@Karababy52
For March 8 Your set up is always so beautiful. I think I sense some flirting going on.
For March 9 And there it is... Well good thing Josh stopped by to set things straight!
For March 10 Great shots . I love the way your L. looks also.
-In my dust post Roxanne came home angry ... she didn't need to be angry I just wanted to see if the roomba would work... and she was painting while it tried to clean. Then when I had her vacuum I'd go check other household members and every time I'd come back to Roxanne she would be viewing the angry painting. There is a vacuum angry interaction though... kind of like evil workout. The dust hasn't been out of control until that day and I'm pretty sure it happened for a lot of reasons. I think the pack needs some tweaking but I'm enjoying it. It's not for everyone.
@Skeilah
For March 8 Aww I really like Roo. I like the way you figured her out! Well that she's a human anyway.
Lol, You're so old now! Things not to say 101! So sweet when Isaius and the dog were reunited.
Another cliff-hanger. You're the cliff-hanger kid!
For March 9 Lol at Jules making mac and cheese... she can't get enough cheese! I can't even imagine going out to find one type of fish.. but you did it! I was going to ask about Isaius red eyes, glad you explained.
@lilypadmeulin
Wow that's a lot of catching up.
For Days 19-28! I keep missing the day the bunny shows up in my game. Now that I have Nester I gotta do that this year. I want an egg collection for Roxanne too! Great pictures
For March 1 Yahh for Jenny's Corner! Very cute mailbox . Lol... don't burn the house down!
For March 2 Lots of room in the house and sweet that Rohan and Jenny are still a thing .
-I can't do a story here either.. it's mentally exhausting for me, because I'm not always creative. But I always manage to feel guilty lol. Now and then I lightly try but yeah.. nope! Take the pressure off yourself and just play how you like too, telling a story isn't required for the challenge. Now and then tell a story if you want and give yourself a break otherwise. I'm glad you like seeing Jenny in my game
@permanentrose
For Update 68 That hair does look really good on Jules. Wow congrats on getting the Grilled Cheese Aspiration unlocked! And yahhh Death Flower! Lol ... push that truth out girl!
For Update 69 LMAO at Hugo "We were kind of dating!" Hugo has it bad! Ohh I'm kinda mad at Kaori for agreeing but the drama should be good lol.
-I'm sure Archie will end up vacuuming Nester eventually!
@Kanindota
For Day 67 Wow that Manuel gets around lol, the reference to Mambo No. 5 was funny too. Congrats on catching up. I hate being behind here, but it happens.
-My Roxanne on the gallery is pretty skilled now. But I can add in the newer spellcaster if you want. I'm sure she's topped a few more skills by then. The painting is a pretty common one you can paint when your sim is angry. I've done it myself a number of times but I can put it on the gallery if you want. It shouldn't list as cc since it's in the game... I don't think? If you haven't gotten the cleaning kit you might as well wait it looks like on the next patch they are going to tweak it.
@AnnoyingTiger
For March 9th Rollerskating and kitty labor! LMAO at Catastrophy & Sam. Oh no so flipping cute.. Again Pumpkin steals the show!
@SoulGal7
For Day 22 The audition was great. It's fun to see all of our sims. Using a club to invite them to the band was a great idea too. Very fun post!
@permanentrose
I'm playing one sim day, from 12 am to 12 am for each update. I'm also matching the seasons with the current season in my world, along with the holidays in real life. Hehe, that was the plan, to make people think it was Astrid. I saw the notification that Pumpkin was in labor and my jaw hit the floor. I was like "HUH?!" but my god are they cute! I love them so much It's hard not to focus on them for my updates.
Beautiful boys He's reading to the toddlers, how precious. Such a cute activity. Looking forward to seeing what happens next~
@SoulGal7
Ooo I like seeing our boys and girls as candidates! This band is gonna be the coolest in the world~ Astrid looks so annoyed omg, girl cheer up xD I'm so proud of her, and you included Pumpkin too ahhh my heart Hehe the boys are the roadies, I love this update.
@Karababy52
Mission accomplished hehe I'm already so in love with the kittens, there's no way I can get rid of them But if Pumpkin keeps it up, I might have to give the next litter away, maybe to you guys' sims? hmm. Might have to go and get her fixed, as well. I think at this point I've given up on the park for collectibles lol they seem to still be spawning in other locations, though, so it's okay =D
Come on, Essa, show her who's boss! =D Aww, she lost. Good effort, though! You'll get 'er next time.
@Hermitgirl
Hope your allergies get better soon Sakura looks so cool in her uniform on the broom lol and Astrid getting friendly with Morgyn, yas Poor Jenny, I hope whatever is making her so angry won't last. Thank you for keeping Pumpkin safe Hopefully, she doesn't act too much like a primadonna and take the spotlight from Roxanne!
I honestly don't know how lol I don't try to make Pumpkin the star but she's just so darn cute. I usually always have pets in my games but there's something special about this one!
@lilypadmeulin
What a cozy little home. I'm not much fond of pink, but I must admit that mailbox is pretty cute. Aw, a kiss at the romance fest! I wonder if it's true love~
Yay for achieving the aspiration! And what a fun way to do it! I loved seeing all of our sims, and I'm glad the boys crashed as well, that was entertaining! Roxanne playing Grim's Ghoulish Guitar was perfect too! Also enjoyed that Astrid announced she will be bringing Pumpkin along to practices, that should be a given haha. And then there's my Jules, insisting that no one ever calls her by her given name but always uses her nickname instead lol. And she was a hot mess, as she is in all of your games I really do love seeing how goofy and carefree she tends to be in all of your games, I give her too much drama in my game LOL.
I'm excited to see how you conclude this "month" of updates and do any gigs for the band!
Also, I had to add, Sakura is getting SUPER skinny, wow lol! Jules is so fat these days. And yes, a little bit of it is pregnancy, but also apparently I'm bad at keeping sims fit and trim when I don't use cheats to feed them LOL
That's a relief to know that Morgyn won't be pulling a Damon LOL. That Essa though - stealing the hearts of every boy she meets
I love how you've had her duel with all three sages now, and each duel was a unique experience! You have captured them all gorgeously too! So do you have some other spellcasters floating around in your save too that she can practice dueling with?
Well, Kaori might have kept her secret lol, but as you can see from my update today, she's also the reason there's going to be pandemonium tomorrow But don't worry, Jules will forgive her. Someone had to give Jules the shove she needed to tell the truth to her loved ones, thanks Kaori for taking the bullet lol
I'm glad you are having fun with all of our sims! You have great plans for them, and I totally approve of them all being ghosts - well, I can't speak for anyone, but you can totally have Jules as a ghost lol. I think she would make a good death by anger ghost (as she has the hot-headed trait) or death by Murphy bed, as a nod to her little whoopsie unsaved death from January LOL. You can choose whicher is easier/you prefer
Also, yes, Kaori did make a somewhat questionable decision to bring the boys to Jules, but Jules will end up thanking her.
Glad to see you back in the groove of posting! I love Jenny's new house too, and the heart mailbox is a lot of fun. And glad to see Boop made the move with her Jules has been collecting Simmis, too, I find it kind of addicting haha. It's nice to use the vending machines while she's pregnant too since she can't accidentally die haha. Rohan and Jenny are super cute too - do you think you'll keep them together for the long haul?
I wouldn't mind if you entire updates were just Pumpkin and her sons, LOL. They are all so precious. Also looks like Astrid and Duane are taking things to the next level That's a cool idea to have your holidays line up with real life holidays - I do remember you mentioning that!
Oh gosh, I know about allergies very well, I have to take an allergy pill every day or I'm miserable. Thankfully I can control it with just Claritin D, but I hope one day I don't have to go full prescription mode with it. If your allergies are getting worse every year, perhaps you should consider seeing a Doctor to get some stronger medicine for it? Just a thought, hope you're feeling better soon!
I admire you for what you're doing with our challenge Sims, doing everything in your power to make them all spellcasters. It sounds like a lot of work! I hope it's fun for you and not a grind. I sure couldn't do it. I struggle with controlling just two Sims, I prefer one at a time. Probably the reason I don't do well with Legacies. It's my own fault though, I micromanage my Sims with no autonomy. I just want any Sims I play to do well and they really don't do well at all with full autonomy. Sims logic gets in the way every time.
Love the screenshot of Sakura on the broom in her scout uniform! So cute and funny too! Oh man, that shot of Sakura, Jenny and Astrid is priceless too! Don't know if I've shared this before or not, but don't worry about teens dying from being Hysterical, Enraged, etc. Teens can't die from those emotional kinds of deaths. Just be careful they aren't in one of those when they age up to a YA because they WILL die immediately after blowing out the candles. o.O I think it's cool you might turn them all into ghosts too. I don't have any kind I wouldn't want Essa to be, turn her into whatever kind of ghost you want. If I had a request, the only one I can think of that would make sense for her is from Spellcaster overcharge. But it's your choice, she's your Sim in your game to do with what you want.
Yes, there was a bit of flirting going on, but really only on Morgyn's behalf. Essa thinks of him as her big brother. He knows that now and will respect her wishes. Thank you so much about my L.
Ohhh, so that's what was up with Roxanne being angry, got it! Thanks for the explanation. I was so confused. I read in another thread that the Devs are currently in the process of tweaking the Dust the Bust pack and will release a fix for it in the next patch.
Thank you! I love my L., it took me a long time to modify the original default L. to make her look like that, but I'm glad I took the time.
Very nice house Jenny has in Evergreen Harbor! It must seem like she's living in luxury now with such a big house. The mailbox is cute! Great hobbies for her to have, and both useful things she can make if she decides to keep any instead of selling them all on Plopsy. Good luck getting a crocus! I'll keep my fingers crossed for her. Aww, I love the Romance Festival, so glad she went and shared some kisses with Rohan. I don't get those Gurus either. For one thing, why are they always elders? Just because one is old doesn't equate to being an expert in romance.
I can see why you'd be in love with them, they are adorable! Probably be best to get her fixed or you WILL get more litters. Hmm, that's an idea, you could give kittens to our challenge Sims in your save. They'd probably love that! Bummer about the spawn sites still not working for you. Wish I could help more. Glad they at least spawn in other places though.
I really thought Essa was going to beat L. the way the duel was going. But in the end L. defeated her. It's okay. Essa ended up taking L.'s advice and dueled a few random townie Spellcasters in Caster's Alley while she was there buying stuff from the market stalls. She ended up getting her first curse for it too! o.O But she knows the Decursify spell, so it only lasted a few seconds. It was the Duelist one where other Spellcasters will constantly challenge yours. She is on the next milestone now and only needs to advance to Virtuoso to finish it. Then I'll switch her to the Potions Master aspiration.
Congrats on Astrid becoming an Acolyte! Do the kittens follow her around everywhere? Guessing she didn't get Judith's autograph. Bummer. Oh Wow, was that lady yelling at the kittens? How dare she!? I don't blame Astrid for yelling at her right back for it. Oh my, my, I see Astrid and Duane have moved to the next level in their relationship! Yay! Don't you just love that animation where they hold their chin? It's so sweet. Duane looks like he's putty in her hands. Looks like she spent the night too! Great update!
LOL Seems that way doesn't it? I think it's that Pristine reputation that does it. Yeah, I wanted her to duel with them first and tried to make it a unique experience each time. Glad you think it was. Thanks! There are other Spellcasters, but only game generated townies.
I'm glad Kaori spilled the beans. You're right. Jules did need someone to push her to reveal to Mario and her family what's going on. It's only fair they know since they love her.
Day 69, 10th March
__________
This year's Wintertide's Companion or Winter's Ally or Winterbuddy's gift, whatever name you use, goes to the good, the great, the gentleman, Jeb @jebhardiharhar Harris. #happywinterfesteve #hessinglebutshytomingle #nicegirlsonly
Some SimLit
It was Winterfest’s Eve. Soon as Dirk freed himself from his multiple programming jobs, he floated on air with his chest puffed out and a swagger in his ghost steps. River knew this was the prime time to request for things. That was how they ended up a new TV, the one River inferniated the hell out of it. The yeses jivved out of him. He dipped in the tub for a lavender soak when I asked him: “Bacon pancakes for dinner?”
“Go for it, River,” Dirk enunciated as he tapped his toe to the jazzy riff crooning out of his phone. I followed his series of airguns as I backed away from Dirk basking in the completion of his projects. “If you make stacks of them, we’ve got enough maple syrup!”
After we finished our breakfast for dinner, I smoothed this into our conversation: “Oh, my friend Kiyoshi invited me over to Mt. Komorebi for the Festival of Light. You’re a fan of his dad, aren’t?” Dirk’s eyes perked as I quickly munched on my penultimate pancake of the day. “Do you want to come along? We could go rockclimbing and sightseeing too!”
“Hell yeah, let’s do it!” Dirk pulled out his phone and boop, beep boop boop later he goes: “Let’s fly this weekend!”
“Also, I’m really sorry Dirk…” River rubbed the back of his neck, as he tried to confess. “I burned the TV and replaced it straight away. I tried out Inferniate and, and I’m sorry.”
“River, it’s okay. We all make mistakes, right? Maybe practice magic outside the house from now on.”
“Also, I was thinking if I could invite my friends over?” I was wincing as I said it, given how Dirk isn’t keen on expanding his social circle. “It’s not a lot of people, just the ones I’m closest too. I won’t be able to see them during break--they’re all with their families and--” My brain starts churning out the question I desperately wanted to ask him. “You don’t have to be there, like…” I worried about all the possibilities and if it was one I couldn’t take, if I felt like I needed to get away from here.
“Say no more!” Thankfully Dirk saved me from nose diving into a point of no return. “I’m going out tonight to see my girls.” He smirked to himself. “But no wrecking the house, make sure everything is where it should be when I’m back,” he hummed and hawwed, tapping his cheek. “Oh, and no one goes in my room, and no drugs or unsafe sex--I hate to even think about the mischief teens get up to nowadays and most of all--no abusing alcohol please!”
_______
River recounted Dirk’s rules and for a house party. Dirk might be surprised how tame this evening was. He cooked up a grand meal for them to enjoy and chatted to each other. He already insisted on a no alcohol rule, to Wolf’s dismay. He sheepishly handed River a bottle of wine from his family’s vineyard. “Thanks Munch, I’ll save this for when we graduate high school.”
He looked out in their tiny house full of his Scoutsmaster and his Day One friends. Cass and Jeb were arguing about the merits of pasta with cheese versus pasta on its own. Wolf and Morgyn were mocking each other’s dance moves, which reminded River if he decided to do this again, they needed a stereo. Kat smiled at him, squeezed his bum as she grabbed another plate. They exchanged gifts and River got Jeb, a brand new pair of kicks, which he was happy about.
Sofia excused herself and said that she wasn’t feeling well two hours before the party. River felt guilty for feeling relieved that he had one more day to continue on as ‘normal’. Kiyoshi and Kaori popped in over a brief video call and when it was Winterfest where they were at, they sent their group chat a video full of festive cheers in the Ito household with Kaori’s grandparents too.
“Good to see your family…” River typed speedily as he narrated what he wanted to say. “Getting along, hope it wasn’t uncomfortable. Need to talk to you when you have time, be good to catch up?” His guests laughing at the film’s end scene. He dreaded to say out loud, the calm waltzing under an incoming storm.
Notes
I had it all set up, the Eve of Winterfest and just wanted a couple photos of them there but I totally forgot to take photos. XD I’ve added poses into my game but forget that I have them. Usually I’m a planner when it comes to writing fiction but with Sims I get to engrossed letting things happen or making them happen without the pics to prove it. I too have added in CC genetics stuff like lashes and default skins. At present, I like more Maxis Match CC and I’m keeping myself to genetics CC. Also, the photo of River’s parents, Dirk and Bjorn was in their teens. And River’s parents, Leland and Mila are dead in-game. River’s story might not go the way you think, hehehe…
Also, I dunno if I mentioned but River completed the Friend of the World Aspiration a few weeks ago...and I didn’t look into the reward trait. His relationships don’t decay anymore...I might have to do something about that. I’ll add my 11th March post later tonight.
ALSO for your current Sims being uploaded to the gallery, I suppose I wanted them skilled as I’ll embark on the university run with all of them. But I realise that it’s complicated and you may not want duplicates of your Sims so I’ve decided to do a randomiser for their skills instead. Sorry for the trouble.
This update took a while to write, because like Jules, I was dreading this conversation with Mario lol...idk, I was gonna draw it out longer than I did, but it kind of just naturally flowed the way it did when I wrote, so hopefully I did it justice...you guys are truly champs for keeping up with my crazy plot lines haha. I make everything in my game way more complicated than it has to be
Update 70 - The moment of truth
Notes:
It was nearing sunset as they arrived in Mt. Komorebi. Kaori led the boys up the walk to Jules' home. "Okay, this is it..." she said, gulping nervously and stepped away to give the boys access to the front step.
Hugo was the one to knock, and after a few moments, Jules opened the door. "Can I help-" she stopped short as she saw the group standing before her. Her eyes darted to Hugo's eager face, to Emmett's concerned one, to Mario's look of shock.
Her eyes finally landed on Kaori. "Sorry," Kaori muttered. "They were very persistent...I'm just gonna go now. You can come kill me later."
Hugo was the first to speak, finally registering her rounded stomach. "Oh my gosh, did I do that?!?!"
(Poor Hugo, he's not really that dumb, I just couldn't resist LOL, he was just overwhelmed in the moment and no one else was saying anything. Also Kaori running away in that shot might actually be the funniest part, as @Ellupelluellu pointed out when I gave her some preview photos from this post lol)
"Hugo, we never even kissed," Jules sighed in frustration.
She stepped past Hugo, her eyes settling on Mario's face, and the look of shock and betrayal on his face made her stomach drop her and throat tighten.
"Let's take a walk," Jules let out a heavy sigh, motioning for Mario to follow. "The door's unlocked," she added to Emmett and Hugo. "You guys can go inside if you want - I just need to talk to Mario first."
They walked in silence at first, the sun slowing dipping beneath the horizon. When Jules turned to look at Mario, she saw that his expression had changed from shock to anger.
"Mario, I'm really sorry..." she began, but trailed off, knowing her words of apology would never be enough to justify the secret she had kept from him.
(And I didn't end up getting all the screenshots I wanted for this conversation. It was dark, and also part of it happened on a bench, and the clipping of Jules in this outfit while sitting on the bench was just too much for me to handle so I trashed those photos lol, so most of this is going to happen without screenshots)
"Were you planning on ever telling me?" He spat at her, his face contorted in an expression of rage and anguish.
Jules couldn't look at him. She looked down at her feet, her eyes brimming with tears. "Of course I planned to tell you," she choked out, and then added quietly, "But I kept checking your Simstagram page, and I saw the renovations you were making to the cottage, and that Becca's been coming to hang out with you a lot...and you just seemed really happy. And I didn't want to ruin that."
His face softened slightly, but there was still a hard edge to his voice when he spoke. "Still, it wasn't fair for you to keep this from me."
"I know," she whispered back, placing her hand on her stomach. "And it wasn't fair of you to find out like this either. I feel terrible."
His eyes fell to her stomach, watching the way her hands protectively cradled her belly. "You shouldn't have had to face this alone either." His voice grew steadily calmer. "You know I'm not the kind of guy who would make you do that."
"I know," Jules answered immediately. "That's why I found it so hard to tell you...you're so good and kind Mario - better than most guys I know, and I just thought you deserved better than this."
"I just don't even know what to think right now," he admitted. "I'm so angry and shocked...but...." he became incoherent for a moment. "A baby." His lips twitched into an involuntary smile. "My baby..."
Jules dared to smile softly as well. "He's moving around a lot right now." She moved her hand down to the base of her stomach as the baby let out an especially eager kick. She found Mario's eyes. "Do you want to feel?" she offered.
"It's a boy?" Mario asked as he stepped closer to her.
"Well, I don't actually know," Jules admitted. "I chose not to find out the gender. But I keep calling it a 'he,' so maybe my intuition is correct."
Mario reached out hesitantly, his hands barely grazing her stomach as he touched her with the utmost fragility.
"You're going to have to get a little closer than that," Jules laughed lightly, feeling the tightness in her throat loosen a bit. She grabbed his hands, placing them firmly on her stomach. The baby wriggled inside her, and Mario's face lit up into an expression of awe.
"Hey there little guy. It's your daddy," he spoke gently, and Jules' heart swelled with emotion.
They began walking back toward her house after that, the tension noticeably lighter between them.
"You know," Mario offered, "you can move back in with me. We can try to make this whole thing work again. I want to be here for you, and for this baby."
Jules thought of Lydia. Now was not the time to tell Mario about her, but she would in due time. "Mario, that's one reason why I left...because I knew you'd do this. It's very admirable, but forcing things to work out between us just for this baby's sake isn't the right thing to do."
He nodded, knowing she was right. "But still, I want to be a part of this baby's life."
"Of course," Jules answered. "We can talk more about that soon, I promise."
Mario went home after that, asking her if she'd tell the other guys that he just needed some space and time to sort through his thoughts as he traveled back home. She nodded, promising to contact him soon. She knew this was far from over, and there would probably be more angry words between them as they sorted this all out, but for now, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Jules walked into the house, feeling emotionally drained, and saw Emmett was waiting for her. "Where's Hugo?" she asked, glancing around the small space.
"I convinced him to go home," Emmett smiled softly at her. "I figured you might need some space once you got back. I can leave too, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay first."
"I'm okay," she told him. "Or, at least I will be. This has all just been a lot to cope with for one day...and I want to tell you more about what's been going on, but I don't know if I have the mental capacity to do that right now," she admitted. "I'm really glad you stuck around though. It's good to see you."
He pulled her into a hug then, and her body melted against his. Hugging Emmett always felt like coming home.
The door swung open then.
"Jules, are you okay?" Lydia asked immediately, noticing her upset expression and eyeing Emmett warily.
Jules pulled away from Emmett, glancing between the pair. "I'm fine," she told Lydia. "Just a crazy night...I'll tell you about it soon."
She went over to stand by Lydia. "Lydia, this is Emmett - my best friend since, well, forever," she smiled toward Emmett. "And Emmett, this is Lydia, my, um...girlfriend," she muttered a bit awkwardly, watching Emmett carefully contain his expression of shock.
Lydia stepped up next to Jules, taking her hand reassuringly in hers. "It's nice to meet you, Emmett."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Emmett blushed a bit. "But I should be heading out now. I want to talk more, Jules. I know you don't have your phone, but email me, and we can catch up soon."
Jules promised she would, and suddenly, the house was quiet. Lydia led her over to the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Jules opened her mouth to speak, but she was overcome by an influx of tears instead.
"Shhh, shhhh," Lydia soothed. "It's okay, babe, come here. You don't have to talk right now."
Jules nodded appreciatively, letting her body relax against Lydia's, as her mind tried to process all the events that had happened tonight.
--
Mario was probably too forgiving, but I'm over it lol, there's only so much drama my brain can produce
Thank you, it's reassuring to hear others say that. I'm really enjoying being back to normal updates, and just playing normally. Story mode is definitely harder without any inspiration.
Jules being pregnant is such an exciting storyline, and I'm so here for it. I like that she's being urged to tell her family and Mario, and I also like that she's got such a nice little support system in Mt Komorebi.
I do think Jenny and Rohan will be together for the long haul, and I look forward to exploring what they may bring. I think when Jenny's a Young Adult, I'll turn on Aging for the rest of the world for a few days, just to catch everyone up. Simmis are such a fun collection, I agree - and that hype when you get one you've been after is amazing.
With the house being so big, I think she's going to have to make a lot of things to keep afloat, but I reckon she can do it. I'll definitely be investing in some plant pots, though! And yeah, Romance Gurus are kind of funny.
I just read your update, and WOW. My heart was pulled all over the place, and I just don't know how to process this! Mario, Jules, and Lydia...I think they'll all do a good job with the baby but it's a lot for Jules to handle emotionally. I'm really floored by how beautiful this moment was too, you wrote it wonderfully.
March - Day 11:"Don't you know that you're a shooting star?"
Notes
After the disappointing loss to L. in their duel, Essa traveled to Caster's Alley and took the wise Sage's advice to challenge other Spellcasters at her own level. She won the first challenge, lost the second and won the last which tipped her over to the next level. It came with a price though. She got a Duelist's curse. Thankfully she had learned how to cast the Decursify spell on herself and dispelled it within seconds.
Back at HQ she searched out her Father. They hadn't had a chance to chat in a couple days and she missed him.
"There's my girl, how are you Sweetheart?"
"I'm good, great actually! Did L. tell you about our Duel?" "Yes, she did. She's very impressed with your progress. Did you take her advice?"
"Sure did and it worked! I'm so close to Virtuoso now. I can't believe it!" "I can. You've been studying hard and it comes naturally to you. Congratulations, I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks Dad, I couldn't have done it without you, Morgyn and L."
Essa and Simeon spent some time catching up and then her Father did something very unexpected.
*gasp* "What's that?"
"What? I don't see anything?"
"Booga Booga Booga BOO!"
"Seriously? I'm a little too old to fall for that Dad."
"You're so silly!" "That's what your Mother used to say, but she fell for it every time. L. never falls for it either."
"Oh well, I had to try. It's good to let loose sometimes, relax, have some fun and not take everything so seriously. Spellcaster training can be very intense."
"It gets intense, sure, but I love it! It's exciting and there's so much to learn. I want it all!" "I understand, but you're young and have plenty time yet to learn everything. Just promise you'll slow down if it gets to be too much. You don't want to burn out too quickly."
"I promise to try." "That's all I ask."
(Probably shouldn't ask for homework help now. I can do it myself anyway.)
Simeon had a class so they said their goodbyes. Her Father walked away and Essa sat down in a nearby chair to do her homework.
Though it doesn't look like much, this made me smile. Simeon walked to the end of the hallway, turned to look back at Essa as he started around the corner and saw what she was doing. He stopped, actually smiled and then walked back to autonomously help Essa with her homework! What a sweetheart! I know he's not her 'real' Dad, but in this moment it felt like he really was. I guess his students would have to wait, his 'daughter' needed him.
Homework finished Simeon left again and Essa decided to search for tomes. She couldn't believe her luck when she found one for a particular spell that would be perfect for part of the plan to get back at Damon. Morphiate!
(It won't be enough, but it's a start.)
(What should I turn him into? A cactus? No...a frog! Yeah! Can I do that?)
(Too bad it'll wear off so soon. Should last until he gets true love's kiss or something.)
(Good luck with that Mr. Hot Shot Vamp! Who'd want to kiss a vampire frog? Nobody, that's who! You'd be stuck like that for a long, long time. That would be so sweet!)
*gigglesnort*
(Alright, let's find out if it's even possible.)
Essa was disappointed to learn she couldn't turn Damon into a frog, but she could turn him into a gnome, cactus, a bunny statue or even a fish!
(A fish? What kind? Ha! Probably a Kissing Gourami. Pucker up Dude!)
There was one place Essa had not visited in the Realm yet, the Gardens. She'd heard there was a place to fish there. Up to now she'd taken every bit of advice she'd been given, so why not take her Father's latest advice to relax? Fishing was one of her favorite outdoor activities. It always made her relax...and think about Josh. She didn't catch much, except a Kissing Gourami. How ironic is that?
I left Essa fishing for a bit to just look around the Realm using the tab mode camera. I love doing that, you can find some interesting things that way, and get some interesting screenshots! I love this one! I took it while looking up through the waterfall mist at the end of the fishing spot. I love this world, it's so beautiful!
Essa traveled back to Caster's Alley after awhile to check out the Vendor's wares. She finally was able to purchase her first rocket broom, along with a couple tomes she didn't have, a ruby and finally, a magician's wand! The wand was immediately placed into the display case that's been waiting for it on a table in the entrance when Essa returned home. It will represent the wand Molly and Damon gave her as a farewell gift.
Feeling refreshed, Essa couldn't help herself. Back home she practiced her magic skills and THIS happened! Yay! Congratulations Essa! I switched her to the Purveyor or Potions aspiration and all the milestones were completed immediately, except for one task. She needed to brew 5 potions.
Brewing potions is a lot easier for her now since she has the Blender arm perk. It still gets hot, but the central air she had installed is a tremendous help.
(Oh, wait, I need one more ingredient for this. What was it? Uh...eye of newt? No, I think it was crushed bat wings. Yeah...)
*POOF*
(Well that wasn't right, obviously.)
(Should I try again? Is it worth it? What if I get cursed?)
(If I get cursed, so be it! I'm not giving up now! Quitters never win and I'm not a quitter! Shoot for the stars Essa, just go for it!)
Persistence pays off in the end. Essa has now completed both aspirations for this world!
I had planned to take things slowly since these aspirations really aren't all that tough to complete. But there's still many things I'd like her to complete here before the month has ended. We're going to try to get all the Magic artifacts collections including; brooms, wands, tomes, and familiars. I'd also like her to get all the perks as well and brew at least one of every potion to excellent quality using ingredients found or purchased in Caster's Alley. It seems impossible to do, especially the wands and brooms. Essa is my fifth Spellcaster and I've never seen any of the crystal brooms in Caster's Alley, or the very rarest of the rare wands. Wish us luck!
The main reason I decided to grind out these aspirations with Essa though is my plans for her retaliation against Damon. It will take a bit of time to set up and I'll need to focus on doing it right. She needs to do this before the end of the month because I'm not certain at this point if she will remain a Spellcaster or take the rite of dissolution.
First you have to impress them! Roxanne was showing off her Paranormal License. Looks like Melody was threating them!
Then get some training in!
I liked this shot! I got a bunch of shots but that's enough.
Then we had some cameos!
Don't blame me! The game dresses them every time they go to the Magic Realm! You sure can carry those dangly earrings off well River!
Sakura was not having a good time! But cute dress! I'll be on the lookout every time I go:).
Naoki and I had a day off. Naoki decided to invite Jules over and watch Kitty.
I decided to go to the magic realm academy to work on the special potion for Kitty, together with Ms. Beltran. Gabbie couldn’t make it, unfortunately, but she told me that I could invite someone else to help me, and who’s a better candidate than Jess, right?
(Jess) “Thank you for inviting me over, Bryon. This is a super rare potion. I’m so glad that I get to learn it thanks to you.”
(Bryon) “No problem at all. We haven’t had much time to talk after all. So, how are you doing?”
(Jess) “I’m fine, actually. I’ve been studying so much that even Beatrix is getting annoyed by it, hehe. Poor Beatrix. I heard from her that you recently won all the duels! That’s amazing!”
(Bryon) “Thank you, haha. I’m enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. I’m happy to hear that you also feel well.”
Bryons phone starts buzzing.
(Bryon) “Oh, it’s Gabbie. Let me take that for a second.”
Bryon goes to stand outside in the hall. (For some reason he also changed his clothes HAHAHAH. Let's forget about that little detail)
(Bryon) “Hello?”
(Gabbie) “Bryon! I think we have a problem! A huge one!”
(Bryon) “What are you talking about?”
(Gabbie) “No time to explain! Are you still with Jess?”
(Bryon) “… Yeah?”
(Gabbie) “Poof her and yourself to the address that I’m about to text you. This is an emergency! I think we are all in danger!!”
(Bryon) “Gabbie, what are you talking about-“
…
(Bryon) “She disconnected the call.”
Someone else stole the cauldron we were working with before, but that was no problem at all. We don’t have time for potions anymore.
Ms. Beltran and Jess were talking to each other. Their eyes immediately went to me when I walked back in. (and yep, that's Astrid on the computer, lol)
(Jess) “What was that call about? You seem worried…”
(Bryon) “I am worried.”
Gabbie’s text came in.
(Bryon) “I’m sorry, Ms. Beltran, but something came up... We have to leave...”
(Anika) “It’s okay. It seems like whatever is going on now is more important. We can continue this at another moment. Just come to me when you have time again.”
(Bryon) “Thank you so much.”
And then my eyes go back to Jess.
(Bryon) “She wants us to come to her. Have you ever been zapped somewhere?”
(Jess) “Not yet...?”
(Bryon) “Wanna try it out?”
(Jess) “Really?! We’re going to zap?!”
(Bryon) “I take that as a yes. Hold yourself tight!”
*Zap*
To be continued…
Behind the scenes
Gage’s first day in the Magic Realm will start next week. He’s pretty exited, but at the same time something is bothering him. Both he and Gabbie have been trying to reach Gordon, but his phone has been disconnected. Is he okay?
Gage decides to take out the mail for the day. One particular envelope stood out. Isaius Ellison. Resignation letter?! He opened the letter, but something immediately seemed wrong with it. It’s in a language he doesn’t know.
Immediately after, Gabbie calls.
(Gabbie) “Gage, did you also get a resignation letter?!”
(Gage) “Yeah.. Did you open the letter already?”
(Gabbie) “No, why?”
(Gage) “You should open it.”
(Gabbie) “Ehm, wait… I’m trying to open it…”
...
(Gabbie) “Got it! Hey… What’s this? I can’t read this!”
(Gage) “So you got something weird too.”
(Gabbie) “Is that guy playing a game with us?”
(Gage) “It eh… Sure looks like it.”
(Gabbie) “Wait a second.”
(Gage) “Hm?”
Gabbie poofed herself to Gage’s place.
(Gabbie) “Here I am!!”
(Gage) “Really?”
(Gabbie) “What? This is much more easy!”
(Gabbie) “Back to business. Isaius never does something like this for fun... We have a problem if we don’t find this out.. And... Oh no. Gage. I gotta call someone who may be in even more danger than us!!”
And who does she call? Indeed. Bryon.
---
Meanwhile in the base… Isaius is downstairs, about to give food to Randi and Kumiko. The grin on his face couldn’t be bigger.
He opens the door and sees that Kumiko is doing even worse than before.
(Randi) “Isaius… Please… She’s dying… Her baby could come any moment…”
(Isaius) “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Randi. But there’s a possibility that you’ll be freed soon… And Kumiko can get the help she need. But.. That depends on how well my ex-employees play my game… Enjoy this last meal I’m giving the two of you. I would start praying for those people to come soon if I were you…”
(Randi) “No… Isaius… You can’t do that…”
(Isaius) “Oh but Randi, I can. Here’s your food. Eat it wisely.”
And with that, the door closes.
(Randi) “Come on, Kumiko... Don’t give up... We’re going to be saved soon... Oh please lord...”
March 11 So much is happening in this picture, lol xD
Today we're doing behind the scenes before the actual diary of Bryon, lol.
Behind the scenes
(Gage) “Why did I just hear you say ‘Bryon’ through that phone?”
(Gabbie) “I… Ehm... Might have to tell you something...”
Gabbie explains how she met Bryon and Johnny at the academy and how she became really good friends with Bryon.
(Gage) “God… This is becoming too complex for me…”
No worries Gage, I think this whole story is complex for everyone except for me, the one who writes it all.
Bryons Diary
Gabbie and an unknown guy were standing at the place Gabbie wanted us to come to.
(Bryon) “I don’t think I know you already, do I? My name is Bryon Ellison, nice to meet you. This is my friend, Jess Ridley.”
(Gage) “Eh… Gage Beltran. Nice to meet you too…”
(Jess) “Are you related to Anika Beltran?”
(Gage) “Who?”
(Gabbie) “Hehe, one of our teachers has the same last name as you. I thought it was funny—“
(Gabbie) “No wait! There’s no time for informalities like these!!”
(Bryon) “Can you please explain what is happening now?”
(Gabbie) “Will you promise me to not be mad..?”
(Bryon) “What could be that bad that I would be mad at you?”
(Gage) “Yeah well, you’re not going to like this for sure.”
(Gabbie) “Gage, you tell him! I can’t!”
(Gage) “Really? I don’t even know him that well!”
(Gabbie) “That’s exactly why you should do it!!”
(Gage) “Argh, whatever. You are the oldest son of Isaius Ellison, right?”
(Bryon) “Yeah, he is— Oh no. You guys know my father...”
(Gage) “We actually worked for him… Until today. These came in our mailboxes.”
(Bryon) “You worked for him...?”
(Jess) “Can I see that letter?”
(Gabbie) “Please don’t be mad?”
(Bryon) “I’m not mad... Just disappointed. Al this time, you knew him? You knew he was my father?”
(Gabbie) “I’m sorry... I just wanted to protect you from him...”
(Bryon) “Oh, you. Come here. It’s okay.”
(Jess) “Hey people, I don’t want to interrupt your lovely hug but ehm... This letter is written in Dutch, and luckily for you guys, I’ve been learning that language! It’s about a game... at the... base? And we have to be fast?”
(Gage) “The base...”
(Gabbie) “We have to go to the base!!!”
To be continued…
Side info
While shooting the pictures above, Bryon completed the Bestselling author aspiration lol😂 yippeee!!
Plant pots are here! They cost a bit, so I sold Jenny's stored honey to make up for it. However, we now have well-sheltered plants.
Jenny also made a candle for the first time, which I've listed on Plopsy. I think it went pretty well, and I plan on building her Fabricating skill as much as I can, as well as giving the lot some nice traits to help it out.
Finally, Morgan came over to hang out, which is good, though she and Jenny don't always get along, probably because of the club thing. However, they did seem to have a fun time!
@permanentrose
Yeah because otherwise it would be celebrating winterfest and harvestfest every few days xD And they are, I think they are so cute together
Poor Jules Also, that picture of Hugo... the feck happened to his fingers?? xD This was such a sweet chapter, I'm glad things are out in the open. Now, the healing can begin.
@Karababy52
Hm, I think I'll wait to see if she gets pregnant again, and then give the kittens to the challenge sims, then get her fixed =D They don't really, the kittens pretty much stick to themselves lol And I know right?? I saw her scolding them and I got so angry. I was OH HELL NAH.
She got cursed!! Poor Essa Good thing she knows the counter for it.
@Kanindota
Dirk seems to be in good spirits! Cool that he's letting River invite friends over.
@Hermitgirl
Practice makes perfect =D And yas, River looks good like that~
@Skeilah
Oh jeez I hope they are able to solve the problem and come out safely!
@lilypadmeulin
The candle station is the coolest, in my opinion. Cool that she's selling them!
@Hermitgirl Another fun update, Roxanne and Melody seem to be enjoying learning magic! So does the game generate random outfits for everyone when they go into the Realm??
@Skeilah Lol, Gage's reaction to your complex storyline But I love how you are telling this super complex story, I can tell how much fun you're having, and it's so cool that you've come up with all this in your own head, very creative. Things do not look good for poor Kumiko and Randi. The cursed Isaius is truly heartless. I'm glad Jess has been able to get more involved, and I'm sure that smart mind of hers will be able to help solve the mystery behind the letters that Isaius sent.
@AnnoyingTiger Haha, which Hugo photo are you talking about? Sometimes poses do weird things...
@lilypadmeulin Jenny really looks like she is getting into the groove of things in her new home! I don't have the Eco pack, so I'm enjoying seeing you play with all the features I know nothing about. Candle making seems super cool
My love, my love, my fearless love, I will not say goodbye..
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
*Updated my Day 11 Post above! Thankfully we didn't lose power! The winds have subsided somewhat now as well. *Whew* I'll comment and reply on all your daily posts next! Hope y'all had a great day/night!
I have to laugh at your daily post pic! Later on in the SimLit you said River got Jeb a pair of kicks and he liked them. But that screenshot makes it seem the opposite with that silly bag on his head frowning. LOL
River sure knows how to work Dirk to his advantage. Nice that he fessed up about the TV though. The party sounds like it was fun. Made me laugh how Dirk thinks he's River's Dad or something with all the house rules. Probably more like a big brother though. Congrats to River for completing Friend of the World! Excellent!
I totally understand about getting engrossed when playing Sims and not taking screenshots or forgetting about ones that you have. Many times I wish I'd added a certain one myself. Oh well... Hey! Welcome to the dark side! We have cookies! LOL I like Maxis Match too. Alpha just looks to uncanny valley to me. I only have the eyelashes, body hair and one hairstyle in my game at the moment. It's enough for me for right now, but I might get more later on.
Very curious what you meant by River's story not going how we might think. Dun Dun Dun o.O
No worries about our skilled Sims. Glad you got it all figured out what you want to do now.
Well good, glad that's over with for the time being. I loved the look on Mario's face when he was touching her stomach. That's one of my favorite animations in the game for pregnant Sims. I don't blame Kaori for running away, glad she came back though to face the music. She's actually the hero in all this to me. Hugo cracked me up asking if he did that to her. Really Hugo? I doubt he would, but the look on his face seemed to imply it anyway. Great update, it will be interesting to see what happens now.
I'm sure she'll be able to keep afloat alright. Especially once the garden gets going well. Most things don't go for a heck of a lot on Plopsy, but she can still do alright with it. The best is paintings, of course. Some of the sweater sets go for a lot though too. The baby onesies seem to be a bit profitable as well.
Yay! Jenny has her plant pots now, fantastic! Love the candles that came with EL. They take WAY too long to make though. The dipped aren't too bad, but the others... o.O One tip if you don't know already. You can set the burn level on candles by right clicking on them with testingcheats turned on. And you can set them so they don't melt away doing that. Glad she had fun with Morgan even if they didn't get along very well before.
hehe I love how confident and proud Roxanne looks as she's showing Morgyn her license and the 'Whoa!' look on Morgyn's face is hilarious! Melody looks like she's yelling at him. Love the shot of Melody looking so happy among the sparkles. I have a shot of Essa like that as well. I think River actually looks good! Even if a game generated outfit, that almost never happens! o.O Poor Sakura, she was having a mood swing I would guess. Very cute dress though, yes! Fun update!
March 10 - Glad Jess is doing so much better now and that she gets to have the rare potion recipe too. Interesting development with the resignation letters and going to the base. I wonder if Isaius plans to make them play some kind of devious game. Oh man, he is such a monster! Gah! Poor Kamiko lying there like that pregnant. Breaks my heart for her and for Randi.
Congrats to Bryon for finishing the Writing aspiration! So, everybody knows everything now. That's a good thing. Felt bad for Gabbie running away and making Gage do it though. That surprised me. But it all worked out, she came back and they are still friends! I'm glad.
So fun seeing Essa in your challenge play again. I got a laugh out of how she sneakily took a pic of Duane by taking a selfie. I don't blame you girl, he's gorgeous! However, I think she may have showed it to Astrid, so it's all good. The kittens are looking cute as ever and Pumpkin too, of course! Love that cat! Glad Astrid gave Bess the money. Keep giving her to her if Astrid can afford it. She'll get a BIG pay off in the end. At least my Sims do if they give her money. A couple of them ended up getting 25K! o.O Good luck with the cowplant!
So there's a lot that needed to fall into place in the aftermath of all this, and instead of making multiple updates, I decided to do more of an overview of what has happened now that Jules is no longer isolated.
--
After talking to Mario, it was much easier to talk to Bex and Dell, who of course came over immediately to see her. All their frustration at her from hiding this from them melted away as soon as they embraced her.
Dell offered to move in with her once the baby was born to help out. Jules protested at first, but Dell soon convinced her it was the right choice. Sofia would be spending a lot of this semester traveling to give lectures at different schools, so Dell would be alone much of the time anyway, and Dell would be able to go home on weekends to see Sofia. This would also give Jules the opportunity to re-enroll in school so she could properly graduate high school and get herself into a good university. Dell told her this part was non-negotiable, playing the rare roll of parent she sometimes had to fill. Also, with Sofia traveling a lot, Lenny would be coming to stay with them during the week, and if anything could sell Jules on this plan, that was definitely it.
Also, of course, Dell is taking every opportunity to talk about Jules' new lady love with her
"I can't believe my baby sister is now partaking in the sapphic pleasures..."
"Ew, stop it, we are NOT having this conversation..."
Jules now has her phone back and is regularly communicating with people again. Hugo has taken the news of Jules dating a woman the best out of any of the three boys, and has immediately settled into an easy friendship with her. Actually, I got this pop up due to the attraction system in my game and I was actually dying - it does look like Hugo really can move on fast
He comes over once a week to cook for her (Would have done a more interesting dish, but cooking off the grid is so limited HAHA)
Mario was pretty surprised to find out she was dating Lydia, but he's come around to it now too, and Jules' relationship has given him an unspoken permission to pursue a relationship that's been budding for him as well. He and Becca are now officially a couple.
And he's started accompanying Jules to her doctor appointments, and is understandably feeling nervous about being a new father, though Dr. C has been doing her best to reassure him that he'll be wonderful. He and Jules will share custody of the baby, though the baby will live primarily with Jules. After all, Mario still has to finish school too.
Emmett is back in her life too, which brings both of them happiness, though there's always a bit of an underlying tension there that neither of them fully acknowledge. They just avoid talking about Lydia and Brittany when they are together, and for the most part, they have been able to fall back into their comfortable friendship. Emmett did almost break up with Brittany back when he was moping over Jules, but it turns out that Brittany is insecure and possessive and wouldn't let the relationship end. Now that Jules is dating Lydia, Emmett figures Brittany is the best he'll ever get. Mind you, most of this is subconsciously happening, as Emmett and Jules still won't admit that they have feelings for each other. But at least they have each other again. They both missed each other so much. (Just look at how she looks at him I swear she doesn't look at any other sim with this level of autonomous adoration...)
And then of course she still has Lydia, who has accepted all of Jules' friends and family into her life as well with as much grace as can be expected. Lydia is not the jealous and petty type, so she's happy to share Jules with the rest of the world once again and merely enjoy the moments they do have together.
Also she totally forgives Kaori and is even thankful that she ended up dragging everyone to Mt. Komorebi because she totally needed someone to force her to get her act together. I just forgot to take any screenshots with Kaori for this update, whoops.
--
This update, yet again, covers another large-ish chunk of time. Spring is almost over, which works out well for my plans. Jules can start "summer school" after the baby is born, and hopefully I can get next month to line up with the end of summer/beginning of fall since I would love for her to start university in the fall.
Also Jules looks is starting to look especially chunky lol. I blame the ridiculous amount of grilled cheese she's been eating these days LOL...can sims gain extra weight when they are pregnant? I don't even know, but Jules looks like a tank these days
Sorry, I forgot to reply to your update yesterday, I was so tired and very out of it. Anyway, nice set up for River's house party! I feel like that's going to be a lot of fun and potentially crazy. It's fun to play without worrying about screenshots for sure, glad you got lost enough in your game just to enjoy it, even it does mean we don't get to see the gameplay.
So no screenies of the duels random townie spellcasters haha? Nice that she knows a spell to dispel curses though. Lol, Simeon being goofy with her was cute! Was that an autonomous action on his part? Essa's expression was perfect too. She was seriously like, "I am waaayyy to old for this nonsense." Also that's so sweet that he came to help her with her homework! I do love it when the game does cute little stuff like this randomly that makes it feel like our sims truly do care for each other.
Yeah, Damon needs more punishment than just getting turned into an inanimate object. He should definitely suffer a bit more than that lol. Essa also make some great expressions while reading. She's definitely plotting lol. I also love that angle you got the fishing shot from. All these nighttime photos of the Realm are really lovely. I feel like dawn/dusk and nighttime are the times that feel most "magical" so taking advantage of getting your outdoor shots during that time really add to the ambiance.
Also nice work on your aspirations! Essa has been hard at work - I do love it when the game saves info for aspirations even when you aren't playing them, and then they start dinging off immediately and you feel so accomplished haha. That's fun you have other big plans for her this month though with all the collections and potion making. Those should keep you busy - obviously I don't personally know since I don't have the pack, but getting full collections is always fun. I'm casually trying to get a full simmi collection for Jules right now. I'm looking forward to actually using the features of SE soon too HAHA
Also I’m glad the weather didn’t cause a power outage for you!
I really loved this update, and reading through it. I'm so glad for Mario and Becca too, I think they'll make a great couple, though it does mean that poor Mario has Brittany for an in-law now. Yikes. I'd love to see his family and hers together, I feel like that would be a great amount of drama. I also can't wait for the baby to be born!
The Eco pack is a lot of fun, to be honest. I like that it's added in some hobbies, and I like that there's so much to do.
I actually didn't know that you could set them not to melt, so thank you for that! It always seems such a waste when they do. The garden isn't as good as it was, but it's getting there again, and like I said, I'm hunting for a crocus. Maybe I should have her focus more on knitting than on candles?
Kat and I stayed up after everyone else left. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, some impertinent things I needed to say and get off my chest. That I loved her very much but I’m the wrong person for her. That I was a Spellcaster, but I can’t because I’ve etched the sigil of secrecy on my skin and offered my life of Sorcery and Spellcasting on the line for words of candour.
During the Rite of Ascension, you offer a virtue (I choose candour) and a vice (I unwittingly chose lust) to an act. I bound the latter with words. It’s very exhausting being a Spellcaster--I’ve not lied or spoken a lie since my Rite of Ascension. Burning the tv didn’t count because I did not say ‘I did not burn the tv or I don’t know what happened to the tv’. It turned out Dirk offered the same vice but offered valour but wouldn’t tell me what his tether was: be it an act, an object or whatever. Enough about what I’m learning, as cool as it is learning spells and potions, my personal life is crumbling by the flick of my magicked wrist and wand.
I told Kat that Dirk and I were going to Mt. Komorebi and she was upset that I didn’t even think of inviting her. Or that I’ve barely initiated any contact between the two of us until yesterday. Or the fact that she’s been hearing rumours.
“I’m sorry, Kat. I really am sorry.” That was the truth. Kat kept trying to make me admit my misdeeds but I wasn’t ready, I was already apologetic and cautious at what words came out of my phone. “I am truly, madly, deeply sorry, Kat.”
While this was happening outside, the one-time maid I hired to help out before Dirk arrived was smiling awkwardly, trying to make herself invisible from this juvenile cringefest. Oh check her stack...of plates! I meant plates!
Day 71, 12th March
__________
Dirk and his girlfriends finally had the talk. Usually I like to be in the know gossip, but today after Kat stormed out of here and was a no-show at school. I had no desire to take part in any shape or form in Dirk’s extra activities. Safe to say that not a hair on his ghostly head was harmed, but Keiko and Kylee broke up with him after trying to tear each other down. That moment when Dirk and I slumped on the sofa we knew that we were two more lonely people in the world and it was gonna be fine. Tomorrow was Mt. Komorebi after all.
The Sorcerer’s Creed (How to Stay A-A-A-Alive & Magical)
Rule #5? - Spellcasters should not make themselves known to Nilmages unless it is a matter of life and death.
Notes
I ended up playing ahead on my day off (such high rare quality) and trying to organise things together. I tried to do some lore but again this is the only project where I haven’t planned the stories initially. But anyway, it was fun to write. Can you tell I've been listening to a lot of 70s-80s music? Things are slowly unravelling for River and Dirk, but that's it for now. I hope you all are feeling well and keeping safe!!
So, today Jenny brought home a school project after becoming an A student! I'm very proud of her, as she's been working hard. This one is the Electricity one, and I'm going to try and get it completed quickly.
She also cooked some Siopao, as she's unlocked that recipe during her dates with Rohan! I'm glad that her cooking skill is improving.
Speaking of Rohan, they went to the Humor and Hijinks festival again, and joined the Jokesters together - and won again! Jenny's Comedy skill is now Level 6, and this time we sold the microphone. Maybe we can really start saving for a plant room?
Comments
For March 8 Your set up is always so beautiful. I think I sense some flirting going on.
For March 9 And there it is... Well good thing Josh stopped by to set things straight!
For March 10 Great shots
-In my dust post Roxanne came home angry ... she didn't need to be angry I just wanted to see if the roomba would work... and she was painting while it tried to clean. Then when I had her vacuum I'd go check other household members and every time I'd come back to Roxanne she would be viewing the angry painting. There is a vacuum angry interaction though... kind of like evil workout. The dust hasn't been out of control until that day and I'm pretty sure it happened for a lot of reasons. I think the pack needs some tweaking but I'm enjoying it. It's not for everyone.
@Skeilah
For March 8 Aww I really like Roo. I like the way you figured her out! Well that she's a human anyway.
Lol, You're so old now! Things not to say 101! So sweet when Isaius and the dog were reunited.
Another cliff-hanger. You're the cliff-hanger kid!
For March 9 Lol at Jules making mac and cheese... she can't get enough cheese! I can't even imagine going out to find one type of fish.. but you did it! I was going to ask about Isaius red eyes, glad you explained.
@lilypadmeulin
Wow that's a lot of catching up.
For Days 19-28! I keep missing the day the bunny shows up in my game. Now that I have Nester I gotta do that this year. I want an egg collection for Roxanne too! Great pictures
For March 1 Yahh for Jenny's Corner! Very cute mailbox
For March 2 Lots of room in the house and sweet that Rohan and Jenny are still a thing
-I can't do a story here either.. it's mentally exhausting for me, because I'm not always creative. But I always manage to feel guilty lol. Now and then I lightly try but yeah.. nope! Take the pressure off yourself and just play how you like too, telling a story isn't required for the challenge. Now and then tell a story if you want and give yourself a break otherwise. I'm glad you like seeing Jenny in my game
@permanentrose
For Update 68 That hair does look really good on Jules. Wow congrats on getting the Grilled Cheese Aspiration unlocked! And yahhh Death Flower! Lol ... push that truth out girl!
For Update 69 LMAO at Hugo "We were kind of dating!" Hugo has it bad! Ohh I'm kinda mad at Kaori for agreeing but the drama should be good lol.
-I'm sure Archie will end up vacuuming Nester eventually!
@Kanindota
For Day 67 Wow that Manuel gets around lol, the reference to Mambo No. 5 was funny too. Congrats on catching up. I hate being behind here, but it happens.
-My Roxanne on the gallery is pretty skilled now. But I can add in the newer spellcaster if you want. I'm sure she's topped a few more skills by then. The painting is a pretty common one you can paint when your sim is angry. I've done it myself a number of times but I can put it on the gallery if you want. It shouldn't list as cc since it's in the game... I don't think? If you haven't gotten the cleaning kit you might as well wait it looks like on the next patch they are going to tweak it.
@AnnoyingTiger
For March 9th Rollerskating and kitty labor! LMAO at Catastrophy & Sam. Oh no so flipping cute.. Again Pumpkin steals the show!
@SoulGal7
For Day 22 The audition was great. It's fun to see all of our sims. Using a club to invite them to the band was a great idea too. Very fun post!
I'm playing one sim day, from 12 am to 12 am for each update. I'm also matching the seasons with the current season in my world, along with the holidays in real life. Hehe, that was the plan, to make people think it was Astrid. I saw the notification that Pumpkin was in labor and my jaw hit the floor. I was like "HUH?!" but my god are they cute! I love them so much
Beautiful boys
@SoulGal7
Ooo I like seeing our boys and girls as candidates! This band is gonna be the coolest in the world~ Astrid looks so annoyed omg, girl cheer up xD I'm so proud of her, and you included Pumpkin too ahhh my heart
@Karababy52
Mission accomplished hehe I'm already so in love with the kittens, there's no way I can get rid of them
Come on, Essa, show her who's boss! =D Aww, she lost. Good effort, though! You'll get 'er next time.
@Hermitgirl
Hope your allergies get better soon
I honestly don't know how lol I don't try to make Pumpkin the star but she's just so darn cute. I usually always have pets in my games but there's something special about this one!
@lilypadmeulin
What a cozy little home. I'm not much fond of pink, but I must admit that mailbox is pretty cute. Aw, a kiss at the romance fest! I wonder if it's true love~
- Info & Index.
- Day 15 full album.
@SoulGal7
I'm excited to see how you conclude this "month" of updates and do any gigs for the band!
Also, I had to add, Sakura is getting SUPER skinny, wow lol! Jules is so fat these days. And yes, a little bit of it is pregnancy, but also apparently I'm bad at keeping sims fit and trim when I don't use cheats to feed them LOL
@Karababy52
I love how you've had her duel with all three sages now, and each duel was a unique experience! You have captured them all gorgeously too! So do you have some other spellcasters floating around in your save too that she can practice dueling with?
Well, Kaori might have kept her secret lol, but as you can see from my update today, she's also the reason there's going to be pandemonium tomorrow
@Hermitgirl
Also, yes, Kaori did make a somewhat questionable decision to bring the boys to Jules, but Jules will end up thanking her.
@lilypadmeulin
@AnnoyingTiger
I admire you for what you're doing with our challenge Sims, doing everything in your power to make them all spellcasters. It sounds like a lot of work! I hope it's fun for you and not a grind. I sure couldn't do it. I struggle with controlling just two Sims, I prefer one at a time. Probably the reason I don't do well with Legacies. It's my own fault though, I micromanage my Sims with no autonomy. I just want any Sims I play to do well and they really don't do well at all with full autonomy. Sims logic gets in the way every time.
Love the screenshot of Sakura on the broom in her scout uniform! So cute and funny too! Oh man, that shot of Sakura, Jenny and Astrid is priceless too! Don't know if I've shared this before or not, but don't worry about teens dying from being Hysterical, Enraged, etc. Teens can't die from those emotional kinds of deaths. Just be careful they aren't in one of those when they age up to a YA because they WILL die immediately after blowing out the candles. o.O I think it's cool you might turn them all into ghosts too. I don't have any kind I wouldn't want Essa to be, turn her into whatever kind of ghost you want.
Yes, there was a bit of flirting going on, but really only on Morgyn's behalf. Essa thinks of him as her big brother. He knows that now and will respect her wishes.
Ohhh, so that's what was up with Roxanne being angry, got it! Thanks for the explanation. I was so confused.
@lilypadmeulin
Very nice house Jenny has in Evergreen Harbor! It must seem like she's living in luxury now with such a big house. The mailbox is cute! Great hobbies for her to have, and both useful things she can make if she decides to keep any instead of selling them all on Plopsy. Good luck getting a crocus! I'll keep my fingers crossed for her. Aww, I love the Romance Festival, so glad she went and shared some kisses with Rohan. I don't get those Gurus either. For one thing, why are they always elders? Just because one is old doesn't equate to being an expert in romance.
@AnnoyingTiger
I really thought Essa was going to beat L. the way the duel was going. But in the end L. defeated her. It's okay. Essa ended up taking L.'s advice and dueled a few random townie Spellcasters in Caster's Alley while she was there buying stuff from the market stalls. She ended up getting her first curse for it too! o.O But she knows the Decursify spell, so it only lasted a few seconds. It was the Duelist one where other Spellcasters will constantly challenge yours. She is on the next milestone now and only needs to advance to Virtuoso to finish it. Then I'll switch her to the Potions Master aspiration.
Congrats on Astrid becoming an Acolyte! Do the kittens follow her around everywhere? Guessing she didn't get Judith's autograph. Bummer.
@permanentrose
I'm glad Kaori spilled the beans. You're right. Jules did need someone to push her to reveal to Mario and her family what's going on. It's only fair they know since they love her.
__________
This year's Wintertide's Companion or Winter's Ally or Winterbuddy's gift, whatever name you use, goes to the good, the great, the gentleman, Jeb @jebhardiharhar Harris. #happywinterfesteve #hessinglebutshytomingle #nicegirlsonly
Some SimLit
“Go for it, River,” Dirk enunciated as he tapped his toe to the jazzy riff crooning out of his phone. I followed his series of airguns as I backed away from Dirk basking in the completion of his projects. “If you make stacks of them, we’ve got enough maple syrup!”
After we finished our breakfast for dinner, I smoothed this into our conversation: “Oh, my friend Kiyoshi invited me over to Mt. Komorebi for the Festival of Light. You’re a fan of his dad, aren’t?” Dirk’s eyes perked as I quickly munched on my penultimate pancake of the day. “Do you want to come along? We could go rockclimbing and sightseeing too!”
“Hell yeah, let’s do it!” Dirk pulled out his phone and boop, beep boop boop later he goes: “Let’s fly this weekend!”
“Also, I’m really sorry Dirk…” River rubbed the back of his neck, as he tried to confess. “I burned the TV and replaced it straight away. I tried out Inferniate and, and I’m sorry.”
“River, it’s okay. We all make mistakes, right? Maybe practice magic outside the house from now on.”
“Also, I was thinking if I could invite my friends over?” I was wincing as I said it, given how Dirk isn’t keen on expanding his social circle. “It’s not a lot of people, just the ones I’m closest too. I won’t be able to see them during break--they’re all with their families and--” My brain starts churning out the question I desperately wanted to ask him. “You don’t have to be there, like…” I worried about all the possibilities and if it was one I couldn’t take, if I felt like I needed to get away from here.
“Say no more!” Thankfully Dirk saved me from nose diving into a point of no return. “I’m going out tonight to see my girls.” He smirked to himself. “But no wrecking the house, make sure everything is where it should be when I’m back,” he hummed and hawwed, tapping his cheek. “Oh, and no one goes in my room, and no drugs or unsafe sex--I hate to even think about the mischief teens get up to nowadays and most of all--no abusing alcohol please!”
_______
River recounted Dirk’s rules and for a house party. Dirk might be surprised how tame this evening was. He cooked up a grand meal for them to enjoy and chatted to each other. He already insisted on a no alcohol rule, to Wolf’s dismay. He sheepishly handed River a bottle of wine from his family’s vineyard. “Thanks Munch, I’ll save this for when we graduate high school.”
He looked out in their tiny house full of his Scoutsmaster and his Day One friends. Cass and Jeb were arguing about the merits of pasta with cheese versus pasta on its own. Wolf and Morgyn were mocking each other’s dance moves, which reminded River if he decided to do this again, they needed a stereo. Kat smiled at him, squeezed his bum as she grabbed another plate. They exchanged gifts and River got Jeb, a brand new pair of kicks, which he was happy about.
Sofia excused herself and said that she wasn’t feeling well two hours before the party. River felt guilty for feeling relieved that he had one more day to continue on as ‘normal’. Kiyoshi and Kaori popped in over a brief video call and when it was Winterfest where they were at, they sent their group chat a video full of festive cheers in the Ito household with Kaori’s grandparents too.
“Good to see your family…” River typed speedily as he narrated what he wanted to say. “Getting along, hope it wasn’t uncomfortable. Need to talk to you when you have time, be good to catch up?” His guests laughing at the film’s end scene. He dreaded to say out loud, the calm waltzing under an incoming storm.
Notes
I had it all set up, the Eve of Winterfest and just wanted a couple photos of them there but I totally forgot to take photos. XD I’ve added poses into my game but forget that I have them. Usually I’m a planner when it comes to writing fiction but with Sims I get to engrossed letting things happen or making them happen without the pics to prove it. I too have added in CC genetics stuff like lashes and default skins. At present, I like more Maxis Match CC and I’m keeping myself to genetics CC. Also, the photo of River’s parents, Dirk and Bjorn was in their teens. And River’s parents, Leland and Mila are dead in-game. River’s story might not go the way you think, hehehe…
Also, I dunno if I mentioned but River completed the Friend of the World Aspiration a few weeks ago...and I didn’t look into the reward trait. His relationships don’t decay anymore...I might have to do something about that. I’ll add my 11th March post later tonight.
ALSO for your current Sims being uploaded to the gallery, I suppose I wanted them skilled as I’ll embark on the university run with all of them. But I realise that it’s complicated and you may not want duplicates of your Sims so I’ve decided to do a randomiser for their skills instead. Sorry for the trouble.
Update 70 - The moment of truth
Notes:
Hugo was the one to knock, and after a few moments, Jules opened the door. "Can I help-" she stopped short as she saw the group standing before her. Her eyes darted to Hugo's eager face, to Emmett's concerned one, to Mario's look of shock.
Her eyes finally landed on Kaori. "Sorry," Kaori muttered. "They were very persistent...I'm just gonna go now. You can come kill me later."
Hugo was the first to speak, finally registering her rounded stomach. "Oh my gosh, did I do that?!?!"
(Poor Hugo, he's not really that dumb, I just couldn't resist LOL, he was just overwhelmed in the moment and no one else was saying anything. Also Kaori running away in that shot might actually be the funniest part, as @Ellupelluellu pointed out when I gave her some preview photos from this post lol)
"Hugo, we never even kissed," Jules sighed in frustration.
She stepped past Hugo, her eyes settling on Mario's face, and the look of shock and betrayal on his face made her stomach drop her and throat tighten.
"Let's take a walk," Jules let out a heavy sigh, motioning for Mario to follow. "The door's unlocked," she added to Emmett and Hugo. "You guys can go inside if you want - I just need to talk to Mario first."
They walked in silence at first, the sun slowing dipping beneath the horizon. When Jules turned to look at Mario, she saw that his expression had changed from shock to anger.
"Mario, I'm really sorry..." she began, but trailed off, knowing her words of apology would never be enough to justify the secret she had kept from him.
(And I didn't end up getting all the screenshots I wanted for this conversation. It was dark, and also part of it happened on a bench, and the clipping of Jules in this outfit while sitting on the bench was just too much for me to handle so I trashed those photos lol, so most of this is going to happen without screenshots)
"Were you planning on ever telling me?" He spat at her, his face contorted in an expression of rage and anguish.
Jules couldn't look at him. She looked down at her feet, her eyes brimming with tears. "Of course I planned to tell you," she choked out, and then added quietly, "But I kept checking your Simstagram page, and I saw the renovations you were making to the cottage, and that Becca's been coming to hang out with you a lot...and you just seemed really happy. And I didn't want to ruin that."
His face softened slightly, but there was still a hard edge to his voice when he spoke. "Still, it wasn't fair for you to keep this from me."
"I know," she whispered back, placing her hand on her stomach. "And it wasn't fair of you to find out like this either. I feel terrible."
His eyes fell to her stomach, watching the way her hands protectively cradled her belly. "You shouldn't have had to face this alone either." His voice grew steadily calmer. "You know I'm not the kind of guy who would make you do that."
"I know," Jules answered immediately. "That's why I found it so hard to tell you...you're so good and kind Mario - better than most guys I know, and I just thought you deserved better than this."
"I just don't even know what to think right now," he admitted. "I'm so angry and shocked...but...." he became incoherent for a moment. "A baby." His lips twitched into an involuntary smile. "My baby..."
Jules dared to smile softly as well. "He's moving around a lot right now." She moved her hand down to the base of her stomach as the baby let out an especially eager kick. She found Mario's eyes. "Do you want to feel?" she offered.
"It's a boy?" Mario asked as he stepped closer to her.
"Well, I don't actually know," Jules admitted. "I chose not to find out the gender. But I keep calling it a 'he,' so maybe my intuition is correct."
Mario reached out hesitantly, his hands barely grazing her stomach as he touched her with the utmost fragility.
"You're going to have to get a little closer than that," Jules laughed lightly, feeling the tightness in her throat loosen a bit. She grabbed his hands, placing them firmly on her stomach. The baby wriggled inside her, and Mario's face lit up into an expression of awe.
"Hey there little guy. It's your daddy," he spoke gently, and Jules' heart swelled with emotion.
They began walking back toward her house after that, the tension noticeably lighter between them.
"You know," Mario offered, "you can move back in with me. We can try to make this whole thing work again. I want to be here for you, and for this baby."
Jules thought of Lydia. Now was not the time to tell Mario about her, but she would in due time. "Mario, that's one reason why I left...because I knew you'd do this. It's very admirable, but forcing things to work out between us just for this baby's sake isn't the right thing to do."
He nodded, knowing she was right. "But still, I want to be a part of this baby's life."
"Of course," Jules answered. "We can talk more about that soon, I promise."
Mario went home after that, asking her if she'd tell the other guys that he just needed some space and time to sort through his thoughts as he traveled back home. She nodded, promising to contact him soon. She knew this was far from over, and there would probably be more angry words between them as they sorted this all out, but for now, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Jules walked into the house, feeling emotionally drained, and saw Emmett was waiting for her. "Where's Hugo?" she asked, glancing around the small space.
"I convinced him to go home," Emmett smiled softly at her. "I figured you might need some space once you got back. I can leave too, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay first."
"I'm okay," she told him. "Or, at least I will be. This has all just been a lot to cope with for one day...and I want to tell you more about what's been going on, but I don't know if I have the mental capacity to do that right now," she admitted. "I'm really glad you stuck around though. It's good to see you."
He pulled her into a hug then, and her body melted against his. Hugging Emmett always felt like coming home.
The door swung open then.
"Jules, are you okay?" Lydia asked immediately, noticing her upset expression and eyeing Emmett warily.
Jules pulled away from Emmett, glancing between the pair. "I'm fine," she told Lydia. "Just a crazy night...I'll tell you about it soon."
She went over to stand by Lydia. "Lydia, this is Emmett - my best friend since, well, forever," she smiled toward Emmett. "And Emmett, this is Lydia, my, um...girlfriend," she muttered a bit awkwardly, watching Emmett carefully contain his expression of shock.
Lydia stepped up next to Jules, taking her hand reassuringly in hers. "It's nice to meet you, Emmett."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Emmett blushed a bit. "But I should be heading out now. I want to talk more, Jules. I know you don't have your phone, but email me, and we can catch up soon."
Jules promised she would, and suddenly, the house was quiet. Lydia led her over to the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Jules opened her mouth to speak, but she was overcome by an influx of tears instead.
"Shhh, shhhh," Lydia soothed. "It's okay, babe, come here. You don't have to talk right now."
Jules nodded appreciatively, letting her body relax against Lydia's, as her mind tried to process all the events that had happened tonight.
--
Mario was probably too forgiving, but I'm over it lol, there's only so much drama my brain can produce
Thank you, it's reassuring to hear others say that. I'm really enjoying being back to normal updates, and just playing normally. Story mode is definitely harder without any inspiration.
@AnnoyingTiger
I hope so! They're a very cute couple and I really like that Jenny's got a bigger house now.
@permanentrose
Jules being pregnant is such an exciting storyline, and I'm so here for it. I like that she's being urged to tell her family and Mario, and I also like that she's got such a nice little support system in Mt Komorebi.
I do think Jenny and Rohan will be together for the long haul, and I look forward to exploring what they may bring. I think when Jenny's a Young Adult, I'll turn on Aging for the rest of the world for a few days, just to catch everyone up. Simmis are such a fun collection, I agree - and that hype when you get one you've been after is amazing.
@Karababy52
With the house being so big, I think she's going to have to make a lot of things to keep afloat, but I reckon she can do it. I'll definitely be investing in some plant pots, though! And yeah, Romance Gurus are kind of funny.
Daughters of Hesperia
I just read your update, and WOW. My heart was pulled all over the place, and I just don't know how to process this! Mario, Jules, and Lydia...I think they'll all do a good job with the baby but it's a lot for Jules to handle emotionally. I'm really floored by how beautiful this moment was too, you wrote it wonderfully.
Daughters of Hesperia
Notes
After the disappointing loss to L. in their duel, Essa traveled to Caster's Alley and took the wise Sage's advice to challenge other Spellcasters at her own level. She won the first challenge, lost the second and won the last which tipped her over to the next level. It came with a price though. She got a Duelist's curse. Thankfully she had learned how to cast the Decursify spell on herself and dispelled it within seconds.
Back at HQ she searched out her Father. They hadn't had a chance to chat in a couple days and she missed him.
"There's my girl, how are you Sweetheart?"
"I'm good, great actually! Did L. tell you about our Duel?"
"Yes, she did. She's very impressed with your progress. Did you take her advice?"
"Sure did and it worked! I'm so close to Virtuoso now. I can't believe it!"
"I can. You've been studying hard and it comes naturally to you. Congratulations, I'm so proud of you!"
"Thanks Dad, I couldn't have done it without you, Morgyn and L."
Essa and Simeon spent some time catching up and then her Father did something very unexpected.
*gasp* "What's that?"
"What? I don't see anything?"
"Booga Booga Booga BOO!"
"Seriously? I'm a little too old to fall for that Dad."
"You're so silly!"
"That's what your Mother used to say, but she fell for it every time. L. never falls for it either."
"Oh well, I had to try. It's good to let loose sometimes, relax, have some fun and not take everything so seriously. Spellcaster training can be very intense."
"It gets intense, sure, but I love it! It's exciting and there's so much to learn. I want it all!"
"I understand, but you're young and have plenty time yet to learn everything. Just promise you'll slow down if it gets to be too much. You don't want to burn out too quickly."
"I promise to try."
"That's all I ask."
(Probably shouldn't ask for homework help now. I can do it myself anyway.)
Simeon had a class so they said their goodbyes. Her Father walked away and Essa sat down in a nearby chair to do her homework.
Though it doesn't look like much, this made me smile. Simeon walked to the end of the hallway, turned to look back at Essa as he started around the corner and saw what she was doing. He stopped, actually smiled and then walked back to autonomously help Essa with her homework! What a sweetheart! I know he's not her 'real' Dad, but in this moment it felt like he really was. I guess his students would have to wait, his 'daughter' needed him.
Homework finished Simeon left again and Essa decided to search for tomes. She couldn't believe her luck when she found one for a particular spell that would be perfect for part of the plan to get back at Damon. Morphiate!
(It won't be enough, but it's a start.)
(What should I turn him into? A cactus? No...a frog! Yeah! Can I do that?)
(Too bad it'll wear off so soon. Should last until he gets true love's kiss or something.)
(Good luck with that Mr. Hot Shot Vamp! Who'd want to kiss a vampire frog? Nobody, that's who! You'd be stuck like that for a long, long time. That would be so sweet!)
*gigglesnort*
(Alright, let's find out if it's even possible.)
Essa was disappointed to learn she couldn't turn Damon into a frog, but she could turn him into a gnome, cactus, a bunny statue or even a fish!
(A fish? What kind? Ha! Probably a Kissing Gourami. Pucker up Dude!)
There was one place Essa had not visited in the Realm yet, the Gardens. She'd heard there was a place to fish there. Up to now she'd taken every bit of advice she'd been given, so why not take her Father's latest advice to relax? Fishing was one of her favorite outdoor activities. It always made her relax...and think about Josh. She didn't catch much, except a Kissing Gourami. How ironic is that?
I left Essa fishing for a bit to just look around the Realm using the tab mode camera. I love doing that, you can find some interesting things that way, and get some interesting screenshots! I love this one! I took it while looking up through the waterfall mist at the end of the fishing spot. I love this world, it's so beautiful!
Essa traveled back to Caster's Alley after awhile to check out the Vendor's wares. She finally was able to purchase her first rocket broom, along with a couple tomes she didn't have, a ruby and finally, a magician's wand! The wand was immediately placed into the display case that's been waiting for it on a table in the entrance when Essa returned home. It will represent the wand Molly and Damon gave her as a farewell gift.
Feeling refreshed, Essa couldn't help herself. Back home she practiced her magic skills and THIS happened! Yay! Congratulations Essa! I switched her to the Purveyor or Potions aspiration and all the milestones were completed immediately, except for one task. She needed to brew 5 potions.
Brewing potions is a lot easier for her now since she has the Blender arm perk. It still gets hot, but the central air she had installed is a tremendous help.
(Oh, wait, I need one more ingredient for this. What was it? Uh...eye of newt? No, I think it was crushed bat wings. Yeah...)
*POOF*
(Well that wasn't right, obviously.)
(Should I try again? Is it worth it? What if I get cursed?)
(If I get cursed, so be it! I'm not giving up now! Quitters never win and I'm not a quitter! Shoot for the stars Essa, just go for it!)
Persistence pays off in the end. Essa has now completed both aspirations for this world!
I had planned to take things slowly since these aspirations really aren't all that tough to complete. But there's still many things I'd like her to complete here before the month has ended. We're going to try to get all the Magic artifacts collections including; brooms, wands, tomes, and familiars. I'd also like her to get all the perks as well and brew at least one of every potion to excellent quality using ingredients found or purchased in Caster's Alley. It seems impossible to do, especially the wands and brooms. Essa is my fifth Spellcaster and I've never seen any of the crystal brooms in Caster's Alley, or the very rarest of the rare wands. Wish us luck!
The main reason I decided to grind out these aspirations with Essa though is my plans for her retaliation against Damon. It will take a bit of time to set up and I'll need to focus on doing it right. She needs to do this before the end of the month because I'm not certain at this point if she will remain a Spellcaster or take the rite of dissolution.
It was the weekend so time to learn!
First you have to impress them! Roxanne was showing off her Paranormal License. Looks like Melody was threating them!
Then get some training in!
I liked this shot! I got a bunch of shots but that's enough.
Then we had some cameos!
Don't blame me! The game dresses them every time they go to the Magic Realm! You sure can carry those dangly earrings off well River!
Sakura was not having a good time! But cute dress! I'll be on the lookout every time I go:).
Bryon's diary
Naoki and I had a day off. Naoki decided to invite Jules over and watch Kitty.
I decided to go to the magic realm academy to work on the special potion for Kitty, together with Ms. Beltran. Gabbie couldn’t make it, unfortunately, but she told me that I could invite someone else to help me, and who’s a better candidate than Jess, right?
(Jess) “Thank you for inviting me over, Bryon. This is a super rare potion. I’m so glad that I get to learn it thanks to you.”
(Bryon) “No problem at all. We haven’t had much time to talk after all. So, how are you doing?”
(Jess) “I’m fine, actually. I’ve been studying so much that even Beatrix is getting annoyed by it, hehe. Poor Beatrix. I heard from her that you recently won all the duels! That’s amazing!”
(Bryon) “Thank you, haha. I’m enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. I’m happy to hear that you also feel well.”
Bryons phone starts buzzing.
(Bryon) “Oh, it’s Gabbie. Let me take that for a second.”
Bryon goes to stand outside in the hall. (For some reason he also changed his clothes HAHAHAH. Let's forget about that little detail)
(Bryon) “Hello?”
(Gabbie) “Bryon! I think we have a problem! A huge one!”
(Bryon) “What are you talking about?”
(Gabbie) “No time to explain! Are you still with Jess?”
(Bryon) “… Yeah?”
(Gabbie) “Poof her and yourself to the address that I’m about to text you. This is an emergency! I think we are all in danger!!”
(Bryon) “Gabbie, what are you talking about-“
…
(Bryon) “She disconnected the call.”
Someone else stole the cauldron we were working with before, but that was no problem at all. We don’t have time for potions anymore.
Ms. Beltran and Jess were talking to each other. Their eyes immediately went to me when I walked back in. (and yep, that's Astrid on the computer, lol)
(Jess) “What was that call about? You seem worried…”
(Bryon) “I am worried.”
Gabbie’s text came in.
(Bryon) “I’m sorry, Ms. Beltran, but something came up... We have to leave...”
(Anika) “It’s okay. It seems like whatever is going on now is more important. We can continue this at another moment. Just come to me when you have time again.”
(Bryon) “Thank you so much.”
And then my eyes go back to Jess.
(Bryon) “She wants us to come to her. Have you ever been zapped somewhere?”
(Jess) “Not yet...?”
(Bryon) “Wanna try it out?”
(Jess) “Really?! We’re going to zap?!”
(Bryon) “I take that as a yes. Hold yourself tight!”
*Zap*
To be continued…
Behind the scenes
Gage’s first day in the Magic Realm will start next week. He’s pretty exited, but at the same time something is bothering him. Both he and Gabbie have been trying to reach Gordon, but his phone has been disconnected. Is he okay?
Gage decides to take out the mail for the day. One particular envelope stood out. Isaius Ellison. Resignation letter?! He opened the letter, but something immediately seemed wrong with it. It’s in a language he doesn’t know.
Immediately after, Gabbie calls.
(Gabbie) “Gage, did you also get a resignation letter?!”
(Gage) “Yeah.. Did you open the letter already?”
(Gabbie) “No, why?”
(Gage) “You should open it.”
(Gabbie) “Ehm, wait… I’m trying to open it…”
...
(Gabbie) “Got it! Hey… What’s this? I can’t read this!”
(Gage) “So you got something weird too.”
(Gabbie) “Is that guy playing a game with us?”
(Gage) “It eh… Sure looks like it.”
(Gabbie) “Wait a second.”
(Gage) “Hm?”
Gabbie poofed herself to Gage’s place.
(Gabbie) “Here I am!!”
(Gage) “Really?”
(Gabbie) “What? This is much more easy!”
(Gabbie) “Back to business. Isaius never does something like this for fun... We have a problem if we don’t find this out.. And... Oh no. Gage. I gotta call someone who may be in even more danger than us!!”
And who does she call? Indeed. Bryon.
---
Meanwhile in the base… Isaius is downstairs, about to give food to Randi and Kumiko. The grin on his face couldn’t be bigger.
He opens the door and sees that Kumiko is doing even worse than before.
(Randi) “Isaius… Please… She’s dying… Her baby could come any moment…”
(Isaius) “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Randi. But there’s a possibility that you’ll be freed soon… And Kumiko can get the help she need. But.. That depends on how well my ex-employees play my game… Enjoy this last meal I’m giving the two of you. I would start praying for those people to come soon if I were you…”
(Randi) “No… Isaius… You can’t do that…”
(Isaius) “Oh but Randi, I can. Here’s your food. Eat it wisely.”
And with that, the door closes.
(Randi) “Come on, Kumiko... Don’t give up... We’re going to be saved soon... Oh please lord...”
So much is happening in this picture, lol xD
Today we're doing behind the scenes before the actual diary of Bryon, lol.
Behind the scenes
(Gage) “Why did I just hear you say ‘Bryon’ through that phone?”
(Gabbie) “I… Ehm... Might have to tell you something...”
Gabbie explains how she met Bryon and Johnny at the academy and how she became really good friends with Bryon.
(Gage) “God… This is becoming too complex for me…”
No worries Gage, I think this whole story is complex for everyone except for me, the one who writes it all.
Bryons Diary
Gabbie and an unknown guy were standing at the place Gabbie wanted us to come to.
(Bryon) “I don’t think I know you already, do I? My name is Bryon Ellison, nice to meet you. This is my friend, Jess Ridley.”
(Gage) “Eh… Gage Beltran. Nice to meet you too…”
(Jess) “Are you related to Anika Beltran?”
(Gage) “Who?”
(Gabbie) “Hehe, one of our teachers has the same last name as you. I thought it was funny—“
(Gabbie) “No wait! There’s no time for informalities like these!!”
(Bryon) “Can you please explain what is happening now?”
(Gabbie) “Will you promise me to not be mad..?”
(Bryon) “What could be that bad that I would be mad at you?”
(Gage) “Yeah well, you’re not going to like this for sure.”
(Gabbie) “Gage, you tell him! I can’t!”
(Gage) “Really? I don’t even know him that well!”
(Gabbie) “That’s exactly why you should do it!!”
(Gage) “Argh, whatever. You are the oldest son of Isaius Ellison, right?”
(Bryon) “Yeah, he is— Oh no. You guys know my father...”
(Gage) “We actually worked for him… Until today. These came in our mailboxes.”
(Bryon) “You worked for him...?”
(Jess) “Can I see that letter?”
(Gabbie) “Please don’t be mad?”
(Bryon) “I’m not mad... Just disappointed. Al this time, you knew him? You knew he was my father?”
(Gabbie) “I’m sorry... I just wanted to protect you from him...”
(Bryon) “Oh, you. Come here. It’s okay.”
(Jess) “Hey people, I don’t want to interrupt your lovely hug but ehm... This letter is written in Dutch, and luckily for you guys, I’ve been learning that language! It’s about a game... at the... base? And we have to be fast?”
(Gage) “The base...”
(Gabbie) “We have to go to the base!!!”
To be continued…
Side info
While shooting the pictures above, Bryon completed the Bestselling author aspiration lol😂 yippeee!!
Plant pots are here! They cost a bit, so I sold Jenny's stored honey to make up for it. However, we now have well-sheltered plants.
Jenny also made a candle for the first time, which I've listed on Plopsy. I think it went pretty well, and I plan on building her Fabricating skill as much as I can, as well as giving the lot some nice traits to help it out.
Finally, Morgan came over to hang out, which is good, though she and Jenny don't always get along, probably because of the club thing. However, they did seem to have a fun time!
Daughters of Hesperia
Yeah because otherwise it would be celebrating winterfest and harvestfest every few days xD And they are, I think they are so cute together
Poor Jules
@Karababy52
Hm, I think I'll wait to see if she gets pregnant again, and then give the kittens to the challenge sims, then get her fixed =D They don't really, the kittens pretty much stick to themselves lol And I know right?? I saw her scolding them and I got so angry. I was OH HELL NAH.
She got cursed!! Poor Essa
@Kanindota
Dirk seems to be in good spirits! Cool that he's letting River invite friends over.
@Hermitgirl
Practice makes perfect =D And yas, River looks good like that~
@Skeilah
Oh jeez
@lilypadmeulin
The candle station is the coolest, in my opinion. Cool that she's selling them!
@Skeilah Lol, Gage's reaction to your complex storyline
@AnnoyingTiger Haha, which Hugo photo are you talking about? Sometimes poses do weird things...
@lilypadmeulin Jenny really looks like she is getting into the groove of things in her new home! I don't have the Eco pack, so I'm enjoying seeing you play with all the features I know nothing about. Candle making seems super cool
@permanentrose , about yes, for unplayed sims. Not in my game, I use this:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/rom-no-situation-29884109
Sea may rise, sky may fall, My love will never die..
My heart, my heart, My drowning heart, Oh all the tears I've cried
Oh I may weep forevermore, My love will never die..
- Info & Index.
- Day 16 full album.
River sure knows how to work Dirk to his advantage. Nice that he fessed up about the TV though. The party sounds like it was fun. Made me laugh how Dirk thinks he's River's Dad or something with all the house rules. Probably more like a big brother though. Congrats to River for completing Friend of the World! Excellent!
I totally understand about getting engrossed when playing Sims and not taking screenshots or forgetting about ones that you have. Many times I wish I'd added a certain one myself. Oh well... Hey! Welcome to the dark side! We have cookies! LOL I like Maxis Match too. Alpha just looks to uncanny valley to me. I only have the eyelashes, body hair and one hairstyle in my game at the moment. It's enough for me for right now, but I might get more later on.
Very curious what you meant by River's story not going how we might think. Dun Dun Dun o.O
No worries about our skilled Sims. Glad you got it all figured out what you want to do now.
@permanentrose
@lilypadmeulin
Yay! Jenny has her plant pots now, fantastic! Love the candles that came with EL. They take WAY too long to make though. The dipped aren't too bad, but the others... o.O One tip if you don't know already. You can set the burn level on candles by right clicking on them with testingcheats turned on. And you can set them so they don't melt away doing that. Glad she had fun with Morgan even if they didn't get along very well before.
@Hermitgirl
@Skeilah
Congrats to Bryon for finishing the Writing aspiration! So, everybody knows everything now. That's a good thing. Felt bad for Gabbie running away and making Gage do it though. That surprised me. But it all worked out, she came back and they are still friends! I'm glad.
@AnnoyingTiger
Notes:
--
After talking to Mario, it was much easier to talk to Bex and Dell, who of course came over immediately to see her. All their frustration at her from hiding this from them melted away as soon as they embraced her.
Dell offered to move in with her once the baby was born to help out. Jules protested at first, but Dell soon convinced her it was the right choice. Sofia would be spending a lot of this semester traveling to give lectures at different schools, so Dell would be alone much of the time anyway, and Dell would be able to go home on weekends to see Sofia. This would also give Jules the opportunity to re-enroll in school so she could properly graduate high school and get herself into a good university. Dell told her this part was non-negotiable, playing the rare roll of parent she sometimes had to fill. Also, with Sofia traveling a lot, Lenny would be coming to stay with them during the week, and if anything could sell Jules on this plan, that was definitely it.
Also, of course, Dell is taking every opportunity to talk about Jules' new lady love with her
"I can't believe my baby sister is now partaking in the sapphic pleasures..."
"Ew, stop it, we are NOT having this conversation..."
Jules now has her phone back and is regularly communicating with people again. Hugo has taken the news of Jules dating a woman the best out of any of the three boys, and has immediately settled into an easy friendship with her. Actually, I got this pop up due to the attraction system in my game and I was actually dying - it does look like Hugo really can move on fast
He comes over once a week to cook for her
Mario was pretty surprised to find out she was dating Lydia, but he's come around to it now too, and Jules' relationship has given him an unspoken permission to pursue a relationship that's been budding for him as well. He and Becca are now officially a couple.
And he's started accompanying Jules to her doctor appointments, and is understandably feeling nervous about being a new father, though Dr. C has been doing her best to reassure him that he'll be wonderful. He and Jules will share custody of the baby, though the baby will live primarily with Jules. After all, Mario still has to finish school too.
Emmett is back in her life too, which brings both of them happiness, though there's always a bit of an underlying tension there that neither of them fully acknowledge. They just avoid talking about Lydia and Brittany when they are together, and for the most part, they have been able to fall back into their comfortable friendship. Emmett did almost break up with Brittany back when he was moping over Jules, but it turns out that Brittany is insecure and possessive and wouldn't let the relationship end. Now that Jules is dating Lydia, Emmett figures Brittany is the best he'll ever get. Mind you, most of this is subconsciously happening, as Emmett and Jules still won't admit that they have feelings for each other. But at least they have each other again. They both missed each other so much. (Just look at how she looks at him I swear she doesn't look at any other sim with this level of autonomous adoration...)
And then of course she still has Lydia, who has accepted all of Jules' friends and family into her life as well with as much grace as can be expected. Lydia is not the jealous and petty type, so she's happy to share Jules with the rest of the world once again and merely enjoy the moments they do have together.
Also she totally forgives Kaori and is even thankful that she ended up dragging everyone to Mt. Komorebi because she totally needed someone to force her to get her act together. I just forgot to take any screenshots with Kaori for this update, whoops.
--
This update, yet again, covers another large-ish chunk of time. Spring is almost over, which works out well for my plans. Jules can start "summer school" after the baby is born, and hopefully I can get next month to line up with the end of summer/beginning of fall since I would love for her to start university in the fall.
Also Jules looks is starting to look especially chunky lol. I blame the ridiculous amount of grilled cheese she's been eating these days LOL...can sims gain extra weight when they are pregnant? I don't even know, but Jules looks like a tank these days
@Karababy52
Yeah, Damon needs more punishment than just getting turned into an inanimate object. He should definitely suffer a bit more than that lol. Essa also make some great expressions while reading. She's definitely plotting lol. I also love that angle you got the fishing shot from. All these nighttime photos of the Realm are really lovely. I feel like dawn/dusk and nighttime are the times that feel most "magical" so taking advantage of getting your outdoor shots during that time really add to the ambiance.
Also nice work on your aspirations! Essa has been hard at work - I do love it when the game saves info for aspirations even when you aren't playing them, and then they start dinging off immediately and you feel so accomplished haha. That's fun you have other big plans for her this month though with all the collections and potion making. Those should keep you busy - obviously I don't personally know since I don't have the pack, but getting full collections is always fun. I'm casually trying to get a full simmi collection for Jules right now. I'm looking forward to actually using the features of SE soon too HAHA
Also I’m glad the weather didn’t cause a power outage for you!
I really loved this update, and reading through it. I'm so glad for Mario and Becca too, I think they'll make a great couple, though it does mean that poor Mario has Brittany for an in-law now. Yikes. I'd love to see his family and hers together, I feel like that would be a great amount of drama. I also can't wait for the baby to be born!
The Eco pack is a lot of fun, to be honest. I like that it's added in some hobbies, and I like that there's so much to do.
@Karababy52
I actually didn't know that you could set them not to melt, so thank you for that! It always seems such a waste when they do. The garden isn't as good as it was, but it's getting there again, and like I said, I'm hunting for a crocus. Maybe I should have her focus more on knitting than on candles?
Daughters of Hesperia
__________
Kat and I stayed up after everyone else left. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, some impertinent things I needed to say and get off my chest. That I loved her very much but I’m the wrong person for her. That I was a Spellcaster, but I can’t because I’ve etched the sigil of secrecy on my skin and offered my life of Sorcery and Spellcasting on the line for words of candour.
During the Rite of Ascension, you offer a virtue (I choose candour) and a vice (I unwittingly chose lust) to an act. I bound the latter with words. It’s very exhausting being a Spellcaster--I’ve not lied or spoken a lie since my Rite of Ascension. Burning the tv didn’t count because I did not say ‘I did not burn the tv or I don’t know what happened to the tv’. It turned out Dirk offered the same vice but offered valour but wouldn’t tell me what his tether was: be it an act, an object or whatever. Enough about what I’m learning, as cool as it is learning spells and potions, my personal life is crumbling by the flick of my magicked wrist and wand.
I told Kat that Dirk and I were going to Mt. Komorebi and she was upset that I didn’t even think of inviting her. Or that I’ve barely initiated any contact between the two of us until yesterday. Or the fact that she’s been hearing rumours.
“I’m sorry, Kat. I really am sorry.” That was the truth. Kat kept trying to make me admit my misdeeds but I wasn’t ready, I was already apologetic and cautious at what words came out of my phone. “I am truly, madly, deeply sorry, Kat.”
While this was happening outside, the one-time maid I hired to help out before Dirk arrived was smiling awkwardly, trying to make herself invisible from this juvenile cringefest. Oh check her stack...of plates! I meant plates!
Day 71, 12th March
__________
Dirk and his girlfriends finally had the talk. Usually I like to be in the know gossip, but today after Kat stormed out of here and was a no-show at school. I had no desire to take part in any shape or form in Dirk’s extra activities. Safe to say that not a hair on his ghostly head was harmed, but Keiko and Kylee broke up with him after trying to tear each other down. That moment when Dirk and I slumped on the sofa we knew that we were two more lonely people in the world and it was gonna be fine. Tomorrow was Mt. Komorebi after all.
Notes
I ended up playing ahead on my day off (such high rare quality) and trying to organise things together. I tried to do some lore but again this is the only project where I haven’t planned the stories initially. But anyway, it was fun to write. Can you tell I've been listening to a lot of 70s-80s music? Things are slowly unravelling for River and Dirk, but that's it for now. I hope you all are feeling well and keeping safe!!
So, today Jenny brought home a school project after becoming an A student! I'm very proud of her, as she's been working hard. This one is the Electricity one, and I'm going to try and get it completed quickly.
She also cooked some Siopao, as she's unlocked that recipe during her dates with Rohan! I'm glad that her cooking skill is improving.
Speaking of Rohan, they went to the Humor and Hijinks festival again, and joined the Jokesters together - and won again! Jenny's Comedy skill is now Level 6, and this time we sold the microphone. Maybe we can really start saving for a plant room?
Daughters of Hesperia