, I'm glad she understands. However, I thought for sure he'd tell her his backstory. I guess he's probably still just not ready yet. I hope her Grandfather doesn't find out before he can tell her. OR that those henchmen don't find him first and he just disappears without Kaori knowing why. o.O
Very proud of Dylan for standing by Kaori when she went back home to her Grandparents. I can understand why her Grandfather was upset, but he's still being way, way too harsh on Dylan in my opinion. Don't blame Dylan for getting so angry he kicked over that trash can. Very cool how Kado offered to help him by talking to Kaori's Grandfather. I see Dylan at least told Kaori his real hair color. It's a start, but I hope it all goes well when they meet and he tells her everything. IF, he's able to do meet with her. o.O
No worries about not ending exactly today. Real life always comes first! Of course.
Aww man, knew this was coming, but still sad to read. I figured Aimi's reason would be because of loving Mt. Komorebi and reluctance to leave her family. Such a heartbreaking subsequent post with their silent break-up too. Love these kind of updates where it's clear to see exactly what's happening without text. Great job with that!
Love full autonomy days too! It's hilarious the things they gravitate toward to do on their own. hehe Frustrating at times too when there isn't much for them to do on their lot. For instance how all Josh wanted to do was make drinks when I did it for he and Essa in DSV. hehe Ah well...
I have three ladies I'm contemplating for Cale to fall in real love with. However, there's a lot of time until he's a YA, so he might meet someone else he clicks with even more. I love Joy too though! It did take a bit of time to set all that up for the screenshots, yes. Mostly because I had to use T.O.O.L. for some of it, create his Step-Dad and a few other things such as, cheating to get the stage marks, etc. I had somewhat of an idea what I wanted to happen too, but most of it was inspired by the screenshots when I actually sat down to write the story. Thanks so much for the compliments though, makes me smile. So glad it turned out somewhat like I had imagined.
Alessandra is one of my NPC Spellcasters I downloaded to show up in the Realm instead of game generated townies there. Cale met her during a thunderstorm in the food stall across from his house. Then again they had a chat when he was on the mountain and I had a glitch that made it look like he was invisible and just all of a sudden appeared. She asked if he was a Spellcaster like herself, they had a chat, got along great, talked about going rock climbing together, etc. etc. He saw her a lot since she worked in that food stall often.
Forgive me for not understanding, but why does the fact she goes to school equate to the need to talk to more people? Just wondering... Glad she's done so though, she's making lots of friends and hanging out together, having fun, etc. Most of my Sims usually end up with just a very select few friends. They're not very social. hehe Usually too busy with other stuff.
Fantastic daily post pic! Gah! Look at all those teens having fun together. Funny how she moved to Aldo and then to DJ. I wonder who's next? hehe
Oh cool, bet that was a challenge raising triplets. hehe I've only had one set ever in over 20 years playing this game! Thanks for showing me the banners and explaining about whos who. Looks like you're having fun with that challenge. I know I did when I was playing it. Thanks again about your compliments for my update with Cale's step-Dad. You're right, it just takes creativity and imagination to get the shots you want for story telling purposes. Harder doing it that way, but very satisfying when what you've worked to try and convey is successful. Looking forward to watching what happens with DJ's move to Windenburg.
Funny about the potatoes. hehe Cale never did get any of those. Ah well. Bummer his wish didn't come true and he got so sad. Love the screenshot of him in the hot Springs pointing excitedly after he's made his decision. Okay, looked at the daily post pic closer and I'm guessing it has something to do with that blond guy/girl behind him. If I remember right, it's his schoolmate bully? Hmmm...I guess we'll find out very, very soon!
Hi All! Trying very hard to finish off my posts for Jan 30th & Jan. 31st; however, working overtime, and I am exhausted. Also have to catch up on comments and reading everyone's stories. That will come, though. Thanks for understanding. Have a great day/night
I know the feeling. Glad I have today off. Doing my darndest to catch up on my daily images (and story). I think I'll be able to do it. The rest of my storyline for the month are going to be a bit short. Not due to time, just done with what needs to for the month.
So I had to make a decision today but I needed to know what my choices were so I returned to the gym to do some research using their computers. I made a list of eleven destinations that looked amazing, but how to pick one?
I needed some fresh air to help me think, so I headed up the mountain to do some skiing. Arriving at the onsen, I decided a nice soak might help me loosen up for skiing so I showered and waded in. As I sat down, a little girl said "Hi! My name is Elsa, what's yours"?
We chatted for a bit and I told her about some of my adventures before her mother joined us and introduced herself as Clara. As we made small talk I mentioned trying to decide where I wanted to visit next and Elsa piped up and told me I needed to visit Windenburg because there was a lot of fun things to do there. Clara agreed and explained clubs were a big thing there and it was a good way to meet new people.
I got excited as Windenburg was on the list I'd made this morning and I took this as a sign that it should be my next destination. I told them that I had been considering Windenburg and if they had any recommendations on a good place to camp there. We got out of the hotsprings to continue our talk and Clara happily shared as many details as she could.
I thanked them for their time and told them I hoped to see them around Windenburg in the future. On the ski slopes my mind was elsewhere, but even so I didn't face plant once!
As evening started creeping in and snow began to fall, I tried one more snowboarding run before calling it a night.
I called Kaori and asked her to meet me at the bar near her house as I wanted one last goodbye. As I ate some dinner I excitedly explained my plans to her, but even though she tried to smile, I could see sadness in her eyes.
To try to cheer her up, I asked if she'd like to try singing karaoke with me but she shook her head and said she wasn't much of a singer. I laughed and told her neither was I, but that was half the fun. I lead her over to the machine and we had a great time sounding horrible together.
We went outside where a fire was going and I kissed her goodnight. Folding her into an embrace whispered that I would never be that far and would see her often.
After walking her home I returned to my house to sleep and begin packing for my next adventure.
One Month, One World, One Year Challenge: The Adventures of Dash Joseph Faireborn Table of Contents
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January 29: When I See You Again!
The next day, D.J. planned on meeting up with those he's made friends and acquaintances within Mt. Komorebi. He has three days left before he had to pack up his tent and move on. He's going to make the most of it. He'll still go to school and work after today. Therefore, he wanted to make sure he didn't up and leave those who met. Some he would need to text, others he'll try and visit.
First up was Enele and Nawai. He'd still see Derumk, their son, in class. He especially wanted to thank Enele. Enele pushed him to be the best rock climber he could be. D.J. tells Enele that when he gets older and starts his own family, he'd like to bring them to Mt. Komorebi. He made sure to tell Enele this was not a "goodbye", but rather a "see you later" moment.
Then it was off to the Hazakura Lounge. This is where he made acquaintances with a lot of the locals. They were mostly elders, but they were fun folks. They all knew of his living situation and didn't mind. Well, so he thought. But he couldn't even grasp that any of them would have gone to the town council about him. They were all really nice to him. He quickly put that thought out of his head. In between the time he was waiting for the locals he knew to come through the Lounge, he did more writing in his notebook and grabbed food.
And at the end of the night, D.J went ahead and text those he couldn't find at the Lounge.
I took the shuttle to the Senbamachi neighborhood and walked towards the Bamboo Forest to meet Kado for our hike.
On the way, I saw Cale @Karababy52 near the park and stopped to chat. Cale was heading to the slopes, so he went on his way.
There were some other teens that I knew in the park and I waved at them as I continued my walk. Lucy @miss_eulenauge was practicing her moves at the Don't Wake The Llama table. Aldo,@Llandros2012 Selena, @lilypadmeulin and Savannah @CareBear92 were chatting, although Selena didn't look too happy about something.
I finally made it to the entrance of the Bamboo Forest and headed up the steps to meet Kado. I saw Velma @Shadami and we chatted a bit.
Then, I saw Kado and went to meet him. We decided to hike around.
Kado: "So, Dylan, how are you feeling with a bit of rest?"
Dylan: "I feel better, although I'm still kind of upset about the whole scene with Kaori's Grandfather."
Kado: "Yes, I can understand that."
As they hiked, they admired the scenery around them.
Kado: "You know, Dylan, we have an expression, "ishi no ue san nen".
Dylan: "What does that mean?"
Kado: "It translates to "Three Years On A Rock."
Dylan: "I still don't get it. What does that have to do with me and Kaori's Grandfather?'
Kado: "Have you ever sat on a rock for a long time?"
Dylan: "I guess, I have."
Kado: "What happens when you sit on a rock for 3 years? It eventually gets warm. It means that even though you may seem to be going through hard times, something will change, and things will get better. Little by little things will change."
Dylan: "So you're saying that Kaori's Grandfather is like the rock?"
Kado: "Yes...he is a VERY hard rock. A stubborn old goat. But you must continue to work on your relationship with him, prove to him that you are someone he can trust, and then...little by little, he will "warm up" to you and accept you."
Dylan: "You think it can happen?"
Kado: "Why yes. That is why we have that proverb. It could take awhile, though, so don't give up."
Dylan: "Well, I hope it doesn't take three years, because I was hoping to see Kaori before then."
We both laughed. We had finished our hike and I gave Kado a hug and thanked him for the advice.
I then decided to go back in the Bamboo Forest and hike to the temple. I had just started and saw some forest spirits.
I made a wish, and they granted me $50 simoleons. Sweet!
I was just about to continue when I thought I saw something fall from the trees. Oh! These things again! And I shimmied again as I did last time. In fact, it happened three times, but I was too swift for these bugs and they had no effect on me. It was getting late, and I decided that I had enough hikes for one day, and headed home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ SUNDAY ~
The next morning I was up early, and decided to head to the slopes for some skiing. I checked the board for conditions on the mountain. Icy. Oh! That wasn't good, but I decided to go anyway.
First run down the mountain didn't end too well.
But then, after a few more runs, I aced it! What a perfect run! I really felt like a pro on the slopes now!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When the shuttle brought me back to Wakaba, the Festival of Youth had started. I was rather hungry, and decided to get something at the food stand. Oh! They had a festival special! Ice cream crepes. Now that sounded good!
I decided to try some and ordered a matcha ice cream crepe.
I talked to several sims and they told me this was a festival for kids. Gee! To be a kid again. Look at how much fun they were having! Apparently, you could also bestow a blessing on children at the festival. I thought that was rather cool! I saw Miki, Kado's daughter, and did just that. She felt very honored.
And of course I had to do some mountain moves with Yamachan. I then decided I better head home. I still had homework to do.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ LATER THAT AFTERNOON ~
Kirk Sewell and Antonio Capone stepped off the train and looked around.
Kirk: "So this is Mt. Komorebi, huh?" Looks like a small place. That Healy kid will be easy to find."
Antonio: "Hey, look, Kirk! There's some type of festival going on. Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll be here. We should check it out."
Kirk: "I gotta check in with the boss first. You go look around."
Antonio: "Sure thing, and I'm gonna see what they have to eat at that food stand over there..."
Kirk eyed the crowd and then made a call to Nick Alto, "Boss...Kirk here. We arrived. There's some festival going on. Yeah, that's what we were thinking...the kid might be here...so Antonio's looking around. Sure, there's some shops here...oh yeah...dress like the locals...blend in. Oh I got that covered, boss...booked us a rental near the slopes. Yeah, I got chummy with some uni students on the train and they told me that's where most of the kids hang out. Should find that Healy kid in no time. Protection? Boss, you know I always carry a little "protection" with me" he laughed as he patted his coat pocket, "Will do...I'll check in later."
Kirk looked around the square and there were a bunch of kids hanging around. Antonio came towards him carrying an ice cream crepe.
Antonio: "Kirk, I chatted with the food stand seller and this is some type of kiddie festival. Ain't gonna be no teens showing up here. Well, unless they come for the ice cream...Mmmm...this is good..."
Kirk: "I see a clothing shop over there. Boss says to get some "local" clothes. Blend in. And there's a shuttle that leaves for our rental in an hour. Should be able to do what we need to do here and then go."
Antonio made a face.
Kirk: "What's wrong with you?"
Antonio: "Brain freeze..." he said as he put his hand to his forehead.
Kirk shook his head. The next time he was given an assignment he would make sure that the Boss didn't assign this kid with him again. Antonio was the worse!
Kirk: "Throw that stuff away. We got work to do!"
Antonio reluctantly threw the rest of the ice cream in the trash and followed Kirk into the ski shop.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dylan has completed the Extreme Sports Enthusiast Aspiration, and had also maxed skiing. Go Dylan!
This is the sentiment that Dylan got with Miki from giving her a blessing at the Festival of Youth.
I will eventually have to change Aaron to liking fitness in my game, I just keep forgetting every time I log in haha. Gorgeous screenshots in all your updates. Hunter and Aaron are so cute, and it's fun to see so many challenge sims continue to show up in your game. That cuddling in bed mod is so cute - I may need to check that out!
Lol that weenie roast was so entertaining. Love seeing all the sims in your game too! That water balloon fight was great - I hate how slowly they go, but you can get some good screenshots if you're patient. Robin was having an especially tough time Have you considered putting your screenshots and your story together? It's just a small suggestion I thought I'd make, since it's nice to see the pictures when you read the story, but if you like the way you're doing your updates, then don't change anything! I just thought I'd mention it
I have to wonder if Morgan and Morgan might be the same person - perhaps he/she is adopting another identity for some reason or is gender fluid? Hmm, curious to see their connection Nice job completing the aspiration too! And exciting that Hunter and Aaron moved in and now you have a pupper!!
Thank you!
I miss how sims would cuddle while sleeping in TS3 so I had to get a mod that allowed for it in TS4
With regards to putting the screenshots with the story... I'm not sure, since I've been using the same format (with full story first and then screenshots) for all of my posts so far. I think part of the problem is that I never intended for the story part to actually cover the entire play session like it does now - my earlier posts had single paragraphs for the story part, but now that part of each update has evolved considerably.
I might try putting the screenshots in with the story for February (what better time to try a format change than the month change, right?).
If it doesn't work for me personally when I'm writing it up then I'll just switch back to how I was writing it before, but I'll see how it goes
January - Day 31:"Nothing is ever really lost to us, as long as we remember it..."
Notes
There will be no story update today, just a partial scenic screenshot of The Bluffs area near The Crumbling Isle for the Daily Post pic. I've already moved Cale to Windenburg, but haven't started to play with him yet. Just waiting for Midnight to begin since there really isn't anymore I can do at the moment. Hope everyone had a wonderful day/night for February Eve!
One Month, One World, One Year Challenge: The Adventures of Dash Joseph Faireborn Table of Contents
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January 30: Always Continue to Climb!
After school, D.J. made his way to the Mt. Komorebi Gym for one final time before he leaves. He's going to miss the rock-climbing apparatus. D.J. could only hope there was a gym in Windenburg that had one of these. He didn't even know if there were mountains to climb there.
D.J. never paid attention before, but he noticed there was a Simmie vending machine outside the gym. After hitting the showers and before heading off to work, D.J. tried his hand at getting a couple more Simmies for his collection. One thing D.J. knew he would not miss, is the vengeful vending machine when it gets stuck.
Comments
Since she keeps going to school she keeps needing to talk to more people. And then she learns it's a bad idea to climb the mountain alone. And the shared interest in winter sports and climbing has let her bond with more people. Then on top of that everyone has pretty much made friends with everyone so she got to know them all a bit at a time and it just ended up being large group get togethers more and more. Haha.
Yup, full autonomy. Aaron had invited her over to the house that I placed them in.
Funny enough, Aaron has initiated none of the flirts. XD
@afai1261
Year Long Community Challenge
Year Long Community Challenge
Today's Accomplishments:
Successfully ski in icy conditions
Survive three wildlife attacks unscathed
Complete Extreme Sport Enthusiast
Reached level 10 of the wellness skill
I woke up this morning knowing I had to tell my friends that I was planning on leaving. With a heavy heart I invited Kaori on another mountain hike. I lead her to the the cave with the monkey statues and shouted "I love you Kaori!" into the cave. She smiled as she listened to my words echo back to us.
I swallowed hard and took her hands and told her my intentions.
"You're leaving me"? Kaori cried into her hands, "I thought you loved me".
"I'll visit you and Caroline every week, I promise, I just want to see the world while I'm young".
"I wish I could come with you", Kaori said wiping away her tears, "If it weren't for my grandparents and our baby I would too".
"Maybe once I settle in you can come stay with me for a few days, you can bring Caroline if she's old enough by than", I said pulling her in for a hug.
"Is that a promise", Kaori asked looking me in the eye.
"That's a promise".
We walked around for a bit more, but the mood had shifted and we mostly walked in silence thinking our own thoughts. Kaori asked when I was leaving and I told her the day after tomorrow. We parted ways soon after and I went to check the conditions on the mountain. The sign warned of icy conditions and I figured it would be a good test of my skiing abilities if I could successfully go down the hard slope in these conditions. It took a few face plants, but on my third try I finally did it!
I wasn't an expert yet, but I planned on visiting these slopes often even after I moved away, and I still wanted to get better at snowboarding as well. I needed to say goodbye to Caroline still so I called Kaori to ask if this would be a good time. When I arrived, little Caroline smiled up at me as I cuddled her close and I felt a pang of guilt for leaving her. "I'll visit you often" I whispered into her little ear "take care of mommy for me".
Kaori and I sat on her bed and I told her I'd send child support every week and if it wasn't enough to let me know. We cuddled a bit before I left and walked around the bamboo forest one last time. I had a lot of good memories here and even got another wish granted from the forest spirits (they gave me 50 simoleons). I had one last encounter with it's wildlife too, but I easily outsmarted them and came out unscathed; I don't think I'll ever have to worry about them again.
I went to say goodbye to the gym and lead a yoga class for a little extra moving money.
After the class I ran into Kiyoshi and told him I was leaving but that I would visit often. He wished me luck and told me I was always welcome to crash at his place.
I returned home and after meditating on the day I felt peace, my spirit lifted and felt ready for anything. Tomorrow I would pack and decide on my next destination.
We walked towards the top, and it was amazing. All around us was sky. I was walking in the clouds. I was so happy that Kaori was here to experience this with me for the first time.
It was still windy, and I pointed to a pathway, "We're going to head up there...set up camp..." I told Kaori. She nodded to me, and I gave her a smile. I could tell she was tired, but she never complained. We continued on.
We set up camp and changed out of our climbing gear. I looked up at the sky and the stars were everywhere. I had never seen so many.
Kaori took my hand, and we lay down on the snow together, "It's so beautiful here...so many stars. Shall we make a wish?" she asked.
I closed my eyes then, and thought of Kaori and everything that we had been through to get to this point. Even with the dangers we had faced, it had been worth it. It just wouldn't have been the same if I had done the trek with Kiyoshi. I felt that Kaori and I had bonded with each other.
Dylan: "I wish that I could stay here like this with you forever..."
Kaori pointed out a star and said softly, "I wished for that, too..."
We got up, and held each other.
At that moment, I had never felt closer to anyone. And here we were, the only two sims at the top of the simworld. It was rather perfect.
And I kissed her and tried to blot out everything else, except the way I was feeling right now.
We broke apart, and I knew I had to tell her about my past. I turned away and headed to the campfire and lit it, "Now, how about those weenies? I'm famished."
Kaori looked at me confused and laughed, "You and those weenies. But, I'm kind of hungry, too."
While we roasted the weenies, I looked at Kaori and then thought of what I had to tell her. I frowned. After all we'd been through today, I didn't exactly know how to start the subject with her. And then I remembered her wrist.
Dylan: "Kaori, I need to wrap your wrist. I'll get the first aid kit..."
We sat down together, and I wrapped her wrist with a bandage and tape and then gave her wrist a little kiss.
Dylan: "That's to help it heal..."
Kaori thanked me and then looked into my eyes, "Is that the kiss you promised me? The kiss to remember?"
Dylan: "No...that was just...no, that wasn't it..." I was stammering. I was nervous. I saw the look in her eyes, and I knew...I knew...oh my gosh...I knew what she wanted to do. And it's not like the thought hadn't crossed my mind. Indeed it had. Several times. Alright, more than several times. And what a perfect night it would be...to woohoo at the top of the simworld.
Kaori: "We're all alone, Dylan. Just the two of us...and I...really want to "be" with you tonight..."
Dylan, thinking: "Yep, there is was. And it could just be so easy to take her hand and lead her into that tent...and I knew it would be good. Everything just felt so right. But I couldn't. I am going to kick myself later for turning down a very blatant invitation...but I didn't want to "be" with her like this."
Dylan: "Kaori...I...um....I want to "be" with you, too. Oh how I want to...but I really have to tell you something. My hair...this is not my real color..." What the heck? What kind of lame brain revelation is that?
Kaori laughed and pulled me to her: "And you think this is my real hair color? Enough talk...come 'ere, I just want to kiss you..."
Maybe it was the altitude...but dang...I was floating away on that kiss.
We parted and I took her hand in mine, "Kaori, I think...no...I know...I have really fallen hard for you. And I hope you know that I would do anything for you. But tonight is not the night to be together. I know you think it is, but it's not how I wanted it to be. I still have a lot of stuff to tell you. I'm not going anywhere. I want to take our time...."
Kaori: "But Dylan...I so want to..."
Dylan: "I know, but...just...let me finish. I gave your Grandfather my word. I know why he didn't want me to take you on the trek...his real reason...because he was worried that something like this would happen. Between the two of us...yeah...woohoo together. I don't want to bring you back home knowing that he couldn't trust me. I mean...he could have one of those lie detector machines in the basement and give me a lie detector test...and then I would fail...and he would never trust me again..."
Kaori: "Dylan...my Sofu doesn't have a lie detector machine...what are you talking about?"
Dylan: "But he could...I don't know. You don't know. But if he does...and if he asks me if we woohoo'd on the summit together, then I can honestly tell him that we didn't. And then it would help my relationship with him. Little by little I am going to win him over, because I want things to be right between your Grandfather and me. I know how much they mean to you, Kaori. And they really do care about you. Because I see you and me lasting a long time, and I just want things to be right. No, not just right...perfect...perfect between us and your family..."
I got up and grabbed some granola and sat down again and looked at Kaori anxiously.
Kaori: "...You see us lasting a long time?"
Dylan: "Yeah...yeah I do...I mean, I hope you do, too..."
Kaori: "Yes...I do...and you're right...I can wait...yes, I want things to be right, too..."
Dylan: "Okay...are you sure? You're okay with that? With us?"
Kaori: "Yes, Dylan, I am. And you're right, we should wait. I mean, look at my wrist..." she said waving it in front of me.
I smiled at her, "Alright, I'm glad that's settled...and now I have to find a pee bush somewhere..."
Kaori: "I'll come with you. I have to find one, too."
And so we trudged down the mountain again and I spied a pee bush.
When we were done, the wind had picked up again.
Dylan: "So...um...Kaori...you were waiting for that kiss to remember?"
Kaori: "Yes...I was..."
I pulled her to me and kissed her. The wind whipped at our clothes and it was bitter cold, but all I felt were her warm lips on mine. I didn't want this to end. And in that moment, I felt like Kaori and I were safe in our own little world.
We reluctantly parted and Kaori gave me a dazed look. She had felt it too.
Dylan: "Come on, Kaori, let's get some sleep...."
We went in the tent together and got into the sleeping bags, and Kaori laid beside me. I held her in my arms, and she cuddled against me...and within minutes we were both sound asleep.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly and we got up and greeted the day together. Yesterday had been a rather stressful day, but today, it seemed as if everything was clearer to me. Like I had a new purpose, because something had definitely changed in me.
Maybe it was Kaori's influence, but I knew now that whatever I revealed about my past, that she would accept. I somehow just knew, and it made me feel more confident.
We decided to mark our climb by making a snowpal together. We fitted it with bits and pieces of our wardrobe, and we both laughed when we finished it.
As we stood gazing out at the sun, Kaori whispered to me, "Dylan, I never thanked you...for helping me yesterday. I owe you for that. And...you are the best excursion leader ever...I just wanted to tell you..."
Dylan: "For all that happened yesterday, Kaori, I am glad you came. It just showed me what could have happened to me, if I had attempted the mountain excursion alone. It was foolish of me to think I could do it...I just wanted to get that experience so badly...and it was poor judgement on my part."
Kaori: "I guess...I guess we have to head home now. I'm not looking forward to it. What's going to happen now? What do you think my Sofu (Grandfather) will do?"
Dylan: "I'm not sure. He'll probably blame me...and...I will take full responsibility for allowing you to go on the mountain excursion without rock climbing gear. That was my fault. But in hindsight now, I am not sorry it happened, because it meant that I spent time with you. And it showed me how quickly things can change on the mountain."
Although we both wanted to stay longer, we knew it was time to go.
We packed up the rest of the gear, and then headed down the mountain together. And Kaori even told me that her wrist was feeling better.
Dylan: "It must have been that get well kiss I gave your wrist."
Kaori: "Yes, that's it. Of course, I might need a few more kisses on the climb down. You know...for medicinal purposes..."
Dylan: "I'll be only too happy to oblige," I said and blew her a kiss.
Kaori smiled at me, and I felt really good about the climb down the mountain. I glanced back at the summit and said a silent farewell. Maybe one day Kaori and I would return, but I was going to ensure that she had that rock climbing equipment on her before we left. That was for sure.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
If anyone has seen the movie, "Meet The Parents" (2000), you will remember the lie detector test that Jack (the father) gives Greg, his daughter's fiancee. So, yeah, who knows...Kaori's Grandfather might have a lie detector machine. Yep, I am sure that Shigeru would go to these lengths to prove Dylan was a "bad boy."
Meet the Parents, Lie Detector Scene
And with all the talking that Dylan did, it's no wonder that he maxed the charisma skill. lol And he still didn't tell Kaori about his past! Sheesh!
Year Long Community Challenge
Notes
Alessandra materialized at the portal in the Magic Realm, exactly where she had hoped to send Cale. But she didn't see him there. Maybe he was inside? She ran for the entrance to HQ but stopped at the bottom of the staircase when L. appeared.
"Thank you for saving me, I owe you my life."
"You are welcome my dear. Now, please, tell me why you were there in the first place."
Alessandra shared how she had been trying to save Cale who appeared to be trapped in the fire.
"Oh Honey, I can't imagine going through something like that. Cale is very fortunate you were there. You are a very brave young lady. I would imagine he was extremely grateful to you."
"I...I don't know, I hope so. Is he inside?"
"Inside? What do you mean? Cale's not here. Didn't you just send him a short distance? Perhaps outside the house a safe distance away?"
"What!? He's not here? Noooo! Oh my Gawd! I sent him here, to the Realm. At least I thought I did."
"ALESSANDRA! How could you be so foolish? You are NOT trained to transportalate others to the Realm. You KNEW that, yet you did it anyway. Do you have any idea what you've done? Cale could be anywhere or nowhere, lost in a void. because of YOU!"
"I...I didn't think I had a choice, I knew I had to get him out of there or he would surely die. He was coughing so bad and choking, moaning, in pain. I panicked and sent him to the one place I knew for sure he'd be safe. Whoever trapped him in there could've still been lurking around outside! You can find him though, right? Just use your powers to talk to him with your mind. You can do that, right? Right?"
L. stared at Alessandra with a look of such sadness in her eyes before she spoke.
"I will try Honey, but...there is no guarantee you even got him out of there. He...might not have made it out and if he didn't..."
"DON'T SAY THAT! Just try, please, try to talk to him. I have to know, even if, even if..."
"Alright, of course I will."
L. stood still and silent, staring beyond Alessandra, searching, searching with hope in her heart she could locate Cale and speak to him. It was a long shot though since they were really only acquaintances. The connection she had with him wasn't strong as with those she knew well and loved.
However, she did care for the boy and had tried to help him, as a Mother would help her child. That had to count for something, right?
"I'm so sorry Alessandra, I can not speak to him. He could be--"
"NOOOO! He can't be! Please, PLEASE try again. You have to, I'm begging you, try again, harder, please, he can't be, he's not--"
"--Honey, you didn't let me finish. We don't know that, yet. He could just be unconscious. Those that I can communicate with telepathically must be awake to hear me...and, there must be a strong connection between us, whether by friendship, related by blood or someone I love. I don't know Cale well. Don't give up hope yet dear. I'll keep trying, I promise."
"YES! Oh man, I hope that's all it is. He'll wake up soon and then hear you, I just know it!"
"Perhaps, but there's something I need to know from you too. The spell you cast, can you remember the words that you said? If you can, we might know where he is without the need to speak to him."
"Oh, uh, well, it was the transportalate spell to travel here, of course...but, I must've said it wrong or my burning magic hand caused the spell to go wrong? Maybe?"
"Alright, let's hope you just said the spell wrong. If it didn't work because of your magic? Cale could be anywhere and we might never find him."
L. sent Alessandra inside to study and continue her training. She told her the spell she might've accidentally cast and the spell to reverse it, would be located in the collection of Tomes only accessible by a Spellcaster at a higher level than she herself had reached. She must increase her power.
L. Faba was one of the most powerful Spellcasters in all the worlds, The Sage of Mischief Magic. As such, except for the two other Sages, no one else knew as many spells as she and could use spells no one else would know. However, even the Sages could not reverse the spell another had cast. Alessandra would have to cast it herself. IF she could remember it or find it in the Tomes and IF, it was needed at all. L. would continue to try to communicate with Cale and consult with Simeon and Morgyn as well to get their opinions and ideas.
While Alessandra was searching for Tomes, L. communicated with Essa in Mt. Komorebi, asking her about Cale and the fire. She was told that Cale's house had not been a total loss. There was damage to the kitchen and greenhouse, but though uninhabitable due to smoke and water, some of his personal belongings were mostly unharmed in the fire. The Hunters had them in their possession for safe-keeping in the event Cale could be located.
Which led to he best news of all. The firefighters had not found Cale in the house. Apparently Alessandra had been successful in transportalating him.
L. found Alessandra in the Plant room and shared with her what she had found out. She gave her a hug and told her to be strong, there was still hope. L. left then to teach her next class and promised to let Alessandra know if/when she was able to contact Cale.
Alessandra broke down after L. left and sobbed in relief that at least she'd been able to get him out of the burning house.
The question still remained though, was he alive? And if so, where was he?
"Here it is," Aaron said, pointing out the features of the listing. "It's pretty cheap too, and look at all that space."
He looked up at Hunter, eyes bright. "We could get this! My paintings have been selling really well, so it's not like we're short on money. We'd even have a lot left over from the sale of this place, so could spruce it up pretty nice." He looked so eager, so excited, so hopeful for the future, and Hunter had never been in love with him more.
"I like your use of the word 'we'," Hunter said, grinning.
"Of course! We're a team, we're together, we're.... buying a house together..." He stopped and laughed. "This is really happening, isn't it?"
Of course, the first thing the dumb dog did was fight a squirrel in the pee bush
He's still cute though
Goodbye, house! We're moving to a place that has a foundation!
The gnomes are staying lol
All of Aaron's paintings that he hasn't sold, his fridge from Father Winter (no way he's leaving that behind), and a few other things were put into his household inventory. He's not taking the Murphy bed
Oh! Since he has a lot of harvestables in his own inventory, he's not taking the plants either. There's not much room for them where he and Hunter will be moving to.
Kaori had said she could go alone, but I was not going to let her. I was standing firm and would be by her side. Plus, I didn't know when I would see her again, because Kaori figured she would be grounded after this.
The weather was cloudy, but hot. What a difference from the mountain weather that we had experienced just yesterday.
We stopped just outside her house.
Dylan: "Kaori, I still haven't told you what I need to tell you. It's rather important. Can we meet on Monday night at the Onsen? There is an upstairs area where we can talk, and not a lot of sims go up there so it will be rather private. If you can't make it, just let me know at school on Monday and we can figure out something else. Okay?"
Kaori: "You can't tell me now? It's not about your hair color again is it?"
Dylan: "No, Kaori, but that's part of it. It's too long and involved, and we can't do it right now. You have to get home."
Kaori: "Alright...but can I ask you something?"
Dylan: "Sure."
Kaori: "If this isn't your real hair color...what is?"
Dylan looked around and answered quietly, "I'm a redhead...a ginger, some would call me..."
Kaori looked surprised: "Oh! That's a change! But, Dylan, whatever you have to tell me, you know I will understand..."
Dylan: "Yes, I know that, and that is why I am trusting you with the truth. But not here...not now. Monday...I will tell you everything on Monday. But right now, I am going to kiss you...really kiss you...because I don't think I can kiss you like this in front of your grandparents..."
And I took Kaori in my arms, and kissed her...a long, lingering kiss, that I hoped would have her thinking of me.
We slowly parted and then held hands and walked to her house.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When we arrived, we stood at the front porch for a moment, and then Kaori opened the door and we stepped inside.
Kaori: "Sobu! Sofu! I'm home!"
Sachito came around the corner and almost ran to Kaori and engulfed her in a hug
Sachito: "Oh Kaori, I'm so glad that you are safe and that you came home. We were so worried. Your Sofu and I have barely slept while you were gone."
Kaori: "Sobu, I'm sorry, but I didn't feel it was fair that Kiyoshi was allowed to go on the mountain trek with Dylan and I wasn't. Especially since we had trained together. And when I got to the mountain, I found out that Kiyoshi wasn't going because he had sprained his wrist, and Dylan was going to go on the trek alone because he was going to prove to Sofu that he could do it. He was going to get the experience so that then Sofu would trust him to take me."
Sachito: "But, Kaori...you were not prepared to go. You didn't have any rock climbing equipment. And what happened to your hand?"
Kaori: "Yes...I know...I went without any...and I know it wasn't a good choice to make, but I wanted to go so badly...I just wasn't thinking..."
Sachito: "You didn't tell me what happened to your hand..."
I spoke up then, "Mrs. Nishidake, Kaori slipped on the rock wall on the Croft Icefall and she sprained her wrist. When I found out she didn't have any rock climbing equipment, I roped us together so that nothing would happen to her. It's a climbing technique called belaying. I didn't leave her the entire time, and helped her climb to the top. I had my first aid kit with me and bandaged her wrist. We made the climb back the same way, roped together, even on the lower walls. I wasn't going to let anything happen to her."
Kaori: "Sobu, if it hadn't been for Dylan, I would have fallen on that wall. But Dylan helped me, and wouldn't leave me. I couldn't have made it without him. He kept me safe, Sobu. He saved me on the Croft Icefall."
Sachito turned to me and gave me a hug, "Dylan, I am grateful to you for bringing Kaori back safely. Kado came over yesterday and told me that you had great inner strength, and that you wouldn't let anything happen to Kaori. I believe that now. Thank you, Dylan...thank you..."
Shigeru had entered the room and had listened to the whole conversation.
Shigeru came over and hugged his granddaughter, "Kaori, I am glad that you are safe. I am not going to lecture you about what you did. It was very irresponsible of you to go on the mountain excursion without any rock climbing gear. Your Sobu and I were very worried. You could have been killed!"
Kaori sat down, "Yes, I know, Sofu, I'm sorry. But Dylan was there. Sofu, you would have been so proud of him if you had seen him. He was so calm, and kept talking to me on the wall. He never left me, Sofu. He kept me safe."
Shigeru: "He kept you safe? Isn't it the excursion leader's responsibility to ensure that each team member has the proper equipment BEFORE they start the mountain trek?"
Dylan: "Yes, Mr. Nishidake, it is. I take full responsibility for that. I had not expected Kaori to be there, and was distracted from the task that I should have done."
Kaori: "Sofu, please don't blame Dylan. It is my fault. He didn't know I didn't have any rock climbing gear until we came to the second wall. And then he came up with the idea of the ropes and belaying."
Shigeru: "So, why didn't you turn back when you found out Kaori didn't have the proper equipment? You were not very far at that time..."
I cleared my throat, "I continued, Mr. Nishidake, because...because I felt that if I had returned without having completed the climb, without the experience that I needed, that you would not permit Kaori to go with me again. I had looked at a guided tour for next month to go on with Kaori, but it was too expensive. So, I made a decision. And I felt confident that Kaori had the skills in rock climbing to complete the trek. I read some rock climbing books about the belaying method and had spoken to Kado about it. I packed those items just in case I needed them when I thought I was going on the climb with Kiyoshi. I felt confident that Kaori and I would make it..."
Shgieru looked at Sachito and didn't say a word. Sachito excused herself and said she should start lunch.
Shigeru to Dylan: "What you did was extremely dangerous. You risked Kaori's life and that is unacceptable. Ever since she met you, Kaori has not been herself. She has taken unnecessary risks, something she never did before. I feel you are a bad influence on her. And I am saying this now for both you and Kaori to hear that I do not want you to associate with my granddaugther again."
Kaori: "Sofu! Dylan has done nothing wrong. He saved my life up on the mountain. He stayed with me. He never left me. We made it to the summit, and he cared for me."
Shigeru: "Cared for you? Is that you call it now? I do not wish to go into what happened when you reached the summit and stayed overnight with this...with this...BOY!"
Dylan: "Mr. Nishidake, I can assure you that nothing happened at the summit. I gave you my word when I was here for dinner. I am telling you the truth. Nothing happened."
Shigeru to Dylan: "Your word? I do not know you, nor do I trust you."
Kaori: "Sofu...Dylan is telling the truth. Nothing happened on the summit. He told me he made a promise to you, and he didn't want to break that promise because he wanted you to trust him. He kept his word, Sofu. I swear! Nothing happened!"
Shigeru: "Kaori, we make rules in this house to keep you safe. And being with this BOY is not in your best interests. He is BAD, and he will just bring you down with him."
Kaori: "Sofu! That is so untrue! Dylan is not bad. If he had been bad, he would have just left me on the mountain by myself. He cares about me Sofu, and I....I care about him..."
Shigeru: "Kaori, I feel it is best if you do not see this BOY again."
Sheguru turned to me, "I wish you to leave..."
Sachito came out of the kitchen then carrying a sack lunch.
Sachito: "Shigeru, please! Enough! I heard the whole conversation in the kitchen. Dylan saved Kaori's life. Give him some credit!"
Shigeru scowled at her.
Sachito walked up to Dylan and handed the sack lunch to him.
Sachito: "Dylan, this is for you. It is a small supper I packed for you. I want to thank you again for everything you have done for Kaori, but I think that under the circumstances, that you should head home. I am sure that you are tired, as we all are. This has been a very trying time for all of us, and I need to attend to Kaori's needs. I am sure you understand. Thank you again, Dylan for bringing her home safely. Give it a few days...and we will talk again..."
I nodded to Mrs. Nishidake and thanked her for the dinner. I looked at Kaori and then turned to leave.
Kaori: "Dylan, Wait!"
Kaori ran to me and hugged me and whispered in my ear that she would see me on Monday night. We parted and I smiled at her and bid everyone good bye.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I left the house, I was shaking. I was so mad. Nothing had gone like I had hoped it would. Kaori's Grandfather hated me even more now, and has basically told Kaori that he doesn't want her seeing me anymore.
I went around back and spied a garbage can and kicked it with all my might. "Oh my Plumbobs!" I said out loud, along with a few forbidden words.
Afterwards, I picked up the garbage can and set it upright and stood there looking at it. I hadn't noticed that Kado was standing beside me the whole time.
Kado: "Did that make you feel any better?"
Dylan: "Kado...I..I didn't see you there. How did you get here?"
Kado: "I live right next door. I saw you and Kaori arrive back. So...um...I understand that there were some changes that happened with the mountain trek."
Dylan: "How did you know?"
Kado: "Well, I got a few phone calls...from Sachito...from Shigeru...from Megumi...from Kiyoshi. I guess you could say I was on the phone a lot this weekend..."
Dylan: "Oh Kado...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." And then suddenly I was telling Kado the whole story, about Kiyoshi's injury, Kaori showing up, no rock climbing equipment, the belaying system, her injury, the weather, the summit...my promise to Kaori's Grandfather. It just all spilled out and then afterwards Kado just looked at me and smiled.
Kado: "Shigeru is a stubborn old goat, isn't he?" and we both laughed.
Dylan: "He's so impossible. I just want to make things right between us. From the moment we met, he hasn't liked me and I don't know why. I am trying, Kado...I really am...because I really care about Kaori and I want to make this work..."
Kado gave me a hug then, "Dylan, I'll talk to him. What you did with the belaying system is a very advanced skill, and Shigeru should be thankful that you could think on your feet like that. You took some risks, but, you did very well under the circumstances. Look, why don't you go home, change and get a bit of rest, and we'll meet at the Bamboo Forest in a few hours. We'll go on a hike together and chat some more. What do you think?"
I smiled at Kado, "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks, Kado, it's really good to talk to someone."
Kado: "Alright. I'll see you in a few hours..."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When I got home, I showered, changed and unpacked the sack lunch that Kaori's Grandmother had given me. Wow! Grilled Cheese! I haven't had grilled cheese since I visited Robin's house, and ate my very first one. I love grilled cheese!
Just then I got a text message from Kaori.
" I
I thought for a moment and then quickly texted her back a reply.
"I
I smiled and took a bite of the sandwich. I felt so happy then, and thought that this grilled cheese sandwich was the best I had ever had!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Notes:
*Dylan eating grilled cheese at Robin's house comes from her story, where he was a delivery boy and ate her last grilled cheese sandwich.
@Karababy52
Glad I made your evening with my comment. I meant it. The ending was suspenseful...like a movie/tv show.
@afai1261
@Carebear92
@SoulGal7
@permanentrose
@Shadami
@RememberJoy
Year Long Community Challenge
@LegacySims2017
Robin probably does appreciate living in Sulani in your game haha. She's gonna be so in her element when we finally get to that month.
@SoulGal7
@afai1261
Lol that weenie roast was so entertaining. Love seeing all the sims in your game too! That water balloon fight was great - I hate how slowly they go, but you can get some good screenshots if you're patient. Robin was having an especially tough time
I have to wonder if Morgan and Morgan might be the same person - perhaps he/she is adopting another identity for some reason or is gender fluid? Hmm, curious to see their connection
@Shadami
@Karababy52
I can't even imagine how long it took you to set up Cale's house all torn apart like that! Awesome job! I thought his step dad finding him might be a reason you decided to have him move. And the set up for that fire too! Great story telling this update! You got some amazing screenshots. What a terrible situation Cale is in though
@Skeilah Nice to see Bryon!
--
Decided to try that whole let the pictures tell the story approach for today. I will say I was torn about breaking these two up - they've made some great memories and really connected, so it is a bit sad to have them go separate ways. If I end up feeling like these two really did have something special and other relationships with Robin aren't clicking, then who's to say they wouldn't reconnect in the future though...
Table of Contents
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D.J. noticed that the little potato plant had more potatoes just waiting to be picked. It was a good source of food for him. Eating them raw wasn't healthy, but they didn't taste that bad and he never got sick.
D.J. remembered that one day he was walking, he felt emotionally mindful. Perhaps this is what he needs to do. Going for a walk might just be what will help him through this. He heads to the Lounge to pack some food in a sack.
D.J. made his way to Hanamigawa Koen Park. There were trails there he's been on already. The same area he became emotionally mindful last time.
As soon as D.J. felt emotionally mindful again, he made his way to the Onsen's hot springs. According to his watch he was out hiking for about 9 -10 hours. His depression had subsided. He was in a much better mood and ready to take on the challenge ahead of him. He sat in the hot springs and thought about what to do about the situation he was in.
As he was relaxing and contemplating, his phone buzzed. The new thing was waterproof phone cases, for which D.J. was glad to have. His phone would have been ruined the moment he arrived in Mt. Komorebi if he hadn't. Caitlin had text him. She was disappointed they didn't get to meet up again, so she could admire more of his hot body. Her and her parents had just left to go back to Windenburg.
Thinking back to what Enele said, D.J. now had a plan.
Side Note:
@permanentrose -
Oh and incredible how much paintings can sell for on Plopsy eh? Essa had one that went for over 18K! Incredible...Cale! Aww, glad he called Hunter to let him know he wasn't holding anything against Aaron about the fire, and wonderful to see Moss again. Maybe they were comparing scar stories. hehe I bet Aaron's neighborhood has the 'Juiced' NAPs is why he was Dazed. Gah! Sometimes I really wish I had MCCC so I could change Sims clothes like that. He looks much better in that outfit instead of the crazy park homeless Sim splattered t-shirt. hehe
Cale should've just ran once he saw his destroyed greenhouse, but noooo, he had to go check it out and let his anger cloud his common sense. I don't know how Lance found him. Luck? Hadn't really thought about that part. hehe Thank you so, so much for saying that about my writing, extremely flattered you had such a strong reaction to it. I tried my best to make it as dramatic, tense and scary as possible, I guess it worked!
In my game, all the Sages and Essa too can communicate telepathically with others, I introduced that fact last year. Essa has Sage blood in her veins is how she has the ability, and since she's so close to Josh, he can do it as well. But anyway, yes, I figured Alessandra being a Spellcaster might have that ability as well, at least to call out to the Sage she's closest to anyway.
Well, of course he did! It was pretty much a given if I wanted to continue the challenge. Wasn't about to kill off Cale after only a month. hehe
No worries about scrapping your idea. If it wasn't working for you, no sense in torturing yourself trying to make it work. Yay! Hunter and Yoshi finally moved in with Aaron before the move. Cale only has a very select few of his personal belongings too. Or I should say the Hunters have it for him. Mostly just photographs, his mountain plaque and 1 each of his plants. He won't get to display or plant anything for awhile since he'll be starting out on an empty lot with 0 simoleans in Windenburg. It'll all be waiting for him though, along with his simoleans whenever he gets 'rescued.'
@SoulGal7
More fantastic screenshots! Oh, and well now, Kaori wants to get frisky with Dylan. I can certainly understand his reasons for turning her down, I'm glad she understands. However, I thought for sure he'd tell her his backstory. I guess he's probably still just not ready yet. I hope her Grandfather doesn't find out before he can tell her. OR that those henchmen don't find him first and he just disappears without Kaori knowing why. o.O
Very proud of Dylan for standing by Kaori when she went back home to her Grandparents. I can understand why her Grandfather was upset, but he's still being way, way too harsh on Dylan in my opinion. Don't blame Dylan for getting so angry he kicked over that trash can. Very cool how Kado offered to help him by talking to Kaori's Grandfather. I see Dylan at least told Kaori his real hair color. It's a start, but I hope it all goes well when they meet and he tells her everything. IF, he's able to do meet with her. o.O
No worries about not ending exactly today. Real life always comes first! Of course.
@permanentrose
Love full autonomy days too! It's hilarious the things they gravitate toward to do on their own. hehe Frustrating at times too when there isn't much for them to do on their lot. For instance how all Josh wanted to do was make drinks when I did it for he and Essa in DSV. hehe Ah well...
I have three ladies I'm contemplating for Cale to fall in real love with. However, there's a lot of time until he's a YA, so he might meet someone else he clicks with even more. I love Joy too though!
Alessandra is one of my NPC Spellcasters I downloaded to show up in the Realm instead of game generated townies there. Cale met her during a thunderstorm in the food stall across from his house. Then again they had a chat when he was on the mountain and I had a glitch that made it look like he was invisible and just all of a sudden appeared. She asked if he was a Spellcaster like herself, they had a chat, got along great, talked about going rock climbing together, etc. etc. He saw her a lot since she worked in that food stall often.
@Shadami
Fantastic daily post pic! Gah! Look at all those teens having fun together. Funny how she moved to Aldo and then to DJ. I wonder who's next? hehe
@LegacySims2017
Funny about the potatoes. hehe Cale never did get any of those. Ah well. Bummer his wish didn't come true and he got so sad. Love the screenshot of him in the hot Springs pointing excitedly after he's made his decision. Okay, looked at the daily post pic closer and I'm guessing it has something to do with that blond guy/girl behind him. If I remember right, it's his schoolmate bully? Hmmm...I guess we'll find out very, very soon!
I know the feeling. Glad I have today off. Doing my darndest to catch up on my daily images (and story). I think I'll be able to do it. The rest of my storyline for the month are going to be a bit short. Not due to time, just done with what needs to for the month.
Year Long Community Challenge
I needed some fresh air to help me think, so I headed up the mountain to do some skiing. Arriving at the onsen, I decided a nice soak might help me loosen up for skiing so I showered and waded in. As I sat down, a little girl said "Hi! My name is Elsa, what's yours"?
We chatted for a bit and I told her about some of my adventures before her mother joined us and introduced herself as Clara. As we made small talk I mentioned trying to decide where I wanted to visit next and Elsa piped up and told me I needed to visit Windenburg because there was a lot of fun things to do there. Clara agreed and explained clubs were a big thing there and it was a good way to meet new people.
I got excited as Windenburg was on the list I'd made this morning and I took this as a sign that it should be my next destination. I told them that I had been considering Windenburg and if they had any recommendations on a good place to camp there. We got out of the hotsprings to continue our talk and Clara happily shared as many details as she could.
I thanked them for their time and told them I hoped to see them around Windenburg in the future. On the ski slopes my mind was elsewhere, but even so I didn't face plant once!
As evening started creeping in and snow began to fall, I tried one more snowboarding run before calling it a night.
I called Kaori and asked her to meet me at the bar near her house as I wanted one last goodbye. As I ate some dinner I excitedly explained my plans to her, but even though she tried to smile, I could see sadness in her eyes.
To try to cheer her up, I asked if she'd like to try singing karaoke with me but she shook her head and said she wasn't much of a singer. I laughed and told her neither was I, but that was half the fun. I lead her over to the machine and we had a great time sounding horrible together.
We went outside where a fire was going and I kissed her goodnight. Folding her into an embrace whispered that I would never be that far and would see her often.
After walking her home I returned to my house to sleep and begin packing for my next adventure.
Extras
Table of Contents
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First up was Enele and Nawai. He'd still see Derumk, their son, in class. He especially wanted to thank Enele. Enele pushed him to be the best rock climber he could be. D.J. tells Enele that when he gets older and starts his own family, he'd like to bring them to Mt. Komorebi. He made sure to tell Enele this was not a "goodbye", but rather a "see you later" moment.
Then it was off to the Hazakura Lounge. This is where he made acquaintances with a lot of the locals. They were mostly elders, but they were fun folks. They all knew of his living situation and didn't mind. Well, so he thought. But he couldn't even grasp that any of them would have gone to the town council about him. They were all really nice to him. He quickly put that thought out of his head. In between the time he was waiting for the locals he knew to come through the Lounge, he did more writing in his notebook and grabbed food.
And at the end of the night, D.J went ahead and text those he couldn't find at the Lounge.
I took the shuttle to the Senbamachi neighborhood and walked towards the Bamboo Forest to meet Kado for our hike.
On the way, I saw Cale @Karababy52 near the park and stopped to chat. Cale was heading to the slopes, so he went on his way.
There were some other teens that I knew in the park and I waved at them as I continued my walk. Lucy @miss_eulenauge was practicing her moves at the Don't Wake The Llama table. Aldo,@Llandros2012 Selena, @lilypadmeulin and Savannah @CareBear92 were chatting, although Selena didn't look too happy about something.
I finally made it to the entrance of the Bamboo Forest and headed up the steps to meet Kado. I saw Velma @Shadami and we chatted a bit.
Then, I saw Kado and went to meet him. We decided to hike around.
Kado: "So, Dylan, how are you feeling with a bit of rest?"
Dylan: "I feel better, although I'm still kind of upset about the whole scene with Kaori's Grandfather."
Kado: "Yes, I can understand that."
As they hiked, they admired the scenery around them.
Kado: "You know, Dylan, we have an expression, "ishi no ue san nen".
Dylan: "What does that mean?"
Kado: "It translates to "Three Years On A Rock."
Dylan: "I still don't get it. What does that have to do with me and Kaori's Grandfather?'
Kado: "Have you ever sat on a rock for a long time?"
Dylan: "I guess, I have."
Kado: "What happens when you sit on a rock for 3 years? It eventually gets warm. It means that even though you may seem to be going through hard times, something will change, and things will get better. Little by little things will change."
Dylan: "So you're saying that Kaori's Grandfather is like the rock?"
Kado: "Yes...he is a VERY hard rock. A stubborn old goat. But you must continue to work on your relationship with him, prove to him that you are someone he can trust, and then...little by little, he will "warm up" to you and accept you."
Dylan: "You think it can happen?"
Kado: "Why yes. That is why we have that proverb. It could take awhile, though, so don't give up."
Dylan: "Well, I hope it doesn't take three years, because I was hoping to see Kaori before then."
We both laughed. We had finished our hike and I gave Kado a hug and thanked him for the advice.
I then decided to go back in the Bamboo Forest and hike to the temple. I had just started and saw some forest spirits.
I made a wish, and they granted me $50 simoleons. Sweet!
I was just about to continue when I thought I saw something fall from the trees. Oh! These things again! And I shimmied again as I did last time. In fact, it happened three times, but I was too swift for these bugs and they had no effect on me. It was getting late, and I decided that I had enough hikes for one day, and headed home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ SUNDAY ~
The next morning I was up early, and decided to head to the slopes for some skiing. I checked the board for conditions on the mountain. Icy. Oh! That wasn't good, but I decided to go anyway.
First run down the mountain didn't end too well.
But then, after a few more runs, I aced it! What a perfect run! I really felt like a pro on the slopes now!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When the shuttle brought me back to Wakaba, the Festival of Youth had started. I was rather hungry, and decided to get something at the food stand. Oh! They had a festival special! Ice cream crepes. Now that sounded good!
I decided to try some and ordered a matcha ice cream crepe.
I talked to several sims and they told me this was a festival for kids. Gee! To be a kid again. Look at how much fun they were having! Apparently, you could also bestow a blessing on children at the festival. I thought that was rather cool! I saw Miki, Kado's daughter, and did just that. She felt very honored.
And of course I had to do some mountain moves with Yamachan. I then decided I better head home. I still had homework to do.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ LATER THAT AFTERNOON ~
Kirk Sewell and Antonio Capone stepped off the train and looked around.
Kirk: "So this is Mt. Komorebi, huh?" Looks like a small place. That Healy kid will be easy to find."
Antonio: "Hey, look, Kirk! There's some type of festival going on. Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll be here. We should check it out."
Kirk: "I gotta check in with the boss first. You go look around."
Antonio: "Sure thing, and I'm gonna see what they have to eat at that food stand over there..."
Kirk eyed the crowd and then made a call to Nick Alto, "Boss...Kirk here. We arrived. There's some festival going on. Yeah, that's what we were thinking...the kid might be here...so Antonio's looking around. Sure, there's some shops here...oh yeah...dress like the locals...blend in. Oh I got that covered, boss...booked us a rental near the slopes. Yeah, I got chummy with some uni students on the train and they told me that's where most of the kids hang out. Should find that Healy kid in no time. Protection? Boss, you know I always carry a little "protection" with me" he laughed as he patted his coat pocket, "Will do...I'll check in later."
Kirk looked around the square and there were a bunch of kids hanging around. Antonio came towards him carrying an ice cream crepe.
Antonio: "Kirk, I chatted with the food stand seller and this is some type of kiddie festival. Ain't gonna be no teens showing up here. Well, unless they come for the ice cream...Mmmm...this is good..."
Kirk: "I see a clothing shop over there. Boss says to get some "local" clothes. Blend in. And there's a shuttle that leaves for our rental in an hour. Should be able to do what we need to do here and then go."
Antonio made a face.
Kirk: "What's wrong with you?"
Antonio: "Brain freeze..." he said as he put his hand to his forehead.
Kirk shook his head. The next time he was given an assignment he would make sure that the Boss didn't assign this kid with him again. Antonio was the worse!
Kirk: "Throw that stuff away. We got work to do!"
Antonio reluctantly threw the rest of the ice cream in the trash and followed Kirk into the ski shop.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dylan has completed the Extreme Sports Enthusiast Aspiration, and had also maxed skiing. Go Dylan!
This is the sentiment that Dylan got with Miki from giving her a blessing at the Festival of Youth.
I miss how sims would cuddle while sleeping in TS3 so I had to get a mod that allowed for it in TS4
With regards to putting the screenshots with the story... I'm not sure, since I've been using the same format (with full story first and then screenshots) for all of my posts so far. I think part of the problem is that I never intended for the story part to actually cover the entire play session like it does now - my earlier posts had single paragraphs for the story part, but now that part of each update has evolved considerably.
I might try putting the screenshots in with the story for February (what better time to try a format change than the month change, right?).
If it doesn't work for me personally when I'm writing it up then I'll just switch back to how I was writing it before, but I'll see how it goes
Notes
There will be no story update today, just a partial scenic screenshot of The Bluffs area near The Crumbling Isle for the Daily Post pic. I've already moved Cale to Windenburg, but haven't started to play with him yet. Just waiting for Midnight to begin since there really isn't anymore I can do at the moment. Hope everyone had a wonderful day/night for February Eve!
Table of Contents
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D.J. never paid attention before, but he noticed there was a Simmie vending machine outside the gym. After hitting the showers and before heading off to work, D.J. tried his hand at getting a couple more Simmies for his collection. One thing D.J. knew he would not miss, is the vengeful vending machine when it gets stuck.