@Mikezumi Happy Birthday! I hope you have a beautiful year and that you always remember what year it is. I had an old gentleman tell me 1957 once when asking him what year it was. His wife was shocked and said you know it is not 1955. He insisted it was and they kinda bickered back and forth like husbands and wives do who have been married forever. Finally he said to her all right, my favorite year is not 1955 anymore if all you are going to do is argue about it. That was the year they got married and he thought I asked what was his favorite year. lol...his wife just melted. Such a sweet moment and we all had a nice laugh and got things settled.
^That's so adorable.
My mom would always tell us she was 25 when it was birthday. Every year.
Until she turned 50 and then she was like, "Ok I'm 30 now!"
Edit: @Mikezumi Forgive me for not saying this sooner. My brain is a mess right now.
Hey everyone. Been reading your posts and handing out L&A's.
Forgive how long it's taken me to get this newest Holland Family Next Gen chapter written and posted (well, the first half of the chapter anyway. ) Depression coupled with anxiety takes a toll on one's brain!
Before I do that though, allow me to ask: You know those times where you're playing out your story in the game, but then the game throws a curve ball situation in your characters way...and you decide to just roll with it? This chapter is mostly based on that very thing. The game made a certain sim do something unexpected so I just went along with it and figured I'd find a way to cleverly add it to the story.
Also forgive me if the Chinese language shown is not correct in conjugation and grammar compared to what I originally wrote in English...it's Google Translate's fault if it isn't right!
I just wanted to give the situation a little more realism by adding the language in.
I read over this a million times it seems to make sure everything flowed right and sounded right...because of how broken my mind has been lately. I hope my efforts were not in vain. I'm curious what your thoughts will be on the "event." Some might consider it a sensitive subject so nice comments on it please. There's more words than pictures, sorry, so I hope that doesn't turn any of you off from reading it.
So without further adieu, enjoy the first, long half of Chapter 13! Chapter 13 Part 1
After a delicious lunch of Chinese cuisine, Derrick took Bruce back to the Phoenix Martial Arts Academy to show him everything he learned so far with Sim Fu.
Bruce tried practicing with the training dummy to humor his father, but honestly he wasn’t getting into it. Perhaps I’m not ‘disciplined’ enough, he thought with a snicker. I just wanna go and explore more places! Find some more treasure! But Derrick said he’d had enough exploring for one day and wanted them to spend the rest of it together. It’s not that Bruce didn’t want to, but he was especially anxious to return the woman’s relic, whose name is Lin Hua, but she texted him that her family wouldn’t be home until dusk. He sighed and would just have to grit his teeth about the Sim Fu stuff until then. He could honestly admit it was fun watching his father learn all the ropes.
For dinner they tried out a sushi bar and never had such single bites of food made their taste buds dance!
“I could get used to eating the food in this country EVERY day!” Derrick expressed.
“Agreed!” Bruce said, as much as he could with a mouth full of sushi.
The time came for Bruce to return the beautifully ornate vase to Lin Hua. Derrick was extremely exhausted after the day’s activities and darn near fell asleep on the bed in their hotel room when Lin texted Bruce informing him that her family was home and he could come over.
“Uh...dad?” Bruce asked, squatting a bit with his hands on his knees trying to look into his father’s eyes to get his attention. “We gotta go drop the relic off to Mrs. Hua.”
“Huh?” Derrick muttered, half asleep.
“It’s time for me to return the relic!” he replied, shaking his father’s shoulder. “C’mon!”
“Mmm...uh...just take a taxi and...come right back okay? I’m beat!”
Bruce froze for a second in bewilderment. “You...trust me to call a taxi, head on over there - to a stranger’s house in a foreign country - and head back here all by myself? In the dark?”
“Uh huh…”
To say Bruce was surprised was an understatement. He smiled proudly as he rose to his feet, standing tall with his fists resting upon his hip. Golly, dad’s really been trusting me a lot lately. Maybe he doesn’t still consider me a little kid anymore. He promptly called for a taxi and made sure to grab the room key on his way out.
“I’ll be back soon dad!”
********************
Upon arriving at the Hua’s home, Bruce took a moment to admire the exterior of the vintage home as the taxi drove off. The open windows without screens caused him to question whether most of the citizens here preferred to have bugs getting into their homes over modern windows, swarming around their ears and food. Mosquitoes! Yuck!
In a firm, yet respectful way, he knocked on the door and stepped back a bit. Within seconds Lin Hua opened the door with a smile. “Young Mister Bruce,” she greeted with a hint of an accent, bowing slightly before him, “please come in.”
Bruce was pleasantly surprised at the respect she was giving him.
Once inside, he couldn’t help but notice how brightly her eyes lit up as they met with the relic and feelings of gratification began to surge through him as he handed the vase to her and said, “I believe this is yours Mrs. Hua.”
“Oh thank you!” she expressed, taking it and then running her finger along the golden traceries just as Bruce had when he first laid eyes on it. “I can’t thank you enough for retrieving this for me. My fourth great grandmother made this vase and painted it, in honor of her daughter who passed long before her time, but one day it was stolen from her home and she never found out who took it or what came of it. It has taken me years of going through our family history and other’s and researching to find it. Apparently someone from the royal family had gotten their hands on it.” She clutched the vase gently to her breast with tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you again dear. Here,” she paused to reach into her dress pocket, “here is your payment.” Bruce took it with a smile and tucked the bills into his pocket.
“Lin?” A sharp voice addressed, coming from the next room. “Shéi zài ménkǒu?" - "Who is at the door?”
It was a man’s voice, which Bruce could only assume was her husband, and naturally he spoke in Chinese. He stepped into the foyer, eyeing Bruce with a look of disdain.
(Translation to the couple's exchange of words in the spoiler )
Lin happily approached him. “Zhang,” she began in Chinese, showing him the relic. “Zhè wèi láizì měiguó de tiánměi niánqīng rén jiēshòule zhè fèn gōngzuò, zhǎo huíle wǒ zǔmǔ de huāpíng, kàn qǐlái...... Zuìhòu shì wǒmen de! Nà bùshì hěn bàng ma?”
But Zhang showed no enthusiasm.
“Nǐ gùle yīgè shí jǐ suì de nánhái lái wánchéng rènwù? Nǐ zài xiǎng shénme?” he practically yelled.
Bruce noticed Lin cower a bit. “Wǒ fābù qǐngqiú yǐjīng liù gè yuèle,” she said. “Tā shì wéiyī yīgè xúnwèn tā bìngqiě yuànyì jiēshòu zhè xiàng gōngzuò de rén.”
“Yúchǔn de niánqīng měiguó rén” he said with a sneer at Bruce and then turned to face his wife again. “Lín yúchǔn nǐ! Rúguǒ zhège nánhái zìshāle zěnme bàn? Tā de jiārén huì lái zhǎo wǒmen bìng ràng wǒmen fùzé!”
Lin lowered her head. “Duìbùqǐ zhāng...... Wǒ méi xiǎngdào. Wǒ fēicháng kěwàng dédào wǒ de zēngzǔmǔ de huāpíng. Wǒ xiǎng... Ràng wǒmen de zǔxiān gǎndào jiāo'ào.”
“Yīgè háo wú jiàzhí de zìzhì huāpíng duì tāmen yǒu shé me yǐngxiǎng?” he asked sharply, fiercely shoving his wife to the point that she almost dropped the heirloom.
Lin happily approached him. “Zhang,” she began in Chinese, showing him the relic. “This sweet young man from America accepted the job to retrieve my great grandmother’s vase and look...it is finally ours! Isn’t that wonderful?”
But Zhang showed no enthusiasm.
“You hired a teenage boy for the task? What were you thinking?” he practically yelled.
Bruce noticed Lin cower a bit. "It has been six months since I posted the request,” she said. “He is the only one that inquired about it and was willing to take on the job.”
“Foolish young American!” he said with a sneer at Bruce and then turned to face his wife again. “And foolish of you Lin! What if the boy had gotten himself killed? His family would come looking for us and hold us responsible!”
Lin lowered her head. “I am sorry Zhang...I did not think of that. I was just so desperate to get my great grandmother’s vase back. I wanted...to make our ancestors proud.”
“What does a worthless, homemade vase matter to them?” he asked sharply, fiercely shoving his wife to the point that she almost dropped the heirloom.
Upon witnessing that, Bruce’s blood instantly boiled.
“HEY!” he roared, stepping forward. He didn’t care if the man didn’t understand English. “You don’t push your wife like that!”
Zhang stepped closer with rage in his eyes, boring them into Bruce’s while Bruce stood tall, bravely meeting them.
“Please!” Lin implored, gripping Bruce’s arm. “Just go...he doesn’t understand English.”
But her words fell on deaf ears as Zhang said to Bruce through gritted teeth, “Nǐ bù zūnzhòng nǐ de cháng lǎo ma!?"
- “Have you no respect for your Elders you puny little American!?” and then firmly shoved him too.
In the heat of the moment Bruce lunged himself at Zhang and Lin gasped as she clutched the vase close again and ran into the kitchen sobbing.
Zhang put up a good fight and so did Bruce to the man’s amazement. He was sure he could take down the boy, but Bruce’s youthful energy and shorter stature had the advantage. And with the Hua’s young daughter appearing on the scene and shouting, “Tíngzhǐ!" - "Stop!” didn’t help Zhang hold his concentration on the fight. With a piercing kick to the knee cap, Zhang went down to the floor flat on his butt and his pride went with him.
“That’ll teach ya not to abuse women!” Bruce hissed at him. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline rush as he struggled to catch his breath.
Oh my gosh what did I just do!?
“Māmā!” young Bebe Hua cried, but her mother never emerged from the kitchen. She shot Bruce a tearful look before running into the next room to find her mother.
Zhang pressed his hand to his lower back as he struggled to get himself up off the floor. He turned to Bruce and glowered at him. “Gǔn chū wǒ de fángzi!" - "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” he yelled, pointing at the door.
Bruce got the message and instantly ran out.
On the ride back to the Hotel all Bruce could think about was how much his father would kill him if he told him what happened. His conscience encouraged him to do so, but then he figured if he kept silent his father would have no way of finding out and he could forget the whole thing. At least he hoped his father wouldn’t find out. How long was the grapevine in this vast city? He feared it wasn’t long enough.
He buried his face into his hands and tried not to cry.
********************
Once the taxi drove away, Bruce stared up at the tall, dimly lit staircase leading up to the Hotel rooms with nervousness in his eyes.
He wished that what had transpired hadn’t...and he had to hope that his father would understand why he acted in the way he did. Even then, he knew he was in for some kind of punishment regardless.
Just as he was about to ascend the stairs he heard his father worriedly call out his name from the top. “BRUCE!”
Derrick made his way down the stairs in a flash, barely taking his eyes off his son. “What took you so long?” he asked once he reached the base.
“Sorry,” Bruce lightly replied. “I was...talking with Mrs. Hua a little longer than I expected. I didn’t mean to worry you. I thought you were fast asleep.”
Derrick slightly nodded his head at that. “Well, I did fall asleep for a little bit there, but when I woke up to find you weren’t in the room, I felt a little disoriented and was trying to remember where you said you were going.”
“Oh...well it’s all good,” Bruce assured, trying to end the conversation quickly so that he could just go to sleep and forget the whole thing. “I returned the relic to Mrs. Hua and she was excited to have it back and I’m pretty beat so…” he was stopped by Derrick’s hand gripping his arm as he tried to go up the stairs. He could feel his heart begin to palpitate.
Derrick gently took his son’s chin for a moment turning his face to the side to get a good look at the obvious bruise on his cheek. He also took notice of a long tear at the base of Bruce’s shirt as well as a few scratch marks on his arms. The boy gulped and found it hard to look into his father’s eyes.
“What happened?” Derrick asked directly. “How’d you get that bruise?”
Bruce gulped again. There was no way he could lie his way out of this one; his father always outsmarted him before. He had to hope that being truthful would encourage Derrick to be more lenient in his imminent punishment. Because surely his dad wouldn’t understand and just get upset.
“Dad please don’t get mad okay?” he chose to say to start this revelation out. “It was an impulse and I can explain…”
“You darn well better!” Derrick agreed, folding his arms and encouraging his son on with his piercing gaze. He found himself becoming quite fearful over what he was about to hear.
Bruce nervously rubbed at the back of his neck before saying, “So, I arrived at the Hua’s door with the relic and Mrs. Hua invited me inside. She told me how happy she was that I brought back her grandmother’s vase and handed me the payment for it. Then, out of nowhere, her husband shows up glaring at me and then rips into her in Chinese about something...I’m pretty sure he was talking smack about me.” He partially rolled his eyes. “But then he got so angry that he shoved her and dad...when I saw him do that, I couldn’t help getting up in his face and telling him he shouldn’t do that to his wife!”
Derrick’s eyes widened.
“Mrs. Hua told me to just leave, but then her husband said something mean to me and shoved me too! So I shoved him back and,” he hesitated, “we sorta...got in a fight. I won,” he added with a cracked smile.
Derrick had his head lowered, pinching the bridge of his nose while trying to process what he was hearing until the fight part and his head shot upward. “Bruce Michael Holland, you didn’t!? Were you out of your mind!?”
“Yes! Well…...no,” he corrected. “Because honestly, when I saw him shove his wife--”
“You should’ve stayed out of it and took your leave!” Derrick finished for him. “I mean, my gosh Bruce!”
“But dad you always taught me that we men should never hurt women. That was really sad to see that because she's such a sweet lady! And,” he stopped, growing emotional, “I started to imagine that she was mom and if I saw you do that to her…” He couldn’t finish and lowered his head, tears forming in his eyes.
Soaking in his son's emotions, Derrick tried to hold back his deep concern while stepping closer to Bruce and placing his hands on his shoulders. He drew in a breath and released it before saying, “I admire your chivalry and good heart son...but that did not warrant the need to attack her husband. Have I not also taught you to treat your Elders with respect?”
“He didn’t deserve any respect!” the boy frankly answered through gritted teeth, meeting his father’s gaze with raging eyes.
“No...he didn’t,” Derrick acknowledged. “But you still should’ve just walked away after the confrontation.”
“But dad...when he shoved me I thought he was gonna hurt me,” he choked, “He sure looked like he wanted to! So I felt like I needed to defend myself. And...if that was the wrong thing to do than...I’m sorry…” he concluded with slumped shoulders and a lowered head.
Feeling extremely conflicted, Derrick looked down at the ground himself and shook his head. He needed a moment to process all of this or all the wrong words and tone would come out of him when this situation needed to be handled with care. “Stand over there while I figure out what to do about this,” he ordered, then turned his back toward his son to think.
Bruce wasn’t sure what that meant for him, but either way he couldn’t help fearing their trip was going to get cut short.
Derrick replayed the entire scene in his mind twice and all things considered, he was honestly proud of his boy. He couldn’t fault him for stepping in when he most likely would’ve done the same in that situation. It was certainly justified. Although, another part of him kept trying to convince himself that Bruce getting into a fight with the man was wrong when in all actuality...he didn’t DO a single thing wrong! He was warmly invited into the home, the man carelessly caused a scene in front of a stranger, so Bruce defended the woman - who is most likely a victim of domestic abuse - and when the man turned on him he was very much within his rights to protect himself!
Would it have been better if Bruce had just decided to leave after witnessing what he did, maybe, but most men would never feel right within themselves after doing so, perhaps haunt them for the rest of their life. But beyond that, women in those situations need to see that they don’t have to put up with that kind of treatment; that not all men behave the same. Bruce may very well have saved a life today and there was no way Derrick could be upset with nor punish him for that.
However there was a chance for a lawsuit here, albeit a slight one with them being foreigners on vacation who’d be gone soon, but Derrick wasn’t familiar with the laws in this country, or the people, so he felt the need to make everything right. For Bruce’s peace of mind, but mostly for his. He gazed up toward the stars and whispered a prayer for guidance.
“Alright,” he addressed Bruce, coming toward the boy and placing his hands on his shoulders again. With a loving gaze he said, “After giving it some thought I can honestly say that...I’m proud of what you did son.”
Bruce’s eyes bugged out. “Really!?” he asked, a smile creeping upon his lips. That was unexpected!
Derrick nodded. “I can understand why you thought I’d be upset because of my initial reaction when you told me the news,” he paused with a frown. “But giving myself a moment to think about it, I realized that you were thrown into quite the sticky situation. One that most people never find themselves in and you didn’t hesitate to protect a sweet lady. I admire that. It brought me joy as a parent. And I completely understand why you felt the need to defend yourself against Mr. Hua. Was assaulting him a bit rash, yes,” he admitted, “but overall I’m proud of what you did.” And he was very proud that his son came out victorious, but he wasn’t going to say that.
Bruce was smiling so brightly in such relief that his cheeks began to ache. “Thanks dad!” he expressed. “I really did feel like I was doing the right thing, I was just...afraid you wouldn’t understand. Since I tend to be a bit bold sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” he said with a wink.
Bruce playfully slapped his dad’s shoulder.
Now it was time for Derrick to get serious. “Now with that being said...I’m concerned about Mr. Hua reporting your assault to the police. He could make it sound very believable that some ‘insane teenage American’ burst into his home and attacked him.”
Bruce’s face grew pale. That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“I don’t mean to frighten you by saying that, but you can understand why I’m so concerned.”
The boy nodded.
“So we’re gonna have to make this right. First thing in the morning we’re gonna head on over to the Hua’s home and you’re going to formally apologize for what you did.”
Bruce gaped, with a slight glare. “But dad I shouldn’t have to apologize when--”
“I know Bruce...but in Mr. Hua’s mind you were in the wrong and you need to apologize so that he won’t try to press charges. Assuming he hasn’t already reported the incident…”
“Ok,” Bruce mumbled, surrendering. “Now I’m scared dad…”
Derrick took his boy into his arms. “I’m sorry," he whispered, rubbing at his back. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. Hopefully you knocked some sense into the man to where he’s thinking twice about the way he treats his wife and consider it a lesson learned. And if not...then we’ll just do what we can to make it right as soon as possible. Don't worry. God will be there to help us.”
Bruce hugged his dad tighter and couldn’t help thinking how blessed he was to have a dad like him, in more ways than one.
During the rest of the evening it was difficult for the two to fall asleep, but eventually fatigue caught up to them and they swiftly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
@emorrill
2021 We are gonna do a King Arthur and Lady Guinevere themed wedding.
Thanks! I wanted to a haunted mansion themed wedding, he said no way.(He hates the haunted mansion.I wanted to smack him. LOL X )
Omg Chelsea just went and flirted with Darren's friend "Schwarze"...First of all, eww, he's old and she's young...Secondly, girl you're married...
Is there a way to disable elders from being able to flirt/be flirted with.
@emorrill I will read your update in a bit. From first glance I see Bruce getting in a fight with someone Also since you're playing in Shang Simla I wonder if there will be an appearance by Sun Young Kim @GraceyManor Congratulations!! I'm really happy for you, and your ring is gorgeous. The wedding theme is perfect for you and so creative.
You need to create a caste for elder sims with StoryProgression, then you can disable flirting and romance with YAs. Schwarze needs to find a lady his own age
@GraceyManor Let's just say her recent pregnancy has muddled her mind a little bit
Just create a YA caste and disable flirting with elders then
LOL We're gonna pretend she didn't attempt to do that.I canceled it before she did it.XD I went and did that....
Schwarze needs some hobbies, or he's gonna be fired.
I'm building yet another house for the Montoyas, I think for when another sibling/siblings come...
Rather than the impressive large 4 bedroom 2and 1/2 bath one story mansion where they always insist on washing dishes in the bathroom they'll get a 2 story...
First floor:
It's got a big foyer, nice dining room, large family room with fireplace, decent sized kitchen (not too big, not too small), a "nook" which right now is the door to the back porch and maybe space for hobby stuff, the "library" which will be an office instead, and the "den" will maybe be an extra space for hobby stuff, not sure, and a small bathroom with just a sink and a toilet.
Upstairs is 4 bedrooms, a large bathroom to go with the main bedroom plus two smaller bathrooms. There's also a small "sitting area" perhaps to become a playroom/hangout space and the laundry room of course!
I built it on a 40x40. Left me no space for a garage! I might delete their current house and plop it there somehow... It's saved to the bin... any suggestions how to do it without moving because I've never done so and don't wanna have to rebuild again.
Still working on the grocery store... I've added a gardening shop area to it and a secondhand shop/ clothing, shoes, hats shop attached. I
I'm also reeeeealllyyyy excited because I finally found a stroller for two! I just have to see how it works.
I'm thinking about doing my own randomly generated challenge, but instead of randomly generated, done by a series of polls. I think I could do it with SurveyMonkey... I've used it before.
Kier went to River for his cuddle and bottle
Here's a first! I mustn't have clicked the C key hard enough and don't have a breakfast pic! River and Rian chatted after breakfast while Keanu got ready to take Kier for a stroll.
Shannon and River did the gardening I needed Keanu to get his stroll early because it would be a busy morning before the baby was due.
I saw Shannon telling Rian to improve his skills and I was happy to see he chose the fishing skill because it's the weekend and weekends should be fun!
River got his stroll when Keanu got home
The family gathered around for Kier's birthday
It could have been worse!
I let the family eat cake then removed the stuffed moodlet
Rian got the Loves the Outdoors trait like his dads and his first wish was to learn the fishing skill. When I locked that in, he rolled one to go fishing I noticed later in the day that he fishes autonomously like his dads
@coco Thanks for the lovely comments Keanu does seem to win more fights now although Shannon long ago mastered MA. I guess it's because he's an elder.
If I want kids for my sim children to meet and potentially marry I will often pollinate couples with the right genetics and age up the children quickly so they can grow up together
Love the Lego Tower Bridge! I bought a few Lego sets when I lived in America to keep my son and I amused but I never did anything that ambitious.
@king_of_simcity7 Thanks Yes, but another pregnancy is not uncommon in my games
@meerkattime Thanks for the lovely comments I love how Shannon and Mikezumi spend a lot of time with their grandchildren. I find the family oriented trait can get a little annoying sometimes but that aspect of it is sweet
I love falafel in real life but it's been a while since I ate any. I should see if I can find some nice falafel locally. I mostly ate lots of different foods when I worked in the city for 25 years before I got married.
@Silverofdreams30 Thank you
That's amazing that your game named a kid Rian because I thought I had made up the name! It's good to know it's a real name
Looks like Teresa is painting a pretty duck!
Cobbler is a good recipe to know because pregnant sims often crave it!
Congrats to Teresa on moving in with Gavin!
@bekkasan Thanks for the nice comments
I usually delete the MA outfits for elders because they don't fit and don't get new ones when they age up and I can't stand to see them with big adult bodies and a line through the neck.
I would have abandoned my save after Mikezumi reached the top of the Day Care Career but adding Keanu made the game playable for a longer time
Love Wisteria's jewelry!
@GraceyManor Glad Darren and Chelsea made it back safely after the storms!
LOL A flirty simbot!
I imagine Darren has something nice planned but I can see why Chelsea is worried about his secrecy!
@PalmArrow I like the Marx brothers!
Will Miss Lemon be pursuing Francisco?
Lovely shot of the unicorn and horse!
@DillynJames Glad Katy's protest went well That really is a good turn out!
Nice makeover for her new term
Sorry about breaking up with Derek
Congrats to Katy on her excellent report and graduation
The boys had just woohooed in the shower off the play room so I knew the baby wasn't far off!
Keanu stepped out of the room for a moment to turn on the stereo but came straight back to River, just in time to go into labor
I sent Keanu upstairs to have the baby because I couldn't have the boys finding him in labor. The screaming of children is unbearable!
Kier rolled a wish to catch a goldfish so I gave him some lettuce when he got his first skill point
River and Rian played catch nearby
Shannon and Mikezumi had been in the bedroom for a long time. When I checked on them Shannon was asking Mikezumi for a game of catch
Baby time!
Welcome Keva
Keanu got a snuggle before taking her downstairs so River could get a snuggle before I aged her up
Great update, I won't say anything about the Chinese its a weird language for sure.
I watch a lot of Chinese and Korean Tv series and both languages are difficult to understand hehe.
I think you did a great job writing out the Chinese language.
Since no one has asked yet, I figure I'll explain what I was talking about here:
The game made a certain sim do something unexpected so I just went along with it and figured I'd find a way to cleverly add it to the story.
^Now...y'all were probably thinking the game made Bruce start the fight. No actually. It was Zhang Hua!
Bruce returns the relic to Lin as per the adventure, and no joke, Zhang just walked up to the kid and started poking at him, being mean. I was like, "Oh no you didn't!" So I 'ordered' Bruce to be mean in return and eventually the 'fight' option showed up.
I HATE it when random sims walk up to mine and don't know them from Adam, but they begin ripping into them. How rude!
There's no excuse for anything like that so I instantly make my sims fight back.
I checked out Zhang's traits and he doesn't have mean, evil, or any of those that make sims hate strangers from the start so I dunno what the heck prompted it... 🤷♀️
Anyway, there's the explanation in case any of you were wondering, but I am thinking most of you figured it out.
Great update, I won't say anything about the Chinese its a weird language for sure.
I watch a lot of Chinese and Korean Tv series and both languages are difficult to understand hehe.
I think you did a great job writing out the Chinese language.
@Silverofdreams30 Ha ha! It IS a weird language! (No offense to anyone who speaks it). I just wanted to make sure that if anyone here does speak it, and it didn't sound right, it's not my fault, it's Google Translates!
So what did you think about the fight?
@emorrill Derrick was very understanding towards his son. He's right though - Bruce did the right thing defending Mrs. Hua . I hope there won't be any trouble on the way. That was a bad timing for Bebe to come in the room - I thought she'd end up in the middle of the fight but I'm glad she didn't.
@meerkattime Thank for the comment girl.
Bruce is such a sweet boy and yes...it was the right thing to do. He was brave in doing it. I think if I saw something like that I would've been too freaked out to say anything.
In bold: Oh I know it! When Bebe appeared on the scene during the fight I thought she was gonna get caught in the middle of it too! But thankfully that doesn't happen in the sims. (She didn't even watch or freak out over it. )
But yeah I had to write in why she was standing there... She was returning home as the fight broke out.
@Mikezumi I just have to say I LOVE Keanu's smile here...
Welcome to the sim world Keva. I look forward to seeing how cute and pretty she is as a toddler.
@coco I am still listening to your righteous 90s-2000's playlist and am LOVING IT!!!! My jam!!! It's like having the Sirius XM "Pop Rocks" radio station in my life again.
Do you like 3 Doors Down's music? ("Kryptonite" ) LOVE their music! They have so many good ones!
@GraceyManor Congrats regarding your engagement! I hope you have a lovely wedding and a wonderful future.
@Mikezumi I love that fishing pic for some reason. Probably the colors and Kier's inspection look Of course, those labor faces are always a hoot.
@meerkattime Heh, being the best looking in Twinbrook is a somewhat easy hurdle to take.
Let's see how this works out with Gwen. It's funny how she proposed going steady on the day they met.
Regarding that date with River, I was surprised she was still waiting outside when Marcus got out of the building again. Also, the way this works with trying for baby during a tour is hilarious. I don't remember whether it's a base game feature or came with the mod that is not to be named and begins with W, and Marcus' traits and LTR's certainly help, but this bypasses basically any checks. Marcus and Ayesha were acquaintances. I should try whether this works with someone who hates Marcus, like Lisa Bunch. Given I'm mostly curious how all the different kids will look like later, I'm fine with this. Not that I'd condone this in real life
@emorrill That's a very intense story again. Zhang Hua is hot-headed, and I learned to be very cautious around him and avoid him as much as possible. He had a few screaming matches with some of my sims, which means the situation didn't really surprise me. The actual fight did though.
@emorrill That's a very intense story again. Zhang Hua is hot-headed, and I learned to be very cautious around him and avoid him as much as possible. He had a few screaming matches with some of my sims, which means the situation didn't really surprise me. The actual fight did though.
(How did I miss his hot-headed trait? 🤔 Yeeeeah, my mind has been that broken lately.
Guess that helps explain his abusive tendencies... Oh snap! Sorry. )
Comments
^That's so adorable.
My mom would always tell us she was 25 when it was birthday. Every year.
Until she turned 50 and then she was like, "Ok I'm 30 now!"
Edit: @Mikezumi Forgive me for not saying this sooner. My brain is a mess right now.
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
Forgive how long it's taken me to get this newest Holland Family Next Gen chapter written and posted (well, the first half of the chapter anyway.
Before I do that though, allow me to ask: You know those times where you're playing out your story in the game, but then the game throws a curve ball situation in your characters way...and you decide to just roll with it?
Also forgive me if the Chinese language shown is not correct in conjugation and grammar compared to what I originally wrote in English...it's Google Translate's fault if it isn't right!
I just wanted to give the situation a little more realism by adding the language in.
I read over this a million times it seems to make sure everything flowed right and sounded right...because of how broken my mind has been lately.
So without further adieu, enjoy the first, long half of Chapter 13!
Chapter 13
Part 1
After a delicious lunch of Chinese cuisine, Derrick took Bruce back to the Phoenix Martial Arts Academy to show him everything he learned so far with Sim Fu.
Bruce tried practicing with the training dummy to humor his father, but honestly he wasn’t getting into it. Perhaps I’m not ‘disciplined’ enough, he thought with a snicker. I just wanna go and explore more places! Find some more treasure! But Derrick said he’d had enough exploring for one day and wanted them to spend the rest of it together. It’s not that Bruce didn’t want to, but he was especially anxious to return the woman’s relic, whose name is Lin Hua, but she texted him that her family wouldn’t be home until dusk. He sighed and would just have to grit his teeth about the Sim Fu stuff until then. He could honestly admit it was fun watching his father learn all the ropes.
For dinner they tried out a sushi bar and never had such single bites of food made their taste buds dance!
“I could get used to eating the food in this country EVERY day!” Derrick expressed.
“Agreed!” Bruce said, as much as he could with a mouth full of sushi.
The time came for Bruce to return the beautifully ornate vase to Lin Hua. Derrick was extremely exhausted after the day’s activities and darn near fell asleep on the bed in their hotel room when Lin texted Bruce informing him that her family was home and he could come over.
“Uh...dad?” Bruce asked, squatting a bit with his hands on his knees trying to look into his father’s eyes to get his attention. “We gotta go drop the relic off to Mrs. Hua.”
“Huh?” Derrick muttered, half asleep.
“It’s time for me to return the relic!” he replied, shaking his father’s shoulder. “C’mon!”
“Mmm...uh...just take a taxi and...come right back okay? I’m beat!”
Bruce froze for a second in bewilderment. “You...trust me to call a taxi, head on over there - to a stranger’s house in a foreign country - and head back here all by myself? In the dark?”
“Uh huh…”
To say Bruce was surprised was an understatement. He smiled proudly as he rose to his feet, standing tall with his fists resting upon his hip. Golly, dad’s really been trusting me a lot lately. Maybe he doesn’t still consider me a little kid anymore. He promptly called for a taxi and made sure to grab the room key on his way out.
“I’ll be back soon dad!”
********************
Upon arriving at the Hua’s home, Bruce took a moment to admire the exterior of the vintage home as the taxi drove off. The open windows without screens caused him to question whether most of the citizens here preferred to have bugs getting into their homes over modern windows, swarming around their ears and food. Mosquitoes! Yuck!
In a firm, yet respectful way, he knocked on the door and stepped back a bit. Within seconds Lin Hua opened the door with a smile. “Young Mister Bruce,” she greeted with a hint of an accent, bowing slightly before him, “please come in.”
Bruce was pleasantly surprised at the respect she was giving him.
Once inside, he couldn’t help but notice how brightly her eyes lit up as they met with the relic and feelings of gratification began to surge through him as he handed the vase to her and said, “I believe this is yours Mrs. Hua.”
“Oh thank you!” she expressed, taking it and then running her finger along the golden traceries just as Bruce had when he first laid eyes on it. “I can’t thank you enough for retrieving this for me. My fourth great grandmother made this vase and painted it, in honor of her daughter who passed long before her time, but one day it was stolen from her home and she never found out who took it or what came of it. It has taken me years of going through our family history and other’s and researching to find it. Apparently someone from the royal family had gotten their hands on it.” She clutched the vase gently to her breast with tears forming in her eyes. “Thank you again dear. Here,” she paused to reach into her dress pocket, “here is your payment.” Bruce took it with a smile and tucked the bills into his pocket.
“Lin?” A sharp voice addressed, coming from the next room. “Shéi zài ménkǒu?" - "Who is at the door?”
It was a man’s voice, which Bruce could only assume was her husband, and naturally he spoke in Chinese. He stepped into the foyer, eyeing Bruce with a look of disdain.
(Translation to the couple's exchange of words in the spoiler
Lin happily approached him. “Zhang,” she began in Chinese, showing him the relic. “Zhè wèi láizì měiguó de tiánměi niánqīng rén jiēshòule zhè fèn gōngzuò, zhǎo huíle wǒ zǔmǔ de huāpíng, kàn qǐlái...... Zuìhòu shì wǒmen de! Nà bùshì hěn bàng ma?”
But Zhang showed no enthusiasm.
“Nǐ gùle yīgè shí jǐ suì de nánhái lái wánchéng rènwù? Nǐ zài xiǎng shénme?” he practically yelled.
Bruce noticed Lin cower a bit. “Wǒ fābù qǐngqiú yǐjīng liù gè yuèle,” she said. “Tā shì wéiyī yīgè xúnwèn tā bìngqiě yuànyì jiēshòu zhè xiàng gōngzuò de rén.”
“Yúchǔn de niánqīng měiguó rén” he said with a sneer at Bruce and then turned to face his wife again. “Lín yúchǔn nǐ! Rúguǒ zhège nánhái zìshāle zěnme bàn? Tā de jiārén huì lái zhǎo wǒmen bìng ràng wǒmen fùzé!”
Lin lowered her head. “Duìbùqǐ zhāng...... Wǒ méi xiǎngdào. Wǒ fēicháng kěwàng dédào wǒ de zēngzǔmǔ de huāpíng. Wǒ xiǎng... Ràng wǒmen de zǔxiān gǎndào jiāo'ào.”
“Yīgè háo wú jiàzhí de zìzhì huāpíng duì tāmen yǒu shé me yǐngxiǎng?” he asked sharply, fiercely shoving his wife to the point that she almost dropped the heirloom.
But Zhang showed no enthusiasm.
“You hired a teenage boy for the task? What were you thinking?” he practically yelled.
Bruce noticed Lin cower a bit. "It has been six months since I posted the request,” she said. “He is the only one that inquired about it and was willing to take on the job.”
“Foolish young American!” he said with a sneer at Bruce and then turned to face his wife again. “And foolish of you Lin! What if the boy had gotten himself killed? His family would come looking for us and hold us responsible!”
Lin lowered her head. “I am sorry Zhang...I did not think of that. I was just so desperate to get my great grandmother’s vase back. I wanted...to make our ancestors proud.”
“What does a worthless, homemade vase matter to them?” he asked sharply, fiercely shoving his wife to the point that she almost dropped the heirloom.
Upon witnessing that, Bruce’s blood instantly boiled.
“HEY!” he roared, stepping forward. He didn’t care if the man didn’t understand English. “You don’t push your wife like that!”
Zhang stepped closer with rage in his eyes, boring them into Bruce’s while Bruce stood tall, bravely meeting them.
“Please!” Lin implored, gripping Bruce’s arm. “Just go...he doesn’t understand English.”
But her words fell on deaf ears as Zhang said to Bruce through gritted teeth, “Nǐ bù zūnzhòng nǐ de cháng lǎo ma!?"
- “Have you no respect for your Elders you puny little American!?” and then firmly shoved him too.
In the heat of the moment Bruce lunged himself at Zhang and Lin gasped as she clutched the vase close again and ran into the kitchen sobbing.
Zhang put up a good fight and so did Bruce to the man’s amazement. He was sure he could take down the boy, but Bruce’s youthful energy and shorter stature had the advantage. And with the Hua’s young daughter appearing on the scene and shouting, “Tíngzhǐ!" - "Stop!” didn’t help Zhang hold his concentration on the fight. With a piercing kick to the knee cap, Zhang went down to the floor flat on his butt and his pride went with him.
“That’ll teach ya not to abuse women!” Bruce hissed at him. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline rush as he struggled to catch his breath.
Oh my gosh what did I just do!?
“Māmā!” young Bebe Hua cried, but her mother never emerged from the kitchen. She shot Bruce a tearful look before running into the next room to find her mother.
Zhang pressed his hand to his lower back as he struggled to get himself up off the floor. He turned to Bruce and glowered at him. “Gǔn chū wǒ de fángzi!" - "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” he yelled, pointing at the door.
Bruce got the message and instantly ran out.
On the ride back to the Hotel all Bruce could think about was how much his father would kill him if he told him what happened. His conscience encouraged him to do so, but then he figured if he kept silent his father would have no way of finding out and he could forget the whole thing. At least he hoped his father wouldn’t find out. How long was the grapevine in this vast city? He feared it wasn’t long enough.
He buried his face into his hands and tried not to cry.
********************
Once the taxi drove away, Bruce stared up at the tall, dimly lit staircase leading up to the Hotel rooms with nervousness in his eyes.
He wished that what had transpired hadn’t...and he had to hope that his father would understand why he acted in the way he did. Even then, he knew he was in for some kind of punishment regardless.
Just as he was about to ascend the stairs he heard his father worriedly call out his name from the top. “BRUCE!”
Derrick made his way down the stairs in a flash, barely taking his eyes off his son. “What took you so long?” he asked once he reached the base.
“Sorry,” Bruce lightly replied. “I was...talking with Mrs. Hua a little longer than I expected. I didn’t mean to worry you. I thought you were fast asleep.”
Derrick slightly nodded his head at that. “Well, I did fall asleep for a little bit there, but when I woke up to find you weren’t in the room, I felt a little disoriented and was trying to remember where you said you were going.”
“Oh...well it’s all good,” Bruce assured, trying to end the conversation quickly so that he could just go to sleep and forget the whole thing. “I returned the relic to Mrs. Hua and she was excited to have it back and I’m pretty beat so…” he was stopped by Derrick’s hand gripping his arm as he tried to go up the stairs. He could feel his heart begin to palpitate.
Derrick gently took his son’s chin for a moment turning his face to the side to get a good look at the obvious bruise on his cheek. He also took notice of a long tear at the base of Bruce’s shirt as well as a few scratch marks on his arms. The boy gulped and found it hard to look into his father’s eyes.
“What happened?” Derrick asked directly. “How’d you get that bruise?”
Bruce gulped again. There was no way he could lie his way out of this one; his father always outsmarted him before. He had to hope that being truthful would encourage Derrick to be more lenient in his imminent punishment. Because surely his dad wouldn’t understand and just get upset.
“Dad please don’t get mad okay?” he chose to say to start this revelation out. “It was an impulse and I can explain…”
“You darn well better!” Derrick agreed, folding his arms and encouraging his son on with his piercing gaze. He found himself becoming quite fearful over what he was about to hear.
Bruce nervously rubbed at the back of his neck before saying, “So, I arrived at the Hua’s door with the relic and Mrs. Hua invited me inside. She told me how happy she was that I brought back her grandmother’s vase and handed me the payment for it. Then, out of nowhere, her husband shows up glaring at me and then rips into her in Chinese about something...I’m pretty sure he was talking smack about me.” He partially rolled his eyes. “But then he got so angry that he shoved her and dad...when I saw him do that, I couldn’t help getting up in his face and telling him he shouldn’t do that to his wife!”
Derrick’s eyes widened.
“Mrs. Hua told me to just leave, but then her husband said something mean to me and shoved me too! So I shoved him back and,” he hesitated, “we sorta...got in a fight. I won,” he added with a cracked smile.
Derrick had his head lowered, pinching the bridge of his nose while trying to process what he was hearing until the fight part and his head shot upward. “Bruce Michael Holland, you didn’t!? Were you out of your mind!?”
“Yes! Well…...no,” he corrected. “Because honestly, when I saw him shove his wife--”
“You should’ve stayed out of it and took your leave!” Derrick finished for him. “I mean, my gosh Bruce!”
“But dad you always taught me that we men should never hurt women. That was really sad to see that because she's such a sweet lady! And,” he stopped, growing emotional, “I started to imagine that she was mom and if I saw you do that to her…” He couldn’t finish and lowered his head, tears forming in his eyes.
Soaking in his son's emotions, Derrick tried to hold back his deep concern while stepping closer to Bruce and placing his hands on his shoulders. He drew in a breath and released it before saying, “I admire your chivalry and good heart son...but that did not warrant the need to attack her husband. Have I not also taught you to treat your Elders with respect?”
“He didn’t deserve any respect!” the boy frankly answered through gritted teeth, meeting his father’s gaze with raging eyes.
“No...he didn’t,” Derrick acknowledged. “But you still should’ve just walked away after the confrontation.”
“But dad...when he shoved me I thought he was gonna hurt me,” he choked, “He sure looked like he wanted to! So I felt like I needed to defend myself. And...if that was the wrong thing to do than...I’m sorry…” he concluded with slumped shoulders and a lowered head.
Feeling extremely conflicted, Derrick looked down at the ground himself and shook his head. He needed a moment to process all of this or all the wrong words and tone would come out of him when this situation needed to be handled with care. “Stand over there while I figure out what to do about this,” he ordered, then turned his back toward his son to think.
Bruce wasn’t sure what that meant for him, but either way he couldn’t help fearing their trip was going to get cut short.
Derrick replayed the entire scene in his mind twice and all things considered, he was honestly proud of his boy. He couldn’t fault him for stepping in when he most likely would’ve done the same in that situation. It was certainly justified. Although, another part of him kept trying to convince himself that Bruce getting into a fight with the man was wrong when in all actuality...he didn’t DO a single thing wrong! He was warmly invited into the home, the man carelessly caused a scene in front of a stranger, so Bruce defended the woman - who is most likely a victim of domestic abuse - and when the man turned on him he was very much within his rights to protect himself!
Would it have been better if Bruce had just decided to leave after witnessing what he did, maybe, but most men would never feel right within themselves after doing so, perhaps haunt them for the rest of their life. But beyond that, women in those situations need to see that they don’t have to put up with that kind of treatment; that not all men behave the same. Bruce may very well have saved a life today and there was no way Derrick could be upset with nor punish him for that.
However there was a chance for a lawsuit here, albeit a slight one with them being foreigners on vacation who’d be gone soon, but Derrick wasn’t familiar with the laws in this country, or the people, so he felt the need to make everything right. For Bruce’s peace of mind, but mostly for his. He gazed up toward the stars and whispered a prayer for guidance.
“Alright,” he addressed Bruce, coming toward the boy and placing his hands on his shoulders again. With a loving gaze he said, “After giving it some thought I can honestly say that...I’m proud of what you did son.”
Bruce’s eyes bugged out. “Really!?” he asked, a smile creeping upon his lips. That was unexpected!
Derrick nodded. “I can understand why you thought I’d be upset because of my initial reaction when you told me the news,” he paused with a frown. “But giving myself a moment to think about it, I realized that you were thrown into quite the sticky situation. One that most people never find themselves in and you didn’t hesitate to protect a sweet lady. I admire that. It brought me joy as a parent. And I completely understand why you felt the need to defend yourself against Mr. Hua. Was assaulting him a bit rash, yes,” he admitted, “but overall I’m proud of what you did.” And he was very proud that his son came out victorious, but he wasn’t going to say that.
Bruce was smiling so brightly in such relief that his cheeks began to ache. “Thanks dad!” he expressed. “I really did feel like I was doing the right thing, I was just...afraid you wouldn’t understand. Since I tend to be a bit bold sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” he said with a wink.
Bruce playfully slapped his dad’s shoulder.
Now it was time for Derrick to get serious. “Now with that being said...I’m concerned about Mr. Hua reporting your assault to the police. He could make it sound very believable that some ‘insane teenage American’ burst into his home and attacked him.”
Bruce’s face grew pale. That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“I don’t mean to frighten you by saying that, but you can understand why I’m so concerned.”
The boy nodded.
“So we’re gonna have to make this right. First thing in the morning we’re gonna head on over to the Hua’s home and you’re going to formally apologize for what you did.”
Bruce gaped, with a slight glare. “But dad I shouldn’t have to apologize when--”
“I know Bruce...but in Mr. Hua’s mind you were in the wrong and you need to apologize so that he won’t try to press charges. Assuming he hasn’t already reported the incident…”
“Ok,” Bruce mumbled, surrendering. “Now I’m scared dad…”
Derrick took his boy into his arms. “I’m sorry," he whispered, rubbing at his back. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. Hopefully you knocked some sense into the man to where he’s thinking twice about the way he treats his wife and consider it a lesson learned. And if not...then we’ll just do what we can to make it right as soon as possible. Don't worry. God will be there to help us.”
Bruce hugged his dad tighter and couldn’t help thinking how blessed he was to have a dad like him, in more ways than one.
During the rest of the evening it was difficult for the two to fall asleep, but eventually fatigue caught up to them and they swiftly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
*********************
To be continued...
Darren: This is an all time low for me....catching angry gnomes.
Chelsea: Just do your job and stop whining. XD
I just love this look XD
Becky has been keeping both of them up all night.Everyone is so exhausted.
In unrelated news, my boyfriend popped the question.
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
The ring is gorgeous!
Oh you're gonna LOVE married life! It's seriously the BEST!
I wish you both a long and happy life together, filled with deep love and selflessness.
2021 We are gonna do a King Arthur and Lady Guinevere themed wedding.
Thanks!
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
Is there a way to disable elders from being able to flirt/be flirted with.
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
@GraceyManor
You need to create a caste for elder sims with StoryProgression, then you can disable flirting and romance with YAs. Schwarze needs to find a lady his own age
It was Chelsea who initiated the flirt!!! She was gonna cheat on Darren.:/ without me telling her to do it
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
Just create a YA caste and disable flirting with elders then
LOL We're gonna pretend she didn't attempt to do that.I canceled it before she did it.XD I went and did that....
Schwarze needs some hobbies, or he's gonna be fired.
https://graceymanorsims3.tumblr.com/
@GraceyManor Congratulations! I wish you and your fiance a long and happy marriage
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
Rather than the impressive large 4 bedroom 2and 1/2 bath one story mansion where they always insist on washing dishes in the bathroom they'll get a 2 story...
First floor:
It's got a big foyer, nice dining room, large family room with fireplace, decent sized kitchen (not too big, not too small), a "nook" which right now is the door to the back porch and maybe space for hobby stuff, the "library" which will be an office instead, and the "den" will maybe be an extra space for hobby stuff, not sure, and a small bathroom with just a sink and a toilet.
Upstairs is 4 bedrooms, a large bathroom to go with the main bedroom plus two smaller bathrooms. There's also a small "sitting area" perhaps to become a playroom/hangout space and the laundry room of course!
I built it on a 40x40. Left me no space for a garage! I might delete their current house and plop it there somehow... It's saved to the bin... any suggestions how to do it without moving because I've never done so and don't wanna have to rebuild again.
Still working on the grocery store... I've added a gardening shop area to it and a secondhand shop/ clothing, shoes, hats shop attached. I
I'm also reeeeealllyyyy excited because I finally found a stroller for two! I just have to see how it works.
I'm thinking about doing my own randomly generated challenge, but instead of randomly generated, done by a series of polls. I think I could do it with SurveyMonkey... I've used it before.
Hoping to complete the Brunch at the Old Mill set for CYS. 16 items left.
My Sims 3 Store Wishlist: https://store.thesims3.com/myWishlist.html?persona=DollyGizzy
My TS3 Blog: https://rubysasimslife.blogspot.com
Here's a first! I mustn't have clicked the C key hard enough and don't have a breakfast pic!
Shannon and River did the gardening
I saw Shannon telling Rian to improve his skills and I was happy to see he chose the fishing skill because it's the weekend and weekends should be fun!
River got his stroll when Keanu got home
The family gathered around for Kier's birthday
It could have been worse!
I let the family eat cake then removed the stuffed moodlet
Rian got the Loves the Outdoors trait like his dads and his first wish was to learn the fishing skill. When I locked that in, he rolled one to go fishing
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
@coco Thanks for the lovely comments
If I want kids for my sim children to meet and potentially marry I will often pollinate couples with the right genetics and age up the children quickly so they can grow up together
Love the Lego Tower Bridge! I bought a few Lego sets when I lived in America to keep my son and I amused but I never did anything that ambitious.
@king_of_simcity7 Thanks
@meerkattime Thanks for the lovely comments
I love falafel in real life but it's been a while since I ate any. I should see if I can find some nice falafel locally. I mostly ate lots of different foods when I worked in the city for 25 years before I got married.
@Silverofdreams30 Thank you
That's amazing that your game named a kid Rian because I thought I had made up the name! It's good to know it's a real name
Looks like Teresa is painting a pretty duck!
Cobbler is a good recipe to know because pregnant sims often crave it!
Congrats to Teresa on moving in with Gavin!
@bekkasan Thanks for the nice comments
I usually delete the MA outfits for elders because they don't fit and don't get new ones when they age up and I can't stand to see them with big adult bodies and a line through the neck.
I would have abandoned my save after Mikezumi reached the top of the Day Care Career but adding Keanu made the game playable for a longer time
Love Wisteria's jewelry!
@GraceyManor Glad Darren and Chelsea made it back safely after the storms!
LOL A flirty simbot!
I imagine Darren has something nice planned but I can see why Chelsea is worried about his secrecy!
@PalmArrow I like the Marx brothers!
Will Miss Lemon be pursuing Francisco?
Lovely shot of the unicorn and horse!
@DillynJames Glad Katy's protest went well
Nice makeover for her new term
Sorry about breaking up with Derek
Congrats to Katy on her excellent report and graduation
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
Keanu stepped out of the room for a moment to turn on the stereo but came straight back to River, just in time to go into labor
I sent Keanu upstairs to have the baby because I couldn't have the boys finding him in labor. The screaming of children is unbearable!
Kier rolled a wish to catch a goldfish so I gave him some lettuce when he got his first skill point
River and Rian played catch nearby
Shannon and Mikezumi had been in the bedroom for a long time. When I checked on them Shannon was asking Mikezumi for a game of catch
Baby time!
Welcome Keva
Keanu got a snuggle before taking her downstairs so River could get a snuggle before I aged her up
Zumi and the Winchester Brothers
The Watcher's Caretaker - A Limited ISBI
Great update, I won't say anything about the Chinese its a weird language for sure.
I watch a lot of Chinese and Korean Tv series and both languages are difficult to understand hehe.
I think you did a great job writing out the Chinese language.
@Mikezumi
Cute baby, congrats to their new daughter bet you are not too
happy eh hehe.
Yep, Rian seems to be a real name.
@coco
Waves
@GraceyManor
Think I missed your post about engagement so congrats a bit
belated.
Since no one has asked yet,
^Now...y'all were probably thinking the game made Bruce start the fight. No actually.
Bruce returns the relic to Lin as per the adventure, and no joke, Zhang just walked up to the kid and started poking at him, being mean. I was like,
I HATE it when random sims walk up to mine and don't know them from Adam, but they begin ripping into them.
There's no excuse for anything like that so I instantly make my sims fight back.
I checked out Zhang's traits and he doesn't have mean, evil, or any of those that make sims hate strangers from the start so I dunno what the heck prompted it... 🤷♀️
Anyway, there's the explanation in case any of you were wondering, but I am thinking most of you figured it out.
@Silverofdreams30 Ha ha! It IS a weird language!
So what did you think about the fight?
@meerkattime Thank for the comment girl.
Bruce is such a sweet boy and yes...it was the right thing to do. He was brave in doing it. I think if I saw something like that I would've been too freaked out to say anything.
In bold: Oh I know it! When Bebe appeared on the scene during the fight I thought she was gonna get caught in the middle of it too!
But yeah I had to write in why she was standing there...
@Mikezumi I just have to say I LOVE Keanu's smile here...
Welcome to the sim world Keva.
@coco I am still listening to your righteous 90s-2000's playlist and am LOVING IT!!!!
Do you like 3 Doors Down's music? ("Kryptonite"
Congratulations! May you spend many happy years together!
@Mikezumi I love that fishing pic for some reason. Probably the colors and Kier's inspection look
@meerkattime Heh, being the best looking in Twinbrook is a somewhat easy hurdle to take.
Let's see how this works out with Gwen. It's funny how she proposed going steady on the day they met.
Regarding that date with River, I was surprised she was still waiting outside when Marcus got out of the building again. Also, the way this works with trying for baby during a tour is hilarious. I don't remember whether it's a base game feature or came with the mod that is not to be named and begins with W, and Marcus' traits and LTR's certainly help, but this bypasses basically any checks. Marcus and Ayesha were acquaintances. I should try whether this works with someone who hates Marcus, like Lisa Bunch. Given I'm mostly curious how all the different kids will look like later, I'm fine with this. Not that I'd condone this in real life
@emorrill That's a very intense story again. Zhang Hua is hot-headed, and I learned to be very cautious around him and avoid him as much as possible. He had a few screaming matches with some of my sims, which means the situation didn't really surprise me. The actual fight did though.
@meerkattime
Thank you, not played for two days now took al little break
hehe.'
@emorrill
Intense fight, glad Bruce won over over that guy.
I'm glad she did not get in the middle of the fight.
@Turjan Good to know!
(How did I miss his hot-headed trait? 🤔 Yeeeeah, my mind has been that broken lately.
Guess that helps explain his abusive tendencies... Oh snap! Sorry.